Under the overturned nest
As they walked to the city gate of Yancheng, Sui Zhixu lifted the curtain, revealing a thin, bony man carrying a basket full of vegetables on his shoulder. His gaze was vacant as he moved step by step with the crowd toward the city gate.
For some reason, he never put down the carrying pole to rest for even a moment.
As Xu withdrew his gaze, he saw a variety of human behaviors in the long queue. There was a wife trying to soothe her crying child, an infant in swaddling clothes with a flushed face, and a mother with tears on her face, who kept apologizing to her ex and her former lover while trying to comfort her.
Judging from the situation, it seemed that her child was sick. The people around her frowned and pursed their lips. When faced with the wife's apology, they looked at the baby's face, waved their hands, sighed, and ultimately said nothing.
Sui Zhixu tugged at Dan Hong's sleeve, gesturing for her to look.
"Dan Hong understands."
She climbed down from the carriage, walked to them, revealed her identity, and offered to treat her child's illness.
At first, the woman looked terrified, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at Sui Zhixu. She hugged her child tightly, and the baby cried even louder. She patted his back anxiously, muttering, "Don't cry, don't cry."
After hesitating for a long time, perhaps because she could tell that Sui Zhixu's carriage was exquisite and expensive and didn't seem like a scam to abduct children, she lifted the swaddling clothes. Her bright red eyes widened in surprise. There was a black spot on the child's short, thick neck.
Dan Hong said a few words to her, then quickly got into the carriage and said to Sui Zhixu, "Wife, the child has black spots on his neck, it might be a Gu worm."
As soon as Xu lifted the curtain, she stood helplessly in front of him, her eyes filled with vulnerability.
"Settle her in first. Go and carefully verify if it is a Gu worm. If it is, find a way to separate them."
Chu Shiguan already knew of Chu Feixuan's existence. He was initially very loud and boisterous, but thankfully he was able to ride a horse outside.
Chu Feixuan walked up to Sui Zhixu's carriage and asked her, and Sui Zhixu gave a brief description.
"Leave it to me." He called to Danhong and rode his horse to his wife.
"When did your child get sick? Let me take care of him for now; you've been carrying him all this way."
She shook her head cautiously, "Don't bother."
“We have a house in Yancheng. You get in the carriage and go with them. She and I will go first. The child can’t stay sick for too long.” Chu Feixuan was afraid she wouldn’t believe him, so he took out the Sui family token and threw it to her.
"You must know the Sui family of Jingzhou, right? The people behind us are our patriarch and young master. We're not afraid of you investigating."
"Come, give me the child."
The wife was still worried. "Why don't I come with you? The child is still young and needs someone to look after him."
Danhong: "Don't worry, even though I'm not very old, I've delivered many babies and raised children. I'm experienced."
“I know you have concerns. Do you see the first carriage? That’s our patriarch, the officials recognize him. Besides, it’s not really appropriate for an unmarried man like me to ride a horse with a wife like you.”
Amidst the child's cries and well-meaning advice around her, she still handed the child over to Chu Feixuan.
Dan Hong snatched Fan Lingzhang's horse, mounted it, and, thanks to her family's status, easily made it through the long procession with Chu Feixuan into the city.
Sui He boarded Sui Zhixu's carriage and gave his own carriage to the lady.
Chong Suizhi waved his hand, "Your injury hasn't fully healed yet, I won't let you do any more."
"If it really is a Gu worm..."
In Jingzhou, it is truly a case of "when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken."
In the carriage ahead, Sui's wife kept lifting the curtain. After this ordeal, the Sui family's carriage quickly passed through the city gate.
Her eyes widened slightly, and she clasped her hands together. With such a large and prosperous family, her child should be alright, right?
No, she should go with them. Her child is so young; she can't leave him alone for even a moment. What if he gets hungry? What if he gets thirsty?
How could she have been so foolish as to believe the young woman's words? She looked so young, not at all like someone who had raised children.
Her heart was in turmoil. She kept telling herself that they were from Sui family and would never take her child, while also blaming herself for trusting them too much.
Finally, the carriage stopped, and her anxious heart settled down. Her palms were sweaty. Just as she was about to lift the curtain, she saw the delicate patterns on it and quickly wiped the sweat on her clothes.
