I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

The meat bun swelled higher and higher.

at last……

Skin cracked!

A dark shadow shot out from the back of Butcher Zhang's neck!

The dark shape resembled a beetle, but it had a pair of thin wings.

Want to escape?

late!

Zhao Zian reached out and grabbed a small white jade bottle, then put it into the bottle.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief after doing all this.

Then look at the bed.

As the Gu worm left his body, Butcher Zhang's violent convulsions stopped.

His chest began to rise and fall slightly.

Zhao Zian removed the silver needles from his body.

"His vital energy is severely depleted, and he needs to rest. I'll prescribe a formula to strengthen his body and replenish his vital energy, using the best old ginseng to keep him alive."

"...Oh, okay, okay!"

Su Mei then came to her senses.

"Dr. Zhao the Divine Physician".

Zhang Jing looked at the jade bottle.

"What exactly is this thing?"

"Bloodwing Black Louse Gu"

Zhao Zian uttered five words.

"Gu?" Su Mei murmured to herself.

"This is not an ordinary Gu."

He placed the jade bottle on the table.

"Look at the base of its wings, there's a very faint trace of blood. This kind of Gu worm needs to be fed with the heart's blood of the Gu keeper for forty-nine consecutive days before it finally takes shape."

"Its toxicity is extremely potent. Once it enters the body, it will rapidly devour the host's vital energy. An ordinary person will be completely exhausted and turn into a dried-up corpse within three days."

Zhao Zian paused for a moment.

"Moreover, the rare medicinal herbs and painstaking effort required to cultivate such a Gu worm would amount to at least ten thousand taels of silver. Furthermore, the success rate of cultivating a Gu worm is extremely low."

"Ten thousand...ten thousand taels?"

Su Mei gasped.

Ten thousand taels of silver is enough to buy a three-courtyard mansion in the capital!

Just for such a tiny insect?

Who would go to such great lengths to deal with a butcher from the west side of the city?

Zhang Jing's voice was dry.

"Dr. Zhao, are you saying that this thing is something that ordinary people can't possibly possess?"

"The common people?"

Zhao Zian scoffed.

"Let alone ordinary people, even wealthy merchants can't afford to play with this kind of thing. There are only two kinds of people who can wield it."

"Professional Gu masters from southern Xinjiang make a living this way."

"Some powerful figures with extensive connections and special channels and secret techniques."

"And whichever it is."

"Don't you find it strange that they showed up in your tiny Willow Creek town and even attacked a butcher?"

Zhang Jing's body trembled.

It's more than just strange!

Butcher Zhang was a generous man with good relations with his neighbors, and I have never heard of him having any deep-seated hatred with anyone.

unless……

The other party's target was not Zhang the Butcher at all!

The other party's goal is to create panic in Willow Creek Town!

"Dr. Zhao! Please save me! Save the people of the city!"

Zhao Zian looked at Zhang Jing.

"Lord Zhang, please rise."

"This matter is of utmost importance. Since the other party has made a move, they certainly won't only have this one trick up their sleeve. Now that Butcher Zhang is still alive and the Gu worms have been collected, the other party must have already sensed something."

"They will make their next move soon."

Zhang Jing said urgently.

"Then...how should we respond? Should we impose a city-wide curfew and search every house for suspicious individuals?"

"search?"

Zhao Zian glanced at him.

"How do you search them? Are they a Gu master, or a retainer of some important figure? You have no idea whether they are male or female, old or young. Even if that person stood right in front of you, could you recognize them?"

"Furthermore, your large-scale operation will only alert the enemy. What if they hide in the mountains or simply leave Willow Creek Town? Once the storm has passed, they can come back, and you won't be able to defend against them."

Zhang Jing was speechless when asked the question.

"Then...what should we do? Are we just supposed to sit here and wait to die?"

"Sit and wait to die?"

Zhao Zian smiled.

"No."

"We need to take the initiative."

Zhang Jing and Su Mei were both stunned.

Take the initiative?

How can we launch an attack? We don't even know where the enemy is!

"Butcher Zhang is our bait."

Zhang Jing's spirits lifted.

"You mean...?"

"Release the information to the public."

Zhao Zian's voice was clear and forceful.

"They say Butcher Zhang is possessed by an evil spirit, and his life hangs in the balance. I, Zhao Zian, am doing my best to save him at Jishetang, but I can only barely keep him alive."

Su Mei understood Zhao Zi'an's intention.

"Are you trying to lure the snake out of its hole?"

"good."

Zhao Zian glanced at her.

"Their goal was to kill Butcher Zhang at great cost. Now that he's still alive, what do you think they're thinking?"

Zhang Jing continued thinking along his lines.

"They'll think that as long as they get rid of you, or kill Butcher Zhang, their plan will still succeed!"

"That's right."

"Right now, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. But as soon as we release this information, the situation will be reversed."

"We become hunters who lay our nets in the shadows. And the enemy, eager to finish off the prey, is the one who runs headlong into the net."

Zhang Jing was so excited that he trembled all over.

"But, Dr. Zhao, wouldn't that make you their primary target? That's too dangerous!"

Su Mei also looked worried.

"Zi'an, no! That thing is too sinister! Let's think this through carefully!"

Zhao Zian waved his hand.

"Danger? Since I dare to do this, I naturally have my reasons."

"Lord Zhang, this plan needs your full cooperation to succeed."

Zhang Jing nodded.

"Please speak, Dr. Zhao! I will do anything I can to help!"

"You must immediately seal off everything that happened here tonight. No one except the three of us can know that Butcher Zhang was poisoned by a Gu, and even more importantly, no one can know that the Gu worm has been removed."

"Those constables you brought out must be kept under strict control. Tell them that Butcher Zhang has fallen ill with a sudden illness and needs to rest."

"yes!"

Zhang Jing agreed.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be grasping at straws when you're desperate."

"what?"

Zhang Jing didn't understand.

Zhao Zian smiled slightly.

"You need to project extreme anxiety and helplessness."

"this……"

Zhang Jing hesitated for a moment.

"Isn't this telling the other party that you're actually helpless as well?"

"That's exactly the effect I wanted!"

"I need to make him think that I'm just an ordinary doctor with slightly better medical skills, but completely ignorant of witchcraft. The only reason I was able to keep Zhang the butcher alive was because of precious medicinal herbs and a bit of luck. That way, he'll lower his guard against me."

Zhang Jing had no more doubts and bowed deeply.

"I'll follow Dr. Zhao's instructions completely!"

He now admires Zhao Zi'an to the point of complete awe.

This is no miracle doctor, he's clearly a strategist who plans everything!

With him around, how could we not capture the demons?

Zhao Zian looked at Su Mei.

"Manager Su, I'll have to work hard from now on. Keep Jishetang's daily operations as usual, and treat me as just an ordinary resident doctor."

"Don't worry."

Su Mei winked at Zhao Zi'an.

"Acting is my forte."

The plan has been agreed upon.

Zhang Jing dared not linger.