Chapter 494: Let Go

Tao Yanbai nodded fiercely: "I heard it—his heart is beating, autonomously!"

"Good!" Pan Yun clapped her hands, excited: "Listen again—check if his liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are still alive, still moving on their own?"

Tao Yanbai frowned tightly: "There's too much noise—I might not be able to tell, but I'll try my best."

"Try your best, try your best, Miaohé," Pan Yun grabbed Miaohé, who was watching anxiously, and shoved her forward: "You go listen too—learn from your third master."

Miaohé agreed at once.

Tao Yanbai carefully stepped over Mu Xi and lay on the inner side of the bed, listening with extreme caution to his left pulse.

Miaohé sat in Tao Yanbai's former spot, placing her fingers on his right pulse.

When Whether Mu Ang walked in holding his sword, he saw two teenage boys and girls crouched beside the bed, feeling the pulse of his naked son.

Whether Mu Ang: …

Whether Mu Ang's grip tightened on his sword, his face dark with rage.

Mu Lin, fearing his grandfather would interrupt them, threw himself to his knees before Whether Mu Ang could speak, clutching his knees and pleading: "Grandfather, that talisman was given by Master Pan—please let them try!"

Whether Mu Ang reached out and gripped Mu Lin's shoulders to lift him up; Mu Lin winced in pain but remained firmly kneeling, unmoving.

Whether Mu Ang's face was grim; he pointed at the two on the bed and lowered his voice: "How many physicians, monks, and Daoist Priests have we summoned? All said they couldn't save him—his body is full of worms. How do you save him? Better to end his suffering quickly than let him live in humiliation!"

Whether Mu Ang regretted bitterly: "If I'd known it would come to this, I should've let him die on the battlefield—dying swiftly, not today being humiliated by two brats!"

Pan Yun pinched two talismans between her fingers, snapped them against the pillars, and with a wave of her hand, an invisible barrier split the room in two, muffling all sound.

Pan Yun bowed respectfully to Whether Mu Ang: "Left Commandant, my two disciples are merely taking Mu Xi's pulse—they are healers, not humiliating him."

Whether Mu Ang's face twisted: "Strip him bare and surround him—with men, women, even two beasts—what's the difference from being humiliated beneath the crotch?"

Pan Yun: "To healers, patients know no gender; neither do healers."

Whether Mu Ang sneered: "You're a Physician too? Then why don't you take his pulse yourself?"

Pan Yun: "Dao, witchcraft, and medicine have always been one. I'm less skilled in pulse-taking, but I'm not incapable."

She added: "Only I'm different—I cannot touch Mu Xi."

Whether Mu Ang: "Why?"

Pan Yun raised her hand—a golden glow appeared in her palm. Whether Mu Ang stared, eyes wide; unconsciously, he released his grip on his grandson's arm, loosened his hold on the sword, and drifted forward, barely holding it…

Mu Lin, facing away from Pan Yun, didn't see the golden light in her palm; he looked up, puzzled: "Grandfather?"

Whether Mu Ang seemed to snap back, shaking his head sharply to clear his mind.

Pan Yun closed her hand—the golden glow vanished. Zhang Ziming came to his senses, but Zhang Weiyi and Xue Hua remained dazed.

Li Wenying's face was also pale.

Whether Mu Ang stepped back two paces, yanked his grandson up, and pulled him behind himself, watching Pan Yun warily: "What is that?"

Pan Yun smiled at him: "Merit. Earned by doing good deeds."

Whether Mu Ang looked skeptical: "Then why do I feel… utterly defenseless against it?" Zhang Ziming spoke with unreadable expression: "The gods and Buddhas manifest for precisely this—those who manifest naturally draw all things, including humans."

He glanced between Pan Yun and Whether Mu Ang, expression complex: "Your merit manifesting is rare. Mu General awakening at a single call is even rarer."

Pan Yun: "What's so rare? He's a mortal, yes—but he's a great general, a lifetime in war—what scenes hasn't he seen?"

"Those with firm hearts, even if they believe in gods and Buddhas, remain resolute and strong—such people are rarely swayed by divine illusions, let alone by me," Pan Yun said. "As for me? Simpler still—I can manifest merit because of my master."

Pan Yun said: "Brother Zhang, if you want to learn, come to Mount Sanqing. If you can become my master's disciple, he'll surely teach you the method of manifestation."

Zhang Ziming looked at her with a complex expression: "You shouldn't be a Daoist Priest—you should become a nun. Buddhist sects have reincarnation methods; combine them with yours, and you'll achieve eternal life—perhaps even ascend to sainthood, as ancient texts say."

Pan Yun pondered, stroking her chin muttering: "Actually… not impossible. Brother Zhang, do you have connections?"

Li Wenying spoke softly: "Wang Cong is still here—you should at least avoid him. Zhang Ziming, watch out—Wang Feiyin will come for you."

Wang Cong, who had been staring blankly, immediately said: "No problem—if Master Zhang has connections, please recommend my junior aunt. If she ever attains true cultivation, all of Mount Sanqing will be grateful to you."

Zhang Ziming: …

"Enough joking," Pan Yun brought the topic back, turning to Whether Mu Ang: "General Mu, I showed you this to explain why I cannot take Mu Xi's pulse."

!. Read

"My merit attracts humans, it attracts demons—and naturally, worms adore it too."

Pan Yun said: "Humans and demons have reason—they can control themselves to some degree. But worms have none. These corpse worms were bred to absorb primordial energy, to feast on human essence, blood, and qi—they crave only to devour anything beautiful. To avoid disturbing them, I must keep my distance from Mu Xi."

Pan Yun's strangeness and displayed power stirred a flicker of hope in Whether Mu Ang's heart. He handed his sword to a servant and asked solemnly: "Master Pan, how great is your chance of saving my son?"

Pan Yun shook her head: "No chance."

Whether Mu Ang's heart sank.

Pan Yun said: "If the corpse worms had been detected early, my second brother could've saved him—simply by cutting a few incisions, using primordial energy to draw the worms out, then destroying the eggs inside. But as I understand, when my second brother rescued him, the worms had already grown inside for some time. Either they couldn't be fully extracted, or the man would've died even if they were."

Whether Mu Ang fell silent, then nodded: "Yes—Inspector Yin said the same. We summoned imperial physicians, renowned healers, Yunnan shamans, Buddhist masters from the Central Plains, Daoist Priests—all said there was no cure."

Pan Yun: "I'm no different."

Whether Mu Ang clenched his fist, demanding: "Then why are you here?"

"Do all you can, leave the rest to Heaven," Pan Yun said. "I came under imperial orders—I must at least try."

Her voice was gentle, yet firm: "Heaven loves to make people suffer—but it always leaves a thread of hope. Perhaps we can find that thread—and grasp it?"

Whether Mu Ang wrestled inside, glancing at his son on the bed, then at his grandson watching him with desperate hope. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stamped his foot: "I give up!"

He turned and walked away—but paused at the door, face dark with rage as he turned back: "Master Pan, don't let my son suffer too much—or I'll kill him myself. He's a man, not your experimental subject."

Pan Yun said solemnly: "General Mu, in our eyes, he is not an experiment—he is a patient. We are healers."

Whether Mu Ang exhaled, and strode out.

The servant hurried after him: "Left Commandant, Left Commandant—what about these…?"

Whether Mu Ang glanced back, took the sword from the servant's hand, and said coldly: "Treat them well. Prepare guest rooms. Assign extra servants to attend them." (End of Chapter)