"Xiao Fan, are you in there?"
An aged voice called from outside the medical hall.
Lin Fan immediately pocketed the Chilong Pearl and said to the Golden Silkworm Gu, "Hide quickly."
Buzz buzz buzz!
The Golden Silkworm Gu hovered in front of Lin Fan, its beautiful ruby eyes conveying a sense of grievance and a desire to cry.
"I can't stand you. Come in."
Lin Fan held open his pocket, and the Golden Silkworm Gu instantly transformed into a streak of light and flew inside.
At the same time, Wang Fugui walked into the medical hall.
"Uncle Wang, what brings you here?" Lin Fan greeted him with a friendly smile.
Wang Fugui gave an awkward laugh and found a place to sit.
Seeing that there were no outsiders in the medical hall, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Xiao Fan, that brat Wang Fu, I gave him a good beating. He probably won't be able to get out of bed for half a month."
"Chang Mao, that scoundrel, I've locked him up at the village committee to plow the fields for everyone. I'll let him go when all the fields in the village are plowed."
Lin Fan laughed heartily, "Actually, it's not necessary to go to such lengths."
"This is still light!" Wang Fugui said indignantly.
His tone then shifted, "Xiao Fan, I've come to discuss compensation with you."
"Uncle Wang, there's no need for compensation. We're all neighbors. It's enough that they've learned their lesson."
Although Lin Fan disliked Wang Qizi and Chang Mao, he held considerable respect for Wang Fugui, who had served in the military.
Wang Fugui waved his hand, "Here's what I propose: Wang Fu raises pigs, right? I'll have him slaughter a few pigs and host a banquet for your Luofeng Village."
"This..." Lin Fan hadn't expected such a creative form of compensation.
Slaughtering pigs and hosting a banquet for the entire village, what kind of practice was this from such a long time ago?
But...
It was quite fitting.
Making Wang Qizi infamous, turning him into a rat that everyone in the surrounding villages wanted to beat, was indeed better than mere material compensation.
"Alright!" Lin Fan nodded emphatically.
"Then it's settled."
Wang Fugui stood up, "I'll contact the cooks right away. You inform Secretary Tian, and get this done in the next few days."
"Uncle Wang, I have a small request," Lin Fan suddenly thought of something.
"Just say it if you have something to say," Wang Fugui replied readily.
"Could you have Wang Fu personally compensate me with two pigs, either male or female, as long as they are large?" Lin Fan said with a smile.
"No problem, they should have been compensated to you anyway." Wang Fugui, without any hesitation, agreed on behalf of Wang Qizi.
Lin Fan added, "Could he deliver them tonight? I'm afraid the villagers will see and say I'm hogging the food."
"You are too cautious, child. Who would be so ungrateful as to gossip about you?"
Wang Fugui spoke up for him, "In the surrounding villages, who hasn't sought your medical help? You've never charged anyone extra. To do something like this would invite scorn."
Lin Fan chuckled sheepishly, "One must pay attention to appearances."
"Alright, I'll be going back then. Um, Xiao Fan, please don't hold any grudges against the people of Wangjia Village. Wang Fu is the black sheep; the others are not like him," Wang Fugui said with a wry smile.
"Uncle Wang, you speak too highly of me. I understand," Lin Fan realized that the secretary was worried he wouldn't treat the people of Wangjia Village in the future.
"Xiao Fan, I apologize for the trouble," Wang Fugui patted him on the shoulder and left with his hands behind his back.
--
As dusk deepened.
Lin Fan saw off the last patient and stood at the entrance, gazing in the direction of Wangjia Village.
"Hmph, hmph."
From afar, the sound of pigs rooting for food could be heard.
"Behave, hurry up."
A figure was driving two large fat pigs with a willow branch, their forms gradually becoming clearer in Lin Fan's vision.
"Finally they're here."
Lin Fan's lips curved slightly upward.
Soon, two very dirty old sows were close at hand.
