Qin Gu's face turned cold, and Ruan Bei smiled obediently at him: "The situation was very critical at the time."
If he doesn't break through, that evil spirit will strangle his father.
Qin Gu's eyes darkened. It was still his fault. If he had been there, Xiao Bei wouldn't have been injured like this.
He couldn't protect him in his past life, and he didn't expect it to be the same in this one.
Just as he was thinking, everything suddenly went dark before his eyes. A warm hand covered his eyes, and Xiao Bei's voice, almost a whisper, reached his ears: "Don't blame yourself. Kun Kun is already very, very good."
"You're the one who told me that we shouldn't blame ourselves just because others have done bad things to us."
A smile gradually appeared in his eyes, which were covered by his palm. He blinked, and his eyelashes tickled Ruan Bei's palm.
He took his hand down and secretly rubbed it with his fingertips.
Qin Gu touched his cheek, his tone seemingly stern, but his eyes held a smile: "Go to sleep, or you'll stunt your growth if you stay up late."
Ruan Bei pulled his hand into her arms and said in a soft, coquettish voice, "It hurts. It didn't hurt so much when you examined me just now. Touch it again."
Qin Gu choked slightly with a subtle expression, but ultimately placed his hand on Ruan Bei's lower abdomen, carefully controlling the flow of spiritual energy through Ruan Bei's injured meridians to nourish and soothe his aching body.
Although my back still hurts, at least the internal injuries aren't hurting as much anymore.
After experiencing so much today, he was indeed exhausted. He nestled in Qin Gu's arms, and his breathing soon became even.
Qin Gu lowered his head slightly, knowing that Ruan Bei was asleep.
Looking at the boy sleeping peacefully in his arms, he couldn't help but smile. He gently nuzzled the top of the boy's head with his chin, and even slowed down the movements of manipulating spiritual energy in his hands.
He remained in that position until five or six in the morning, when there were already sounds of footsteps in the corridor outside. Only then did Qin Gu withdraw his hand, close his eyes, and sleep for a while.
Ruan Bei slept well. The injury on his back was a bruise. If he didn't touch or pull it, the pain wasn't that intense; it was just a dull ache.
He fell asleep, lying motionless in Qin Gu's arms. The pressure wasn't on his injury, and his senses weren't as sharp, so he slept soundly.
Mr. Ruan was used to waking up early. When he woke up and saw that his two children were still sleeping, he lay there without moving or waking them. He just picked up his phone and checked it.
He used to be the least fond of looking at his phone. He couldn't stand being idle. He would rather spend the time sitting there playing on his phone and figure out a couple of recipes.
Later, Ruan Bei and Ruan Xi downloaded some food apps for him, so he could see what local specialties were available and how to cook them. He found it interesting and would check them out from time to time.
He had only been looking at it for a short while when Qin Gu's phone, which was on the bedside table, rang. He looked up groggily and instinctively covered Ruan Bei's ears.
Mr. Ruan glanced at it; it was his daughter calling.
Qin Gu answered the phone, and Ruan Xi asked from the other end, "Kunkun, did you go out for your morning exercise? I bought breakfast and it's warming up in the pot. Remember to eat when you get back."
I guess I knocked on his door this morning but he didn't answer.
"No need, sis, I'm here with Dad." Qin Gu sat up to answer the phone, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruan Bei preparing to turn over and lie down, so she quickly hooked her arm around his shoulder and pressed him back down.
"Why did you go so early?" Ruan Xi muttered, then asked, "Did you have breakfast?"
"No." Speaking of food, I am indeed hungry.
"Okay, wait a moment, we'll be right there."
Ruan Bei got up, and Qin Gu applied the medicine to him again. Ruan Bei frowned as he smelled the medicinal oil on his body.
Twenty minutes later, Ruan's mother and Ruan Xi arrived together, accompanied by Yin Zhuo, who was very attentive as a driver for his girlfriend and future mother-in-law.
Ruan Bei now has a very good impression of Yin Zhuo, and greets him politely as "Brother Zhuo" when they meet.
Yin Zhuo smiled and put down the thermos he was carrying. The doctor had already checked on him, and Ruan's father was able to eat normally.
Breakfast consisted of porridge and steamed buns. The three of them had good appetites; they hadn't eaten all night and couldn't stand it, so they ate together as soon as the food arrived.
As soon as Ruan Xi came in, she smelled the medicinal oil and couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Dad, you're using medicinal oil? Why didn't you get this medicine before?"
