Upon hearing this plan, Gu Zhaobei’s confidence soared.
He had initially thought he’d have to read for a whole year, which would have been incredibly exhausting. But if it was only for three months, then it was manageable.
“Besides, we can pick the days he’s supposed to take my pills. That narrows it down to about twenty days,”
Unexpectedly, Ge Hong delivered more good news.
“Daoist Ge, aren’t you being a bit too domineering? Twenty-odd days of pills can turn Prince Xia into a living dead person?”
Gu Qingcheng almost swore, she was so shocked.
“Heh, he was too greedy. He always asked for more dosage, and frankly, the medicine also aids in… a certain other area. So, he might have become addicted to that aspect.”
Ge Hong spoke casually.
He didn't mind Gu Qingcheng being present, blurting it out without reservation. He assumed Gu Qingcheng was a young man, and at this age, in this era, he could already be married, so he would surely understand such matters and there was nothing to hide.
Fortunately, Gu Qingcheng had received basic sex education in high school and immediately understood what Ge Hong meant by “a certain other area.”
Upon reflection, it made sense. It was all about nerve responses. If some of those nerves could be kept in a state of constant vitality, it would naturally make Prince Xia feel incredibly… potent.
No wonder Prince Xia had suddenly degenerated into such a state.
He had taken too much medicine.
All medicine has three parts poison; he had literally turned himself into a zombie.
Just as Gu Qingcheng figured it out, she saw her father and Ge Hong already engrossed in a state of intoxicated exploration. These two, once they started discussing, would likely carry on until late into the night.
Gu Qingcheng didn’t want to stay with them and listen to their uninteresting pronouncements, so she excused herself and went home.
Before she left, Ge Hong suddenly looked up and said,
“Young Master Gu, you can withdraw the people you sent to watch me. It would be too much for them. Don’t worry, I won’t escape. And even if I were to escape, it would be after the medicine is developed.”
Gu Qingcheng smiled faintly and said,
“Daoist Ge is truly a wise man. As they say, ‘A wise man adapts to circumstances.’ You’ll have free rein here from now on, and I’ll have them withdrawn immediately.”
With that, Gu Qingcheng walked out of the courtyard, just as Yan Xin arrived for his shift.
Seeing Gu Qingcheng emerge, Yan Xin quickly went to greet her.
“Young Master Gu, you’re back? Don’t worry, we’ve been keeping a close eye on Ge Hong day and night. He won’t get away.”
“Captain Yan, withdraw the men. There’s no need for them to be on duty from tonight onwards. I appreciate their hard work during this time.”
Gu Qingcheng instructed.
“Huh? No need for duty? Aren’t you afraid he’ll escape?”
Yan Xin was surprised.
“It’s fine, he won’t escape. I just spoke with him,” Gu Qingcheng replied.
In fact, watching over Ge Hong was a pleasant task. Although it involved overtime at night, there was an overtime subsidy of twenty wen per night.
However, it was still tiring, especially for those with wives. Who wouldn’t prefer the warmth of a wife and children over a hearth than watching a dry, old man?
Seeing that duty was indeed unnecessary, everyone was delighted. After bidding farewell to Gu Qingcheng, they all departed.
On the way, Yan Xin knew she was going home and escorted her all the way to the Gu family residence.
Gu Qingcheng also took the opportunity to ask him about the events in the village after their departure, whether any new zombies had been discovered, or if there were any other unusual phenomena.
Yan Xin said no. Particularly regarding zombie defense, he had been very diligent, adopting a strategy of striking them the moment they appeared. Therefore, the village had not suffered a crisis like the previous one again.
What Gu Qingcheng didn’t know was that the decrease in the number of surrounding zombies was actually due to her Kongming lantern message spreading.
People in various corners of the mountains had begun to learn about ways to counter zombies, with fire attacks being particularly effective. Many of them had personally witnessed zombies bursting like fireworks when ignited.
Consequently, many villagers kept easily flammable long torches at home. If any abnormal zombie activity occurred, they would immediately light the torches for defense.
As awareness of the threat increased, and knowing that being bitten by a zombie would turn them into one of their kind, people became more cautious and tried their best to avoid being bitten.
At the same time, they also knew that fire was the most effective against zombies. Even villagers who were not skilled in martial arts knew to immediately use torches or fire magic to deal with zombies upon sight.
This significantly reduced the number of infected villagers, and as zombies were continuously eliminated, their numbers greatly diminished, thereby easing the pressure on Phoenix Village.
If Gu Qingcheng knew the full story, she would surely have applauded Du Fu’s famous quote, “The virtuous help the world.”
Indeed, being a “good” person doesn’t always lead to a disadvantage.
After escorting Gu Qingcheng to the entrance of the residence, Yan Xin bid farewell and left.
Hu Lanfang, seeing her daughter return alone, asked where her father was.
Gu Qingcheng replied, “Dad asked you to sleep first. He’s with Daoist Ge discussing medicine matters and probably won’t be back too early.”
“Honestly, bringing back bad habits like staying up late.”
Hu Lanfang couldn’t help but complain.
If it weren’t for the darkness outside, she would have gone to the Ge family’s to drag Old Gu back.
Research wasn’t something that could be accomplished overnight; there was no need to risk one’s health.
“Mom, if Dad came back, he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway and would just toss and turn thinking. So, I didn’t insist on calling him back,”
Gu Qingcheng quickly explained.
“Alright, you and your father are of one heart. I won’t interfere. I’m going to sleep.”
Hu Lanfang was truly exhausted. The past few days on the wooden boat had been quite tough. Apart from the initial escape, she hadn’t endured such hardship in a long time. The moment she lay down, she had no desire to get up and no energy to “hunt down” Old Gu. She fell asleep on her own.
Gu Qingcheng knew her mother’s tough exterior hid a soft heart, and everything she did was for her father’s well-being. Knowing there was no real conflict between them, she stretched and went to sleep as well.
As dawn broke, Gu Qingcheng was woken by a suffocating pressure on her chest, as if a large stone was pinning her down.
She opened her eyes to see a huge cat face looking at her with an adorably pleading expression.
“Kele, how did you get into the room?”
Gu Qingcheng sleepily thought that she must not have closed the door tightly last night, which was why Kele had gotten in. The large stone pressing on her chest in her dream was none other than Kele.
This little fellow, just like Wangcai, was getting plumper and stronger every day, thanks to the daily meat and nutritious meals.
“Meow,” As soon as Kele saw its owner wake up, it started chirping a wake-up song.
“Alright, stop it. I want to sleep a little longer.” Gu Qingcheng simply pulled it into her arms, intending to hold it while she slept.
When Gu Qingcheng hugged Kele, it surprisingly didn’t fuss or cry. It lay contentedly in its nest, let out a few “purr purr” sounds, and then fell asleep too.
“Wake up, it’s time to eat.”
Hu Lanfang opened her daughter’s bedroom door and saw Wangcai lying at the foot of the bed, while her daughter in bed was holding Kele and sleeping.
“Look at you two, help me wake her up for breakfast.”
Hu Lanfang ordered Wangcai, who looked up at her.
To her surprise, Wangcai saw it was her and promptly went back to sleep, completely ignoring her.
Hu Lanfang sighed helplessly, closed the door, and went out to eat by herself.
“Mom, has Sis woken up yet?” Mi Guo had prepared a table full of dishes. However, only he and Hu Lanfang were at home. Sister was sleeping, and Dad hadn’t returned since going out last night.