Chapter 272: I Know the Rules

"Would it be convenient... to faint again?"

Steward Lu and Mo Yu both twitched at the corners of their mouths.

The Great Medicine King shook his head repeatedly.

No matter who it was, no one would want to faint; how could they say it was convenient?

If his body could move, upon hearing this, he would have struck first—how could he let you hit him?

"Physician Bai Chan, this..."

Seeing the resistance in the old master's eyes, Steward Lu quickly spoke, but before he could finish, the middle-aged man before him seemed to ponder for a moment, as if understanding something: "Forget it, asking you is useless. I'll do it myself!"

He reached out his arm.

Smack!

The Great Medicine King, who had been shaking his head vigorously, had tears in his eyes as he fainted again.

After knocking out the Great Medicine King, Zhang Xuan finally noticed Steward Lu, who wanted to speak, and looked over in confusion: "What's wrong?"

"I... this... nothing!"

Steward Lu gave an awkward smile.

He had originally wanted to dissuade him, saying that knocking him unconscious wasn't necessary and asking if he could treat him, but seeing that he had already acted, he knew that saying more would be useless, so it was better to shut up.

"Mm, continue!"

With the Great Medicine King unconscious, Zhang Xuan touched his finger to the other's body, and a book formed in his mind again.

This time, the location of the defect had indeed been updated.

Having determined the position, he flicked his wrist, and a silver needle shot out again.

"Hmm? Still not right..."

As the needle struck the spot and his true energy circulated, he found that the gu worm had escaped again.

"It seems killing the gu worm is harder than I imagined!" Zhang Xuan's expression turned serious.

He had thought that with the library providing the location, finding and killing the gu worm would be easy, but now it seemed not so simple.

Even though flipping through the book in his mind took very little time, it was still enough for the gu worm to leave its original position and flee to another.

He touched the Great Medicine King again with his finger while simultaneously releasing the silver needle.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Under the stimulation of the silver needle, the gu worm seemed to sense danger and frantically fled along the blood vessels.

"The human blood vessels are intricate, especially the small ones that cover the entire body. If I chase it like this, I won't catch it in a day. I must find a way to force it into one place before I can kill it!"

After several consecutive needles, seeing the gu worm running faster and more erratically, Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Is it dead..."

After a dozen or so needles, he gradually forced the gu worm into a corner and was about to kill it in one go when he heard a weak voice. Turning his head, he saw the Great Medicine King had woken up at some point.

As soon as he woke, no new book could form in Zhang Xuan's mind.

Knowing time was of the essence, Zhang Xuan didn't waste words this time; he reached out his hand.

Smack!

He knocked him out again.

"Damn! It escaped again..."

When the book reappeared, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

During the moment the other was awake, the blood circulation had sped up, and the gu worm had taken the opportunity to flee further, escaping the encirclement.

"How infuriating!"

Not expecting such a small gu worm to be so cunning, Zhang Xuan raised his eyebrows and looked at Steward Lu nearby.

"Come here and watch. If your master wakes up, knock him out..."

This Great Medicine King had reached the peak of Grandmaster realm, and although the gu worm was tormenting him to the point of death at any moment, his true energy automatically protected him, so this level of unconsciousness would soon wear off.

And to save him, he couldn't hit too hard.

To prevent the gu worm from being trapped again and him waking up, delaying matters, it was better to prepare in advance.

As long as this guy woke up, someone would knock him out immediately, so it wouldn't affect the acupuncture and killing the gu worm.

"Knock him out as soon as he wakes..."

Steward Lu trembled all over, on the verge of tears.

This was his master; making him do it was like asking for death...

"Can I refuse..."

"Stop wasting time, hurry up!"

Seeing the man's conflicted expression, Zhang Xuan frowned: "If you don't want to save your master, then refuse and stand still!"

"I..."

Steward Lu, full of inner turmoil, had no choice but to go behind his master and raise his hand.

Just as he was struggling internally, almost unable to bear it, Mo Yu's voice sounded from the side.

"This... physicians often use [Numbing Soul Powder]. One sniff induces unconsciousness without waking for a short time, and it doesn't harm the body. I wonder... if that would work?"

"Numbing Soul Powder? There's such a thing? Of course it works!"

Zhang Xuan was startled.

His goal was just to keep the other unconscious; it didn't matter whether he was knocked out or drugged.

"It works?"

Hearing him say it was acceptable, Steward Lu and Mo Yu both felt like crying.

Numbing Soul Powder was a common medicine used by physicians for treating injuries in timid patients, similar to an anesthetic. Every physician knew about it and usually carried some...

This guy had never heard of it...

Damn!

If it weren't for his impressive medical skills, they would have doubted whether he knew anything about medicine at all!

Otherwise, how could he not know such a basic thing?

If they had used this earlier, the Great Medicine King wouldn't have been hit on the head repeatedly, almost becoming dazed...

"We have this medicine here. I'll go get it now..."

Afraid that his master would be punched again, Steward Lu quickly turned and walked out.

