Chapter 286: I Understand the Rules

"Would it be convenient for you... to pass out again?"Steward Lu and Mo Yu's mouths twitched simultaneously.The Grand Apothecary shook his head repeatedly.

No one would want to faint, so how could it be "convenient"? Had his body not been paralyzed, he would surely have retaliated immediately upon hearing those words. Would he just let you hit him?"Physician Bai Chan, this..."Seeing the master's eyes filled with resistance, Steward Lu quickly began to speak. Before he could finish his sentence, the middle-aged man in front of him pondered for a moment, as if he'd had an epiphany. "Never mind, there's no use asking you. I'll just do it myself!"He extended his arm.*Thump!*The Grand Apothecary, who had been shaking his head hard, fainted again, tears welling in his eyes.

After knocking out the Grand Apothecary, Zhang Xuan finally noticed Steward Lu, who had been trying to speak, and asked with a puzzled look, "What is it?""I... this... nothing!"Steward Lu offered an awkward smile.He had been about to advise against knocking him out, wondering if treatment was possible otherwise, but seeing the action already taken, he realized further words would be useless, so he decided to stay silent."Alright, continue!"With the Grand Apothecary unconscious, Zhang Xuan touched his body, and a book again materialized in his mind.The location of the defect had indeed been updated this time.Once the spot was identified, he flicked his wrist, and a silver needle pierced it once more.

"Hmm? Still not right..."He pierced the location and circulated his True Qi, only to find that the gu worm had escaped again."It seems eliminating the gu worm is much harder than I thought!" Zhang Xuan's expression grew serious.He had thought that with the library providing the location, finding and successfully killing the gu worm would be effortless, but it now seemed to be far from simple.Even though the time it took to "flip through" the book in his mind was short, it was still enough for the gu worm to leave its original position and flee to another spot.

He touched the Grand Apothecary again, simultaneously wielding his silver needle.*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*Stimulated by the silver needle, the gu worm seemed to sense the danger, fleeing wildly along the man's blood vessels."Human blood vessels are incredibly intricate, especially the tiny capillaries that permeate the entire body. Chasing it this way, I wouldn't catch it even in a day. I must find a way to corner it in one spot to kill it!"After a few more needle insertions, Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed as he watched the gu worm move faster and more erratically.

"Had it been killed...?"After a dozen consecutive insertions, he was gradually cornering the gu worm and preparing for a final decisive strike when he heard a weak voice. Turning his head, he saw that the Grand Apothecary had woken up at some point.The moment he regained consciousness, no new books could form in Zhang Xuan's mind.Knowing that every second counted, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate this time. He extended his palm.*Thump!*He knocked him unconscious once more.

"Damn it! That creature took the opportunity to flee again..."When the book reappeared, Zhang Xuan's face turned ashen.During the brief period of the patient's consciousness, blood circulation sped up, and the gu worm seized the chance to escape to a more distant location, breaking free from the encirclement."Confound it!"He hadn't expected such a tiny gu worm to be so cunning. Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow, looking towards Steward Lu, who was nearby."Come over here and keep an eye on your master. The moment he wakes up, knock him out for me..."

"Knock him out the instant he wakes up..."Steward Lu shivered, almost on the verge of tears.This was his master. If he were to strike him, he might as well be wishing for death..."Could I... refuse?""Stop wasting time, quickly!"Seeing the man's conflicted expression, Zhang Xuan frowned, "If you don't want to save your master, then refuse and just stand there!"

"I..."Steward Lu, his face a mask of indecision, could only step behind his master and extend his hand.Just as he was agonizing internally and nearing his breaking point, Mo Yu's voice spoke from the side."This... physicians commonly use Soul-Numbing Powder. A single sniff can induce unconsciousness, and the patient won't wake for a while. It also doesn't harm the body. I wonder if... that would work?""Soul-Numbing Powder? Such a thing exists? Of course it would work!"Zhang Xuan was taken aback.His sole aim was to render the patient unconscious, regardless of whether it was by impact or medication.

"It works?"Hearing his approval, Steward Lu and Mo Yu both felt tears welling up.Soul-Numbing Powder was a common medication for physicians, used for treating external injuries on timid patients. Its effect was similar to anesthesia. Every physician knew about it, and most carried several doses...This person actually hadn't heard of it...Good heavens!If it weren't for his astonishing medical skills, they would seriously doubt if he understood medicine at all!Otherwise, how could he be unaware of such basic knowledge?If they had used this earlier, the Grand Apothecary wouldn't have been repeatedly hit on the head, almost to the point of becoming dazed...

