Yu

Yu

Li Bai carefully examined the Cao Family's Youngest Daughter's facial skin. The room had been kept ventilated, so the ether the Daoist had secretly administered had not caused an overdose.

Still, that fraud pretending to possess mystical powers had some nerve. Every medicine carried some toxicity, yet he was not afraid of causing a death he could not clean up.

Two waves of "Daoist practitioners" had arrived in succession, leaving Chairman Cao unable to distinguish between science and Daoist arts. He asked uneasily, "How is she?"

"Bring me her previous medical records first."

Li Bai remained methodical, wanting to review the other doctors' diagnostic records first.

If they had been from the same hospital system, more detailed files could have been retrieved from the computer database. But under the current circumstances, he could only make do with other people's scribbled handwriting.

In the medical field, every doctor had their own uniquely demonic cursive scrawl.

The phrase "fuck," in fact, originated in the medical field. Please take note.

Since the other party had not exposed him on the spot, Daoist He secretly let out a breath of relief.

He had already confirmed that this fellow had come with ill intent. If he continued to stubbornly resist, who knew what might happen?

Chairman Cao looked at Li Bai in confusion, then glanced at Daoist He, who was still muttering incantations outside the door. He tentatively asked, "Daoist Li, do you need to prepare any ritual implements?"

"Just call me Doctor Li. After all, I'm a doctor by profession."

Li Bai accepted the medical records the nanny brought over and began flipping through them page by page.

Though his colleagues' heavenly-script handwriting was profound and baffling enough to make one dizzy, the contents were nothing more than brief descriptions of symptoms and medication, more or less the same.

Even if he could not make out some of the writing, he could still infer its meaning from clues such as the prescribed drugs.

"Begone! Great Luo Heavenly Lord, by the law's swift command, demon, reveal yourself!"

Daoist He shouted again. Then, from the villa courtyard came a muffled bang, and a cloud of white mist rapidly expanded.

"Ah! Old Cao, Old Cao, there really is a demon!"

Chairman Cao's wife cried out, while the household nanny shrieked repeatedly.

"What? Don't panic!"

As the man of the house, Chairman Cao hurried outside. Before long, he was staring in stunned disbelief just like his wife.

The white mist quickly dispersed in the breeze, but it left behind a strange white mark on the ground. Its outline resembled a ferocious monster, with a large head, pointed tail, and several claws along its sides. It looked like a many-legged lizard, eerie beyond description.

"This is the shadow of a Yu. The character Yu is written by combining the insect radical with the character for 'or.' It excels at Sand Shot. If it strikes a person's shadow, that person will become delirious and fall ill."

Daoist He stood beside the white mark with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly explaining as though he were some reclusive expert.

The cause of the Cao Family's Youngest Daughter's illness was practically obvious: she must have fallen victim to Sand Shot.

"Please, Daoist, save my daughter."

Cao Lei's wife looked at Daoist He with pleading eyes, as though she had seized a lifeline.

"The Yu is an evil creature from ancient times. Dispersing its malevolent power will not be easy."

Daoist He furrowed his brow as though contemplating a solution, looking as if the matter were extremely difficult.

"Daoist He, can you kill that Yu?"

Chairman Cao had initially been skeptical, but after witnessing Daoist He's "miraculous" methods and his unfathomable chanting and ritual formations, he now believed him seventy or eighty percent.

He anxiously looked around, terrified that the strange creature might be hiding nearby and pounce on someone at any moment.

"The Yu appears and vanishes like a ghost, and its whereabouts are impossible to pin down. Even I may not necessarily be able to defeat it."

Daoist He shook his head, seemingly deeply wary of the Yu capable of Sand Shot.

Chairman Cao asked anxiously, "Then what should we do?"

With his youngest daughter targeted by such an evil thing, she would likely never know peace again. Even the rest of the family might suffer the same fate.

"Chairman Cao, there is no need to worry. Though I cannot guarantee that I can destroy this ancient evil creature, I do have a way to ensure that you and your family will no longer be disturbed by it."

