Chapter 30: Using iron nails for acupuncture? Are you insane?

Carrying the yellow paper talismans and cinnabar, Su Chen walked straight to Grandma’s house without pause.

As per custom, he left the small wooden figurine beside the funerary urn for ten minutes. This time, instead of drawing talismans, he turned around to look at Cai Zhengqing and his apprentice, who were in the middle of a meal.

Yu Dingqiang asked with a smile, "Master, have you eaten? Would you like to join us?"

Cai Zhengqing’s mouth twitched. This eldest apprentice of his was truly eating from inside while looking out! *Fine, very fine indeed!*

Then, he heard Su Chen speak: "Master Cai, may I have a word with you in private?"

Cai froze for a long moment before realizing Su Chen was addressing him. He scrambled to his feet, his mouth curling into an irrepressible, fawning smile. *See? Even the Master is so polite to me; it just goes to show that I really do have some genuine skill.*

Once they had moved aside and heard Su Chen ask about the tree on Long Mountain that had been struck by lightning, Cai was stunned. He felt a flicker of annoyance, having expected to be consulted on some profound metaphysical matter, only to find it was just an inquiry about lightning-struck wood.

He did have an impression of that tree. He had encountered a thunderstorm while performing a rite at Qingshan Village, and a bolt of lightning as thick as a finger had struck the large banyan tree at the entrance of the village. A thick branch had immediately caught fire and fallen off. He had been taking a break at the time and had gone over to take a look, hoping to pick up a bargain, as he was well aware of the reputation of lightning-struck wood.

However, when he offered to buy the fallen branch, the villagers had demanded an exorbitant price. They started at five hundred, and as soon as he agreed, they hiked it to a thousand. He wasn't a fool; lightning-struck wood sounded impressive and was said to ward off evil, but who knew if it was actually effective? How could he possibly spend a thousand on a branch? With that kind of money, one could buy a run-down house in the suburbs of Cuicheng. He had refused on the spot.

Now, hearing Su Chen bring it up, Cai explained, albeit reluctantly. "Master Su, paying a thousand for lightning-struck wood is a terrible deal. Besides, it’s been several months; who knows if that branch is even still there?"

Su Chen asked, "What about the banyan tree itself? It must still be there, right?"

"You want to take some from the banyan tree? Are you crazy? The Earth God Shrine is right next to it. People offer incense there all the time. If you dare touch it, don't be surprised if they chase you off with hoes!"

As he spoke, Cai’s voice gradually lowered, and he gave a light cough. "Though, I have heard there are a few layabouts in that village. If you offered them some money, they might be willing to do it... How about..."

Before he could finish his suggestion, Su Chen waved him off. "That won't be necessary."

"Are you sure?"

Su Chen continued to shake his head, then looked at Cai Zhengqing carefully. He could see a faint, lingering yellow aura around him—a very pure and clean energy, unlike the others he was familiar with. This must be the aura of the Purple Aunt.

"Master Cai, once the rites here are finished, you should go to a public restroom and personally pay your respects to the Purple Aunt."

Cai was stunned. "W-what does that mean?"

"Are they not finished yet?"

Su Chen smiled without offering an explanation and turned to chat with Grandma about whether there were any houses for rent nearby.

"Hey!" Cai felt his teeth itch with frustration, but there was nothing he could do.

Since the man had genuine talent, what else could he do? After returning, he asked Zhang Qiang what was required to pay respects to the Purple Aunt, intending to go tomorrow. Otherwise, if the Purple Aunt became displeased and made him eat feces again... The mere thought made Cai shudder involuntarily.

On the other side, Grandma brewed a bowl of sugar water for Su Chen. "There really aren't many houses around here, but Lin Jingyu has two courtyards left that he keeps for his relatives. I'll ask him for you later."

"Two courtyards? How big are they?"

"Each has about ten rooms or so. If Lin is willing, it wouldn't be a problem for him to clear out two or three rooms to rent to you."

"But if you're looking to rent after the New Year, you might want to wait a bit. Perhaps the people currently renting from Lin will leave before the holiday, and things might open up."

