Chapter 55 Treating Monkeys' Lives Like Grass
Gu Lie was driving, and Gu Dingbei was in the passenger seat.
Gu Dingbei stared straight ahead, his hands clasped on his cane, his back ramrod straight—a sign of his nervousness. It seemed that although he was determined to save Gu Zhao's life, he still had some doubts deep down.
He wasn't worried about the matter being leaked. He had been preparing for tonight for a long time. Apart from the trusted confidants Gu Lie sent to pick up the people and bring them to the house in the suburbs of Beijing, only a few people in the car knew about this.
That confidant once made a mistake that wasn't too serious, but if it were exposed, it wouldn't cause him any serious harm, though it would certainly ruin his future. And what this confidant valued most was his future.
So what is Gu Dingbei wavering about?
Who knows? Maybe they're afraid of retribution.
But more than twenty years ago, Feng Qing plundered Ji Shuyang's flesh and blood to become human, and made Gu Linfeng neither human nor demon for so many years, and there has been no retribution, has there?
Feng Qing, sitting in the back seat, once again straightened Gu Zhao, who had lost his balance while turning and was leaning on her shoulder. In the darkness, her impatience was very obvious.
Having seen Gu Zhao's crooked mouth, crooked mouth, and disheveled urination, she could no longer feel love for him, only disgust.
Even if she lacked foresight, she knew that she could live a life of luxury and comfort because of Gu Zhao. Gu Zhao's future could be ruined, as long as Gu Dingbei was there, their family's life would not be affected in any way.
But Gu Zhao's body cannot be ruined, especially not in such a repulsive way. Not to mention that his bedmate dislikes him, he keeps saying he owes her something, saying that Gu Dingbei, who loves him the most, has personally taken care of her several times.
So when Gu Dingbei asked her if there was any way to restore Gu Zhao to normal, she gave him a solution without hesitation.
Trading lives is such a simple thing.
As for whose life is sacrificed? Humans and demons are different. Getting involved in such karma would require the blessings of several lifetimes to atone for it. What does this have to do with her? She was just asked to set up a formation!
She just wants her life to go back to normal.
But she forgot that she is also a human being and must bear the consequences of her actions.
Gu Zhao was indeed stupid, but he wasn't completely stupid. Feng Qing made no attempt to hide her disdain for him, so how could he not sense it?
In the past, he would have been devastated and driven to despair, but now, all he wants is to return to normal.
As for Feng Qing and love, let's talk about that after he recovers.
The car drove steadily into the house. Gu Lie's confidants had already gagged and tied the person in the room. Everything else in the room had been cleaned up, and the windows had been sealed with red bricks and plastered with cement.
Silently, Gu Lie carried the emaciated Gu Zhao in his arms and placed him next to that person.
Seeing that the man's eyes were darting around, a stark contrast to his dull appearance the last time, they didn't take it to heart.
No one would remain unmoved if they were gagged and tied up in the middle of the night.
Therefore, he did not discover that hidden inside the ordinary hemp rope was a seventh unique rope used to bind the strange demon.
Gu Dingbei didn't even dare to look at that person. He considered himself law-abiding, but he had repeatedly made exceptions for his son Gu Zhao. In the past, he had only protected him, but now he didn't even care about human life.
When the time came, he found himself somewhat at a loss.
Another thing that made him uncomfortable was Gu Lie's attitude towards him. In the past, when he favored Gu Zhao, Gu Lie would not say anything, but he would analyze the pros and cons with him and express his grievances, asking him to treat him and Gu Zhao fairly.
But ever since he used the Gu family to get Gu Lie to agree to exchange Gu Zhao's life, Gu Lie's attitude towards him has gradually become cold.
So cold-hearted that he once wanted to blurt out, "I haven't even handed the Gu family over to you yet! Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"
But in the end, he swallowed his words; he couldn't say them! If he did, he would lose his son completely.
He didn't say anything. Once Gu Zhao recovered, he would hand over the Gu family to Gu Lie and personally train Lin Fei. They would soon be able to repair their father-son relationship.
After putting Gu Zhao down, Gu Lie stood next to Gu Dingbei and looked up at the sky.
