The Thirtieth Chapter

The next morning, Liu Mumu took Dong Qi out.

Dong Qi was full of anticipation, thinking his "terminal illness" finally had a cure. Last night, he even dreamed Liu Mumu kidnapped and sold him while his dad was away. He must have been overthinking.

Then the car stopped in front of the police station, leaving Dong Qi completely bewildered.

What did she want? Bringing him straight to the police station? Was she performing a selfless act of justice against her own brother?

Dong Qi clung to the car door, refusing to get out. Liu Mumu dragged him down, looking impatient. "What are you spacing out for? Get out of the car."

"I won't!" Dong Qi glared at Liu Mumu, his eyes red. "I just attended a pyramid scheme class, and you're sending me to jail? Are you even my sister anymore?"

He would never trust Liu Mumu again!

The taxi driver, being a busybody, saw the two passengers arguing and quickly tried to mediate. "Miss, what problem can't be solved without bringing him to the police station? Why don't we just go back? I'll give you a 10% discount on the fare."

Liu Mumu was speechless. This uncle wasn't just a busybody; he was clearly very business-minded.

She said expressionlessly, "The person who can help you is inside the police station. Stop dawdling and get down."

"You're lying." Dong Qi sniffled, looking like she was finally going to make her move. He shouted at her, "You clearly want to put me away! I just attended one pyramid scheme class; it's not a capital offense!"

He was so invested in his shouting that his voice cracked.

Outside the police station, passersby cast curious glances at the sibling duo confronting each other.

Liu Mumu felt her face had been shamed before she was even born.

She finally lost her patience and said indifferently, "Oh, you found out. I am going to put you away."

Dong Qi's eyes reddened, and he wailed, "I'm telling Dad! Waaah..."

"It's no use telling him. Dad only listens to me." Liu Mumu crossed her arms, looking like a villain.

"Waaah... Wooo..." Dong Qi cried even harder upon hearing that, even blowing a snot bubble.

"What... are you guys doing?" Fang Chuan, who had come to pick them up, asked the siblings curiously.

Liu Mumu was speechless and said to Fang Chuan, "Hurry and drag him out."

She didn't want an audience anymore.

Fang Chuan lifted Dong Qi out of the car. The two walked into the police station, one after the other. Dong Qi tried to struggle but was quickly subdued.

After being brought into the office, Dong Qi finally stopped crying and started hiccuping instead.

Fang Chuan sat down opposite Dong Qi. After learning the whole story, he genuinely felt that this kid and Boss Dong were indeed biological father and son; they were equally timid.

"Alright, stop crying. We just need to ask you a few questions; we're not arresting you."

"Hic," Dong Qi looked at Fang Chuan with teary eyes. "R-really?"

"Really. Haven't you been afflicted with Gu? Your sister brought you here to remove it."

"Is that so?" Dong Qi still looked unconvinced, mainly because Liu Mumu looked like a bad guy!

"No," Liu Mumu said casually. "I just want to lock you up so all of Dad's assets will be mine."

"Waaah--" He started crying again.

Fang Chuan got a headache from the crying and was utterly speechless at the siblings.

Yan Xiu walked in from outside at this moment. A slight chill from the outside still clung to him. His gray cashmere coat was draped over his arm, exuding an air of elegance and leisure.

He paused slightly upon seeing the "lively" office and his gaze fell on Liu Mumu, who was wrapped in a white down jacket like a ball of cotton.

"You're finally here," Fang Chuan said, looking like he'd been saved. He pointed at Liu Mumu. "Could you please ask her to stop talking for a moment?"

Liu Mumu blinked innocently at Yan Xiu.

"Speaking is everyone's freedom," Yan Xiu's gaze swept over the tearful Dong Qi, and as he passed Liu Mumu, he said, "Come with me."

Out of a sliver of colleague camaraderie, he lent Fang Chuan a hand.

Liu Mumu darted into Yan Xiu's office without looking back. As for the sniffling tool, his usefulness had expired.

