Chapter 93

Chapter 93

◎The Ingrate◎

After confirming that the mother gu was inside Jiang Qin's body and that the cause of his intestinal rupture was the burrowing gu, Ji Nanxing immediately contacted the Bureau of Management to arrange for a doctor to perform the surgery. Otherwise, with the gu moving around inside the body, an ordinary doctor might not be able to handle it.

The group waited outside the operating room. Xiao Ye wasn't worried about anything else except whether Jiang Qin's potential death might implicate Ji Naonao.

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "No, I didn't do anything. I just beat the drum. Even if he dies, it has nothing to do with me. But don't worry, he won't die."

When Jiang Qin was wheeled out of the ambulance, Ji Nanxing had already seen that there was no sign of death around him. He wouldn't die so soon, at least not because of the drumming.

Hearing this, Xiao Ye felt relieved and took Ji Nanxing's hand into his own to comfort him: "As long as it's not related to you, that's good. It's not worth getting involved in karmic ties for someone like this."

He had been worried that his desk mate might be scared.

Jiang Lei also contacted his parents. Since the person who harmed his brother was his cousin, this matter was beyond his control.

Turning around, Jiang Lei saw Xiao Ye holding Ji Nanxing's hand. The close gesture made him pause for a moment, but he quickly looked away.

He hadn't realized they were in that kind of relationship. But then again, he could tell from the basketball game that day that Xiao Ye often looked off the court. Later at the fried chicken shop, he was also very close to Ji Nanxing.

Back then, when he asked Ji Nanxing for his phone number, Xiao Ye had refused. He thought it was because he had been too skeptical and scrutinizing at first, but now he realized it was because of this.

Jiang's parents arrived quickly. This was the first time they had met the Taoist their son had spoken of. Although he was very young, the events of the past two days made them not dare to underestimate him, and they treated him with utmost respect.

Ji Nanxing said, "He's inside. The doctor arranged by the Bureau of Management is performing the surgery. The mother gu should be successfully extracted, and the outcome might be better than previously expected."

Jiang Lei was relieved and surprised: "Better? How so? Will my brother survive?"

Ji Nanxing explained, "Previously, I said your brother might not recover because the mother gu can be controlled by its host. If you were the culprit and got what you wanted, would you willingly surrender the gu alive for disposal?"

Jiang Lei shook his head immediately: "No, I would destroy the mother gu first to prevent you from getting evidence."

Ji Nanxing nodded: "Exactly. That's why I said your brother might not recover. As long as the mother gu is found, the person who harmed your brother could destroy the gu with a single thought. Once the mother gu dies, the connection with the child gu is severed. But now, there's been an unexpected development."

Xiao Ye quickly caught on: "You mean if the mother gu can be extracted alive, the link between the mother and child gu remains intact, and what was taken can be returned, allowing his brother to potentially recover?"

Ji Nanxing said, "The physical damage might not fully heal, but things like luck might. With time and proper care, he might still survive."

Hearing this, Jiang Lei grabbed his mother's hand excitedly: "Mom, did you hear that? My brother can survive, he can live!"

As long as he could survive, they were willing to forgo luck. They could support him for the rest of his life. As long as he was alive, that was enough. Their family wasn't short of money anyway.

Jiang's mother wiped her tears, nearly kneeling in prayer.

Jiang's father looked at Ji Nanxing: "What are the chances of extracting the gu alive?"

Ji Nanxing glanced at the operating room: "It should be possible. Since the host is unconscious, he has lost control over the gu. The surgeon should try their best to preserve the mother gu."

Inside the operating room, besides the various surgical instruments, a special incense burned in the corner.

This incense was specifically brought to deal with the gu, causing it to fall into a temporary slumber. Only by keeping the gu still could the surgery proceed smoothly.

When a white worm the size of a fingernail was extracted, someone nearby couldn't help but shiver, covered in chills. It was rare to see such a large, live worm being removed from a body.