There were no stars or moon tonight, and the sky was pitch black, but Gu Lie was lost in thought.
He was always aware of his shortcomings, and he never considered himself a prodigy. He was not reckless and only waited for the old man to be unable to continue and for him to take over the Gu family. He was content to maintain the status quo and waited for Gu Linfei to grow up and hand over the Gu family to him.
When did things start to get out of control?
It was more than twenty years ago, when the old man personally took him to that cave to help Gu Zhao and Feng Qing settle things.
Before that, even if he wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue, he had never done anything wrong.
But after that, his heart began to sink.
That's Ji Shuyang, his sister-in-law, the daughter of the old man's best friend whom he watched grow up!
If the eldest sister-in-law is an outsider, then what about the two nephews?
They died without ever knowing why!
As their relatives, he and the old man not only failed to exonerate them but also covered up the murderer's traces, leaving them unable to rest in peace!
From the day he entered the cave, Gu Lie felt that he had been separated from his past self.
Looking at the dark sky, Gu Lie thought: It's fine for the old man to feel guilty towards Gu Zhao, but why is he dragging me into this?
For a moment, he hated Gu Dingbei and Gu Zhao. The Gu family and he shouldn't be in their current state, reeking of decay!
Feng Qing drew the secret text for the life-swapping technique with ease. During the process, she had to rest for a long time because her hands were sore from years of pampered life. Gu Zhao was so anxious that he almost couldn't speak normally anymore.
On a distant hill, Gu Linyuan put down his binoculars, his expression inscrutable. Shi Yuan asked him, "Can you see anything?" It was just an ordinary binocular; what could you possibly see in the dark?
Gu Linyuan nodded: "I can see some things vaguely."
Shi Yuan originally thought that the matter of exchanging lives was a sensitive topic that Gu Linyuan couldn't discuss, so she subtly suggested that she take care of it herself.
Gu Linyuan sincerely told her that the matter of exchanging his life was indeed a pain he could not speak of.
But that day in the cave, as he listened to Gu Zhao howling in pain under the influence of the illusion, that corner of his body began to heal slightly.
After that, knowing that Ji Shuyang's soul had not been scattered, that corner healed a little more.
"Mom and Linfeng have already embarked on their new lives, and I should let go of the past and live my own life well."
"Shi Yuan, thank you for considering my feelings, but I have already let go of everything." She had let go of that painful past, but she had not let go of her hatred for Gu Zhao and Feng Qing, nor her resentment towards the rest of the Gu family.
Only when the Gu family falls can Gu Linyuan truly move on from that past.
"Has it already started over there?" Shi Yuan took the binoculars and looked towards the direction of the houses, but it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything.
Huan Ni suggested that she go and take a look, then come back and report to them, but Ran Wen stopped her: "Don't go. The life-swapping method goes against the will of Heaven. Don't accidentally brush against the edge of the formation and get caught up in it."
"That's not a joke."
Shi Yuan asked her curiously, "How was Feng Qing able to live a life of luxury for so many years?"
Judging from Gu Zhao's love-struck state, if he really succeeds in exchanging his life, he will probably treat Feng Qing even better in the future, including Gu Dingbei, whose attitude towards Feng Qing may also change.
Because he will get old.
Don't be fooled by Gu Dingbei's apparent regret, hesitation, and reflection. Once Gu Zhao truly recovers, he will surely think about whether, years later, when he is old and unable to take care of himself, he can also exchange his life and be reborn.
Just like more than 20 years ago, when he helped Gu Zhao and Feng Qing get back together, was it really just out of a deep love for his son?
Anyway, Shi Yuan doesn't believe it.
She had discussed this topic with Ran Wen and the other two, but Ran Wen and Huan Ni didn't believe it either.
Shi Meili said: If you don't believe it, then I don't believe it either.
Shi Yuan grabbed Huan Ni and said, "The lights are all off over there, so they've probably already started. Let's just wait here."
In the courtyard of the house, Gu Zhao casually sat down on the ground, pulling up his trousers. Gu Dingbei stood for a while, probably tired, and then sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard.
The trusted confidant who brought the person over has already been sent away.
