"Is there really such a thing?" Cai Wenji asked in surprise before frowning and sinking into thought. "Maybe that’s why Dad wanted to stop. I was young thirty years ago and don’t have much mory of what he said."
"That’s normal. It would be strange if you could rember. Children find it hard to recall things they didn’t experience firsthand," said Cai Qiong, speaking as a psychology expert. "Our parents were really good to us."
Cai Wenji frowned, suddenly turning to glance at the living room upstairs before asking Wang Jian in a low voice, "If a woman is afflicted by Gu Poison, would it affect her ability to have children?"
"Hmm?"
Wang Jian was startled. Seeing the seriousness in Cai Wenji’s eyes and recalling his glance backward, a possibility vaguely stirred in his mind. "Let’s not even talk about Gu Poison. Even a major illness or a common toxin can cause great harm to the body. If you want to have a child, you need to prepare properly. If you’re already pregnant and still want to go through with it..."
Wang Jian paused for a mont before continuing, "There’s a concept in Chinese dicine about ’qi and blood.’ When a person nurtures a life within their body, it’s like using their own qi and blood to sustain it. To put it nicely, this is called childbirth. To put it bluntly, the child is a parasite living in the mother’s body. If she is well-nourished and healthy, it’s fine. But if her body is already weak, not only is the fetus unstable, but the mother’s own life will be in danger."
These were not words Wang Jian simply made up. Conception and childbirth are complex processes, and the more one understands the risks and sacrifices involved, the more one respects won.
As soon as Wang Jian finished speaking, Cai Wenji’s expression changed. He began muttering to himself, but neither Wang Jian nor Cai Qiong could make out what he was saying. Judging by his deanor alone, they knew he had discovered sothing significant.
Cai Qiong felt sothing was odd and couldn’t help but ask, "Brother, what’s wrong?"
"Hm? It’s nothing." Cai Wenji glanced at Cai Qiong and forced a smile. He reached out, patted her head, and chuckled. "Really, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about work. It’s a bit of a sha Dad asked to stop it temporarily."
He’s lying. Cai Qiong saw the answer in his expression instantly. If she couldn’t even see that, her years of study would have been for nothing. Still, she pretended not to know and nodded. "It is a pity indeed."
Strangely, after just a few more words, Cai Wenji followed Cai Xing’s example and went back to his room to rest. Though his poisoning wasn’t a major issue, his reaction was a clear sign that sothing was amiss.
As soon as Cai Wenji left, Cai Qiong said to Wang Jian, "I’ve never t my mother. She passed away just after I was born. I don’t have any mories of her from that ti; I only heard about it from my dad later. At school, I was often bullied for being the kid without a mother, and I never dared to tell my family. Over ti, I stopped bringing up the topic of my mother, even at ho. My dad and my brother wouldn’t ntion her, either. It’s been so long since we’ve had a conversation like today’s."
Wang Jian listened quietly. He was beginning to understand Cai Xing and Cai Wenji’s reactions, as well as why Cai Wenji had suddenly asked about childbirth. Hearing her story made Wang Jian think of himself. He wasn’t much better off; he and his siblings had also been raised by their father alone. Upon careful consideration, the timing of his family’s tragedy seed to coincide with the Cai family’s.
Wang Jian even began to suspect Gu Poison might have been the cause of his own mother’s death. He had so faint mories of her, and the thought spurred a sudden urge to call his father and ask for confirmation.
However, Cai Qiong’s voice brought him back to the present. "Right, about this Gu Poison, do you have a permanent solution for it?"
Cai Qiong didn’t dwell on her emotions, shifting the topic directly. "Otherwise, if this isn’t brought under control, things could end up just like they did thirty years ago."
Wang Jian nodded, knowing her words were no exaggeration.
The insidious thing about Gu Poison was that a victim would never know they’d been afflicted until symptoms appeared. It was just like an internal parasite; if you didn’t deworm regularly or show symptoms, you would never notice it. If it didn’t cause major harm, it might even stay with you for a lifeti. That’s what made it so terrifying.
But Gu Poison was a far more dangerous kind of parasite. A minor affliction could be fatal in a short amount of ti, while a severe one could cloud the mind, inducing madness and frenzy, making the victim seem controlled by another as they committed acts harmful to themselves and others. Just imagining such a scene filled Wang Jian with anger and a deep loathing for the person behind all this.
Wang Jian imdiately took out his cell phone and dialed a number he hadn’t called in a long ti. Seeing him pull out his phone without answering her, Cai Qiong grew curious and waited quietly by his side.
A ringtone from a Gao Li Country girl group jingled from the phone. After half a minute, just as they both thought the call was about to be answered, the ringing abruptly stopped. He’d been hung up on...
"Uh... no worries. My master is always busy. He must have hung up by accident," Wang Jian said with an awkward chuckle, then dialed again.
This ti, thankfully, soone picked up after about ten seconds. But the first thing they heard was the clatter of shuffling mahjong tiles, followed by soone calling out a move.
Cai Qiong shot him a puzzled look, making Wang Jian even more embarrassed. His master was a great man in every way, but in his leisure ti, he loved walking his birds and playing cards. When the first call was hung up, Wang Jian had suspected as much. Sure enough, the mont the call connected, he heard the sounds of mahjong.
"Hello!" It was the voice of an elderly man with a Hubei accent, aged yet full of vigor, calm and forceful.
"Hey, Master, it’s , Xiao Jian."
"Your Master is busy. Where have you been these past few months without calling?" Even as he said he was busy, the sounds of tiles being drawn and played continued.
So much for a master detached from worldly affairs! Cai Qiong’s surprised expression didn’t fade. The Cai Family had imagined many possibilities for Wang Jian’s master, but they never pictured soone who sounded like an old acquaintance from Hubei.
"I went back to my hotown," Wang Jian said with a smile, briefly explaining his situation. "I’ve run into so tricky issues here recently, involving the content of those ancient yellow-covered books."
"Hmm?"
When Wang Jian ntioned the ancient yellow-covered books, his master’s tone turned noticeably serious. He asked Wang Jian to wait a mont. They could hear sounds of the ga being halted, promises to continue another ti, and so grumbling about a player winning and then leaving. Wang Jian’s master retorted in kind, and it was a while before the voices on the other end faded away. Finally, his master’s voice ca through clearly. "Which section is it?"
"The section on witchcraft."
"..."
"How many people?"
"We’ve found four so far, but there’s no way to guard against these Gu worms, which is making everyone deeply unsettled... I wanted to ask you if you have any good solutions."
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