Just as the Cao family was panicking, Daoist He offered them another glimmer of hope.

How could curing one of the Cao Family's Youngest Daughter compare to dragging the entire Cao family into this and earning far more? With a few more fabricated claims, this could become a long-term business arrangement—a never-ending source of income for Qingliang Temple.

The three Daoists of Qingliang Temple had calculated things well. Ordinary households offered only one-off business or tiny scraps of income, while a big spender like the chairman of Yuantian Hotel was an important client worth investing time and effort in.

Everything He Xunxian was doing now was to slowly lead the Cao family into a pit.

"Thank you, Daoist He. Thank you!"

After riding an emotional roller coaster, Chairman Cao and Madam Cao both let out sighs of relief in unison.

"Here is a Spirit Calming Jade. Have your daughter wear it for a while and see how it works. I will need to discuss matters carefully with my two Senior Brothers and determine how best to protect your entire family, so that ancient evil creature will no longer continue watching you."

Daoist He drew a white jade pendant from his sleeve. It was carved with auspicious clouds and strange symbols, and its air of sophistication immediately set it apart from things like yellow talismans, making it difficult to dismiss lightly.

That thumb-sized piece of Hetian white jade alone was worth thousands of yuan. To hook the Cao family, He Xunxian had truly cast out expensive bait. He made it seem as though he genuinely had Chairman Cao's family's interests at heart, rather than simply trying to swindle them out of money.

In truth, the real mystery of the Spirit Calming Jade pendant did not lie in the jade itself, but in the silk sachet beneath it.

Inside the sharply edged sachet was a fragrance pellet extracted and concentrated using modern technology. It slowly released a faint, calming aroma that soothed the mind, making the Spirit Calming Jade seem like the real deal.

"Good, good!"

Chairman Cao had a discerning eye. At a glance, he could tell that this Spirit Calming Jade pendant was no cheap trinket worth a few dozen yuan from a street stall. The jade had a warm, lustrous sheen, and its patina was fine and delicate—quite extraordinary.

If Daoist He pointed to it and said it was a Taoist artifact with an impressive history, the Cao family would probably believe him.

"Tingsong, Wentao, pack up. Chairman Cao, we'll be taking our leave now."

After giving Chairman Cao a salute, Daoist He prepared to leave. From beginning to end, he never mentioned payment, like an expert detached from the world who regarded money as dirt.

The two young Taoists began packing away the compass and the many exquisite ornaments they had used earlier, carefully placing them into a case lined with velvet slots.

Cast a long line to catch a big fish. He Xunxian was in no hurry to bring up payment with the Cao family. You couldn't eat hot tofu in a hurry; rashly haggling over the price would only make him seem inferior.

Madam Cao was the first to react. She gave her husband, Chairman Cao, a shove and said with mild reproach, "Old Cao, are you really going to let Daoist He and the others leave empty-handed?"

"Oh, oh, look at my memory. I nearly forgot."

Chairman Cao slapped his forehead as though he had just remembered something. He quickly wrote out a check and handed it to Daoist He, saying apologetically, "This is a little incense money. Please accept it as a token of my respect."

Daoist He glanced at the amount. He did not stand on ceremony, merely giving a calm salute before accepting it.

"Thank you, Chairman Cao, for your support of our Three Pure Ones Taoist Sect."

A cash check for one million RMB was clearly no insignificant sum, enough to more than cover the expenses of this trip.

"As long as you can cure my daughter, I will reward you handsomely."

Having witnessed their miraculous abilities firsthand, Cao Lei had placed nearly all his hopes on the three Taoists from Qingliang Temple.

"Relieving the troubles of the people is the duty of us Taoists. Chairman Cao, please stay. This humble Taoist bids you farewell!"

Just as Daoist He was about to leave, he heard a voice from behind Chairman Cao.

"Leave the check. Go back wherever you came from."

Li Bai, who had been reviewing the medical records in the room, had somehow come out without anyone noticing.