After Luo Yanlan stepped outside, the commotion didn't die down — it only got worse.
"Well, look who actually dared to come out!"A burly, shirtless man with a face full of beard jabbed his finger toward Luo Yanlan and barked angrily.
Luo Yanlan trembled slightly but didn't back down. "Sir, may I ask what the matter is?"
"What the hell do you mean, 'what's the matter'?!" the man exploded, his eyes bloodshot with rage. Without waiting for a reply, he waved his hand violently and roared, "You idiots! Bring him in!"
As soon as the words fell, the doorway dimmed — and two young men appeared, carrying a stretcher.
Lying atop the stretcher was a thin, frail-looking teenager, probably no older than seventeen or eighteen. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, and his face was twisted in agony. From time to time, tortured screams escaped his lips.
A closer look revealed a grotesque sight: his neck was riddled with festering wounds — dark red, oozing flesh warped together in a horrifying mess.
Luo Yanlan's face changed instantly the moment she saw the boy. She rushed over in a few quick steps, examined him carefully, and her brow furrowed into a deep crease.
"What… what happened to him?"
"What happened?!" the bearded brute snorted coldly. "You tell me!"
Despite his rage, the man hadn't completely lost his reason. After a few more curses, he finally spat out the whole story.
Ye Xuan listened quietly and quickly pieced the events together.
The boy was the man's younger brother — his name, Cui Qiang. A few days ago, he had been bitten by… something. No one was sure what. At first, the wound seemed minor, nothing worth fussing over. But later, when the bite began to swell and ache terribly, they brought him to the clinic.
Luo Yanlan had inspected him, prescribed a few treatments, and after applying the medicine, the swelling had gone down — the pain, too, had vanished.
But then… something changed.
This morning, Cui Qiang woke up with an unbearable itch on his neck. When he scratched, he tore off a piece of flesh. And then the real nightmare began: the wound erupted in a wave of necrosis, spreading fast.
The older brother, Cui Hao — the furious brute now yelling at the top of his lungs — panicked. Convinced that the doctor had used the wrong medicine, he tied up his brother and dragged him back here, demanding answers.
"Quack! You damn quack! You did this to my brother! You better fix him or I swear — you're dying with him!"
Cui Hao's roars echoed through the building.
"I'm going to check this out," Ye Xuan muttered.
He could no longer sit still — not just because of the scene, but because a sliver of the body's original soul still lingered deep within him. If he left things to fester, it might stir up trouble.
Just as he was about to get up, Mengmeng gave him a look of disbelief. "You're not seriously thinking of helping, are you?"
Everyone in town knew Ye Xuan as the ultimate live-in loser — a "watchdog" of the Mo family. Since his marriage, that label had only become more widespread. People whispered that his presence had tainted Mo Xian'er's reputation as a healer.
Mengmeng had warmed up to him a bit over the past few days, but when it came to medicine? She didn't believe he had the skill. To her, he'd only be getting in the way.
Ye Xuan simply glanced at her, said nothing, and strode toward the back hall.
By the time he arrived, Cui Qiang had been laid out on a treatment bed inside a small exam room. Cui Hao and two of his brothers were guarding the door, peeking in, shouting curses nonstop.
Ye Xuan walked right up and tapped Cui Hao's shoulder.
"Move."
"What?!" Cui Hao turned his head sharply, scowling — but the moment he got a good look at Ye Xuan, his expression froze. "You're that loser who just married into the Mo family, right? Ye Xuan?"
"That's me," Ye Xuan said calmly. There was no point denying it — and he felt no shame, no anger. The oaf in front of him wasn't worth the emotional energy.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Cui Hao narrowed his eyes.
"I'm going in."
"Get lost! This isn't a playground for freeloaders like you. Crawl back to the Mo family and live out your useless life!" As he yelled, he grabbed Ye Xuan by the collar, ready to toss him out.
"Let go!"
"Stop!"
Two stern voices rang out simultaneously — Luo Yanlan and Mengmeng.
"Well, well! Pretty boy's got fans!" Cui Hao sneered sarcastically. But he did release Ye Xuan.
"If you want your brother to live, you'd better behave. If anything happens to him while you're making noise — I won't be held responsible!" Luo Yanlan snapped, her face cold and serious.
Cui Hao glared, then huffed through his nose. "You better fix this," he grumbled, stepping aside.
Mengmeng slipped in right after Ye Xuan.
Once inside, she immediately pushed the others out. "Out! All of you! You should know outsiders aren't allowed during treatment!"
The move was sudden and sharp — by the time Cui Hao reacted, the door had slammed shut. All he could do now was shout threats through the barrier.
"What's the situation?" Ye Xuan asked, stepping up to the bed.
Luo Yanlan glanced at the door before whispering, "It's bad. The wound's already begun necrotizing. Ordinary medicine won't work, but if we cut it out... that area..."
"I thought it was just an insect bite. How'd it get like this?" Mengmeng asked from the corner, holding her nose in disgust.
"It was," Luo Yanlan said, frowning deeply. "The medication worked at first. This… this shouldn't be happening."
"It's Gu poison," Ye Xuan said suddenly.
"What?" Luo Yanlan blinked. "Gu poison? How do you know that? That art… it's been lost for generations. There's no way it's reappeared."
"Yeah, are you serious, brother-in-law?" Mengmeng piped up. "You can't joke around about something like this. Someone could die. I mean… I'm not scared of those guys, but it'd be a huge mess if something went wrong."
Despite her words, her tone showed she was standing by Ye Xuan and Luo Yanlan. The support touched Luo Yanlan — but now wasn't the time for sentiment.
"It's definitely Gu poison," Ye Xuan said, after a closer look. He nodded solemnly. "No doubt about it."
"Then do you know how to treat it?" Luo Yanlan asked seriously.
She had inherited Ye Tingyun's medical knowledge, but when it came to Gu poison, she was completely at a loss. She had heard of it — never studied it.
Ye Xuan fell into thought, brows furrowed. A moment later, he turned his head.
"Mengmeng. Come here."
"Huh?" She froze. "What for?"
Instead of moving forward, she took a step back — completely unwilling to go anywhere near that ghastly wound on Cui Qiang's neck.
"Come here!" Ye Xuan barked.
His voice cracked like a whip. Mengmeng jolted. For a fleeting instant, Ye Xuan's figure seemed to tower over her, cloaked in an irresistible aura of command.
It vanished as quickly as it came.
Before she knew it, she was standing beside him.
"If I'm not mistaken, you know martial arts, don't you? So you should have true qi flowing inside you."
Mengmeng blinked. "Y-Yeah…"
"Then lend me your qi — now."
He turned to Luo Yanlan. "Bring me the silver needles."