With Yin Zhuo here, there are some things that are difficult to say. Although he knows that Xiao Bei can see ghosts and has some supernatural abilities, he feels that it is better to keep the matter of rebirth a secret.
Then Mr. Ruan vaguely said, "It wasn't me, I'll tell you later."
Yin Zhuo glanced at Ruan Bei, whose chopsticks were holding the food a little awkwardly, smiled, and said nothing.
Following behind, Ruan's mother was also full of doubts: "Why did you suddenly change wards, so late at night?"
She came in, took a look, and nodded, saying, "It's definitely better than yesterday's."
Mr. Ruan said with a smile, "That's right."
This was a gift from his son, money he earned himself.
Although the Ruan family was not very wealthy, they were not poor either. Ruan's mother was happy that her husband could stay in a better place to recuperate, so she didn't say anything more.
After they finished eating, Ruan's father instructed Ruan Bei to take the thermos to wash.
Mrs. Ruan said with dissatisfaction, "How can you wash it clean here? There's no hot water in that sink. Don't let Xiao Bei get cold. I'll take it home to wash later."
"It's okay, I'll take it to rinse it first." Ruan Bei knew that her father wanted to talk to her mother and sister about those things, so she took the lunchbox and stood up.
Qin Gu was with him. Yin Zhuo looked around and asked, "Where's the thermos? I'll go get some hot water."
Mrs. Ruan also helped look around: "Yes, where's the thermos?"
Ruan Bei: "..."
Oh no, he threw away the thermos last night and then completely forgot about it.
Mr. Ruan also remembered, and coughed lightly to cover up for Ruan Bei: "I accidentally tripped and fell, so I threw it away."
Mrs. Ruan was startled: "You weren't burned, were you?"
"No, there's no water inside," Mr. Ruan said, trying to bluff his way out of the situation.
Yin Zhuo was quick-witted and immediately said, "It's inconvenient without a thermos. I'll go downstairs and buy a new one."
"Then I'll trouble you, Xiao Zhuo." Mr. Ruan was very satisfied with his prospective son-in-law's understanding, and Yin Zhuo happily went downstairs.
After her boyfriend left, Ruan Xi finally spoke, "Dad, is there something you want to say?"
She spoke in a mumbled manner and deliberately sent her boyfriend away.
“Dad, you tell me, Kunkun and I will go out and talk,” Ruan Bei said.
He had told his dad everything he needed to say. His dad knew what to say to his mom and sister, especially considering the incident of his dad switching the children.
To be honest, although his actions at the time were a better choice for both Ruan's mother and Ruan Bei, he did hide the fact that the child she had risked her life to give birth to had died young. This truth might not be so easy for Ruan's mother to accept.
Mr. Ruan didn't want Ruan Bei inside, also because he was worried that if Mrs. Ruan got too emotional and had any extreme reaction, it would hurt Ruan Bei.
Ruan Bei understood his father's good intentions and went out with Qin Gu as he suggested.
The two didn't go far, staying just a short distance outside the ward.
Ruan Bei lowered his head, feeling somewhat uneasy. Even though he had great confidence in his mother and sister and felt that they wouldn't abandon him, he was still worried nonetheless.
Qin Gu glanced at him sideways, not wanting him to overthink things, and changed the subject: "We need to deal with what happened last night as soon as possible."
Ruan Bei was taken aback, then remembered that he was talking about that evil spirit, and immediately agreed, "You're right. You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days. We can't watch over Dad every second. If it happens again, I'm really afraid something will happen."
"But what should we do about this?" Ruan Bei asked.
He really lacked experience. If someone had directly harmed his father, he could have called the police. But since the mastermind was using a ghost, if he went to the police, he might have been arrested first.
"Call the police," Qin Gu said.
Ruan Bei: "?"
Are you kidding me?
"no."
Qin Gu chuckled and explained, "Actually, we could just go back and complain, since we have powerful backers. But if we do that, we'll have to ask Master to see who in our sect can help us."
He stroked his chin, pondering as he spoke, “I find this matter very strange. You’re new to this field, so you might not know, but years ago, due to certain events, the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) suffered a great blow and almost collapsed. About twenty years ago, when the Xuanxue (Taoist) world was just beginning to revive, it was at its most chaotic time, with ghosts and monsters running rampant and several great ghost kings causing trouble.”
