Chapter 16: Suspicious Gu (1)

At first, Xu Qiannian was skeptical of Shi Pengpeng’s methods and didn’t take them seriously.

But after Zheng Bing and  Xiao He had a phone call, she seemed to be brainwashed. 

On the way back, she started showing off their love and even suggested getting a marriage certificate with  Xiao He.

Xu Qiannian couldn’t stand it and was worried Zheng Bing might do something irreversible in the heat of the moment. 

After some thought, she went to a pharmacy and secretly put a deworming pill in Zheng Bing’s dinner.

Xu Qiannian was just trying out a desperate measure and didn’t expect much. 

However, not long after dinner, Zheng Bing’s face turned pale, she started sweating, and soon had an upset stomach—exactly the symptoms Shi Pengpeng had described.

Nervous, Xu Qiannian quickly messaged Shi Pengpeng.

SPP: “Are you sure it was the deworming pill? Or did she eat Wallace (fast food) for dinner?”

Xu Qiannian: “I’m sure. To eliminate interference, I used a controlled variable method. We ordered from a place we always eat at, and she never had this reaction before.”

SPP: “……”

As expected of someone who made it big as an internet celebrity, she’s incredibly meticulous.

Regardless, since this happened, whether it’s a coincidence or not, it needs further confirmation.

Shi Pengpeng didn’t know much about Gu (witchcraft) techniques, but luckily, she had a senior who could guide her.

She immediately sent a message explaining the situation.

Before long, her senior, Bai Wanmu, replied.

Bai Wanmu: “Whoa, this actually happened?”

Bai Wanmu: “If this is real, then it’s a big deal!”

Shi Pengpeng thought Zheng Bing’s condition was serious and was about to ask for details when another message popped up.

Bai Wanmu: “Gu witchcraft is strictly regulated here. Zheng Bing’s case is definitely unauthorized—illegal witchcraft, which carries legal consequences.”

SPP: “Got it. If it’s confirmed, I’ll call the police.”

SPP: “What about Zheng Bing? Will she be okay?”

Bai Wanmu: “Don’t worry. If the deworming pill could detect the Gu, it’s not a powerful one. I’ll send you a basic counter-Gu tutorial in a bit.”

SPP: “That’s it? Isn’t this regulated?”

Bai Wanmu: “Relax, I got my official Gu master certification last year. Everything’s legal and above board. 😎”

SPP: “……”

SPP: ” If this works, I shall crown you the Southern Gu King. 👍”

Under the guidance of the waiter, Shi Pengpeng arrived at a secluded private dining room, where Xu Qiannian was already waiting outside.

Shi Pengpeng: “Why are you alone?”

Xu Qiannian sighed and said:

“That guy ran out of gas, so Zheng Bing went to refuel for him. Look how spoiled she is—I bet she’s deeply under the spell.”

Shi Pengpeng: “……”

After consulting Bai Wanmu, they planned their countermeasures.

To completely remove the Gu, they first had to eliminate the mother Gu, which was usually on the person who cast it.

Xu Qiannian used the excuse of inviting Shi Pengpeng to dinner and insisted Zheng Bing bring  Xiao He along.

Zheng Bing was a bit suspicious, since Xu Qiannian never liked  Xiao He, but when she heard it was an exclusive, high-end private dining club, she hesitated and eventually agreed.

Shi Pengpeng noticed Xu Qiannian looked exhausted, occasionally pressing her stomach.

Shi Pengpeng asked : “Are you feeling unwell?”

Xu Qiannian waved it off. 

“It’s fine, just an old issue.”

Because of her job, she often had irregular meals and weak digestion. 

After worrying about Zheng Bing for the past few days, her stomach problems flared up, and she hadn’t slept well for two nights.

Just then, the waiter led two people in—it was Zheng Bing and  Xiao He.

Xiao He was short, average-looking, and had slightly protruding teeth. 

When he smiled, he showed two rows of gums.

Xiao He: “Hello, pretty ladies!” (His eyes scanned them up and down.)

Shi Pengpeng: “Hello.” (Her gaze fell on his hands—they were large, disproportionately so compared to his thin limbs.)

Zheng Bing seemed annoyed and pulled  Xiao He inside first.

Xu Qiannian whispered: “Look how greasy he is. If only he could squeeze some of that out, he wouldn’t need to refuel the car.”

Shi Pengpeng gave a silent thumbs-up. 

Hard to disagree.

But she furrowed her brows slightly. “Something seems off about this guy.”

Xu Qiannian: “Take out the ‘seems’.  Xiao Heterally does witchcraft.”

Shi Pengpeng shook her head. 

“No, not that…” But she couldn’t pinpoint it yet.

Inside,  Xiao He immediately took out his phone and started snapping pictures.

