The Fourteenth Chapter

Xu Yongshuang cried out in pain as he lay on the ground. Yan Xiu merely toyed with the incense burner in his hand. The palm-sized incense burner was dark red, and it seemed to contain something inside, making a rattling sound when shaken.

He flipped the incense burner over, revealing a clear square seal on the bottom.

"Something from the Xu family," Yan Xiu said, half-crouching in front of Xu Yongshuang. "Where did you get it?"

Xu Yongshuang gritted his teeth, trying to endure the wave of agony. His entire body trembled with pain, and cold sweat soaked through his clothes.

He didn't want to speak, but his silence intensified the pain in his body. Finally, he couldn't help but say, "Th-that's a family heirloom."

Yan Xiu sneered. "The Xu family has only one heir, and he has no descendants."

"I... I'm from a branch family."

"I'm asking who gave you the incense burner? And who gave you the Longevity Gu?"

Xu Yongshuang opened his mouth. His tongue was black, as if poisoned, and he couldn't utter a single word.

To avoid speaking, he had directly inflicted the Gu upon himself.

Yan Xiu's expression turned cold. He took out handcuffs and cuffed Xu Yongshuang's wrists. Then, he flicked his finger at Xu Yongshuang's forehead. It was as if something was being drawn out of Xu Yongshuang's body, and the pain instantly vanished.

Xu Yongshuang's eyes widened. He knew who the person in front of him was: Yan Xiu, the eldest son of the Yan family.

Born with a killing aura that harmed both himself and others, a natural Mystic Master.

Why was he here?

After everything was over, Fang Chuan walked over. He was carrying something like a spray bottle and sprayed it as he walked. A strong lemon scent filled the air, and the scattered Gu worms on the rooftop quickly became still.

Fang Chuan sneezed several times and complained to Yan Xiu, "Why is the potion the headquarters sent down only lemon-scented? I hate this smell."

"You can make a suggestion next time you report for duty," Yan Xiu said. He didn't particularly like the strong scent either, but his gloves were also dirty, so he could only frown slightly.

Walking up to Yan Xiu, Fang Chuan glanced at Xu Yongshuang on the ground and asked in a low voice, "Did he confess anything?"

Yan Xiu shook his head gently. "He inflicted a Gu on himself, so he can't speak."

Fang Chuan frowned. He had witnessed Yan Xiu's methods; almost no one could resist them. For Xu Yongshuang to come up with such a method to avoid speaking showed he was a ruthless character.

But it was understandable. He wouldn't bat an eye when harming others. If he had succeeded, hundreds might have died. Such a person had no humanity left.

Once caught, he would certainly face the death penalty. He probably believed his only chance of survival lay with the person behind him, so he refused to say anything.

Fang Chuan beckoned to the people behind him. "Get a few people to escort him away."

Four fully armed police officers quickly appeared and took Xu Yongshuang away.

Two other police officers were helping their colleague whose eyes had been injured. The officer's eyes had been treated with medicine and bandaged. After returning, he would be able to recover once the Gu worms were removed.

This operation was a qualified success, but Fang Chuan couldn't bring himself to be happy. As expected, only Xu Yongshuang would be sentenced. It would be difficult to find the person behind him.

Investigating cases involving metaphysics was always like this; they would be completely cut off halfway through, leaving one feeling frustrated.

"Is this the vessel Xu Yonglin mentioned for receiving the Longevity Gu?" Fang Chuan asked, seeing the incense burner in Yan Xiu's hand.

"Yes."

"...What should we do with this thing?" Fang Chuan asked hesitantly.

Under normal procedure, it would be handed over to headquarters. However, this item involved hundreds of citizens in Qing City who had semi-finished Longevity Gu in their bodies. The list of those infected was not yet finalized, so it couldn't be handed over carelessly.

"Notify headquarters and have them send people to research the Longevity Gu." He looked at Fang Chuan. "We still have Xu Yonglin in our custody. He has a talent for Gu arts, so perhaps he can research something."

