The Unforeseen Variable

"I haven't forgotten, and I still remember now."

Fang Chuan felt wronged, "Why? What am I worse than Master Liu?"

Yan Xiu's tone was calm, "Probably thicker skin."

Fang Chuan thought about it carefully and felt it made sense. He couldn't help but sigh, "You're right. Master Liu's skin is indeed a bit thicker than others. Speaking of which, this girl, besides occasionally causing trouble, is quite cute!"

This evaluation made Yan Xiu glance at him. For some reason, Fang Chuan felt a chill down his spine.

"Get out of the car." Before he could ponder further, Yan Xiu's cold voice sounded.

Fang Chuan glanced out the car window. They had arrived at his home.

The car that drove away quickly merged into the night. Fang Chuan stood in the biting cold wind, tightening his overcoat. He knew he wouldn't get anything out of Yan Xiu. His anticipation of seeing some drama was dashed, leaving him disappointed.

As the end of the year approached, everyone was particularly busy. The Special Case Investigation Section was doing well; they had closed a major case before the New Year, so their bonuses were secured.

After handing Xu Yongshuang over to Jing City, there was no need for Qing City to continue the investigation. This case was considered closed.

Xu Yonglin was kept behind because his Gu techniques were needed. Coupled with his confession and meritorious service, Fang Chuan submitted a report, and his trial was postponed.

Before Xu Yongshuang was sent away, he insisted on seeing his younger brother. After consulting with Xu Yonglin, he arranged a meeting.

The meeting between the two brothers went as expected. Xu Yongshuang was filled with hatred for his biological younger brother who had betrayed him, grinding his teeth. Unfortunately, he couldn't move freely and could only glare fiercely at Xu Yonglin, roaring, "Xu Yonglin, may you die a horrible death! I won't let you go, and neither will they."

"Even if I hadn't reported you, you wouldn't have let me go, would you?" Xu Yonglin suddenly said.

He wasn't stupid. The master who told his fortune had said he had a short life. His fate was indeed not good, but his body was healthy. Under what circumstances would he suddenly die? Of course, when someone wanted him dead.

Xu Yongshuang glared at him fiercely, remaining silent.

Xu Yonglin didn't expect an answer. He continued on his own, "I always thought you found me because I was your younger brother. Later, I realized that wasn't the case. It was just because I was sent to the Main Family years ago and raised by my paternal uncle, right? You couldn't find him, so you came looking for me."

In the past, the main branch of the Xu family was glorious. Many talented children from the collateral branches were sent to be raised together, and he was one of them.

But soon, something happened to the main family, and he survived, but his parents did not. His paternal uncle found him an adoptive family, and they never saw each other again after that.

During his days in the police station, he kept recalling some of the things his elder brother had said after finding him. He hadn't paid attention then, but now, thinking back, his brother had almost exclusively been probing for information about their paternal uncle.

He didn't want to think of his biological elder brother as so bad, but the fact was, there was no so-called family affection, only benefits.

Later, he wasn't "abandoned" probably because of his Gu refining talent. He improved the Longevity Gu, minimizing its impact on people. In his brother's eyes, he likely had value.

After a brief period of madness, Xu Yongshuang finally regained his composure. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Xu Yonglin. After Xu Yonglin finally finished speaking, he grinned, revealing his stark white teeth, "You're right. You were just a byproduct of the Longevity Gu. Even if you took the incense burner from me, you couldn't save those fools who were poisoned by the Gu. They will all die, and so will you."

He looked mockingly at the two police officers behind Xu Yonglin. "Do you think selling me out makes the police consider you a good person? They're just using you. Once you're no longer valuable, your fate will be the same as mine."

Xu Yonglin looked at Xu Yongshuang. "Those people won't die, and I won't end up like you."

"Then we'll just have to wait and see."

The brothers were taken away separately, likely never to see each other again.

After Xu Yongshuang was sent away, Xu Yonglin began to dedicate himself entirely to the research of the Longevity Gu.

The two Gu Masters from Jing City studied for several days but couldn't figure anything out. Their schools of thought were different, and their methods of making Gu were completely dissimilar. The Longevity Gu was a semi-finished product passed down from the Xu family, and only Xu family members were most familiar with it. In the end, they had to step back and become Xu Yonglin's assistants.

However, they provided Xu Yonglin with an idea: if the goal was to cure diseases and save lives, rather than to control the Gu worms, perhaps they could abandon the manipulation of the Gu worms and focus on how to make them more stable.

The more active the Longevity Gu was, the greater its impact on the human body. Zhuo Ran's Gu was from the earliest stage, not mature and very active.

Later, after his improvements, it had become much more stable. If the Longevity Gu could be put into a dormant state for decades, unable to be awakened, it couldn't be controlled. While dormant, they could still slowly affect the human body. This was a slow-acting but relatively safe method.

After dozens of experiments, it was proven that this improvement direction was indeed effective.

After being refined through special means, the dormant Longevity Gu was introduced into experimental animals with various diseases. A few days later, these animals gradually recovered their mobility, and their various data indicators were even better than normal.

