Chapter 493

From a distance, apart from resembling a corpse, there was nothing else to see.

Pan Yun stepped forward, intending to take his wrist to feel his pulse; the moment her fingers touched his skin, she saw waves rippling beneath it, tiny worms surging through his meridians and blood vessels.

Pan Yun's expression changed instantly.

Wang Cong also jumped back in shock, reaching out to grab Pan Yun and yank her backward—but he couldn't pull her away.

Pan Yun frowned, gave him a reassuring glance, then squatted down and leaned close to examine his wrist carefully.

"Meow—"

Pan Xiaohei shrieked, clinging to Sister Hong Yan, trembling violently.

Pan Yun seemed to sense their fear; she turned and glanced at the two, thoughtful: "Parasitism?"

"Yes, exactly parasitism," Mu Lin squeezed in, squatting beside her, eyes red: "The imperial physician said my father's body is now entirely filled with corpse worms—completely parasitized, beyond any medical cure…"

He looked at Pan Yun with hopeful eyes: "Master Pan, if medicine cannot reach it, might Daoist or shamanic arts still work?"

Pan Yun knew she was unusual—she carried merit, and her merit was visibly manifest, making her especially attractive to worms.

She did not touch Mu Xi directly; instead, she lifted his sleeve with her fingers, slowly pulling it upward to reveal a small section of his forearm.

Beneath the skin, green veins and capillaries ran in lines; Pan Yun could clearly see the worms lying within them.

The worms were no longer surging, only occasionally shifting their bodies slightly.

The sleeping man's entire body was relaxed, as if he felt no pain.

Mu Lin, seemingly afraid of waking them, lowered his voice: "Before I returned, my father suffered terribly. At that time, there weren't so many worms in him yet, but the pain was excruciating—every time they moved, he couldn't help scratching his skin, desperate to harm himself."

"I burned the talisman you gave me and had him drink the ash, and I placed a calming talisman under his pillow—these worms grew quiet. After taking the talisman water once, it worked for seven days at first, then six and a half, then five and a half…"

Mu Lin's tears fell one by one; he choked out: "Later, one talisman only worked for two days. When it failed to suppress them, the worms began to grow wildly—to reproduce, they not only devoured my father's flesh and blood, but also turned on each other. Every time, he suffered unbearably."

Pan Yun's gaze seemed to pierce through the skin into his blood vessels: "That he's still alive is a miracle."

Zhang Ziming and Li Wenying had long fallen silent; now they each leaned in on either side, staring intently, and nodded together, murmuring: "What a miracle indeed~~"

Mu Lin gazed hopefully at them: "Can… can my father be saved?"

Pan Yun shook her head softly: "I've never treated such a case. I can't guarantee anything."

Mu Lin's eyes lit up brightly: "So there's still hope?"

The green veins beneath his skin rose and fell again, rippling like waves.

Pan Yun shushed Mu Lin, carefully rising and stepping back two paces: "Your father is unconscious, but he's aware—and now the corpse worms are one with him. His emotions directly affect them."

Mu Lin's face changed; he dared not ask any more questions beside the bed.

Yet Pan Yun found the man on the bed deeply interesting.

She turned eagerly toward Wang Cong, saw he had no interest, then looked at Tao Yanbai and Miao He.

Both were tiptoeing, necks stretched forward; beside them, Miao Zhen was also clinging to a pillar, tiptoeing and straining to peer inside.

Pan Yun rolled up her sleeves: "Good. Let's study this."

Zhang Ziming immediately said: "Then I'll study too."

Li Wenying rolled up his sleeves outright: "I'll help." Mu Lin grew even happier, feeling his father might yet be saved.

After a brief pause, Pan Yun said: "First, strip off his clothes—gently, don't disturb the worms."

Wang Cong sighed, rolled up his sleeves: "Fine. We'll do it. Third disciple."

Tao Yanbai responded, immediately starting to roll up his sleeves—then realized his sleeves were too loose; even rolled, they were inconvenient, so he simply took off his outer robe.

The two moved with extreme care, peeling off layer after layer of clothing, daring not to move more than necessary; Mu Lin tried to help several times, but Wang Cong slapped his hands away each time.

Zhang Ziming also found him in the way, waving him off: "Go away, go away. Be careful—the worms might crawl out and burrow into you."

Mu Lin: "I've been caring for my father all this time—I have plenty of experience."

"No matter how experienced you are, you can't match them," Zhang Ziming said. "They're physicians—professionals at tending to people."

Pan Yun glanced at him, lips curling coldly: "Brother Zhang, shall we tend to you next?"

Zhang Ziming snapped back to himself: "I meant—your Sanqing Mountain disciples are sacred Daoist physicians, experts in caring for others."

Pan Yun snorted.

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After much effort, Wang Cong and Tao Yanbai finally stripped Mu Xi down to just a single cloth.

Everyone gathered around the bed to look.

Zhang Ziming moved first, gently placing two fingers on his wrist: "This heart pulse… thousands of beats, all worms' heartbeats and echoes—impossible to discern."

He turned to Pan Yun and probed tentatively: "Shall I probe with Yuan force?"

Pan Yun glared at him: "You've seen corpse worms before—they feed on Yuan force. Once your Yuan enters his body, do you really think they won't go berserk?"

"Yes yes yes," Mu Lin immediately interrupted: "Before you arrived, we summoned several Daoists for diagnosis—including two from Long Hushan. They all tried using Yuan force, but each time, my father suffered terribly, and afterward, the worms that had consumed the Yuan became even more active, reproducing faster. We can't use Yuan force anymore."

Zhang Ziming frowned: "If we don't use Yuan force, how can we examine his insides? This pulse is completely unreadable."

Tao Yanbai whispered: "Maybe I should try?"

Zhang Ziming looked up at him, skeptical: "You? Oh—you're the only Sanqing Mountain disciple who never attended Long Hushan Academy?"

Pan Yun pulled Zhang Ziming aside: "He started attending in April. Tao Yanbai, come take a look."

Tao Yanbai rubbed his hands, stepped forward, and sat on a small stool, placing three fingers on the man's pulse.

Countless irregular, chaotic pulses surged from the fingers into his ears; listening to them, Tao Yanbai felt his head spin.

He nearly jerked his fingers away—but upon closer listening, faintly, he seemed to hear one slow, weak, yet perfectly rhythmic sound.

Tao Yanbai tilted his ear, closed his eyes slightly, and focused all his attention on his three fingers.

The thousands of pulses grew louder, while the hidden slow heartbeat within grew clearer and clearer…

Zhang Ziming reached out and waved his hand in front of Tao Yanbai's face; Pan Yun seized his wrist and yanked him back, glaring a warning.

Zhang Ziming muttered: "Hasn't it been fifteen minutes already? He's not fallen asleep, is he?"

Tao Yan Bai suddenly opened his eyes and exclaimed with great joy, "Little Master Uncle, I heard him—he's still alive!"

Pan Yun's eyes lit up: "Really?" (End of Chapter)