Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Zhou Yan died. Just as the root cause of his condition was identified, before he could receive targeted treatment, he suffered a sudden heart attack from chronic mental strain and insomnia.

Up until the moment of his death, he was too afraid to close his eyes due to the relentless fear.

Zhou Jiming had worked his entire life, striving to create a comfortable life for his children and ensure they would have a smooth path ahead. He never imagined he would experience the pain of burying his own child, let alone that his son would die so tragically.

The agony of being unable to sleep for months, his refusal to shut his eyes even as he died—he couldn’t bear to recall the look on his son’s face before he passed.

Several classmates who had eaten the Xian Fish with Zhou Yan began showing varying levels of poisoning. Not just them—the list hidden by the owner of Fulu Residence was like the Book of Life and Death. Until a specific antidote for the Xian Fish was developed, most of the people on that list were just waiting their turn to die.

Those selected by the Fulu Residence owner were people with money who liked to indulge. They had thought it was just a piece of fish, not some exotic mountain game, so how bad could it be? No one expected things to escalate so severely.

One by one, they flocked to the police station, demanding that the Fulu Residence owner pay with his life.

Fulu Residence had already been destroyed when the giant fish crashed into it. To prevent further collapse, the area was cordoned off for several yards. The restaurant manager was detained, and waitstaff who didn't know anything were released after being registered.

Those who had eaten the fish but hadn’t yet shown symptoms weren’t as panicked. They reasoned that since many people had consumed it, the authorities couldn’t just let them die—they would surely find a way to save them. So, unable to do anything, they decided to wait it out.

But those already exhibiting symptoms were frantic. The fear of death and the pressure of facing mortality made them, even with mild symptoms, feel like they were at death's door. Some hadn’t even broken down physically, but their minds had already given way. One climbed to a rooftop, screaming that Fulu Residence’s owner must pay with his life.

Bystanders at the scene livestreamed the event. Curious about the cause, those in the know explained the whole story, and the comments on the stream were largely critical.

“Serves them right! Repeated warnings to avoid eating things of unknown origin and to stay away from wild game, and you still go chasing novelty. You've got nobody to blame but yourselves.”

“Everything edible has been carefully selected by our ancestors. What they didn’t choose is inedible. Our ancestors risked their lives to figure out what's safe, but you dismiss them and seek novelty. This outcome doesn’t deserve sympathy.”

“I deliberately searched for videos of that giant fish. It’s terrifyingly huge. How could you even bring yourselves to eat it?”

“How many times do people have to get sick from wild game before they learn? Do you think you’re the lucky one?”

“I heard the poison targets the nervous system. Nervous system damage is almost always irreversible. That’s rough.”

“It wasn’t tragic when you were eating it. Now you regret it—too late!”

In the end, they rescued the guy who was threatening to jump. He was afraid of dying and lacked the courage to jump, which was why his mind had collapsed in the first place.

The trending topic, which had been fading, surged back into public attention thanks to this staged suicide attempt.

From the start, this incident had caused a huge stir. The strange fish had topped the trending list for three days. Now that the heat was back, the authorities decided it was better to release the information than to suppress it. They released an official news report, informing the public that the red-scaled fish found in streams and rivers was poisonous. Anyone who found one should call the police for a reward, and private fishing was prohibited.

They emphasized banning wild game and all food of unknown origin.

They also told the public that wild game wasn’t limited to mountain creatures—anything caught in rivers or seas, or grown in the wild, counted as wild game. Even if you could recognize and name a type of fish or meat, if it wasn’t farmed or properly processed, don’t eat it. Parasites were also a significant danger.

For ordinary people with no stake in the matter, it was just gossip. Wild game was for the rich anyway—they could barely afford pork, let alone exotic delicacies. As for that fish, just looking at it was terrifying enough; they wouldn’t dare eat it.

The fishing community was buzzing. After the news broke, some people actually turned in Xian Fish. One fishing enthusiast had caught a strange-looking fish half a month ago. It wasn’t huge, about the length of an adult’s arm, but since he’d never seen anything like it, he took it home and put it in a tank.

