Gu Xingzhao remembered that when she previously checked the system store, water only cost a few dozen yuan per bottle. But now? They wanted to charge her 799! Ridiculous, jacking up the prices like that!
She sneered. Who did they think they were fooling?
Leaving a marker on the coordinates, Gu Xingzhao shut down the system window and hurried back to the modern world. She dashed home and emerged from the TV, grabbing the electric kettle on the table, ready to return to the past. But then, she realized the kettle was empty.
Sighing in frustration, she rushed downstairs to the supermarket she had turned into her personal storage space. There, she grabbed a large jug of mineral water and quickly returned to the ancient era.
At that moment, Qiu Yue, her eyes red from crying, wiped away her tears and told Lu Youtiao, who was lying on the bed, that she was going to fetch water. She picked up the teapot and headed out.
Gu Xingzhao immediately unscrewed the jug of water and teleported it right in front of Qiu yue. The giant jug of water blocked her path completely!
The sudden appearance of the massive object startled Qiu yue. Under the dim light, she saw that it was a large container of water and was momentarily stunned.
She had just seen it herself—the water jug had appeared out of nowhere!
Her heart began to race. Could this be a sign from the heavens, pitying her poor lady’s suffering?
But what if this water was some vile trick sent by Yang Fang?
Qiu yue didn’t dare take the risk, knowing this was a matter of life and death for her lady. She hurriedly grabbed the teapot and was about to head out to fetch water.
Gu Xingzhao, her patience wearing thin, opened the system store and spent 19,999 yuan to exchange for a voice transmitter. She tossed the tube onto the ground and, holding the other end of the transmitter, called out, “Stop right there.”
Her voice echoed through the empty room. Lu Youtiao was too weak to react, but Qiu yue froze, thinking she had imagined the voice. She hesitated, shaking her head.
Gu Xingzhao spoke again, “You’re not imagining things. The water on the floor is mine—give it to your Miss to drink.”
Qiu yue, trembling, clutched the teapot tightly and looked around in a panic. She saw no one. Her eyes filled with terror: Was this place haunted?
Gu Xingzhao quickly introduced herself. “I am the divine spirit who protects the Lu family, not a ghost.”
At this, Lu Youtiao stirred on the bed, weakly asking, “Qiu yue, who’s speaking?”
Qiu yue, having regained some composure, became more vigilant. She quickly ran back to the bedside to guard her mistress, not daring to leave the room. She feared that if she stepped out, the mysterious voice might harm her lady.
“Divine spirit of the Lu family?” Qiu yue said, full of righteous anger. “This is definitely one of Yang Fang’s tricks, trying to scare us. Don’t worry, young miss. I’ll stay here with you and see what tricks they try to pull!”
Gu Xingzhao remained silent for a moment. A little caution was understandable. She thought for a moment, then took out Lu Qing’s handwritten letter from her pocket and placed it on the small table beside the bed. “Miss Lu, I am here on behalf of your grandfather, Lu Qing, to deliver this letter. You can judge for yourself whether it’s real or not after reading it.”
Gu Xingzhao recalled that Lu Youtiao was Lu Qing’s eldest granddaughter, and Lu Qing doted on her, teaching her how to read and write personally. They even spent a lot of time together in his study. Lu Youtiao should be familiar with her grandfather’s handwriting.
Upon hearing her grandfather’s name, Lu Youtiao visibly perked up. A glimmer of hope returned to her eyes—this was the first time since the fall of the Lu family that she had heard any news about her loved ones. Regardless of whether it was a trick by Yang Fang or not, she had to see for herself. Struggling to sit up, she reached out for the letter.
Qiu yue quickly pressed her back down, saying, “Young miss, don’t move. Let me fetch it for you.”
Qiu yue brought the letter closer, using a nearby candle to provide light. But she kept the letter at a distance, wary that it might be poisoned.
However, the moment Lu Youtiao saw the handwriting, tears streamed down her face. “It’s really grandfather’s handwriting…”
Qiu yue was shocked. Was it truly from the old master?
Lu Youtiao took the letter from Qiu yue, her hands trembling with emotion. The letter stated that the family had been saved by the divine ancestor and that they were being escorted safely. Her grandfather wrote to inquire about her health and the Yang family’s treatment of her, and whether she was being mistreated.
The letter’s signature was a secret name that only her grandfather and she knew.
Tears fell from her cheeks, splattering onto the letter. She sobbed through a smile, murmuring, “The family is safe… that’s all that matters… they’re safe.”
Qiu yue, heartbroken for her mistress, used a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face.
While Lu Youtiao read the letter, Gu Xingzhao used the system to scan her health.
[Initiating medical diagnostics…]
[Diagnosis result: The patient is suffering from physical weakness due to a miscarriage. Lack of treatment has led to iron-deficiency anemia. Additionally, poor postnatal care has allowed a bacterial infection to develop, and there are traces of chronic poisoning. The patient’s condition is critical.]
[Treatment recommendation: Administer anti-inflammatory and antibacterial medication, detoxify the body, improve nutrition, and provide proper care and emotional support.]
After reading the report, Gu Xingzhao paused. “Your child…”
Lu Youtiao smiled bitterly, “Gone.”
Gu Xingzhao’s eyes darkened. Yesterday, when Lu Qing mentioned his granddaughter’s pregnancy, he had been looking forward to the child, even wondering if they would take after her mischievous spirit.
Now, she thought of the concubine who was still pregnant in this household. Based on years of reading novels, she was certain this wasn’t an accident.
“What happened to the child?” she asked.
Tears welled up in Lu Youtiao’s eyes again. Her throat ached, and she couldn’t speak.
Qiu yue, furious on her lady’s behalf, answered, “It happened the day the master and the rest of the family were forced to leave the capital. My lady wanted to say goodbye, but Yang Fang locked her in the courtyard. Later, he pretended to comfort her and gave her some medicine, supposedly to help protect the baby. That night, she miscarried!”
“That beast even put on a show, bringing in doctors to say that it was due to stress. But I took the leftover medicine to an apothecary, and they said it contained safflower. That’s why she lost the baby!”
Gu Xingzhao’s face darkened. “There’s also chronic poison in your system, slowly weakening your body. Do you know who’s behind it?”
Qiu yue’s eyes blazed with anger. “It has to be that monster!”
“Not content with taking the baby, he wants to kill her too…”
Lu Youtiao didn’t have the strength to speak, while Qiu yue angrily recounted the events, her eyes red with frustration.
Gu Xingzhao opened her mouth to offer words of comfort but found herself lacking in experience.
Lu Youtiao wasn’t naive. She knew that everything Yang Fang had done was for the sake of his career. She just hated herself for not seeing through him earlier, which led to her current misery.
Gu Xingzhao thought for a moment. For Lu Youtiao, the best comfort would be to reunite with her family. She asked, “Do you want to leave this place and reunite with your grandfather?”
Tears welled up in Lu Youtiao’s eyes. Of course, she wanted to leave. “But this house is filled with Yang Fang’s people. I can’t get out.”
Even if she could escape, with her health in its current state, she doubted she’d survive long enough to see her family again.
Qiuyue whispered, “Young miss, maybe we can quietly sneak out over the walls…”
“Sneak out?” Gu Xingzhao laughed coldly. “With me here, you won’t need to sneak. Tonight, you’ll walk right out the front gate of this mansion.”
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