Chapter 140
Lu Jiu immediately looked around as if facing a formidable enemy, fearing that someone might suddenly appear and accuse him of bullying his child, and then try to extort money from him.
But in reality, there was nothing there. The neighborhood was still as chaotic and noisy as ever, with curses and the sounds of pots and pans being smashed coming from all directions, making this desolate and dilapidated alley seem especially quiet.
Lu Jiu glanced around, seemingly finding it strange, then stared at Xie Xubai, who was still shedding tears, without saying a word. He turned and left expressionlessly, like an indifferent passerby.
Xie Xubai watched the child turn and leave, but didn't chase after him. Doing so would only raise more suspicions.
He released his spiritual senses and sensed that the Gu family members were approaching this area. He used his mental energy slightly to slow down their arrival.
Lu Jiu was not the wolf in sheep's clothing that Gu Nan had imagined. Judging from his ruthless and decisive actions, he might still have an unresolved grudge against Luo Fu Tu.
Xie Xubai guessed that Gu Nan's rebirth was also the work of the system. Gu Nan was filled with hatred and would definitely target Lü Jiu, both to disrupt the unfolding historical trajectory and hinder his exploration of the past, and to increase his suspicion and resentment towards Lü Jiu.
Thinking of this, Xie Xubai sent out a clone to find Gu Nan.
Gu Nan couldn't rest easy until he saw Lü Jiu arrested or killed with his own eyes. He dispatched his bodyguards, and he himself was also rushing towards 13th Street. Because he couldn't walk, he was traveling by car.
The car was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the atmosphere was tense. Gu Nan remained silent the entire time, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a demon, which terrified the stewards accompanying him, who dared not utter a sound.
But then Gu Nan suddenly looked up at the window, as if he had seen something. The resentment on his face lessened considerably, and he blinked in surprise: "You—"
Before he could finish speaking, he realized that no one else could see Xie Xubai, so he quickly covered his mouth.
Xie Xubai, in his spirit form, sat down next to Gu Nan and said with a smile, "It's nothing."
He used his mental power to interfere with the perception of others, and only Gu Nan could see and hear their conversation.
Gu Nan was relieved and looked at Xie Xubai expectantly: "Where did you go just now? I couldn't find you anywhere."
He subconsciously felt a sense of dependence and reverence for the person who had given him a second chance at life.
Xie Xubai did not speak immediately, listening to Gu Nan's thoughts, which were largely as he had expected, mostly roaring about his killing intent towards Lü Jiu.
Gu Nan's soul is incomplete and his mind is flawed. This doesn't affect his daily speech and behavior, but he is prone to extremes and clings to the idea of revenge. Moreover, this is a blood feud involving the destruction of his family, and most people would not be able to deal with it rationally.
If Gu Nan were to explain at this point that there might be something fishy about Lü Jiu's betrayal of the Gu family, and that the other party might be innocent, he would most likely not listen.
Xie Xubai hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly, "You made a mistake."
"What?" Gu Nan asked blankly, his heart skipping a beat.
Xie Xubai: "Since you also know that Lü Jiu colluded with the enemy to bring down the Gu family, wouldn't it be easy to alert them if you went to arrest them in such a high-profile manner?"
“A beggar like Lü Jiu has no value. They’re everywhere. We can grab one and train another one at any time. Once he’s exposed, the mastermind won’t protect him. They’ll just kill him to silence him and become more vigilant. They’ll hide even deeper after that. The Gu family might be in even more danger.”
Seeing Gu Nan open his mouth, subconsciously wanting to refute, Xie Xubai smiled and said, "However, if you know who the mastermind is, then you don't need to go through all the trouble of investigating; you can just deal with them directly."
"To be able to cut off the Gu family's business, interfere with the various industries and banks under the Gu family's name, and cause you to go bankrupt and collapse before you even have time to save yourselves, the other party must have a power that is no less than that of the Gu family. Do you know who those people are?"
Gu Nan choked up, clenched his fists, and couldn't answer.
He only knew of Lü Jiu and Luo Futu. But honestly, if these two hadn't later harmed the Gu family, these people from all walks of life, with little reputation or power, would they really have had the ability to ruin the Gu family's business?
The Gu family's business was thriving, with interests in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, making them a highly coveted and coveted prize. When trouble struck, seeing that the Gu family was unlikely to recover, other powerful families abandoned their previous alliances and rushed to take a bite.
Gu Nan died young in his previous life and did not witness the final changes in the situation, nor could he determine who the mastermind was based on who benefited the most.
Fearing that Gu Nan's thoughts would be disturbed, Xie Xubai used his mental power to temporarily help him regain his clarity of mind.
Gu Nan, trying to understand the situation, recalled the cruel faces that had taken advantage of his misfortune, and felt a chill run down his spine. He pleaded for help, "Don't you even know who's behind this?"
Xie Xubai shook his head.
Gu Nan was extremely dejected. His clenched fists cracked as he pressed his lips together tightly. "Then what should I do?"