Xiao He: “Wow, this place is high-end! I always heard Bingbing talk about it. Now I finally get to experience it myself!”

Zheng Bing felt embarrassed and shot a glance at Xu Qiannian.

Normally, Xu Qiannian would’ve shown her disgust, but for Zheng Bing’s sake, she forced a smile. 

“Enjoy your meal. The dishes should be coming soon.”

The menu had been specially chosen by Xu Qiannian—all premium ingredients.

 Xiao He was ecstatic, snapping away like a food blogger.

Shi Pengpeng saw that within minutes, he had already posted two WeChat Moments.

Feeling embarrassed, Zheng Bing nudged him under the table.

Xiao He: “Why are you kicking me?”

Zheng Bing: “……”

Shi Pengpeng & Xu Qiannian: “……”

Eventually, as planned, Shi Pengpeng discreetly added the counter-Gu medicine to  Xiao He’s soup.

Xu Qiannian encouraged him: ” Xiao He, this soup is very nourishing. Drink while it’s hot.”

Surprised by her kindness,  Xiao He grinned, showing his gums. 

“Miss, not only are you pretty, but you’re also so caring!”

Zheng Bing frowned, leaned in, and drank a spoonful from his bowl.

Xu Qiannian panicked, almost reaching out to stop her, but Shi Pengpeng held her back.

Shi Pengpeng: “It’s fine.”

Zheng Bing smacked her lips. 

“Your soup tastes weird.”

Xiao He took a sip and grimaced. “What the hell is this?”

Shi Pengpeng calmly said: 

“Oh, it’s this restaurant’s specialty—they add an extra aphrodisiac herb for men.”

Xu Qiannian: “???”

Xiao He’s eyes lit up, but he maintained a reserved expression:

“What the heck, I’m still young, I don’t need any aphrodisiac.”

“Oh, then I’ll ask the waiter to take it away,” Shi Pengpeng pretended to call for the waiter.

“Forget it, forget it.”  Xiao He quickly coughed and said, 

“Since it’s already here, might as well not waste it.”

Xu Qiannian: This works too?

Xiao He no longer minded the strange taste in the soup and gulped down more than half of it in one go. 

Soon, he had finished the entire bowl.

Xu Qiannian felt her heart clench, sneaking glances at  Xiao He from time to time. 

But as time passed, he remained completely normal, showing no signs of discomfort.

As the meal neared its end, Xu Qiannian grew anxious. 

She discreetly tugged on Shi Pengpeng’s sleeve and whispered:

“Why hasn’t he reacted yet?”

“I don’t know,” Shi Pengpeng was also puzzled.

“The medicine should’ve worked by now.”

Either Zheng Bing was never under a spell, and this was just a huge misunderstanding…

Xu Qiannian refused to accept that result.

She was so anxious she didn’t even bother hiding her emotions anymore, staring straight at  Xiao He as if she could burn a hole through him.

Zheng Bing misunderstood her gaze. 

She had already felt that Xu Qiannian was paying extra attention to  Xiao He today. 

Seeing this only made her more suspicious.

When the waiter came in with the bill, she immediately grabbed  Xiao He’s arm:

“Xiao He and I have something to do, we’ll be leaving first—”

“Huh?”  Xiao He was clueless. 

“Do we? I don’t remember anything?”

Zheng Bing almost choked. 

She was about to say something when Xu Qiannian, now utterly desperate, suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her.

“No! You can’t go with him!”

Then, she blurted out:
“Zheng Bing, this man put a spell on you!”

The moment those words left her mouth, the entire room fell silent.

Xiao He looked even more confused, while Zheng Bing was the first to snap out of it. 

Her expression changed drastically:

“What nonsense are you talking about?!”

Xu Qiannian saw that she still refused to wake up and had no choice but to spill everything.

She laid out the entire sequence of events, breaking it down with clear logic:
“Zheng Bing, think carefully. You always taught me to be cautious about men. Look at the guy you chose now—he’s greasy, pretentious, and has no redeeming qualities. If you weren’t under a spell, how could you possibly fall for someone like this?!”

At first,  Xiao He was bewildered, but hearing this, his expression instantly darkened:
“Hey, what do you mean

 by that?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” Xu Qiannian glared at him bravely.

“You look like a river imp, and the only way you could deceive a woman is through shady tricks like this—”

“Shut up!”  Xiao He was instantly enraged. 

His face flushed red, and he reached out to grab her.

“What’s wrong with river imps, huh?!!”

Shi Pengpeng swiftly stepped in, catching his wrist before he could touch Xu Qiannian:

“You can talk, but keep your hands to yourself.”

“Get lost, or I won’t hold back—”  Xiao He growled and violently yanked his arm… but it didn’t budge.

 Xiao He was confused. 

What the hell, why is this woman so strong?!

Shi Pengpeng took advantage of his hesitation and attempted to twist his arm behind his back. 

