Chapter 133

Actually, Ling Yue was fine—at most she just wasn't taking jobs and losing money; the unfortunate one was the patient lying unconscious on the sickbed before her—

One could barely tell that the patient was not very young, in his twenties, wearing a blue-and-white striped hospital gown, skin and bones, extremely frail, his complexion an abnormal pallor; lying there, his life was as feeble as a candle in the wind.

Ling Yue's gaze fell on his forehead, and suddenly her eyes narrowed.

On this side, the kneeling Madam Shen no longer had even a trace of her earlier arrogance; she was about to plop down, kneeling on the ground and pleading: "Miss Ling, I was blind just now—please, as an adult, don't hold it against a lowly person like me; help us save our son."

Ling Yue was startled by her ability to yield and bend, instinctively stepping back half a pace, her eyes falling on the young man's face on the sickbed: "I can save him……"

She hesitated a bit, and seeing this, Madam Shen shouted outright: "Ten million, no, thirty million—just save my only son!"

Ling Yue immediately declared firmly: "He can live!"

But she couldn't guarantee anything else. Based on her earlier observation, this guy's marriage palace bears a peach-blossom calamity, causing deep-rooted fissures that probably can't be mended in this lifetime.

Moreover, according to Ling Yue's observation, it doesn't seem he was hit by some deviant secret art; rather, a vital force is continually devouring his vitality.

Ling Yue hadn't even had time to think it over when a slippery coolness brushed her wrist; she hissed softly, and suddenly heard the voice of the jade of the green snake gu: "Master, I know what it is."

Ling Yue lowered her gaze; the jade shook its bright green tail: "It's a gu—he's been afflicted with the Miao Jiang bewitching heart gu, commonly known as love gu."

Ling Yue silently curled her pinky, remaining silent for a moment; even Madam Shen, who had just kneeled, couldn't help doubting whether this person was up to the task.

Ling Yue glanced around without leaving a trace, at the critical moment when she was growing impatient, she suddenly spoke, staring straight at Madam Shen: "Madam, as the patient's mother, you should know best that the masters you previously invited to perform rites and duels probably had no effect."

The more Ling Yue spoke, the more Madam Shen couldn't help nodding; these words struck straight at her heart—she had tried every possible method, yet none had worked!

She nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! I've invited many masters to perform rites, but none have awakened my Huibai! Miss Ling—ah, no, Master Ling, you must know what kind of illness this is, right?"

Ling Yue nodded and said directly: "He hasn't been hit by evil or curses; he's likely been afflicted with a gu."

"Gu?!" Madam Shen startled, nearly fainting from fright, then heard Ling Yue explain: "Because I've studied it before, I can recognize it, but ordinary people hardly ever come into contact with gu worms; these are probably only found in Miao Jiang."

Suddenly hearing her say this, Madam Shen's face flushed as she said: "That's right—my son Shen Huibai just returned from a trip to Hunan Province not long ago, and then his health suddenly deteriorated, from initial dizziness and nausea to now being unconscious; could he have been given a gu then?"

Saying this, she clenched her fists in terror: "Save him! Master, you must save him!"

Ling Yue gave her a reassuring glance, and the jade of the green snake gu on her wrist emitted a hissing sound, a little hungry.

The green snake gu whispered, flicking its tongue: "Master, I've already smelled the love gu; it's almost mature. I've heard love gu is especially sweet—I haven't tasted it yet."

Hearing this, Ling Yue knew that dealing with love gu posed no problem for the green snake gu.

At the same time, the patient's fingers twitched; beneath the thin blanket, on the flat belly covered by the hospital gown, a small bulge seemed to sense danger, quivering anxiously on the skin and darting about swiftly.

Yet no matter how it flees, how far can it really go?

The green snake gu drooled, constantly extending its tongue to sense the overflowing flavor in the air: "I smell sweetness—so sweet!"

As its words fell, the young man on the sickbed let out a soft moan; in the blink of an eye, Shen Huibai opened his eyes and took in everything before him.

"Ye, Ye Xiu Lan?"

He was quite startled, then saw Madam Shen, who had been standing guard beside him: "Mom? Mom, why are you… cough cough cough… what are you doing here?" He hadn't spoken a few words before he started coughing, showing just how weak he was, having just awakened.