"The country is determined to rectify things. After the establishment of the Special Affairs Bureau, it has carried out several major missions and killed many evil ghosts. However, ghost kings are not so easy to kill, especially since they command thousands of ghosts under their command. If we go all out, it will be a lose-lose situation, and the Xuanmen side cannot afford that loss."
After all, learning their profession requires talent, and it takes one or two decades to train a talented child. If that talent is suddenly gone, who can bear it?
“Our second and third senior brothers sacrificed themselves when they were strangling the Ghost King. Master was greatly affected by this.”
Ruan Bei was somewhat saddened. His master was a very loving elder who doted on and indulged his disciples. The disciples he had watched grow up were gone just like that, no wonder he was heartbroken.
He had never even met his second and third senior brothers.
"Later, the Xuanmen sect was no longer willing to risk the lives of its disciples, and the country also passed through its most difficult period and began to develop rapidly, becoming much stronger and suppressing those evil spirits and monsters."
"After some discussion, the two sides reached a truce. The surviving Ghost King led his remaining subordinates into the deep mountains, forbidden from entering the city to harm people. In the human world, it is not easy for ghosts to cultivate. The few remaining ones were quickly brought under control by the Special Affairs Bureau in conjunction with the Xuanmen sect."
"When we go on missions, the troublesome ghosts we deal with are mostly those who have just cultivated a little bit of Taoist power. They encounter something in the real world and then cause trouble by relying on their ghostly and yin energy. They are very easy to deal with."
"But that evil spirit last night..."
Qin Gu paused, then frowned and said, "Based on the size of the ghost you described, it must have at least a hundred years of cultivation. It's very abnormal for a ghost of this level to be controlled by humans."
Ruan Bei was stunned and asked in surprise, "You mean, it might be... one of the Ghost King's subordinates?"
Qin Gu sighed: "There's another place where there are ghosts of this level."
"where?"
Do you still remember Grandma Sun?
"I remember." Ruan Bei nodded vigorously. How could he not remember? He was the murderer who killed Niu Niu.
"She didn't commit any crimes as a ghost, but I couldn't just leave her alone, so I captured her and sent her to the Special Affairs Bureau. The Special Affairs Bureau has a..."
He carefully considered his words and found a suitable one: "There's a large prison for ghosts, and I handed Grandma Sun over to the prison warden."
If he tells Xiao Bei that the jailer is called Bi'an, this obviously non-normal nickname will definitely arouse his curiosity, and then he will have to explain the nickname, and then he will not be able to hide his own.
Although Xiao Bei will eventually find out once he joins the Special Affairs Bureau, he will also have his own information then. Since everyone is a bit immature, it won't make him feel awkward.
As expected, Ruan Bei wasn't too curious about the jailer, who didn't sound very impressive, and was focused on pondering Qin Gu's words: "You mean, it's possible that he was originally locked up in jail?"
Qin Gu slapped his forehead: "Smart!"
Feeling pleased with the praise, Ruan Bei smiled and continued to press, "They can release people who are locked up in jail? Then the mastermind behind it all must be..."
Isn't he someone from that Special Affairs Bureau? At the very least, they're connected.
Thinking about it like this makes one very unhappy, since Ruan Bei originally had a very good impression of that special unit.
"It's hard to say, but as far as I know, these are the only two places where there might be evil spirits of this level."
Don't think that just because Xiao Bei, a junior celestial master who has only been cultivating for half a year, was able to kill that evil spirit, it's not that powerful.
However, Ruan Bei still had two talismans on him at the time. Other celestial masters might have them, but they would run out after a while. But Ruan Bei was cheating; he could use them indefinitely.
For example, the one or two minutes it took for him to burn the evil spirit alive with the scorching sun talisman would have required at least a dozen or twenty talismans to achieve that effect.
The Soul-Binding Talisman is even more troublesome to use because it is difficult to control the time of the ghost, and the ghost's cultivation level will affect the talisman's effect.
Ruan Bei was different. He grabbed it as soon as he got his hands on it, continuously pouring in spiritual energy and using it. The evil ghost couldn't escape and was pressed down and burned to ashes. It didn't even have time to unleash its massive ghostly form. It probably only used two or three tenths of its full power.
"So you want me to call the police?"
Ruan Bei had figured it out: "We called the police, so will the Special Affairs Bureau send someone to handle it? If there are really corrupt people among them, they'll just erase the evidence... What are you laughing at! That's how it's always portrayed on TV..."