However, his bones were unusually tough, making it difficult to subdue him completely.

But her grip was still powerful enough that  Xiao He yelped in pain.

“Aaargh—” He suddenly bared his yellowish teeth and lunged at Shi Pengpeng.

A strange, ominous aura surged toward her. 

Shi Pengpeng’s brows furrowed. 

In a split second, she pulled out a yellow talisman and slapped it onto him.

Xiao He’s face twisted in shock. 

“Shit, she’s a Taoist!” 

His pupils shrank as he instinctively tried to dodge, but it was too late.

As soon as his forehead touched the talisman, the cinnabar ink lit up, and he let out a pained shriek:

“I’m going to eat you!”

As the words fell, his protruding mouth began to split open, stretching all the way to his ears.

At the same time, the tips of his yellow teeth sharpened into jagged fangs. 

Worse still, behind this row of teeth, another set emerged—two layers of interlocking razor-sharp fangs, forming a grotesque maw.

His large hands spread wide, revealing webbed fingers. 

His skin turned an eerie, slimy green, covered in fine scales. 

Upon closer inspection, his elbows bore curved hooks, resembling tiger claws.

Xu Qiannian and Zheng Bing gasped in unison.

Zheng Bing was especially horrified, her voice trembling: “W-What’s happening?!”

Shi Pengpeng’s gaze remained icy as she said calmly:

“Your boyfriend is a water tiger demon.”

Seeing Zheng Bing’s confusion, she added:

“A local version of a kappa.”

Zheng Bing: ???!

From the moment they met, Shi Pengpeng had sensed something off about  Xiao He. 

His body proportions were unnatural, and his aura carried a faint trace of malevolence. 

At first, she assumed it was just residual energy from illegal witchcraft.

But now that  Xiao He had lost control and released his demonic energy, everything made sense—one talisman forced him to reveal his true form.

Water tigers were a type of spirit beast from the Central Plains, often lurking in rivers and ponds. 

Their elbow joints resembled tiger claws, and they were distant relatives of the Japanese kappa.

Xu Qiannian had been jokingly calling  Xiao He a kappa all this time, never expecting that he actually was one.

Xu Qiannian: Pupil quake

This demon didn’t look easy to deal with. Were they doomed here?

She forced herself to stay calm and secretly reached for her phone.

Unfortunately,  Xiao He noticed. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her screen flash “110” (emergency number).

His face twisted, and he let out a sharp howl:

“Call the cops, my ass!”

A powerful suction force swirled in the air. Xu Qiannian’s hand weakened, and her phone was sucked straight into  Xiao He’s gaping maw.

Xu Qiannian gasped: “My phone!”

“Gone,”  Xiao He smirked, tilting his head back and swallowing it whole. 

His belly started shifting unnaturally, accompanied by grotesque crunching sounds.

Water tigers had teeth in their stomachs, capable of chewing and digesting anything they swallowed whole.

But before he could savor his small victory, his elbow joints suddenly burned with searing pain.

Unbeknownst to him, yellow talismans had been slapped onto his skin.

Shi Pengpeng completed her incantation and said lightly: 

“I hope you can afford to pay for that.”

“Arghhh!”  Xiao He shrieked, trying to rip the talismans off. 

But before he could, Shi Pengpeng seized his wrist again.

Even though the water tiger was strong, Shi Pengpeng wasn’t easy to overpower either.

Seeing him about to break free, she quickly shouted:

“Xu Qiannian, pinch his nose!”

“Huh?” Xu Qiannian hesitated, looking at  Xiao He’s monstrous, gaping mouth. 

She swallowed nervously.

Xiao He panicked: “You wouldn’t dare!!”

His fear only made Xu Qiannian more determined. 

Seeing his reaction, she realized this must be a weakness.

Xiao He, desperate, released an even stronger burst of demonic energy, forcing Shi Pengpeng back a step.

“Hahaha!”  Xiao He cackled maniacally, lunging forward. 

“Now, watch me devour—”

BAM!

A steaming soup bowl flew across the room, smashing directly into his two rows of teeth.

Shi Pengpeng flexed her wrist. 

“Eat something better instead.”

Her monstrous strength had been verified many times before. 

That bowl hit so hard it left  Xiao He dazed.

“Y-You guys…”  Xiao He stammered. 

But before he could finish, Xu Qiannian clenched her teeth, reached out, and pinched his nose.

Xiao He: “AAAAAAAH—”

Shi Pengpeng slapped another talisman on his forehead and shoved one into his mouth:

“Shut up already.”

Xiao He: Choking

“Qiannian,” Shi Pengpeng’s expression was serious, and she spoke each word carefully.

“I think the one who was put under a spell isn’t Zheng Bing—it’s you.”

“Zheng Bing cast a Gu spell on you.”