"Lu Tianxing, I’m sorry for the embarrassing scene."
Seeing Chen Hao leave, Xue Man hurriedly walked forward to lock the door from the inside, then turned back and looked at Lu Tianxing apologetically.
With an unconcerned smile, Lu Tianxing said, "I’m fine. By the way, who is that guy? He seems to really like you."
"Whether he likes me is his business; I have nothing to do with him. He’s just being delusional on his own."
For some reason, Xue Man’s heart became anxious when Lu Tianxing asked about Chen Hao, afraid that Lu Tianxing might misunderstand something, so she quickly explained.
"I understand. Minister Xue, as a friend, let me advise you to keep your distance from that guy. He’s not as nice as he appears to be."
From the moment Chen Hao walked in, Lu Tianxing could tell that there was more to him than met the eye. Although he was polite and courteous while speaking to Xue Man, the greed in the depths of his eyes could not be entirely concealed. This kind of person was a typical pseudo-gentleman, friendly on the surface but possibly ready to backstab you the next moment.
Xue Man nodded and said, "Lu Tianxing, please check on my mother’s illness first!"
"No problem, let me see how severe your mother’s condition is. Perhaps I won’t even need to trouble my friend; I might be able to cure her myself."
Lu Tianxing gave Xue Man a reassuring smile. If it was indeed an illness, he might have to ask Mandala for help, as Mandala, despite usually researching poisons, also served as a battlefield medic for the Netherworld Mercenary Corps.
However, Xue Man’s mother’s current illness was very likely caused by someone administering Gu poison, and though he was not capable of many things, dealing with Gu Worms was not an issue.
"Lu Tianxing, no matter what, I must thank you," Xue Man said, taking a deep breath.
"Don’t worry, even if I can’t cure her, my friend can."
Lu Tianxing comforted Xue Man with a look, gestured for her to stand aside, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, approaching the sickbed. He lifted the blanket and pressed his fingers on Xue Man’s mother’s arm, feeling as if he were holding a dry branch, chillingly cold, without a trace of flesh and blood.
With closed eyes, Lu Tianxing’s True Qi followed the meridians into Xue Man’s mother’s body.
As the True Qi entered, Lu Tianxing’s brow instantly furrowed; Xue Man’s mother’s condition was much worse than he had expected.
Her entire body was like it had dried up, the flesh clinging to bone without any moisture, her meridians completely shriveled, wrinkled as though the earth after scorching sun, parched throughout.
The impression was that, rather than a vibrant, full of life earth, her body resembled a barren, arid desert - devoid of any vitality, devoid of any life, even lacking blood flow. If not for feeling her heart still weakly beating, Lu Tianxing might have thought he was dealing with a corpse.
At the moment, Xue Man’s mother’s condition was dire, her life force nearly extinguished. If not for the heart still clinging to a breath, and because Xue Man continued to purchase nutrient solutions to sustain her life, her mother might have died long ago. Even so, Xue Man’s mother was already one foot into the Ghost Gate.
Controlling the True Qi cautiously within Xue Man’s mother’s body, Lu Tianxing was now highly strung. He could not afford any mistakes – this was not a matter of saving, but of potentially killing. Xue Man’s mother was like a glass figurine, one filled with cracks, where the slightest touch could cause it to shatter completely.
Searching bit by bit, the True Qi was exceedingly careful, fearing that a single careless move could lead to Xue Man’s mother’s complete demise.
Xue Man looked at Lu Tianxing with some confusion. Ever since Lu Tianxing had taken her mother’s hand, he had made no other move and had closed his eyes. As time passed, however, a large amount of sweat had broken out on Lu Tianxing’s face.
Subconsciously, Xue Man took out a wet wipe and wanted to step forward to wipe off the sweat from Lu Tianxing’s face, but after taking a step, she immediately stopped, fearing she might disturb him.
"Lu Tianxing, I believe you can do it. If you can cure my mother, I am willing to do anything for you, even if it means working like a horse or an ox."
Xue Man clasped her hands together and placed them in front of her chest, silently praying, praying for her mother’s recovery, praying that Lu Tianxing could help her.
Lu Tianxing carefully controlled the True Qi shuttling through his body. When the True Qi approached the heart, Lu Tianxing was shocked, and his face quickly became a canvas of astonishment.
Through the True Qi, he discovered a worm clinging to Xue Man’s mother’s heart, a shining golden worm, only the size of a peanut. Its limbs were firmly grasping her mother’s heart, frantically absorbing the nutrients leading to it.
"A Gu Worm, just as I suspected. It looks like someone planted a Gu Worm in Xue Man’s mother to raise it in a living host."
A flicker of enlightenment crossed Lu Tianxing’s mind. The Gu Worm was emanating a faint True Qi fluctuation, seemingly conscious and able to disrupt the surroundings, which is why medical equipment couldn’t detect it.
Gu Worms are bugs cultivated by Gu Masters through special methods, killing invisibly, unpredictable and indefensible. Yet, Gu Masters generally thrive only in the Miao Border, and cultivating Gu Worms mostly involves the survival of the fittest among the bugs, and the one that survives becomes the cultivated Gu Worm.
However, the Golden Cicada perched on Xue Man’s mother’s heart, although also a Gu Worm, was not born from such struggle but was bred using human blood. Once this type of Gu Worm is raised, it is more ferocious, aggressive, and bloodthirsty than ordinary Gu Worms.
"It seems that Xue Man’s mother’s condition is entirely due to this Gu Worm."
Lu Tianxing slowly opened his eyes and gently exhaled.
"How is it, Lu Tianxing? Can my mother’s illness be cured?"
As soon as Xue Man saw Lu Tianxing open his eyes, she asked eagerly, her face filled with hope and a touch of nervousness.
"Yes, there’s no need to trouble my friend. Leave it to me."
Lu Tianxing smiled at Xue Man, his face sporting a confident grin; indeed, the Gu Worm was strong, but sadly for it, his True Qi was stronger. A mere Gu Worm was nothing but a trifle to him.
Xue Man did not refuse, instead she nodded solemnly and asked, "Do you need my help with anything?"
"No need. You just watch from the side, and remember, no matter what you see, don’t scream or come close to me, understand?"
Xue Man nodded her head, her pretty face immediately turned serious, and she took a few steps back, not wanting to disturb Lu Tianxing.
PS: Sorry, I forgot to upload yesterday’s Chapter. After making the edits and saving it, I forgot to schedule the update. Apologies, guys!!!