Song Qiao's words, though seemingly casual, utterly stunned everyone present.
"You can cure her too?"
"Do you even know what illness she has that you can just claim to cure it?"
Jiang Rou was slightly taken aback, but after a moment, she realized Song Qiao was deliberately provoking Li Bin and Chunshan Long.
After all, the two martial brothers were incredibly irritating. Anyone would dislike being looked down upon by them. It was understandable for Song Qiao to act a little rashly.
Chunshan Long, thinking along the same lines, refused to fall for the bait. He let out a cold snort, looking at Song Qiao with disdain.
"You're not old, but your tone is certainly grand!"
"If you truly had a way to cure her, how could her illness have dragged on until now?"
Madam Tao's condition was indeed severe. Previously, mother and son had sought out many renowned physicians to no avail. Song Qiao's sudden claim to cure her would seem preposterous to anyone. Even the Tao mother and son, who usually trusted Song Qiao implicitly, felt a pang of doubt.
However, Song Qiao paid them no mind. His expression was one of utmost confidence, as if to say, "If I claim I can cure it, then I can."
He stared calmly at Chunshan Long and retorted, "You really don't think I know anything, do you?"
Chunshan Long's eyebrows shot up. He narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Oh? Then perhaps you could enlighten me."
Song Qiao glanced back at Madam Tao's haggard appearance and slowly began to speak.
"To be precise, she isn't suffering from a strange illness, but rather from a type of Gu poison!"
"Because this Gu poison is extremely insidious and malicious, it is called Yin Gu Shu!"
"What?"
Hearing that his mother wasn't ill but had been poisoned, Tao Jie was shocked to his core. He widened his eyes and looked at his mother in disbelief, then quickly turned to Song Qiao.
"Sir, what in the world is going on?"
"Is my mother's current state because of this!"
"Precisely." Song Qiao nodded, his gaze towards Chunshan Long filled with disgust. He exposed their scheme without hesitation.
"The Easterners first planted the Gu within your mother, and then shamelessly came to offer their treatment."
"It's like a silkworm burrowing into a peanut shell, all to extort benefits from your Tao family for free."
"What a clever scheme!"
*Crack!*
Hearing this, Tao Jie clenched his fists, the sound of his bones grinding together piercingly loud. His face darkened as he stared at Li Bin, gritting his teeth and roaring, "Li Bin! I never imagined you could be so wicked!"
"I always wondered why my mother suddenly fell ill, and only the Easterners could cure her."
"So it was all your doing!"
Upon understanding the situation, Jiang Rou also couldn't help but curse their treachery.
"You, surnamed Li! The Tao family treated you well, and your master even regarded you as a brother."
"Now, before your master's bones have even cooled, you commit acts worse than a beast, truly deserving of death!"
When Madam Tao fell ill, Song Qiao hadn't initially suspected anything amiss. However, when the mother and son mentioned that Easterners could cure her, and with other conditions attached, he sensed something was wrong. After careful observation, Song Qiao finally detected the Gu poison secretly planted within Madam Tao's body. This allowed him to expose their scheme!
Seeing his scheme revealed, Chunshan Long jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. His face flushed red as he berated Song Qiao, "This is utter nonsense!"
"It's clearly because you have no way to cure her illness, so you're fabricating this talk of Yin Yang Gu Shu to frame me!"
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to."
"I tell you, even if you talk until you're blue in the face, only we can cure her condition."
"Let's see if she chooses to believe you or us!"
Li Bin also chimed in, shouting in agreement, "That's right!"
"Believe us, and your recovery is assured. Believe that brat, and it's a one-way ticket to death."
"You better think carefully!"
"Who told you?" Song Qiao sneered, looking at the two of them with annoyance.
"I already said, I can cure her illness too!"
"Don't forget, your Yin Yang techniques originate from the Taoist arts of our China!"
"The Yin Gu Shu you employ is merely the most unremarkable of our arts."
"And you have the audacity to be so confident about it?"
"You!" Chunshan Long's face contorted in rage, but before he could erupt in curses, Song Qiao interrupted him.
"Don't be so quick to anger, I haven't finished speaking yet."
Song Qiao raised a finger and gently wagged it in front of Chunshan Long's face. He continued dismissively, "Even if it's the most insignificant of the Yin Yang arts, the Yin Gu Shu."
"You are still using something from your ancestors!"
Ancestors? What did he mean?
Chunshan Long pondered for a moment before understanding Song Qiao's implication. Trembling with rage, he spat at Song Qiao, "Baka! Our great Eastern Empire has always had countless renowned Onmyoji, such as the Children of the White Fox!"
"The profound Yin Yang arts they left behind are inexhaustible."
"Why would we need to borrow from your things?"
"It's merely a petty Gu poison, something we can easily..."
A smile suddenly appeared on Song Qiao's lips. He looked at Chunshan Long with amusement and asked, "Oh? So, Master Chunshan, you admit to planting the Gu on Madam Tao?"
Chunshan Long frowned, clearly realizing he could no longer maintain his facade. He stopped pretending and arrogantly nodded, admitting, "So what? I am from the Eastern Empire. What can you do to me?"
"If you truly have the skill, then try to remove the Yin Gu Shu from her. Otherwise, only we can save her life in this world!"
As Chunshan Long finished speaking, all eyes in the room turned to Song Qiao. Li Bin's face was already etched with mockery and contempt, eager to see Song Qiao humiliated. Madam Tao, who should have been the most relieved, appeared remarkably calm, as if she had resigned herself to her grave condition. However, Jiang Rou and Tao Jie looked at Song Qiao with full of hope. They wished he could help their mother and master's wife remove the vile Gu poison from their bodies. This would not only cure Madam Tao but also heavily shame Chunshan Long and Li Bin.
Yet, faced with their expectations, Song Qiao spread his hands and said helplessly, "I'm sorry, I can't!"