Chapter 95: Pills

“See it clearly now? A golden jar!”

Old Man Jiang let out a cold snort, turned around, and walked away. After seeing what was inside the jar and suffering from the torment of trypophobia, the township head did not dare stay any longer. He hurried after Old Man Jiang. I sighed. I felt Old Du was indeed somewhat despicable, but thinking back to what happened with my Second Sister in the past, I could not help but wonder, if my family had encountered something like this, and one of us three siblings was mentally impaired, what would my parents have done?

Thinking this way, the anger I had toward Old Du faded quite a bit. I also followed Old Man Jiang. I knew I was not the only one thinking this. My cheap master must have also felt a trace of compassion. After all, in matters like tomb raiding, if he truly intended to make things difficult for Guo Er and Old Du, they would already be sitting in prison by now.

Just as we were about to step out the door, a somewhat dazed voice rang out behind us.

“Old man, stomach hungry, stomach hungry.”

I turned back in shock. The voice was clearly deep and strong, that of an adult man, yet the tone was so innocent. If this was not deliberate silliness, then it was truly a tragic thing.

What appeared in my eyes was a somewhat fat adult man, neatly dressed, with a silly grin on his face. This was Old Du’s foolish son.

“Old man, stomach feels bad, hungry feels bad.” The man stared at me with a foolish smile, then turned to plead with Old Du.

I looked at Old Du and saw him take out a handkerchief, wiping the saliva from the corner of his son’s mouth while softly saying, “Dad will get you food in a bit.”

I did not know if it was my illusion, but I clearly saw Old Du’s eyes turn red, and the wrinkles on his face seemed even deeper.

At the same time, two heavy sighs sounded in my ears.

“You all saw it clearly, right? A golden jar!”

Old Man Jiang let out a cold laugh and turned to leave. The township head, having witnessed what was inside the jar and already tormented by trypophobia, did not dare stay another second and quickly followed him. I sighed again. I felt Old Du was truly detestable, but thinking of my Second Sister again, I could not help but think, if my family were in this situation, how would we handle it?

Thinking this way, my original condemnation toward Old Du faded further. I followed Old Man Jiang as well. I knew this was not just me. My master must also have felt some compassion. If he truly wanted to make things difficult for Guo Er and Old Du, they would already be in prison.

Just as we were about to leave the house, a slightly dull voice sounded behind us.

“Old man, stomach hungry, stomach hungry.”

I turned back in shock. The voice was clearly deep and strong, that of an adult man, yet the tone was so innocent. If this was not deliberate foolishness, then it was truly pitiful.

What entered my view was a slightly plump adult man, neatly dressed, with a foolish grin on his face. This was Old Du’s foolish son.

“Old man, stomach hurts, hungry hurts.” The man stared at me foolishly and giggled, then turned to plead with Old Du again.

I looked at Old Du and saw him take out a handkerchief, carefully wiping the saliva from his son’s mouth while softly saying, “Dad will go get you food later.”

I did not know if it was my imagination, but I clearly saw Old Du’s eyes redden, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.

Two heavy sighs sounded at the same time beside my ears.

“It is a mature worm that went into Guo Er’s stomach. It acts quickly, but your son is also about to show symptoms. Tomorrow bring him to XX’s house. Tomorrow I will be there to treat the villagers and expel worms. Greed has consequences. You and your son both have a belly full of worms now.”

It was my master. After speaking, he turned and left. I felt a faint warmth in my heart. This matter was Old Du’s fault, but my master still intended to help them. This must be the softer side of his heart.

“Why are you not thanking Master Jiang yet?” the township head said anxiously to Old Du.

But Old Du only stared blankly at my master’s back. Two lines of tears flowed down his face, his throat moving, unable to say a single word.

That night, a dim yellow light illuminated the entire room. Old Man Jiang had a stern expression, sweat covering his forehead, something rarely seen. It was clear he was exhausted.

I could not help much, so I kept mixing cinnabar water and passing him sheets of talisman paper.

As for Hui Jue, he was boiling several medicinal herbs. He said they had to be cooked down completely, then mixed with honey and talisman ash to form pills.