Mentioning Xu Yonglin, Fang Chuan subconsciously frowned but still nodded. "I hope the Longevity Gu will indeed be harmless as Xu Yonglin claimed, as long as it's not removed."

No one else had ever refined the Longevity Gu. Even the Gu Masters sent by headquarters might not know as much as Xu Yonglin. Although Fang Chuan didn't trust him, there was no better option at the moment.

While Yan Xiu and the others were arresting people, Liu Mumu had already been sent home by police car.

As soon as the police car stopped, the neighbors came out to watch the commotion. Old Mrs. Zhang said loudly, with a look of disdain, "Why is the girl from the Xiao Dong family returning in a police car? She's never quiet."

Inside the house, Lü Yao, who had been cleaning, also walked out.

The police car drove directly to the Dong family's entrance. Liu Mumu had the hood of her down jacket pulled over her head, obscuring her face.

But her clothes were the same as in the morning. She had left with a strange man in the morning, only to be brought back by a police car?

Lü Yao glanced at her and turned back inside.

When Liu Mumu returned, the Dong family was having breakfast. Seeing their daughter rush in with her head down, Dong Zhenghao, with his words stuck in his throat, watched her dash upstairs like a gust of wind.

"This child... she has no manners," Old Dong grumbled unhappily.

Jiang Li shot him a look. "If you have the guts, say it to her face."

Dong Zhenghao bristled. "I won't!"

Liu Mumu stayed home for two days. The next day, she finally agreed to go out and see people. Dong Zhenghao was forced to stay home and keep an eye on her, and the father and daughter spent their time watching melodramatic TV shows together.

As soon as Jiang Li heard that Dong Zhenghao was being kept home by Liu Mumu and not allowed out, she took her son and daughter out early in the morning. Although she didn't say it explicitly, she understood very well that Liu Mumu was particularly dangerous around this time.

While her husband was indeed quite capable and no accidents had occurred, what if something did? So, it was better to stay away from the father and daughter.

"I'm hungry," Liu Mumu said to Dong Zhenghao at noon, after watching TV.

Her response was a gurgle from Old Dong's stomach.

The only use for their cooking skills was to torment each other's stomachs. So, after a moment of eye contact, the father and daughter finally decided that Old Dong would call a restaurant to order takeout.

An hour later, someone finally came to deliver food. The two went to the yard to pick up the takeout, only to hear a commotion from next door.

Amidst the sounds of things being thrown, and Old Mrs. Zhang's scolding.

"They're fighting again?" Dong Zhenghao walked to the wall, curiously peering over.

"People who can't sleep are bound to be irritable. It's all the trouble your son caused," Liu Mumu said, carrying four meal boxes, also looking over beside him.

Liu Mumu didn't hide the news that this kind of Gu could infect people. After doing a good deed, the parties involved should naturally know. Old Dong held the financial reins, so Liu Mumu only told him.

Dong Zhenghao wasn't stupid; he immediately guessed that Zhang Yang next door and his father-in-law and mother-in-law must have been infected. Jiang Li was supposed to take her parents to the hospital today, and the old couple felt they had neurasthenia and had been much quieter recently.

Knowing that as long as the Gu on her son was removed, everyone else would be fine, Dong Zhenghao truly told no one else.

Dong Zhenghao snorted, "Don't blame your younger brother for everything. Old Mrs. Zhang next door wasn't exactly a saint to begin with."

On the third day, Dong Zhenghao could finally go to work normally. Today, Jiang Li was supposed to take her parents to a different hospital for treatment. Only three children were left at home. Dong Qi was quietly huddled in his room, likely still recovering from his psychological trauma.

Dong Yue was writing her winter vacation homework in her room. Liu Mumu was playing with the puzzle Dong Yue brought back yesterday in the living room, feeling dizzy.

After two hours of puzzling, she gained nothing but frustration.

Finally, she threw down the puzzle and went outside for some fresh air.

The sun was bright outside, and the plants were still lush green, not at all like the biting cold of the north.

Liu Mumu walked around the neighborhood and finally found a stone bench to sit on, soaking up the sun and calcium.

