Zong Zhao was busy examining something when he heard the voice. He immediately halted all his tasks and ordered the men to lower the person down. "Senior Feng."
Steward Liu was overjoyed—they had finally found the man! He quickly led the eight burly men to collect their reward and arranged for the removal of all the posted bounties across various regions.
The men were ecstatic—they had been certain it was the old man, right down to the sparse beard!
Feng Qinglai scowled at Zong Zhao. "You damned fool, were you trying to find me or send me to my grave? I was up in the mountains gathering herbs and hadn’t even finished when these brutes hauled me down. Scared me half to death—I nearly reported it to the authorities!"
Then it dawned on him that Zong Zhao was the authorities now—and a high-ranking official at that.
Damn it. That only made him angrier.
Zong Zhao hurriedly apologized, "My apologies, Senior Feng. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ve been searching for you for too long. Don’t worry about the lost herbs—I’ll compensate you double."
Feng Qinglai glanced around the grand courtyard and shamelessly upped the price. "Make it triple."
Zong Zhao chuckled. "Fine. I’ll throw in a few boxes of century-old ginseng as well."
The old man’s mood instantly lifted. He patted Zong Zhao’s shoulder with a grin. "Ah, little brother, you’ve really climbed high, haven’t you? Had I known your family was this wealthy, I’d have followed you back to the capital years ago. Look at you now—so generous, that smug little smirk on your face. Hah! You got yourself a wife, didn’t you? Back in the valley, you used to wake up ready to destroy the world."
Zong Zhao: "…"
The garrulous old poison master rambled on while the ever-silent Zong Zhao humored him with brief replies. Only after Feng Qinglai had eaten his fill and indulged in the luxuries of the rich did they finally get down to business.
"Divine Gu?" Feng Qinglai’s eyes lit up at the mention. "Why didn’t you say so sooner? I love concocting things that can kill people with poison!"
Zong Zhao rubbed his temples. "…We need to save someone."
"Ah, well, first we’ve got to figure out how it poisons them, no?" Feng Qinglai grabbed his arm and tugged. "Come on, come on! Let’s see who’s lucky enough to be infected with a Divine Gu."
As they walked, Zong Zhao asked, "You’ve heard of the Divine Gu before, Senior?"
Feng Qinglai nodded eagerly. "Of course! I even went to You Country once, hoping their emperor would show me what it looked like."
"Did they?"
"Oh, they told me to get lost."
"…"
Feng Qinglai finally got his wish, but after checking Zong Yan’s pulse, he found nothing unusual. Frowning, he scribbled a prescription.
"You already have a cure?" Zong Zhao asked.
Feng Qinglai waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, I’m just giving him something to trigger the symptoms."
Zong Zhao’s brow furrowed. "And then?"
"Then we’ll see if it’s really a gu. If it is, we’ll treat it like one. If not, we’ll look for another cause."
With unsettling nonchalance, Feng Qinglai handed him the prescription and told him to brew the medicine. True to his reputation as a poison master, the concoction had Zong Yan writhing in agony within moments, his body wracked with searing, migratory pain.
"Ah—!" His screams echoed once more.
Zong Zhao turned his face away, unable to watch, while pinning his brother down to prevent him from lashing out at Feng Qinglai.
After a brief examination, the old man’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "Ah, it is the Divine Gu! Look at how it darts around—so nimble, so lively! Adorable little thing!"
Zong Zhao’s expression darkened. "Senior, do you have a way to extract it?"
Feng Qinglai shrugged. "Didn’t I just tell you? They told me to get lost. How was I supposed to study it?"
Zong Zhao: "…!"
Seeing his temper flare, Feng Qinglai hastily added, "Ah, but don’t worry! This old man loves figuring out antidotes for new poisons. Let me think… Hmm, first, strip him naked."
Though skeptical of the poison master’s methods, Zong Zhao had no alternatives. Once done, Feng Qinglai placed his hands on Zong Yan’s body, feeling for the gu’s movements.
He couldn’t resist another comment. "So lively, darting all over…"
Zong Zhao gritted his teeth. "Once it’s out, you can take it and study it all you want."
"DEAL!"
In the following days, Zong Yan became Feng Qinglai’s test subject. The old man would sometimes cut into his skin where the gu was active, but the creature was too clever—it would immediately flee.
After countless failed attempts to lure it out, Feng Qinglai mused, "This cute little thing must get bored drinking blood all day. I wonder what it really likes to eat…"
With this new approach, he began drawing Zong Yan’s blood while placing various delicacies near the wound—fragrant, foul, sweet, spicy.
And to their shock… it worked. The gu didn’t flee as quickly as before.
Feng Qinglai doubled down, replacing the bait with even stronger-smelling substances.
By May, the Divine Gu finally emerged!
Its favorite treat turned out to be Asafoetida—a pungent, garlicky herb.
Feng Qinglai trapped the gu in a jar, grinning. "Such a cute little thing with such disgusting taste. I hate this herb."
After months of torment—regular bloodletting leaving him pale and weak—Zong Yan was barely holding on.
Feng Qinglai dismissed it with a chuckle. "Ah, no big deal! Just eat more liver to replenish your blood, eh?"
Zong Zhao seethed at the flippant remark but swallowed his anger, remembering the old man’s role in saving Zong Yan. He led Feng Qinglai to the storeroom to pick his promised rewards.
Though he’d agreed to triple compensation, the old man’s eyes roved greedily over the treasures. "I’ll take this… and that…"
Steward Liu feared he’d empty the entire estate.
Zong Zhao simply said, "Let him take what he wants."
Ecstatic, Feng Qinglai waved from his overloaded carriage before departing. "Little brother, if you ever need me again, please call!"
Zong Zhao: "…………"
Zong Yan slept for a long, long time.
His body was exhausted, too weak to even open his eyes.
In his dreams, he saw Crown Prince Jin’an again—being tortured, tempted, deceived, tormented by the gu. Twelve years of suffering, unable to die, unable to escape… until his father forcibly brought him home.
Afraid his madness would harm his family, he had tried to run. But his brother—his invincible brother—wouldn’t let him.
"Ge…" The greatest man in his world.
A deep voice echoed in the void. "I’m here, Zong Yan. We all are. Wake up."
Lost in the fog, Zong Yan wandered endlessly, unable to find the exit.
His mind was hazy, yet this felt familiar—something from his distant past.
In his memories, many men had once harassed a young girl. He drove them away but then fell into delirium, dreaming a beautiful, shameful dream…
