Chapter 2

Recently, a major incident occurred at Feilong Group. Wang Haiquan, the chairman who was negotiating a cooperation deal with the provincial government, suddenly fell unconscious during a meeting. As the chairman of the leading enterprise in the entire Nanjiang Province, his sudden illness at such a critical moment caused great concern from the provincial government.

However, mere concern was of no use. After a week of treatment by a team of experts at the provincial people's hospital, they still couldn't determine the cause of his illness, which left the entire Feilong Group in a state of panic. Rumors began to spread that Wang Haiquan's time was running out.

Wang Haiquan's wife, Zhang Panshi, cried every day. She politely declined the provincial leaders' and the provincial people's hospital's offer to organize a new round of treatment and insisted on sending Wang Haiquan back to his hometown, Jiangbei City, where he was admitted to a special care ward in the city center hospital. She claimed it was for conservative treatment, but everyone knew the truth: he was returning to his roots.

It's no wonder people speculated so much. Wang Haiquan's illness was too strange. All his physical indicators were normal, but he had become like a vegetative state, without any consciousness.

For twenty-three out of twenty-four hours a day, his eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling. He neither ate nor drank, relying entirely on nutritional fluids to sustain his life. It had been over a month, and it seemed that even the nutritional fluids couldn't save him.

Moreover, every day at noon and midnight, Wang Haiquan would sit up straight in bed, laughing foolishly at the air and muttering incomprehensible nonsense to himself.

This condition was terrifying, and several nurses in the special care ward had already quit, unwilling to care for a patient who made them feel chills down their spines when he had an episode.

Unable to diagnose the cause and with such bizarre and terrifying episodes, the doctors had already concluded that this was a case of being possessed, as rumored in the folk. However, they dared not say this openly, as it was a civilized society.

Zhang Panshi was not an ordinary woman. When it came to her husband's life, she preferred to believe in the supernatural rather than dismiss it. She immediately asked a close friend to invite some Buddhist and Taoist masters to exorcise the evil from her husband.

However, when these so-called masters saw Wang Haiquan's condition, they didn't even have the courage to wave their peachwood swords and pretend to exorcise. They all politely declined, saying they couldn't handle the situation.

In Zhang Panshi's despair, she turned to Zushi Mountain. Zushi Mountain was home to the Zushi Dao, a hidden sect, but there was also a mountain-guarding Taoist temple. The Taoists there, though not as powerful as the Zushi Dao disciples, were still far superior to ordinary folk.

It just so happened that Zhang Jue was descending the mountain and needed a place to stay. A mountain-guarding Taoist recommended him, and thus, Zhang Jue arrived.

"Minister Zhang, a young man named Zhang Jue is here to see you. He says he's from Zushi Mountain."

Wang Haiquan's secretary whispered.

Zhang Panshi, the sales department head of Feilong Group, was in the ward, staring at her husband. Hearing the secretary's report, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes, but it quickly faded. She said indifferently, "Ask him to come in."

After being tormented by so many Buddhist and Taoist masters, Zhang Panshi had lost all hope. She thought this person from Zushi Mountain would probably be scared away as well.

A moment later, Zhang Jue entered the special care ward with a suitcase. Zhang Panshi was clearly taken aback; she hadn't expected the visitor to be so young. Though she had no hope, she still politely walked up to shake hands with Zhang Jue:

"Hello, I'm Zhang Panshi. You must be Master Zhang. Thank you for coming."

Zhang Jue smiled, "No need for formalities. Just call me Zhang Jue."

They exchanged a few pleasantries. Zhang Jue glanced at Wang Haiquan, who was lying quietly on the bed. His left eye flashed with a sharp light, and a smile curved his lips. He thought to himself, "Interesting."

At that moment, the ward door opened again, and a group of doctors in white coats entered, led by the hospital's director, Huang Yuan.

The doctors walked to the bedside and began their routine examination of Wang Haiquan. Huang Yuan, after a brief conversation with Zhang Panshi, turned his attention to Zhang Jue, asking curiously:

"Who is this?"

Zhang Panshi introduced him, "This young man is Zhang Jue, a master from Zushi Mountain."

