If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

The maid who had been stunned by Xi Lingxian's vase and taken away by the guards, after several days of severe torture, still clenched her teeth.

If Xi Rui hadn't dislocated her jaw, she would have bitten her tongue and committed suicide long ago.

Those who are released to do this kind of work are all suicide squad members; getting them to confess is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But they didn't come away empty-handed. They carefully searched her body and found several dark-colored pills and a small jar of unused gray powder.

After examination by several pharmacists, it was confirmed to be Gu worm powder.

The assassin's skin was torn open, blood was dripping from his wounds, and his mind was already numb and hardened.

But he still felt a little resentful every time he was tortured.

Everything was planned perfectly, but who could have predicted that a delicate little girl, after being bewitched, would still have the strength to fight back?

She was careless.

This will cost you your life.

……

For the remaining days on the ship, Xi Rui prevented Wang Jue from visiting Xi Lingxian.

Given the current situation, things are tangled and complicated, so it's better to avoid trouble altogether.

He also had his own ulterior motives. Wang Jue was a good friend, but he couldn't quite handle him as a brother-in-law.

Upon closer examination, who could be more suitable as the Xi family's son-in-law than Xi Wen?

Although I'm getting older, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Most importantly, Xi Wen is marrying into the Xi family and will live there from now on. Everything Xi Wen has is given to him by the Xi family, so he dares not treat his sister badly, and he dares not go against any of her wishes.

Wang Jue saw through his thoughts at a glance. "No way, don't even think about it."

Xi Rui was puzzled. "What are you so fixated on? Don't tell me you only realized you liked my Fanfan belatedly?"

"Even if I fall in love with you, it won't work. I'm not comfortable letting my sister marry you."

Wang Jue took a deep breath, feeling as if the whole world was against him.

"What is it about me that makes you worry?"

After a moment's hesitation, Xi Rui spoke the truth: "You're too powerful; I can't control you."

Wang Jue remained silent for a long time.

"I want a brother-in-law who I can beat up if anyone dares to bully my sister. You're not one of them!"

"..."

"...Sorry to interrupt your conversation."

Xi Wen never expected to run into these two chatting.

Xi Rui's gaze fell on the food box in his hand. "What's this?"

"I caught the fish fresh from the lake and had the kitchen make fish soup, which is my stepsister's favorite, and then I sent it to her."

Xi Wen was an orphan, and he truly regarded the three siblings of the Xi family as his own family.

Xi Rui clicked his tongue: "You're so considerate, even better than me, your own brother."

Xi Wen didn't say much, nodded to Wang Jue, and walked past with the food box.

Xi Rui pointed to Xi Wen's back and whispered, "See that? That's how my brother-in-law should be."

No matter how powerful you are outside, you must serve tea and water and act humble and subservient when you get home.

Can't do it? Then goodbye.

Wang Jue almost choked on his breath. He turned around and went back to his cabin. Mr. Zhou came to report to him on the progress of the research and development of the antidote for the Gu poison.

"The simplest method is for one of the hosts to die, and the Gu technique will collapse on its own."

"But we still can't determine who the Gu Master is on the other side?"

"If it is the Prince of Chenliu, then this person is probably following us closely, not far away."

"The two sides of a love-devoting Gu cannot be too far apart. If the Gu worm cannot feel comfort from the other, it will be tormented by the host to the point of wishing it were dead."

Chen Ting frowned: "The Prince of Chenliu is truly insidious. He uses such despicable tactics on a young girl who has just come of age."

Mr. Zhou raised his head: "Young master, although the Prince of Chenliu does not have much real power, he is still a prince of the royal family. It would be inappropriate and unacceptable for me to rashly take his life."

Chen Ting's eyes lit up. "The Gu worms won't endanger the host's life. The most crucial thing right now is to prevent Miss Xi from being controlled by the Gu worms and becoming a tool for the Prince of Chenliu to hold the Wang and Xi families hostage. Zhou Zhong, don't you have a mother Gu worm?"

Mr. Zhou: "I have already handed the mother Gu over to the young master..."

Wang Jue pinched his brow bone, glancing at his subordinates.

"She doesn't want to."

what……

Chen Ting's expression was complicated. "Young master, forgive my bluntness, but do you really need Miss Xi's consent for something like this?"

Wang Jue looked at Mr. Zhou, wanting to ask more about the Mother Gu, though he himself wasn't very clear on the matter.

"If the mother Gu is bound to me, will she be bound to me both physically and mentally?"

Mr. Zhou nodded: "That's right. Moreover, the effect of Miss Xi forgetting her lover caused by the love-obsessed Gu planted on her will also disappear under the catalysis of the mother Gu; and it is said that the two parties bound by the Gu worm will have a certain degree of telepathy, but the specifics are unclear."

Chang'an, the bodyguard, brightened up. "Young master, isn't this perfect for you and Miss Xi?"

Wang Jue hesitated.

He didn't know what he was hesitating about; he just felt that this move wasn't good enough.

Although he had done plenty of these scheming and shameful things before.

But he subconsciously felt that he had to have some boundaries when it came to Xi Lingxian.

"Young master, now is not the time for you to be a gentleman; the King of Chenliu is in the shadows while we are in the open. If we are not careful, it will be too late for you to do anything about it."

Wang Jue took out a long, slender white porcelain bottle from his sleeve.

It's a bottle containing the mother Gu (a type of poisonous insect).

……

Xi Lingxian drank the fish soup that Xi Wen had brought her.

The fish soup was milky white, made with fresh fish caught directly from the river. The cook's skills were superb, making the fish soup exceptionally delicious.

"Thank you very much, sworn brother. You are so kind."

Xi Lingxian had been feeling unwell for the past few days, so this bowl of fish soup came at just the right time.

"Sister-in-law, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

"It's nothing," Xi Lingxian shook her head. "It's just that I sometimes feel a little feverish, and it feels like there are bugs crawling inside my body."

Xi Wen made no attempt to hide her concern. "Did you take the pills the doctor gave you?"

"Yes, I take one when I feel really bad, and it's not so bad."

"I'll listen to Young Master Wang; does he have a way to help you?"

Xi Lingxian paused, then lowered her eyes and said, "He has it, but I won't accept his methods."

"Sister, nothing is more important than your own life. Don't be foolish."

"But……"

Xi Wen, usually so gentle, was unusually serious and resolute at this moment. "Sister-in-law, listen to me. You are so important to our godfather, he has your heart and soul. If anything were to happen to you, how could he bear the blow? Asong is still young, and with You'an's personality, can he protect the family business on his own?"

"But I don't know him at all, and I even subconsciously dislike and resist him. How could I possibly accept someone like that to be bound to the other end of the love potion?"

Xi Wen's heart skipped a beat. "He... he's talking about this method?"

"right."

Xi Lingxian was speechless with bitterness. "Brother, tell me, how can I accept this?"

Xi Song poked his head out from somewhere, "What do you think it is?"

"Sister, you've been bewitched, how come your brain is gone?"

"It's not like I'm asking you and Wang Jue to get married right here. I'm just using him to resolve the current crisis." Xi Song said dismissively, "Or, even if the love potion takes effect and it really requires the two of you to be intimate to resolve it, what's wrong with that?"

"Just treat him like a male prostitute for your amusement, why put yourself in such a bind?"