Chapter 87: Living Man or Living Insect?

"You bunch of idiots, what's wrong with you? Do you think I'm an insect? Huh, you stuffed me into a whole sack? You all want to die!!!"

A loud roar suddenly echoed through the usually quiet Song residence.

One short and five tall figures faced each other in the pavilion.

Old Master Chong was peacefully residing in his attic when, in the blink of an eye, he was dragged to the Song residence. Looking at the five exceptionally talented and distinguished children before him, without a second thought, he jumped up and slapped each of them hard across the face, roaring with powerful voice.

The brothers, having done something wrong, let the old man jump up and hit them on the head, making them grimace in pain, but daring not to utter a word.

They are unlike Song Jin

This old insect had an unusual appearance and a close relationship with Song Shang, so naturally they wouldn't go against him. Even if they were beaten, they would take it well.

Not to mention they were in the wrong to begin with.

There's definitely something wrong with Song Jin's actions. They don't know who made the move yet, and they don't possess Song Jin's high-level martial arts skills. They're terrified of making any mistakes.

The group decided to invite Elder Chong to stay for a few days to treat Niu Tielan's illness.

But the old man wouldn't have it.

Old Insect has lived in the attic for over ten years, never coming downstairs until late at night. His life is that of a dark insect, and he doesn't care who you are. He's gone to so much trouble to make medicine and practice Gu, can't he stay indoors?

He strongly refused their requests and tried to drive them away, then he was put in this place with a sack over his head.

Old Insect was furious with those idiots. He rolled up his sleeves and started hitting them. He looked like a little dwarf, but his blows were deafening and hurt terribly.

At first, Song Xingzhi and the others obediently endured the beating, but later they couldn't take it anymore and pushed Song Qingzhi out.

The Beast Raising Hall was a joint venture between Song Qingzhi and Insect Elder, with the two holding the largest share, making them the closest in terms of relationship, although this was only relative to others.

Song Qingzhi was beaten no less severely than the others; he even had a bump on his forehead.

He clutched his head and wailed, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me, old man! I had no choice! Can't you be a little more understanding?"

The old insect roared in fury: "I understand your father's understanding, but you brought me here with a bunch of idiots who could have been insect feed, and you're going to get the medicine? It's you again, it's you again!"

Song Qingzhi, his green eyes drooping, touched his nose and said with boundless pride, "Tell me what you need, and I'll send people to search."

The old insect chuckled: "The wings of the wood-whistling insect, the teeth of the giant-toothed insect..."

Before he could finish speaking, Song Qingzhi decisively backed down: "I'll take you back right away."

Old Chong chuckled coldly, then ran up and kicked each of the five brothers twice. Finally venting his anger, he turned to look at Niu Tielan, who had been sitting calmly to the side, sipping tea the whole time.

He also learned from his five brothers that Song Jin had gotten into trouble.

Although he had a lot of complaints about that disrespectful brat and even felt a bit smug upon hearing the news, Old Chong still had a good impression of Niu Tielan.

She was quiet, intelligent, and resilient, with a strong heart—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to tolerate that father and daughter. More importantly, there was the matter of practicing Gu poison that was about to begin.

Regardless of failure, if she succeeds, she will be able to receive the entire inheritance of the Gu Clan without any hindrance. In another sense, she will be the next Gu Maiden of the Gu Clan.

From all perspectives, Elder Chong valued her highly, and his attitude towards her was vastly different from that towards others.

Old Chong, somewhat unaccustomed to it, offered words of comfort: "That girl is brave and lucky, she'll definitely be alright."

Niu Tielan sipped his tea: "I'm not worried about her."

She was just angry.

The old insect said again, "That's good. Let's go then. You should take your medicine too."

Niu Tielan gently looked up: "Where to?"

Old Insect: "Come to my place to get some medicine. The full moon is just a few days away; it's a crucial time."

Niu Tielan scoffed, "Really? At a crucial moment, huh?"

Old Insect: "It's very important. Just bear with it. As for safety, don't worry, I'm here."

Niu Tielan said calmly, "I can't bear to, I won't go."

Insect Elder: "Huh?"

