Chapter 43

Yan Xiu turned to look at Liu Mumu. She smiled sweetly at him, a small dimple appearing in her right cheek.

"I'll be right back." Yan Xiu spoke quickly, then hung up.

"I really took a loss this time. I only charged ten yuan for the reading, and that was all for your sake." Liu Mumu muttered under her breath, forcibly making it all about him.

"Should I thank you?"

"Hey, for such a huge favor, shouldn't you repay me by marrying me?"

Yan Xiu turned her head away. "Watch the road."

"Oh."

On the path not far behind them, Lü Yao stood holding a big bag of breakfast. It was impossible to tell how long she had been there. She watched the man's tall figure gradually disappear into the distance, along with Liu Mumu, who was practically clinging to him as she chattered away.

After a long while, she lowered her eyes.

When she got home and opened the door, she heard Old Mrs. Zhang yelling, "Where the hell have you been so early in the morning? You went out without even making breakfast. Just because you're pregnant, you think you can go out every day?"

Lü Yao set the plastic bag of breakfast on the floor and bent to change her shoes.

Suddenly, a tennis ball came flying at her. She staggered and hurriedly braced herself against the wall, but the ball smacked her hard on the head before bouncing to the floor and hopping a few times.

She raised her head. Her stepson, Zhang Yang, was staring in her direction with open malice.

Lü Yao ignored him. After changing her shoes, she set the breakfast on the dining table, then went back to her room.

When Old Mrs. Zhang saw the breakfast on the table, she complained loudly again. "You just know how to spend money buying food. We've got everything at home, but you're too lazy to even cook. You're wasting every penny my son earns."

Despite what she said, she didn't leave a bite of the store-bought breakfast uneaten.

Zhang Yang sat beside his grandmother. She kept putting food on his plate. "Eat up, Yangyang."

While the grandmother and grandson ate, Lü Yao began cleaning the house. She started with Old Mrs. Zhang's room. Hearing the door open, the old woman glanced up but paid her no mind.

Once inside, Lü Yao reached beneath the cabinet and pulled out a voice recorder. Without expression, she took it out, replaced it with a new one, then lowered her head and began mopping the floor.

Liu Mumu was invited to the police station once again. As a regular, she found herself a comfortable seat, and a police officer brought her milk tea and a pile of snacks.

"Milk tea for Master Liu."

They were full of reverence. If Liu Mumu had set up an incense burner at her feet, they probably would have offered incense too.

Worshipping Pusa wasn't fashionable anymore. Worshipping a master was so much better!

The case the capital had been watching for so long had ended with one of the suspects turning himself in at their station. From start to finish, all it had taken was a few words from Liu Mumu.

No one would believe it if they heard the story.

Xu Yonglin was already at the station, and Fang Chuan had gone into the interrogation room and still hadn't come out.

The interrogation went quickly this time, partly because Xu Yonglin cooperated. It took Fang Chuan only twenty minutes to get through all the questions.

They had plenty to go on, but they'd have to wait until they caught the other suspect, Xu Yongshuang, before they could say anything more.

As soon as Fang Chuan returned to his office, he saw Liu Mumu sitting in his chair, eating snacks and drinking milk tea as if she were on vacation.

He strode in, pulled over a chair, and sat opposite her. Then his face suddenly broke into a smile. "Is the milk tea good?"

The many subordinates watching nearly died of fright. What was that, a performance in changing faces?

"It's all right." Liu Mumu took a sip of the milk tea and chewed the pearls.

Fang Chuan rubbed his hands together. "Xu Yonglin said you read his fortune, and that's why he decided to turn himself in."

The strangest part was that even after entering the interrogation room, Xu Yonglin had tried to protect Liu Mumu. He refused to tell them who had read his fortune.

They had known each other for, at most, twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes had been enough to make him turn himself in and even report his own brother. For a while, Fang Chuan had wondered whether Liu Mumu possessed some advanced cultivation skill like Silver Tongue.

"Isn't that great? You solved such a big case. A promotion and a raise are just around the corner."

