Divine Level Witch Doctor

The other doctors, who hadn’t heard of the Three Corpses Insect, were quite curious. ”Shi Yong, what exactly is this Three Corpses Insect?” they asked.

The young doctor, Shi Yong, was from Chuncheng County’s No. 2 Hospital. In front of his colleagues, especially an expert from the city hospital like Hu Bin, he was eager to show off his knowledge.

He knew very well that leaving a knowledgeable impression on these people could only help his future career. ’If Hu Bin is pleased, he might even get me transferred to the city hospital. That would be my ticket to the big time!’

So Shi Yong began to explain earnestly, ”The Three Corpses Insect, also called the Three Corpses God, is a creature from the mythology of the Daoist Family. It’s a type of spirit, a Ghost God. When a person dies, the Three Corpses Insect becomes a Ghost and roams the earth. It’s said that to achieve immortality through Cultivation, you have to sever the three corpses and kill the grain worms. Only then can you become an earthly Master...”

After hearing this, it dawned on everyone. They all assumed the Three Corpses Insect Zhao Yuan had mentioned was some kind of Evil Ghost, and they couldn’t help but shake their heads.

They knew that over the past few days, because the villagers’ condition was so bizarre and repeated treatments had failed, rumors were spreading throughout the ten miles and eight villages that Xiaqiao Village had run afoul of something malevolent. Even some of the medical staff had started to entertain such suspicions, a fact that left them feeling both indignant and helpless.

But those people only whispered about it behind their backs. No one had said it to their faces like Zhao Yuan. Instantly, the crowd grew irritated with him.

Hu Bin felt the same. His expression darkened and his tone grew cold as he admonished, ”You’re so young, how can you be so superstitious? Hauntings? Possessions? It’s all utter nonsense! Leave now. Don’t interfere with our work, or I’ll have the police escort you out!”

Besides the medical team, a few police officers from town had also been stationed in Xiaqiao Village to help maintain order.

Hearing this, Shi Yong turned to go get the police.

Zhao Yuan spoke up. ”Superstition? Heh. The subject of Ghost Gods isn’t necessarily superstitious. It’s just a label slapped onto anything that falls outside the scope of human understanding and acceptance!”

He himself hadn’t believed in Ghost Gods before, but the experiences of the past few months had shown him that there were, in fact, things in this world that science couldn’t explain.

But now was not the time to debate the matter with Hu Bin and the others.

Zhao Yuan changed his tone and turned to Shi Yong. ”If you’re so poorly read, you shouldn’t be trying to show off! And you call yourself a doctor? You actually don’t know that while the Three Corpses Insect in the mythology of the Daoist Family does indeed refer to the Three Corpses Yin Spirit, in the theories of the Medical Family, it refers to a type of brain parasite—what Western medicine calls Toxoplasma.”

”Toxoplasma?” The doctors were taken aback. They were all familiar with the parasite’s name.

Hu Bin and the other more senior doctors jolted, whispering, ”Could it be...” before falling silent, lost in thought.

Shi Yong, who had already reached the courtyard, stopped in his tracks, his face turning pale.

He had wanted to show off how knowledgeable he was, only to be dismissed by Zhao Yuan as ’poorly read’. It made him furious. He snorted, ”Couldn’t you just say Toxoplasma? Why did you have to drag the Three Corpses Insect into it? Who the hell knows if you didn’t just make up this whole ’Three Corpses Insect is Toxoplasma’ nonsense!”

”Made up?” Zhao Yuan laughed. ”Then allow me to educate you further. Western medicine didn’t discover and name Toxoplasma until 1900, thanks to Laveran. Before that, the neurological disorders it caused were constantly misdiagnosed. For a time, it was even thought to be demonic possession, requiring judgment and baptism from the church! Meanwhile, in China, as early as the Sui Dynasty—in the year 610, to be precise—the *Treatise on the Sources and Manifestations of Diseases* was compiled. It explicitly mentions this brain parasite, naming it the Three Corpses Insect. The book provides detailed accounts of the symptoms after it invades the body, specifies that the parasite comes from things like rotted meat, raw meat, and other such bloody fare, and even offers a treatment plan. That’s almost 1,300 years before Laveran’s discovery...”

This lecture left Shi Yong gaping in astonishment. The other medical staff were equally stunned and began to murmur among themselves. ”Is he telling the truth? Did Traditional Chinese Medicine really identify Toxoplasma that early?”

One of them acted quickly, pulling out their phone to search online.

A moment later, that person exclaimed, ”He’s actually right! The *Treatise on the Sources and Manifestations of Diseases* really does have records of the Three Corpses Insect, and the described symptoms are extremely similar to toxoplasmosis!”

In a rush, everyone crowded around the man, craning their necks to get a look at his phone.

Shi Yong felt utterly humiliated. Unwilling to back down, he grumbled, ”So what if the Three Corpses Insect is Toxoplasma? That doesn’t prove the people of Xiaqiao Village are suffering from toxoplasmosis! Our medical team has so many people, so many experts and professors, and none of them considered this. Are you suggesting you know better than all of them?”

It was a venomous question. The wrong answer would offend the entire medical team.

Fortunately, Zhao Yuan was smart enough not to fall into the trap. He replied humbly, ”I’m just a junior. How could I possibly compare to the experts and professors? They simply have far more possibilities to consider and hadn’t gotten to this one yet.”

Shi Yong was about to retort, but before he could speak, Hu Bin, who had been lost in thought, suddenly slapped his thigh. ”Of course!” he said excitedly. ”Why didn’t we consider parasites before? A Toxoplasma infection in the brain can indeed trigger a host of neurological disorders. The symptoms can be very similar to epilepsy or meningitis!”

”Wha... What’s going on?” Shi Yong swallowed the retort on the tip of his tongue. He stared at Hu Bin in shock and stammered, ”Teacher Hu, you can’t possibly believe what this kid is saying, can you?”

Hu Bin nodded. ”It’s a valid direction for diagnosis. But to confirm whether it’s actually Toxoplasma, we’ll need to have the labs in the city run the relevant tests.”

The other skilled doctors nodded in unison, all agreeing with Hu Bin’s proposal.

”Wait a minute,” Shi Yong said in disbelief, pointing a finger at Zhao Yuan. ”This kid looks like he’s in his early twenties, at most. What kind of expertise could he possibly have?” He left one thought unspoken: ’This wet-behind-the-ears brat is spouting nonsense, and you’re all going along with his madness? Have you all lost your minds?’

Hu Bin’s brow furrowed and his expression hardened. ”Shi Yong, that attitude is unacceptable!” he snapped. ”Who says someone young can’t be skilled or make a correct diagnosis?”

”But...” Shi Yong tried to argue, but Hu Bin cut him off with a wave of his hand. ”That’s enough. Don’t say another word. Just stand aside and watch.”

Shi Yong opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He retreated to the side, feeling utterly dejected.

But he hadn’t given up. He muttered to himself, ’Three Corpses Insect in the brain? I don’t buy it for a second! Just you wait, kid. Be smug for now. When the test results come back from the city, I’ll be the one to wipe that smirk off your face!’