After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

That bastard Wang Qingyan always manages to make her angry.

But Bai Li Ce didn't stay angry for long before going to Willow Lane to retrieve the jewelry.

After picking up the jewelry, we went to get something to eat.

A bowl of hot wild vegetable meatball soup can make all your worries disappear.

"Another bowl, please."

"Okay, all done~"

A moment later, the owner brought over the soup, tapping the rim of the bowl a few times with his index finger as if he had been burned. "Be careful, young lady, it's a bit hot."

“Okay…” Baili Ce picked up his chopsticks and took a few bites before stopping. “Hey, boss, where’s your outhouse? I’d like to borrow it.”

The boss just said that everything is safe and we can proceed.

"It's right behind you. Go out and turn left to the end."

"Then don't take it away from me, I'll want to drink it again when I get back."

"Okay, I'll cover you up first, so it won't get cold later."

After relieving himself in the outhouse as instructed by the shop owner, "Baili Ce" returned and finished the rest of the meatball soup before paying and leaving the shop to wander around the streets...

......

"Greetings, young lady."

"you are......"

Although the middle-aged man in front of me was pot-bellied and unshaven, his eyes were bright and piercing, and he exuded an imposing aura without being angry...

Bai Li Ce immediately thought of the ruthless man who had slit the throat of a member of the Northern Frontier royal family, "Zhang Zhangjian?"

"It is I," Zhang Shan nodded and bowed.

Bai Li Ce quickly bowed, "Greetings, Your Excellency, I apologize for my rudeness."

"Don't dare to take it seriously."

"It's not easy for the young lady to come out, so let's hurry."

"Okay, please come this way."

Zhang Shanneng's arrival naturally represented Lu Jian, so Baili Ce took him directly to the address Qiu Jiang had given him.

A dilapidated house.

A man in his thirties lived in the house.

However, the two did not enter the house, but instead observed it secretly for a while before leaving.

"There really is such a monster in this world." If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Zhang Shan would never have believed it.

This can no longer be described as simply unbelievable.

"Perhaps he isn't a monster at all?"

"If it's not a monster, then why are its eyes and limbs like that?"

It can bend back at any time after it has folded back, its torso is twisted like a pretzel, and its eyes are sometimes normal and sometimes gray and lifeless.

The most terrifying thing is that when the man turns his head, it makes a clicking sound, but after a while, he can move and walk like a normal person again.

Bai Lize was also completely baffled. "I can't explain it either, but I always feel that he was turned into this by someone."

"Moreover, there may be more than one such person."

"..."

Ok?

Upon realizing that Zhang Shan hadn't followed, Baili Ce turned around.

The latter was looking at her with a horrified expression.

Bai Li Ce was so frightened that he took several steps back. "Zhang, Supervisor Zhang... what's wrong with you?"

Zhang Shan quickly averted his gaze, but still couldn't help feeling a chill run down his spine.

"It seems that His Majesty's fears have indeed come true."

Bai Lize was completely bewildered: ?

Zhang Shan then explained that He Jinzhan and Zhou Tianben had been taken into custody by Lu Jian as soon as they returned to the capital.

"In other words, He Jinzhan also exhibited similar symptoms during the arrest process."

"Moreover, his strength and speed suddenly increased several times, and the change in his eyes only occurred once."

Bai Li Ce frowned. "But I clearly remember..."

"Remember what?"

"The first time I met He Jinzhan, he had all his teeth broken but he didn't have this problem."

"That's strange. You've probably heard of Physician Lu. His diagnosis is that the patient has been poisoned by a curse for a long time."

This Physician Lu was the person she had been waiting for. Not only was his medical skill unparalleled, but he was also said to have mastered the legendary "Zhu You Technique," which cured many difficult and complicated diseases.

Unfortunately, Physician Lu was born with a disability in both legs and was quite old, requiring someone to accompany him when he went out. She no longer had time to wait for him to come slowly.

"How long is 'long-term'?"

"Based on the extent of damage to the meridians and blood, Physician Lu deduced that He Jinzhan had been under the influence of the Gu poison for at least six years."

Six years?

No way! It couldn't have taken that long!

But Bai Lize couldn't explain why it was impossible, so he had to go through his thoughts from beginning to end...

When An Luo was seven years old, his family and neighbors who had died and then came back to life suddenly changed their stories before their deaths, clearing Wang Qingyan of suspicion.

During the two days that He Jinzhan captured her and took her to Cypress Village, she ran away first, and Wang Qingyan caught up with her. After that, she vaguely heard about the fighting all night, and then the private army was wiped out.

The group of Old Twelve who were killed silently, Lin Yuchuan's speculation, the secrets he obtained from Qiu Jiang...

Connecting all the clues, Baili Ce's mind suddenly lit up!

"Perhaps this Gu has become so powerful that even Physician Lu cannot deal with it."

That's why he made the wrong inference.

"..." Zhang Shan's face was full of disbelief.

But this judgment...

“Young lady, Physician Lu’s medical skills are the best in the world. If his diagnosis is wrong, then no one’s medical skills can be trusted.”

Bai Li Ce took a deep breath, hoping that she was wrong.

"Because the problem doesn't lie in Physician Lu's medical skills at all."

She naturally trusted Physician Lu's medical skills.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have wanted to wait for him to come and examine the "monster".

"That is?"

"These six years may be the age of the Gu itself."

"In other words, once this Gu enters a person's body, it can completely replace and become the host."

"..." Zhang Shan gasped in shock!

"What's wrong with you?" Baili Ce was a little confused by his expression.

Looking at Baili Ce, Zhang Shan felt a chill run through his body and his muscles stiffen...

The Wang family is formidable, and Baili Ce is no simple character either.

"Zhang Zhangjian?" Seeing him in a daze, Baili Ce called out again.

Taking out two letters and a heavy bag of gold coins from his wide sleeve, Zhang Shan was truly glad that he was one of their own. "To be honest, His Majesty also holds this view."

Bai Lizhe's first reaction upon seeing these things was—

Wow! They sent her money again!

But when she saw a necklace that was clearly not in the style of the Central Plains mixed in with the gold beads, her face fell again.

After skimming through one of the letters, he realized that Lu Jian had long suspected this.

So, the purpose of giving her these things is—

"Damn it! You dog... what is His Majesty planning to do to me now?"

"Hey~" Zhang Shan put on a fawning expression, pretending not to hear the word "dog," "Serving His Majesty the Emperor and working for the well-being of the people, how can that be called 'doing something'~"

"..." She looked at him with a "happy" expression.

The latter bowed respectfully and said, "You just need to do as it says."

Numbly, she packed everything away. Having been a shrew for so long, she didn't care anymore.

"What about what I said before?"

"Young lady, rest assured, the court is in dire need of talent right now. Whether it is your sister, your friends, or those people in the three cities, they will all be taken care of."

"Besides, His Majesty has also said that protecting all people is the duty of a monarch."

......