Fang Chuan brightened. "I'll take your word for it."

After saying that, he slapped his forehead in annoyance. She'd led him off track again. "We're talking business. Be serious. What exactly did you say to him?"

"We just chatted about the rest of his life." Liu Mumu sat in Fang Chuan's swivel chair, pushing off the floor with her feet to spin around. She was having a great time.

"That's it?" Fang Chuan pretended not to notice what she was doing and asked skeptically.

Liu Mumu shook her head. "Someone as lucky as you wouldn't understand the troubles of people with bad luck. He was going to spend the rest of his life in prison, and he was going to die young, too. If he had a chance to change his fate, why wouldn't he take it?"

Fang Chuan believed in Liu Mumu's ability to read fortunes. If that was the case, he could understand.

"But why did you help him?" That part still baffled Fang Chuan.

Liu Mumu could be a little willful. When she helped Zhan Ni, they had only been ordinary classmates, and she had stopped at just giving her a hint, refusing to get too involved.

When she helped Xue Lan, they were close friends, and Liu Mumu had even provided aftercare.

But Xu Yonglin was different from both of them. Before this, he and Liu Mumu had had no connection at all.

Well, their only connection might have been that Liu Mumu's younger brother had been poisoned by his Gu worm. Surely that couldn't be the reason?

Liu Mumu thought for a moment, then said, "Don't you think it's interesting to completely change someone's original fate? Xu Yonglin's change in fortune is extreme. He's gone from terrible to wonderful. People like that are rare."

"I don't." Fang Chuan's face went blank.

"Ugh, that's a master's pleasure. Of course you wouldn't understand." Liu Mumu spun the chair again. "But honestly, I think he's worth saving."

Fang Chuan frowned. "I don't think he needs saving."

Based on Xu Yonglin's statement, he had taken part in making the so-called miracle drug. They had put semi-finished Gu worms inside the pills and sold them to the elderly at exorbitant prices through a pyramid scheme. Even if he claimed it had been his brother Xu Yongshuang's idea to retrieve the Gu worms and kill people, in Fang Chuan's eyes, he still deserved to be punished.

His rebuttal didn't upset Liu Mumu. She only waggled a finger at him. "It'd be no fun if I told you what happens next. You can see for yourself."

Trusting Liu Mumu, Fang Chuan didn't press her any further. For now, the most important thing was catching Xu Yongshuang.

At last, the two of them finished talking. Yan Xiu came out of the office, holding a piece of yellow paper he had cut to size.

He walked up behind Liu Mumu. She tilted her head back to look at him, her eyes sparkling. Then he slapped the yellow paper onto her forehead.

Liu Mumu looked utterly bewildered, like a little zombie sealed in place.

When she came to her senses, she widened her almond-shaped eyes. "What is this?"

She reached up and tugged at the yellow paper, but couldn't pull it off!

"Take her statement in a little while, then send her home." Yan Xiu ignored her and gave instructions to the police officer beside him, who had been watching the show.

"Understood, Consultant Yan."

Seeing that he was ignoring her, Liu Mumu grabbed Yan Xiu's arm and shook it hard. "Take it off!"

How was she supposed to go out with a piece of yellow paper stuck to her forehead?

"This talisman will keep you safe for eight hours. It'll fall off by itself when the time is up." Yan Xiu patted her head, his touch gentle and a smile on his lips.

After what had happened last time, Yan Xiu had wisely improved the blood talisman. At last, he had a chance to use it today.

Liu Mumu shivered at his handsome smile and quickly admitted her mistake. "I was wrong. Next time something like this happens, I'll definitely tell you first."

"Good. Master Liu has recognized her mistake, so she can take some time to reflect."

With that, Yan Xiu withdrew his hand without hesitation and left with Fang Chuan.

Liu Mumu pawed at the air a few times, but couldn't even catch the edge of his clothes.

The police officer who stayed behind struggled to hide his laughter as he took her statement. Sure enough, only Consultant Yan could keep Liu Mumu in check.

After hanging up, Xu Yongshuang waited a full half hour, but Xu Yonglin still didn't return. His expression gradually darkened.

