Chapter 39: A Three-Foot Blade Calms the Waves; No Envy of Jade Platforms or Immortals (Part Four)
by GideonMurong Qishu’s pulse was steady, yet he remained unconscious.
Wen Jin, consumed by worry, hurriedly grasped his palm and began to channel True Qi into him to heal his injuries. Lan Yulang stopped him. “Jinjin, Gu Poison cannot be expelled with Internal Energy. Without an antidote, your Senior Brother has no chance of survival. Take him back to Baluo Hall—Meng Duwei might be able to save him.”
Wen Jin’s eyes instantly reddened, his voice choking with emotion. “I had held onto a sliver of hope, thinking Senior Brother had only suffered superficial wounds and that his bones and muscles were unharmed. I never imagined that Devil would actually plant a Gu in him.”
Lan Yulang opened his mouth to speak, but the words died on his lips.
Wen Jin lifted Murong Qishu into his arms and spat out each word with hatred. “Lan Yulang… I will definitely kill him!”
With that, he carried Murong Qishu into the mist and retreated toward the Wumeng Tribe.
Lan Yulang stood rooted to the spot, unable to move for a long time. Hidden within his sleeves, his fingertips trembled slightly for a fleeting moment.
Murong Qishu was brought back to Baluo Hall. Meng Duwei was filled with confusion, but when he saw the Gu Mark on the side of Murong Qishu’s neck, he froze in shock. “How could this happen?”
Wen Jin gripped his shoulders tightly, his voice urgent. “Do you know what kind of Poisonous Gu my Senior Brother has been afflicted with? Is it life-threatening? Can you save him?”
Meng Duwei winced as Wen Jin’s grip bruised his bones. “Let go of me first,” he said, his brow furrowing.
Wen Jin hurriedly released him. “I’m sorry…”
Meng Duwei approached the bed and loosened Murong Qishu’s robes. He revealed a patch of purplish-black on the man’s chest, where a dense, spiderweb-like pattern of the same hue spread outward. As it reached the neck, the web grew sparser, its color gradually turning a dull crimson.
“It is the ‘Breath-Sealing Slave,'” Meng Duwei declared. “This Gu is neither insect nor plant, but a concoction of Utmost Yin Insects and rotting wood fungi, refined through a secret art. It takes the form of pine resin and melts upon contact with the skin. The victim appears normal, but their meridians are already saturated with Gu Poison, causing a faint, almost imperceptible stagnation in the flow of Qi and blood.”
“Once the Gu Seed merges with Miasma, the fungal poison dormant in the meridians is rapidly activated, instantly stripping the victim of their five senses and plunging them into unconsciousness. Over the next few days, the Gu Seed gradually invades the internal organs, secreting toxins day by day: first the liver, then the heart, the spleen, the lungs, and the kidneys. By the seventh day… the soul will be extinguished, and life will vanish.”
Wen Jin felt as if he had been struck by five bolts of lightning. His mind went blank, and it took a long moment before he could speak, his voice trembling. “Is there… any way to save him?”
Meng Duwei was unsure if the Cult Leader had been the one to plant the Gu, so he hesitated before speaking. “There is a way… One must introduce a Blazing Flame Centipede—a creature of purest yang—into the body to devour the Gu Seed within the meridians. Once the centipede has consumed the seed, it will gnaw through the flesh of the chest to escape. This is a method of fighting poison with poison, but the chances of survival are slim.”
“Truly a method befitting the Demonic Cult,” Wen Jin sneered. “Even the cure is this vicious.” He paused, then asked, “Where can I find a Blazing Flame Centipede?”
“The centipede will damage his heart meridian while devouring the Gu Seed. He could very well die from it. Are you truly willing to risk this?” Meng Duwei frowned as he looked at him.
Wen Jin nodded resolutely. “He’s going to die either way. Why not give him a chance to live?”
Meng Duwei found himself unable to argue. “The Blazing Flame Centipede favors the sun and is mostly found on south-facing cliffs. You can find it on the southern slope of No Regrets Peak.”
Since the creature preferred the sun, it could only be captured during the day. Seizing the early hour, Wen Jin borrowed a glazed bottle from Meng Duwei and immediately set off for Mirror Flower Lake. As he was leaving, he saw Lan Yulang had already returned. He greeted him briefly before hurrying away.
Lan Yulang asked, “Where is he going?”
Meng Duwei cupped his fist in a respectful salute. “Cult Leader, Wen Jin has gone to No Regrets Peak to capture a Blazing Flame Centipede for Young Master Murong, to cure the ‘Breath-Sealing Slave’ within his body.”
