Gu Ren barely managed to compose himself.
He said hoarsely, "I've embarrassed myself in front of Young Master Shen."
Shen Tang shook her head to show that it was all right, then comforted him. "This concerns your sworn brothers. If it were me, I'm afraid I'd be no more rational than you, Duke Gu. How do you plan to handle this?"
"Don't laugh at me, Lord Shen, but I'm at a complete loss and have no idea what to do..." Gu Ren admitted his "incompetence" without hesitation. He turned his hopeful gaze to Qi Shan. "Mister Qi, since you know about this, do you have any way to cure Thirteen? If he can recover, I'll grant any request you make."
That was a weighty promise.
As long as Gu Ren cared about his reputation, he wouldn't ruin it by breaking his word.
Only—
What solution could Qi Shan possibly have?
The so-called solution was something Gongxi Chou had asked him to pass along.
He said, "Forbid him from killing."
At that, Gu Ren smiled bitterly. "Forbid him from killing? Mister Qi, you don't understand. Thirteen has no choice but to kill..."
They had fallen into a vicious cycle.
If Shao Chong didn't kill and see blood, his madness would flare up every so often. Even if Gu Ren locked him away and made him endure it, the interval before the next episode would grow shorter, the pain worse, and the self-harm more severe. Could Gu Ren simply stand by and watch?
If he killed and saw blood, his craving for blood during an episode would ease considerably. The attacks were still painful, but better than having ten thousand ants gnaw at his bones. Once an episode ended, he would also regain clarity for a while. All these years, whenever Shao