In the room, there was a large hospital bed, and the surrounding furniture had been removed, now replaced with various and sundry medical equipment.
Near the equipment, two nurses were watching a monitor and occasionally picking up a pen to take notes, looking very focused.
However, Zhang Xiaoman could feel that these two nurses occasionally stole curious glances at him, probably having heard the commotion outside the room earlier.
Zhang Xiaoman's gaze was primarily on the bed where a young man of similar age to himself was lying. The young man was shirtless and currently had his eyes tightly closed, his breathing faint.
Several IV tubes were inserted into his body, and as Zhang Xiaoman approached, he saw a swollen human face pushing outward from the middle of the young man's abdomen, as if trying to break free from the confines of the body, its expression extremely painful and distorted.
"This face is indeed the same as they described, identical to Mr. Su of the Su family…"
Zhang Xiaoman was quietly astonished.
"Master, is there a way to help Changqing with his condition?"
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xiaoman shook his head and said, "There is a method I could try, but... there is something I must explain to you first. After you hear it, you can decide whether or not you want me to proceed."
Su Fu was taken aback.
"What is it?"
Zhang Xiaoman, with hands clasped behind his back and eyes fixed on Su Changqing lying on the bed, slowly said:
"The entity attached within your son is not an ordinary ghost or monster, what it specifically is, I cannot detail at the moment. However, you need to know that it has deeply invaded his body, and I have two concerns about it."
"What concerns, Master Pei, please tell me quickly."
Zhang Xiaoman shook his head, a look of reluctance on his face:
"First, it might already be too late, this entity might have already fully formed within him, and I'm not sure I can cure your son…"
Su Fu's face became grave, but he responded:
"I understand what you mean, Master. After all, nothing is absolute in this world, and I only hope that you can do your best."
Zhang Xiaoman nodded, then continued:
"Second, because it has invaded so deeply, it may have already fused with him. If that is the case, Mr. Su's Divine Soul might have already dissipated, and what we see before us might just be a body—a monster's shell."
"At this time, if I use magic that suppresses malevolent spirits, it could directly destroy your son's body, so I hope Mr. Su can be mentally prepared."
Zhang Xiaoman mentioned these concerns primarily because he feared that if Holy Water was used carelessly and ended up purifying Mr. Su as well, the consequences could be severe, so it was better to provide a warning beforehand.
Hearing Zhang Xiaoman's words, Su Fu stared blankly at his son for a long while before hesitantly asking:
"You mean to say, my son might already be dead, and what has taken over his body is that monster?"
"That's right."
Su Fu's gaze faltered: "What will happen if this monster completely fuses?"
Zhang Xiaoman slightly shook his head: "Then it will break free from the body, choose its victims, and massacre the entire Su family."
"Hiss…"
Su Fu drew in a sharp breath and then remained silent for a long time.
Zhang Xiaoman did not rush him, as such a matter required careful consideration.
After quite some time, Su Fu finally exhaled and said, "Master, please proceed with the casting."
He had also realized earlier that if what Zhang Xiaoman had said was true, then his son had already died, and he certainly would not allow his other family members to be endangered for the sake of a corpse.
But if everything Zhang Xiaoman said was false, and all his previous actions were mere trickery, then what he claimed regarding the magic ruining Su Changqing's body would also be nonsense, and he seemed to have no reason to be overly concerned about this matter.
Zhang Xiaoman glanced at him and nodded, "Please step back, Mr. Su."
Upon hearing these words, Su Fu, nervously swallowing, slowly moved back to the door as per Zhang Xiaoman's indication, a strong sense of hope rising in his chest.
Su Fu prided himself on being a good judge of character, and he could clearly sense that the way this man operated seemed different from the charlatans he had encountered before.
"Maybe, this time it's real..."
He silently prayed in his heart.
Zhang Xiaoman stepped forward a few paces to the bedside.
He calmly looked at Mr. Su lying on the bed while incessantly reciting names of various heavenly gods in his mind, equally praying for the protection of the higher powers.
Reaching into his left pocket, Zhang Xiaoman took out a spare magazine he always carried, carefully extracted a Holy Water Bullet, and pressed it slowly against Su Changqing's forehead.
"Pop."
The faint sound of the Holy Water Bullet bursting was audible only to Zhang Xiaoman; he felt his fingertip wet and saw that a small water mark had formed on Su Changqing's forehead.
Zhang Xiaoman immediately withdrew his hand and quickly stepped back, ready to avoid any anomalies that could follow.
However, to his disappointment, nothing happened to Su Changqing's body, and the room remained as quiet as usual, with only the occasional beep from medical equipment audible.
A bead of sweat the size of a bean slid down Zhang Xiaoman's face. He felt a surge in his heart and became somewhat uneasy.
Is my Holy Water ineffective against it? Is this a kind of monster that is not restrained by Holy Water?
Or is it, in fact, that there is no monster at all, and Mr. Su is simply suffering from some undetectable disease by current medical standards?
Zhang Xiaoman was in turmoil. He felt that his attempt to show off was about to fail.
Looking subconsciously at the face on Su Changqing's belly, an idea suddenly popped into Zhang Xiaoman's mind:
"Could it be that I got the location wrong, and the place where the monster resides is actually on the belly? Using Holy Water anywhere else is useless, and I must apply it directly onto the face on his belly for it to work?"
Not daring to delay, Zhang Xiaoman quickly extracted another Holy Water Bullet from the magazine and, suppressing his feeling of nausea, pressed his hand against the eerie face's forehead.
"Pop."
Once again, the slight sound of bursting came, but this time Zhang Xiaoman did not retreat, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the area where the water mark was spreading.
Unfortunately, still no reaction occurred on Su Changqing's body.
Zhang Xiaoman's heart faltered, thinking it was all over!
After having put on such a big show earlier, now it had come to this; where could he even place his face after this?
On the side, Su Fu saw Zhang Xiaoman first take out a strange black object, and then carefully place something on his son, afterwards adopting a watchful stance, which also made him closely monitor his son on the bed without diverting his gaze.
But as he waited, even until the Master repeated the prior actions at a different location, his son still exhibited no movement, just like the previous masters who had come here.
"Could it be... he's also a fraud?"
At that thought, Su Fu's heart suddenly sank, and a foreboding feeling began to emerge.