After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: The Game is On
“How is it?” Qin Ren stood up abruptly, his muscles tense.

Seeing his strong reaction, Qin Ze looked at him strangely and handed him the report while saying, “It’s nothing, she’s healthy.”

Nothing?

Qin Ren’s brows furrowed even tighter. His gaze swept over the paper, word by word, fixating on the final examination results. His heart didn’t settle down even for a moment; in fact, it sank a bit further.

They couldn’t find anything? Could this be a new type of poison developed by El?

With this thought, his breath became even tighter, and he held onto the examination report without saying a word.

Grandma Qin noticed something was wrong this time. She asked curiously, “Qin Ren, what’s wrong? Wasn’t it just a stomachache for Zhouzhou? Why are you so nervous?”

Qin Ren tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, “It’s nothing. I’m just worried that something might happen to Zhouzhou, and I won’t be able to explain it to Youngest Uncle.”

I see.

Indeed, he was always concerned about his younger siblings.

Grandma Qin reassured him, “It’s fine. The examination report is out now, and there’s nothing wrong. Don’t scare yourself. If Zhouzhou feels uncomfortable, she will tell us.”

“Yeah.” Zhouzhou nodded, “Eldest Brother, I’m really fine.”

Qin Ren nodded but remained silent. At that moment, Qin Lie walked in and asked, “What’s going on?”

Grandma Qin smiled and explained the situation, ending with, “Qin Ren is just very responsible and always worried that something might happen to Zhouzhou and cause trouble for you.”

Is that so?

Qin Lie glanced at Qin Ren without saying anything.

Seeing him, Zhouzhou immediately reached out to him and said, “Dad, carry me!”

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie approached, lifted her out of the blanket, and examined her face. Seeing her full of energy, he said, “Then let’s go back. If there’s nothing wrong, it’s better to spend less time in the hospital.”

“Right, let’s go home.” When she saw that Qin Ren didn’t move, Grandma Qin stepped forward and held onto him. She noticed that he felt very cold, and his palms were damp.

She looked at him curiously. Why was he so nervous?

Not daring to show too much panic under her gaze, Qin Ren forced himself to calm down and followed them back home, his mind heavy with worry.

Just as they entered the house, Qin Xi came running out. As soon as she saw Zhouzhou, she ran over and held her hand, saying, “Let’s go, Zhouzhou. I’ll take you to play!”

Zhouzhou looked at Qin Lie and saw him nod, so she followed Qin Xi and left.

“Come with me.” Watching her figure disappear, Qin Lie finally loosened his tie and glanced at Qin Ren. He then turned and walked towards the study.

Qin Ren nodded and followed him.

Study.

Qin Lie sat behind the mahogany desk and poured a cup of tea, handing it to Qin Ren without beating around the bush. He asked directly, “Have you seen El?”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ren wasn’t too surprised. There was hardly anything that could be kept from his uncle.

He nodded, holding the teacup in his hands. The warm tea didn’t warm his hands but made his body feel even colder. His voice tightened, and he said hoarsely, “Zhouzhou ate the candy El gave her.”

He called it candy, but everyone knew what it really was.

After all, he had eaten it before…

After that, he lay on the operating table like a lab rat, countless reagents, dense experimental data, a whole year…

Thinking of what happened before, Qin Ren’s hand tightened suddenly, and the last trace of color drained from his lips. He continued, “There was nothing abnormal in Fourth Younger Uncle’s examination report. It’s highly possible that the toxicity hasn’t taken effect yet, or perhaps it’s the nature of the poison El concocted this time, silently causing… death.”

He didn’t say the last two words out loud, but his expression was full of panic.

After all, he was just a teenager. Even though he usually appeared composed, the thing he feared most was brought to the surface now, and he couldn’t help but panic.

“Qin Ren.” Qin Lie called his name, his voice calm, carrying a comforting tone. He said, “Zhouzhou is different from you.”

“Zhouzhou is not an ordinary child. She knows medicine herself and carries her little porcelain bottle with all sorts of strange medicines in it. If I’m not mistaken, she has probably already taken the antidote.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ren was stunned.

He knew that Zhouzhou had a porcelain bottle containing truly miraculous medicines. It even cured Qin Feng’s leg ailment, which many famous doctors were unable to treat. But these two situations were different. Qin Feng’s leg was due to malevolent energy, while what El gave Zhouzhou was pure poison.