The Great Medicine King dealt in medicine, so this stuff wasn't scarce. It was easy to find, and in no time, he brought back several bags.

Taking a bag, Zhang Xuan placed it under the Great Medicine King's nose, and sure enough, he fell into a deep sleep, unlikely to wake soon.

"You had such a good thing all along and didn't bring it out!"

Seeing how miraculous it was, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but glare.

"I..."

Steward Lu looked aggrieved.

You're a physician performing surgery, and you brought a kitchen knife. Naturally, I thought that was your best tool. Who knew... you didn't even know what a scalpel was...

Mo Yu had a similar expression. If she hadn't grown used to his strange behavior, she would have suspected he was doing it on purpose.

With the Numbing Soul Powder suppressing him, the Great Medicine King fell into complete unconsciousness. Zhang Xuan touched him with one hand while controlling the silver needle with the other, chasing the gu worm relentlessly.

This time, it went smoothly, and before long, he trapped the gu worm again.

"Go!"

Raising his eyebrows, he flicked his finger, and the silver needle shot through the air.

Squeak squeak squeak!

In an instant, a sharp cry seemed to sound from inside the Great Medicine King's body, as if a worm was writhing in his blood vessels.

"Die!"

He pointed his finger, and a stream of pure true energy entered the other's body along the silver needle. The next moment, the worm, as if encountering its nemesis, struggled a few times and then went still.

Like poisons, gu worms were most vulnerable to pure, water-like Heavenly Dao true energy. Once touched, even the most tenacious life would collapse instantly and die on the spot.

"Come out!"

He pressed his palm on the other's blood vessel, and with a surge of true energy, both the silver needle and the gu worm flew out.

With a "smack," they fell to the ground.

"Is this the contract gu?"

Steward Lu and Mo Yu quickly stepped forward.

The gu worm on the ground was about the size of a firefly, dark cyan all over, with special runes on its surface that made one's hair stand on end at a glance.

"Mm."

He responded and let out a breath.

The Great Medicine King's biggest problem was this gu worm. Once it was caught and killed, his weakened body should recover.

He casually removed the Numbing Soul Powder, and the Great Medicine King slowly woke up.

"Master..."

Steward Lu stepped forward.

"Do I... need to faint again?"

Upon waking, the Great Medicine King glanced at Zhang Xuan, his lips trembling.

He had been scared by being knocked out.

He was afraid that if he woke at the wrong time, he would be punched again.

"No need. The gu worm has been killed."

Steward Lu pointed.

"Killed?"

The Great Medicine King was startled. Seeing the gu worm's corpse on the ground, his face flushed red.

Once infected with a contract gu, one's life was no longer under one's control. Even the most skilled poison masters couldn't solve it. Yet this physician had killed it effortlessly. Even seeing it with his own eyes, he found it hard to believe.

"Thank you, Physician Bai, for saving my life!"

Standing up from the recliner, the Great Medicine King knelt down.

He had thought that once infected with the contract gu, there was no cure, and he could only resign himself to death. He never dreamed that this man could actually solve it!

Being able to resolve a life-and-death matter, being knocked out three times and pricked with a few needles was nothing. Even if he were knocked out ten or eight times, what did it matter?

"Master, you... you..."

Seeing the Great Medicine King get up and kneel, Steward Lu was filled with excitement.

Earlier, his master had been lying motionless, barely able to speak. Now he could get up on his own, indicating that his body was beginning to recover.

"The gu in my body has been killed, and my strength is returning, but the hidden danger hasn't been resolved. I ask Physician Bai to help..."

Stopping Steward Lu from helping him up, the Great Medicine King bowed to Zhang Xuan again.

Although the contract gu had been killed, solving the root problem, its days of ravaging and devouring inside his body had completely drained his essence, energy, and spirit. He still needed this physician's help to repair the damaged body and restore his strength.

Otherwise, a man under fifty would remain in this aged state, likely not living long and eventually dying.

"Solve your current problem?"

Zhang Xuan frowned and finished reading the book in the library.

After being tormented by the contract gu for so many days, he was indeed severely depleted. If not for being the Great Medicine King with countless precious herbs to sustain his life, he would have died days ago.

This kind of physical depletion required various tonics and gradual adjustment over time to be effective. However... Zhang Xuan didn't need that.

Heavenly Dao true energy could not only restore physical strength but also rejuvenate a person. As long as his true energy flowed through the other's meridians once, it could resolve the depletion and fully restore him.

However, Heavenly Dao true energy was too pure. Earlier, when the other was unconscious, the true energy entering his body had merged with his own, making it hard to detect any anomaly upon waking.

But now, if he treated him, he would surely notice the special nature of the true energy and become suspicious.

He dared not take that risk.

"I can solve it, but..."

Hesitating, Zhang Xuan was about to speak when he saw the Great Medicine King looking at him with determination.

"Physician Bai, no need to say more. I know the rules!"

With that, he raised his hand and slapped it hard on his own head.

Smack!

He fell to the ground, unconscious.