Madam Shen immediately ordered the bodyguards to raise the bed; she wouldn't naively think this was mere coincidence, her faithful gaze fixed on Ling Yue—previously, no matter how many rites she tried, nothing worked; now, the moment Ling Yue appeared, the rain stopped and the sky cleared, and the patient on the bed woke up!

Madam Shen hurriedly introduced her son: "Huibai, this is the master I invited for you—quickly call her Master Ling; she just came in not long ago, and you woke up—quickly shout 'Master!'"

After Shen Huibai met Ling Yue's gaze, his heart leapt; normally, upon seeing such a lovely girl, he would have immediately put on an act and tried to sweet‑talk her.

Now, seeing her, his heart pounded involuntarily; Shen Huibai instinctively clutched his chest, the blue‑and‑white striped hospital gown instantly crumpling, he averted his gaze—or rather, dared not meet her eyes—and stammered: "Mas… Master."

Ling Yue nodded; the person was awake, and she could see him more clearly.

And Shen Huibai, after a moment's hesitation, directly told Madam Shen: "Mom, I have a girlfriend named Xiao Ru; I mentioned her to you before—I want to marry her, please consent."

Madam Shen felt she'd die of anger—what Xiao Ru? She was about to scold her only son when she caught sight of Ling Yue out of the corner of her eye, suddenly realizing, terrified to the core: "Master, save me! Is that… that Xiao Ru… is she… that person?"

She spoke vaguely, and Ling Yue gave a slight nod: "Yes, it's her."

Ling Yue turned to Shen Huibai and got straight to the point: "You should know your own condition; though you're not fully conscious, you've now become a love‑addled brain, but this is because you've been infected with the Nanjian bewitching heart gu, commonly called love gu."

Shen Huibai forced a smile: "How… how could that be, Master? You're not joking, are you?"

Ling Yue had someone hand him a mirror; seeing his skin‑and‑bones, emaciated reflection, Shen Huibai screamed and threw it away at once.

"This isn't me, this isn't me—how could I turn into such a ghostly sight!"

Indeed it is a ghostly sight—aside from a few scraps of meat clinging helplessly to his frame, he is nothing but a skeleton.

As Ling Yue spoke, her dark‑brown brows furrowed slightly; something felt off, for a normal love gu shouldn't produce such an effect—making one neither human nor ghost, not to keep a lover but rather to torment the other.

Of course, she didn't say it outright.

Ling Yue changed the subject: "It should be a side effect of the gu worm; as for how this love gu came about, do you remember?"

However, Shen Huibai had already fallen into panic and dread; since learning he was infected with gu, he's been so frightened he can't catch his breath, trembling as he buries himself in the blankets.

Seeing this, Ling Yue said nothing more, but Madam Shen beside him immediately snapped: "It must be that Miao Jiang gu woman—seeing my son handsome and rich, she seduced him! It's definitely that!"

"Master, let's quickly pull out the gu worm—those Miao Jiang gu women are too hateful!"

After hearing all that, Ling Yue furrowed her brows, and Ye Xiu Lan beside her did the same; however, lacking evidence and unsure of the truth, he could only advise: "We don't yet know the truth, Madam Shen—please don't let your anger flare."

Only then did Madam Shen react, opening her mouth; although the Shen family is wealthy and influential, compared to the Ye family they are nowhere near the same scale or stature.

She closed her mouth, but her eyes flashed with resentment.

Ling Yue smiled silently, her meaningful gaze falling on the sole "patient" in the room; she wouldn't ask Shen Huibai, for people lie, but memory does not—the past written in his fate line cannot lie.

When her clear, limpid gaze swept over him, Shen Huibai shuddered violently.

Ling Yue narrowed her eyes slightly—

The mountains were bright and the waters clear, the mountain mist like indigo; a babbling stream flowed down from the mountain gorge, spreading a pale white mist, the warbling of orioles blending with the water into a melody, and a handsome man in casual attire appeared amid the scenery—Ling Yue instinctively knew this man was Shen Huibai.

His fleshy form was still passable to look at.