"Didn't I tell you...?"
"What?"
"Our senior brother is the deputy director of the Special Affairs Bureau."
The head of a national agency like the Special Affairs Bureau would certainly not be someone from the Xuanmen sect; the director would be someone they had trained themselves.
The senior brother is called the deputy director, but he actually holds the real power. The director's role is more about supervision and management.
Ruan Bei: "...You didn't say that!"
Ruan Bei was shocked.
When his master introduced his senior brother, he said that he had found a job in the capital and had taken his apprentice with him to work as an assistant. He told his master that he could go to the capital to find his senior brother.
Ruan Bei once thought that his senior brother was working hard in the capital, and that even their master was unwilling to say much about it.
So his senior brother, who was "working for others," was actually this powerful?
"Oh, I forgot."
Qin Gu didn't take it seriously. When he noticed Ruan Bei glaring at him, he chuckled and said, "Actually, Master is not very happy. As I just said, because of what happened back then, Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother... Although it's not really anyone's fault, it was the Special Affairs Bureau that took the lead after all. Master still feels a bit uneasy about it. He wouldn't do anything, but he just feels a little awkward."
Ruan Bei understood; it was just taking his anger out on his master. His master understood rationally, but found it difficult to accept emotionally.
Back then, the Special Affairs Bureau was in dire need of rebuilding, and a group of outstanding figures from the Xuanmen sect were promoted to the bureau's management. Many members of his sect received invitations.
Most of his fellow disciples refused, but the eldest disciple agreed. At that time, the second and third disciples had just left, and their master was sad. Because of this, the master even got angry with the eldest disciple.
"Later, the eldest brother rose through the ranks and became the deputy director of the Special Affairs Bureau."
Qin Gu glanced at him and smiled, "So we also have powerful backers. If there really is a problem within the Special Affairs Bureau, with Senior Brother here, we won't suffer any losses."
Ruan Bei was completely relieved. He had a very strong backer, and he wasn't afraid of anyone who came after him.
"However, I still have to tell my master."
This is similar to a child reporting to their elders when they encounter difficulties outside. If a child encounters trouble, they should tell their master first, so that the elders have a clear understanding. In case of any unexpected events, the master will not be completely unaware of the situation and will not be unable to provide timely assistance.
"Yes, yes, tell Master."
Ruan Bei loves to tattle; the feeling of being protected and favored is so wonderful.
"Once the Special Affairs Bureau sends people to investigate, they will arrange for people to protect Mom and Dad until the origin of the evil spirit is clarified. We can spare some time for now."
Ruan Bei originally wanted to ask, "Is it reliable?"
On second thought, the eldest brother couldn't possibly be unreliable.
“There’s something else,” Ruan Bei said through gritted teeth. “Lu Sibai can’t be let off so easily.”
Although there is no concrete evidence yet, he is the only one with a motive to kill. He dared to lay a hand on his father, and he even succeeded in his past life. Ruan Bei felt furious just thinking about it.
In his previous life, when he first clashed with Lu Sibai, he thought that Lu Sibai was his parents' child. He worried that if his mother woke up and saw how bad his relationship with Lu Sibai was, she might be unhappy. Therefore, he was very tolerant of Lu Sibai.
He was practically shaking the water out of his head. How could Lu Sibai, with his wicked nature, possibly be his parents' child?
Qin Gu sneered: "What do you want to do?"
He still remembered the injuries on Xiao Bei's body. Since the mastermind behind it couldn't be caught for the time being, it wouldn't hurt to deal with Lu Sibai first and vent his anger.
Ruan Bei: "..."
He froze for a second.
He just wanted to make Lu Sibai suffer and pay the price, but he hadn't really thought about how to do it.
"Should we put a talisman on him to ward off bad luck? Hit him? Or even pull his soul out and stuff it into a pig's body?"
Killing someone outright is illegal and criminal, not worth it. A person like him isn't worth getting Ruan Bei's hands dirty. The only methods Ruan Bei can think of are those they've already used.
"We can arrange everything." Qin Gu felt there was no need to choose; they could do it one thing at a time.
"Let's find a chance to beat him up first."
He thought to himself, "Let the ghosts of the eastern suburbs lure him. They can trap people in a ghost wall, and then we'll put a sack over his head and beat him up. If the person behind him is watching, that's perfect. We can either watch him get beaten up or make a move and catch him red-handed."