Rebirth is considered supernatural and mystical. He had just told his mother everything, which frightened the matriarch of the Gu family so much that she suspected he had a fever and wanted to take him to a clinic. His aunts and uncles were just as nervous, and no one believed him at all.
Without conclusive evidence, even if he told his father that someone was trying to target the Gu family, given his father's personality, he would just laugh and say that it's only mediocre people who aren't envied, and that there are plenty of people who want to target the Gu family, so he wouldn't take it to heart.
"It's very simple," Xie Xubai explained with a smile. "Make arrangements in advance, turn the tables on them, and lure them out of their hole."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice suddenly came from above Xie Xubai's head: "Kid, have you cried yourself silly?"
He realized that the voice was heard from the main body. After briefly instructing Gu Nan on what to do in a moment, he switched the perspective back to the old alley.
He looked up and met Lü Jiu's ambiguous gaze.
It turns out they went but returned.
Lu Jiu squatted down, level with Xie Xubai's gaze, and said in a tone that was not gentle, with a half-smile: "Kid, you walk with a stumbling and loud gait, but when you got close to this alley, I didn't hear a sound of your footsteps at all—you were waiting here from the beginning."
"Before you rushed over, you made a starting motion, which means you only rushed over after you saw me appear. I was your target. Now you're here crying your eyes out. Tell me, is it because you failed to steal my money and are afraid of getting a beating when you get back, that you're crying like this? Hmm?"
Lu Jiu is just a child in his early teens, and his features haven't fully developed yet.
But having likely experienced many things, his speech carried a maturity far beyond his years, and when his eyes narrowed slightly, he was no different from the cunning fox he would later become.
The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Seeing that Lü Jiu noticed something was wrong, Xie Xubai didn't argue. He lowered his eyelashes, his shoulders trembled, and the tears he had finally managed to stop started falling even more heavily, his eyes filled with mist, making him look incredibly pitiful.
"..." Lu Jiu stared at him, looking like she wanted to swear, but swallowed it back and hissed with a pained tone, "Why are you crying again? Are you made of water?"
Xie Xubai didn't speak, he just cried, and the more he cried, the harder he cried, until he was almost out of breath.
Seeing the little boy clutching his chest, crying so hard his eyes were almost rolling back in his head, Lu Jiu's seemingly impenetrable smile finally cracked open.
He frantically pressed down on Xie Xubai's shoulders: "Stop, stop! Why are you crying? I didn't even cry when you tried to scam me. How come kids these days are so fragile? My God! Stop crying, you can't even breathe properly, and your hands are all cold and trembling. Are you going to die??"
Lu Jiu must have witnessed firsthand how vulnerable children are.
Touching Xie Xubai's icy white hand, Lü Jiu was so frightened that her voice rose. She scooped him up in her arms, patting and comforting him as she ran outside, shouting helplessly, "Hey? Is anyone there? Whose child is this! Something's happened to your child! He's going to die!"
Xie Xubai hooked his arm around Lü Jiu's neck and discreetly checked the other's pulse. It was beating very fast, and his anxious and nervous emotions seemed genuine.
He smiled silently and stopped crying in Lü Jiu's arms.
Lu Jiu was concerned for his safety and noticed his change almost instantly, so she quickly put him down and examined him closely.
Seeing that the child's breathing had stabilized, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a somewhat impatient tone, "Are you alright? Stop crying?"
Xie Xubai continued to play the role of an autistic child, tears welling in his eyes, and softly hummed in agreement.
Looking at this taciturn guy with his head tucked in, Lü Jiu's emotions fluctuated wildly, and he was utterly exasperated.
He scratched his head vigorously, hesitated for a while, then looked back at the spot where the three burly men lay unconscious. He gritted his teeth, grabbed Xie Xubai's hand, and said, "Where are your parents? I'll take you there."
Xie Xubai pointed to the narrow path beside him.
Lü Jiu pulled him forward.
Before he had taken two steps, Xie Xubai suddenly felt something soft and warm being offered to him, emitting a fragrant aroma of flour. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a large, steaming steamed bun.
Xie Xubai was taken aback and looked up at Lü Jiu.
It turned out that the person had returned because they bought a steamed bun.
Lu Jiu turned his head away awkwardly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye: "Are you hungry? Let's eat."
Xie Xubai took it. A newspaper was thoughtfully placed under the steamed bun, its outer skin snow-white and clean, instantly creating a stark contrast with Lü Jiu's dirty and bloodied hands.
Lu Jiu kept secretly watching him.
Xie Xubai's body was modeled after most children in the slums, being thin and emaciated.
Lu Jiu naturally assumed Xie Xubai was the child of a nearby resident. Seeing the other's disheveled appearance, he figured Xie Xubai was probably just as poor as himself, having been raised without proper care and constantly going hungry.
"Eat up, what are you waiting for? If you don't eat now, your family will take it from you when you get back, and I won't care."