The surgeon placed the worm into a specially designed box, sealed it with a talisman, and had it taken out to be handed over to those waiting outside.

As soon as the operating room door opened, several people immediately gathered around. Ji Nanxing received the box with the Gu Worm from the nurse, raised his hand to sense the vitality of the worm inside, and said, "We need to get back to the hospital to save Jiang Yu immediately."

Jiang’s parents ignored the person in the operating room, even though he was their nephew. After all, he was the one who harmed their son. Once this was over, they were going to make Jiang Qin pay!

It’s extremely rare to extract the Mother Gu alive, and it can be said that this was entirely due to an accident. Therefore, several doctors who are very skilled in dealing with Gu Worms came over from the hospital. Ji Nanxing didn’t need to step in; with them around, they could handle the follow-up matters.

The medicinal solution had been prepared in advance. After rousing the Mother Gu with incense smoke, the doctor placed the Gu Worm on Jiang Yu’s chest, dripping the solution onto the worm one drop at a time.

Outside the ward, through a glass wall, those outside could observe some of the doctor’s actions. Xiao Ye asked, "What are they doing?"

Ji Nanxing replied, "Using medicine to make the Mother Gu regurgitate, returning what it absorbed back into the body of the Child Gu."

Xiao Ye: "Is it really that simple?"

Ji Nanxing turned to look at him: "Simple? Without the Management Bureau’s resources and manpower, how could the medicinal solution be prepared so quickly? If it weren’t for this accident, how could the Mother Gu have been successfully extracted? This is not simple at all."

If Jiang Yu hadn’t been destined to survive, he might have really died this time. Although this matter was resolved in just two or three days, if even one thing had gone wrong, or if Jiang Qin had noticed any hint and killed the Mother Gu first, Jiang Yu would have died.

Xiao Ye: "Will the Management Bureau sue Jiang Qin?"

Ji Nanxing: "They’ll first investigate Jiang Qin’s source for the Gu Worm, and then sue him for intentional harm."

The evidence is ironclad; the worm was extracted from his body, so Jiang Qin can’t argue his way out.

Under the stimulation of the medicinal solution, the once plump white worm slowly withered, and the complexion of Jiang Yu, who was lying in bed, gradually improved.

After the white worm shrank from the size of a fingernail to the size of a grain of rice, the doctor used the smoke from the incense to fumigate Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu woke up groggily from his coma. Before he even opened his eyes, he doubled over the side of the bed, retching violently. After retching for a long time, he finally vomited out the Child Gu from his body.

With the Mother Gu here, extracting the Child Gu was much easier; a small dose of medicine was enough to expel it.

The doctor quickly threw both Gu Worms into another bottle of medicinal solution. It’s very rare to extract both the Mother and Child Gu alive; these Gu Worms hold significant research potential, and they can be kept for further study.

Seeing the doctor take out both Gu Worms, Ji Nanxing said to the Jiang family, "The situation is under control. What’s left is to take good care of his health. As for Jiang Qin, the law enforcement department will intervene, and the rest is none of our concern."

Jiang’s father took out a prepared check and handed it to Ji Nanxing with both hands: "Thank you, Taoist, for saving my son’s life. This is a token of our gratitude; please accept it."

Ji Nanxing glanced at the check—500,000 yuan, not too much, but not too little either, just about the right amount.

Xiao Ye, standing beside him, reached out and took it: "Mr. Jiang, you’re too kind. We’ll take our leave now. If there’s anything, Jiang Lei can contact us."

After leaving the hospital, Xiao Ye stretched: "We spent the whole weekend dealing with this matter. Fortunately, it was resolved smoothly. Ah, I can’t help feeling a little regretful."

Ji Nanxing was puzzled: "Regretful about what?"

Xiao Ye looked at him and smiled: "If I’d pushed harder that day, even if people thought I was crazy, it would have been a few months earlier. Maybe we could have resolved the matter on his body without all this trouble."