He was among a group of Miao women playing in the water, staring fixedly upstream at a lone girl washing herself—

She was a spirit nurtured by the exquisite mountains and waters, her slender snow‑white hands holding a jujube‑red wooden comb, beneath her long, jet‑black hair lay a stunningly beautiful face.

Almost instantly, Shen Huibai clutched his chest: "She's truly beautiful."

The attendant stationed there instantly furrowed his brows, cautioning him carefully: "These are all Miao village girls—fiery tempered, remarkably capable; we Han folks must never provoke them."

Shen Huibai, still excited, replied: "What if I insist on provoking them?"

Young master, something big will happen!

Shen Huibai chuckled; it was obvious he didn't take it to heart, and instead said, "What kind of big trouble could there possibly be? Could it even take my life?"

His subordinates couldn't dissuade him; after returning, Shen Huibai's mind was full of the Miao girl's beauty. By nature flirtatious and dissolute, the number of his past girlfriends exceeded what could be counted on both hands and feet.

Used to being flirtatious, he was even more unrestrained in his feelings.

He began fervently pursuing the pure Miao girl, personally picking fresh flowers, arranging them into a large bouquet as a gift. Knowing she liked to read, he directly bought the latest model tablet computer, and even pulled network cables into the Miao village, all under the pretense of voluntary aid.

Shen Huibai, immersed in his own passionate romance, paid no heed to others' opinions of him, nor did he notice the strange attitudes others held toward the Miao girl.

His ardent gaze fixed on the beautiful Miao girl; he thought what she thought and did what she did.

He told her the language of roses, and together they talked heart-to-heart under the moonlight; one could say he fulfilled all her fantasies—a handsome, kind, and sincere attentive lover.

One was a philanderer in love, the other a pure maiden; even if her heart were colder than an iceberg, it had long been melted by his repeated pursuits into a pool of spring water.

Finally, one night at the girl's home, he was led inside; upon first entering, he encountered an old woman in Miao attire silently standing behind him. Suddenly he met her wrinkled old face, and Shen Huibai jumped: "Who... who are you?"

Sang Ru took his hand willingly, shyly saying, "It's my grandmother; her eyesight is poor, you should leave quickly."

As she said to leave, her finger pointed upstairs; Shen Huibai instantly understood, revealing a refined, courteous smile.

"Good Ru Ru." He breathed against the girl's ear, his whole mind focused on her stiff body, failing to notice the blind old lady's gaze mixed with shock and anger.

After he left, a thud came from the wooden board.

Sang Ru knelt on the ground; the blind old lady from before stared fixedly at her beloved granddaughter: "Is this the Han man you've taken a liking to?"

"Don't you know, as my heir, the next generation of Raw Miao—how could you fall for a Han person?"

Sang Ru stared defiantly at her; she was the sole herbal crone of their Miao village, also the sole Raw Miao, pressing her lips tight, silent, yet her beautiful almond eyes shone brighter than any heavenly star.

After a stalemate, the old person finally sighed, stepped back half a pace, and said: "Forget it, I'm old, I can't control you lot, but if he dares betray you, I'll risk my life to keep him here!"

The pure Miao girl's smile was full, she said firmly: "No, he won't treat me like that."

"Since that's the case, listen to your grandmother and give him a love gu."

She lifted her skirt and went upstairs, making light footsteps; upon hearing that, she suddenly paused: "I don't need it!"

"You do." The thud of the cane hitting the ground made her cover her ears, and a gu worm the size of a Sichuan peppercorn crawled out from the silver ornament on her wrist.

"Give him the love gu, I won't bother with anything else."

Sang Ru's heart jumped; she knew she was moved.

Their Raw Miao clan, in order to maintain bloodline purity, never interacted with outsiders, let alone marriage or love.

Sang Ru, her emotions in turmoil, had just entered when someone from behind grabbed her in a hug; she startled, wrapped her arms around his waist, and the gu worm, taking advantage of the pain as cover, burrowed into the man's body.

Shen Huibai furrowed his brows, still thinking he had gone too far.

Everything that followed proceeded naturally; even the moonlight blushed and hid behind the clouds.

Sang Ru leaned against him: "I like you, I want to spend a lifetime with you."