Just two days later, the video of Fulu Residence being destroyed by the giant fish went viral. He was terrified but also curious, inviting several fishing buddies over to see the spectacle.

When the news about the poisonous red-scaled fish came out, he immediately took his tank to the police station and received a thousand-yuan reward—though his tank alone was worth more than that.

He posted the whole story online, getting some online traffic. People asked where he caught the fish, and he told them. Some fishermen figured it was worth a shot—catch one and get a thousand yuan—so they grabbed their gear and headed over.

But when they arrived, they found the entire area sealed off. The authorities were practically filtering every drop of water in Luoxia Creek before letting the water flow downstream.

Before the buzz died down, Lin Xiaoyang closed the Zhou family case.

When Lin Xiaoyang returned to the courtyard with a pile of snacks, Bai Zhizhi had already learned to use a talking point reader under Yue Zhihuan’s guidance. Wherever he pointed, it read aloud. Through this machine, he had recognized most basic characters.

Lin Xiaoyang looked at his progress and sighed: “We're both demons—why is our learning pace so different?”

Bai Zhizhi looked up in confusion. Lin Xiaoyang added, “That fox working at the zoo is still attending night school.”

Bai Zhizhi: “Night school is also a place to study?”

Lin Xiaoyang: “Yes. Last time I asked about his progress—he’s doing okay, already at the third-grade level.”

Bai Zhizhi was curious: “What level is that?”

Lin Xiaoyang chuckled: “Human education is divided into preschool, elementary school (grades 1–6), middle school (3 years), high school (3 years), and university (4 years). After that, you can earn a living.”

Bai Zhizhi glanced at his own device: “What level is this?”

Lin Xiaoyang grinned: “This is preschool level.”

As Bai Zhizhi looked speechless, Lin Xiaoyang pulled two red envelopes from his pocket: “Here, one for each of you. Everyone gets one.”

Yue Zhihuan happily accepted and signed a thank you.

Bai Zhizhi examined the envelope, turning it over: “What’s this for?”

Lin Xiaoyang: “It’s our courtyard’s tradition. When we finish a case and earn money, we give out red envelopes. Nothing big—just two hundred yuan each to share the joy.”

Bai Zhizhi peeked inside. He had been taught how to recognize money—the red bill was one hundred yuan, the largest denomination. “But Zhou Yan is dead. You didn’t save him.”

Lin Xiaoyang: “Zhou Yan died because he ate something recklessly, not because he was cursed. We helped identify the cause—that still counts as completing the case. The Zhou family still pays.”

Besides, the Zhou family was now entirely consumed by hatred for the Fulu Residence owner. They had no energy for anything else. Zhou Jiming was lost in grief, his wife, Lv Qinghe cried day and night, unable to manage anything. Everything fell on Zhou Jing’s shoulders.

Zhou Jing knew that cultivators were not ordinary people. No one dared owe them money. Beyond the agreed fee, she added an extra thank-you payment for the few extra comments Jiang Lin had spoken.

Though the truth about her brother’s death would have cleared her of suspicion in her father's eyes regardless, Jiang Lin’s remark had saved her from potential doubts. If her father later noticed how smoothly she handled the company, as if she had been planning for a long time, he might become resentful, and the family would fall apart.

After saying this, Lin Xiaoyang looked around the quiet courtyard: “No one home? Where are Sister Yue and Brother Jiang?”

Before Yue Zhihuan could struggle to gesture an answer, Bai Zhizhi answered: “They went to a meeting.”

Lin Xiaoyang: “What meeting?”

Bai Zhizhi: “Don’t know. Xiao Yu came, and they went together.”

Jiang Lin hadn’t felt comfortable leaving him at home and asked if he wanted to come. Bai Zhizhi didn’t know what the meeting was about, but he knew meetings were boring. His mother, the Fox King of Qingqiu, often gathered all the clan leaders for meetings.