Ji Nanxing also smiled: "These things are just part of destiny. You don’t need to dwell on it."

Xiao Ye put his arm around Ji Nanxing’s shoulder and walked forward: "I’m not dwelling on it, I just feel that if it had been resolved earlier, you would have had an easier time. You wouldn’t have had to run around these past few days, checking information and looking for the culprit. Wouldn’t it be amazing to spend this beautiful spring camping and living life to the fullest?"

More importantly, if it had been resolved earlier, Jiang Yu’s chances of survival would have been much greater. If Jiang Yu had been unlucky and lost his life this time, he was afraid that Ji Nanxing would feel guilty.

Although Ji Nanxing seems to take many things lightly, including life and death, if someone who could have been saved wasn’t saved, his soft-hearted deity would surely feel sad.

Ji Nanxing didn’t know what Xiao Ye was thinking. Hearing him say this, he followed the topic and asked, "Do you want to go camping?"

Xiao Ye’s eyes sparkled as he nodded: "Yes, let’s go camping next week. I’ll pick a place with beautiful mountains and water. We can watch the stars at night and the sunrise in the morning. How does that sound?"

Ji Nanxing had never gone camping before. Although he had many experiences of staying overnight in the mountains, leisure trips were few and far between. Seeing Xiao Ye so eager, he nodded. It was just a different place to sleep, so if Xiao Ye wanted to camp, they would camp.

Xiao Ye took out the check: "Are we donating all of this money?"

Ji Nanxing said, "Donate 300,000 and transfer the remaining 200,000 to the Management Bureau's account."

Although the Jiang family had to pay for the medication and medical treatment this time, the Management Bureau still deserved some compensation for their hard work.

The benefits and bonuses for the Taoists in the Management Bureau, apart from the national funding, mostly came from such sources.

Before, Ji Nanxing had mostly handled things by himself without mobilizing so many resources from the Management Bureau. But this time, the Bureau had provided a lot of help, especially with preparing the potion for the Gu worms, which was a real hassle. So, it was only fair to send some of the money to the Bureau.

Xiao Ye nodded: "Alright, it's up to you."

Ji Nanxing looked at him: "You're working for free again."

Xiao Ye smiled: "What free labor? It's a chance to learn something new. Are you hungry? Let's go eat."

While some people were ready to kick back and have fun after dealing with a problem, others were just starting to deal with their own issues.

Shortly after Jiang Qin's surgery, the anesthesia wore off, and he woke up. He didn't realize the Gu worms had been discovered and thought he had suffered from something like appendicitis. When he woke up, he was about to ask what happened when he saw his uncle's family enter.

Jiang Qin still had a surgical wound on his stomach and couldn't get up, but he could still speak.

Before he could speak, Jiang Lei looked at him and said, "What did my brother do to you?"

Jiang Qin's mind went blank, and he panicked, breaking into a cold sweat.

Jiang Lei continued, "To give you a better future, you've lived with our family since high school. We got you into a school, set up tutoring, and covered your college tuition and living expenses. Our family has done nothing to hurt you. Why would you want to hurt my brother?"

Jiang Qin clenched his fists under the blanket, trying to stay calm: "Xiao Lei, what are you talking about? Hurt my brother?"

Jiang's father, who had cooled down from his initial anger, now looked at him coldly: "The mother and child Gu worms—where did you get them?"

Jiang Qin, unaware of how pale and guilty he looked, still struggled: "Uncle, what are you talking about? What mother and child Gu worms?"

Jiang's mother couldn't hold back anymore: "The mother Gu has already been taken out of your body, and you still want to deny it! Jiang Qin, you're truly an ungrateful wolf!"

The thought that her son had almost died at his hands made Jiang's mother's heart ache with hatred. He wasn't just an ungrateful wolf; he was a man-eating beast!

