Chapter 3 (2)

"Don't worry, Uncle Guo," Fang Ji placed his hand on Guo Laosan's shoulder, "I came precisely because of this."

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Feng Bao Nan held his breath, reaching out to grab a piece of the cloth at the edge of the lake. His hand hadn't touched the water's surface yet when it was suddenly intercepted. Fang Ji's voice sounded in his ear, "Village head Feng, let me handle this."

Seeing that Fang Ji had already put on surgical gloves, Feng Bao Nan nodded and stepped back a few paces.

Fang Ji bent down, picked up a branch, gently hooked the cloth underwater, and pulled it up. With his other hand gripping the cloth's edge, he dragged the body onto the shore.

The whole body was swollen like a balloon, the eyeballs hanging to the side of the face. As the body was dragged onto the shore, the eyeballs fell off and stuck to the grass roots. Several maggots crawled out of the eye sockets, their pale bodies wriggling on the corpse's face. In the blink of an eye, a putrid smell hit them, and flies swarmed over, constantly resting on the corpse, licking at it. Looking at this scene, Feng Bao Nan's scalp tingled, and he held his breath as he retreated several steps.

Fang Ji suppressed the nausea rising in his stomach, intending to say something, but he hesitated, not daring to open his mouth. He gestured with his hand, pointing to the bloated abdomen of the body, then mimed a few motions to Feng Bao Nan. Staring at Fang Ji, Feng Bao Nan suddenly understood his meaning: "Are you suggesting that this person might have contracted the same disease?!"

Fang Ji nodded quickly and placed his hand on the bloated belly of the body. With a loud pop, there seemed to be a sound of something bursting. Feng Bao Nan quickly raised his arm to shield his face. After a moment, he opened his eyes and saw several pieces of blackish-green sticky substances splattered around the lake's edge.

Using his gloved hand, Fang Ji picked up a piece of the substance and wiped the black water it is hanging onto the grass. After draining, it revealed two black legs with distinct segments, covered in fuzz, and several egg-like things, pale yellow in color. They were already damaged, with their surfaces sunken in.

Feng Bao Nan stared at the object in Fang Ji's palm, his stomach seemingly flipping inside out, almost making him vomit.

Fang Ji closed his palm, approached Feng Bao Nan, his expression equally grim. "Village head Feng! Let's get out of here first!"

Feng Bao Nan nodded, about to call Feng You, when his gaze swept around and found not a trace of him.

Feng You had finished taking a bath and was sitting on a chair in the main room, combing his hair. Yanzi lowered her head and sniffed his hair, saying, "There's no smell anymore!"

Feng You took a deep sniff and wrinkled his brow. "Why do I still feel like there is?! No way! Smell it again carefully!"

As he spoke, Feng Bao Nan lifted the curtain and walked in. Seeing Feng you, a surge of anger rose within him. He reached out to grab his ear, "You little brat, you're quite fast at running away!"

Feng You let out a miserable cry and covered his nose, dodging aside. "Dad! You haven't taken a shower yet! Don't come near me!"

Feng Bao Nan gave him a stern glare. "Then go boil some water!"

Feng You immediately pulled Yanzi to the side along the wall. Fang Ji closed the door and laid down a sheet of paper on the table. He placed the remnants of the creature on it and asked, "Village head Feng, do you recognize this dead person?"

Feng Bao Nan's lips tightened, hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "I don't recognize him."

"Has anyone gone missing recently in Shangyang Village?"

Feng Bao Nan shook his head. "No, that person is not from our village."

"But he most likely contracted this disease as well. His face is almost unrecognizable," Fang Ji paused for a moment, then continued, "Perhaps he changed his clothes?"

"No, he's not from our village. I'll arrange for someone to handle it," Feng Bao Nan looked up and shifted the topic, "doctor Fang, how could this person who's sick still come up the mountain and fall into the lake?"

Fang Ji thought for a moment and replied, "This is just my speculation. After the parasitic worms infest the host's body, they consume a large amount of nutrients from the host. When they mature and produce eggs, they require even more nutrients. If the host cannot provide enough nutrients to the worms, they may disrupt the host's nervous system, leading to behaviors such as suicide by drowning or other means. After the host's death, the worms and eggs can emerge from the host's body to find new hosts. During the process of leaving the original host, there might be a shedding-like process, so some of the remnants and dead eggs are left inside the host."

Feng Bao Nan's face turned pale. Fang Ji lowered his gaze and continued, "The pregnant woman I mentioned to you before was found with shrunken eggs inside the fetus's abdomen. They probably didn't successfully leave the host and found a new one, so they died inside the fetus's abdomen. After all, the lives of the mother and child are connected..." His voice trailed off, noticing that Feng Bao Nan's expression seemed off. He asked, "Village head Feng, what's wrong with you?"

Feng Bao Nan didn't respond, tremblingly took out a cigarette and lit it. His brows furrowed, and he didn't speak for quite some time.

The smoke rose gently as the cigarette burned down to his fingers. He seemed oblivious, lost in thought. Fang Ji grabbed his arm in concern, urgently saying, "Village head Feng! Your hand!"