Lin Fan's brow furrowed. This Wang Qizi was still not being honest. He knew that sow meat was neither delicious nor valuable, yet he had sent sows.
Fortunately, he wasn't eating them himself, so he didn't need to be too picky.
"Divine Doctor Lin, Uncle Fugui forbade Wang Fu from coming to Luofeng Village again, so he asked me to deliver the pigs to you."
"Should I leave them here, or drive them into the medical hall?"
The person who arrived was a cadre from the village committee, his face etched with shame.
"Just leave them here, thank you." Lin Fan remembered to express his gratitude.
"There's nothing else, I'll be going back now." The other person seemed unwilling to linger in Luofeng Village and pointed back the way he came, preparing to return.
"Farewell," Lin Fan waved, and then began to drive the two old sows towards the village.
The sky was almost completely dark, and smoke curled from the chimneys of every household.
Along the way, Lin Fan walked on the deserted dirt road, surprisingly encountering no one, which rendered his prepared speeches useless.
"Hmph, hmph."
The two old sows walked with difficulty on the gravel, their heads raised, looking around curiously, perhaps wondering why they were being driven to this place.
"Hurry up." Lin Fan felt a bit nervous. If the snake demon had already returned to its lair, his Gu worms would likely have been destroyed.
Perhaps the snake demon was lurking in some corner, ready to attack him at any moment.
"Did you find anything?" Lin Fan lowered his head and asked the Golden Silkworm Gu, which was perched on his collar.
A mental command came through: "Safe, all normal."
"Oh." Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
After a long while, he stopped in front of a large rock that blocked the entrance to a cave.
He could faintly hear buzzing sounds from behind the large rock.
Various thoughts flooded Lin Fan's mind: "So hungry! We need food!"
"It's coming right away, don't worry." After speaking, Lin Fan stepped forward and embraced the several-hundred-pound giant rock with both hands.
"Hoo!"
He bent down and dismounted. As soon as he moved the giant rock, the hungry Gu worms inside the cave swarmed out, forming a terrifying cloud storm.
The two old sows, driven by their primal instincts, let out a scream and immediately took to their heels, running more than ten times faster than when they arrived.
Unfortunately, it was still too slow.
The crazed Gu worms, except for Lin Fan, viewed all living creatures as food.
In the blink of an eye, the white fat pigs turned black.
The Gu worms, regardless of any resistance, tore at the thick pigskin with their teeth, and drops of blood quickly merged into a pool.
"Eat, eat. Once you're full, you can help me with my work."
Lin Fan muttered silently, then looked at the few Golden Silkworm Gu circling around him.
"One, two, three... seven."
He had refined seven Golden Silkworm Gu during this recent period.
Compared to the hundreds of Gu worms in the swarm, this was a pitifully small number.
"Why aren't you eating?"
Lin Fan extended a hand.
Swish, swish, swish...
Seven golden lights eagerly landed on Lin Fan's hand, affectionately rubbing against his palm, appearing exceptionally obedient.
"You want this?"
Lin Fan took out the Chilong Pearl from his pocket.
The seven Golden Silkworm Gu simultaneously turned their heads, staring intently at the mysterious Chilong Pearl, their tiny eyes radiating greedy light.
"The snake demon wants to snatch this thing," Lin Fan stated calmly.
Upon hearing this, the Golden Silkworm Gu immediately emitted angry emotions. They were only obedient to their master; everything else was an enemy.
"Eat quickly. Once you're full, take me to find the monster," Lin Fan commanded.
Buzz buzz buzz!
The seven Golden Silkworm Gu flew towards a fat pig that had already been gnawed on and was in a tragic state.
The pressure from the superior Gu worms forced the Tie Tou Gu to abandon the food at their mouths and all fly up.
Any Tie Tou Gu that had disobeyed before had met their end in the bellies of the Golden Silkworm Gu.
The Golden Silkworm Gu's small bodies swayed precariously, as if declaring their dominance, before slowly descending to feast.
The Tie Tou Gu had no choice but to fly to the other fat pig and continue their meal.