Chapter 55

"Oh." Li Zhuo clearly understood only partially, and said, "Master Xu, hello. This... the various taboos in your profession, we don't really understand. Let me be straightforward—how much should we pay you for your help, Master Xu?"

Xu Yan and Chen Yaoyu immediately understood that this young Master Li still regarded Xu Yan as a charlatan out to swindle money.

Xu Yan smiled faintly, shook his head, and remained silent. It was Chen Yaoyu who, in a huff, said, "Cousin, what do you think of Master Xu? He doesn't make a living from this. He's just doing this out of our friendship. I had to beg him a lot to come and help. Master Xu won't take a single cent from us! Are you still not reassured?"

Xu Yan waved his hand and stood up, smiling carefree. "Miss Chen, you don't need to say more. As the saying goes, the Buddha saves those with a karmic connection. It seems I have no such connection with your family. There's nothing I can do about it. I'll take my leave—please, Miss Chen, do me the favor of seeing me out of the neighborhood."

"Ah!" Seeing Xu Yan about to leave, Chen Yaoyu panicked—she couldn't tell if he was just putting on an act or really leaving. She rushed over, grabbed Xu Yan's hand, and shouted, "Master Xu, you can't leave! Aunt, Cousin, why can't you understand? Let Master Xu take a look. He won't charge you anything. What do you have to lose?"

"This..." Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Xu Yan looked at them, curious. The situation was clear: the doctors had given up on the patient, and prolonging it would only mean waiting for death. Since someone had brought another method to save the patient, even if it was a last-ditch effort, the worst outcome would be the same as before. What did this family have to lose?

It was a simple logic. Aunt Wen, being a woman, might not have thought it through, but Li Zhuo, who looked intelligent and capable, why couldn't he see the key point?

In fact, Xu Yan had misunderstood Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo. People from such official families might not be known for their moral character, but in terms of intelligence, they were certainly not lacking. The problems that a college student like Xu Yan could think of, they, with their years of experience in the political arena, could certainly understand. They had seen the pros and cons of the situation at a glance.

Actually, Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo were not worried about being swindled for money. Even if they were cheated out of tens of thousands, it would just be a matter of calling the police, and the money would be recovered in half a day. As the family of the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, if they didn't have this confidence, they wouldn't be high-ranking officials.

What they were truly worried about was the negative impact this incident could have on Secretary Li. A Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, whose father-in-law was sick, instead of seeking help from experts and hospitals, turned to a charlatan. If this were to get out, it would greatly hinder Secretary Li's career, as a high-ranking official engaging in feudal superstitions would be seen as a serious issue.

After a moment of silence, Aunt Wen finally made a decision. She said, "Xiaoyun, come over here. Auntie has a few words to say to you."

Chen Yaoyu hesitated, then turned and glared at Xu Yan, warning him, "You can't leave!" She then followed Aunt Wen over. "Auntie, what do you need?"

Aunt Wen led Chen Yaoyu a few steps away to a corner of the room and asked in a low voice, "Xiaoyu, do you know this Master Xu well? Is he reliable?"

Chen Yaoyu nodded firmly. "Of course I do. I saw him save someone with my own eyes..."

"Naive girl, that's not what I'm asking! I'm asking if Master Xu is reliable. Is he discreet? Will he talk about this outside?"

Chen Yaoyu was taken aback, then realized what her aunt was worried about. She stomped her foot in anger. "Auntie, at a time like this, you're still worried about this! Grandpa is about to die!"

Aunt Wen's face turned slightly red. She mumbled an explanation, but Chen Yaoyu couldn't quite make out what she was saying. However, she could see that Aunt Wen's main concern was not that Xu Yan was a charlatan, but that his presence might have a negative impact on Uncle.

Chen Yaoyu assured her, "Auntie, don't worry. Master Xu is a genuine expert, not a charlatan. Real experts are very low-key and don't need to go around talking about these things. In fact, I could only get him to come because of a coincidence and a favor he owed me. I begged him for a long time before he agreed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to come."

With Chen Yaoyu's assurance, Aunt Wen felt much more at ease. She asked repeatedly about Master Xu's background, but Chen Yaoyu refused to say more. "Auntie, there's no need to ask. If he can't cure the illness, we'll pretend he never came. We'll act as if we never met him, and nothing happened. Why dig deeper?"

"Ah, you're too impulsive! Fine, I'll go along with you this time. I hope nothing goes wrong."

After a brief discussion, Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo returned, their expressions much more friendly, and they even smiled. "Master Xu, we'll leave it to you to help our old man. Do you need us to prepare anything before you start?"

Xu Yan didn't know what Chen Yaoyu had said to convince her aunt. He glanced at her and remained calm. "If it's convenient, I'll check the first floor first to see if there's anything unclean here."

"Unclean?" Aunt Wen was surprised. "How could that be? Our house is always clean. The cleaning staff comes every week."

Li Zhuo, who was more experienced, nudged Aunt Wen's arm and whispered, "Mom, when Master Xu says 'unclean,' he means 'negative energy,' not cleanliness."

"Negative energy? What kind of negative energy?"

Seeing Xu Yan nod slightly, Aunt Wen suddenly understood, covering her mouth and lowering her voice. "Oh, Master Xu, you mean that... Okay, okay, I'll go with you."

The first floor of the villa wasn't very large, just a living room, kitchen, storage room, and bathroom, with a garage and a small garden outside. Xu Yan walked around the entire first floor and the garden, then did it again, his face grim and silent. Aunt Wen, who was following him, was on edge, asking, "Master Xu, is there anything wrong with our house?"

Xu Yan glanced at her, shook his head, and said nothing. He took a pair of sunglasses from his suit pocket and put them on, then started his third inspection.

