Chapter 9 A Bunch of Nonsense?

"Alright!" Michael made a decision and said, "Then let's trouble James."

Others wanted to obstruct Michael, but a glance from Michael stopped them. In the family, Michael still carried a certain authority.

Actually, Michael wasn't sure himself, but at this point, even if there was a one-in-a-million chance, he had to give it a try!

He had seen many people, but he couldn't figure out this young man named James Smith. Despite his ordinary appearance, he showed a maturity that his peers lacked.

Combining what he had seen by the roadside earlier, he decided to trust James. It's better to be safe than sorry. What if it really worked?

As for the others, they were watching coldly, especially after learning about James's background from Virgil; they thought Michael had gone mad.

At this moment, James followed Michael to a room.

'Something's not right...' James had thought to himself.

In the corridor, James felt a sudden chill, causing the surrounding air to drop a few degrees.

Sure enough, there was something sinister!

James had a better idea in his mind.

Michael informed, "James, my dad is right there... Dad!!"

As soon as he opened the door, James felt a rush of cold air. Even though the room wasn't air-conditioned, it was colder than elsewhere, which was abnormal in itself.

Michael rushed out like an arrow, quickly helping the elderly man who had fallen to the ground while angrily scolding, "Brenda! How could you be so careless? How did my dad fall? If anything happens to my dad, I won't spare you!"

Brenda was a simple maid, immediately trembling with fear, kneeling on the ground. She explained, "Young Master, this has nothing to do with me! When I left just now, Todd was lying in bed just fine."

The others behind were also very angry, all accusing Brenda.

A voice scolded, "You guys, that's enough..."

At this moment, the elderly man helped onto the bed by Michael spoke, his voice particularly weak, filled with pain, as if enduring immense suffering.

"It's not Brenda's fault—it's me who fell down," the old man said laboriously.

He was only in his sixties, but he looked like he was in his eighties or nineties. His skin was as dry as tree bark, especially his face, which was devoid of any color. He was barely hanging on, and speaking had become a laborious task.

Michael's eyes were filled with tears, his expression sad. "Dad, you were lying in bed just fine. Why did you move and hurt yourself?" he asked.

The father forced a smile, looking at Michael Brown kneeling in front of him, his eyes filled with relief and reluctance.

He gently patted Michael's head, saying, "Dad is about to join your mom soon; whether I get hurt or not doesn't matter."

"Dad! Don't say such ominous things; I will find a way to cure you!" Michael cried.

The others also knelt in front of Michael; only James stood in the corner, looking at them with deep emotion.

"Foolish kid, we've attempted treatment so many times, tried all possible methods, it's no use, no use..." Todd remarked. He was exhausted, his body trembling uncontrollably, enduring extreme pain every second of the day.

Todd remarked, "Michael, you don't need to cry. Dad has lived a fulfilling life with you all being such filial children. You don't need to seek treatment for me anymore; Dad is in pain, so much pain; Dad doesn't want to suffer anymore."

Todd slowly lay down, and said, "Let the doctor give me a euthanasia injection to help Dad find peace."

"Dad!!!" Michael refused and was in unbearable pain, and the others also had faces full of sorrow, genuinely reluctant to part with him.

James sighed. If he hadn't happened to be here, the old man would have passed away.

"Hey, there's no need for such gloom; the venerable sir's illness isn't incurable," James interjected at that moment.

His words shook Michael to the core. He looked up abruptly and asked, "Can you really cure my dad?!"

"Let's give it a try." James walked over, smiling as he said to the elderly gentleman, "Venerable sir, allow me to check your pulse."

Todd didn't extend his hand. Shaking his head, he said, "Young man, it's useless. Even the big hospitals couldn't cure my illness."

"Dad, just let him try," Michael urged.

"Sigh, why go to such lengths?" Todd replied, however, extended his hand, yet he remained skeptical of James, his heart already filled with despair.

James accurately placed his fingers on Todd's pulse, and his ordinary demeanor suddenly transformed into a commanding presence, causing everyone to feel as if they were in the presence of a miracle healer.

"Venerable sir, you contracted this illness thirty months ago, right?" James released his hand, asking solemnly.

"Yes," Todd answered and nodded lightly, unfazed, as this was no longer a secret, thinking Michael had informed James.

James continued, "It started with stomach pain, then spread to your left hand, left leg, then to your right hand, and then to your buttocks, lungs, and three days ago, your head began to ache. When the pain strikes, it feels like something is constantly drilling inside, right?"

"How do you know?!" Todd exclaimed and was finally surprised, his eyes widening.

The others were also shocked to see his reaction. 'Could this young man really cure their father?' they wondered.

James gave a faint smile, continuing, "And you experience the most intense pain from midnight to four in the morning; no painkiller works, right?"

Todd was thoroughly horrified, his mouth gaping, as he asked, "How do you know this?"

At this point, the others realized that the unassuming young man before them was quite extraordinary.

James smiled and said, "Venerable sir, you've been cursed by someone. The venomous creature has spread throughout your body, constantly devouring your flesh and vitality, which is why you've aged so rapidly and are in such pain.

"Once this venomous creature reaches your heart and brain, you'll undoubtedly die; not even a deity can save you."

"What, cursed?!" Michael was shocked, and the others were equally taken aback.

James nodded, about to speak, when a sudden voice interrupted, "Nonsense!"

A doctor in a white coat stepped forward, rebuking James, "Who knows where this quack came from, daring to spout nonsense here! Mr. Brown, you must not believe this person's words. In my opinion, this person is just here to swindle money!"

Michael furrowed his brow and asked, "Mr. Diaz, what do you mean by that?"

Mr. Diaz disdainfully glared at James, and stated, "First of all, witchcraft like this don't exist; they're just made-up folk tales.

"We've conducted numerous full-body examinations on Todd; if there really was a venomous creature in his body, we would have found it by now.

"Todd is suffering from a strange disease, similar to ALS, gradually spreading throughout his body. What witchcraft? Why don't you say it's a ghost!"

The others nodded in agreement, glaring at James, almost falling for this guy's trickery.

James remained unruffled. He had anticipated this scene long ago, simply looking at Michael.

He instructed, "Mr. Brown, if you believe in me, provide me with a box of gold needles. They must be made of pure gold. Also, prepare blood from a rooster with a lifespan of over five years and a spirit lamp."

"Alright!" Michael agreed and didn't hesitate, immediately instructing someone to prepare them.

Mr. Diaz became somewhat anxious and said, "Mr. Brown, how can you believe in these quacks."

"Mr. Diaz, you needn't say more. My mind is made up," Michael Brown replied as he waved his hand.

Before long, the items James requested were brought over. He took out the gold needles, inspected them to ensure they were made of pure gold; then dipped the needle tips in the rooster's blood before placing them on the spirit lamp to burn.

Mr. Diaz watched coldly from the side, waiting to see James's failure.

The others also frowned. This didn't look like a medical treatment at all, and to be honest, they didn't really believe James could cure Todd.

With everything ready, James said to Todd, "Venerable sir, you may feel some pain in a moment."

"No problem, go ahead," Todd said.

James nodded, beginning to needle. His movements were swift and skilled, inserting several needles into his body and then pressing on several acupoints. Todd grimaced as if enduring immense suffering.

At this moment, a hot-tempered young man approached, grabbing James's clothes, angrily accusing, "Damn, what did you do to my dad! If anything happens to my dad, I'll..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Todd's stomach churned, then he opened his mouth and vomited out a dark mass.