Or rather, it was a poison they were completely unfamiliar with.

He couldn’t help but worry, “Is Zhouzhou’s antidote effective?”

After all, an antidote had to be targeted.

Qin Lie didn’t seem worried at all. He raised his hand and pointed to the examination report on the table, saying, “Didn’t the report already tell you the answer?”

“But…”

“There’s no ‘but’.” Qin Lie interrupted him, “Don’t underestimate Zhouzhou. If that girl isn’t confident, she wouldn’t have obediently taken it.”

That little girl was clever and cunning, definitely not foolish.

Seeing that he still looked worried, as if afraid that Zhouzhou would end up like him, Qin Lie’s eyes flashed with remorse. He lowered his voice and said, “Qin Ren, I’m sorry for what happened back then. We failed to protect you.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ren paused for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s not your fault. It was my carelessness that allowed him to take advantage.”

“After finding you, we couldn’t get rid of El and seek revenge for you. Do you blame us for that?”

“I don’t blame you.” Qin Ren let out a sigh of relief, his panic still evident, but he held no grudge. “The Bert family is the largest family in A Country. If we openly confronted them, the consequences would be unimaginable. I don’t want to cause more trouble because of me. I have never blamed you, and I know that Grandfather and Grandmother have always had a burden because of this, but it’s unnecessary. I understand.”

Indeed, this matter was not easy to handle. At that time, Grandfather, Grandmother, and several uncles were prepared for a life-or-death battle with the Bert family. But then, countless people came to persuade them, and in the end, they had to give up for the greater good, only destroying El’s laboratory.

However, obviously, El hadn’t restrained himself over the years.

Qin Ren said seriously, “Uncle, my tragedy must not happen again to Zhouzhou.”

“It won’t.” Qin Lie assured him. Seeing that he still seemed hesitant, he decided to call Zhouzhou in.

Zhouzhou was playing, but she was suddenly called over by Qin Lie. She looked up at them, confused, and asked, “What’s wrong, Dad?”

Qin Lie glanced at her and asked, “Do you know what El gave you to eat?”

Who is El?

Zhouzhou thought for a moment, and when she heard him mention eating, she guessed it was the candy he gave her. She nodded, “Yes, I know. It’s poison.”

Just as expected.

“You knew it was poison, yet you still ate it.”

“I don’t mind.” Zhouzhou waved her hand nonchalantly, “I used to eat poison often when I was on the mountain. Master said that only when you feel pain yourself can you stimulate the motivation to make antidotes. It worked for me. I can make antidotes quickly every time.”

She even felt a bit proud when talking about it.

Qin Ren was dumbfounded. He didn’t expect Qin Lie to be so accurate in his judgment.

He anxiously asked, “Is the antidote effective?”

“It’s alright. One ingredient doesn’t match, but I’ve already taken the Hundred Poisons Pill. It can neutralize any poison, and I’ve also cultivated a body that is immune to a hundred poisons. That poison doesn’t affect me.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ren finally relaxed.

As Qin Lie had said, Zhouzhou was not an ordinary child. Her medical skills far exceeded their understanding. If she said it was okay, then there really was nothing to worry about.

“You scared me.” Qin Ren let out a long breath, still feeling lingering fear. He reminded her, “From now on, don’t eat things given by strangers.”

Zhouzhou nodded, indicating that she understood. She explained, “Actually, I had another purpose for eating that poison.”

“What purpose?”

A mischievous smile appeared on Zhouzhou’s soft face, and she gestured to them with her chubby little hand.

Curious, Qin Ren leaned closer, while Qin Lie glanced at her and probably guessed what she was going to say. Finally, he bent down in cooperation.

Zhouzhou said, “Because I wanted to trick him into eating my Dead Pill. Its toxicity is much stronger than his poison.”

Dead Pill… Wasn’t that the pill that Liu Hanqiu almost took before?

At that time, Zhouzhou had explained the effects of the Dead Pill.

As the name implied, after taking it, one’s legs would kick up, and they would see the Buddha in the Western Paradise. It was a highly toxic pill.

However, although it was highly toxic, it didn’t immediately take effect, and the specific onset time was not fixed. Zhouzhou controlled it.

Just as she said that, Zhouzhou snapped her fingers. Two dimples appeared on her fair little face, and she blinked her eyes, smiling innocently and harmlessly.

“The game is on.”