flstandardbreds Chapter 156 The real master
Chapter 156 The real master
Shen Ming observed Zhao Taohua and the village chief's expressions and guessed their thoughts perfectly.
Seeing Zhao Taohua's solemn expression, Lü Tingzhang asked:
"Madam Zhao, is my nephew's arm possessed by an evil spirit?"
Zhao Taohua nodded, then shook her head: "The thing in his arm is a Gu worm."
As Zhao Taohua spoke, she told the other person to roll up their sleeves.
Of those present, the village chief was the most timid, and he was the first to speak out:
"Good heavens, what is that? It looks like it's crawling inside?"
The village chief pointed with trembling hands at the man's arm.
The man's right arm was swollen high, and the skin was an abnormal bluish-black color. His blood vessels looked like twisted earthworms, clearly visible under the skin.
Every now and then, the blood vessels would twitch slightly, as if something was moving inside them.
The village chief felt a chill run down his spine.
Not to mention the doctor, even he felt that the arm couldn't be kept any longer and had to be cut off!
Even if the man's right hand is just hanging down and not moving, every slight movement of the blood vessels inside causes him excruciating pain, as if thousands of steel needles are piercing him.
Upon hearing Zhao Taohua's words, the man immediately held her in higher regard.
He asked, "Is there any way to save my arm without severing it?"
This is his most crucial question.
If he loses his right arm, it's no different from killing him.
Lu Tingzhang immediately chimed in, "Madam Zhao, as long as you can remove the Gu worm and save his right arm, we'll pay any price. Just name your price."
Isn't this exactly what Zhao Taohua and the village chief wanted?
“Master Lü, the Gu worm in your nephew’s arm has been inside his body for a month.”
It not only devoured the flesh and life on his arm, but also penetrated deep into his bone marrow, making it difficult to completely remove.
This number is needed to avoid severing the arm.
As Zhao Taohua spoke, she held up two fingers.
The village chief was quite satisfied with the number Zhao Taohua quoted.
The fee is two thousand taels. If there is not enough money to build the city wall in the future, the villagers will not need to donate ten taels from each household.
Shangguan Hao's pupils contracted: "Twenty thousand taels?"
That is indeed a lot, but compared to his arm, it's only a mere 20,000 taels!
Lü Tingchang was overjoyed. As long as General Shangguan's arm could be healed, he would give up 20,000 taels of silver, or even 40,000 taels.
He sold everything he owned and borrowed money to help General Shangguan heal his arm.
If you can help General Shangguan today, General Shangguan will surely help you get promoted in the future.
If you get promoted and make a fortune, why worry about not having money in the future?
Zhao Taohua and the village chief were both taken aback by Shangguan Hao's words.
Zhao Taohua looked at her raised finger; that wasn't what she meant.
"I……"
Just as Zhao Taohua was about to explain, Shen Ming suddenly grabbed her, stopping her from explaining to them.
The two men showed only a momentary surprise and did not utter a word of objection, indicating that they accepted the price.
Sure enough, the next moment, we heard Pavilion Master Lü speak first:
"Alright, as long as you remove the Gu worm from my nephew's arm, I guarantee his arm will be restored to normal use as before. I will give you 20,000 taels of silver, not a penny less!"
"???"
Zhao Taohua raised an eyebrow and parted her lips slightly. "You really want to give her 20,000 taels?"
The village chief was even more astonished, his eyes widening in surprise. So extravagant?
Shangguan Hao looked at Lü Tingzhang, thinking that it would be quite difficult for a mere Tingzhang to come up with 20,000 taels of silver.
So, in coordination with Lü Tingzhang, he said, "Uncle, I will pay this money myself."
The next moment, Zhao Taohua saw a stack of silver notes with a face value of one thousand taels appear in front of her.
At Shangguan Hao's signal, Zhao Taohua took it.
She couldn't help but spit on her fingers, and after counting, there were exactly twenty!
Instantly, Zhao Taohua's gaze towards Shangguan Hao held a new kind of enthusiasm, as if she were looking at a god of wealth.
"Young master, rest assured, I will make sure your arm is completely healed."
After saying that, Zhao Taohua asked Shangguan Hao to take off the right half of his shirt, and then asked Shen Ming to come over and support his right arm.
At this moment, Shangguan Hao's entire right arm was powerless, and he couldn't lift it at all without Shen Ming's help.
Even with Shen Ming's assistance, just raising his arm caused his lips to tremble with pain.
Zhao Taohua had Shangguan Hao sit on a stool. She placed her left hand on his shoulder and channeled spiritual energy into it through her palm to block the escape route the Gu worms might try to take.
At the same time, this spiritual energy also acted like an anesthetic, relieving Shangguan Hao's pain.
Shangguan Hao, who was originally wincing in pain, suddenly felt a comfortable sensation spreading from his shoulder to his entire arm.
This was the most comfortable moment Shangguan Hao had felt in the past month.
He looked at Zhao Taohua in shock, with only one thought in his mind: the 20,000 taels were well spent!
Sure enough, Master Lü wasn't exaggerating; there really was a powerful master in their Luohe Town.
Just as Shangguan Hao was lost in his thoughts, a cold glint suddenly appeared.
As a soldier, I have an innate sensitivity to swords and knives.
Suddenly, a small white willow-leaf knife appeared in Zhao Taohua's palm.
The knife tip sliced through the skin, and blood gushed out instantly.
However, Zhao Taohua stopped after making a small cut the size of a fingernail.
Next, she simply placed her fingers outside the wound, as if waiting for something.
The others had no idea what Zhao Taohua was doing and could only watch quietly.
What they found unbelievable was that something was wriggling under Shangguan Hao's skin toward the wound.
Suddenly, something sharp, like a thorn, emerged from the wound.
As if it had smelled something delicious, it greedily burrowed into Zhao Taohua's fingers, wanting to devour her flesh and life!
Zhao Taohua told Shangguan Hao not to move, then moved her fingers in circles on his arm, slowly pulling the Gu worm's body out of Shangguan Hao's body.
Gradually, everyone saw that the Gu worm's body was actually three feet long.
It is about the thickness of an adult's index finger, covered with a semi-transparent membrane, as if wrapped in a layer of oil.
Its body was stained with Shangguan Hao's blood, and the moment it completely crawled out of his body, Shangguan Hao immediately felt much lighter!
Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhao Taohua immediately grabbed the Gu worm and threw it into a bamboo basket.
Lü Tingchang was shocked: "Madam Zhao, aren't you going to kill that Gu worm?"
What if it harms someone else?
General Shangguan was in so much pain that the doctor said the only way to save his life was to have his arm severed.
Zhao Taohua smiled and pointed to the bamboo basket: "Director Lü, go and see if it can still survive in that bamboo basket."
Seeing her smile so confidently, Lü Tingzhang walked suspiciously toward the bamboo basket by the door.
"Gah...la!"
As he approached, it seemed as if some sounds were coming from inside the bamboo basket.
He approached cautiously, fearing he would be harmed by the Gu worms.
Unexpectedly, when he got closer, he saw something the size of a fingernail swaying, while the three-foot-long Gu worm had become a dried corpse!
"Snapped!"
Suddenly, a can of chili peppers broke open.