Only then did he snap back to reality. His fingers trembled, and the cigarette butt fell to the ground. Fang Ji hurriedly held his hand, seeing a small patch of red marks between his fingers. "Quick, rinse it with cold water!"

Feng Bao Nan waved his hand, signaling that he was fine. He lifted his head, staring at Fang Ji's face, and said in a deep voice, "doctor Fang, after you're done showering, I'll take you to meet someone."

Fang Ji was taken aback, looking down with his fingers gripping his sleeve tightly. "Alright, is it a patient?"

"No, it's a pregnant woman. The fetus is around four months old. For safety's sake, I want you to take a look at her."

After Fang Ji finished his shower, he returned to see an unfamiliar man in the main room. He was chubby, with sparse hair on top and a slightly oily shine on his nose. When he entered, the man's eyes widened in surprise.

Feng Bao Nan invited Fang Ji to sit down and introduced, "This is Guo Laosan, the person I told you about, his daughter-in-law, A Shui."

Fang Ji's gaze was fixed on Guo Laosan, and he stepped forward quickly, tightly holding Guo Laosan's hand and warmly saying, "Uncle Guo!"

Feng Bao Nan explained to Guo Laosan, "This is Dr. Fang Ji, he's here to provide care for A Shui during her pregnancy."

Guo Laosan gave a dry smile and awkwardly pulled his arm away from Fang Ji's grip. He then turned to Feng Bao Nan, lowering his voice, "Is he... from outside?"

Feng Bao Nan nodded, "Later, you, me, and Feng You will all go. Lin Lang is also there. Don't worry. Zhang Guangquan's illness was cured by him. Regarding A Shui's situation, it's necessary for him to take a look."

He proceeded to explain Fang Ji's speculations in detail to Guo Laosan. As he listened, Guo Laosan's face alternated between pale and red. He slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Damn it! Why the hell have I been providing for that crazy woman so well? If there's a big worm in her belly, I'm gonna chop her up!"

Feng Bao Nan's expression changed slightly. He quickly grabbed Guo Laosan's shoulder in secret and whispered, "Old Guo! Have you been drinking too much in broad daylight? What nonsense are you spouting? People will laugh at us if they hear this!"

Guo Laosan choked up, turned to glance at Fang Ji, and noticed that his face was somewhat pale, as if he had been scared by his outburst. He cleared his throat and forced a smile at Fang Ji, "Dr. Fang, am I right?"

Fang Ji looked up, his expression easing, and he politely smiled back, "uncle Guo, you can call me Xiao Fang."

Guo Laosan observed his clean and fresh appearance, quite different from the flashy quacks he had encountered before. He felt a slight sense of goodwill towards him and chuckled, saying, "Xiao Fang, just making a joke, don't take it to heart! That woman has a difficult temperament, probably a bit mentally unstable. When you meet her later, be careful..."

Fang Ji smiled, "Uncle Guo, hormonal levels during pregnancy can cause some anxiety or depression. It's normal for mood changes during this period. I've seen many patients like her, so you don't need to worry."

"Depression?" Guo Laosan's face changed, "Will that be harmful to the baby?"

"Of course, the health of the mother and the fetus are interconnected. If there are health issues with the mother, the baby won't be healthy either."

Guo Laosan's brows furrowed, and he asked anxiously, "Then what can be done?! The Guo family only has this one heir left!"

"Don't worry, uncle Guo," Fang Ji placed his hand on Guo Laosan's shoulder and looked into his eyes, "I'm here precisely for this reason."

"Let's go," Feng Bao Nan stood up and said, "Let Dr. Fang take a look first."

As they walked through the woods, heading northward, after a few miles, Guo Laosan began to breathe heavily, and he felt as if he was walking on cotton. He stumbled forward as if about to fall, but at that moment, a hand reached out from the side and steadied him. His heart skipped a beat, then raced.

"Uncle Guo? Are you okay?"

Guo Laosan's face turned a bit pale. He looked at Fang Ji, slightly dazed, and said, "I'm fine, Xiao Fang. Thanks to you."

"Don't say that," Fang Ji smiled at him, "Is your home far from here?"

Guo Laosan waved his hand, "No, it's not. My home is to the west."

Fang Ji seemed surprised, "Doesn't your daughter-in-law live with you?"

Guo Laosan's gaze dimmed, and he gave a forced laugh, "She moved here on New Year's Eve, but... well..."

"Enough," Feng Bao Nan interrupted him, glaring at Guo Laosan, "Say a little less, will you?"

Guo Laosan fell silent, sighing in disappointment.

After walking for about half an hour, they finally emerged from the woods into an open space with a small fenced courtyard near the mountain.

Feng You rushed ahead and pushed the courtyard gate open, disappearing behind the door in the blink of an eye. Inside the yard stood a slightly weathered adobe house (Pueblo-style homes) that looked like it had been standing for quite some years.

Fang Ji hurried after him, and just as he was about to step over the threshold of the courtyard gate, a shrill scream echoed from inside the house.

It was Feng You's voice.

Fang Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly entered the main room. He saw a young man gripping Feng You's neck with one hand, his nails digging deep into the flesh. He had lifted Feng You off the ground, and Feng You's body was suspended in the air, his eyes rolling back.

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Tn: I really despise that Guo Laosan