Du Jun became even more hesitant, but in Du Heng’s eyes, this was a good thing. He seized the opportunity and said, "Trust me, Du Jun. 500 yuan, one dose of medicine, one hour, and your sister-in-law will recover. If she doesn’t get better within the hour, I won’t take a penny from you. You can continue to have Banxianer chant prayers and perform rituals for you. How does that sound?"

After giving it some thought, Du Jun gritted his teeth and responded, "Okay then, I’ll be counting on you."

Though he agreed, Du Jun did not ask Banxianer to leave, indicating that he still had reservations. However, his willingness to let Du Heng try, to let his wife drink the medicine Du Heng prescribed, meant that other matters were no longer a big deal.

Du Jun asked Du Heng, "Do I need to prepare anything now?"

"Not right now." Du Heng shook his head, but then, thinking of making the act complete, he added, "Once my colleague delivers the medicine, please help me prepare three pieces of yellow paper, a bowl of clear water, two candles, and three dessert plates."

Du Jun’s initially doubtful expression immediately softened with reassurance. He asked, "What goes into the dessert plates?"

"A pastry, a serving of fruit, and a portion of plain boiled pork. They serve as both bait and offerings; the evil qi will be drawn out quickly."

Listening to Du Heng’s instructions, Du Jun’s eyes grew brighter, and he became more willing to trust Du Heng. "But we don’t have any pork at home right now. Can we use chicken instead?"

"Of course, any kind of meat is fine."

Du Jun breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good." After mumbling to himself for a moment, he said to Du Heng and Du Ping, "Let’s go to the living room and have some tea first."

Du Heng nodded, turned, and left the bedroom. They all went to the living room to chat.

Banxianer, still unaware of Du Heng’s intentions, started spouting utter nonsense as soon as Du Heng sat down, eventually even beginning to slander Du Heng and doctors in general. But Du Heng didn’t refute his words. Instead, he quietly sent Yu Haiting a text message with the prescription he needed. Then, along with Du Ping and Du Jun, he watched Banxianer’s grandstanding.

Eventually, Yu Haiting arrived by car with the medicine, and Banxianer fell silent in astonishment. If not for that, Du Heng thought, Banxianer could have concocted entire histories of his past and future lives.

However, when Banxianer heard that Du Heng was going to start the treatment, his air of a detached master vanished. He immediately became like a petty, haggling peddler, sharp-tongued and concerned with every last coin, even threatening Du Jun, "Let me tell you, Du Jun, no matter who you find to treat her, you owe me the promised money, not one cent less. Give it to me now; I’m leaving. And I’m telling you, any problems that arise after this have nothing to do with me. Don’t come looking for me again."

Would Du Jun pay him?

Of course not.

"Banxianer, please sit for a while. We don’t have that much cash at home right now. I’ll go scrape it together for you."

With that, Du Jun carried the previously prepared items into the bedroom and then asked Du Heng, "Is there anything else I need to do?"

Du Heng considered mentioning the money but, after some hesitation, decided against it. That part of the matter had nothing to do with him. He wasn’t a judge; he had no standing to decide whether they should demand money or pay it.

"That’s all for now. My big brother and my colleague are here; we’ll be able to handle it quickly."

Du Jun nodded, glanced at his whimpering wife on the bed, then turned and left the bedroom without looking back.

At that moment, Du Heng looked at Du Jun’s wife on the bed. He felt he might not be able to control the woman on his own. So he said to Du Ping and Yu Haiting, "Help me open her mouth and hold her still, keep her head from thrashing so much." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Without a word, the two men did as Du Heng asked. Then, wrestling her as if catching a pig, the three of them managed to pour the medicine down Du Jun’s wife’s throat. The process was, it must be said, quite violent.

Du Heng’s assessment was correct. Even though Du Jun’s wife’s legs and feet were temporarily useless, he truly wouldn’t have been able to control her on his own.

After the intense struggle, the medicine was finally administered. Du Heng heaved a sigh of relief, but his relief was short-lived as Du Jun’s wife immediately began to curse him, causing him considerable distress. Even with his usually good temper, he barely managed to hold himself back from slapping her.

However, considering the woman’s current unclear state of consciousness, he suppressed the urge. He quickly coordinated with his big brother to bind her mouth again. Then, panting heavily, the three of them just stared, watching her large, struggling form.

Du Ping couldn’t help but ask, "What do we do now?"

"Wait," Du Heng replied succinctly. "I added a sedative and sleep aid to the medicine. I believe she won’t be able to struggle for long."

"Oh," Du Ping murmured softly.

And just as Du Heng had said, after about ten minutes, Du Jun’s wife’s struggles and thrashing gradually subsided. Soon after, the three of them heard the sound of snoring.

At this point, Du Heng picked up the yellow paper from the table in front of him. He casually burned a few sheets, letting them fall to the ground, then lit the candles and placed them on the table. Smiling, he picked up a piece of fruit from one of the dessert plates and took a hearty bite. "Brother, Yu, help yourselves to whatever you want."

Du Ping looked at Du Heng with confusion. Now that it was just the three of them, he could no longer hold back. "Xiao Heng, do you know how to do this stuff too?"

Du Heng shook his head decisively. "I don’t."