She repeatedly checked her palms to make sure they were clean before daring to lift a corner of the carriage curtain.
The Sui family's residence is dignified and elegant, with stone lions at the entrance exuding a sense of nobility and inviolability.
Just as Danhong got off the carriage, she ran out of the courtyard. She quickly grabbed Danhong's hand and asked, "How is my child? I heard him crying all morning yesterday, and then I found a black spot on his neck. He was born fair-skinned and clean, without any spots."
"The village barefoot doctor couldn't tell anything, so I brought the child to the city early this morning. Wife, is he alright?"
Dan Hong's hand was gripped tightly by her. She probably didn't even realize how strong she was. Where she gripped, a patch of red appeared on Dan Hong's wrist.
"You discovered it early," Dan Hong said, and then they understood.
It is indeed a Gu worm.
The child's mother didn't quite understand. Dan Hong led the people inside, arranging for servants to prepare medicinal herbs along the way.
She said to Sui Zhixu, "He is young and different from Fan Langjun who has grown up. I want to try what Chi Gong did last time to make the other Gu worms go into hibernation, but he is too young and I dare not."
A stone weighed on everyone's heart. Although Xu remained silent, the child's mother blinked rapidly.
"My wife, I don't quite understand. What is this Gu worm? What is this dormancy? What is wrong with my child?" She swallowed hard, and her palms started sweating again.
“Your child has a Gu worm in his body, which is why he has black spots on his face. You discovered it early, otherwise his body would have ulcerated in a few days. Many adults would show symptoms of mental instability. He is too young. I dare not try the new method that Chi Gong researched on him.”
The second half was addressed to Sui Zhixu and the others.
An infant in swaddling clothes is too fragile. An ordinary child can be taken away by a cold, let alone one infected with a Gu worm.
Danhong supported her swaying wife, saying, "You are his mother. Think carefully about what he ate and drank. It may not be recently, but half a month ago, or even a month ago."
Jingzhou did not report that even infants in swaddling clothes were infected with Gu worms. The earliest cases of Gu infection appeared in a collateral branch of the Cui family, namely the family of Sui Zhixu's maternal aunt.
At first, I didn't take it seriously, until more and more people in Jingzhou started showing symptoms. People from Xianjialiao in Jingzhou, ordinary people in Jingzhou, and even their families all started showing symptoms one after another.
The clan elders of Jingzhou then reported the situation to Sui He, by which time it was already out of control.
Unable to find the reason, the dormant period of the Gu worms ranges from half a month to more than a month. They have no idea when, where, or what they moved.
“I saw everything he ate, what was it? What was it?” She was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and Danhong steadily supported her.
"Don't rush, think about it first." Danhong grabbed her because as a mother, she was very cautious about what her child came into contact with.
Perhaps she is the key to breaking through.
"That's it! Well water!" She gripped Danhong's arm tightly, her eyes bloodshot, her expression ferocious. "The well water from Zao Village?"
Are you from Zaocun?
"No, the well water in Zao Village has become very famous in the last two years. I heard that people who drink it will have a peaceful and prosperous life. My husband was working as a shop assistant when he passed by. He filled a bamboo tube with water, but neither of us drank it. We used the water to cook some rice porridge for the child. Waaah."
The suppressed sobs could no longer be contained; they were filled with sorrow and grief. She kept saying it was all my fault, that I had ruined him.
When Xu saw her outside the city gate, it was because she had a red mole between her eyebrows, an oval face, and her skin was tanned from years of farm work. Her hair was yellowish, but she kept it very clean.
She resembled the Bodhisattva in people's eyes, especially with a crying child in her arms, which made Xu feel compassion.
She was full of maternal love and gave her child the best of everything, but unexpectedly, she harmed him.
Sui He immediately sent someone to investigate. "Liu Lü, you have excellent lightness skills. Go to the Sui family now and bring Chi Gong here, quickly!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Danhong, prepare the necessary medicines and tools first. The others should prepare some soft fabrics to make the child more comfortable."
"As for this woman, take her to wash up and change her clothes first. You can't be so decadent; the child is still young and can't be without his mother at night."
Sui He arranged everything in an orderly manner, with everyone performing their duties, and the Sui family suddenly became very busy.