Xie Xubai chuckled inwardly, clutching the newspaper wrapping, he cut the steamed bun in half, handed one half to Lü Jiu, and said with a smile, "Big brother, you can have some too."
Xie Xubai probably didn't know that no matter what kind of facade he wore, when he genuinely smiled, his eyes were always moist and touching, like the wind brushing across a lake, creating ripples.
Lu Jiu froze, staring blankly into his eyes. Before he could blink again, Xie Xubai had already shoved the steamed bun into his hand without saying a word.
Lu Jiu was hungry too, of course. Luo Futu's men were chasing him, so he didn't even have time to drink water. The steamed buns had a natural sweetness from the starch, but for some reason, the half-eaten bun tasted even sweeter than usual.
He couldn't help but glance at Xie Xubai again, feeling a bit better, and laughed, "That brat is quite loyal."
He stuffed half a steamed bun into his mouth and ate it whole, then took Xie Xubai's hand and the two of them walked out.
As soon as they stepped out of the alley, they saw the Gu family bodyguards standing guard at the intersection.
Lu Jiu was very vigilant and cautious as he evaded capture by Luofutu. When he went to buy steamed buns, he could sense that the vendors' uneasy state was different from usual.
He never expected the commotion to be directed at him, and his expression immediately changed drastically. He grabbed Xie Xubai and turned to run away.
"Wait a minute, please stop." A voice came from behind the bodyguard.
Lu Jiu ignored him completely and didn't even turn his head.
But he still stopped because Xie Xubai suddenly tugged at his sleeve with surprising force, almost making him fall.
He stumbled to his feet, not bothering to glare at the child. He turned around and saw the bodyguards part to the sides, and a handsome young man stepped out from the middle of the road, looking at him coldly: "I have no ill intentions, I just want to ask, where do you intend to take my child?"
What? Whose child is it?
Lu Jiu turned his head in surprise. Before he knew it, the child he was holding broke free from his grasp and jumped into the boy's arms excitedly, calling out affectionately, "Brother Gu Nan!"
When Gu Nan sees Lü Jiu, he is easily blinded by hatred. Moreover, the remnant soul cannot maintain the state of returning to its original state indefinitely, which would increase the burden.
Xie Xubai simply took over Gu Nan's body temporarily, using his mental power to put Gu Nan into a deep sleep, nurturing him in his sea of consciousness.
He played both roles with ease, leaving no trace of his disguise. He picked up the doppelganger child, checking him over tenderly, then angrily scolded, "Where have you been these past few days? Do you know how worried everyone was about you? We thought you'd been kidnapped! Since you're alright, why didn't you come home?"
The cloned child choked back tears: "I'm sorry."
He then made up a story to explain his experiences over the past few days, mentioning Lü Jiu: "I didn't know where to go, but this older brother found me, saved me, and gave me something to eat!"
Xie Xubai feigned gratitude, handed his clone to the steward beside him, and strode over, taking out a pocket watch he carried with him: "So that's how it is. I'm sorry, young brother, I misunderstood you. Thank you for saving my child. Take this pocket watch. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to the Gu family to find me."
The pocket watch was painted with gold lacquer and inlaid with jade at the top, making it look very valuable. However, Lü Jiu didn't even glance at it, let alone reach out to take it. Instead, he looked up at Xie Xubai with a cold expression.
Until the clone of the child ran over and stuffed the pocket watch into his palm: "Big brother, take this, come and play with me later!"
Lu Jiu then moved, retracting his fingers, looking at the child's bright eyes still wet with tears, his feelings indescribably complicated.
He suddenly exhaled, flipped the hand holding his clone outward to reveal the thin calluses on it, and smiled meaningfully: "Judging from the entourage behind this young master, he should have no shortage of servants around him. Why is he making a child do rough work? Is he really your child?"
A child who has been missing for several days may become thin and emaciated from hunger, but they will never develop calluses on their hands.
Xie Xubai and Lü Jiu's eyes met, and they were slightly taken aback.
This was a flaw he hadn't noticed. But it wasn't easy to spot it; Lü Jiu was even smarter and more meticulous than he had imagined.
Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes and sighed softly: "To be honest, Xiaobai is the child of one of my family's long-term workers. His parents had an accident, so my family took him in as their adopted son."
"..." Lu Jiu twitched the corner of his mouth, "I see. Then you'll have to keep a closer eye on it in the future, so you don't lose it again."
He casually tossed the pocket watch into his pocket, glanced at the child clone clinging to Xie Xubai's hand, waved, and disappeared at the end of the alley.
Xie Xubai left a trace of his consciousness on Lü Jiu's body.
The pocket watch has already been given away. According to Gu Nan's memory, Lü Jiu will use this as a pretext to approach the Gu family tomorrow afternoon.
Just now, Lu Jiu showed no intention of flattering or ingratiating himself with the living, breathing Young Master Gu. It's unclear what happened in the middle that made him change his mind and come to visit.
Before we knew it, the next day had arrived.
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