Chapter 81: Would I Harm the Old Master?
"An emergency? Did he say what it was on the phone?" Zhou Fan asked as he led Chu Yan by the hand, heading downstairs.
"No, he just said it was an emergency. From his tone, he was in a great hurry—he seemed to hang up in a rush, too!" Chu Yan shook her head, tears of anxiety welling in her eyes. She was so preoccupied that she didn't even notice Zhou Fan holding her hand at the office, even though the workday wasn't over.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Zhou Fan said, patting Chu Yan's hand with one of his own while he drove.
Before long, they arrived at the Chu Family estate. Just as they got out of the car, Zhou Fan frowned and glanced up at the sky. The dark cloud from before seemed even blacker now, and it looked as though it could coalesce at any moment.
'It seems something major really has happened.'
When the servants saw Zhou Fan and Chu Yan arrive, all but a few of the boldest ones were too scared to approach. After all, it had only been a few days since Zhou Fan had displayed his terrifying power here.
"Xiaoyan, thank goodness you're here! Your grandfather collapsed again right after calling you!" As the two entered the house, they saw it was packed with people, some familiar and some not. Chu Qianqian hurried over to them.
"You little bastard, you have the nerve to show your face here? Give me back my wife!" Seeing Zhou Fan arrive, Chu Peiyu ignored the fact that his own father had collapsed, let out a roar, and charged toward Zhou Fan.
Without even a glance, Zhou Fan shot out a hand and clamped it around the man's neck, lifting him completely off the ground. With a casual flick, he tossed him aside as if he were throwing out a bag of trash.
"Get lost. I don't care who it is. Next time, I kill."
Zhou Fan's voice was frigid, so cold it felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees.
At the sight of this, many people instinctively shrank back, taking a few steps away. Even Chu Peiyang and Song Qing, Chu Yan's so-called parents who had previously given her endless grief, didn't dare make a sound.
"Younger Brother Zhou, thank goodness you're here. I just used the first three needles of the Nine Celestial Needles you taught me to barely protect Elder Chu's heart meridian, but the poison in his body seems much more virulent this time. I can't hold it for long!" Divine Doctor Ouyang explained quickly, fine beads of sweat on his forehead. He couldn't care less about the lives of the other members of the Chu Family.
In fact, if the Chu Family hadn't paid him such an exorbitant amount, Divine Doctor Ouyang wouldn't have cared about Chu Tianxiang's life either.
"I know. This time, it was likely deliberately manipulated by someone, which is why it broke through the acupuncture I used to protect his heart meridian last time." Zhou Fan stepped forward and held his hand under Chu Tianxiang's nose to check the strength of his breath. A flash of crimson glinted in his eyes.
In Zhou Fan's vision, the inside of Chu Tianxiang's body became transparent. He saw a blood-colored bug, the size of a fingernail, latched onto Chu Tianxiang's heart, greedily gnawing away at it.
At the same time, within Chu Tianxiang's bloodstream, there were dozens of much smaller, seemingly juvenile blood-colored bugs, greedily sucking his blood to replenish their own strength.
"When did the symptoms start? Who was in contact with him before they appeared?" Zhou Fan frowned, turning his head to look at Chu Qianqian.
Although his strength was only a tenth of what it was now when he last performed acupuncture on the Elder, Zhou Fan knew the power of the Nine Celestial Needles well. Unless the one who planted the *gu* was exceptionally powerful, it would be impossible for a single bug to break the seal of the needles—even just the first three—without getting close to Chu Tianxiang.
"After lunch, Father told me he was starting to feel unwell again, so he went back to his room to rest. The only people who had contact with him before that were the three of them, me, and a few of the servants who brought the food."
Chu Qianqian frowned slightly as she recalled, speaking in a soft voice. The "three of them" she mentioned were Chu Peiyang, Song Qing, and Chu Peiyu.
"What are you looking at me for? I'm warning you, even if that bastard Chu Yifeng did something outrageous, I haven't done anything to let down the Elder! He's my father!" When Zhou Fan's gaze fell on him, Chu Peiyu was so scared he nearly burst into tears. He quickly pointed at Zhou Fan and shouted his defense.
Zhou Fan gave him a speechless glance before his gaze shifted to Chu Peiyang and Song Qing.
But the moment his eyes fell on the couple, a flash of killing intent sparked in Zhou Fan's eyes—an intent so intense that even Chu Qianqian, standing beside him, could feel it.
Chu Qianqian had only ever felt such a potent killing intent twice in her life. The first time was when Zhou Fan saved her on the cliff, fighting for his life against his opponent. The second time was now.
"What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting I would harm the Elder? You must have forgotten that I once took a knife for him! And on top of that, I'm your father-in-law!" A hint of panic flashed in Chu Peiyang's eyes, but he put on a brave front as he snapped at Zhou Fan.
"Zhou Fan..." Chu Yan gently tugged on his sleeve. Although she chose to trust him unconditionally, and though she had no warm feelings for this pair she called parents, she still hoped he was mistaken. She was afraid, inexplicably afraid...