The afternoon sun made her feel drowsy, and she desperately wanted to sleep.

As she was dozing off, she heard footsteps approaching.

Opening one eye, Liu Mumu was somewhat surprised to see the daughter-in-law of the Zhang family from next door.

Perhaps related to the argument next door yesterday, there was a bruise on her chin. Liu Mumu subconsciously frowned. She even hit a pregnant woman?

"Can I sit here?" Lü Yao asked Liu Mumu softly.

Although she was much older than Liu Mumu, she seemed cautious, as if she were used to it.

"Please sit," Liu Mumu said. Although she had heard a lot of gossip from next door, she didn't really want to interact with them, especially Lü Yao.

Lü Yao's existence always made her feel that her mother must have lived a similar life in the past.

Although she had never had the chance to ask Dong Zhenghao, and even if she did, he probably wouldn't tell the truth. But Jiang Li had said it herself: Wang Guixiang and Old Mrs. Zhang were very similar, especially in their attitude towards their daughters-in-law.

Sometimes Liu Mumu wondered if it was because she hadn't lived well in the Dong family before, that after she left, they never thought of coming back to see her, their daughter?

When she was young, she asked her grandfather. He only said she had a shallow fate with her parents. Her grandfather gave her enough familial love, but sometimes, she still felt a little disappointed.

Liu Mumu decided to leave. Just as she was about to get up, Lü Yao spoke, her voice very low, "I heard you can tell fortunes, right?"

Liu Mumu was stunned. Jiang Li seemed to have told this to Uncle Zhang's younger sister, was it her who said it?

Seeing Lü Yao lower her head and continue, "I heard Xueqi mention it."

Since she knew, Liu Mumu didn't hide it either, nodding, "Yes, is there something?"

Lü Yao pursed her lips, seeming hesitant.

Liu Mumu didn't rush her, patiently waiting for her to speak.

"My mother-in-law..." She only said these three words before her voice choked up, as if she had suffered a lot of grievances.

She turned sideways and wiped her eyes before continuing, "My mother-in-law has been having frequent dreams and talking in her sleep recently. A few days ago, when I got up in the middle of the night, I accidentally heard her repeatedly saying sorry, and that she didn't mean to push the other person down the stairs."

Whoa, Liu Mumu's eyes widened, her sleepiness completely gone.

She still remembered that Jiang Li had said that the previous daughter-in-law of the Zhang family had fallen to her death at home while pregnant. The explanation at the time was that something negative that the current one had stimulated had caused it. Was that not the case?

Liu Mumu thought for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid I can't help you with this kind of thing. You should call the police."

Lü Yao shook her head with a look of hesitation. "Although my mother-in-law's personality isn't great, she's not a bad person. I don't think she would harm anyone. If we call the police directly, there might be no room for maneuver, so I wanted to... ask you to help me figure out if she ever harmed anyone."

These words left Liu Mumu speechless. Old Mrs. Zhang was like that, and she still wasn't a bad person?

Perhaps Lü Yao truly thought she wasn't bad. Anyway, she couldn't understand it.

This was the first time Liu Mumu had heard such a request. To be honest, if her physiognomy skills were really that high, she would have been able to tell when she first met Old Mrs. Zhang.

She had also met Old Mrs. Zhang several times, but unfortunately, she couldn't discern anything.

When it came to matters concerning Old Mrs. Zhang, even if she used divination, the other party would have to cast a hexagram, and there was still a chance of inaccuracy.

Of course, there was the simplest method: she could just look directly.

Seeing Liu Mumu's continued silence, Lü Yao pleaded, "I really can't find anyone else to help me, and I don't dare tell my husband. Please help me."

In the end, Liu Mumu could only say apologetically, "I'm sorry, you probably overestimate me. I can't divine this kind of thing."

After speaking, without waiting for Lü Yao's reaction, Liu Mumu got up and left.

Watching her leave, Lü Yao buried her face in her hands, looking very dejected.

After walking a distance, Liu Mumu turned back to look at Lü Yao, who was still sitting there blankly, and frowned slightly.