What they didn't know was that the confidant left the house and boarded a train to the Northwest. He Tian found him a job there, which was very tiring and difficult, but if he did well, his future would be bright.
Inside the room, Feng Qing had finished writing the coded text and began reciting it. Compared to more than twenty years ago when she easily completed the life-changing ritual, she now seemed to be struggling a lot.
What she didn't realize was that with each cryptic phrase she recited, a new gray hair appeared on her head, and a new wrinkle appeared on her face.
This is divine punishment for her defying fate.
More than twenty years ago, when she was a demon, such divine punishment could not affect her, but more than twenty years later, as a human, she has to pay a real price.
The "person" bound in the very center of the formation stammered anxiously, his whole body filled with struggle. Gu Zhao looked at his energetic appearance, his eyes filled with jealousy and plundering pleasure.
If Gu Zhao used to be a love-struck fool who couldn't distinguish right from wrong, then after experiencing a life of disability where he was almost unable to take care of himself, his mindset has completely changed.
It must be said that over the past twenty years, his feelings for Feng Qing were indeed very pure, so pure that he never regretted it even if he sacrificed the lives of his first wife and children. He only felt that he was fortunate enough to be able to form a lifelong bond with Feng Qing.
But today, he felt extremely fortunate, fortunate that his past deep affection had given him a chance to be reborn after so many years!
But he never seemed to realize that if it weren't for what happened more than twenty years ago, he wouldn't be suffering like this today, nor would he need to use evil magic to exchange lives with others.
However, he soon stopped thinking about it. His consciousness gradually drifted away, and in a daze, he found himself detached from the body.
He looked at the body beside him, still struggling to writhe and try to speak, and his eyes blazed with intense longing.
Under his expectant gaze, the body stopped struggling, and a monkey floated out of it.
monkey? !
Gu Zhao was shocked: No! It's a monkey!
He then comforted himself, saying that the monkey was fine, and that it was lively and active.
The next instant, a beam of eerie green light shot swiftly toward the monkey's soul. Gu Zhao's entire soul trembled with excitement. His past experience in the cave told him that once the green light penetrated the monkey's soul, it would absorb the monkey's soul's energy and infuse it into him.
Once the monkey's soul is completely absorbed, the green light will begin to absorb the monkey's essence. All of this energy will eventually be poured into his body!
He'll be back to normal soon!
No, it will be better!
The monkey's body was younger than his original one, and its soul was much more solid and profound!
What jolted Gu Zhao from his daydreams was excruciating pain, excruciating pain in his soul!
The monkey grabbed him and used him as a shield. The green light pierced through him, and his soul, whose energy was absorbed, transformed into him!
The next instant, he felt his soul dissipating at a visible speed.
"Wrong! Feng Qing! Help me!" He cried out in anguish, pleading for help from Feng Qing, whose hair was now completely white and whose face was full of wrinkles.
Unfortunately, after Feng Qing turned into a human, she could no longer see the soul. She was still chanting the ancient cryptic text, but the more she chanted, the more difficult it became, and the weaker she felt.
Gu Zhao stared in horror as his hands and feet gradually disappeared, then stared in disbelief as his breasts gradually became fuller.
"No!" His eyes were filled with despair.
On the small hill, Gu Linyuan picked up his binoculars again and looked towards the direction of the houses.
"Are you worried about that monkey?" Shi Yuan asked him with a smile.
Gu Linyuan nodded: "Although he is unruly, he does not deserve to die."
Huan Ni couldn't help but interject, "You're being too mild-mannered! He's not just unruly, he's a complete scoundrel!"
"If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll cause big trouble sooner or later!"
"That's what I thought too, so I put him into Gu Zhao's body, so that he would lose his demonic power and try living like an ordinary person, and also cause some trouble for the Gu family."
"Hopefully that secret technique won't harm him."
"Don't worry," Ran Wen comforted him. "That monkey's soul is much more powerful than Gu Zhao's." Gu Zhao couldn't outmaneuver him.
Before the second half of the sentence was finished, a few wisps of broken souls floated out of the houses in the pitch-black night, even weaker than Ji Shuyang whom Ran Wen had encountered outside the cave.
