In the study, Tao Nianyuan took out a cowhide file bag.
He pulled out a stack of yellowed documents and said, "Xiao Heng, your grandfather and your maternal grandfather investigated the Gujia Village incident 22 years ago. These are the records from that year."
He pointed to the date on the document. "The investigation was discontinued after your grandfather passed away eight years ago."
Tao Nianyuan turned his gaze to Gu Youran, his tone suddenly becoming complicated, "I never thought that fate would play such a trick on you. You would marry someone from the Gu family... and moreover, the most perfect 'Blood Purifier' the Gu family has produced in the past five hundred years."
Gu Youran's fingers unconsciously twisted the corners of her clothes, and her face turned pale.
"Uncle!" Shi Heng immediately grasped his wife's trembling hand, "Please don't scare her."
Tao Nianyuan sighed, "You Ran, how much do you know about your father's family?"
"Father...never spoke of his family background, and it wasn't mentioned in his diary."
"But there's something strange. The night my father saved me and Renault... I'll always remember the way he held the scalpel."
"Blood dripped from the tip of the knife, and his movements were so fast that it was hard to see. But on weekdays, he took the villagers' pulses and prescribed medicine, and he rarely used acupuncture..."
Shi Heng pondered, "Gujia Village has believed in witch doctors for generations. If they suddenly showed a scalpel, they would probably be regarded as an alien. My father-in-law is just adapting to local customs."
Tao Nianyuan showed a handwritten medical record. "However, he integrated surgical knowledge into traditional Chinese medicine. Looking at this bone-setting technique, it is clearly a modified surgical bone-setting technique."
Shi Heng gripped Gu Youran's hand tightly, "To save you that night, your father-in-law certainly didn't bother hiding. The enemy was coming in force, and a scalpel was more effective than a needle."
Tao Nianyuan took out an old photo from the file bag and said, "Xiao Yunjian comes from the reclusive Xiao family, which has been passed down for six hundred years."
The young man in the photo standing in front of the operating table is none other than the young Xiao Yunjian.
"This family possesses the lost art of 'Observing the Stars and Identifying the Qi' from the Classic of Mountains and Seas: Great Wilderness West Classic."
"Your father is the most outstanding genius they have seen in a hundred years. At the age of twenty, he could perform surgical operations that ordinary people could not imagine."
Gu Youran stared blankly at the unfamiliar father in the photo.
Tao Nianyuan continued, "Twenty-six years ago, the Xiao family suddenly announced that the heir, Xiao Yunjian, was expelled for violating family rules."
He took out a piece of paper. "But it says here, 'Voluntarily expelled, never to return.'"
Tao Nianyuan took out another astrological chart and said, "Someone used astrology to guide him to fall in love with your mother, just to give birth to the perfect 'Blood Purifying Vessel'."
"After the Xiao family discovered the truth, they wanted to take you back, but unfortunately... the fire got there first."
Shi Heng suddenly interrupted, "Why did Grandpa intervene back then?"
"Because of the Shi family's curse of 'Love will kill the one you love.'"
Tao Nianyuan looked directly into Shi Heng's eyes. "And your grandfather saw the possibility of a solution in three-year-old Youran."
"When the men of the Shi family are aroused, their blood surges backwards, but her constitution can calm this disorder."
He closed the file bag and said, "You can't hide from this."
"The Xiao family will not let You Ran go, and the Shi family's curse will not disappear on its own."
He stood up and said, "You only have one choice..."
"Take advantage of their tactic. Exploit their obsession with the Blood Purifying Device and find the person behind it."
Gu Youran raised her head, and the fear in her eyes was gradually replaced by determination.
"You mean... that I should pretend to cooperate with their plan?"
Shi Heng held her hand tightly, "No, it's too dangerous."
Tao Nianyuan shook his head slightly, "It's not about pretending to cooperate, but about controlling the rhythm."
He looked directly at Shi Heng. "The Shi family's curse, the Xiao family's plot, the Gu family's secrets... the answers to these mysteries all lie with You Ran."
"What you have to do is to solve this mystery before they take action."
After a moment of silence, Gu Youran took a deep breath and said, "I agree."
Shi Heng looked at her determined eyes and finally nodded.
“But it has to be done our way.”
Tao Nianyuan smiled approvingly, "Very good."
"Remember, from now on, everything you see and hear may be part of the game."
“Dongdongdong——”
A knock on the door broke the heavy atmosphere.
Tao Nianwan pushed the door open carrying a mahogany tea tray, and the mellow aroma of aged Pu'er tea wafted from the celadon teapot.
"Nianyuan," she put down the tea tray and glared at her brother in disapproval, "every time I enter the study, you have a stern face that's scary."
She walked over to Gu Youran and placed her warm hand over her clenched fist. "Don't be nervous, Youran. Your uncle likes to make things sound mysterious."
"Come on, I'll take you to the warm room. The Lushan Cloud Tea we just arrived is warming up."
Gu Youran looked up in a daze, the panic in his eyes still lingering.
Tao Nianwan had already neatly gathered up her loose scarf. "The study is cold and your hands are frozen."
"Those old things, wait until you calm down and then think about them slowly."
After Gu Youran left with her mother, Shi Heng suddenly grabbed Tao Nianyuan's sleeve.
"Uncle..." He lowered his voice, a hint of uneasiness flashing in his eyes, "I saw something strange in the recording studio."
"Everyone who listens to Youbao's singing will have a golden light appear above their head, and eventually be absorbed by the silver bracelet on her wrist."
“Bang!”
The celadon teacup in Tao Nianyuan's hand fell to the ground and broke into several pieces.
"Nine Star Ring?!"
He suddenly grabbed Shi Heng's shoulders and asked, "What does the bracelet look like?"
Shi Heng recalled, "It's just an ordinary silver bracelet with five lines on the surface."
Tao Nianyuan's face suddenly changed, and he turned around and took out an ancient worm-eaten sheepskin book from the secret compartment of the bookshelf.
He flipped through the pages quickly, finally stopping on a faded illustration.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com