Niu Tielan put down her teacup, looked up at him, and said in a soft but firm voice, "No, I'm staying at home these days and not going anywhere."

It took the old insect a while to react. He pointed at himself and said, "You're not going? You want me to come here?"

Niu Tielan glanced at her lightly: "Come if you want, don't come if you don't."

The old insect was so angry he jumped up and down: "You're the one who wants to see a doctor, eat it or don't, it's not me who'll die anyway!"

Niu Tielan replied casually, "Whatever."

Old Chong was so angry his eyes turned black. He glared at Niu Tielan and gritted his teeth: "Do whatever you want. Anyway, all my things are in the attic. Come or don't come, it's up to you. But let me tell you, this medicine won't work if you don't take it today."

At this point, he emphasized again, "It's no use."

Niu Tielan slowly rose to her feet. She was slender and graceful, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling, serene and gentle yet resolute and strong. She gave a light bow, then gracefully departed, her skirt trailing behind her.

This contrasts sharply with the black-faced, jumping-up insect elder.

"Fine, fine, you're the one who's courting death. It has nothing to do with me, old man. Come or don't come, drink or don't drink, die if you want, it has absolutely nothing to do with me, Old Bug..."

The insect, only the size of a ten-year-old child, jumped around like a ball, spouting a string of harsh words.

It was only the time it took for Niu Tielan to take a nap. When he woke up again, he saw servants carefully carrying wooden boxes and trays of insects and snakes down the corridor.

The usually defiant Old Insect, who had been so tough that morning, stormed over with the brewed medicine, slammed it onto the stone table, and glared at us, grinding his teeth: "Here, drink it while it's hot, and finish it in one gulp!"

That old worm is truly a worm when he lies down, a blade of grass when he lies still, and just two words when he's sprawled out.

Suffering

Niu Tielan looked at the old man, who was so angry he was practically fuming. His gaze shifted to the old man's shaved beard. He lowered his eyes and looked at the bowl of black medicine. He didn't even need to put it to his lips; the familiar smell already filled his nostrils, and the stench of blood was even stronger than before.

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she picked up the medicine bowl. The pungent smell wafted back again, strong and nauseating, but it was subtly different from before, as if five more medicinal herbs had been added.

Under the watchful eye of the old insect, Niu Tielan held the medicine to his lips, the black medicine at his mouth, and then gently placed it on the ground.

With a thud, it fell to the ground along with her clothes, releasing a pungent odor. The grass where the medicine had been sprayed withered little by little, as if poisoned, and began to emit bluish smoke.

Old Insect was already clutching his chest: "What, what, what are you doing? Are you trying to make me angry to death?"

Niu Tielan looked at the rapidly drying grass and said lightly, "My hand slipped. Let's make another bowl."

Old Insect: "Do you think this is cabbage? You think I can just give you whatever I want? Where am I supposed to get that? I think you really don't want to live anymore..."

As he spoke, he spun around in circles, his hair standing on end in anger, making it appear twice its previous size.

Big head, small feet, short stature, white hair, and a youthful face—a little old man.

Niu Tielan looked again at the withered grass killed by the potion, then placed his hand on his increasingly calm heart, and looked at the Old Insect: "How old are you?"

Old Bug pulled out a strand of hair, annoyed: "Can't you tell? I'm 189 years old this year. If you can fix it, that's fine too. Why are you so disobedient? Why can't you take your medicine properly? Ugh, do you know how precious those medicines are? You're driving me crazy!"

Niu Tielan wasn't too surprised. He continued to pat his chest and softly asked, "So, am I a living person or a living insect?"

The old insect stopped and sneered, "It's good that you're alive. Does it matter if you're human or insect? Besides, have you ever seen an insect that can talk?"

Niu Tielan pointed at him: "You"

The old insect said, "I'd love to be an insect. Insects can live for hundreds or even thousands of years. You're lucky you came this year; in a few years, you'll be waiting to die."

Niu Tielan remained silent, her finger resting on her chest, where she could clearly feel the response of the red thread gu within.

They gradually merged into one, unlike before when they simply invaded.

This wasn't because the Red Thread Gu was tamed, but because her body had been modified; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to drink that highly poisonous medicine.

