Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...
Years of Heartflutter · Page 442 of 501
"F—fine." From the drift of Yang Juehuan's words, Zheng Shaopeng sensed he meant to exact something from him. A hand, or a foot? If his hand were crippled, he would lose his position as casino consultant—after all, his hands were his livelihood.
Still, it did not matter. The money he had earned over the years was enough for Zheng Shaopeng to live out the rest of his days in comfort; even if he never worked again, so be it.
"You know what Infernal Affairs is?" Yang Yanchuan said. "From now on, act as if I never came looking for you. If your boss contacts you again, you are to notify me at once. Any problem with that?"
"No problem," Zheng Shaopeng said, crestfallen. Though this meant betraying his boss, what choice did he have at this moment? Besides, he had betrayed him once already—one more time would make little difference. His present situation was ten times, a hundred times better than what he had imagined. He had thought Yang Ce would strip some part off him.
"However, to be on the safe side, I'll have to trouble you a little." Yang Ce reached into his coat and drew out a small box. Opening the lid, he took out something like a small pill and said to Zheng Shaopeng: "Open your mouth and swallow it yourself."
Zheng Shaopeng had no idea what Yang Ce was making him take, but at this moment, even if it were poison, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it. At least dying of poison would be better than the agony he had just suffered.
Besides, Yang Ce had already said he would not take his life, so it clearly could not be a fatal drug. At worst it was a slow poison; he probably would not die right away after taking it.
Having reasoned thus, Zheng Shaopeng took the pill without hesitation, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it. To keep Yang Yongjin from doubting, he even deliberately opened his mouth wide to show Yang Ce, then asked: "What was it I just took?"
"A gu," Yang Linyue said flatly.
"What—a drum?" Zheng Shaopeng had not caught it clearly.
"Gu poison. Have you heard of it?" Yang Ce explained. "Gu worms—now you know what it is, don't you?"
"Gu!" This time Zheng Shaopeng heard it clearly, and he was startled on the spot. He had seen such things in movies and books, but this was the first time he had encountered it in real life.
Could it be that when Yang Ce touched him earlier and left his whole body wracked with unbearable pain and itching, that too had been a form of gu? Very likely. Zheng Shaopeng knew nothing of acupoint techniques, and so instinctively assumed that what Yang Ce had done to him before was also gu.
"That's right, gu. You'll need to take an antidote at regular intervals. I'll send the antidote to you periodically by express mail. Of course, if you disobey, there will be no antidote—and when the gu flares up, you'll enjoy it even more than what you felt just now." Yang Ce was trying to scare him. In truth, Yang Shuoxuan had no idea what would happen when this gu flared up; he did not even know whether it worked. He had concocted it a while ago following the methods in the introductory book on gu arts that Lan Ling had given him, and had no notion whether it had succeeded, so he was using this fellow Zheng Shaopeng as a guinea pig.
"Yes, yes! I'll be a proper mole, I swear!" Hearing that it would be even more enjoyable than before, Zheng Shaopeng rushed to assure Yang Ce.
"This is a three-month supply of the antidote. Take one every month and you'll be fine." Yang Ce handed the remaining pills to Zheng Shaopeng.
Zheng Shaopeng hastily tucked them away with great care. These were his life-saving treasures—if he lost them, he really would enjoy himself to death.
"Don't mention what happened today to anyone," Yang Yanzhou said. "Otherwise, you know the consequences."
"Don't worry, Brother." Whatever Yang Yanzhou was to Zheng Shaopeng now, Zheng listened to it all. He had no desire to be ruined again.