This process took nearly half an hour. Xu Yan walked silently, followed by a group of anxious people. Finally, he stopped at the edge of the garden, looking straight ahead with his sunglasses on, as if in deep thought or meditation.

Aunt Wen couldn't hold back any longer and asked again, "Master Xu, is there anything wrong with our garden? These flowers were planted by the agency's management department..."

Xu Yan shook his head, neither confirming nor denying, and said calmly, "Let's go upstairs and see the patient first."

Without waiting for a response, Xu Yan turned and walked into the house, and the others hurried to follow. Seeing Master Xu, who Chen Yaoyu had praised as a miracle worker, remain silent, Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo felt uneasy, sensing that something was seriously wrong.

In fact, if he could, Xu Yan would have liked to scare them a bit, but as a fake master, he knew nothing about the terminology or jargon of feng shui. If he spoke too much, he might expose himself. So, he remembered the saying "silence is golden" and remained quiet—after all, as long as he didn't speak, no one could tell he didn't know what he was doing.

At the stairs, Xu Yan paused and asked Li Zhuo to lead the way. "Mr. Li, please take me to the patient."

"Ah, sure, Master Xu, please follow me."

They went up the stairs and entered a room on the second floor. At the door of the master bedroom, a middle-aged man came out, meeting them. He was wearing a white shirt, had a refined and clear appearance, and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked somewhat like Li Zhuo but with an additional air of authority. Xu Yan recognized him as a familiar face from local news—this must be Chen Yaoyu's uncle, Aunt Wen's husband, and the Deputy Secretary of Jincheng's Municipal Committee, Li Shangyuan.

Li Shangyuan glanced at Xu Yan with a sharp gaze, making Xu Yan feel as if he were being pierced by needles. He knew this must be Chen Yaoyu's uncle. At that moment, Xu Yan couldn't help but look back at Chen Yaoyu—this girl was too devious. She had only mentioned saving someone but hadn't specified where. If he had known he would be coming to the compound of the Municipal Committee and to the home of a Deputy Secretary, he wouldn't have agreed, even if Chen Yaoyu had begged him on her knees.

Li Shangyuan scanned the group and then focused on Chen Yaoyu, who was standing at the back. He waved her over, looking tired. "Xiaoyu, come here—your grandfather may not make it. Go in and see him."

"Ah!" Chen Yaoyu hurried into the bedroom. Then, Li Shangyuan noticed Xu Yan and looked at him with a mix of confusion and disgust. "Who is this?"

"Shangyuan, come, let me explain!"

Aunt Wen stepped forward, took Li Shangyuan's hand, and pulled him to a corner of the corridor, whispering to him. Li Shangyuan frowned, occasionally glancing at Xu Yan with a mix of confusion and disdain.

Finally, Li Shangyuan raised his voice in anger. "Nonsense, Tongdan, this is nonsense! Xiaoyu is just a child, but you're following her in this nonsense! Women, always short-sighted and long-haired. You're just causing trouble!"

With that, Li Shangyuan waved his hand, broke free from Aunt Wen's grip, and stormed up the stairs.

Seeing Li Shangyuan leave in a huff, Xu Yan thought the matter was over, but to his surprise, Aunt Wen approached him, looking relaxed. "Master Xu, my father is in this bedroom. Do you want to go in and take a look?"

"Ah?" Xu Yan was taken aback. He pointed to the stairs. "But didn't Secretary Li get angry just now? He didn't agree, did he?"

Xu Yan's words made Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo laugh. They thought, despite being praised as a miracle worker, Master Xu was still a novice in the political arena.

Li Shangyuan had been angry and called Aunt Wen's actions "nonsense," but he hadn't said a word about expelling Xu Yan or stopping Aunt Wen. After his outburst, he left, which was a clear hint for Aunt Wen to proceed without his interference.

However, this was a matter of Li Shangyuan's face, and saying it outright would be embarrassing. Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo couldn't explain, so they said vaguely, "Master Xu, Old Li is very principled. He doesn't believe in these things and often scolds us. But we'll do our own thing—Master Xu, shall we go in and take a look?"

Xu Yan nodded and followed them into the bedroom.

The bedroom had been transformed into a hospital ward, with heart monitors and ventilators surrounding the bed. As Xu Yan entered, he was greeted by the strong smell of medicine. Several doctors and nurses in white coats were busy around the bed, adjusting machines and changing IV bottles, but to Xu Yan's discerning eye, they were just pretending to be busy.

Look, one doctor was staring intently at a monitor, writing notes in a notebook—what was the point of copying heart rate data a hundred times? Another nurse was pouring medicine from one bottle to another and back again—the medicine ended up in the same bottle.

But it was understandable. The Deputy Secretary's father-in-law was critically ill, and a team of experts from the capital had been unable to help. The patient was barely hanging on, and it was uncertain if he would make it through the day.

The doctors knew that, apart from giving the patient a heart stimulant every half hour, there was nothing else they could do. If they stood idle, the Deputy Secretary or other family members might take out their frustration on them. To be safe, they had to pretend to be busy and doing their best. Otherwise, when the patient passed away, the family's anger might be directed at them.

Xu Yan didn't understand the doctors' thoughts. As soon as he entered the room, he went to the bedside to examine the patient.

The patient was very old, with a gaunt face and high cheekbones. His eyes were tightly closed, and a thick, dark mist seemed to be slowly swirling on his forehead and face, spreading down his neck to his chest. The part below was covered by the blanket, so Xu Yan couldn't see it.

Xu Yan nodded silently. It was indeed a case of demonic energy entering the body, just like the illness of Gong Xueting's father.

...