While the Gu family was in a state of panicked chaos, Lu Yaoyang and Xia Qingtian arrived at the Miao family residence together.
The Miao family was remarkably peaceful. Miao Tong, yawning lazily, came out to greet them. "You're here quite early," he said. "Can't contain your gossipy hearts? Last night was quite the spectacle!"
"Your Miao family residence doesn't look like much has happened," Xia Qingtian remarked, looking around. "The floors don't show any signs of recent cleaning, and the furniture doesn't look like it was rearranged to cover up bloodstains… Was it really that big of a deal?"
"What do you think our Miao family is, some kind of dark organization?" Miao Tong's lips twitched at her words. "Besides, we deal with Gu. We don't need the barbaric, messy stuff you see on TV, like knives going in white and coming out red. So many people died in the Tang family last night, and this morning not even a speck of bone dust remains. We just dealt with one traitor, how much of a fuss could that cause?"
"You found the traitor? Who was it?" Xia Qingtian asked Miao Tong. "Have I met him before?"
"Hmm…" Miao Tong pondered for a moment, about to nod, when he heard his mother's voice from behind him. "Miao Tong, why haven't you asked someone to serve tea to our guests?"
"Mrs. Miao," Xia Qingtian's gaze moved over Miao Tong's shoulder as she nodded and offered a slight smile to the poised and graceful Miao mother.
Mrs. Miao's features were exquisite, her face the size of a small palm, and her long hair casually pinned back with a green clasp. She was slender and tall, wearing a light green qipao with dark green frog buttons and gold trim. Her legs, visible beneath the medium-length skirt, were so captivating that even Xia Qingtian, a woman, found it hard to look away.
Mrs. Miao's expressions were not overtly expressive, her smiles always subtle. Xia Qingtian had also seen her cry, exhibiting a fragile beauty that was heart-wrenching. Looking purely at her appearance, one would never guess she was a refined beauty with two sons, Xia Shang and Miao Tong.
"Good morning," Mrs. Miao first nodded to Xia Qingtian and Lu Yaoyang before approaching. "The Tang family will likely be here a bit later. Shall we go to the tea room first?"
Xia Qingtian and Lu Yaoyang agreed and followed Mrs. Miao to the tea room. Upon entering, Xia Qingtian discovered the room was decorated with a fresh and elegant simplicity, with a faint scent of herbs in the air.
"Miao Tong mentioned that it was quite eventful here last night?" Xia Qingtian asked Mrs. Miao directly, without preamble. "He said you caught a traitor?"
"Yes, that's correct," Mrs. Miao didn't attempt to hide it. "After returning from the auction last night, Uncle immediately apprehended the individual. Once the evidence was presented, he was dealt with according to clan law."
While Mrs. Miao spoke so casually, Xia Qingtian and Lu Yaoyang knew it couldn't have been simple. That was the Miao family's clan law, and recalling Miao Tong's expression, the traitor's end was certainly not a pleasant one.
"You must have seen him before," Mrs. Miao said as she picked up the teapot to pour two cups of black tea. Handing one to Xia Qingtian, she glanced up at her. "He made quite a scene at the hospital some time ago."
Xia Qingtian immediately recalled when she brought Xia Shang to see the old patriarch of the Miao family for the last time. Indeed, someone had caused a disturbance then. "Second Uncle Miao?"
"Yes," Mrs. Miao nodded, then handed the other cup to Lu Yaoyang. "It was him, in collusion with Tang family traitors. After deceiving the Lu family and the Wen family troops who were protecting them, they launched a massacre from both sides."
Upon hearing Mrs. Miao's words, Lu Yaoyang's hand, as he took the teacup, stiffened slightly, his expression becoming serious.
"Because both the Miao and Tang families were involved in this matter, it further heightened the suspicion between the two clans," Mrs. Miao continued to explain to the two young people. "The Miao family is skilled in Gu, and the Tang family in poison. They have been opposing factions since ancient times, neither submitting to the other. Fortunately, the Lu family always mediated between them, so despite their mutual dislike, they coexisted peacefully. After… what happened to the Lu family, the Miao and Tang clans completely fell out. We believe the Tang family harmed the Lu family, while the Tang family believes we were responsible. In recent years, although both the Miao and Tang families have transitioned into the medical industry, there have been many business frictions and constant covert rivalries. If the Lu family were still here… this would never have happened." Mrs. Miao looked up at Lu Yaoyang after saying this and spoke with solemnity, "I am very sorry about what happened to the Lu family."
Xia Qingtian wanted to say that it wasn't Mrs. Miao's fault, but she knew she had no right to offer forgiveness. Furthermore, Mrs. Miao's hospitality at this moment proved that her apology represented the entire Miao family, naturally including the Second Uncle Miao who had been dealt with. Only Lu Yaoyang had the authority to respond.
"Is he still alive?" Lu Yaoyang asked, placing the teacup gently on the table and looking up.
"He is alive, for now," Mrs. Miao replied. "Uncle said that he owes the Lu family his life, and his life should be disposed of by the Lu family. We only administered the Gu punishment according to clan law."
"What is the Gu punishment?" Xia Qingtian asked curiously.
"The mother Gu, imbued with strong pheromones, is fed into his abdomen. This will incite countless offspring Gu into a frenzy. In their desperate search to reunite with the mother Gu, the offspring Gu will begin their invasive assault from the outside, burrowing through the flesh, piercing the bones, and finally consuming all the internal organs until only a pool of bloody fluid remains."
Although Xia Qingtian was somewhat prepared, hearing it described firsthand still made her involuntarily swallow. She then subtly pushed the unfinished cup of tea a little further away. She didn't want to see any red liquid for some time.
"Then continue," Lu Yaoyang's expression remained unchanged, his tone indifferent. "You don't need to inform me of his death."
"Certainly," Mrs. Miao nodded, her peripheral vision catching Xia Qingtian's slightly startled expression. She then shifted the topic to some past anecdotes about the Lu family. Lu Yaoyang and Xia Qingtian were quite curious about the Lu family and were happy to listen. It was rather strange to hear about one's own family members' personalities and conduct from an outsider. However, Lu Yaoyang had no other recourse. Whether it was out of respect for the deceased or because the Lu family truly conducted themselves uprightly and properly, he wasn't sure. Mrs. Miao spoke highly of many members of the Lu family.
Time passed gradually, and soon someone knocked and announced, "The Tang family has arrived."
Hearing this, Mrs. Miao rose and said, "This place is rather small, let's go upstairs." Xia Qingtian and Lu Yaoyang nodded and followed Mrs. Miao upstairs. As they reached the top of the stairs, Xia Qingtian spotted Er Ya, who was hanging from Xia Shang's neck. Er Ya was simultaneously wrapping her arms around Xia Shang's neck and kicking Miao Tong. Xia Shang was holding Er Ya around the waist with one hand to prevent her from falling, while using his other hand to push Miao Tong to a safe distance, lest he be kicked by Er Ya. He looked quite dishevelled.