Chapter 9: Asher Jauncy Was as Good as Dead

Words : 1812 Updated : Dec 11th, 2025

After Andrew Zorn slammed the door and left, the air in the banquet hall loosened. Cody Looske rubbed his hands together, grinning as he sidled up to Asher. "Mr. Jauncy, you just said… three silver needles could fix my back? Is now a good time? My back really can't take it anymore." Asher glanced at him, then reached into the beat-up cloth bag slung over his shoulder and took out a palm-sized wooden case. He flipped it open. Inside, several gleaming silver needles lay in neat rows. "Find a chair and sit. Lift the left side of your shirt," Asher said as he picked out a needle. Cody dragged over a chair, sat, and rolled his shirt up in a practiced motion, revealing a purplish bruise on the left side of his waist. Zion Looske drifted closer, craning his neck to see how Asher would cure someone with just three needles. Asher pinched a silver needle and gave it a subtle twirl. The needle settled steady at his fingertips. He aimed at Cody's waist and sank it in. Cody hissed through his teeth, then his eyes lit up. "Huh? It doesn't hurt? It actually feels… warm?" Asher said nothing. He took out two more needles, placed them in two other points, and gently rolled the ends between his fingers. In under half a minute, Cody popped to his feet, strode a few steps, then twisted his waist. "It really doesn't hurt! Just now it felt like I had a boulder strapped to my back-now I could jump! Mr. Jauncy, your medical skills are incredible!" The onlookers went slack-jawed, then broke into murmurs of awe. "Now that's real skill-puts those big-hospital experts to shame!" "If only Mr. Jauncy could take a look at my folks at home!" Grinning ear to ear, Cody grabbed Asher's hand and pumped it. "Mr. Jauncy, I can't thank you enough. If you ever need anything, the Looske family won't say no." Kevin Warth stepped forward. "How about this, Cody-let's invite Mr. Jauncy for a proper drink." "I'd love that, but…" Cody checked his watch and slapped his thigh. "Ah, I've got an important meeting. I have to run! Mr. Jauncy, I'll pay you a visit another day!" He hauled a still-dazed Zion with him and hurried out. Only once they were in the car did Zion snap back to himself. "Bro, Asher's medical skills are that good-why didn't we talk longer? The Looske family has over a dozen traditional clinics. If we could bring Asher on as a consultant, we'd go to the next level." Cody leaned back. The smile on his face faded, replaced by a cold curl of the lip. "Heh. How long do you think Asher's going to live?" Zion blinked. "What do you mean? He just saved Mr. Warth. He's linked up with the Scurr and Warth families. Who would dare touch him?" Cody shot him a sidelong glance, eyes dark. "You think the Three Major Families ganged up on the Scurr family today just because we felt like it? There's someone behind this. Asher wrecked their plan. You think they'll just let that go? The Warth family's old man has gone senile, cozying up to Asher like that. We don't wade into water this muddy." Zion's heart stuttered. "Behind… who's behind it?" "Don't ask what you shouldn't." Cody waved it off. "Bottom line, Asher won't live long. We're not crossing the people behind this over a man who's as good as dead." Zion fell silent and didn't press further. The brothers' luxury car soon roared away. Elsewhere, Kevin Warth pulled Asher, Murphy Scurr, and Maria Scurr upstairs to a luxury private room and ordered a table full of delicacies. After a few rounds of wine, Kevin set down his glass. His face turned grave. He didn't bother to lower his voice. "Mr. Jauncy, I'll be frank. You helped me today. The Warth family owes you. But getting too close to the Scurr family is not a good idea." Asher lifted his head. "What do you mean by that, Mr. Warth?" Murphy and Maria also looked up at Kevin. "The water here runs deep. All I can say is…" Kevin sighed and dropped his voice a notch. "Andrew Zorn has someone behind him. Targeting the Scurr family today wasn't just about the Chamber of Commerce President's chair. You ruined their play. They won't let you off. My advice? If you can, distance yourself from the Scurr family, or you'll get burned." Murphy and Maria both looked unpleasant at that. Murphy opened his mouth, but Kevin spoke over him. "Murphy, don't take it the wrong way. I'm saying this for Mr. Jauncy's sake. You know your family's situation better than I do." He paused, then gave a smirking little laugh. "If Mr. Jauncy is willing, the Warth family would also welcome you. My granddaughter Faith Warth is pretty and has a good temperament. She's no worse than Maria. If you're up for it, I'll have Faith start seeing you." Maria's chopsticks paused midair. She sneaked a glance at Asher. Asher only smiled and shook his head. He raised his teacup and took a sip. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. Warth, but Miss Scurr and I have a treatment agreement, and I'm not interested in that sort of thing. As for cutting ties with the Scurr family, I promised to cure Miss Scurr's Frostbane. I don't quit halfway." Seeing how firm he was, Kevin stopped trying to persuade him and just sighed. "All right. Mr. Jauncy's a man of loyalty. I won't stop you. If trouble comes, come to the Warth family anytime. I'll help where I can." When the dinner ended, Murphy personally drove Asher and Maria back to the Scurrs. They left the hotel and headed toward Scurr Villa in the suburbs. Traffic thinned along the way. Then Asher suddenly frowned. He straightened from where he had been leaning back in the rear seat. "Mr. Scurr, pull over. Something's wrong." Murphy hesitated, about to ask what, when there came a deafening bang. The car lurched hard to the left. The tires screamed against the pavement. Murphy stamped the brakes, knuckles whitening around the wheel, and the car finally shuddered to a stop. Maria had gone white. She clutched the back of the front seat. "Wh-what happened? A blowout?" Murphy scrambled out to check. The left rear tire had blown. A long iron nail jutted out of the rubber-clearly planted on purpose. "Someone did this on purpose!" Murphy's face turned ashen. "This road barely has pebbles. How would there be a nail? It has to be Andrew Zorn's people!" Asher got out as well, eyes sweeping the surroundings. Dense woods crowded both sides of the road. It was pitch-black, no streetlights, only their high beams carving a tunnel of light ahead. "It isn't just a blowout," Asher said, voice cold. "Listen." Murphy and Maria held their breath. From within the trees came the soft rustle of footsteps, as if people were edging closer. Asher fixed his gaze on the darkness between the trunks and spoke, cool and sharp. "Stop hiding. Come out. If you dare set a trap, dare show your face." No sooner had he finished than more than a dozen shadows stepped out of the trees.

Chapter 9: Asher Jauncy Was as Good as Dead

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