"Oh."

Huang Yuan responded indifferently, but a sneer flashed in his eyes. He had long wanted to advise Zhang Panshi that if these masters could cure illnesses, hospitals would be unnecessary. He despised these charlatans from the bottom of his heart.

Seeing that the middle-aged man had no interest in him, Zhang Jue didn't bother to introduce himself and sat on the sofa, enjoying the quiet.

"Has the patient's condition improved?"

"Director Huang, it's the same as before."

"Hmm... Then we'll continue with the conservative treatment. The patient's condition falls under the category of hysteria. Although there's no improvement, there's also no deterioration. This indicates that our treatment plan is correct. The key now is the patient's willpower to regain consciousness."

Listening to Director Huang and the doctors discuss the condition, Zhang Jue almost burst out laughing. He had never seen such shameless people. "No improvement, but no deterioration, which means the treatment plan is correct..."

If every patient had to rely on their willpower to heal, and if every hospital's ultimate goal was to prevent deterioration rather than cure, what was the point of having hospitals?

Zhang Panshi had been observing Zhang Jue all along. She noticed that this young man, unlike other masters, didn't rush to start "rituals" but sat calmly on the sofa, closing his eyes to rest. This piqued her curiosity. When Huang Yuan made that comment, Zhang Jue's eyes flashed with a sneer, and she felt a stir of hope.

Could it be... he has a solution?

She walked up to Zhang Panshi and whispered, "Mr. Zhang, do you have a solution? By the way, I haven't told you about my husband's symptoms. He... every day at midnight and noon, he has episodes and makes strange movements. Before each episode, he always laughs first. It's almost noon now. Let's wait and see."

Hearing this, Zhang Panshi was startled. She no longer looked down on him, and her eyes filled with hope again. Zhang Jue seemed to be a true master. These symptoms were only known to her. The episodes at noon and midnight were not a secret, but even the hospital didn't know that he laughed before each episode.

This small detail, the laughter before the episodes, was something no one had noticed, not even herself. If Zhang Jue hadn't pointed it out, she wouldn't have noticed it either. Now, she remembered that Wang Haiquan indeed did this.

Thinking about this, Zhang Panshi couldn't sit still. She stood up, deeply bowed to Zhang Jue, and said, "Mr. Zhang, please save my husband."

Zhang Jue quickly helped her up, "Ms. Zhang, there's no need for such formalities. Since I'm here, it's my duty."

Zhang Panshi felt relieved, as she sensed from Zhang Jue's words that he indeed had a solution!

Zhang Panshi's sudden action stunned the doctors in the special care ward.

Who was Zhang Panshi? The sales department head of Feilong Group and the wife of Chairman Wang Haiquan, she had significant influence in the province. Feilong Group was a key partner of the provincial government, a powerhouse that could make the entire province tremble. In Jiangbei City, they were treated with utmost respect, even the city's party secretary visited the hospital frequently.

Now, she was bowing deeply to a young man in his early twenties. This was not just illogical; it was unbelievable.

Huang Yuan's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "Charlatan, charlatan, even in the hospital, you dare to deceive?"

If Huang Yuan could turn a blind eye to Zhang Panshi inviting masters before, he couldn't tolerate it today. First, Zhang Jue was too young, like a recent college graduate. Second, the hospital had made no progress in treating Wang Haiquan, and Zhang Panshi never treated him kindly.

But today, Zhang Panshi bowed deeply to a young man in front of him. To Huang Yuan, this was a direct slap in the face. He couldn't do anything to Zhang Panshi, as even the city's party secretary treated her with respect, but he could do something to Zhang Jue.

"Mrs. Zhang, don't be deceived by a charlatan. Deception comes in many forms, and it's hard to distinguish the real from the fake. Don't believe someone just because of a few words."

Huang Yuan's words directly targeted Zhang Jue.

Zhang Panshi frowned, "Director Huang, do you have a better solution for my husband's condition?"

Huang Yuan hesitated, then awkwardly said, "After the expert team's research, Chairman Wang's condition is mainly due to overwork, leading to hysteria. Our hospital..."