Watching the office door close, Fang Chuan shook his head and then looked at Dong Qi. "We'll take your statement shortly. Just answer what I ask."

Without Liu Mumu's intimidation nearby, Dong Qi's courage returned a little. He mumbled softly, "Why should I?"

Fang Chuan raised an eyebrow. "If you don't like giving your statement in the office, we can go to the interrogation room and discuss that pyramid scheme class you attended?"

Dong Qi's courage shriveled back. "N-no, that won't be necessary."

After entering Yan Xiu's office, Liu Mumu closed and locked the door, a practiced routine.

Hearing the click of the lock, Yan Xiu put down his coat and turned to see her standing by the door with her hands behind her back, looking as if nothing had happened.

"Our conversation doesn't require locking the door," he said. However, Yan Xiu didn't stop her. Instead, he pulled out a chair and sat down at his desk.

Liu Mumu pounced and sat opposite him, looking as if she had his best interests at heart. "What if Fang Chuan overheard you revealing your inner thoughts? How embarrassing that would be."

"It's still daytime; stop dreaming."

"Hmph," Liu Mumu pouted, devoid of charm.

Yan Xiu ignored her and picked up a pen from his desk, writing on a piece of paper.

When he finished, he pushed the paper towards Liu Mumu. "The steps to remove the Gu."

Liu Mumu picked up the paper. Yan Xiu's handwriting was very elegant, like iron strokes and silver hooks. Well, it was only a little bit better than hers. After studying the font, she began to examine the three steps listed on it.

"Soak the person in strong liquor above 50 degrees Celsius for ten minutes at midnight. Wow! This is too wasteful. Can I use diluted alcohol?" she couldn't help but complain, "If Dong Qi were a ginseng, he'd have some value for making medicinal wine, but he's not even worth as much as a radish."

"No," Yan Xiu leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and listening to her chatter.

"Fine. After soaking in wine, hold an iron block in your mouth for half an hour. After removing the iron block, put it in the freezer. That's it. Another refrigerator will be ruined. And I have to repeat these steps ten times. Are you serious?" Liu Mumu blinked her round eyes at Yan Xiu.

"Mm."

"I don't think he's worth saving. Maybe we should just give up on him," Liu Mumu folded the paper, put it in her pocket, and then maliciously suggested.

"The Dream Gu has very little harm, but it's highly contagious. Once you're not home, your family will be quickly infected."

"Tsk, lucky him." Then, she asked with curiosity, "How do you even know how to remove Gu? Did you study it too?"

"No, I asked a friend."

Liu Mumu narrowed her eyes. "What kind of friend?"

"...A male friend."

"Mmm..." Liu Mumu was somewhat satisfied with this answer.

Just then, a "knock knock knock" came from outside the door.

Yan Xiu opened his eyes and looked at Liu Mumu.

Liu Mumu remained motionless.

"I say, you two inside, are you done with your whispers? Can you come out, or open the door and let me in?" Fang Chuan's voice rang out.

"Why didn't you soundproof the place when you renovated?"

"Because I didn't plan on doing anything indecent here." Yan Xiu got up to open the door.

"Hmph, you'll regret this," Liu Mumu grumbled softly behind him.

The lock was opened, and Fang Chuan poked his head in, seeing Liu Mumu sitting opposite the desk with a displeased look. He then retracted his head and said to Yan Xiu, "I've finished questioning him. It really is the two people we were investigating. Unfortunately, he only went once and doesn't know much. I've already sent people to his maternal grandparents' house to take their statements."

Liu Mumu walked to the door and added, "Dong Qi said the pills they sold contained some Longevity Gu. His maternal grandparents ate the medicine. Will they be okay?"

Fang Chuan glanced at Yan Xiu and vaguely replied, "We'll figure something out."

She didn't think too much about it. Outside, Dong Qi sat obediently in a chair. Seeing her peek out, he awkwardly averted his gaze.

Liu Mumu seemed to see a dried radish about to be soaked in wine and didn't hide her disdain.