After writing fifty talismans, Old Man Jiang was nearly exhausted. I quickly helped him sit down. He picked up his cup, drank a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat, then said to me, “Go burn all these talismans. Take the ashes to Hui Jue.”

I had many questions, but I could not bear to let my master overwork himself, so I agreed and went to do as told.

It was not until past midnight that we finally finished. The result was more than thirty pills placed on the table, still drying.

My master and I could rest, but Hui Jue was still chanting unknown scriptures over the pills. I was curious about what he was doing, but before I could ask, my master spoke first.

“That is not an ordinary worm. It is the larva of hungry ghosts in this world. These pills are made from several herbs with strong yang energy, plus two herbs with exorcising properties. I wrote talismans for exorcism. Under normal circumstances, burning the talismans and drinking them mixed with water would be enough. But these hungry ghost worms are not ordinary. Even so, we are still not at ease. Buddhist spiritual power is very strong. Hui Jue, as a monk of considerable attainment, has spiritual power. With his power infused into the pills, the effect will be better.”

I nodded and looked at Hui Jue. He still had a solemn expression as he chanted scriptures.

About an hour later, Hui Jue finally stopped chanting and stood up. He looked extremely exhausted, sweat covering his head and back. For the first time, I felt respect and was about to hand him a handkerchief, when suddenly, after standing up, he swung his fist and jumped straight toward Old Man Jiang.

Yes, I did not see wrong. He jumped. He probably even thought running was too slow.

“Jiang Lichun, you damn fool, I am cursed for eight lifetimes for knowing you! What do you mean by ‘barely’? I am a true monk, a real monk!”

Old Man Jiang was stunned by this sudden attack and took a punch on the shoulder. He immediately got angry and stood up to wrestle with Hui Jue.

“You damned Hui Jue, you fool! Saying you are barely a monk is already giving you face! What are you trying to do? I will beat you to death!”

I watched this helplessly and thought, should I pretend I saw nothing?

But unexpectedly, both of them turned to stare at me at the same time.

“Go do your homework. What are you sitting there for?”

“Kid, go study. If you do not study, do you want to end up like your master, a fool?”

I let out a heavy sigh and turned to leave. Outside, practicing a set of Five Animal Frolics was better than watching these two old men act like idiots.

The next day, the market town used loudspeakers to announce something to all villagers: an emergency township meeting would be held in the afternoon, and everyone must attend.

In the countryside, important matters were usually announced this way. People lived far apart, so loudspeakers were essential.

The meeting was held at three in the afternoon. What surprised everyone in the market town was that the one presiding over the meeting was actually the township head, a big official.

The market town was just a large village where the township government was located. Normally, village officials handled matters themselves. Having a township leader personally preside was rare.

This meant something very important was about to be announced, and everyone became curious.

As the township head spoke, the crowd quieted down. After the usual official opening remarks, he got to the point.

“I believe everyone is aware of what happened in Guo Jianjun’s family. We have invited experts from the city. After investigation and study, we have discovered a mutated roundworm infection in our township. It is initially believed to be spread through unclean water sources.”

I was standing in the crowd with Su Rou listening in. When I heard this, my eyes widened. Su Rou whispered to me, “These officials are really something. They turned hungry ghost worms into roundworms and even brought in experts.”

I did not know what to say. In any case, this was the correct decision. Otherwise, what would they tell the villagers? That hungry ghosts were ravaging the area? That would only cause panic.

“What if the larva was a spider?” Su Rou’s mouth was as sharp as ever, even daring to mock the township head.

“What then? They would just say experts discovered a mutated spider that likes to enter human stomachs.”

From this, I understood something. Even if the larva was a pig, it would not matter. Ordinary people fundamentally trusted those above them, and even more so trusted educated experts.

“Hey, San Wa Er, you are getting a bit wicked,” Su Rou chuckled.

I glanced at him. The township head on stage was still speaking, telling everyone to pay attention to drinking water hygiene, to boil all water before drinking. It was really something.

Finally, the township head changed tone and said very seriously, “However, many villagers have already been infected. We have specially invited experts from the city who have brought an effective medicine. Because this worm was not first discovered in our township, we are fortunate that a cure has already been developed. This medicine is free of charge, paid for by the township. This is in the spirit of serving the people...”