Shi Yuanran and Wen Du simply watched without moving. If we're talking about cause and effect, Gu Zhao's current outcome is a return of the cause to Ji Shuyang.
She and Ran Wen weren't indiscriminately kind people; they weren't willing to save just anyone's remnant soul.
Gu Linyuan didn't move either. He came here specifically to see Gu Zhao's soul scattered.
As if sensing something, Gu Zhao flew around Gu Dingbei and Gu Lie a few times without receiving a response. Unable to enter the room covered with coded text, he flew directly towards the small hill.
"Lin Yuan, save me!" he cried weakly.
"Save you?" Gu Linyuan seemed shocked. "I finally managed to make you almost lose your soul, and you actually want me to save you?"
"It's you?" Gu Zhao's eyes widened in fury. "It was you! You unfilial son!"
“You’re wrong,” Gu Linyuan said calmly. “When you allowed the dodder to use the lives of my mother and me to change the course of fate, I was no longer your son.”
"I cannot bear the title of 'unfilial son'."
"You also have the surname Gu, and my blood flows in your veins. You can't just stand by and watch someone die!"
"I can!" Gu Linyuan said expressionlessly. "You really can't understand human language." He raised his voice, "I just said that your current predicament was my scheme, how could I possibly save you?"
"Impossible! You've never changed your surname; you still have feelings for me and the Gu family!"
Gu Linyuan raised an eyebrow: "What gave you this misconception?"
"I won't change my surname?"
"Have you ever considered that I haven't changed my surname because I'm forcing myself not to forget that unforgettable hatred?"
"But don't worry, I'll change my surname to Qiao soon."
"I'll agree to whatever surname you want to change to, please save me, I don't want to die!"
"What about my mother? What about Linfeng? What about me?" Gu Linyuan said bitterly, "Do we just want to die?"
"Do we deserve to die?"
"Gu Zhao, I hate you more than Feng Qing!"
"Why? I'm your father!"
"That's the reason," Gu Linyuan said. "The alien demons have no humanity, and you are even less human than them!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhao suddenly recalled the scene from that year when he carried Feng Qing away from the cave without looking back. For a moment, he was speechless.
But he really didn't want to die, so he pleaded, "I know I was wrong, please save me, I will be good to you and Linfeng from now on."
"Even if you have no feelings for me or the Gu family, what about Lin Feng?"
"He has always been close to the old man."
"Please save me. From now on, I'll persuade the old man to spend more time with Linfeng, okay?"
Gu Linyuan chuckled. He knew that the Gu family would eventually use Linfeng as a stepping stone. Fortunately, Linfeng didn't need to know any of this.
“Lin Feng has already returned to the Underworld and is waiting to be reincarnated as a human.” He spread his hands, as if with some regret, and said, “Unfortunately, you can’t leave the Underworld and will never be reincarnated.”
"No!" Despair filled Gu Zhao's eyes. "I don't want to die! Gu Linyuan, you have to save me! I am your biological father!"
He really had nothing he could do to Gu Linyuan; he just kept repeating the same sentence over and over again.
Gu Linyuan crossed his arms, a villainous smile on his face as he watched Gu Zhao's breakdown and pleas for mercy, a look of satisfaction on his face as he watched him gradually dissipate into the world.
Shi Yuan didn't say anything, but stood quietly beside Gu Linyuan to keep him company.
Shortly after Gu Zhao disappeared, a scream came from the direction of the house: "Ah! How could this happen! What kind of broken body is this!"
Shi Yuan and Gu Linyuan's attention was immediately drawn to it. As for Gu Zhao? He just disappeared. Did they have to give him a big send-off?
Upon hearing Gu Zhao's loud voice, Gu Dingbei rushed into the secret document room in a few steps, followed closely by Gu Lie, who turned on the light.
Gu Dingbei grabbed Gu Zhao's shoulders and looked him up and down carefully: "Good, good! It's good that you're alright! It's good that you're alright! Hahaha!"
He turned to look at Feng Qing and saw that she looked completely exhausted. His heart skipped a beat, and the secret thoughts that had just arisen in his mind vanished instantly.
"Feng Qing, are you alright?" he asked hesitantly.
