Chapter 30: How Many Curses?! You Certainly Got Your Money’s Worth!

Suian Airport was bustling with activity, a sea of bobbing heads filled the space, accompanied by the constant clatter of rolling suitcases. Zhou Quan stood in the main hall, observing the flow of people.

Nearby, Ni Hao held up a sign bearing the name Zhai Qingwu. The sign was embedded with LED strips that flashed alternating red and green, making it highly conspicuous. Added to the fact that Ni Hao herself was a striking beauty, passersby couldn't help but steal glances.

"Boss, are you sure you got the date right?" Ni Hao asked cautiously. "Everyone from this flight should have come out by now. Could she have missed us?"

"Wait a little longer," Zhou Quan said calmly.

No sooner had he spoken than a tall woman emerged from around the corner. She wore a cream-colored wool hat and wine-red gradient sunglasses, draped in a snow-white trench coat, with mustard-yellow ankle boots on her feet—her entire ensemble exuded fashion. Standing nearly six feet tall, she stood out among the other passengers like a crane in a flock of chickens.

Zhou Quan spotted her instantly. He didn't look away, seized by the premonition that this unique woman was the one he had been waiting for.

Sure enough, she walked straight up to them.

"Zhou Quan?" She looked him in the eye, her voice slightly raspy, as if ruined by years of smoking.

Zhou Quan gave a slight nod. "Are you Zhai Qingwu?"

Zhai Qingwu nodded. Her face, framed by the wine-red sunglasses, looked incredibly fair, as smooth and pale as milk.

"Is the money ready?" she asked.

Zhou Quan paused, taken aback. Mentioning money in the very first sentence—she truly was someone who loved wealth more than life itself. Fortunately, he was prepared.

"Ni Hao," he called out softly.

Ni Hao lowered the sign, took out a checkbook, and handed it to Zhou Quan.

"I only accept transfers," Zhai Qingwu said, pursing her lips. She pulled out her phone and sent a string of digits to Zhou Quan. [621226****9001] "Sorry, I’ve been scammed by checks before. This is my account; just wire the money here."

Zhou Quan nodded, having no objections. He took out his phone, called his bank manager, and transferred ten million right in front of her.

Zhai Qingwu stood perfectly still, looking down and scrolling through her phone in silence. Zhou Quan and Ni Hao had no choice but to stand there with her.

The atmosphere was rather awkward. Zhou Quan endured it silently. To be honest, his first impression of Zhai Qingwu was quite poor. But as long as she could heal his parents or provide some valuable advice, then whether it was ten million or this brief moment of waiting, it was worth it to him.

A few minutes later, Zhai Qingwu’s phone chimed with a notification that the funds had arrived. She checked it and then beamed. That smile made her entire face light up, as if a coin had suddenly been dropped into a mechanical kiddie ride outside a supermarket.

"Let's go," Zhai Qingwu said, the corners of her mouth curling up. "For the sake of the money, I’ll give it my all. I’ll make sure you feel like it was money well spent!"

With that, she turned and headed toward the exit. She had a thick mane of jet-black hair that reached down to her hips; the sunlight flowed along the strands like a black waterfall. Zhou Quan exchanged a look with Ni Hao, and they hurried to catch up.

An hour later, the three arrived at Zhou Quan’s villa. He led Zhai Qingwu into his parents' room. She walked to the bedside and sat down. Taking Zhou’s mother’s hand, she examined her condition carefully, her brows gradually furrowing.

"The man surnamed Chen told me about their situation," Zhai Qingwu said slowly, still holding the mother's hand. "The deity that cursed them is no ordinary god. While it isn't the God of Curses himself, he is someone well-versed in the craft."

"Take a guess—how many types of curses do you think they have on them right now?"

Zhou Quan was stunned. His parents had more than one curse?

"Three?" he asked tentatively, his brows knit tight.

Zhai Qingwu shook her head and held up four fingers.

"Four?" Zhou Quan guessed again.

Zhai Qingwu raised her voice. "One hundred and four! A full one hundred and four types!"

Zhou Quan was shocked. *How many?!* His parents were thin, each weighing just over a hundred pounds; with one hundred and four types of curses, it was as if there was a curse for every pound of flesh.

Zhai Qingwu looked puzzled. "Logically, your parents should have been dead long ago. How have you managed to keep them hanging on?"

Zhou Quan remained silent for two seconds. Instead of answering, he asked, "Can you break these curses?"

"I can only try," Zhai Qingwu said, gripping the mother's hand tighter. "These curses are tangled and interconnected. Pulling one strand affects the whole web. You’re lucky you found me; anyone else wouldn't even have the guts to try."

Zhou Quan hesitated. "If you fail, it won't hurt my mother, will it?"

Zhai Qingwu shook her head and said with conviction, "Don't worry. The worst-case scenario is that they stay as they are. You can watch from the side."

Zhou Quan nodded, holding his breath.

"I'm starting now." Zhai Qingwu took a deep breath, and a dark green luster began to radiate from her body. Within that glow, indescribable, gloomy objects floated, continuously exuding an ominous aura. A warning bell rang in Zhou Quan's heart, and he instinctively took a step back.

"My ability is quite unique. Keep your distance—I don't want you collapsing just after I’ve healed your mother," Zhai Qingwu said without looking back.

"Understood." Zhou Quan nodded and retreated a few more steps.

From his vantage point, he could see his mother’s withered arm suddenly swell, as if it were being inflated. The thin skin stretched to more than ten times its size, looking deeply grotesque. At the same time, radiating from the point where their hands met, many black lines emerged from under his mother’s skin and burrowed into Zhai Qingwu’s arm, looking like a dense swarm of snakes that made his head spin.

*Is she... absorbing my mother’s curses?* Zhou Quan’s expression shifted. *If she absorbs them, isn't she afraid of being entangled by these curses herself? Or does she have some way to deal with them?*

The clock on the wall ticked silently as time flowed under the three hands of varying lengths. Zhai Qingwu’s complexion grew increasingly dark; even her rosy lips lost all color, turning a murky shade as if she were a coal miner who had just crawled out of a pit.

Suddenly, she let go of the mother's hand and gasped for air. "Hoo-hah! Hoo-hah!"

She slumped, bracing herself against the bed, and muttered weakly, "You really got your money's worth. Others pay me ten million to cure one curse; you’re making me cure one hundred and four for the same price. I’m starting to regret taking this job..."

"Is she cured?" Zhou Quan stepped forward quickly, his face full of hope.

[2 days, 6 hours]. The massive countdown to death reflected in his eyes. He froze.

"She's cured!" Zhai Qingwu said, catching her breath. "We'll do the other one tomorrow. One ten-million-dollar payment for two people, with one hundred and four curses each—this is truly insane..."

*BOOM!*

Before she could finish, a multitude of black lines erupted from her body, dancing like countless frenzied vipers, filling half the room in an instant!