The young man in the blue robe waved his hand and said to the crowd, “The girl is not in serious danger. Now that her family is here, please disperse and leave the patient some peace and quiet. If you wish to make a petition or fulfill a vow, please come again on another auspicious day... Rest assured, Ethan Woods will pray sincerely and ask the Celestial Lord for forgiveness. If you miss the day to fulfill your vow this time, it’s not a big deal.”

Chapter Three: Gu Poison

Temple.

Henry Sutton followed the young man in the blue robe through the corridor and entered the quiet chamber.

The quiet chamber was dim and somber, lit only by an oil lamp that cast a faint, yellowish glow.

“Big sister...”

As soon as he stepped into the chamber, Henry Sutton saw the woman lying on the bed.

He saw his cousin lying there quietly, her face pale, breathing weak, brows slightly furrowed, looking so fragile that it made one’s heart ache.

A sudden pang struck Henry Sutton's heart, and he couldn’t help but step forward.

“Don’t touch her.”

At that moment, an old voice suddenly rang out, sounding abrupt in the dim chamber.

Henry Sutton immediately stopped and turned to look. In a dark corner, there was a hunched figure with his back to them, head lowered, seemingly busy with something.

Seeing this old man, Henry Sutton understood at once—this was the temple’s caretaker, known as Ethan Woods.

“Ethan Woods.” Henry Sutton forced himself to suppress his emotions, bowed, and said, “May I ask what illness has befallen my cousin?”

“This girl is not ill,” Ethan Woods said carelessly.

“Not ill?” Henry Sutton was taken aback.

“If she were ill, you should find a doctor.” Ethan Woods turned his head slightly, glanced at him, and said, “Since you’ve come to the temple, it means she’s been possessed.”

“Possessed?” A complicated, indescribable feeling rose in Henry Sutton's heart. Although he had long accepted the existence of gods and spirits, he still couldn’t quite change his old way of thinking.

Throughout history, countless illnesses have been regarded as possession.

Originally, Henry Sutton thought this was just an illness that ordinary doctors couldn’t cure—perhaps a bacterial infection or something similar. Maybe it was just that ancient medicine couldn’t treat it, so they blamed it on possession.

But now, it seemed different from what he had thought.

“Rather than possessed, it’s more accurate to say she’s been afflicted by gu.”

Ethan Woods turned around, holding a bowl of talisman water in his hands, and said calmly, “This girl has been poisoned by a snake, but the snake is no ordinary one—it’s a gu snake. That’s why doctors dare not treat her and only I could be called.”

“Gu snake?” Henry Sutton was not entirely ignorant. He had inherited knowledge from Lu Ya; even if he couldn’t cultivate, he had a rough understanding of some things. He took a deep breath and said angrily, “When did my sister and I ever offend a master of gu?”

Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Ethan Woods's deeply wrinkled face.

The ways of gu are not something ordinary people know about.

But this young man seemed to have some knowledge of gu?

“How you offended them, I do not know. However...”

Ethan Woods pondered and said, “I might be able to make a guess or two.”

Upon hearing this, Henry Sutton cupped his hands and said, “Please enlighten me, Ethan Woods.”

Ethan Woods paused, chose his words carefully, and said, “The ways of gu are strange and varied, with all sorts of things, most of which are sinister and evil. Some are extremely vicious. One type uses people as vessels, planting insect eggs inside them so the gu insects can grow in the body, then eat the flesh and burst out.”

At this point, Ethan Woods paused briefly, then continued, “As for your sister, her constitution is cold, which is perfect for raising a type of gu insect that prefers cold bloodlines. In my opinion, you most likely encountered a practitioner of gu, and this is a disaster brought upon you for no reason.”

Upon hearing this, Henry Sutton's face darkened, and he was filled with rage.

There really are such vicious and evil arts in this world?

And such evil arts have befallen his own family?

Who could be so blind and wicked?

“This gu poison is not easy to cure. I can only use talisman water to suppress it for now.”

Ethan Woods handed over the talisman water and said, “This is a thunder talisman. Thunder is the might of heaven and is most effective against evil things, including gu poison. In the current situation, although it can’t cure her completely, it can suppress it for two days.”

Henry Sutton dared not be careless. He took the talisman water with both hands and finally got a good look at the old man before him.

He was a withered, elderly man, dressed in simple, old-fashioned clothes, looking dispirited. On closer inspection, his eyes were cloudy, his body hunched, and his breathing very slow.

Yet for some reason, this seemingly withered and decaying old man had an indescribable air of mystery.

Henry Sutton lowered his head slightly to show respect, then turned to help his cousin up and fed her the talisman water, bit by bit.

Just yesterday, his cousin had fed him talisman water; today, the roles were reversed.

A perfectly healthy person, who had left home smiling that morning, was now on the verge of death.

His cousin had fallen ill, and this illness was caused by someone.

Henry Sutton's face grew even darker.

...

After feeding her the talisman water, Henry Sutton stood up, bowed to Ethan Woods, and asked, “Is there truly no way to completely cure this gu poison?”

Ethan Woods said, “There is, but my cultivation is shallow—I cannot cure this poison. However...”

Hearing there was hope, Henry Sutton couldn’t help but ask, “However, what?”