From the very beginning, she had no choice.

This person is not as he appears...

Niu Tielan lowered her hand, stood up again, then kicked aside the broken bowl beside her, saying casually, "A little sleepy, going back to sleep."

Old Insect glared: "Sleep? You still have the mind to sleep? What are you going to do now that the medicine is all gone? Are you out of your mind?"

Niu Tielan said lightly, "Isn't this what you're here for? Besides, like you said before, the risks of practicing Gu are so high. I'm about to die, can't I at least get some rest?"

The old insect clutched his chest: "You, you, you!"

Niu Tielan remained silent, gently brushing the medicine residue off his clothes. He calmly turned and left, leaving the old insect behind, which, enraged, writhed and rolled on the grass, its human form utterly resembling that of an insect. Covered in dust, he stood up, rushed over, and jumped up, slapping each of his five brothers standing to the side.

"Look, look, what are you looking at? Don't you know how to come and help? You're all useless trash. Does that kid Song Shang support you to eat for free? You can't even keep an eye on people, you can't persuade them, and you can't do any work. Useless, utterly useless, a whole nest of useless worms..."

Five brothers: ...

Let's talk about whether they were wronged or not.

**

In the Song family mansion, the five brothers were beaten.

Several little brats were huddled together outside the Song residence.

"Isn't this a bad idea?"

"It hurts to get hit."

...

Looking at the pile of flowers and Sheng Ge, Fu Ge and Ning Ning were terrified.

This is the Song Mansion! The Song Mansion, the legendary residence of a notorious traitor who killed countless people, watered his flowers with human blood, and fattened himself on human corpses.

Fu Ge and Ning Ning grew up in the capital and had heard many rumors about Song Shang. Song Jin had helped them a great deal, proving to be a valuable asset, but that couldn't mask the terrifying nature of the treacherous minister.

The two huddled together, trembling. In contrast, Hua Hua and Sheng Ge, who had grown up in the orphanage since childhood, were much braver. They performed like acrobats, with Sheng Ge standing on a wooden stool and Hua Hua on his shoulders. This was a piece of cake for them, who had studied martial arts since childhood.

Hua Hua stood steadily, arms crossed, and hummed softly, "No way! The adult is a good person. He donated money to our orphanage so we wouldn't go hungry. He's the best person in the world, he definitely wouldn't hit us."

Sheng Ge: "Exactly, the Prime Minister is a great man."

Hua Hua added, "Although the princess is a bit naughty..."

Last time, it caused them to be punished.

Ningning retorted, "Princess, okay?"

Hua Hua chuckled softly: "The princess is naughty!"

Ningning said loudly, "Princess, hello!"

Hua Hua picked at her ear: "The princess is bad."

...

The two of them, one standing on the ground and the other hanging in mid-air, started arguing again.

This is their daily routine during this period.

Both Brother Fu and Brother Sheng were a bit troubled, so they quickly tried to comfort and appease him.

Sheng Ge: "Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Have you forgotten why we came here?"

Brother Fu: "Be careful not to attract people here, or we'll be finished."

As if on cue, someone walked over here.

Brother Fu's expression changed, and he instinctively picked up Ningning and ran.

Sheng Ge and Xiao Hua were stunned for a moment, then quickly jumped down, holding hands and running away.

Feeling guilty, the four of them ran with their heads down, each trying to outrun the next. They felt unsafe if even one person was nearby. They ran along the narrow paths until no one else was around. Then they sat on the stone steps, leaning against the back gate, panting heavily.

Xiaohua: "You two are so disloyal!"

Ningning said in her childish voice, "We are orphans."

Running away when something happens is their survival rule.

Xiaohua glared: "We're still orphans!"

Ningning: "We're still little beggars."

Xiaohua pouted: "Anyway, they're not loyal."

...

Seeing that the two of them were arguing again, Fu Ge and Sheng Ge were too tired to talk anymore. Looking at the person opposite them who was about their age, they grinned and said in unison, "You're pretty amazing."

Sheng Ge laughed: "I started learning martial arts when I was three years old, and you can run as fast as me?"