Shen Huibai paused, then laughed: "Me too."

He held the girl, feeling deep disdain for vows of eternal love; he never believed in such talk, and only those silly girls liked to mouth such sweet nothings.

As he thought, a sudden prickle came from his chest; Shen Huibai didn't know the gu worm had already crawled to the edge of his heart, and if no one activated it, it would lie dormant there for a lifetime.

Shen Huibai and Sang Ru spent a sweet period together, but soon he grew tired of such monotonous, dull life; at first he found the scenery of bright mountains and clear waters lovely, and plucking a high-altitude flower was fun, yet once he had it in hand, he began to relax.

He missed the red lights and green wine of the big city, missed all kinds of women; a person shouldn't hang themselves on a single tree, Shen Huibai prepared to flee, thinking he had done it flawlessly, hiding it from the lovesick Sang Ru, but he couldn't hide it from the blind yet perceptive old lady.

How could he know whom he had provoked?

It was the sole herbal crone of this thousand-household Miao village, the sole Raw Miao heir, and the Miao frontier gu woman!

Shen Huibai even left a hypocritical note, having betrayed her, letting her take a million in compensation to start anew; the moment he boarded the train, his chest gave a sharp pain.

In the Miao village's stilted building, the twin news of her pregnancy's surprise and being abandoned reached Sang Ru's ears at once; she clenched the envelope, silent for a long while.

He deceived her!

This faithless wretch!

Miao women dare to love and hate; love wishes them life, hate wishes them death. The child in her belly was completely flushed out by a bowl of bitter decoction; the once pure and kind maiden lay pale-faced on the bed, tears streaming: "Grandma, he betrayed me! He deceived me!"

"Grandma, you're right—men have not a single good thing, not a single good thing!"

The old lady held the tonic, her heart as if cut by a knife, soothingly patting her granddaughter's back, she said hatefully: "It's all those vile men's fault; Grandma will help you get revenge—you didn't give him the love gu, did you? Activate it!"

Love gu, love gu, it rends heart and gut.

She doesn't want his heart; she wants his life. For a faithless man, the best ending is to have his heart devoured, repaying the karmic debt he incurred!

So this is retribution?!

Ling Yue instantly focused her spirit, meeting the expectant gazes of several people; she drew a deep breath, had Shen Huibai lie on the bed, and the spirit snake gu on his wrist flicked and jumped onto the bed.

"Ah!" Madam Shen nearly fainted from fright; only then did she notice that the pair of bracelets on Ling Yue's wrist were actually just one, the other being a snake.

Ling Yue: "It's a gu."

The spirit snake gu merely applied a little pressure, and the love gu immediately bolted, a swelling the size of an infant's fist appearing on his flat chest, making onlookers' scalps go numb.

Sisi~

The spirit snake gu stared tiger‑like at the jumping swelling; "Come out! If you don't, I'll eat you right away!"

Its heavy aura and suppressive rank were enough to make the arrogant love gu instantly submit; in everyone's eyes, that swelling suddenly rose upward.

Shen Huibai deeply felt it; the next moment his Adam's apple bulged, and he vomited out a plump black worm about half the size of a chicken egg, its flesh tinged with blood.

It was disgusting to behold.

But Shen Huibai himself felt waves of relief.

Madam Shen's brows were about to knot together: "How could—"

Before she could finish, a flash of emerald green shot past; the love gu that had just been whining for mercy was already fallen into Cuiyu's mouth.

The green snake gu's eyes lit up instantly: "Delicious!"

It even gave Ling Yue a detailed description of the love gu's texture: "□□ bouncy, like the jelly I ate before, and especially sweet." Cuiyu said while shaking her head: "The only flaw is——"

"Too little!"

Bi Yu said, sighing with clenched wrists, Ling Yue heard her mouth twitch—what too little? The gu worms painstakingly raised by the Miao Jiang gu maiden were just eaten by Bi Yu in one bite.

At the same time, the Qianhu Miao Village far in Xiang Province, the master of the love gu seemed to sense something, suddenly furrowed brow.

At the same time, the patient on the bed, Shen Huibai, suddenly woke up; not knowing what he had just thought of, he let out a loud "Ah—".

