76 – Guilt

Li Yun entered the ER in his white coat and surgical mask. He spotted Doctor Tsang checking on a patient who was rushed into the hospital after collapsing. Doctor Tsang tilted the patient head, which had a slightly bluish complexion.

"A party with at least a dozen people coming in with food poisoning," someone announced on the loudspeaker.

There were more people coming in. Dr. Tsang ran along the ER to check everyone with similar symptoms together.

If Doctor Tsang was the so called Dr. Jack, then Rouxi was partially right about the profile. Doctor Tsang was a person who felt a sense of guilt and overcompensated it by helping others. Nevertheless, he also justified his actions by convincing himself that everything he did was for the greater good. He was able to improve his surgical skills by operating on those people. Some had died, but it was their existing conditions that caused their deaths.

"Hey you!" Li Yun called out to the residents still handling non-critical cases. was irked by how slow everyone besides Doctor Tsang was in the ER. "Grab the non-rebreather masks and prepare multiple ventilators for possible severe carbon monoxide poisoning!"

The residents looked confused but followed the command. With everyone running around, Li Yun quickly dialed Elder Yi Bao.

"Master Yi Bao?" Li Yun asked over the phone. "How to increase oxygen intake on patients coming in with carbon monoxide poisoning?"

Li Yun knew that even if they managed to save the incoming patients, they would suffer from the aftereffect. A good portion of people who had suffered from acute carbon monoxide poisoning will have other types of problems in the next ten years if not treated properly.

Hearing Li Yun's urgent tone, Elder Yi Bao didn't bother to greet him and immediately walked into the library to search for a manuscript.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Yi Ansha asked.

"Help me find the twelve jing needlepoint method," Elder Yi Bao requested.

Yi Ansha nodded and searched around. They found the document within minutes, and Elder Yi Bao explained to Li Yun the technique for every case they encountered.

"It's going to involve some proper breathing if the patient is conscious," Elder Yi Bao explained.

Li Yun inserted the first set of needles on a patient and asked the nurse for more needles. Although the nurse had never seen him before, he wore a white coat and had an authoritative tone. She felt like she would be fired if she didn't listen and immediately went to get more acupuncture needles.

Once Li Yun got more needles, he inserted them in as many patients as possible and told the patients to breathe in deeply with their nose and then breathe out slowly from their mouth. The patients followed the instructions as they breathed in and out of the oxygen mask.

By allowing the body to receive more oxygen, it reduced the amount of carbon monoxide in the body. It was the basic treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. However, Li Yun's acupuncture treatment should reduce the problems the patients might encounter in the future.

"In the case of a condition of depletion and if the movement in the vessels is fine, the disease will be maintained for a long time. If the movement is massive and rough, it is a painful blockage-illness." - Ling Shu

After a tireless evening of putting people in ventilators, Doctor Tsang asked the nurse about the strange doctor giving out commands in the ER and performing acupuncture. "Do we have a new doctor starting today?"

"I'm not sure, but the ER is running smoothly today," the nurse replied. "Some of the residents called him Doctor Jack. Is he a doctor returning from out of the country?"

Doctor Tsang's face darkened behind his mask and looked toward the mysterious doctor who was already leaving the scene. He wanted to follow, but the nurse had already pulled him to see another patient.

In the meanwhile, Li Yun walked toward Rouxi's car waiting in the parking garage.

"So, did you find out anything about Doctor Tsang?" asked Rouxi.

"There's a problem," Li Yun sat in the car and buckled his seatbelt.

"What problem?" Rouxi examined his wretched and disheveled state. She wondered if he got himself involved in the emergency cases involving all the ambulances that were rushing in. "Did you have your mask?"

"Well, I have my mask, but I'm not that concerned about being sued. It's just not the best time to talk to Doctor Tsang at the moment."

Rouxi nodded and drove them back to their hotel.

"You don't think Doctor Tsang intentionally harmed any of those people?" Rouxi asked.

"That's why I'm having a tough time," Li Yun mumbled.

The doctor was likely desperate for money when he first began. Although it was an illegal operation, all the victims knew the risks involved. They died and Doctor Tsang covered it up. If Doctor Tsang didn't feel a bit of remorse, Li Yun wouldn't feel so conflicted. Because of that experience, Doctor Tsang came out of it as a better doctor who was dedicated to saving people. A big portion of that was because of guilt and wanting to atone for his sins. Whether he worked himself to death or atoned in prison, Li Yun was more willing to let him work himself to death.