"What could possibly be wrong with me..." Before she could finish speaking, Feng Qing covered her throat. "How could this be?" Her voice, which was usually gentle and melodious like a young girl's, had suddenly become rough and aged.
That's not right!
Thinking of something, Feng Qing spread her hands in front of her eyes. Her once smooth and soft hands had turned into withered chicken claws, covered with age spots!
"How could this happen!" Feng Qing couldn't accept that she had turned into an old woman overnight.
She rushed in front of Gu Zhao, pushed past Gu Dingbei, grabbed Gu Zhao's shoulders, and shook him violently: "Gu Zhao! What have you done! How did I become like this!"
If this were the old Gu Zhao, he would have been filled with self-reproach, hugged Feng Qing and gently comforted her, saying it was all his fault, that he loved her, and that he would love her no matter what she became!
I estimate that we will work together to find a way to help her regain her former youthful appearance.
But the body of Gu Zhao now houses a free spirit. Even the once beautiful Feng Qing is now just a skeleton in his eyes, let alone the old woman she is now.
He shoved Feng Qing aside, not caring whether she had fallen on her bottom and it hurt: "Are you crazy! Isn't this all your fault? You still have the nerve to ask me!"
He stood up and searched everywhere in the room, even lying on the floor to sniff carefully, trying to find his original body, even if it was just a trace, so that he could protect it and slowly refine it back!
But there was nothing there!
They didn't even leave him a single monkey hair!
"You bitch! I'll kill you!" Gu Zhao glared at Feng Qing with a ferocious look, then rushed over and kicked her in the chest.
Gu Dingbei stepped forward to stop him, but Gu Zhao shoved him to the ground: "Get lost, you old bastard! I'll settle the score with you later!"
Gu Dingbei staggered several times. If Gu Lie hadn't caught him from behind, he probably would have fallen on his backside like Feng Qing.
"Ah Zhao, what's wrong with you?" Gu Dingbei gasped for breath, angrily saying, "Feng Qing saved you. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be as lively and energetic as you are now!"
"Screw your saving me!" Gu Zhao jumped up and down upon hearing this. "I'm perfectly fine! You've turned me into this weakling, and you still call that saving me!"
I'll kill you all!
"Big brother!" Gu Lie grabbed Gu Zhao's fist as he swung it. "Dad has done so much for you, and you dare to throw a punch at him? Are you even human?"
"I'm not even human!" Gu Zhao retorted. "You're no better! You're partly to blame too!"
He forcefully pulled his hand back and discovered deep red marks on his wrist. His eyes immediately welled up with tears. Damn it! The human body is so weak! He had to go back to his own body!
"I'm going to the Seventh Bureau to sue you!" His voice was full of grievance. "You treat monkeys' lives like dirt!"
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Lie knocked him unconscious: "Dad, take my older brother back and have the doctor examine him first."
"Yes, go back quickly!" Gu Dingbei turned around and took a few steps, then turned back. "Feng Qing, come back with us. I'll have the doctor examine you too."
"You are not only Gu Zhao's wife but also his benefactor. The Gu family will not abandon you!" These words were spoken with conviction, but no one knew how much sincerity and how much calculation were behind them.
"Get up quickly. Think carefully about what can help you recover. Just tell me, and Dad will help you."
Princess Gu Lie held Gu Zhao in her arms and looked at Gu Dingbei with a puzzled expression. For the past twenty years, although Feng Qing had lived in the Gu family as Gu Zhao's wife, he knew that the old man had never truly acknowledged her identity.
Why is he being so nice to Feng Qing right now, even calling himself "Dad"?
What does the old man want to do?
He looked away and glanced at Gu Zhao again, then suddenly realized: the old man was afraid that something might happen to his good brother again, so he was trying to keep Feng Qing calm for him!
That really shows how much a mother loves her child!
Thinking of his deep love for his son, Gu Lie was eager to return home. Once Gu Zhao's matter was resolved and the doctor confirmed that he was alright, he would find a fortune teller to come and take a look at the Gu family.
After that, he will be able to bring his wife and son back!
He breathed a sigh of relief; things were finally getting back on track!
But will things really turn out as he wishes?
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