More importantly, the dormant Longevity Gu could not be awakened, and thus could not be taken away via the incense burner as before.

The research of Gu Masters on Gu was not very rigorous, as it involved some fundamentally inexplicable knowledge. At this stage of the experiment, it could basically be declared a success.

However, another problem arose.

Xu Yonglin did not hide the method for putting the Longevity Gu into a dormant state. He taught it to the other two Gu Masters, but they couldn't make it work using the same method.

In the end, they attributed it to bloodline.

It was possible that during the initial refining of the Longevity Gu, the Xu family had added something like blood for cultivation, causing the Longevity Gu to only recognize the Xu family bloodline.

Therefore, even though Xu Yonglin had made his research public, in the end, it was still his exclusive formula.

A safe method without future worries, capable of restoring patients to normal, and even with a certain chance of prolonging life.

The initial purpose of the research was to compensate for his mistakes, but after the research, it represented huge, unimaginable profits.

No one would mind living a better life. Even if life couldn't be prolonged, a higher quality of life, living to old age without illness or disaster, was a luxurious thing for most people.

There would certainly be many people willing to pay a high price for such an opportunity.

Upon learning of the research results, Gu Lan did not dare to delay and reported it to headquarters immediately. The next day, headquarters sent people over.

The Longevity Gu could not possibly remain in Xu Yonglin's hands, but he was the only one who knew the Gu refining technique. This cooperation was beneficial to both parties.

In the circle of Metaphysics, being immune to all illnesses was not difficult, and methods to prolong life were not unheard of, but the investment was usually too enormous. Xu Yonglin's method could be considered cheap, which made people pay extra attention.

If the Longevity Gu were to be used on humans in the future, it might require several more years of experimentation and cultivation.

But this was already a very good start and ending.

Fang Chuan never dreamed that Xu Yonglin, arrested as a suspect, would be taken back to headquarters with his significant research findings. He even knew that one day, when the Longevity Gu was finally allowed to be sold, a portion of the profits would belong to him.

The day Xu Yonglin left Qing City was the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month. Dressed in thick cotton clothes, he waited with people from headquarters for their flight to Jing City.

In Jing City, his critically ill younger sister was waiting for him. The money he'd scammed as a con artist hadn't cured her, nor had the money borrowed from his brother. Now, he had a better way, a method he'd researched himself that could save her life.

A judgment also awaited him, but Xu Yonglin was no longer afraid. Just as his master had said, he had changed his own life with his own hands, and from then on, everything would be different.

On the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, Fang Chuan tricked Liu Mumu into going out for barbecue.

He didn't really have anything to ask. It was just that Xu Yonglin's situation had shocked him so much that he needed to see his master in person and hear a few words of guidance to calm down.

He had always thought that after witnessing Xu Yonglin surrender himself, nothing else could shock him. He later realized he was indeed too young.

Liu Mumu told him to see for himself. Fang Chuan did, and then felt as if he were witnessing some incredible history, something truly hard to believe.

Liu Mumu arrived at the barbecue restaurant on time, only to find Captain Fang, with his square face, sitting there, an eyesore. Yan Xiu was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Yan Xiu?" Liu Mumu tried to find him.

Fang Chuan coughed lightly. "He had to go out of town for something and will return directly to Jing City for the New Year. He won't be back until after the holiday."

Liu Mumu instantly turned into a pufferfish, almost wanting to drag Fang Chuan down with her.

In the end, Master Liu was moved by Fang Chuan's overly sincere praise and, ten minutes later, decided to grace him with a barbecue meal.

As Liu Mumu gnawed on a chicken neck with relish, listening to Fang Chuan's flattery, she felt the barbecue tasted exceptionally good today.

"Will Xu Yonglin be sentenced?" Liu Mumu asked.

Fang Chuan shook his head. "He wasn't involved in any killings. Before headquarters negotiated with him, they consulted three masters who deduced that he was indeed innocent. Coupled with his significant meritorious service, the most likely outcome is a suspended sentence."

The Longevity Gu on the victims had all fallen into a dormant state. The police hadn't alerted them, and they might never know what they had experienced.

The only thing this incident left them was a healthy body for many years to come, until they died a natural death.

"That's acceptable," Liu Mumu nodded, which was as she had expected.

"More than acceptable. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll even become a specially hired consultant for headquarters. It's like reaching the pinnacle of life in the blink of an eye."

Fang Chuan was somewhat envious of Xu Yonglin. Such technology was indeed beyond the grasp of ordinary people, and he could only admire it.

However, what he admired most was Liu Mumu. There were some rumors from headquarters that after their deductions, those masters all said Xu Yonglin had a particularly bad fate and shouldn't have surrendered himself. The research and improvement of the Longevity Gu should not have happened either, but his destiny changed after he surrendered.

His fate transformed from a bumpy road to a smooth path. Such a complete change in destiny happened occasionally, but a change as thorough as his was extremely rare.

Looking at Liu Mumu, who was lowering her head and poking the beef on the baking tray with her chopsticks, Fang Chuan thought that Xu Yonglin's greatest luck in this life was probably meeting Liu Mumu that morning.