Chapter 6 He’s Been Cursed

"The old man hasn’t woken up because he’s been cursed by the Tame Head. The creature inside his body needs to be dealt with, or the problem can't be fully resolved," Daniel explained, which drew nothing more than scorn from Christopher. "What nonsense? Cursed by the Tame Head? Why don’t you say he’s possessed by demons? I thought you were a healer. Turns out you’re just a charlatan? Is there even such a thing as Tame Head in this world?" "Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Tame Head is a type of dark Eastern magic, using creatures like centipedes to curse and bless people." "Ignorant? Michael used the most advanced equipment for an exhaustive checkup of Mr. Joseph’s body. If there were bugs inside, wouldn’t he have found them? You should pick someone else to trick. Your act might fool villagers in the countryside, but do you think Ma'am Jessica is one of them?" Provoked by Christopher’s comments, Michael, being cautious himself, asked, "You say Mr. Joseph has bugs inside him, what kind of bugs? Where exactly?" "In his chest cavity, it's a large centipede as long as a knife and as thick as a thumb." The chest cavity? Michael hurriedly checked the chest CT but found no anomalies. "Look closely. This is an X-ray of Mr. Joseph taken by our hospital's brand new, world-class CT machine. Not even the tiniest ant could escape its detection, let alone a knife-sized centipede, and there is nothing there!" "Tame Head may be a dark art, but it’s also a miracle of Eastern wisdom, passed down for thousands of years. Your CT machine, no matter how advanced, has only been around for how many years? It might inevitably fail to capture such mystical phenomena." "Heh," chuckled Andrew with a cold laugh, sensing an opportunity. He decided to set a trap for Daniel, "You claim Mr. Joseph has a large centipede in his chest? Prove it! If you can produce it, I'll eat it in one bite. But if you fail, you're a swindler! Even if Mr. Joseph wakes up later, the credit belongs to Master Christopher!" As he spoke, Andrew looked at Jessica, reminding her, "Don't forget your promise—if Master Christopher revives Mr. Joseph, you have to marry me!" "My grandfather was saved by Daniel, not Master Christopher!" "This nobody claims Mr. Joseph has been cursed by the Tame Head, that there's a centipede as long as a knife inside him. Yet the chest CT Michael provided shows nothing. This is enough to prove that this fool is a cunning fraud! He just stuck a few needles arbitrarily and now wants to steal Master Christopher’s credit!" "Mr. Andrew is right unless the charlatan can present the centipede, I’m the one who saved Mr. Joseph! It was The Nine Dry Needling that revived him!" added Christopher, backing Andrew up. Daniel opened his plastic bag and pulled out a clay jar containing various dried insects. Upon opening the lid, a peculiar but tantalizing fragrance wafted out, almost mouth-watering. He placed the jar beside Joseph’s pillow and with a firm press over Joseph's chest, a shrill chirping noise echoed. Out peeked a blackened head. A centipede? Indeed, it was a dark, giant centipede, as long as a knife and thick as a thumb. With swift reflexes, Daniel grabbed the creature, "Mr. Andrew, the centipede is caught. You said you would eat it in one go, open wide!" "When did I say that?" Andrew's face flushed with anger. Too embarrassed to stay, he stormed off in a huff. Feeling equally humiliated, Christopher quickly trailed after Andrew, and Michael escorted his medical team out as well. Daniel casually picked up a water bottle from the trash and dropped the giant centipede inside, screwing the cap back on tightly before placing it in the plastic bag. "You're pretty skilled at this. I guess your plastic bag is your garbage collecting equipment, right? From now on, all of our company’s water bottles are yours," jested Brittany, though she couldn't deny the satisfaction of seeing Joseph revived. However, the fact that the chairman was saved by Daniel, the new assistant, she couldn't accept it. The better Daniel performed, the more replaceable she felt. "I'm going to wash my hands." Once Daniel stepped out, Jessica instructed Brittany, "Watch the door. Don’t let anyone in without my order." "Yes, Jessica!" Brittany replied and stepped outside. As soon as she left, Joseph opened his eyes. His body might have taken a trip to hell and back, but his mind never wavered. He was well aware of the recent events. "The Daniel who saved me, is he the one you're engaged to?" "Yes." "That marriage contract was made eighteen years ago after I got drunk with his master. I somewhat foolishly agreed to that engagement." "What? You made an engagement because you were drunk? You just decided to marry me off to someone so casually?" "When he comes back, I’ll speak to him properly. Even if it ruins my reputation, I cannot let you marry him simply because of a joke made eighteen years ago."