Just as Jiang the Hunter was about to help Zhao Kuo up, he was pulled aside by Jiang Lin. "Dad, it was he who brought the Pan Family people here. Why are you bothering with someone like that?"
Jiang the Hunter glared at Jiang Lin. This kid was too hot-tempered and showed his emotions too easily.
"Brother Jiang, I honestly meant well. When I saw that red rash on Jiang Lin's face, I did it to save the child," Zhao Kuo said, wincing as the movement pulled at the corner of his injured mouth, contorting his entire face with pain.
Jiang Lin was furious. "You're talking nonsense. The people from the Pan Family just said that their old lady and her maid were poisoned with something incurable, yet you dare to spread lies?"
"Shut up!" Jiang the Hunter shouted sharply at Jiang Lin, "Go back inside!"
Jiang Lin glared at Zhao Kuo, making a face that seemed to say 'just you wait.'
Jiang the Hunter stared angrily, giving Jiang Lin a hard shove, which finally sent him storming into the house.
Whatever Jiang the Hunter and Zhao Kuo discussed, Zhao Kuo left the Jiang Family with a pale face.
Jiang the Hunter found his son. "Explain to me, what's going on?"
A bit guilty, Jiang Lin avoided Jiang the Hunter's gaze and muttered, "Who knows what kind of madness Zhao Kuo was up to, maybe he went crazy chasing after money?"
"You know that's not what I'm asking." Jiang the Hunter had noticed Jiang Lin acting strangely over the past few days, and after today's events, he guessed that things weren't as simple as they seemed.
"The Chicken Blood Vine must be soaked in wine, then boiled, to release its color without easily fading.
First, we don't have Chicken Blood Vine soaked in wine in our house.
Second, if you had used Chicken Blood Vine on your face at noon, it couldn't be this clean now. Are you sure you're not telling me the truth?"
Although Jiang the Hunter's reasoning was clear and logical, Jiang Lin remembered his promise to Yu Xiaolian to keep her secret. He couldn't tell anyone, not even his father.
Jiang Lin changed the topic, "Dad, from now on, we shouldn't sell wild game to Zhao Kuo."
Jiang the Hunter sighed, "So you're not going to tell me, huh? Tomorrow, I'm going to check that grave at the second mountain to see what you've been hiding from me."
"Go ahead, even if you go, you won't get inside!"
Jiang Lin blurted out, then quickly covered his mouth, realizing as his father's face changed, growing stern and angry.
"You brat, did you really go inside that grave? Are you insane?" Jiang the Hunter started hitting Jiang Lin, aiming wildly at his head and body, wherever he could reach.
Trying to escape the blows, Jiang Lin leapt around the room like a monkey.
"Dad, I just went to take a look; I didn't actually go inside. The big iron door to that grave is locked; no one can get in!"
Sitting down heavily on the edge of the kang, Jiang the Hunter looked serious, "You really didn't go in?"
Jiang Lin nodded, "I swear I didn't enter!"
It was Yu Xiaolian who went in, not him.
Jiang the Hunter pulled Jiang Lin closer, beginning to strip off his clothes, only breathing a sigh of relief when confirming there wasn't a single abnormality on Jiang Lin's body.
"I want you to swear never to go to that place again. If I find out you've sneaked there, we'll sever our father-son relationship."
After the ordeal with the Longevity Gu, Jiang Lin barely escaped with his life. Still shaken, he naturally didn't want to return to that terrifying place.
Jiang Lin vowed solemnly, and Jiang the Hunter said meaningfully, "I know Yu Xiaolian saved you, but you must keep your distance from her from now on, do you understand?"
Jiang Lin was taken aback, "How did you...?"
"I realized long ago she wasn't a normal person, ever since Yu Changhe brought her back."
Jiang the Hunter mused, "What puzzles me is how she knew her blood could counteract the poison. Could she be aware she's a descendant of the Witch Clan? That's impossible!"
Jiang Lin was completely baffled. The red pill Yu Xiaolian had given him had a faint taste of blood. Could she have made the antidote with her blood?
"Dad, how do you know Yu Xiaolian is from the Witch Clan? Why can Witch Clan blood cure Gu Poison?"
Jiang the Hunter recalled, "The day after Yu Changhe brought her back, I noticed her eyes were different. Witch Clan members have gray eyes because each of their bodies hosts a Gu insect.
If the eyes are only partially gray, it suggests the Gu within is a Beneficial Gu. But if you meet someone whose eyes are fully gray, stay far away; their body may harbor the most poisonous Gu King."
"Dad, how do you know so much? How many secrets are you keeping from me?"
"You don't need to know everything. Just heed my advice and stay away from Yu Xiaolian."
Yu Xiaolian had just saved his life, and now he was supposed to turn his back on his savior? Jiang Lin couldn't do it.
"Yu Xiaolian's eyes are only a third gray, which means she has a Beneficial Gu in her body. What's so fearsome about that?"
"Beneficial Gu can include either Child Gu or Mother Gu. If she hosts a Child Gu, her Beneficial Gu might turn into a Poison Gu."
Jiang Lin was shocked, "You mean if controlled by someone with a Mother Gu, Yu Xiaolian might...?"
"I'm not entirely clear, but it's too dangerous to associate with the Witch Clan. I don't want you involved with her anymore."
Jiang Lin shook his head, "If you had told me all this before she saved my life, I might have listened. But now she has just saved me, so I can't comply with what you're saying. Besides, I've already acknowledged her as my sworn sister."
Jiang the Hunter looked worn, unable to tell if he was more upset or resigned, murmuring, "A cursed fate..."
…
Ever since returning, Yu Xiaolian sat on the wall of her home, holding willow sticks, twiddling them absently for half the day before weaving just one together.
Yu Changhe watched her leisurely, unbothered by her slow progress, finding her sitting on the wall swinging her legs cute beyond words.
It wasn't until Zhao Kuo stumbled in with a bruised face that Yu Xiaolian hopped off the wall cheerfully.
Hmph, my dad treats you as his best friend, and you repay him with betrayal for money? You got off easy with just a beating.
Yu Changhe curiously asked Yu Xiaolian, "Why are you grinning so mischievously?"
Yu Xiaolian giggled, "I'm happy. Thinking about how we'll earn a decent sum from selling these baskets, I can't help but smile!"
"Stupid girl, never seen the world. These broken baskets are only worth five wen each in town. Everyone can weave them; what's special about that?"
Yu Ziyi, returning from outside, overheard Yu Xiaolian and couldn't resist mocking her.
Yu Changhe said, "Brother Ziyi, if these baskets are sold come autumn, they might fetch seven wen apiece!"
"Are you dreaming? Who would buy them for seven wen?"
Yu Ziyi dangled the tofu he'd just bought in front of Yu Xiaolian, "Tempted? I see your mom makes porridge every day. Really pitiful!"
Yu Xiaolian had plenty of tofu in her space, even silken tofu, but she dared not take it out casually.
Recently, she'd secreted away some soy sauce and salt from her space, placing them in little ceramic jars where Sun kept spices.
As for other items, she didn't dare take them out without the means to protect herself. Having such a supermarket in space was like carrying a burden of guilt.