Something was amiss

The others stole a glance into the bucket and saw that it was filled with black worms, writhing constantly, their bodies coated in slippery slime.

That was more than any of them could take. They rushed outside, each found a container, and vomited violently, almost bringing up bile.

The professor looked ill too, but he could just about hold it in. After all, he had seen this once before and had a stronger stomach than they did.

This went on for several minutes. The girl's abdomen slowly returned to normal, and the pain vanished from her face. She looked as though she were simply asleep.

Meng Huai formed another hand seal, gestured over the girl's abdomen, then poured all the liquor from his flask into the bucket.

The worms thrashed incessantly in the bucket, as though suffering tremendous harm. Only after a short while did they stop moving altogether.

Meng Huai had the doctor bring in some gasoline and burned the worms right there. A foul stench filled the air. This time, even the professor could not bear it and rushed outside to vomit.

The girl's family waited anxiously outside the operating room. Before long, waves of foul odor reached them. The stench spread rapidly, gradually engulfing the entire hospital.

Every exhaust fan was running at full power, yet the stench did not diminish in the slightest. Everyone ran outside. Anyone who did not know better might have thought the hospital was under a poison gas attack.

The stench did have its benefits, though. Two patients in vegetative states actually sprang out of bed after smelling it and charged outside, screaming.

Now only the girl's parents remained in the hospital. Family love truly was the greatest force of all. The two held their ground, desperate to know how their daughter was doing.

The operating room door opened, and Meng Huai wheeled the girl out. Naturally, he paid no mind to the lingering stench, since he had already shut off his sense of smell.

Meng Huai looked at the girl's parents and said, "Your daughter is out of danger now, but this has done considerable damage. I've done everything I can. Whether she'll be able to have children in the future will depend on her luck."

The girl's parents hurriedly nodded and thanked him. Only then did they notice that he was not wearing a white coat. They had no idea whether he even worked at the hospital, but that no longer mattered.

Thanks to the exhaust fans' tireless efforts, the stench was finally expelled. The residents near the hospital, however, probably would not be able to open their windows for a month.

Everyone returned to the hospital. The duty doctor and the professor came over to them and immediately arranged for a nurse to take the girl to a ward. No one dared claim there were no beds available.

The duty doctor told the girl's parents, "This is Yuan Yan, the chief professor at our Dian City Medical College. And this gentleman is Mr. Meng Huai, who specializes in difficult and unusual conditions.

"Our hospital took your daughter's condition very seriously, so we specially invited them both here. Her condition has now been brought under control, so you can rest assured."

Meng Huai ignored the duty doctor and looked at the parents instead. "Your daughter wasn't sick. She was afflicted with gu. Although it was only the lowest-grade insect gu, this still should never have happened.

"So I hope you'll tell me exactly what happened, in detail. Someone has used gu poison to harm another person, and that violates a taboo among us Gu Masters!"

The girl's parents listened, dumbfounded. They had never expected him to say anything like that. After so many years of atheist education, they found it truly hard to believe.

Yuan Yan hurriedly added, "I know this sounds incredible, but there are many things in this world more complicated than we imagine.

"I stake my integrity on it: everything he said is true. For your daughter's sake, and to prevent anything else from happening in the future, I hope you'll cooperate."

The girl's father hesitated before saying, "My daughter's name is Zhang Meimei. She's a student at Dian City No. 1 High School and boards there. She only came home today because it's Saturday.

"But she seemed rather down today. We asked her several times, but couldn't get anything out of her. We thought she was under too much pressure at school, so we didn't press her.

"During dinner, she suddenly said her stomach hurt. Then her belly kept swelling as though someone were pumping air into it, until she ended up like this."

Meng Huai frowned. "Has your daughter ever mentioned offending anyone at school, or having contact with anyone?"

Zhang Meimei's mother shook her head. "Our Meimei has always been a good girl. Everyone has liked her ever since kindergarten. She never offends anyone.

"Her father and I are both decent, honest people. We've always believed it's better to accept a little loss. Whenever we can give way, we do. We've never even had a heated argument with anyone, let alone made enemies!"

Seeing that neither of them seemed to be lying, Meng Huai shook his head. "It looks like we'll have to wait until your daughter wakes up to find out what happened."

Meng Huai looked at the duty doctor. His name badge read Ai Libin, and he was an internist.

He smiled and said, "Dr. Ai, everyone has their own specialty. Helping patients recover isn't mine, so I hope you'll give her some extra attention tonight. Ideally, she should wake up by tomorrow morning."

Ai Libin quickly nodded. "Rest assured, Mr. Meng. Treating the sick and saving lives is our duty as doctors. I'll do everything I can. It's already late at night. Why don't you and the professor get some rest in my on-call room?"

Meng Huai chuckled. "The professor can go and rest. I still need to find somewhere to get some liquor. I used up everything I had just now. I can't go even a little while without a drink!"

Yuan Yan beamed. "Then we're kindred spirits! My car happens to be outside. Come over to my place for a drink. I have plenty of fine liquor in my cellar!"

Watching the young man and his professor walk out with their arms around each other's shoulders, Ai Libin sighed inwardly. Today had truly opened his eyes.

He was a conscientious, dedicated doctor and stayed at Zhang Meimei's bedside to care for her. The girl had been through a terrible ordeal. She had practically died once already.

The first ray of morning sunlight shone in, falling directly on the girl's delicate face. Feeling its warmth, she slowly opened her eyes.

Zhang Meimei felt as though her whole body had fallen apart. She could not muster the slightest strength. She had had a strange dream the night before, as though she had fallen into a pit of worms. It had been utterly terrifying!

Seeing their daughter awake, her parents immediately lit up with joy. They fussed over her while asking a nurse to notify Ai Libin.

While everyone was busy around the girl, Meng Huai and Yuan Yan hurried in from outside. They had already been on their way when they received the call.

Meng Huai swept a hand across his eyes and saw a thread of karma attached to the girl. Sure enough, this matter was not over yet.