Chapter 371 Refusal to Cooperate
As soon as the door opened, what came into view was Ji Xia curled up in the corner of the bed, her eyes closed, fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and red, swollen handprints on her cheeks, a shocking sight.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Yuechen's pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Ji Xia!"
He hurriedly walked in, and the maid, also startled, followed behind Jiang Yuechen, calling out in a panic, "Madam! Madam!"
Jiang Yuechen reached out and gently touched her forehead, only to find it burning hot; she clearly had a high fever.
Seeing his displeasure, the maid panicked and quickly said, "I'll go get the family doctor right away!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Yuechen's expression turned cold, and he coldly refused, "No need!"
After saying that, he picked the person up and walked outside.
The maid stood there, somewhat at a loss, while the others all showed a look of shock when they saw Jiang Yuechen carrying Ji Xia out.
I don't know what happened inside after they were dismissed, that things got to this point.
Then they all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at each other, for fear of being caught in the crossfire and getting involved in the gossip of the wealthy family.
Jiang Yuechen glanced coldly at the group of people who were indifferent to his affairs, and his heart suddenly trembled. After carefully placing Ji Xia in the car, he stepped on the gas and sped away, leaving only a fleeting afterimage.
After the person left, the servants began to gossip and speculate about the hidden story.
Jiang Yuechen never expected that he would encounter such a thing simply because he had brought tonics to express his gratitude. His brows furrowed tightly, and a cold glint flashed across his face.
With a moment's thought, he immediately called Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran was anxious because Si Zuochen had not been heard from for a long time, and she began to investigate the relevant matters.
Just as the group was discussing the search and rescue plan, a sudden cell phone ringtone interrupted their conversation.
Jiang Ran glanced down at the caller ID, a hint of confusion flashing across her face. She then gestured to her phone and said softly, "I'm sorry."
After saying that, he walked to the side and swiped to answer the call.
Jiang Yuechen's slightly anxious voice came from the other end: "Ranran, something happened to Ji Xia!"
"What?!" Jiang Ran was startled upon hearing this and asked in a few words, "What's going on?"
Jiang Yuechen, with a gloomy face, recounted the whole story, then said in a deep voice, "I'm bringing her out now to take her to the hospital, but I might need your help later."
"Mm." Jiang Ran responded softly. She understood Jiang Yuechen's concerns. After all, the situation was unclear, and they couldn't make any hasty judgments. They could only speculate about the truth of the matter.
He and Ji Xia weren't close, and if someone were to turn the tables and accuse him of having an ambiguous relationship, it would be a real problem.
“But Ah Chen is still missing, and I can’t leave here for the time being. I’ll probably need you to take good care of him over there.”
"If you need anything, call me immediately. As for Cheng Shuyuan wanting to visit, just send him away."
Jiang Yuechen knew that Jiang Ran's situation was dire and she was unable to attend to everyone, so he replied in a low voice, "I understand."
Jiang Ran was extremely anxious about Si Zuochen's situation and couldn't manage both at the same time, so she had no choice but to temporarily entrust Ji Xia to his care.
After explaining some details, he hung up the phone.
Just in case there was any gossip, Jiang Ran sent a WeChat voice message to Jiang Yuechen after the event, asking him to take care of and visit her.
In order to prevent anyone from using this as a pretext to make trouble later, and to provide evidence.
After hanging up the phone, Si Yanxiao noticed Jiang Ran's displeased expression and a flicker of doubt in his eyes. He then asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
Jiang Ran frowned slightly, slowly shook her head, and replied in a deep voice, "Something happened with Ji Xia, but it's nothing. I've already asked my brother to handle it."
Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao nodded slightly, then raised his hand slightly to signal Gu Nan to continue talking about some clues he had recently investigated.
Meanwhile, in a research institute, Si Zuochen, whom Jiang Ran and his team had been searching for, was placed in the center of a research apparatus, his hands and feet bound, his eyes closed, his brow furrowed, unable to move.
After several fruitless struggles, she was tortured beyond recognition.
All that could be faintly heard was the sound of people talking nearby.
