Chapter 24: with translation of chapter title

Everyone understood his meaning: the Prince's illness still showed no improvement.

Xiao Yuanhang opened his eyes, lay still, his expression dazed and sluggish.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy; everyone remained silent, helpless and at a loss.

Cheng Ru'an gazed at her husband's expressionless face; her heart felt as if scalded by boiling oil—so agonizing, so agonizing. After finally detoxifying, taking the medicine with its guide, and waking up, why was he still not better?

Tears slid down silently, dropping in large drops onto her clothes.

Tuan Tuan's eyes reddened as she burrowed into her embrace: "Mommy, don't cry! Tuan Tuan bought you some tasty snacks."

Cheng Ru'an held her, unable to restrain herself from sobbing.

Tuan Tuan stretched out her little hand, gently wiping her mother's tears: "Mommy! Tuan Tuan will take you out to play, okay? There are so many fun things!"

Cheng Ru'an knew her daughter wanted to cheer her up; she barely held back her tears and asked softly: "Really? Tuan Tuan, tell Mommy, what fun things are there?"

"So many people I've never seen! Ah! And also," she untied the embroidered pouch at her waist, pulled out the little bell she had picked up on the road, and held it up to show her: "I also picked up a treasure that can sing! Mommy, look!"

Saying this, she gently shook the bell, and its jingling instantly filled the room.

"Don't move!" Guo Taiyi suddenly shouted; Tuan Tuan stopped, looking at him strangely: "Grandpa? Doesn't it sound nice?"

"No, no, no. Little miss, listen to me—I want you to shake it, keep shaking, okay?"

Seeing everyone's doubtful expressions, Guo Taiyi cleared his throat: "Just now, when the little miss shook the bell, I seemed to see something; perhaps it was just my old eyes playing tricks, but let's try."

The Old Madam asked: "What did Old Guo see?"

Guo Taiyi pointed with his finger at Xiao Yuanhang's ear base: "Little miss, shake now, don't stop."

Tuan Tuan obediently gave an "uh" and shook the bell.

The next moment, everyone saw beneath the skin behind Xiao Yuanhang's ear, as if drawn with ink, a black thread as fine as a hair appeared, running from behind the ear to the side of the neck.

"What is this?" Cheng Ru'an widened her eyes.

Guo Taiyi shook his head: "Little miss, keep going, don't stop; Grandpa will tell you when to stop, then you stop."

The bell continued to ring, its jingling nonstop, and that black shadow slowly began to drift.

At that moment, Tuan Tuan sat beside Xiao Yuanhang's right hand; the black shadow, as if hearing a summons, twisted eerily with a scalp‑tingling sensation, swimming toward his right hand.

"Two young masters, help me—when it crawls onto the Prince's hand, grab his wrist and hold it tight."

"Okay." The two brothers stepped forward, ready and waiting.

Guo Taiyi took a small dagger from his medicine box: "Little miss, listen to Grandpa—now begin, shake slowly, a bit slower."

Tuan Tuan slowed her speed; the bell's sound became "ding ling, ding ling, ding ling."

As the bell's sound slowed, the black shadow's movement slowed likewise, drifting gently onto the Prince's right hand back, where the skin is thin and the shadow's shape clearly visible.

Cheng Ru'an worried it would frighten Tuan Tuan, so she covered her eyes with one hand: "Be good, keep shaking—it's too ugly, don't look."

Tuan Tuan obediently nodded, continued shaking the copper bell in her hand, and did not break free.

"Grab!" Upon hearing that, the two brothers moved together, tightly seizing Xiao Yuanhang's wrist.

The black shadow instantly realized its retreat was cut off, and it began to thrash wildly.

Guo Taiyi was quick‑handed and quick‑eyed; he dropped the blade vertically, slicing a small opening in the back of the hand. Out flowed ink‑black blood with a foul odor, and together with that black blood came a creature—entirely black‑brown, slender as a thread!

Soon after the worm detached from the hand back, it ceased moving and fell silent.

Guo Taiyi did not stop; he kept squeezing out the black blood. After a while, the blood gradually turned from black to brown, and finally became bright red.

Only then did he stop, wiping sweat from his forehead: "Phew! Phew! What a vicious method! It's actually a Soul‑Seizing Gu! Two young masters, you may release your grip now."

The two brothers then straightened up, looking at the dead worm: "Doctor, what is a Soul‑Seizing Gu? How could it be in our father's body?"

Guo Taiyi pinched a pinch of medicinal powder and sprinkled it on the wound, then slowly bandaged it: "This is no ordinary thing! According to the ancient fragment *Miao Herbal Poison Study*, it is not of Zhongyuan but a sinister secret art of the southern borders!"

After bandaging the wound, he gazed at the dead, repulsive worm with fervor: "When this worm enters the body, it is merely a tiny larva; once inside, it feeds on human essence to survive and gradually grows."

"This Soul‑Seizing Gu worm has grown to such a length—clearly it has been in the Prince's body for at least several years."

"The sinister nature of this gu lies in the fact that it itself possesses no toxicity, so ordinary pulse diagnosis is completely ineffective against it!"

"No wonder I've examined patients for years and never detected it. The Prince's now‑dull eyes and muddled consciousness are exactly because it has clouded his spirit platform and blocked his heart orifices!"

"If that's the case, can the Prince now be fully cured?" Cheng Ru'an, half‑understanding, feeling as if lost in a fog, hurriedly cut off Guo Taiyi's endless explanation to ask her most pressing question.

Guo Taiyi nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Absolutely possible!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with great joy; they had finally awaited this day!

Tuan Tuan pouted: "Grandpa, can't we stop yet? My arms are sore!"

Only then did everyone realize that, since Guo Taiyi had not called a halt, Tuan Tuan had kept shaking the bell in her hand.

Cheng Ru'an also realized she was still covering her daughter's eyes and quickly withdrew her hand.

Guo Taiyi slapped his forehead: "All right! All right! I forgot the little miss was still shaking the bell."

Tuan Tuan let out an "ah" and put down the bell in her hand: "I'm exhausted, baby."

The adults laughed and cried at once; Cheng Ru'an took her wrist and gently rubbed it: "Tuan Tuan is so good! Tuan Tuan is the best! If you hadn't brought back this little bell, Father's illness couldn't have been cured—Tuan Tuan truly is Mommy's good daughter!"

"Really?"

"Of course!"

Tuan Tuan beamed, rolling about in Cheng Ru'an's embrace: "Mommy! Did I really save Daddy?"

"Yes!" Cheng Ru'an hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek: "Tuan Tuan truly is our family's little lucky star!"

Tuan Tuan puffed with pride, wrapped her arms around her neck, and showered her face with countless kisses.

Guo Taiyi gazed thoughtfully at the little bell: "This object can actually summon a Soul‑Seizing Gu—it's a treasure worth a thousand gold! That the little miss happened to pick it up by chance is truly astonishing!"

Several adults' hearts gave a sudden jolt.

The Old Madam lightly remarked: "Just luck, not worth mentioning."

Guo Taiyi bowed deeply to the Old Madam: "Old Madam! This item exists only in legend; having practiced medicine all my life, I never expected to see the real thing today. This is a heaven‑sent medical affinity!"

"I humbly beg the Old Madam's permission—may I, may I have this worm and the bell bestowed upon me, so I may take them back for thorough study?"