Fang Hang tried to get closer to the cage, gripping the bars tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He dared not take his eyes off his cousin for a moment, for fear of missing even the slightest movement.

However, my cousin's chest seemed lifeless, without the slightest movement of his breath.

Fear and despair surged into Fang Hang's heart like a tide, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"No, my cousin will be alright!" he shouted desperately in his heart. He shook the cage hard, trying to open it, but the sturdy lock ruthlessly blocked his way.

Fang Hang's breathing became more and more rapid, and his gaze swept back and forth over his cousin, trying to find a trace of life.

The wound, oozing black blood, seemed to mock his powerlessness and despair mercilessly.

"I must save you, cousin!" Fang Hang gritted his teeth, his eyes revealing a firm determination.

He knew he couldn't give up now; even if there was only a sliver of hope, he would fight with all his might.

"Li Xin, please help me. I'll do anything for you, even be your slave." Fang Hang's eyes were bloodshot as he clenched his white fingers.

"This...this can't just be something you can help with! Your cousin seems to have been dead for a long time..." Li Xin's words were like a bucket of cold water, chilling him to the bone.

"Hmph! How vicious! Your cousin was sucked to death by this evil spirit, and the fact that it came after you means that your cousin's fate is your fate too." Ma Linghua's words were like a thunderbolt, making Fang Hang's head buzz.

Seeing that Ma Linghua didn't seem to want to joke, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"What... what's going on?" Fang Hang didn't want to die; he wanted to live. He still had a bright future ahead of him.

He glanced at his cousin, who had been good to him since childhood, and his heart ached.

“Some people are born geniuses, while others are born good-for-nothings. In your Fang family, you and your cousin are probably the best at studying, right? You can even memorize a book after reading it only once. It’s no exaggeration to say that you and your cousin are geniuses,” Ma Linghua said with great certainty.

Fang Hang was taken aback. After thinking about it carefully, he realized it was true. His father had five siblings, his cousin was his second uncle's child, his father was the eldest in the family, and the intelligence of his uncles and aunts was not very high.

As he was thinking, his eyes suddenly widened as he remembered his father's hesitant expression and the words he had said during his exam.

"Xiaohang, something happened to your cousin's family. Focus on your studies and exams. I'll take your mom and sister to check on them. It's nothing serious... Just focus on your studies and don't think about anything else."

This sentence lingered in his mind...