"Dad, can’t you see what’s become of your son? This leg is almost useless! That bodyguard with Li Qingyan, I only found out later, is the Black Widow, one of the top ten masters from the True Martial White Tower. She’s ruthless. If Li Qingyan hadn’t forbidden her from killing, she would have wiped us all out." Chen Xingye was filled with frustration. Seeing the Gu Master, he gasped and was too terrified to speak.

"The Qifei Group actually dares to make a move!" Chen Guoyuan frowned. His suspicions were confirmed. The Star Shining Society must be backing the Qifei Group; otherwise, they wouldn’t be thriving so well. Provoking the Qifei Group is a death wish.

"Such audacity. How dare someone invited by the Young Master refuse to come? In the entire Southern Territory, who would dare, besides the Eight Kings of the World?" the Gu Master said coldly.

"Isn’t that the truth," Chen Guoyuan hastily agreed.

"Gu Master, you must stand up for us! We lost one of our brothers, and the rest of us were beaten badly. Hitting us is a slap in the face to Young Master Jin! We even dropped his name, but they didn’t seem to care at all," Chen Xingye immediately added, embellishing the story. He knew the Gu Master wouldn’t verify his story, and neither would Jin Xing. The only fact that mattered was that Li Qingyan not only declined the invitation but also had their people beaten up. That was a clear sign of disrespect.

"What use are the men of your Chen Family?" The Gu Master sneered. Suddenly, a swarm of black insects flew out, killing the dozens of men standing behind Chen Xingye on the spot.

"This is a lesson. You failed to bring the person back, yet you returned alive. This time, I’ll spare you father and son, but remember this: Young Master Jin’s orders are absolute. Anyone who dares to defy him will die." A vicious killing intent radiated from the Gu Master’s eyes.

Chen Guoyuan clenched his fists, nearly bursting with anger. Dozens of men, killed just like that, without a shred of mercy.

The Gu Master turned to Chen Guoyuan and said, "Tonight, Young Master Jin must see Li Qingyan. Go to her house. You don’t have to do much. Just tell her that if she doesn’t show up at the Chen family estate by midnight, she will taste a true nightmare."

However, when Chen Guoyuan returned, he once again brought unwelcome news. Li Qingyan would not be coming. He hadn’t even managed to see her.

The Gu Master reported the matter to Jin Xing.

Jin Xing was so furious he flipped the table over. "Good for you, Li Qingyan, daring to disrespect me! Old Gu, make that woman learn her lesson! I want her to come crawling to me!"

"Rest assured, Young Master Jin. I will make her beg to see you. In Thunder City, no one can refuse your invitation," the Gu Master said with a smile.

Chen Guoyuan and Chen Xingye both shivered. They knew that once these Gu Masters decided to harm someone, that person was in for a world of trouble.

The night passed without incident.

The next day during lunch in the company cafeteria, someone suddenly screamed and collapsed, their body convulsing before they fainted. It wasn’t just one person. One after another, people fell. Although they were immediately rushed to the hospital, the doctors couldn’t save them. They could only keep them alive on life support. Seeing this, the people who came later didn’t dare to eat and were unharmed.

Some suspected the food was contaminated. Li Qingyan specifically hired the food inspection department to run tests, but they found nothing.

Li Qingyan’s face was grim. She suddenly recalled Chen Guoyuan’s words from last night—if she didn’t willingly go to meet Jin Xing, there would be consequences. The consequences had arrived. She felt truly helpless now, completely at a loss as to how to deal with such people.

Just then, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Heh heh, President Li, did you like the gift I sent? This time, it’s just a warning. They might not die, but they’ll be in a vegetative state for the rest of their lives, comatose forever! Next time, I’m afraid many more will die!" a cold voice sneered from the other end. "You really have some nerve, President Li. I invited you so many times, yet you refused to show up. I suppose I have no choice but to resort to these methods."

"Despicable!" Li Qingyan gritted her teeth. "Do you people only know how to harm the innocent?"

"Hehe, say what you will. But remember this, President Li: if I don’t see you by tonight, you will witness something far more dreadful tomorrow. How many people work at your company? Imagine how terrifying it would be if they all died overnight. HAHAHA, HAHAHAHA!"

Amidst the roaring laughter, Jin Xing hung up.

Li Qingyan’s face was ghastly pale. Today, seven people had fallen into a vegetative state, and crucially, the hospital couldn’t find anything wrong. With no idea how to treat them, they could only maintain life support. Tomorrow, people would die. She had no doubt about the caller’s words. The person on the other end was a madman, a lunatic who would stop at nothing. The most frightening part was this invisible, untraceable method of poisoning; it was impossible to defend against.

Li Qingyan took a deep breath. She thought of someone.

Yang Qi!

For such a serious matter, only Yang Qi might have a solution. He had even cured her of her heartlessness, so he should be able to cure these seven poisoned individuals, right?

And so, she called Yang Qi.

Yang Qi arrived quickly. After hearing what had happened, his expression turned extremely grim. He had been searching for Jin Xing’s whereabouts, which was why he hadn’t yet moved against the Gu Master. He never expected the man to commit such an atrociously evil deed.

"Let’s save them first!"

Yang Qi arrived at the Qifei Group’s company hospital. After examining the patients, his suspicions were confirmed: they had been poisoned with Gu. These Gu Insects were still under their master’s control. If he were to kill the insects, their controller would immediately notice. But it didn’t matter. Yang Qi had a way to keep the Gu Insects alive so that their master wouldn’t detect anything.

The Dragon God Technique was truly comprehensive. It even detailed the art of raising Gu. The legendary ten great Gu Insects were enough to make anyone’s blood run cold upon hearing their names: the Flying Golden Silkworm Gu, the Nine-headed Devouring Sky Gu, the Nine Reversals Yin Yang Gu, the Undying Reincarnation Gu, and so on. Obtaining even one of these ten great Gu Insects would make one a Gu King. As for ordinary Gu Insects, their variety was staggering. Although Yang Qi hadn’t studied them in detail, dealing with these minor ones was no problem at all.

He found a glass bottle and placed some Gu Grass inside. This was a type of grass that Gu Insects loved. Even after leaving a human body, they could survive on Gu Grass for some time, preventing exposure.

With the Gu Insect problem solved, the patients began to awaken. Li Qingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Qi then went to the kitchen and conducted a careful inspection. Sure enough, he discovered that someone had placed Gu Insect eggs in the seasonings. That was what had led to the incident.