Sui Zhixu kept his head down, his chest heaving, and his breathing became disordered.
Fan Lingzhang took her hand and called her softly. She looked up and met his concerned gaze, and said calmly, "I'm fine. I'll be right back after I go out for a bit."
"My wife!"
Fan Lingzhang couldn't stop her, and Sui He frowned slightly as he watched her hurried departure. "Fei Xuan, go and follow her, but don't let her find out."
"no problem."
Following that gaze, Xu headed north, looking around. When she reached the entrance of an empty alley, she shouted, "Jiang Li? Is that you? Come out, I know it's you. It can only be you or Gu Qingyi. Gu Qingyi doesn't know martial arts, so she couldn't have hidden herself so well. Come out! If you don't come out, I will never go back to Miao territory with you."
The next second, the back of a woman in Miao clothing appeared in front of her. She turned around, and the first thing that caught her eye was the jingling silver ornaments on her chest.
Looking up, she saw her beautiful yet aloof face. She exclaimed in surprise, "You actually guessed it was me?"
Jiang Li wanted to step forward and take Sui Zhixu's hand, "I know you're injured, how are you now?"
Sui Zhixu dodged to the side, "I'm fine. How did you manage to follow me without them noticing?"
Jiang Li: "Wen Ke, are you going to meet her?"
Wen Ke?
Her surname is Wen. Could she be the Wen Niangzi that Xiao Furong mentioned, the one with whom she has a good relationship?
She shook her head. "I have something else to discuss with you today. He asked you to use witchcraft, didn't he?"
Jiang Li nodded.
Her thoughts were confirmed: the fortune had vanished from Sima Xian, and he needed to regain it; he couldn't start by taking other people's lives from her.
The sacrifice in Yungang Village has now led to a great calamity in Jingzhou.
"The first thing you did after you came out of seclusion was to work for him. You keep saying you care about me, but is this what you mean by caring?" Sui Zhixu clutched her chest, her long eyelashes concealing the coldness in her eyes.
Jiang Li panicked. "Of course I care about you. The matter between Sima Xian and me is complicated. This is our agreement, and I have to do it. I didn't know you were in trouble when I came out of the pass. He ordered the people of Miaojiang not to tell me. It was Jiang Yun who told me. He ran away and I caught him. After he finished speaking, he ran away again."
"After that, Gu Qingyi sent me a message saying that you had come back to life, so I went to Jingzhou to work for Sima Xian."
"Ah Ling, I do care about you." Jiang Li reached out to hold her hand.
"The flowers in Miao territory are in bloom. Come back with me and let's go see them."
This time she didn't look away. Her peach blossom eyes fluttered, her profile was serene and lively, and she looked up into Jiang Li's eyes.
The flowers are blooming...
The words echoed in her ears countless times, and she covered her head, feeling dizzy.
She stumbled and fell into Jiang Li's arms, the silver bells making a clear, crisp sound, like a babbling brook, cool and comforting.
Jiang Li's fragrance was unique. Although Xu considered himself sensitive to fragrances, he couldn't tell for a moment, but he was certain that it was bewitching.
“Come home with me.”
Sui Zhixu pushed her away forcefully, steadied himself, and asked, "How do we cure the Gu worms of Jingzhou?"
"Are you angry with me because of that child?" Jiang Li touched her face; she was still a beautiful young woman.
“I could have saved him. This was an accident. I know you. You always have compassion for the weak. I never used to harm children.”
As Xu smiled silently, Jiang Li was even happier.
How can you save them?
Jiang Li took out a medicine bottle. "Dissolve it, and Old Man Chi will find out later."
As Xu took the medicine bottle, Jiang Li's hope was rekindled. He gently stroked her hair and asked, "Do you want to come back to Miao territory with me?"
Once she got it, she decisively dodged Jiang Li's touch, "How do I know if you're telling the truth or not? If I go back with you, there will be corpses everywhere here?"
Jiang Li's hand fell into mid-air, "A-Ling..."
"I've already died once."
The implication was that she didn't believe them.
After saying that, she turned and left, leaving Jiang Li alone in the dark alley.
Wen Ke landed beside her, "It's a thankless task, it's easier to just knock her out."
"Shut up."
A dark glint flashed in Jiang Li's eyes, but she said firmly, "She will come back."
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