Since the topic had come up, Gu Chaobei decided to ask directly,
"Did your wife, Lü Xiu, kill you?"
"Alas, to tell you the truth, it wasn't me.
I had refined an elixir for eternal life and intended to consume it myself.
When Prince Xia took it, his condition worsened, so I modified the prescription and dosage. After arriving here, I successfully refined two pills. I killed a chicken and gave it one. As a result, it became vigorous and lively.
Lü Xiu happened to witness this. Reluctantly, I had to tell her I was refining this medicine. She didn't say anything at the time, but who knew she had taken it to heart.
There was still one pill left. I didn't dare to take it myself; I wanted to keep it as a life-saving reserve. Unexpectedly, Lü Xiu had a stomachache last night. She looked for medicine herself and happened to find that reserve pill. Without waiting for my consent, she swallowed it directly.
However, after taking it, she felt unwell and died in the middle of the night. I dared not speak the truth, so I could only say she died of a stomachache."
Ge Hong said helplessly.
"Really?" Gu Chaobei pressed.
"There's no need for me to lie to you. This is the truth. You can't trust a partner you meet halfway. I didn't guard against her, but she plotted against me.
But honestly, it's a good thing she took the medicine. If I had taken it myself, I don't know what state I'd be in now."
Ge Hong gave a wry smile.
Hearing this, Gu Chaobei, though not fully believing him, couldn't find any flaws in his statement for the moment. He said,
"Then you will be confined to your residence for the time being. Write down the formula for the elixir and the process by which Prince Xia took it."
"Alright."
Ge Hong knew his life was in their hands, so he had no choice but to agree.
Seeing that he was somewhat compliant, Gu Chaobei ordered Yan Xin's men to confine him to his residence and provide him with writing materials so he could detail Prince Xia's entire process of taking the medicine.
Ge Hong's strong memory was his only advantage.
Detained in the residence, Ge Hong could only be obedient...
Lü Xiu was the first villager to die suddenly after Phoenix Village was established, but the incident did not cause much stir.
This was because only the village chief and the small team leader knew about it, and they were loyal to Gu Qingcheng and would not speak carelessly. Thus, the matter was kept secret.
Lü Xiu was buried secretly. As she had no relatives in the village and had only recently arrived in Phoenix Village, she didn't even have a close friend, so she was quickly forgotten by everyone.
Gu Qingcheng never expected that Ge Hong would infiltrate their village; it could only be described as a twist of fate.
Now there was no need to issue a bounty. They just had to wait for Ge Hong's "confession of guilt."
Hu Lanfang, who understood Gu Diming Bei well, asked worriedly,
"Old Gu, you're having him write down the prescription. What are you planning to do?"
"Nothing much. I just want to see what caused Prince Xia's mental breakdown. Moreover, I estimate that in the future, I'll have to avoid the medicinal herbs used in Prince Xia's prescription to prevent similar stress reactions.
I suspect it was a certain herb that led to Prince Xia's mental degeneration. As long as I avoid taking the herbal components in the elixir, I won't have to worry too much."
Hu Lanfang said upon hearing this,
"As long as you don't have the delusion of immortality. I was afraid you might develop delusions after hearing Ge Hong's words."
"Am I stupid? Prince Xia pursued immortality and turned into a zombie-like vampire. I don't want to become such a monster."
Gu Chaobei was very pragmatic.
Hu Lanfang was finally completely relieved and said resentfully,
"It's all the fault of this damned Ge Hong. If he hadn't carelessly concocted medicine, none of this would have happened."
"You can't entirely blame him. Prince Xia had a life-or-death experience that made him instantly feel the importance of life, leading him to become obsessed with remedies for longevity, thus causing the tragedy."
Gu Chaobei shook his head helplessly.
While Ge Hong was diligently writing under supervision, Gu Qingcheng's family settled down in Phoenix Village.
However, they did not realize that the ripple effect initiated by Ge Hong had only just begun.
That day, after dealing with Ge Hong's matter, Gu Chaobei's family went to visit Huang Changsheng and Aunt Qian's family.
Since arriving in Phoenix Village, Aunt Qian's family had settled down happily and had no desire to leave.
They also knew that the town at the foot of the mountain had been flooded, and the people were suffering. They were instantly grateful that Gu Qingcheng had found them in time.
After coming up the mountain, they knew Gu Qingcheng was away and had been eagerly awaiting her return.
After waiting for nearly a month, they finally welcomed the Gu family back.
When the two families met, there were naturally many emotions.
Xuesheng had already started learning to walk and liked to be held. Hu Lanfang played with him. Although he didn't remember the Gu family, he seemed to have a natural affinity for them. He was willing to be held by everyone.
Aunt Qian said happily, "Xuesheng is very particular. He cries if outsiders hold him, except for his own family."
Hu Lanfang was even happier to hear this and asked Aunt Qian to bring Xuesheng over to play anytime.
The Gu family also met the people of Gu Village. The young village chief of Gu Village was so excited to see Gu Chaobei's family that tears streamed down his face. He thought of his father who had died for the villagers and of the villagers who had frozen to death, and he sighed with emotion.
Gu Chaobei comforted them profusely, assuring them to live in peace in Phoenix Village.
The young village chief hadn't decided yet whether to permanently reside in Phoenix Village or to relocate later. Since it was chaotic everywhere, it was best to stay put for now.
Gu Chaobei did not want to be idle, so he went to the medical hall to practice medicine.
Gu Chaobei's medical skills were superb and his attitude was kind. Ordinary headaches, fevers, bruises, and sprains were minor issues in his hands and were easily resolved.
However, for the villagers, every minor illness was a significant matter. Therefore, through word-of-mouth, Gu Chaobei quickly became a divine doctor who cured all illnesses, and everyone revered him highly.
If it weren't for Gu Qingcheng's considerable prestige in the village, Gu Chaobei would have already overshadowed her reputation.
Hu Lanfang, meanwhile, was busy supervising the expansion of the residence.
Ten workers were sent for the expansion.
Within a month, centered around the original courtyard, an outer courtyard was built, forming a two-courtyard residence.
The outer courtyard included the kitchen, dining room, and study, while the inner courtyard was their living space. Guests were generally not invited into the inner courtyard, creating a highly private space.
Gu Qingcheng entrusted the decoration of the house to Hu Lanfang, so she wouldn't have too much idle time to overthink things.
Ge Hong's writing work was also nearing completion.
After finishing his work at the medical hall, Gu Chaobei would often visit Ge Hong's residence to discuss Prince Xia's condition.
Gu Chaobei now somewhat believed Ge Hong's earlier statements, as he became indignant whenever Lü Xiu's theft of his elixir was mentioned.
After all, the elixir had been refined using many precious medicinal materials and heavenly treasures, some of which were rare tonics that money couldn't buy, yet Lü Xiu had consumed them.
Ge Hong was now slowly telling the truth, saying that the reason for Lü Xiu's death was that the elixir itself was formulated according to his physical constitution.