Although she wanted to stay and freeload off Yan Xiu, they had a case on hand recently. Liu Mumu reluctantly led Dong Qi home.

After seeing the person off, Fang Chuan said somewhat worriedly to Yan Xiu, who was standing by the office window, "According to that kid, quite a few people bought the medicine. Those people are probably all infected with Gu. If we can't catch the person who placed the Gu quickly, and once they remove the Gu, many people might die."

"Send more people to keep an eye on the Dong family," Yan Xiu suddenly said.

"What, is that kid suspicious?" Fang Chuan's first thought was Dong Qi.

"He has the mother Gu on him. Someone will come to retrieve it soon."

Fang Chuan's eyes lit up. "Are you sure?"

"Mm, raising a batch of Dream Gu takes at least a year. This batch is already mature. The Gu Master won't give up."

"Okay, I'll send people over now." Fang Chuan excitedly prepared to go out, but as he reached the door, he bumped into a subordinate running towards him.

"Captain, it's bad! Someone's dead!"

The deceased were an elderly couple living in Linhua Estate. Linhua Estate was Qing City's oldest affluent district, where most residents were wealthy.

This couple had been in business when they were young. In their old age, they developed a fondness for buying health supplements. When Fang Chuan and his team entered, they found many boxes of health supplements piled up in the house.

The couple died in the bedroom, lying peacefully on the bed with no visible wounds.

Yan Xiu was examining the husband's body. His gloved finger pointed at the deceased's forehead, and a wisp of black Qi spread downwards like a black thread. He unbuttoned the deceased's clothes, and the black thread finally coiled at the deceased's heart.

"The same way Zhuo Ran died. They've started removing the Gu," Yan Xiu raised his hand, and the black Qi disappeared.

He buttoned up the deceased's clothes and then removed his gloves.

"The informant is the deceased's daughter. According to her, she spoke with her parents an hour ago. When she arrived home twenty minutes later, the couple had already passed away. There were no signs of forced entry. I wonder if the surveillance can find anything." Fang Chuan said this, but he held no hope.

A Gu Master could control Gu worms within a certain range without needing to be in close proximity. After Zhuo Ran died, they had checked all the hospital surveillance footage but found nothing.

In an ordinary residential building in a neighborhood opposite Linhua Estate, Xu Yonglin paced back and forth in his room, his face showing obvious signs of irritation.

His brother had just received a call and left. He hadn't returned yet.

He knew where the call came from, though his brother never told him the caller's identity. Whenever this person called, it was never good news, and this time was no exception.

About ten minutes later, Xu Yongshuang opened the door and walked in. Seeing his younger brother step forward, he remained indifferent.

"Brother, where did you go?"

Xu Yongshuang glanced at Xu Yonglin and revealed the incense burner in his hand.

Xu Yonglin's eyes widened in shock. "You, you went to retrieve the Gu? Didn't we say the Longevity Gu isn't complete yet, and retrieving it will kill people!"

"Stop with the nonsense. People from Qing City are investigating tightly lately. We need to retrieve the Gu as quickly as possible and then leave here," Xu Yongshuang said coldly.

"No, that doesn't seem right, Brother. So many lives... We don't need to kill so many people. We've already made so much money in just a few days. There's no need to be so ruthless," Xu Yonglin said with some trepidation.

"I'm not discussing this with you. Do you think you still have a chance to regret it?" Xu Yongshuang let out a cold laugh, seemingly mocking his younger brother's cowardice and naivety.

After speaking, he took the incense burner back to his room, and with a bang, the door was shut tightly.

However, the soundproofing in this place wasn't good. Xu Yonglin could hear his brother talking to someone in the living room. As expected, he was reporting on today's progress.

Xu Yonglin looked at the closed door, a hint of struggle appearing in his eyes.

Before his brother found him, he was just an ordinary swindler. Even if he was bad, he was nowhere near the point of murder. Who knew that recognizing a brother would be like stepping into a wolf's den.