He held the incense burner in his hand, his fingers unconsciously rubbing it from time to time.

A plastic clock hung on the wall. The second hand made a loud ticking sound, like a drumbeat pounding in his heart.

Xu Yongshuang called Xu Yonglin again. After a few rings, the call was finally answered.

"Brother, I'm on my way back."

Xu Yonglin sounded as if he were hurrying along; his breathing was a little labored.

Xu Yongshuang listened quietly, then suddenly asked, "Where are you?"

"Uh... I don't know what street this is. There's a flower market nearby."

Xu Yongshuang narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? That flower market is pretty quiet."

"Not really. There are quite a few people around. You told me not to go anywhere crowded, so I've been making a point of keeping away from them."

Xu Yonglin answered naturally, and Xu Yongshuang, who had been growing suspicious, relaxed a little.

"I'll be back soon. Want me to bring you some steamed buns?" Xu Yonglin asked.

"No. I'll give you ten more minutes."

After saying that, Xu Yongshuang hung up.

In the van, Xu Yonglin lowered his phone. He was wearing a pair of specially made handcuffs. "My brother is very cautious. He might be a little suspicious of me."

"Aren't you brothers? He even suspects you?" Fang Chuan glanced out the window. Their people had already reached the entrance of Linhua Estate, right across from Xu Yongshuang's home.

Xu Yonglin gave a bitter laugh. "I was sent away when I was little. He only found me a few years ago. We don't really have much of a relationship."

Fang Chuan made no comment. He parked the car outside the estate, and people began getting out one after another.

Three officers stayed behind to keep watch over Xu Yonglin. Fang Chuan got out as well.

Through the car window, he could see seven or eight police officers entering the estate.

Although Xu Yonglin's call had sounded perfectly normal, for some reason Xu Yongshuang still felt uneasy. He paced around the room twice. Suddenly, his phone rang, and a message came in.

The sender was an unknown number, but the message made his pupils contract: You're being watched by the police.

Xu Yongshuang didn't hesitate any longer. He tucked the incense burner he never let out of his sight into his coat, took nothing else, and walked out the door.

He didn't go downstairs. Instead, he went up to the rooftop.

By then, Fang Chuan had led his team close to the room Xu Yongshuang had rented.

One of the officers stepped forward and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he looked back at Fang Chuan. Fang Chuan nodded, and they began forcing the door open.

The door swung open, but there was no one inside.

The officer in front warily scanned his surroundings. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his eyes, and he let out a scream.

Fang Chuan's expression changed. "Everyone, fall back!"

The others immediately helped the wounded man retreat. Once they had brought him outside, Yan Xiu stepped forward to examine him, then said quietly, "He's been poisoned by a Gu worm."

Fang Chuan's brow furrowed. They were carrying defensive talismans, yet they hadn't managed to protect themselves from Xu Yongshuang's Gu.

"He's still nearby. He hasn't gone far," Yan Xiu said.

They both looked up.

After exchanging a glance, Yan Xiu took the lead this time.

When they reached the rooftop, they found the door leading up was open. Xu Yongshuang hadn't hidden himself. There was nowhere for him to hide, anyway. But he was sure he could keep them all here.

As Yan Xiu stepped through the rooftop door, he clearly heard a strange, rustling sound. Countless black dots poured out from beneath Xu Yongshuang's feet, swarming toward the entrance.

But the scene he had expected didn't happen. Yan Xiu merely glanced at the Gu worms on the ground with distaste. With every step he took, the Gu worms around him scattered as though they had encountered something they couldn't stand.

"You're not a police officer. Who are you?" A flicker of fear crossed Xu Yongshuang's eyes.

"Xu Yongshuang, you used Gu worms to kill ordinary people. You're under arrest."

"What a joke, I—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Yongshuang's vision blurred. Something seemed to flash past, and then invisible objects pierced his limbs and heart.

A searing pain shot through his heart and limbs. As he screamed, Yan Xiu walked up to him and took the incense burner from his coat with a gloved hand.