Chapter 337: Chapter 198: Poison Physician and Gu Insect

"Steward Luo said it was urgent? What is this?"

Zhang Jinquan looked at Lu Yan on the wooden bed, a bit confused.

"First, take a look. See if you can check if there’s anything unusual around his heart."

At this, Zhang Jinquan assumed the man was a friend of Cheng Zongyang and his expression turned serious.

As he took the man’s pulse, the small cabin fell silent. Luo Dingran watched from behind, knowing this person probably wasn’t important to Cheng Zongyang, or treatment would have started long ago.

But he didn’t ask any questions.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Jinquan stood up, looked at Cheng Zongyang, and asked in confusion:

"Sir, his injuries caused his qi and blood to flow in reverse. Beyond that, his qi and blood are depleted, likely from great exertion without proper replenishment. As for his heart, there’s nothing unusual. Sir, did you find something?"

Cheng Zongyang frowned and explained the situation.

After Zhang Jinquan finished listening, his expression also grew grim. He said:

"Sir, this requires the assistance of Inner Strength. I can’t practice Cultivation, so I have no Inner Strength. Steward Luo hasn’t cultivated Inner Strength yet, either. Only you can try."

Cheng Zongyang asked doubtfully, "Use Inner Strength to check? What could I find? It’s not like I can see inside him, can I?"

Zhang Jinquan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, that won’t work. You aren’t a Martial Physician. The slightest misstep in controlling your Inner Strength, especially near the heart, could be fatal! Then the only option is to try the wooden bed. If there’s something amiss, the bed should begin treatment."

However, Cheng Zongyang snorted. "He’s a dying man. You expect me to waste my Points on him?"

At this, Zhang Jinquan was stunned. "He’s not your friend, Sir?"

"No." Cheng Zongyang shot him a glance. ’When did this guy become so unperceptive?’

"Then it’s simple." Zhang Jinquan suddenly smiled. "Just dig it out and have a look."

Cheng Zongyang: "..."

Luo Dingran: "..." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Cheng Zongyang shot Zhang Jinquan a speechless glare in response to his "suggestion."

"Can you give me a normal one?"

Seeing this, Zhang Jinquan could only say helplessly:

"Sir, I don’t have Inner Strength, so I can’t perform an internal examination. You aren’t a Martial Physician, so your control over Inner Strength doesn’t meet the requirements. But my examination shows there’s nothing wrong with his heart—unless there’s some kind of foreign object inside, and one that was introduced very recently."

"Otherwise, if he had a long-term heart problem, his strength would never have reached the Seventh Grade, let alone be able to mobilize his Power for combat."

This reminded Cheng Zongyang of how normal Lu Yan had seemed when they’d fought. Clearly, this had happened sometime after that.

He didn’t know when He Shujun had come into contact with Lu Yan during that time, but there was definitely a connection.

"Sir, I have a theory."

Zhang Jinquan suddenly seemed to think of something and added, "Based on his pulse, there are no other issues aside from what I’ve already found. Therefore, I suspect he was poisoned, or there’s some kind of living creature in his heart. It can’t be a dead object; a dead object couldn’t get into the heart."

’Poisoned?’

After a moment of contemplation, Cheng Zongyang said, "He will wake up in less than an hour. In the meantime, you can study him. Just make sure he doesn’t die. Also, you’re in charge of feeding him the Wilderness Bean Water. Give him some more before he wakes up so he stays asleep."

Hearing this, Zhang Jinquan cupped his hands. "Yes. I understand."

And so, Cheng Zongyang left the market cabin and emerged outside. He had dealt with Lu Yan; now it was time to see what He Shujun would do.

He left the deserted little courtyard and headed for the He Family estate.

On the way, Cheng Zongyang noticed many people carrying blades, stealthily heading toward Northwest City Street.

Clearly, He Shujun had already sent his men to make a move.

He paid it only a moment’s notice before continuing toward the He Family estate.

At this time, the He Family estate was mostly empty. Aside from a few guards left behind, only servants remained.

Cheng Zongyang slipped in quietly through the back courtyard. He was thinking of heading to He Shujun’s study, but when he rounded a corner, he found the man sitting right there in the courtyard. The night was dark, however, and Cheng Zongyang couldn’t make out his expression.

"You’re here!" He Shujun’s voice was detached, even tinged with a hint of ice. "Where’s the body?"

Cheng Zongyang walked over to the table where he sat, took a seat, and placed his blade on the tabletop as if he hadn’t noticed the strangeness in his tone. With an equally calm expression, he said:

"The matter is settled. The body is in a private residence. It was inconvenient to bring it here. How long will it take to deal with the Lu Family?"

He Shujun’s eyes slowly moved to Cheng Zongyang’s face, his tone growing grim. "What did you do to the body?"

Now Cheng Zongyang’s gaze also shifted from his surroundings to He Shujun. He spoke with a hint of curiosity, "Killed him, what else? Did you think I’d desecrate his corpse to vent my anger? Or... is there something on that body you want?"

At this, the aura around He Shujun erupted.

A biting killing intent locked onto Cheng Zongyang, and the surrounding atmosphere instantly dropped to a freezing point!

His vicious gaze fixed on Cheng Zongyang, and he asked again, almost through gritted teeth, "What did you do to the body?"

Cheng Zongyang sat calmly in his seat, completely unaffected by the so-called killing intent.

His strength surpassed his opponent’s; he was completely unconcerned with whatever the other man might do.

His fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, making a "TAP, TAP" sound. At the same time, he continued to speak in a calm voice:

"I hadn’t even made my move. Just as Lu Yan was striking at me with his full strength, he suddenly clutched his heart, suffering grievous injuries from the backlash of his own qi and blood. So, when did you set him up? Or should I say, when did you plant something on him?"

"You deserve to die!!"

At this, He Shujun understood that Cheng Zongyang had discovered the matter of the Sub-Insect—and that he was the one who had killed the Sub-Insect of the Heart-devouring Gu! The suppressed rage instantly erupted. With a wave of his hands, he struck out at Cheng Zongyang.