"Do you think we should continue?" one of them asked cautiously to the other person, who was dressed in a Taoist robe.
The man's eyes darkened as he looked at the latest research data and said in a deep voice, "Let's try a different approach. We've been trying to extract the tiger's aura from him using our existing thinking since we came in, but the results have been minimal."
"If this continues, he won't be able to hold on until he can even unleash the White Tiger's Qi."
As she spoke, she looked up at Si Zuochen, whose face was pale, and a hint of ferocity flashed in her eyes.
He was only asked to keep an eye on the child and set up a barrier to prevent him from being found using mystical arts, but he never expected that the child would be born with the aura of a white tiger, which was his destiny.
The Azure Dragon and White Tiger are ancient divine beasts. Those chosen by these beasts are born different from ordinary people, making rapid progress in their cultivation and being vastly different from ordinary people.
Even though he had been in this industry for decades, he had never met anyone like this before.
If one can refine and possess the White Tiger Qi within him, not only his cultivation but also the fate of the person behind the scenes will be altered.
It can be described as a highly profitable venture.
So he deliberately found this remote research lab, imprisoned Si Zuochen inside, and extracted his tiger-like energy day and night.
However, this method is extremely dangerous, as it belongs to the category of evil arts and is impossible to verify. We can only borrow some relevant content from long-standing books for reference.
Seeing that this method wouldn't work, his expression turned cold, his brow furrowed slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice, "Bleed."
"Bloodletting?!" The subordinate hesitated for a moment, glancing at Si Zuochen before speaking hesitantly, "But judging from his current condition, I'm afraid it's not suitable for him to undergo these procedures."
"So what?" The Taoist's expression suddenly turned sharp, his eyes filled with endless greed as he looked at Si Zuochen. He then sneered, "Make the most of everything. If I can't get what I want from him, what's the point of keeping him alive?"
Upon hearing this, his subordinates immediately understood; it was clear that he had murderous intent because of the White Tiger's aura.
He immediately responded in a low voice, took the dagger and stepped forward. He made a cut along the man's wrist, and blood gushed out, flowing into the array that the Taoist had set up beforehand. A strange light instantly emanated from the center of the array.
Upon seeing this, the Taoist priest's eyes suddenly lit up, and he stared intently at the very center, his face full of astonishment.
He immediately exclaimed, "Keep going, keep going!"
Upon hearing this, the man's hand trembled, and he immediately walked to the other side and slashed Si Zuochen's wrist open as well. The Taoist priest stared greedily at the scene before him, a hint of unexpected joy flashing in his eyes.
Meanwhile, just as Si Yanxiao and Jiang Ran were discussing, a servant suddenly called out from outside the door, "Young Master."
The group exchanged glances, their conversation abruptly halting, when Si Youlin softly asked, "Is Jiang Ran here?"
"The lady is inside."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a few light knocks came from outside the door.
Before he could speak, Si Youlin pushed open the door and entered. When he saw that Si Yanxiao was also in the room, his expression changed almost imperceptibly. He then said in a deep voice, "Since you are talking about business, I will leave first."
Having said that, he turned to leave, but a voice suddenly stopped him: "Wait."
Si Youlin paused slightly, turned his head, and saw Jiang Ran stand up and walk slowly closer, asking softly, "I still need your help with this matter. Let's listen together."
Upon hearing this, Si Youlin glanced at Si Yanxiao, pursed his lips, and replied in a low voice, "I will naturally take care of my brother's affairs, but I do not want to cooperate with you."
His tone carried a hint of coldness as he directly rejected Jiang Ran's offer.
Jiang Ran was surprised by his words and a look of astonishment crossed her face. Just as she was about to continue to persuade him, Gu Nan stepped forward and gently smoothed things over, saying, "In that case, let's proceed with our previously agreed-upon plan."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran looked helpless but could only agree in a low voice.
Si Yanxiao vaguely sensed Si Youlin's hostility towards him. His eyes flashed slightly, and he stood up and said in a deep voice, "Then I'll leave first."
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