Chapter 121: Gu Ci Found Poison

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Life is full of ups and downs, that is the most ordinary thing.

Birth, aging, illness, and death are part of human nature.

The surgery continued until 10 p.m. Dr. North was covered in sweat and looked tired. Xu Tingting anxiously approached her and asked, “How is the surgery… was it successful?”

“I did my best!” Dr. North said faintly, looking at Lu Zhiyuan.

Xu Tingting’s pupils contracted, and she sat down on the bench. Lu Shijie supported her, his eyes turning red. Lu Shixiu burst into tears. Dr. North said, “His underlying condition was too severe. There was bleeding during the surgery, although it was stopped. The situation is not optimistic. There is a possibility of… brain death.”

Everyone’s hearts sank. Brain death was equivalent to announcing the person’s death.

Xu Tingting burst into tears. The doctors were accustomed to life and death separations and had seen it all. Lu Zhiyuan, on the other hand, seemed indifferent. Xu Tingting wiped her tears and said, “Lu Zhiyuan, you insisted on the surgery. Are you satisfied now? Your father is brain dead and will never wake up again. You’ve got what you wanted.”

Lu Zhiyuan looked at her coldly. Xu Tingting was intimidated by his gaze and dared not speak further. Dr. North said, “No one can guarantee that the surgery will be successful. Before I started the surgery, Dr. Lin issued a critical illness notice to Lu Ze and informed the family. It could be as short as ten days or as long as a month before preparations for the aftermath can be made.”

Lu Ze was pushed back to the ICU. With the surgery over, the dust settled. Xu Tingting fainted in the hospital, and there was another flurry of activity.

Dr. North took off the surgical gown and was sanitizing and washing her hands. Gu Ci stood behind her and said softly, “Thank you, Master.”

“You’re welcome.” Dr. North blinked mischievously. “1 should be wholehearted in serving my disciple. But… little girl, what do you want to do?”

Gu Ci smiled without answering, “Master, you must be tired. Let me take you home.”

“Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony then.”

Lu Zhiyuan stayed at the hospital as he still had matters to attend to. After bidding farewell to him, Gu Ci accompanied Dr. North home. Dr. North had bought a flat near A University, which was only a five-minute walk away, very convenient.

The car stopped downstairs in the residential area. Dr. North said, “Lu Ze’s surgery was very successful. 1 have already handed him over to Director Lin. We will start dialysis in three days, and he should recover within half a month. Why did you deceive them?”

“I just feel… that things aren’t that simple.” Gu Ci was always cautious in her actions. “Uncle Lu’s health deteriorated too quickly. My intuition tells me that there’s something fishy going on.”

Dr. North shook her head. “You’re overthinking it. I’ve reviewed Lu Ze’s medical reports, and there’s nothing unusual.”

“Data can be deceiving.”

“No, little girl, your intuition can deceive you because humans are subjective beings and tend to view others with biased eyes. Data doesn’t lie.” Dr. North said, “Life, aging, illness, and death are natural laws. Sudden heart attacks often have no apparent cause. 1 had a heart attack myself when 1 was in prison, despite being in good health.”

“Let me sort out my thoughts.” Gu Ci pondered. “Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”

Dr. North chuckled lightly and changed the subject. “Little girl, will you still be my disciple without regret?”

“Master!” Gu Ci raised an eyebrow. “I will honor my promises once I make them. That’s how I am.”

“Good, I like people who are true to their word.”

When Gu Ci returned to Universal Corporation, she looked tired. After taking a shower, it was already 2 a.m. Third Master didn’t care about Lu Ze’s condition, and Gu Ci didn’t tell him either.

Before entering the operating room, Gu Ci had already told Dr. North that if the surgery was successful, they would announce brain death afterward.

“Was I really overthinking it?” Gu Ci brewed a cup of tea to freshen up and sat on the balcony, looking at the deep night, lost in thought. Was her rebirth and Ziyu’s time travel like the flapping of a butterfly’s wings, gently changing the gears of fate?

Their destinies had changed, and Lu Zhiyuan’s destiny had changed too.

Had Lu Ze also changed?

Was it too hasty to deduce that his sudden heart attack was deliberate based solely on his previous good health? Gu Ci doubted it. After drinking the tea, however, she felt drowsy despite her mind being active. She couldn’t resist the fatigue and fell into a deep sleep. She slept until noon and still felt tired.

While brushing her teeth, Gu Ci suddenly remembered what the butler had said Lu Ze had been feeling unwell lately, drowsy. Gu Ci was a night owl and often stayed up late. Being young, she had a lot of energy. When she was fully focused on something, she had strong willpower and never succumbed to fatigue.

That tea…

After finishing her morning routine, Gu Ci checked the tea leaves she had brought back from Lu’s house. She emptied several cans of tea, which Lu Ze often drank. Due to the limited production, the tea leaves had been opened before.

There were three cans of tea, and all of them had some powdery substance that didn’t look like tea dregs.

Narrowing her eyes, Gu Ci sent a message to Dr. North.

Gu Ci went to the university. A University provided laboratories and classrooms for students during the break, supported by money from the school to discourage students from traveling.

“Master, I have several cans of tea suspected to be tampered with. I examined the powder and found some pollen. Can you help me?” Gu Ci handed her analysis data to Dr. North.

Dr. North took the data and made a comparison. Suddenly, she frowned. “Brew the tea.”

“Okay!”

Gu Ci brewed the tea, and after Dr. North examined the powder, she also tested the tea itself. “It’s a kind of ornamental flower from the Nordic highlands. Due to the climate, it only grows in the Nordic highlands. It’s rare in quantity and not suitable for consumption. It combines with the amino acids in black tea to form a chronic poison. In small amounts, it causes symptoms like drowsiness and night sweats, which are usually not noticeable by ordinary people. However, long-term use can poison the cardiovascular system, leading to excessively thick blood and abnormal kidney function.”

Dr. North raised an eyebrow. “Little girl, you’re very vigilant. This toxin is usually unnoticed by ordinary people, even in small doses, especially when mixed with black tea. The fragrance of black tea can mask the scent of the flower. How did you notice it?”

“I smelled it.” Gu Ci felt a heavy weight in her heart. “How long does it take for this poison to be fatal?”

“Half a year. If taken continuously for a year, even gods and immortals can’t save you.” Dr. North asked, “If there is an underlying condition, it can easily trigger the symptoms, so it wouldn’t take a year for the illness to manifest, and it would go unnoticed.”

“No wonder!” Gu Ci thought of Lu Ze’s healthy body and the abnormal stroke in her previous life. Li Jiang said the hospital couldn’t find anything wrong after conducting tests. Could it be that he had been taking the poison for a long time?

“Your sense of smell is very keen.” Dr. North disposed of the powder. “This flower has extremely low production and is non-toxic. Over ten years ago, during my travels around the world, I passed by a village in the Nordic highlands and found that the people there had short lifespans and died from various diseases. The local hospital couldn’t find any clues. After I accompanied a medical team to visit the village, I discovered that the villagers often dried and brewed the flowers. Initially, the medical team ruled out the flowers as the cause. Later, it was a coincidence. 1 liked milk tea, so 1 brewed black tea, milk, and the flowers together. After drinking it for a month, 1 noticed something was wrong with my body. When I examined the ingredients of the milk tea, I discovered the problem. Because the flower is unique to that region, it was recorded in the local medical manual and publicized..”

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