Su Chen nodded in understanding. He had guessed that Lin Jingyu was a landlord, and now it was confirmed—and clearly, he owned quite a few properties.

After clarifying the approximate rent, Su Chen retrieved the small wooden figurine, and the funerary urn trembled twice more.

Su Chen sighed. "Rest in peace. Once the spirit is nurtured, I will have Grandma let you know."

The urn finally stilled. Seeing this, Grandma turned away and wiped her eyes in silence. In Cuicheng, unless the deceased had a unique horoscope, a funeral typically lasted three days. Once it concluded today, the urn would be sent to the cemetery, and from then on, visits would only occur during the Qingming, Zhongyuan, and Cold Food festivals.

The elderly burying the young—Grandma seemed to have aged even more over these few days. Su Chen sighed to himself and soon took his leave.

The afternoon sun on Chunming Street was warm and pleasant, and Su Chen felt himself drifting off into a drowsy state. He fell asleep without realizing it.

He was awakened by a commotion, the voices sounding somewhat familiar.

"Master, Master, please, you have to help my wife! She’s vomited seven or eight times now, even bringing up bile. The IV drips aren't helping, and she won't wake up! Master..."

He opened his eyes to see the middle-aged man from that morning.

Su Chen looked puzzled for a moment. "What happened?"

The man looked miserable. "Sigh, it's just... my wife is so stubborn."

It turned out that although Su Chen had taken the red mushrooms away, the poisonous ones that had been picked out were still left at home. The man had returned with medicine, and his wife had come home at the same time. When he explained what had happened, he felt lucky that he had only eaten one bowl a day and hadn't consumed much. But his wife insisted that Su Chen was a fraud, claiming she had also drunk the pork rib soup and was perfectly fine.

"She didn't believe me! My mother had already cooked dinner, and she insisted on stir-frying those mushrooms and eating a whole plate. This, this..."

The man’s eyes turned red as he spoke, and he pointed to the woman on the stretcher. "We went to the hospital and used some connections to get the doctors to examine her. It really is food poisoning, but the situation is too severe. I thought—I thought since you have such incredible medical skills, I should come here."

His arrival with the unconscious woman had drawn quite a crowd, and a circle of people had formed around the stretcher. Old Liao, who was squeezed into the crowd, clicked his tongue.

"What did I say? Some women have something wrong with their heads!"

"They were told, but wouldn't listen. Now look at this? Almost threw a life away."

Someone whispered, "Is this guy crazy? He brought her to the hospital, why bring her here? Isn't this just a fortune teller?"

"Exactly, exactly. I feel like this man is trying to kill his wife."

"Hey, what do you know? Usually, when people do this, it’s because there’s nothing left to be done at the hospital."

"I know, I know. Before my grandmother passed away, our family also sought out all sorts of folk remedies and spirit mediums, but unfortunately, it was all useless."

Old Liao frowned as he listened. "Go on, what do you know? This young man has genuine talent, unlike the spirit mediums you're talking about!"

Su Chen ignored the chatter and hurried over to check the woman’s pulse. As his fingers pressed against her wrist, his expression darkened. Her complexion was terrifyingly pale, and her pulse was chaotic—the poisoning was too deep.

He couldn't help but look up and reprimand the man. "How much did she eat? Did she eat it all?"

The man looked away, shifting uncomfortably. "I tried to stop her, but I couldn't hold her back. She snatched them from me."

Old Liao said with disdain, "This is just self-inflicted. The woman was looking for death!"

Old Liao smelled a bit foul, and the people around him subconsciously moved away. He didn't seem to mind, instead asking Su Chen, "Can you save her?"

In his previous world, with his cultivation, it would have been easy—a trivial matter. But now...

Su Chen gritted his teeth and told everyone to step back. He went to a hardware store and requested a box of iron nails.

The onlookers were amazed. Old Liao asked, "What, what is this for?"

"Acupuncture!"

Old Liao was startled. "What?!"

"Using... using iron nails for acupuncture?"

Was he insane?