As soon as Zhao Taohua finished speaking, the villagers cleared a path for the old village doctor, Zhao Xiangping.
“Uncle Xiangping, please take a look at my youngest son! He was fine just a moment ago, but suddenly collapsed!”
Speaking of Zhao Sanshi, Grandmother Sun was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily.
Zhao Sanshi’s complexion was clearly wrong, and with a life at stake, Zhao Xiangping dared not delay. He quickly walked over to Zhao Sanshi.
Zhao Xiangping’s medical skills were passed down from his father. His miraculous healing had brought people back from the brink of death on numerous occasions, and he was renowned throughout the surrounding villages.
Anyone he said could be saved would surely live; conversely, if he said there was no saving someone, even the Daluo Immortal wouldn’t be able to help!
Grandmother Sun and Mrs. Wang watched Zhao Xiangping nervously. When he took Zhao Sanshi’s pulse, his expression changed drastically.
Zhao Xiangping took Zhao Sanshi’s pulse three times before withdrawing his hand, shaking his head helplessly: “There’s no saving him. Go home and prepare for the funeral!”
Ah?
“What?!”
Everyone present was shocked by Zhao Xiangping’s words. Zhao Sanshi was still so young…
“You quack! How can my youngest son have no hope? He was perfectly fine not long ago!” Mrs. Sun cursed at Zhao Xiangping.
She was still alive and well—how could her youngest son pass away before her?
Mrs. Wang quickly knelt and kowtowed to Zhao Xiangping: “Grandpa Xiangping, please save Sanshi! Whatever the cost, or at least give him some medicine to try?”
Was she going to become a widow at such a young age?
Left alone to raise two children—how would she get by in the days ahead?
Mrs. Wang was terrified.
Zhao Xiangping’s face turned ashen from Grandmother Sun’s scolding. He sighed helplessly and shook his head at Mrs. Wang.
The surrounding villagers comforted Mrs. Wang: “A Yun, take Sanshi home quickly. While he still has breath, let him say a few last words to the children.”
Mrs. Wang was sobbing uncontrollably, completely at a loss. Hearing the villagers’ suggestion, she immediately helped Zhao Sanshi up to take him home. But suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her—she remembered what Zhao Taohua had said earlier.
Although she knew that even the miraculously skilled Zhao Xiangping had said there was no hope, and that she shouldn’t believe Zhao Taohua’s nonsense, wasn’t she out of options?
She might as well treat a dead horse as if it were still alive!
“You said Sanshi was possessed by evil thoughts and that’s why he fainted—is that true?” Mrs. Wang stopped in her tracks and turned to ask Zhao Taohua.
If that were really the case, wouldn’t it mean Sanshi could still be saved?
“It’s true. But being possessed by evil thoughts was just the last straw that made him faint. He’s mainly been targeted by an Egui that wants to take his life.”
Hearing this, Grandmother Sun’s breath caught. She asked urgently: “Do you have a way to save my youngest son? Save him quickly!!”
Zhao Taohua nodded, and Grandmother Sun and Mrs. Wang both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Taohua continued: “I can save Uncle, but it will cost money.”
Hearing that money was involved, Grandmother Sun’s expression changed. She scolded: “He’s your own uncle! And you still want money?”
Zhao Taohua refused to be morally blackmailed. She said contemptuously: “My own uncle was willing to sell me off as Landlord Li’s ninth concubine for twenty taels of silver, wasn’t he?
Two years ago, when I was at death’s door with no money for treatment, my father begged you, Grandmother, and you didn’t give a single coin—you just chased him away!
In the end, if it weren’t for the uncles and aunties in the village lending my father money to cover my medical expenses, I would have died three years ago!
If you want to save Uncle’s life, give me twenty taels!”
Her family had taken on ten taels of debt to treat her illness, and they still owed eight taels to this day.
Today, weren’t Grandmother Sun and the others trying to sell her to Landlord Li for Chongxi in exchange for twenty taels? Well then, she’d make Grandmother Sun fork over twenty taels to exorcise the evil from Zhao Sanshi!
What?
Grandmother Sun’s face darkened terribly. This dead girl dared to ask for twenty taels?
“Why don’t you just go rob someone?”
Twenty taels!
Plus the twenty taels from Li Fu—in and out, she was losing forty taels of silver today!!
That much silver—their whole family, even without eating or drinking, would have to work for twenty years to earn it!
On one side was twenty taels of silver; on the other was her most beloved youngest son.
Just as Grandmother Sun was hesitating, Mrs. Wang knelt before her: “Mother, please save Sanshi! He can’t die!”
Did Grandmother Sun not cherish her youngest son as well?
She steeled her heart and said to Zhao Taohua: “I don’t have twenty taels. Every household in the village has had poor harvests, and work in town isn’t available every day. If you want it, it’s ten taels—not a penny more.
But you must guarantee you’ll save my son’s life!”
“Money first.” Zhao Taohua held out her hand to Grandmother Sun. There would be plenty of time ahead—sooner or later, she’d make Grandmother Sun cough up the money.
Grandmother Sun grudgingly pulled out ten taels, as if she were digging out her own heart!
Zhao Taohua took the money and immediately tucked it into her bosom. Then she ordered Grandmother Sun to go home and bring back a big rooster.
“I’ve already paid you! Don’t push your luck!” Grandmother Sun thought Zhao Taohua was being greedy and wanted another rooster on top of that?
Zhao Taohua said exasperatedly: “It’s for my ritual! Do you want to save him or not? If you don’t hurry up and bring it, Uncle really won’t make it.”
Actually, with the Ling Qi she had just recovered from Shen Ming, she didn’t need the rooster’s blood at all, but she simply didn’t want to waste even a bit of Ling Qi on Zhao Sanshi.
Upon hearing this, Grandmother Sun immediately urged Mrs. Wang to hurry home and fetch one. If her youngest son died, she would never let this Xiao cao gou get away with it!
Zhao Xiangping and the other villagers shook their heads at the sight, feeling that Grandmother Sun and Mrs. Wang were grasping at straws in their desperation. They actually believed there was some kind of Egui, rather than letting Zhao Sanshi go home to see his children one last time before he passed…
The Village Chief was somewhat worried about Zhao Taohua. He knew well how ruthless Grandmother Sun could be. If Zhao Taohua was playing tricks on her, she would surely seek vicious revenge later!
“Taohua, does Zhao Sanshi really have an Egui on him? Do you truly understand Daofa? Maybe you should just let them take Zhao Sanshi back home!”
Zhao Taohua gave the Village Chief a reassuring look: “Village Chief Grandpa, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
The moment Zhao Taohua took the big rooster from Mrs. Wang’s hands, the aura around her entire being changed. The Village Chief could instantly feel a sense of reliability emanating from Zhao Taohua.
Zhao Taohua carried the rooster to Zhao Sanshi’s side, pinched the comb with her fingernail, and hot rooster blood immediately flowed out, precisely dripping onto the center of Zhao Sanshi’s brow. She gathered a wisp of Ling Qi at her index fingertip, dipped it in the rooster blood, and drew a Fulu.
Grandmother Sun said disdainfully, “What are you scribbling on my son’s face? Is this what you call performing a ritual? Why hasn’t my son woken up yet?”
To Grandmother Sun, this seemed more like random scribbling than a ritual.
She must have been possessed by some devil to actually believe this Xiao cao gou!