"We have this medicine right here; I'll go fetch it now..."Fearing his master would be struck again, Steward Lu quickly turned and exited.As the Grand Apothecary dealt in medicine, such items were not scarce and were easily found. It wasn't long before he returned with several bags.Casually taking a bag, Zhang Xuan placed it near the Grand Apothecary's nose, and sure enough, he observed the man fall into a deep, heavy sleep, unlikely to awaken anytime soon."You had such a valuable item all along and didn't bring it out!"Zhang Xuan couldn't help but glower, seeing how miraculous the substance was."I..."Steward Lu's face was a picture of distress."You're a physician performing surgery, and you showed up with a cleaver. Naturally, I assumed that was your most proficient tool. Who would have guessed... you didn't even know what a scalpel was..."Mo Yu, standing nearby, wore the same expression. Had she not grown accustomed to his eccentricities, she would have suspected he was doing it on purpose.

With the Soul-Numbing Powder keeping him subdued, the Grand Apothecary was in a complete coma. Zhang Xuan kept one hand on him while relentlessly guiding the silver needle with the other.This time, the process was exceptionally smooth. It wasn't long before he had successfully cornered the gu worm once more."Now!"His eyebrows arched, he flicked his finger again, and the silver needle shot forth.*Screech! Screech! Screech!*In an instant, a piercing shriek seemed to erupt from within the Grand Apothecary's body, and something worm-like writhed in his blood vessels."Die!"With a pointed finger, a stream of pure True Qi immediately surged into the man's body along the silver needle. The next moment, the worm seemed to encounter its nemesis; after a few desperate struggles, it went still.Like other poisonous creatures, gu worms found the pure, water-like Heavenly Dao True Qi to be their ultimate bane. Upon contact, even the most tenacious life force would instantly crumble and perish."Come forth!"He pressed his palm against the man's blood vessels. With a surge of True Qi, both the silver needle and the gu worm flew out simultaneously.*Plop!* they landed on the ground."This is the Contract Gu?"Steward Lu and Mo Yu hurried closer.The gu worm on the ground was about the size of a firefly, dark green all over, with peculiar runes on its surface that made one's hair stand on end at first glance.

"Yes!"Zhang Xuan responded, letting out a breath.The Grand Apothecary's main issue was this gu worm. Now that it had been extracted and killed, his weakened body should begin to recover.He casually removed the Soul-Numbing Powder, and the Grand Apothecary slowly woke up."Master..."Steward Lu approached.

"Do I... need to pass out again?"Upon waking, the Grand Apothecary glanced at Zhang Xuan, his lips trembling.He was thoroughly intimidated by the repeated knockout blows.He feared waking at the wrong moment and receiving yet another punch."No need, the gu worm has been killed!"Steward Lu gestured towards it."Killed?"The Grand Apothecary was momentarily stunned. He saw the dead gu worm on the ground, and his face instantly flushed with emotion.Afflicted by the Contract Gu, his very life was no longer his own, and not even the most formidable Poison Master could resolve it. Yet, this physician had eliminated it with ease. Even witnessing it firsthand, he could barely believe it."Thank you, Physician Bai, for saving my life!"The Grand Apothecary rose from his reclining chair and knelt on the ground.He had believed there was no cure for the Contract Gu, that he could only resignedly await death. He never dreamed that this person before him would actually solve it!To have his life-and-death crisis resolved, what did being knocked out three times, or even ten or eight times, matter, let alone a few needle insertions?

"Master, you... you..."Seeing the Grand Apothecary rise and kneel, Steward Lu's face lit up with excitement.Before, the master had been lying motionless, barely able to speak. Now, he could actually stand and move on his own, which indicated his body was beginning to recover."The gu in my body has been killed, and my strength has returned. However, the underlying issue hasn't been fully resolved yet. I still implore Physician Bai to intervene..."Stopping Steward Lu from helping him up, the Grand Apothecary bowed to Zhang Xuan once more.Although the Contract Gu was dead, solving the root cause, its days of rampant devastation and consumption within his body had completely exhausted his vitality. To repair his depleted body and restore his physical strength, the physician's continued assistance was still necessary.Otherwise, a man not yet fifty, still appearing so aged, would likely not live much longer and would still face death.

"Resolve your current issues?"Zhang Xuan frowned, having finished reading the books in the library.Having been tormented by the Contract Gu for so many days, the Grand Apothecary was indeed severely depleted. If he hadn't been a Grand Apothecary with access to countless precious medicinal ingredients to sustain his life, he likely would have died days ago.This kind of physical depletion typically required various tonics and gradual, accumulated adjustments to be effective. However... Zhang Xuan had a different method.Heavenly Dao True Qi could not only restore physical strength but also completely revitalize a person. By circulating his True Qi through the patient's meridians just once, he could resolve the depletion and ensure a full recovery.However, Heavenly Dao True Qi was exceptionally pure. When the patient was unconscious earlier, the True Qi entered and blended with his own, making it difficult to detect any anomaly upon waking.But now, if he were to treat him, the Grand Apothecary would surely discern the unique properties of the True Qi, leading to suspicion.He wasn't willing to take that risk yet.

"It can be resolved, however..."Zhang Xuan hesitated, about to speak, when he saw the Grand Apothecary looking at him with a resolute expression."Physician Bai, there's no need to elaborate. I understand the custom!"With that, he raised his palm and sharply slapped his own head.*Thump!*He lay on the ground, unconscious.