"Wu Ling just messaged me," Rouxi said. "They talked to some of the victims' neighbors and believed that the victims' families had all received a suitcase of cash. The family never mentioned it, but they likely kept it a secret for tax purposes."

Li Yun nodded.

"Well, you don't have to worry about it too much, it's not like anyone has enough evidence to put him in jail," Rouxi consoled.

"I could convince him to confess, given how guilty he's feeling even now."

"Are you doing this for your mission, or would you prefer to let him go?"

Li Yun sighed and rubbed his face. He didn't want to let go of exorcising six spirits, and there was no reason to let a murderer loose without proper punishment. Just because he was a good doctor now, it didn't mean he would continue to be a good doctor later on. The proper thing to do was to put him in prison.

The only problem was, how much of Li Yun's reasoning was for his own selfishness? If he didn't have to complete a mission, would he let Doctor Tsang go? What would happen if Doctor Tsang turned himself in?

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, Doctor Tsang walked into the police department and confessed to his crimes. Because of his confession, his crimes were reduced, receiving a ten-years prison sentence. The doctor wasted away ten years of a surgeon's best years in prison, potentially saving hundreds of lives.

He would gain 6 exorcisms and then what? Li Yun felt a pair of soft lips touching his, and snapped out from his train of thoughts.

"Hmm? What is it?" Li Yun asked as he wrapped his arms around Rouxi who was snuggling against his chest.

Rouxi touched the space between his knitted eyebrows and smoothed it out. "I didn't mean to ask, I was just wondering. You shouldn't think too much, it won't look good."

Li Yun chuckled and hugged her tighter. He was just a surgeon with no involvement with the case, who gave him the right to choose?

The following day, Li Yun appeared in front of the herbal shop, with Pao Lie showing him the shop for the third time.

"Mr. Li, if you really like the property, I can lower it to 300k, but that's the lowest I can go," Pao Lie rambled on as he opened the shop.

"I'm showing another person the property," Li Yun replied.

Pao Lie got excited. "Great, more potential buyers is a good thing."

Pao Lie walked inside the shop, but Li Yun looked across the covered portico toward a man in plain clothing and a cap. Doctor Tsang noticed Li Yun looking at him, and he wondered if they had met before. Walking closer to the shop he was once very familiar with, he felt the chill creeping down his spine. He wondered why he wasn't able to feel the chill when he worked there before. Was it because he had formed a conscience since then?

"You are Mr. Li?" Doctor Tsang asked as they were mere meters apart.

"Doctor Tsang, you made it," Li Yun had messaged the doctor to meet at the herbal shop.

"How did you know I would show up?"

"Because it sucks being a good person," Li Yun walked inside the shop ahead of Doctor Tsang.

Doctor Tsang snorted bitterly, wondering why he was stupid enough to follow. It could be a trap by the police. He watched Li Yun enter the herbal shop and followed. He walked past the main courtyard but paused looking at the inside of the back area where he had performed the operation. The operations were simple, remove the organs and suture. Unfortunately, the lack of proper equipment didn't allow for an easy operation. Some patients died. Doctor Tsang could only reason with himself that they were already in poor health and drug addicts.

Doctor Tsang snapped out of his thoughts and continued following Li Yun to the rear courtyard. He looked at the well, feeling a bit of remorse, but there was nothing else he could do for them. Their families had received the money that they would have received, why did he have to feel guilty anymore?

"Well it's good that you feel guilty, otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here," Li Yun mumbled, staring at the dark vibration coming from the well.

He wondered how the spirits would react with the culprit standing in front of them. Surprisingly, the dark vibration didn't become chaotic. Rather, the vibration was slowly drawn toward Doctor Tsang, encircling him and entering his body. Li Yun quickly grabbed a hold of Doctor Tsang's pulse. His meridian was slowly becoming chaotic.

Suddenly, Doctor Tsang dropped to his knees and cried. "Sorry…"

The yin energy continued to enter the doctor until nothing was left in the well. Standing next to Doctor Tsang, Li Yun lowered his hand and touched his forehead. The doctor's physical condition seemed fine, but Li Yun was curious to see what had happened to the dantian. There was a chaotic sea of darkness inside the man. Li Yun had all sorts of theories, but nothing was conclusive.

Next mission: Exorcise 100 spirits. 23/100. (+6)