He'd seen enough of that as a kid, so he refused to go to the Bureau meeting. He’d rather stay in the courtyard and play with his preschool-level talking point reader.

Lin Xiaoyang: “Oh—probably discussing the Water Spirit Crystal. Too bad I wasn’t there. I’ve never seen one. Does it really have that much spiritual energy?”

Bai Zhizhi put down the talking point reader and looked at Lin Xiaoyang: “Discuss the Water Spirit Crystal? Isn't it finders keepers?” Why did they need to discuss it?

The spiritual energy in the crystal was nothing to him, but for the humans’ cultivation level, it was somewhat useful. Placing one in the courtyard would slowly generate spiritual energy throughout the space, benefiting their training.

Yet Jiang Lin didn’t keep it for himself—he turned it over to the bureau. How strange these humans were.

Lin Xiaoyang: “We work for the Bureau. We can’t keep things for ourselves.”

Bai Zhizhi: "If we don't keep it, what are you guys gonna use for cultivation?"

Lin Xiaoyang explained: "Because this was obtained from a mission, it needs to be handed in. But it's not for nothing—the higher-ups will give reward points that you can use to exchange for things more suitable for cultivation."

Bai Zhizhi: "If it's not discovered during a mission, then it doesn't have to be handed in?"

Lin Xiaoyang nodded: "You could say that. But even if we found a Water Spirit Crystal outside of a mission, we would still hand it over to the Administration Bureau. Since we've never seen it before and aren't sure if it contains harmful substances, it needs to be researched and analyzed. If the item can greatly aid in cultivation improvement or benefit all of humanity, it's far more useful than keeping it for ourselves."

Bai Zhizhi shook his head: "A Water Spirit Crystal is just a water-attributed spiritual stone. At most, it can purify streams and rivers, and aid in the cultivation of those with a Water spiritual root. But it probably won't benefit all of humanity."

Lin Xiaoyang: "How come you know so much? Did someone teach you?"

Bai Zhizhi: "This is common sense. Does it need someone to teach it?"

Lin Xiaoyang wanted to ask a few more questions, but then there was the sound of a car pulling up outside. Yue Zhihuan quickly ran to open the door, and Jiang Lin and Ren Daoan came in.

Jiang Lin handed a small bag he was holding to Bai Zhizhi: "These are your ID documents. Remember to carry them with you—you'll need them when you go out. Xiaoyang, help Zhizhi handle all the identity verification stuff on his phone."

Lin Xiaoyang replied: "No problem, but we need to get a phone number first. Luckily, there's a cell phone store next door. Once we sort out the phone number and identity verification, you'll be able to unlock more games."

These days, phone numbers require real-name registration, and games also require identity verification—it's such a hassle.

Lin Xiaoyang glanced at Bai Zhizhi's ID card and couldn't help but click his tongue. The photo on the ID card was comparable to a celebrity's retouched photo. Demons really are just too good-looking.

Yue Zhihuan made a gesture to Jiang Lin and the others. Jiang Lin said: "Your brother and Qiu Yan are still in Luoxia Village. The Water Spirit Crystal discovered that day was rich in spiritual energy and had no harmful radioactive substances. The higher-ups said to search again thoroughly and also check if any slipped through the net."

Yue Zhihuan nodded. For them, going out on missions and being away for several days was common. Knowing where her brother was and what he was busy with, she didn't worry.

Lin Xiaoyang tugged at Bai Zhizhi: "Come on, I'll take you to get a number. Later, when we get back, I'll unlock a whole new world of games for you."

Bai Zhizhi looked at Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin said: "You go with Xiaoyang. I haven't given the medicine you mentioned yet. Since I have some free time now, I'll go to the police station and give him the medicine."

He had already asked about who was injured and confirmed that the person wasn't seriously hurt, which was why he hadn't been in a hurry to go. Now that most things were resolved, he naturally had to follow through on his promise to deliver the medicine for Bai Zhizhi.