Chapter 50: President Chen, Take Off Your Shirt
When Zhou Fan examined Chen Feng, he discovered a second Gu Insect in addition to the red one near his heart. This new one was much smaller and, instead of red, it was green.
Most critically, this green Gu Insect wasn't located on any of his organs. Instead, it lay dormant on top of the red one, slowly feeding on it.
'Raising a Gu with a Gu!'
Zhou Fan had only ever heard of such a thing; he'd never actually seen it. Today, he was finally getting to witness it firsthand.
Zhou Fan took out his phone, typed out a text message, and sent it.
Gu Feifei tilted her head to peek, then pouted. 'What kind of message is that? It's just a jumble of gibberish!'
But less than ten seconds after he sent the message, Zhou Fan's phone rang.
"I need to get this."
Zhou Fan said to Chen Feng and Gu Feifei before picking up his phone and walking to the other side of the private room, out of earshot.
"You really are alive! Where are you? I'm coming to find you right now!"
The moment Zhou Fan hit "accept," an exceptionally sweet but urgent voice came through the phone. Receiving his message had clearly made her very excited.
"Don't you have anything better to do? You saw my message the second I sent it!" Hearing her voice made Zhou Fan happy too.
If there was anyone in the world to whom Zhou Fan would willingly reveal his location, without fear of betrayal, it was definitely her. Situ Xin.
The woman who had once fought alongside him, who had co-founded the Netherworld King's Hall with him, only to later decide it was boring, return, and transform herself into a huge celebrity.
"Cut the crap, just tell me where you are! With no word from you, I was starting to think you were actually dead!" Situ Xin sounded impatient.
Ever since she'd heard the news of Zhou Fan's assassination, she had been using every connection at her disposal to investigate, but had come up with nothing.
"I'm in Nanjiang City. I'm safe now."
"Then why didn't you call me sooner? And when are you getting your revenge? I'll go with you."
"There were some complications. My injuries have healed, but my power hasn't returned. The meridians in my body are sealed by two different drugs. Revenge will have to be a long-term plan."
They chatted over the phone for a while. Zhou Fan glanced over at Chen Feng and Gu Feifei, who were sitting in a somewhat awkward atmosphere, then asked, "What's the deal with raising a Gu with a Gu? I remember you telling me about it before."
"Raising a Gu with a Gu? How did you run into something like that? Did you get hit with one, or was it someone else?" Situ Xin's voice was filled with doubt, but she explained anyway. "Back home, most people can't do this. Only a handful of Gu masters can pull it off. Of course, your big sister here is definitely one of them!"
"You'd better just spit it out. Your little bro is busy helping someone to score some business for his wife's company," Zhou Fan said, rolling his eyes. 'This woman, a goddess in everyone else's eyes, was completely shameless with him.'
"Oh? You got married? Is my new sister-in-law pretty? Is her body better than mine?" Situ Xin's teasing voice came over the line. "Well, whatever the case, you'd better treat her well. With that awful temper of yours, you're lucky anyone was willing to take you!"
"Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I'm hanging up," Zhou Fan said, exasperated. It was his only option. 'His temper really used to be terrible, but it had mellowed out a lot over the past year.'
"When you're raising a Gu with a Gu, you can basically ignore the first one. The fact that it's being used as feed means it's not much of a threat anymore. The second Gu is the tricky one. I can't make a proper judgment without seeing it, but I can tell you one thing for sure: the person who planted the second Gu is someone close to the patient."
Situ Xin dropped her playful tone and began analyzing the situation for Zhou Fan seriously. "For the second Gu to grow safely, it has to not only fight off the host's body but also avoid being consumed by the first Gu. Therefore, the person who planted it must use special methods to nourish it almost daily. That's the only way to ensure its growth."
'Someone close by?'
Zhou Fan's eyes narrowed. Just then, the door to the room was pushed open, and Ah Lian walked in, holding a box of golden needles.
"Alright, I'll contact you when I have time. You stay safe," Zhou Fan said to Situ Xin before hanging up and returning to the table.
"Are you two staying here, or would you rather wait outside?"
Zhou Fan picked up the golden needles to inspect them, then looked at Ah Lian and Gu Feifei.
"I'm going out for a drink!" Gu Feifei said eagerly. She was dying of boredom.
"Then I'll wait outside. If you need anything, just let me know," Ah Lian said, also getting up to leave.
Suddenly, only Zhou Fan and Chen Feng were left in the private room.
"President Chen, take off your shirt."
Chen Feng obediently complied. Just as he was about to ask what to do next, he saw Zhou Fan's eyes fixed on his chest. A strange feeling surged through his mind.
'This image, this scene, this situation... what if...?'