Ruan Bei raised his hand: "Throw him in the trash can!"
Qin Gu coughed and couldn't help but laugh, propping his head up with his hand.
Ruan Bei poked him angrily: "Don't laugh! Didn't they say the mastermind might be his parents? If they can throw me away, why can't they throw him away?"
"Okay, okay, I won't laugh anymore." Qin Gu raised his hands in surrender: "Throw it in the trash can, I'll find the dirtiest one and stuff it in, alright?"
"That's more like it."
Ruan Bei expressed his satisfaction with the arrangement, adding, "Put on the bad luck charm as well."
"We'll stick it on after we're done hitting him." Qin Gu said, "That mastermind can use our parents to control us, but he missed Lu Sibai. We'll use their own methods against them and make sure Lu Sibai is destroyed. We're not afraid that his biological parents won't step in."
“Yes, they’re not afraid even if they don’t step forward. Lu Sibai is wicked; he’s extremely selfish.”
Ruan Bei believed he understood Lu Sibai fairly well: "When he can't take it anymore, he'll definitely ask them for help. We just need to keep an eye on Lu Sibai."
After discussing it for a while, the two of them made clear arrangements for Lu Sibai's future life. They were just waiting for the Special Affairs Bureau to send people so that someone could protect their parents and then they could take action.
Ruan Bei was itching to fight and eager to give Lu Sibai a beating.
“Let’s go to the eastern suburbs first…” Ruan Bei was saying when his father’s hospital room door suddenly opened.
Ruan Bei was taken aback and subconsciously stopped talking, a sense of worry and fear welling up in his heart.
Ruan Xi's eyes were red as she opened the door and called to him, "Come in."
“Sister…” Ruan Bei stammered.
"Don't be afraid, I'm with you." Qin Gu put his arm around his shoulder and pushed him forward.
Upon entering the ward, Ruan Xi closed the door, and his mother rushed over and hugged him tightly: "My little Bei, those, those bastards, how could they bully you like that?"
She cried bitterly. Just thinking about what her husband had just told her about their youngest son's experiences in his previous life broke her heart.
She held the child she had raised and nurtured, unable to bear seeing him suffer or be sad. How could they treat him like that? Did they even have a heart?!
Ruan Bei's eyes reddened as his mother cried, but he couldn't help but smile. It was so good that his mother really cared about him and couldn't bear to part with him.
He opened his arms and hugged his mother back. He was already very tall, so he could protect his mother in his arms and prevent anyone from bullying her.
Mother Ruan said sadly, "Xiao Bei, if I really become a vegetable, you and Xi Xi don't need to take care of me."
She never imagined that she would become a burden to her two children; she wished she had gone with her husband.
"Mom, please don't say that."
Ruan Bei felt sad when she thought of her past life: "You don't know, back then my sister and I were hoping that you would wake up. Even if you were asleep, as long as you were still here, my sister and I would still have a mother. Otherwise, we would really become children without parents."
One sentence made Ruan's mother cry again, and Ruan Xi couldn't hold back either. Although she hadn't actually experienced it, she could understand how difficult it was for Xiao Bei back then from her father's story.
She couldn't help but go over and hug her younger brother. Ruan Bei freed one hand to hug his older sister as well, and the three of them almost burst into tears.
It took the three of them a while to calm down. Qin Gu poured each of them a glass of water and told them to drink it to calm down.
Ruan Bei hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "Mom, that...my little brother..."
The younger brother he mentioned was the biological son of the Ruan family. The child was a few days younger than him, so he should be considered his younger brother.
Mrs. Ruan wiped her face and smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "Actually, I've had a feeling about it for a long time."
Upon hearing this, even Mr. Ruan was taken aback: "You knew?"
Ruan's mother said, "You buried that child next to your parents, and every year during the memorial service you have to offer an extra sacrifice. How could I not notice?"
At that time, she only felt that her husband might have something he couldn't say, but she trusted him, so she didn't ask anything.
"You probably don't know, but when Xixi and Xiaobei were little, I took them to get vaccinated. We went to the hospital for a check-up first, and they had blood drawn. I also asked the doctor to check the blood types of both children."
She didn't know about this when she was a child, and only found out about her blood type in recent years. She just asked casually at the time, thinking that if her child wanted to know, she would be able to answer.
"You are blood type O, I am blood type A, and Xixi is also blood type O. Only Xiaobei is blood type AB."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