"I asked if you have a treatment plan."

Zhang Panshi interrupted him bluntly. She had been patient with Huang Yuan, not because he couldn't cure Wang Haiquan, as even the provincial people's hospital's experts were at a loss. It was because Huang Yuan, despite his lack of ability, always acted like a big shot, talking about the patient's willpower and the hospital's correct treatment direction.

Who could like someone who refused to admit mistakes and always claimed to be right? The experts from the provincial people's hospital were more straightforward; they admitted when they couldn't cure, at least they didn't say such shameless things.

Huang Yuan coughed, "We definitely have a plan. Difficulties will be overcome. Our hospital is actively researching the cause of Chairman Wang's condition from multiple angles and using a combination of traditional and modern medicine. We won't miss any details and will handle it seriously. We believe that one day..."

Zhang Jue, unable to bear it, interrupted, "Director Huang, can you cure him or not? The patient's face shows signs of impending death. In traditional Chinese medicine, this means he has only three days left. Chairman Wang is about to pass away. Don't beat around the bush. If you have any secret techniques, use them now. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

Huang Yuan's face turned red, feeling deeply insulted by Zhang Jue's words. He had no secret techniques, and if he did, he would have used them. Zhang Jue's questions were like knives, and Huang Yuan was at a loss, feeling embarrassed and stuck.

A doctor nearby tried to defuse the situation, pointing at Zhang Jue and shouting, "Who are you, a charlatan? Security, call security, get this fraud out of here."

Huang Yuan quickly added, "Call security. This fraud has ulterior motives. Send him to the police. What do you know about signs of impending death? Ignorant, superstitious!"

"Enough!"

Zhang Panshi shouted, her eyes like daggers, glaring at all the doctors present.

Hearing Zhang Jue's words, she was deeply shaken. Her husband had only three days left, and these people were still talking nonsense. She had finally found someone who might save her husband, and they wanted to drive him away. Her long-suppressed anger erupted.

Pointing at Huang Yuan, she said, "Do you have a way to cure my husband?"

Huang Yuan dared not meet Zhang Panshi's gaze and stammered, "Chairman Wang's condition is complex. Even the experts from the provincial health department..."

"Can you cure him? Just answer the question."

"Can... not very well."

"Then step aside."

Huang Yuan, being scolded in front of his subordinates, turned red with shame but didn't dare to lash out at Zhang Panshi. He redirected his anger at Zhang Jue, "If I can't cure him, I don't believe a charlatan can. What age are we in? Minister Zhang, believe in science."

Zhang Jue raised an eyebrow, "Charlatan?"

Huang Yuan angrily retorted, "Aren't you a charlatan? I hate people like you who spout nonsense about the supernatural."

Zhang Jue laughed, his right eye flashing with a sharp light, "Is that so? If Director Huang doesn't believe in the supernatural, why did you burn incense and pray at the temple, hoping your son would have a child? But the gods were not kind, and you had nightmares for three days, where the gods said you had caused many deaths and deserved to be childless. Am I right?"

Huang Yuan's cold sweat poured down. Mentioning his visit to the temple wasn't a big deal, as anyone who investigated his movements could find out. But... how did he know about the three days of nightmares and the content of those nightmares?

"How do you know!"

Huang Yuan screamed, then realized he shouldn't admit it and quickly added, "No, no, don't make up stories. Ridiculous!"

Although Huang Yuan denied it, his scream made everyone present feel a chill. It was clearly true.

The room was filled with gasps, and everyone looked at Huang Yuan and then at Zhang Jue, their eyes filled with fear. Knowing the content of someone's nightmares, if Zhang Jue was still called a charlatan, it would be an insult to everyone's intelligence.

Zhang Panshi swallowed hard, her eyes filled with intense hope. She had truly found a master, and her husband's condition could be saved.

"Hehehehehe."

Suddenly, Wang Haiquan, who had been lying quietly, sat up straight, staring at the air and laughing eerily.

The previously quiet scene became eerie, and the sudden laughter made everyone's hair stand on end. The room felt cold and eerie.

Zhang Jue smiled at Wang Haiquan, his left eye flashing with a sharp light again.