On the other hand, Gu Jin looked at Gu Jihu, who was unharmed, and heaved a sigh of relief.
Gu Jin looked at Gu Jihu, who sat on the hospital bed, drinking warm water.
There were no wounds on him, but he looked tired. His eyes had dark circles, and his face was pale.
"You’re okay..." Gu Jin whispered, her voice soft. "They didn’t hurt you?"
Gu Jihu gave her a weak smile.
"No. But they kept me in a dark room. They asked me the same questions again and again..."
Gu Jin sat down next to him and gently held his hand. "Don’t worry. No one will hurt you again. I promise."
Gu Jihu blinked and looked at her. "Jin, how... how did I get out? They told me I’d be locked up for a long time."
Gu Jin smiled faintly. "I asked someone for help."
Gu Jihu stared at her. "Someone powerful?"
Gu Jin nodded. "Very powerful."
Gu Jihu leaned back. "Thank you, little sis."
Gu Jin patted his hand. "We’re family. Of course, I’ll protect you."
Just then, the doctor came in. "He’s fine now. He just needs rest."
Gu Jin nodded. "Thank you."
After the doctor left, Gu Jin turned to Gu Jihu again. "Did they say who reported you?"
"No... But I remember one thing. One of the officers said I was ’too close to a certain alchemist.’"
Gu Jin’s eyes turned cold. "So it was because of me."
Gu Jihu looked worried.
"Jin, maybe you should stay away from me for now. I don’t want them to use me against you again."
Gu Jin shook her head. "No. They made a mistake. They thought hurting you would scare me."
She stood up, her voice calm but sharp like a blade.
"I will deal with them."
Gu Jihu watched her leave the room, and the weak expression from his face vanished.
After 5 minutes, the Gu family members entered the room one by one. Their red eyes were long gone.
"See told you. This method would work." Gu Jihu smiled.
Yup. It was all their plan.
Otherwise how could the Wei family easily frame them? And how could they not get Gu Jihu out?
"I never knew she would react . But don’t you think it’s a waste of her connection?"
"Nope." Gu Jihu shook his head.
"You have seen how the Wei family repeatedly attacked Gu Jin and how she didn’t fight back at all. Until and unless one of her family member is harmed she would never take any action."
Gu Jichun pouted and said,
"I wanted to jail. Then she would have care for me too! Next time you come up with such plans...please let me the bait."
Gu Jihu rolled his eyes,
"Are you an idiot? What if the Wei family truly wanted to harm you? What if they really hurt you? This plan was risky enough already!"
Gu Jichun stuck out her tongue.
"Hmph! I’m not scared. Jin would save me no matter what."
However, she felt a warm current in her heart.
At least it showed how much Gu Jihu cared for her.
Even though he had a choice, he chose to back out, he chose to sacrifice himself.
Maybe Gu Jihu didn’t love her as much as he loved Gu Jin, but he loved her enough to never gamble her away.
Not to mention, Gu Jin never competed for family affection and loved her(Gu Jichun) equally.
Mrs. Gu sighed. "No more silly plans, alright? One was enough. We were all so scared..."
Gu Jihu looked at his mom and smiled softly. "But it worked. Now she’s finally ready to fight back."
"But father, why can’t we directly attack the Wei family? Why do we need Gu Jin to take action against them?"
Before Mr. Gu could answer, Gu Jihu interrupted,
"Because Gu Jin needs to understand that she can’t wait till her bottom line is crossed. Do you know that before entering the Gu family, Gu Jin had many enemies?
She dealt with those who dared to harm her closed ones. As for the ones who harmed her? She let them go after a small punishment.
This can’t go on. She needs to understand that not everyone deserves mercy," Gu Jihu said firmly.
"Some people will keep coming back if you don’t stop them completely."
"But... isn’t this emotional manipulation?" Gu Jichun asked softly.
Mrs. Gu, who was usually soft-hearted, shook her head,
"No. It’s more like making Gu Jin understand that she can’t let herself suffer even a bit because, who knows, the next target could be her family. "
This was the only reason the Gu believed in becoming ruthless rather than acting mercifully.
Gu Jichun nodded; however the worry from her face didn’t fade away.
"Brother, Jin’er could feel anger...does that mean her condition is improving?" Gu Jichun asked hopefully.
Gu Jihu shook his head and explained,
"Nope. The truth is that she is purely acting out of instinct. The instinct to protect her loved ones. However, we can use her instincts to get her emotions back."
A glint appeared in his eyes when he said so.
Gu Jin, unaware of her family’s conspiracy, started to go through the list of people who were behind Gu Jihu’s arrest.
At the same time, she became worried about her family’s power.
They were too weak if they couldn’t even get Gu Jihu out.
"No...I need to strength their power too..."
As for the Wei family, a cold glint appeared in her eyes, and she called a person she hadn’t contacted in a long while.
The voice on the other end of the phone was deep and calm.
Gu Jin’s fingers tapped lightly on the table. "It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"
The man chuckled. "Indeed. I thought you forgot about me."
Gu Jin’s lips curled slightly. "I don’t forget useful people."
The man laughed. "And I don’t help for free. I know you have contacted me to get something done, and it’s just happened that I wanted to repay your favor. With all said and done, I guess this would be the last time we would be contacting."
Gu Jin understood the underlying meaning.
The man was telling her that after returning her favor, he wouldn’t be interested in keeping any further communication.
"Is that so?" she murmured.
It had been two years since they first met.
It was a quiet evening.
Gu Jin had just finished inspecting the goods in her alchemy shop.
She had spent the whole day checking herbs, pills, and refining materials to make sure they were of the highest quality.
Feeling satisfied, she stepped outside, only to find that the main road was blocked. A few guards stood near a barricade, stopping people from passing through.
"What’s going on?" she asked a shopkeeper nearby.
The man shook his head.
"Some government authorities is passing through. They blocked the whole street."
Gu Jin frowned. She didn’t want to wait.
With no other choice, she turned into the small alley. These back streets were quiet, dark, and often used by beggars or criminals.
But Gu Jin wasn’t afraid. Her footsteps were steady as she moved forward.
Halfway through the alley, she suddenly stopped.
A man was lying on the ground, leaning against the dirty brick wall. His black robes were torn, and his body was covered in bruises and wounds.
Blood stained the ground beneath him.
Gu Jin glanced at him but kept walking. She didn’t care.
But just as she passed by, the man’s weak voice called out.
Gu Jin stopped. She turned her head slightly, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
The man struggled to lift his head. His face was pale, and his dark eyes were sharp despite his injuries.
"I don’t help strangers," Gu Jin said calmly.
The man let out a weak chuckle. "If you save me, I’ll return the favor one day."
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "That doesn’t sound like a good deal. You could die before repaying me."
The man smirked slightly. "I won’t."
Gu Jin narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t a kind person. Helping a stranger wasn’t her problem.
But just to be sure, she used her space’s ability.
A small, invisible energy spread out around the man, scanning his body and checking his background.
Not carrying any hidden weapons.
Just a seriously injured man.
After a moment, she sighed and crouched down next to him.
"Fine," she muttered.
She took out a small bottle from her storage ring and poured a green liquid onto his wounds. The man flinched slightly, but he didn’t cry out.
"Drink this," Gu Jin said, handing him another vial.
The man took it without hesitation and swallowed the medicine. Almost immediately, his complexion improved a little.
Later, Gu Jin booked a hotel room under her name and brought him there.
She treated him for the next 10 days.