Chapter 79: Tang Qiong Is in Danger!

Ye Tianci and Tang Ying had just arrived at the entrance of the morgue when Lei Hong hurried over.

“Master Ye, what brings you here?” Lei Hong asked in surprise, his face etched with anxiety and panic.

Ye Tianci glanced at him and shook his head gently. “Tiger, my condolences.”

“Master Ye, I'm here to identify the body... You already know who it is?” Lei Hong’s voice was tinged with sorrow.

Without even entering, Ye Tianci had already deduced who the deceased was—it was Lei Hong’s brother-in-law, Zhao Hui.

The three of them entered the morgue together, finding the body sent from Longxiang Grand Hotel.

As the body bag was unzipped, their fears were confirmed—it was indeed Zhao Hui.

His entire body had turned black, livor mortis spreading across his skin, even his face, rendering him a ghastly sight. Strangely, while the rest of his body was blackened, his neck was a deep purplish-red.

“Ah Hui!” Lei Hong called out, his voice choked with grief.

Though his brother-in-law had always been idle and unreliable, living off others and getting by on trickery, he was still his wife’s only brother—half family, at least. Lei Hong could beat him half to death without remorse, but the sight of his corpse still cut deep.

“Don’t grieve. Can you tell what killed your brother-in-law?” Ye Tianci asked.

Lei Hong stepped forward to inspect the body, but quickly shook his head. “Master Ye, I can’t make sense of it.”

“His throat was crushed—by the grip of a martial artist. You can feel for yourself if you like,” Ye Tianci said.

Lei Hong started to reach out, but instinctively drew back. Zhao Hui’s corpse was mottled with livor mortis; he dared not touch it carelessly.

“His heart is also missing,” Ye Tianci added.

This time, Lei Hong couldn’t restrain himself. He used a knife to open Zhao Hui’s shirt and was horrified to find a bloody cavity where his heart should have been. The sight made his scalp tingle and he staggered back, pale with fright.

“Master Ye, who could do something so cruel?” Lei Hong asked in a low, shaken voice.

Ye Tianci looked at him seriously. “Tiger, I share responsibility for Zhao Hui’s death.”

“The one who killed him is from the Sect of Fiery Sorcery, just like Zhang He.”

“I sent you to pry information out of Zhang He. When he killed himself, the cult must have traced his death back to you.”

“They killed Zhao Hui as a warning—perhaps their real target is you.”

Lei Hong’s face turned ashen with terror. “Master Ye, please don’t scare me! I’ve heard the Sect of Fiery Sorcery are all ruthless fiends. If they’re after me, am I finished?”

Ye Tianci’s tone was grave. “It’s just my suspicion for now. We can’t be certain they’re targeting you.”

“For safety’s sake, stay close to me these next few days.”

Lei Hong nodded vigorously, like a pecking chick. “I’ll do as you say, Master Ye!”

“First, come with me to Longxiang Grand Hotel. We need to see for ourselves.”

With a wave, Ye Tianci led Tang Ying and Lei Hong away from Qingcheng Hospital.

As they left, inside a sealed, spacious room, the poisoned patients began to regain their sight—every trace of corpse poison was cleansed from their bodies.

In less than ten minutes, the three arrived at Longxiang Grand Hotel.

A murder had occurred, followed by a mass poisoning; the hotel was now sealed off and closed pending investigation. Police tape barred entry, and no unauthorized persons were allowed inside.

Ye Tianci, with Tang Ying and Lei Hong in tow, entered the building and went to Zhao Hui’s former room.

The scene remained untouched since the morning, nothing out of place. Yet, after a careful sweep, the three found no trace of blood or struggle.

Ye Tianci wrinkled his nose. “Do you smell it?”

“What?” Tang Ying and Lei Hong both looked puzzled.

“Tiger, bring me a sheet of white paper,” Ye Tianci instructed.

Lei Hong quickly produced one. Ye Tianci bit his own finger and swiftly drew a charm upon the paper.

With a sudden flick, he cast the charm into the air.

“Heaven is round, earth is square! By the decree of Nine Chapters! My brush marks the moment—let all hidden spirits reveal!”

Bang!

The charm detonated in midair, dissolving into a swirl of red smoke. The smoke twisted through the room, gathering into the faint shape of a winged insect—shell, wings, the size of an oversized ladybug.

Tang Ying and Lei Hong’s eyes widened in horror and awe at Ye Tianci’s supernatural methods.

“Master Ye, what in the world is that?” Lei Hong whispered.

“That is the Heart-Eater Gu, a venomous parasite from Miaojiang. Legend speaks of the Ten Most Evil Gu of Miaojiang, and the Heart-Eater ranks third—deadly and cruel!”

“It was this little monster that devoured Zhao Hui’s heart.”

“If my guess is right, after feasting on Zhao Hui’s heart, it flew to the hotel restaurant and lingered on certain dishes, infecting the food with corpse poison—leading to the mass poisoning.”

Ye Tianci’s voice was calm but grim.

Tang Ying shuddered. “To think such vicious creatures exist! If it had poisoned all the food in the restaurant, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“It’s terrifying,” Lei Hong muttered, shrinking behind Ye Tianci as he stared at the spectral insect.

“This is only the Heart-Eater Gu’s echo, nothing to fear,” Ye Tianci assured him. “That charm reveals what was recently present here, and can track whatever I wish. Follow this phantom, and we’ll find the true Gu and its master. Let’s go!”

He hurried downstairs.

Tang Ying looked at Lei Hong. “I’m going with my brother. Stay here if you’re scared.”

Lei Hong glared, bristling with bravado. “If you’re not scared, why should I be?”

The two of them rushed after Ye Tianci.

Downstairs, Tang Ying drove, trailing the phantom Gu as it floated eastward, crossing two intersections before veering south.

“It turned, brother! The Gu’s echo turned!” Tang Ying cried.

“Don’t lose it!” Ye Tianci urged.

Tang Ying focused intently, eyes never leaving the phantom ahead.

The Heart-Eater Gu’s phantom moved in fits and starts, then abruptly sped up, heading for the riverside on the city’s outskirts.

Tang Ying accelerated, following until they reached a desolate, unfinished building site by the river.

With a snap of his fingers, Ye Tianci halted the phantom in midair. Its wings beat furiously, pointing toward the abandoned buildings—clearly, the real Gu and its master were likely inside.

“Wait—brother, that’s my sister’s car!” Tang Ying suddenly shouted, pointing into the distance.

Ye Tianci followed his gaze and spotted a red Hongqi H9 parked some distance away—he recognized it at once as Tang Qiong’s car.

“What’s your sister’s car doing here?” Ye Tianci asked, puzzled.

“She came to the scene this morning after the incident. Maybe she discovered something and tracked it here,” Tang Ying guessed.

“Brother, look at her car—has something happened?”

Tang Qiong’s Hongqi H9 was riddled with bullet holes, its body dented and twisted, left askew in the grass.

The situation looked dire.

Ye Tianci’s ears pricked. “Your sister’s in danger. I’m going to save her!”