Du Ping became even more confused. "What do you mean then?"

"I want to put Du Jun’s family at ease and let them think that I really drove away the evil qi," Du Heng said as if it were only natural.

Du Ping frowned. "So you were pretending?"

"Of course I was."

"Then when you said she was possessed earlier, were you talking nonsense?"

Du Heng shook his head. "Half true, half false. It’s not all nonsense."

"Explain yourself." Du Ping was very dissatisfied with Du Heng’s behavior.

Du Heng reluctantly put down the fruit in his hand. "It’s true that there is evil qi. Du Jun’s wife is weak and exhausted, and the cold qi in the mountain at night will definitely enter her body. Moreover, considering her size, she wouldn’t be able to find much food in the mountains, so her stomach would be empty, and her Spleen and Stomach would be weak, making her even more vulnerable to the cold qi attack. Being alone in the mountains overnight, with fear in her heart, her yang fire would flare up and attack her stomach qi, so it’s no wonder she fell ill."

"So the evil qi I mentioned is the cold and dampness of the mountain. As for what Du Jun understood as evil qi, I don’t know. So saying that I was talking nonsense would be wrong."

Upon learning that his younger brother was not just performing theatrics, Du Ping was relieved. "Are you sure you can cure her?"

"The prescription I gave her treats both the Spleen and Stomach. It reduces yang fire to balance the stomach and dispels Yin phlegm to nourish the spleen. Once the Spleen and Stomach qi become vigorous, evil qi can’t invade the body. She will wake up within thirty minutes to an hour, and then she’ll be fine."

Du Heng showed off a little in front of Du Ping, but received a disdainful look. "Don’t show off with me. You know I didn’t attend much school."

Du Heng’s boasting didn’t take off. He gave an awkward smile to Yu Haiting next to him and took another bite of the fruit in his hand.

Yu Haiting just gave a light smile, pretending not to have seen anything, and picked up a piece of pastry to eat slowly.

Meanwhile, Du Jun, who had just left the room, seemed not to care about what was happening in the bedroom. He walked up to the still-angry Banxianer and said, feigning great indignation, "Banxianer, don’t be mad. I had no other choice."

Banxianer, unsure if he was genuinely angry or just worried about not getting paid, said coldly, "What choice? Hurry up and give me the money. I have to go."

Du Jun quickly replied, "Banxianer, I’m telling the truth." Du Jun sighed. "You know, Du Heng is doing very well now. If he says he wants to treat her, how can I not agree? So, I have no choice. I had to agree so as not to offend him."

His expression changed again, and he said with a serious look, "Although Du Heng’s medical skills are high, dealing with evil spirits still requires you, Banxianer, to take action. Rest assured, once he comes out all disheveled, it will be up to you to step in."

After Du Jun sincerely finished speaking, he moved the dessert plates on the table towards Banxianer. "You’re the Adult here; don’t stoop to Du Heng’s level. After he realizes he can’t handle it, it’ll be time for you to make your move and put him in his place. For now, have some food and get some rest."

Though Banxianer was swayed by Du Jun’s smooth talk, he still looked extremely skeptical. Once Du Jun finished, he immediately said, "That makes sense. This brat Du Heng is different from before; it’s understandable you’d think this way. How about this—I won’t ask for all of it now. Just give me half the money now, and you can give me the other half after everything is done."

Banxianer had also thought it through by now. If Du Jun was afraid of Du Heng’s status and insisted on letting him provide treatment, that was fine. But Banxianer himself was also wary of Du Heng’s medical skills. Over the past year, Du Heng’s reputation in Central Lake had become resounding. He had cured several cases of difficult diseases in the villages. He had saved people who had gone mad, even those who had already been placed in coffins. This made Banxianer anxious. What if Du Heng really managed to cure her? What if Du Jun refused to pay after?

Du Jun’s family was notorious in the entire Duke Village, not just their own village. More importantly, he was very clear about his own capabilities.

Why had he previously told Du Jun he could protect his family, but Du Jun’s wife’s situation would depend? It’s because he knew her condition was an illness and had nothing to do with their family. Whether Du Jun’s wife would recover or not was entirely up to luck. So, he had taken precautions in advance.

With these two points in mind, he now wanted the money—even half of it would make him feel secure. After all, people working migratory jobs only make about 80 yuan a day. This 1,500 yuan is half a month’s wages for them!

However, Banxianer clearly underestimated Du Jun’s shamelessness. Du Jun simply laughed and said, "Banxianer, the money is with my dad, but we don’t have the full amount. He’s gone out to borrow money, so he’s not here. Here’s what we’ll do: as soon as my dad comes back, I’ll ask for the money from him right away and give you half."

Seeing Du Jun’s evasive response, Banxianer’s uneasy foreboding grew heavier. However, Du Jun’s father had indeed gone out to borrow money and hadn’t returned yet. Banxianer felt a bit helpless and could only go along with Du Jun’s words, starting to eat from the dessert plates on the table.

While eating, he kept an eye on the bedroom, praying that Du Heng was bluffing and would come out with his head hanging. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

However, just over thirty minutes had passed when Du Ping lifted the door curtain and beckoned to Du Jun in the main room. "Du Jun, come in, your wife is awake."

Du Jun felt as if he was in a trance and stumbled out. "Awake?"

Du Ping nodded. "Awake. Come in. Xiao Heng has something to tell you."

As Du Jun entered the room, he saw the floor covered with ash, the half-burned incense and candles, and his heart pounded heavily.

Du Heng faked burning another sheet of paper before saying to Du Jun, "Sister-in-law is awake. I just talked with her, and she’s completely fine now. However, I have a few things I want you to understand. You need to listen carefully."

Seeing Du Heng’s extremely serious expression and slightly stern tone, then looking at his wife on the bed, untied and no longer causing a fuss, Du Jun hurriedly nodded. "Xiao Heng, go ahead, I’m all ears."