Chapter 131: Have You Consulted the Stakes Before Making a Wager!

The child looked like a corpse, yet Xia Jiujiang claimed he was not dead and could even be "brought back to life." The onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

"Didn't they say the Princess of Jin had regained her senses?"
"That's right, everyone said she was normal now, but to me, she still looks like a fool."
"Once a person dies, the light goes out. She actually claims he can be revived."
"The Princess of Jin’s brain must be malfunctioning again."

The commoners watched Xia Jiujiang with mocking eyes, as if listening to the delusions of a madwoman, waiting to see what kind of spectacle she would make of herself.

Bai Zhi prepared the items Xia Jiujiang had requested. Under the gaze of the crowd, Xia Jiujiang uncovered the child's body. The peasant woman, watching Xia Jiujiang’s serious demeanor, remarked, "I never imagined that even after my child has died, he would still have to suffer such indignity in public."

Xia Jiujiang glanced at the woman. She was now certain that the woman was involved. Since there was no direct grudge between the woman and the Jiang Mantang restaurant or Princess Ming Ningzi, and no motive for revenge, she must have been bribed to act as a weapon. If she could exploit her own child, it was clear that money mattered more to her than her son.

Xia Jiujiang looked at the woman and said, "It is quite strange, madam. I told you your son is not dead and that I can save him, yet instead of being excited or happy, you obstruct me at every turn. In your eyes, would you rather your child stay dead than have me save him?"

The woman stammered, terrified for a moment, "I... I have no such intention. I just don't want my child to suffer any further. If the Princess of Jin can truly save my Bao'er, I would naturally be filled with gratitude. But if you can't... wouldn't that be giving me hope only to stab me in the heart?"

Xia Jiujiang sneered, "You don't even know the outcome yet, so how can you claim it is a stab to the heart? Or are you absolutely certain that your son will not be saved by me?"

The woman retorted, "My child has no heartbeat or pulse; countless doctors have seen him. Are you implying that those doctors were all quacks and only you are skilled? The Princess of Jin lacks the ability and the qualifications. What is wrong with me believing what I see before my eyes?"

Xia Jiujiang said commandingly, "Then do you dare to make a wager with me? If I save your son, you will kneel and kowtow in apology to Princess Ming Ningzi."

The woman puffed out her chest, appearing righteous, "And if the Princess of Jin cannot save him?"

Xia Jiujiang pondered for a moment, then grinned. "If I cannot... Princess Ming Ningzi will be at your disposal."

Ming Ningzi jumped up, protesting, "Hey! Why me? Why am I the one at their disposal if you fail? Shouldn't it be you? Did you even ask for my consent to use me as the stake?"

Xia Jiujiang cast a sidelong glance at her. "You are well aware that you are the stake."

"You... you... you!"

Xia Jiujiang interrupted, "Don't worry. My reputation as the Princess of Jin is your guarantee. Is that not enough for a stake?"

Ming Ningzi was so furious she was hopping mad.

Xia Jiujiang turned her attention back to the child. She used rooster blood to tap several acupoints on his head and body, burned a talisman she had drawn into ash, mixed it into rice water, and poured it into the child's mouth. She then tied an egg with a red string and rolled it across the child’s abdomen, all while muttering strange incantations.

The rooster blood was to control the movement of the venomous insects (gu), the talisman and rice water were to force them out, and the egg served as a surrogate for the child. With the help of the mother-gu she carried on her own body, Xia Jiujiang found it effortless to draw the insects out.

Perhaps because her actions were so bizarre—resembling a shamanic ritual—the onlookers found it chilling. Xia Jiujiang was utilizing the Miao techniques of Gu sorcery, phenomena that modern science could not explain, let alone the superstitious people of this ancient era. The crowd fell into a deathly silence.

After about half the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the previously motionless child suddenly rolled over and vomited. Amidst the sour water and vegetable debris on the ground, a mass of insects was seen wriggling.

The surrounding crowd turned pale with fright, stepping back several paces for fear of touching the insects, followed by an explosion of shocked gasps.

"There really were insects!"
"Who would have thought the Princess of Jin knew how to cure Gu?"
"How terrifying! A small child was actually poisoned with Gu. Look, so many insects came out!"
"The child isn't dead after all. The Princess of Jin was telling the truth!"
"Bringing the dead back to life—the Princess of Jin’s medical skills are unparalleled!"

Xia Jiujiang cracked open the egg and burned it in a fire. Inside, the egg was packed with dense layers of insects, a sight so gruesome it made one’s skin crawl. People wondered how so many insects could have appeared inside a sealed egg.

Ming Ze, the Third Prince of the Southern Kingdom, who had arrived to rescue Ming Ningzi after hearing she was being detained at Jiang Mantang, happened to witness this scene. His jaw dropped in astonishment. The art of curing Gu? That was a secret technique even in the Southern Kingdom. How could the Princess of Jin understand such things?

Ming Ze’s gaze fixed on Xia Jiujiang, his eyes flickering with an strange light.

Seeing the child vomiting, the peasant woman collapsed to the ground, trembling, her lips pale and her mouth rigid. She had never expected the child to actually come back to life!

Terrified to the point of losing control, the woman cowered. Xia Jiujiang looked at the mess on the ground, then turned her cold gaze toward the woman. "I thought your child's death was mysterious and pitiable, and that as a simple woman, it was only natural you would bring him to Jiang Mantang for justice. But I never imagined you would go so far as to harm your own child."

After a few moments of shock, the woman exclaimed, "What is the Princess of Jin talking about? I admit you are skilled for seeing that Bao'er was poisoned and saving him, but how can you spout such nonsense? Bao'er is my child; how could I possibly harm him?"

Although the woman had been rattled by the child suddenly moving, she remained remarkably composed, denying the accusation without slipping up.

Xia Jiujiang’s eyes turned icy. Since the woman refused to confess, she would take it a step further.

Suddenly, the child’s body stiffened. With his eyes closed, he stood up before the peasant woman. The woman’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, screaming in terror, "Princess... Princess of Jin... what... what is Bao'er doing? Why did he suddenly stand up!"

Xia Jiujiang watched the woman’s face drain of color and sneered, "Didn't you say that Bao'er being poisoned had nothing to do with you? If it has nothing to do with you, there is no need to be afraid. After being poisoned with Gu, one's spirit is unstable, making them prone to demonic possession. He must be possessed. If you never harmed him, he won't do anything to you."

It was all a fabrication by Xia Jiujiang, merely a ruse using the child's eerie movements to terrify the woman and expose her true nature.