Chapter 121: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

When the coachman finished speaking, the butler slapped him, turning his face to the side: "Hold your tongue! Who do you think you are, daring to curse the Chi Family."

"Hmph! Since you've already captured me, I know I won't survive. Before I die I must curse you one last time! The Chi Family deserve to be wiped out! Even if I die, I'll become a vengeful ghost haunting you for generations! I'll watch you meet a bad end, your house shattered and your people dead."

Chi Nan Yi stood in the kitchen doorway, his gaze passing through the crowd to land on the coachman, who was agitated, veins bulging on his neck, shouting hoarsely.

The butler hurriedly called a guard: "Block his mouth, drag him to a secluded spot, and beat him to death with a stick."

"Yes!"

"Wait."

Everyone heard the voice, turned, and saw Chi Nan Yi walking slowly forward, stopping in front of the coachman.

"Divine Doctor, is there something wrong?" the butler whispered, "You'd better step back a bit; this person seems to have gone mad, so as not to harm you."

"Madness?" Chi Nan Yi looked at the man's slightly reddened eyes, blood vessels tangled in them, and saw the vessels still moving: "Butler, do you think this madness is really that easy?"

Chi Shao yuan was a little puzzled: "Brother Nan Yi, what does that mean?"

Chi Nan Yi produced a Silver Needle and drove it straight into the man's scalp; the coachman, who had been struggling fiercely like a beast, suddenly fell silent, his gaze vacant.

"What… what's happening? Is he stunned? Or… is he dead?"

"He's neither stunned nor dead." Chi Nan Yi flicked the tip of the needle, causing it to quiver, and the man's vacant eyes changed.

His face flushed red, his body began to convulse violently, and a flash of pain crossed his eyes.

At that moment, everyone noticed slight undulations under the skin around the coachman's eyes, as if something was moving.

"What… what is this? What is it?" Chi Shao yuan exclaimed in shock, "Is it a worm?"

"Correct, to be precise, it's a gu worm."

"Gu worm?"

"Exactly, it's a type of gu worm that can control a person's thoughts. It parasitizes the eyes, and once the host loses its usefulness, the controller commands the worm to crawl from the eye into the brain, devouring it, causing the victim to die silently." Chi Nan Yi pressed his fingertip again, snapping the needle tip, and the coachman's convulsions grew more violent.

Everyone watching the scene had terror in their eyes.

The thought of a gu worm burrowing into the brain gave them goosebumps.

That's terrifying.

As the coachman's body convulsed violently, a red worm as thin as a thread crawled out of his eye.

Chi Nan Yi collected the gu worm into a porcelain jar, and the coachman had already fainted.

"After being controlled by this kind of worm, waking up requires effort." If the gu worm has lingered in the body for a long time, even after removing it the person will be in a half‑mad state.

Chi Shao yuan's face turned extremely grim, and he said in a low voice, "You mean someone is secretly controlling him, aiming to bring my grandfather to death."

Chi Nan Yi nodded, "Not only the old master, but also you. Don't forget, you're also infected with Falling Moon Poison."

Chi Shao yuan's expression tightened, his eyes full of seriousness.

"Who exactly? Our Chi Family has never offended anyone. Who has acted against us?"

Chi Nan Yi waved the porcelain jar in his hand, "Finding out who it is isn't hard."

Soon, all the Chi Family servants gathered in the courtyard.

Chi Shao yuan looked at them coldly; at this moment, everyone seemed to him like the one who placed the gu on them.

"Brother Nan Yi, how should we verify?"

Chi Nan Yi produced the porcelain jar, the red gu worm inside writhing continuously.

"Brain‑eating gu differs from other gu worms; when raising it, one must feed it the host's blood daily for forty‑nine days, so it is extremely sensitive to the scent of its keeper. When the gu is brought near that person and senses the familiar aura, it will instinctively crawl onto them; it shows no reaction to strangers."

"Fine, then spread your palms!" Chi Shao yuan ordered, and everyone, despite their fear, extended their hands.

That's no ordinary insect; it's a gu worm that eats human brains—who wouldn't be afraid?"

But what use is fear?

If they don't obey the master, what should be done with those who set the gu?

A guard beside Chi Shao yuan carried the porcelain jar and walked past the others.

But the gu worm inside the jar kept writhing without any other response.

Even after passing the last person, the gu worm remained in the jar.

"What… what's going on?" Chi Shao yuan furrowed his brows, "Could it be that the keeper of the gu isn't among them?"

At that moment, Chi Nan Yi's gaze fell on the butler a short distance away.

"Brother Nan Yi, there's no need to test the butler. He has always been by my grandfather's side, loyal to the core. Years ago, he nearly lost his life saving my grandfather; his wife and children also died for the Chi Family. Who would betray the Chi Family? He would never."

"Is that so?" Chi Nan Yi's eyes flickered, smiling, "If he's that loyal, testing him shouldn't matter; it's mainly for peace of mind."

The butler lowered his head; no one could see his expression.

A guard approached the butler with the jar, "Butler, please extend your hand."

Chi the butler heard this, his body trembling, and hesitated, not extending his hand.

Chi Nan Yi saw the situation, understood in his heart—it was indeed him.

"Chi Butler." Chi Shao yuan said in a deep voice, "What's happening?"

Chi the butler stared at the jar, extended his left hand, and as the jar approached, he swiftly struck, knocking the jar onto the ground. While everyone's eyes were on the jar, he leapt up and sprinted out of the mansion.

"Catch him!"

As soon as Chi Nan Yi finished speaking, a dozen Dark Guards of the Chi Family chased after the butler's direction.

What else is unclear?

Chi Shao yuan's face was full of shock: "How… how could it be him?"

"Human hearts are inscrutable, adept at disguise, hard to discern truth from falsehood." Chi Nan Yi said calmly, "But what is seen with the eyes cannot be false."

Soon, the butler was captured by the Chi Family's Dark Guards and brought back.

At this moment, in the main hall, Chi Xian Shi and two Chi heirs were seated, while Chi Nan Yi sat beside Chi Xian Shi's right hand.

The butler was pressed to the ground by a guard, kneeling as before, still with his head down; Chi Xian Shi said coldly, "Why did you do this?"

The Chi family butler's body trembled, without a word.

"We, the Chi family, have treated you, have treated your whole family generously; how could you commit such a betrayal?"

"Treat me generously? Treat our whole family generously? How is it not generous? Where is it lacking? If it weren't for you, would my wife and children have died? You live, yet my home is shattered, my people perished, with no heirs!" The Chi family butler shouted angrily: "Therefore, I want you dead! I want that old thing dead!"