Brother Fu scratched his head: "I've been begging on the streets since I was a child. I run away at the slightest sign of trouble."

Sheng Ge: "The wind rustles the grass? You can read?"

Fu Ge said embarrassedly, "Sometimes I would sneak peeks at the private school."

Sheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "That's really impressive. I hate reading the most."

...

The four of them sat there arguing, one saying his piece and the other hers, until the person behind the door couldn't take it anymore and opened the door.

The four kids leaning against the door fell to the ground, meeting a blank face.

That's it!

Sheng Ge and Fu Ge took off running, but halfway there they realized two of their kids were missing. Then they turned back...

Xiaohua and Ningning were carried there.

The two girls, exhausted, ran back with their heads hanging low, then knelt down and wailed, "Sir, we know we were wrong, please let our sister go..."

Li Qingshan had a headache.

These little brats were chattering away, which was giving him a headache. But seeing that they were familiar faces made it even worse. He put them down and said irritably, "Stop pretending. What are you four doing here?"

Li Qingshan is now Qi Zheng's personal bodyguard, spending most of his time with him. He was there when they went to Shangyang Village to catch Xiao Huasheng, and he was also there during the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern festival, so all four children recognized him.

The four children also remember him.

Li Qingshan was a military officer who passed the examination himself. He was not only tall and imposing, but also had a handsome and dignified face. He always carried a long sword at his side, and was a dashing and talented young man.

Xiao Hua looked at him, her eyes darting around, as if she wanted to run away.

Ningning, however, stared blankly at him, then scrambled up and hugged his leg, her voice still sweet and childish: "Find the princess, Uncle, please take Ningning to see the princess, okay?"

Li Qingshan looked down at her adorable little face and reached out to poke her cheek.

This little rascal is small, but he has quite high expectations.

He doesn't have that ability.

Li Qingshan: "The princess is alright, you don't need to worry. Just go back and wait."

With that, he picked Ningning up, pulled a large sum of money from his pocket, stuffed it into her hand, and gestured for the brats to leave.

But the moment he said something, it was fine; the four shrewd individuals exchanged glances, and the next second they all pounced on him.

"Please, sir!"

"Take us to see the princess."

"Adults are the kindest of all."

Li Qingshan, carrying four cubs on his back: ...

It's true what they say, kindness is often taken advantage of by children.

But the children were so persistent, and Li Qingshan didn't dare to use force, so he finally gave in: "I'll ask them for you."

The four people stared at him expectantly.

Li Qingshan sighed again: "Alright, I'll take you to ask."

The four of them immediately became happy.

They only realized they had run into the Prince's mansion at this moment. Unlike other places, the Prince's mansion had recently been heavily guarded, with armed guards in every courtyard.

These kids had never seen anything like this before. They were all excited before coming in, but once inside, the four of them huddled together, heads down, eyes fixed straight ahead, closely following behind Li Qingshan, terrified that falling behind would mean being captured and killed.

These guards were already terrifying, but the tall, aloof Qi Zheng was even more so.

Li Qingshan brought the four children to Qi Zheng and explained the situation. Turning around, he saw the four children who had been so bold and clingy just moments before, now trembling like drowned rats, too terrified to utter a single word.

He had something to say: "Weren't you so bold just now? Now you're silent?"

Xiaohua immediately glared at him.

Typical bully who preys on the weak.

Ningning has a good temper, but she's also timid. She'll look up, then shrink back, then look up again, then shrink back again.

Qi Zheng looked down at them and asked, "Do you want to go see her?"

The four people quickly nodded.

Qi Zheng nodded: "Then let's go."

Four people: "Huh?"

So fast? They haven't even thought of what to say yet.

Qi Zheng asked in confusion, "What? Is there something else?"

The four people shook their heads frantically.

Qi Zheng didn't think much of it and said to Li Qingshan beside him, "Have the kitchen prepare more things."

Li Qingshan: Yes

...

As a prince, Qi Zheng possessed privileges beyond the imagination of ordinary people, though he rarely used them before.

It's just a prison visit now; the guards wouldn't dare stop him.