Jiang's father said, "It's useless to deny it. Don't think that what you've done won't be punished by the law. Using Gu worms to harm others is a clear crime, and there will be specialized law enforcement to handle this. You'll see them soon. We won't take care of you anymore. The house and car we bought for you will be taken back. From now on, you're on your own."

Jiang Qin didn't believe his uncle's words. What law enforcement? Even if they took worms out of his body, what did that prove? He could just say he liked eating raw food and got parasites. He thought they were just trying to trick him into confessing, so he continued to deny everything.

As long as he kept denying, without evidence, what could they do? Worms? They were just parasites. Gu worms? He didn't know anything about them.

Seeing his stubborn denial, Jiang's father felt more than just a little disappointed. He had treated Jiang Qin like his own son, going to great lengths to pave the way for him. And in return, Jiang Qin had repaid kindness with malice and almost killed his eldest son.

Jiang Lei supported his mother and looked at his father: "Let's go. There's no point talking to someone like this. Whatever happens to him from now on is his own fate."

After saying this, Jiang Lei led his parents away. There was no need to waste time on someone like Jiang Qin. In the end, the only reason Jiang Qin would harm his brother was jealousy.

Just thinking about how someone like this had lived with their family for so long made Jiang Lei feel terrified. It was like a venomous snake lurking by their side.

After the family left, Jiang Qin's face filled with panic. He didn't understand how his plan had been exposed. He had been so careful, and who would have thought of Gu worms?

Unfortunately, his post-surgery condition limited his movements, preventing him from doing much.

Just as he was contacting his assistant to arrange some asset transfers, a group of people in uniforms entered.

"Mr. Jiang Qin, where did you obtain the Alang Gu?"

Jiang Qin stubbornly replied, "What Alang Gu? I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Who are you?"

The officer showed him his badge, "We are from the Enforcement Division of the Management Bureau. We are charging you with premeditated murder. If you confess now, you may receive a reduced sentence. Don’t think you can get away with using Gu to harm others. The Gu worm was extracted from your body, and the child Gu has also been removed from Jiang Yu’s body. Everything you took from Jiang Yu will be returned."

Jiang Qin still wore a look of incomprehension. Seeing this, the officers stopped wasting their breath. To find out where he got the Gu, they would simply investigate his movements: "Since you’re not cooperating, we’ll handle it our way."

After saying this, he turned to the people behind him, "Handcuff him and take him away."

They had a specialized facility for detaining suspects. From this moment on, Jiang Qin had lost his freedom.

Jiang Qin tried to struggle, but the officer cuffing him was in uniform, and he had a surgical wound that hurt terribly when he tried to stand up, let alone struggle with force.

It was only then that he realized he was really caught. Although he didn’t understand, wasn’t evidence required to arrest someone? He just had a worm in his body—how is that evidence? Why was he being charged with premeditated murder?

After being detained in the facility and learning about the Management Bureau, it was too late for regrets. He thought his methods were foolproof and his denials unshakable, but to others, it was just ridiculous.

Finally, Jiang Qin couldn’t withstand the interrogation and confessed.

The Alang Gu was something he stumbled upon three years ago while leading a team to shoot his graduation project in the mountains. It was a sealed jar with intricate and beautiful carvings, perfectly preserved. Jiang Qin thought it was an antique and took it back.

Later, he opened the jar and found a small porcelain jar inside, carved with Miao script, containing two black masses.

Jiang Qin painstakingly translated the Miao script and learned it was the mother and child worms of the Alang Gu.

At first, he was skeptical; the two black masses looked like they’d been dead for ages. But the Miao script claimed they could be revived with blood, so Jiang Qin tried to raise them, and surprisingly, the mother and child Gu came back to life.

Once he started talking, there was no point in hiding anything else.

Jiang Qin said, "I was waiting for an opportunity. The Gu doesn’t need to be ingested; it just needs to be placed on a wound, and it’ll burrow into the body. I waited and finally seized the opportunity when Jiang Yu got injured during training. That’s when I placed the child Gu on him."

