This is akin to someone getting the best of a deal but still insisting on having the last word. Lu Ming had gained immensely, yet he still had to assert dominance verbally.
Lu Ming did this intentionally.
Only by doing so could he make the Old Madam value Su Wanran's importance. With this lesson learned, no matter what happened in the future, the Old Madam would never again be swayed by biased advice.
Following this, Lu Ming and Su Wanran got into a nanny van and headed to the hospital.
Jiang Mengxin stood on the second-floor balcony, watching Lu Ming and Su Wanran depart together. A strange sourness welled up in her heart. She felt that Lu Ming and Su Wanran's coordination was too natural, as if they were destined for each other.
Su Wanran had invited Jiang Meng to help, but now Jiang Mengxin found herself idly bored in the villa every day, with Lu Ming handling all the tasks.
So why invite Jiang Mengxin in the first place? Why not just invite Lu Ming directly?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
A deep rift formed in the bond between the sisters.
"Wanran, you are my good sister. I don't want you to do anything that betrays me," Jiang Mengxin murmured to herself.
Half an hour later, Lu Ming arrived at the hospital and entered the ward. His gaze immediately fell upon the Buddhist amulet discarded on the floor.
He chuckled inwardly, but his face remained impassive.
Lu Ming instructed everyone else to wait by the door, then went to the bedside alone and sat down to examine Old Madam Shen Dianlan's condition.
During the examination, Shen Dianlan spoke, "Lu Ming, I owe you an apology. I should have believed you yesterday, and I wouldn't have had to suffer this torment."
Lu Ming replied as he continued his examination, "The existence of spirits and deities is inherently difficult to believe. It's only natural that the Old Madam didn't believe me. There's no need for an apology."
Shen Dianlan narrowed her eyes slightly.
She studied Lu Ming, trying to find a flaw in his gaze. However, Lu Ming's face was like stone, devoid of expression, revealing no hint of deception.
Shen Dianlan asked, "What kind of malevolent entity was缠绕ing me? A water ghost, a hungry ghost, or a hanged ghost?"
Lu Ming calmly replied, "None of those. It was a surge of resentment."
Next, Lu Ming recounted the fabricated ghost story he had concocted earlier in detail to Shen Dianlan, making it sound as real as possible. The tale sent shivers down Shen Dianlan's spine.
After the examination, Lu Ming took out a small bottle from his pocket, turned it upside down, and poured out a small, dark pill.
He said, "This is the Jade Spring Golden Elixir. It can dispel evil spirits. Please, Old Madam, take it."
At this moment, Shen Dianlan trusted Lu Ming implicitly and had no doubts about the pill's ingredients. She picked it up and swallowed it directly.
"So bitter." Shen Dianlan almost spat it out but managed to suppress it and swallow.
In reality, this pill was not a Jade Spring Golden Elixir at all. It was simply an antidote that Lu Ming had specially formulated to counteract the poison from the Buddhist amulet. Taking this antidote would lead to recovery.
However, Lu Ming deliberately complicated a simple matter.
He stood up, opened the briefcase he carried, and took out a Taoist robe, a peach wood sword, talismans, and a series of other magical artifacts. He then began to perform a ritual within the ward, stomping and chanting incantations, much like a shamanistic dance.
Shen Dianlan watched, stunned.
The crowd gathered outside was bewildered, completely at a loss.
In truth, it wasn't just others who didn't understand; Lu Ming himself didn't either. He was deliberately dancing haphazardly and chanting nonsensically, merely going through the motions to solidify Shen Dianlan's unwavering belief in the tale of a vengeful spirit claiming her life.
As he was performing his dance, someone arrived.
Han Yun and Su Feiyang, upon hearing the news, rushed over immediately. They pushed through the crowd to the doorway and saw Lu Ming engaged in his ritual dance.
"Nonsense! What are you doing?" Su Feiyang roared angrily.
Su Wanran calmly replied, "Grandmother is being targeted by a vengeful spirit. Lu Ming is performing an exorcism ritual to drive away the evil entity plaguing her."
"Foolishness!" Su Feiyang cursed, "This is feudal superstition! Grandmother is ill, not possessed. She should be taking medicine and receiving medical treatment, not having a charlatan perform a ritual dance! Su Wanran, are you trying to kill Grandmother? Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense!"
Saying this, he lunged towards the ward.
Su Wanran grabbed Su Feiyang's arm and said sternly, "Su Feiyang, are you guilty of something?"
Huh?
Su Feiyang froze for a few seconds, not understanding.
Su Wanran pointed at the Buddhist amulet on the ground and said, "Grandmother is being targeted by the vengeful spirit on this amulet. This is your and Third Aunt's scheme, isn't it? Now that Lu Ming is performing an exorcism for Grandmother, you are maliciously trying to stop him. Heh, I see you're afraid the vengeful spirit will be driven away. You want Grandmother to be killed by the ghost, don't you?"
Su Feiyang, furious, yelled, "Bullshit!"
As they were exchanging insults, Han Yun calmly walked over, grabbed Su Feiyang's arm, and pulled him out of the crowd into the corridor.
Su Feiyang asked anxiously, "Third Aunt, what are you doing?"
Han Yun retorted, "What do you think you're doing? Lu Ming is performing an exorcism now. If you run in and stop him, and the ritual fails, won't all the blame fall on you?"
Her words struck a chord.
Su Feiyang nodded repeatedly, "That's true. But the problem is, Grandmother isn't..."
He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
Han Yun smiled mysteriously and said, "Old Madam isn't possessed; she's been poisoned. You and I know this, but others don't. Just let Lu Ming and Su Wanran make a spectacle of themselves. Their methods won't cure Old Madam's illness at all. Once Old Madam passes away, all the responsibility will fall on their shoulders. At that time, the position of family head will be yours, won't it?"
Su Feiyang was pleased.
Exactly!
He chuckled, "That's right. I almost ruined everything. Fine, we'll just let them run wild, watch them make fools of themselves, and let them bear the blame."
With this realization, Su Feiyang calmed down. He rejoined the crowd with Han Yun, watching Lu Ming's performance.
In Su Feiyang's eyes, Lu Ming was now nothing more than a clown. Su Feiyang chuckled to himself: Fool, you've watched too many Lin Zhengying movies, pretending to be a zombie master here? Grandmother is severely poisoned. Your ritual dance will only delay her treatment. Heh, wait until Grandmother dies, and then let's see how you explain yourself!
Su Feiyang and Han Yun exchanged glances, both displaying triumphant smiles.
They felt their victory was assured.
However, to their utter astonishment, the situation unfolded in a way that completely exceeded their expectations.
Shen Dianlan's complexion was visibly improving at an astonishing rate. Her breathing became steadier, and her stomach even began to rumble.
She was hungry!
Being able to feel hunger was the best proof of recovery.
After about fifteen minutes, Shen Dianlan's face regained some color. She took a deep breath and said, "Comfortable, much more comfortable. The blockage in my chest has cleared. Lu Ming, you truly have remarkable skills."