He carried the lunchboxes as if he were walking in his own home, leading the four children inside. However, he didn't go directly into the women's prison area, but instead walked through the mixed-use prison, which contained men and women, ordinary civilians, and families of high-ranking officials.

They were all wicked people.

They sat one by one in the dark, cramped cells, some with deathly pale faces, others with hideous and grotesque expressions, and still others wailing and begging for mercy.

The little ones were trembling with fear, each holding onto the next, walking very cautiously, afraid of being grabbed by those unexpected hands.

Qi Zheng walked ahead at a leisurely pace until they reached the women's prison area, then said in a deep voice, "Disobedient children will grow up to be like this."

The three people besides Ningning: ...

Stop talking, stop talking, it's really scary!

Seeing that they were afraid, Qi Zheng nodded, then turned and continued walking, soon reaching Song Jin's side.

Compared to other areas, this place was remarkably orderly. The beds were neatly arranged, and the female prisoners sat quietly, listening to the voices coming from the other side.

The female prisoner said, "At the time, I thought, why can't I find someone like him? Later, I started hanging out with that butcher Li Datou. Datou was his nickname; his thing was really big."

The jeers started

"Haha, how shameless!"

How big is it? Tell me in detail.

Female prisoner: "Go away, listen to me. We got caught later, didn't we? That bastard, I was worried he'd beat me to death, but it turns out he's a cuckold and took me to work as a prostitute. That's fine. As for those people, they're all bad people, they're really greedy. You'll find out soon enough. Sigh, I don't know where I'll be exiled to, but it doesn't matter. As long as I have connections, I'm not afraid of not surviving."

The jeers started again.

Wow, impressive!

"Shameless bitch"

"I don't want to die either!"

...

Immediately afterwards, Song Jin's loud voice rang out: "Alright, all of you shut up, move on to the next one, next one. I have a friend who writes books, I'll have him write you all into his book when I get back."

Immediately, another female voice rang out: "Me! Me! I've never been literate, but I have to take this opportunity. I should be beheaded, but I still have to say, I'm truly innocent! I took the place of my twin sister, and as a result, I went to jail. All the things she did fell on my head, hehe, but I'm no good either..."

Qi Zheng's lips twitched upon hearing this.

Could this friend who wrote the book be him?

Meanwhile, Song Jin was listening intently.

If you remove those truly despicable individuals, the other inmates are all incredibly talented. Regardless of their crimes, the things they've done are all quite impressive.

These days, people who end up in prison really do have something special.

Song Jin listened, and she no longer found prison boring. By the time she noticed footsteps, it was too late to stop. She looked awkwardly at Qi Zheng, who appeared in front of the prison gate, and touched her nose: "You're here. Is dinner ready?"

Qi Zheng remained expressionless.

As Song Jin felt guilty, she became even more righteous: "What, can't I speak up just because I'm in jail?"

Qi Zheng glanced at her like this and said softly, "That's perfect, I brought you a few people to talk to."

Surprised, Song Jin noticed that Qi Zheng had moved aside.

Behind them, several little kids, trembling with fear from the 'ghost story,' quickly ran over, each one clinging to the iron bars with teary eyes.

"That's...that's terrifying!"

"Princess, my sister!"

"You're not going to get your head chopped off, are you?"

Song Jin's smile froze, and her head immediately started to throb. She glared fiercely at Qi Zheng, who was watching the show from the sidelines.

This is a prison, not a kindergarten.

Qi Zheng remained silent, unlocked the door with his key, shoved the food box and the four kids inside, and then, under Song Jin's deathly gaze, locked the door with a click.

He nodded: "You two chat, I'll come back later."

Song Jin looked at the four crybabies and gritted her teeth: "You're dead meat once I get out of here."

Qi Zheng smiled slightly and added, "You can also stay here with her for a few days."

With that, he turned and left, and Song Jin's eyelids twitched.

The next second, the four kids who had eagerly followed him in no longer wanted to visit him in prison; they started wailing and pounding on the iron bars of the cell.

"Help! Help! We are innocent!"

"I don't want to be beheaded! I want to go home!"

"Waaaaah!"

...

Song Jin laughed

What kind of person is that? So childish!