The interrogator asked, "Why did you target Jiang Yu?"

Jiang Qin sneered, "Because he and his whole family looked down on me. Back then, my father gave up the chance to study for my second uncle, Jiang Yu’s father, while he toiled in the fields to support him. He struggled his whole life, only marrying when he was nearly forty. Meanwhile, my second uncle moved to the city, started a business, and became a successful entrepreneur at a young age. He had money but never brought us to the city. For over a decade, he ignored us. It wasn’t until I was about to start high school that my father pleaded with him, and only then did he take me in."

Listening outside, Jiang Yu’s father’s face grew colder. Jiang Lei frowned, "It was Uncle who refused to leave, saying he couldn’t adapt to city life. They built a house and sent money back every year. They said rural education wasn’t good, and he didn’t want to move, but for the sake of his son’s future, he let Jiang Qin come out."

What begging? It sounded like their family was ungrateful. Every year, his father tried to persuade them, saying the house was ready and they could find an easy job for Uncle, so the family could live comfortably without any problems.

But Uncle refused no matter what, unwilling to be persuaded.

Jiang Qin continued, "His whole family looked down on me. They watched me brush my teeth, watched me shower, as if I was some dirty thing from the countryside. Jiang Yu never let me into his room, and Jiang Lei followed suit. At meals, I only dared to pick the dishes in front of me. In that house, I didn’t even dare to speak. They paid for my tuition and found me tutoring, so I had to be grateful. I studied directing, and Jiang Yu entered the entertainment industry. My aunt hinted that their family had nurtured me, and I should repay them, be grateful, and pave the way for Jiang Yu in the industry."

At this point, Jiang Qin’s face was full of scorn. In his eyes, that family was utterly disgusting.

The Jiang family outside was also disgusted.

When Jiang Qin first arrived, he didn’t know many manners, like not flipping through dishes with chopsticks, which was very impolite. To prevent him from being criticized in society later, Jiang’s mother had to correct his habits.

As for the idea that they nurtured him to demand repayment, they treated Jiang Qin as family. As an older brother who became a director, it was normal to casually mention at the dinner table that he should look out for his younger brother. But in Jiang Qin’s eyes, it became a demand for repayment.

Jiang’s mother’s eyes turned red with anger. She thought their family had truly wronged Jiang Qin, making him hate them enough to kill.

But this person was fundamentally twisted!

The Jiang family didn’t plan to listen to the rest. Their disappointment in Jiang Qin was immense.

They asked the Management Bureau how long Jiang Qin would be sentenced if convicted.

The authorities informed them that since no deaths had occurred, but he had such intentions and caused certain harm, he was certain to get a sentence of over ten years.

Upon hearing this response, Jiang's father gave up on trying to intervene. His son had nearly died, and if it weren't for the good fortune of his younger son encountering a skilled Taoist who discovered the Gu Worm, his son would have truly lost his life.

Therefore, letting Jiang Qin live was the most Jiang's father could do out of mercy, considering their familial ties.

Jiang Qin's father also rushed from the countryside, and upon learning of his son's actions, he was so furious he slapped him right then and there.

Seeing his son in prison garb, Jiang Qin's father covered his face and broke down sobbing: "How could I have raised such a child? How could you turn out so heartless? That was your brother, your own cousin!"

No matter the jealousy or hatred, they were still family.

Jiang Qin, with red eyes, shouted at him: "Blame it on you! Why did you give up the opportunity to study? Why didn't you go to the city to strive and struggle? Why did you stick to that miserable piece of land!"

If it had been his father who had gone out, everything the Jiang family now possesses would have been his!

Hearing that he still harbored hatred and felt no remorse, Jiang Qin's father, whose back was already not very straight, bent even further.

He also regretted letting his brother take his son to the city. Even a life of mediocrity would have been better than getting lost in the allure of the city.