Chapter 011: Put Some Effort In

“What’s going on?”
“What happened?”
Uncle Wang and Guo Shiping, hearing my startled cry, immediately ran over.
“This... this... what’s going on here?” Uncle Wang stammered, his fear palpable.
Guo Shiping was so frightened that he stood frozen, dumbstruck.
Indeed, Uncle Li’s appearance at this moment was truly terrifying. He slumped crookedly in his seat, his entire face transformed into a ghastly, unnatural green. Blood streaked from his eyes, nose, ears, and the corners of his mouth.
I was stunned as well. Just a short while ago, Uncle Li had seemed merely weak. How had things escalated to this in the blink of an eye?
I had thought this was just a simple case of spirit possession. Truly, I never imagined things would become so grave.
The Gu family members also rushed over, but at a glance, quickly backed away.
“What... what do we do now?” Uncle Wang looked at me for guidance.
His question jolted me back to my senses, and I shouted, “What do you mean, what do we do? Hurry! See if he’s still breathing?”
“Oh!” Only then did Uncle Wang snap out of it and respond.
I glanced at the Gu family, then called to Gu Xiaogang, “Don’t turn away, keep going! Don’t stop!”
“You all, help keep watch. If he runs out of the salt, tea, rice, or beans, help him refill them!”
Uncle Li was in trouble, but I couldn’t focus on him alone. I had to keep an eye on the Gu family’s situation as well. The grandfather and grandson had just stabilized—any slip-up and there could be more trouble.
Uncle Wang reached out to check Uncle Li’s breath, then felt for a carotid pulse. After checking, he turned to me and said, “He’s not dead, he’s still breathing.”
“Lift his eyelids, let me see his eyes!” I called out.
My legs were inconvenient at the moment, and it was hard for me to lean into the car. Hearing Uncle Wang say there was still breath, my heart eased a little.
Uncle Wang quickly reached out to lift Uncle Li’s eyelids.
“Ah!” But as soon as he did, he cried out in shock and jerked his hand back.
“What is it? Lift them!” I shouted anxiously.
“His... his eyes... I...” Uncle Wang’s face was full of dread, but gritting his teeth, he reached out again to lift Uncle Li’s eyelids.
When Uncle Li’s eyelids were lifted, a chill crept up my spine and my scalp tingled.
His eyeballs had turned completely black, with visible tiny granules crawling beneath the surface. Those granules looked like minuscule worms, sending shivers down my body.
In that moment, I missed my master terribly. If he were here, none of this would be a real problem. He would have dealt with it all effortlessly.
“Master! Master!” Guo Shiping was truly petrified; only now did he come to his senses, crying out as he climbed into the car, grabbing Uncle Li and shaking him.

“Stop shaking him! What are you shouting for? Shut up!” I snapped coldly.
He was several years older than me, but thanks to our teacher, I had learned far more than he. So, when I was present, he always had to follow my lead.
“Uncle Wang, drive Uncle Li to the hospital now. Once he’s settled in, go straight to Master Miao’s house in the city and bring him here to help!” I instructed Uncle Wang.
Master Miao lived in the city. Even if you didn’t know which building, as long as you asked around the area, you’d find him—he was a well-known figure.
“Alright!” Uncle Wang agreed, then asked, “But... what about here?”
“I’ll stay and handle things here. Go, quickly!” I replied.
“Then let Guo stay here to help you!” Uncle Wang suggested.
“No, he should go with you. Someone has to watch over Uncle Li at the hospital while you find Master Miao,” I said.
“That won’t do—I can’t leave you here alone. I’ll call your Aunt Li and have her sons come over. Guo should stay here to help you!” Uncle Wang insisted.
I thought about it—my leg was injured, and I did need help. So I nodded, “Alright, then Brother Ping will stay. You hurry now!”
“Xiaowei, will my master be alright?” Guo Shiping asked me anxiously.
I glanced at him and said, “I don’t know, but if Uncle Wang can find Master Miao quickly, Uncle Li should be fine.”
“But... I...” Guo Shiping was flustered.
Truthfully, my own heart was in chaos, but there was no choice. I had to steady this situation.
The matter with the Gu family couldn’t be delayed; it had to be resolved quickly.
“Xiaowei, be careful. If Uncle Li’s situation stabilizes, I’ll rush back to help you!” Uncle Wang called out from his car window.
“Alright, you drive safely too!” I nodded at him.
He acknowledged me and drove away.
After they left, Gu Xiaogang’s wife came over, asking cautiously, “Mr. Yu, shouldn’t my son and father also be taken to the hospital? Will they be alright?”
I knew she was questioning why I sent Uncle Li to the hospital but left her son and father lying at the doorstep.
But I had just checked—the two of them were stable. Their lives were not at risk for now.
For their sake, I had to remove all the malignant energy from their bodies before sending them to the hospital. Otherwise, even if they went now, the hospital could do nothing for them.
“They will need to go to the hospital, but only after they wake up,” I replied.
“When will they wake up?” she asked, her eyes brimming with tears and worry.
“It should be soon! Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” I said, forcing a smile.
Truthfully, I was only trying to comfort her. I had no idea when the grandfather and grandson would regain consciousness.
“Brother Ping, change the incense—the sticks you lit earlier are almost burned out. Replace them around the house,” I instructed Guo Shiping.

Guo Shiping nodded absentmindedly and went to relight the incense.
Leaning on my cane, I returned to Gu Xiaogang and said, “They’re improving, don’t worry. Stay calm.”
This was no lie—Pengpeng and his grandfather were breathing steadily, and their complexions had improved greatly.
“Thank you, thank you, Mr. Yu!” Gu Xiaogang said sincerely to me.
After expressing his gratitude, he asked, “Is Mr. Li alright?”
“Don’t worry, he’s just exhausted. He’ll be fine,” I replied.
Gu Xiaogang was the client; we were there to solve his problems. If something happened to us in the process, it was not the client’s responsibility. This was the rule of our profession—even if it cost our lives, it meant only that our skills were lacking.
Gu Xiaogang continued to scatter beans behind him. The beans that landed on Pengpeng and the old man soon began to emit black smoke before turning black themselves.
When the supply of prepared beans was nearly exhausted, the old man lying there gave a faint groan and stirred. Pengpeng, beside him, also moved.
“Stop!” I quickly called out to Gu Xiaogang when I saw signs of movement.
He stopped immediately.
I hobbled swiftly over to the pair, glanced at them, then waved and shouted, “Bring a broom! The one you use for cleaning the house!”
The Gu family hurried to fetch a broom.
Gu Xiaogang and his wife came closer as well.
“Dad! Dad!”
“Pengpeng! Pengpeng!”
They called out to the pair lying on the ground.
“Mr. Yu, here’s the broom! Do we use it to sweep the area clean?” someone soon asked, handing me the broom.
“No, not for sweeping! Give it to him!” I pointed to Gu Xiaogang.
The broom was handed to Gu Xiaogang.
“Strike! Hit him with it!” I instructed, pointing at Pengpeng.
“Huh?” Gu Xiaogang stared at me in confusion.
“Why are you looking at me? Hit him! Strike him harder!” I urged.
“Oh!” Gu Xiaogang responded and lightly tapped Pengpeng with the broom.
“That’s sweeping! I said strike, not sweep! Harder!” I shouted when I saw he was too gentle.