Chapter 31 Opened Eyes.
A tall and burly elderly man in his seventies walked over with a smile.
It was none other than the head of the underground world of Walundâs Southern Region- Theoden Wahlstrom.
He made his debut when he was fifteen and became a follower of Dominic Johnson. When he was in his twenties, he was forced to return to his hometown-Bellridge-to develop because of an incident. By the time he reached his thirties, he had conquered the underground world of five states in Southern Region.
Three years ago, he was poisoned with a deadly poison, and Finnegan cured him.
Finneganâs gaze darted from the glowering Alisha to Theoden, who walked over with all smiles.
Finnegan asked, âHey, I was sure⦠How is it you only have a few months left to live?â
Upon closer inspection, Finnegan realized Theoden was surrounded by a dark aura, despite being energetic. It was a sign the latter was dying soon.
Although ancient medical practices focused on the skills of observation, listening, questioning, and feeling, observing the patientâs facial features was a compulsory course. And with the legendary techniques of Primordial Pharmacopoeia given by his mentor, Finnegan could instantly tell Theoden was surrounded by a death aura.
The smile on Theodenâs face was stiff. âDr. Larkin, I admit Iâve sent Alisha to trick you before, but you mustnât joke about this.â
If someone else had said the same thing. Theoden would have lost his temper. Since Finnegan was the one who said it, the former felt uneasy.
Alisha chimed in, âMr. Larkin, please donât frighten my grandpa.â
âIâm not joking. Originally, your grandpa is able to live until heâs ninety years old, but now he only has three to five months left to live,â Finnegan said grimly.
Realizing Finnegan was not joking, Alisha asked nervously, âGrandpa, do you feel uncomfortable?â
Theoden thought carefully and said, âIâve been feeling great ever since Dr. Larkin treated met three years ago. I donât even have any minor illnesses. Dr. Larkin, is there really something wrong with me?â
âCome here.â
At that, Theoden moved closer to Finnegan, feeling uneasy.
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Finnegan channeled his spiritual energy to his eyes, which made his eyesight ten times stronger He stared at Theoden for some time. The Wahlstrom duoâs anxiousness was amplified when Finnegan explained grimly. âItâs the bad aura around you thatâs reducing your lifespan. I need you to bring me to your room.â
Softly, Alisha asked, âBut Mr. Larkin, arenât you a doctor?â
âAncient practices are too complicated to explain in just a few sentences. Bring me to his room first.â
Theoden knew Finnegan was not joking. Hence, the former told Alisha to bring Finnegan to his room.
Theodenâs room was about two thousand square feet. It had a bedroom, a study, and at hundred-
square-meter lounge. The interior design was vintage. The pieces of furniture were expensive and made of real wood.
Upon entering the room, Finnegan saw a shrine placed against the wall at the front of the lounge. It had a bronze statue of Hermes, and it exuded a formidable aura.
âWhere did this statue of Hermes come from?â asked Finnegan with narrowed eyes.
Theoden answered, âIt was Seth Zymons of Gablurg who gave it to me a while ago. He said itâs a relic from seven hundred years ago. Could it be fake?â
Finnegan simply approached the shrine and eyed it for a while. It made both Theoden and Alisha feel even more nervous. âItâs indeed a relic, but itâs not just seven hundred years old. Itâs probably around a thousand years old. Why did you place it in your room, though? Didnât, you know?â
Dumbfounded, Theoden informed, âItâs rather common for people like us to worship Hermes. Is there a problem?â
âOf course not. Itâs just that his eyes are openedâ
Alisha asked in confusion, âMr. Larkin, could you explain a bit more?â
Realizing the duo was truly clueless, Finnegan answered, âHermes has a strong murderous aura. It brings luck when his eyes are closed, but kills when theyâre opened. Every time Old Mr. Wahlstrom worships Hermes, youâll suffer an invisible attack. Eventually, youâll die mysteriously.â
He then pointed at the statue, adding, âYou can take a look if you donât believe me. Do you see any kindness in his eyes?â
Immediately, the Wahlstrom duo examined the statueâs eyes. Sure enough, they were filled with viciousness.
Theoden believed Finneganâs words instantly. He asked the latter ruefully, âDoes that mean Iâll only have a few months left to live?â
âPlease save my grandpa, Mr. Larkin.â
Finnegan assured, âDonât worry. Now that Iâve discovered this, I wonât let him die. Donât worship this statue anymore. Get someone to burn this at a church. I was just wondering⦠How is it you made such a mistake when this information is recorded in common legends?â
Theoden lowered his gaze at Finneganâs words. âItâs a little complicated.â
Finnegan had a rough idea when he remembered the statue was gifted by Seth, the underground leader of Gablurg.
Not wanting to get involved in the underground world, Finnegan instructed, âGet rid of this statue first.
After that, Iâll use acupuncture to strengthen and recover your energy. Iâll also readjust the layout in your room to help get rid of the bad energy in your room. There shouldnât be a problem after that.â
âThank you for saving me once again, Dr. Larkin. Iâll do everything I can to help you if thereâs anything you need in the future.â
It was already late at night when Finnegan returned to his room after being treated warmly by Theoden.
It was not until he took out his phone that he realized it was out of battery. He quickly charged it.
Immediately, dozens of messages flooded in. Five of them were notifications of Berniceâs missed call.
Bernice texted: Have you arrived at Bellridge? What are you doing there?
Bernice: Are you busy?
Bernice: Finnegan, are you giving up on pursuing me? Why are you ignoring me when you havenât succeeded?
Bernice: Meanie, why is your phone off? Did something happen? Call me back as soon as you turn it on.
Finnegan curled his lips into a smile after reading all the texts. âIs this how a woman behaves when sheâs about to fall in love?â
He gave Bernice a video call, which connected instantly. As soon as the video appeared on the screen, Bernice suddenly shrieked. âI forgot! lold on!â
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With that, she hung up.
However, Finnegan had seen everything, and he gulped. âWhy is she using her phone when sheâs taking a shower? Did she want me to see her naked?â
About ten minutes later, Bernice texted instead of calling back. It read: Meanie, did you do it on purpose?
Finnegan chuckled and texted: How am I supposed to know youâre showering? Anyway, youâve got a great figure. How did I not notice that before? When can I touch it?
âMeanic. Iâm not talking to you anymore. Goodnight,â said Bernice in the voice note. She sounded shy.
Finnegan looked at the time and realized it was late. He sent her a âgoodnightâ before putting his phone aside to take a shower.
Alas, he did not know Bernice was gripping the phone and scolding, âHeâs a bad person. How could he not tell I actually wanted him to coax me?â She was so mad that she trusted her legs. on the bed, thinking Finnegan was too dense.
âBernice, what are you doing?â
Just then, Jennifer entered and saw her reserved daughter kicking the bed like a little girl.
Blushing, Bernice hurriedly sat up and said, âWhy didnât you knock before entering, Mom?â
Jennifer approached and sat beside her with a smile. âSince when do I ever knock? You never asked me to knock in the past, anyway. Are you hiding a secret from me?â
Bernice panicked. âNo.â
âLook at you, saying no when itâs written all over her face. Have you started dating Finnegan already?â
As Bernice was afraid that Jennifer might oppose the idea, she quickly explained, âMom, weâre not officially together yet. But Finnegan-
Berniceâs nervousness made Jennifer smile. She cut the former off, âIâm not against it. Weâll support you as long as you like him.â
That touched Bernice, and she hugged Jennifer, âYouâre the best, Mom!â
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