"Save me, save me, I'm going to die!"

He was flailing wildly on the hospital bed alone; after reacting, Shen Huibai immediately covered his face with the blanket. As expected of mother and son, their kneeling speed was on par: "Sorry, Master, I got too excited just now and couldn't control myself."

Ling Yue nodded; before she could say anything, Shen Huibai couldn't hold back and asked: "Then are all the gu on my body completely resolved?"

Ling Yue raised her eyebrows slightly: "What do you think?"

Isn't this asking the obvious? If it hasn't been resolved, what did Bi Yu just eat? Air? And with his love-addled mind controlled by the love gu, if it weren't removed, he'd now be foolishly shouting Xiao Ru's name, just like before.

Obviously, Shen Huibai also realized, understanding Ling Yue's implication, and instantly felt embarrassed to the point of wanting to disappear.

He suddenly spoke up, face full of hatred, saying: "Thank you, Master, for saving my life; if it weren't for you, Master, I would definitely have been killed pointlessly by the Miao Jiang gu worms."

Madam Shen wiped her tears: "My son, you've suffered; you must be saying that lowly wretch is harming you! She wants to step into our Shen family's doorway, without even checking if she's worthy!"

"Mom, how can you say that? I'm the one who let her down."

"What nonsense are you spouting! You've done enough, spending nearly a million on her—you're an ungrateful white-eyed wolf!"

Mother and son sang in unison, lowering that person to the dirt; Ling Yue watched their performance expressionlessly: "Really?"

"But as far as I know, it doesn't seem to be like that."

Her dark, deep eyes fell on Shen Huibai, making his heart turn cold; he forced a smile and said: "Master, what do you mean by that?"

Ling Yue also smiled: "What do you mean? Isn't it clear enough already?"

"Sang Ru."

She only said those two words, and Shen Huibai, who had been nonchalant just moments before, was struck as if by lightning, his neck stiffening as he looked at Ling Yue.

Ling Yue: "Isn't it that you deceived a pure maiden's feelings, played with her until you got bored and then left? Do you know? The day you sneaked away, Sang Ru discovered she was pregnant; she used your child's blood as a guide to activate the love gu in your body—this is the price you owe."

"As for seduction," Ling Yue looked at Madam Shen: "It was your son who first lured away that young maiden."

After she said that, the two of their faces turned bluish-white, like an overturned palette, showing every color.

More importantly, they didn't dare to talk back.

The ability Ling Yue had previously displayed showed she was a genuine master; they dared not offend someone with such special abilities, mother and son lowered their heads, humiliatedly listening to her speak.

Suddenly, that voice disappeared.

Only the bang of the door closing remained; the room held only the mother and son, Shen Huibai finally relaxed, but looking at his withered palm, like bark, it represented that his lost vitality had not been replenished.

He also didn't realize that from this incident he had lost at least fifteen years of his lifespan, and the child Sang Ru had aborted was also his last child.

Shen Huibai himself, due to the love gu consuming his vitality, ended up with an extremely poor physique, and no longer had any normal capacity.

Ling Yue would not tell them; they had to discover it themselves, and that would be painful.

As for saving him, it was purely for that grandparent-grandchild pair; it's not worth sacrificing a lifetime for such a thing.

After stepping out, Ling Yue paused, her eyes glancing sideways; behind her followed Ye Xiu Lan, whose face was calm but whose eyes revealed a hint of guilt.

"Sorry, I didn't know either; they were in this situation."

Ling Yue shook her head: "It's fine, anyway… the price has already been paid." Her vague response made Ye Xiu Lan's eyes flicker.

How could such a smart person fail to guess Ling Yue's implication? As for the Shen family, Ye Xiu Lan already had a plan; for a family where the beam is not straight and the rafters are crooked, it's best to stay away as soon as possible.

As for this payment, Ling Yue still received it on schedule.

When the transfer notification arrived, she was debugging equipment, preparing to go live; seeing the message, Ling Yue called, found Sang Ru's account, and sent the money to the young lady.

Not long after, the message "【The live room you follow is about to start】" instantly spread across the land, because her fanbase came from all over the country, and even the world.:,,.