Lan Yulang remained silent.
Meng Duwei stole a glance at him and ventured, “Could it be that the Cult Leader does not wish for him to save Young Master Murong?”
“I did not plant that Gu,” Lan Yulang replied.
That day, Xie Congen had told the two disciples executing the punishment in the dungeon that if Murong Qishu refused to confess, they could use Gu to force it out of him if necessary. He had not expected them to actually plant the Breath-Sealing Slave.
Having learned of Wen Jin’s destination, Lan Yulang set out as well, hurrying toward Mirror Flower Lake.
Between the hours of the Monkey and the Rooster, the sun blazed fiercely. Though the southern cliffs of No Regrets Peak were covered in vines and ferns, the rock was too hard and the crevices too narrow for trees to take root. From a distance, the sparse green grass clinging to the cliffside only emphasized its desolate, crumbling appearance.
Wen Jin used his Lightness Skill to descend to the foot of the cliff. He wedged his scabbard into a crevice, using a protruding rock for leverage as he carefully scanned his surroundings.
This was the base of the cliff, where the rock met the lake. The stone wall was damp, and the ferns grew relatively lush here—not the habitat of the Blazing Flame Centipede. Without lingering, Wen Jin used the leverage to continue his climb.
The Heaven-Seizing Cult revered the Five Poisons as sacred creatures. Whether for crafting poisons and Gu, or refining special pills, toads, snakes, spiders, centipedes, and the Sacred Scorpion were always the primary choices.
Centipedes usually burrowed in the earth, and those that could dwell on cliff faces were invariably venomous. Wen Jin dared not be careless. The higher he climbed, the more vigilant he became, carefully inspecting every crevice in the rock to ensure no venomous creature lay hidden within.
Yet, after searching for nearly an hour, he had found nothing. His arms were already beginning to ache, and with no place to rest on the cliff face, he could only prop himself up with his sword and continue searching for the Blazing Flame Centipede.
He climbed a few more yards, reaching the mountainside of No Regrets Peak. Wen Jin pushed aside a cluster of Iron Wire Lotuses and suddenly saw a crimson centipede, about five inches long, dart out from a crevice and scurry forward like a bolt of lightning.
The creature had to be captured alive, without the slightest harm. He immediately took the glazed bottle from his waist, tore off the stopper with his teeth, and threw himself toward the centipede.
Just then, Ouyang Duxiu emerged from the Peach Grove. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something moving on the opposite cliff. She looked up and saw a figure in green leaping across the mountainside of No Regrets Peak. She was suddenly reminded of the little thief who had broken into the Ten Thousand Saints Hall a few days ago, who had also worn robes of that color. Her eyes narrowed, and she was about to use her Lightness Skill to fly across to the other side when a burst of Qi Force suddenly tore through the air, slicing past her and shattering a peach tree nearby.
Ouyang Duxiu spun around in fury. “Who’s there?!”
A figure in white robes materialized within the Peach Grove, closing the distance in a single blink, fast as lightning.
Ouyang Duxiu’s heart tightened. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you in the Cult before.”
Lan Yulang’s voice rang out clearly. “Priest Ouyang, please leave.”
Ouyang Duxiu found his voice strikingly familiar. “You know me?”
Lan Yulang raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her, his mere presence commanding and formidable. “I believe Priest Ouyang should also know me.”
Ouyang Duxiu frowned slightly, her eyes instinctively darting to his wrist.
Lan Yulang lifted his sleeve, revealing the Skull Golden Bell upon his wrist.
Ouyang Duxiu recognized the object immediately—the Flying Frost Pomegranate Fire, capable of controlling the Hundred Gu. She gasped in horror and cupped her hands in a respectful salute. “So it is the Cult Leader!”
Beneath the mask was such a face…
Lan Yulang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, concealing the Gu Bell. “The Golden-Banded Snake from last time—” Before he could finish, a cyan figure suddenly plummeted from the mountainside, falling into the lake with a loud splash. Lan Yulang swiftly flew toward the water, his pure white animal-skin boots skimming the surface as he sped toward the foot of the peak, leaving a trail of ripples in his wake.
Wen Jin had just captured a Blazing Flame Centipede when he was ambushed by another. A single bite to his finger sent a paralyzing venom coursing through his limbs before he could even begin to expel it with his internal energy. He and his sword plummeted together into Mirror Flower Lake.
Water rushed into his ears, instantly sealing off his hearing. His paralyzed body sank slowly toward the lakebed.
The young man held his breath, attempting once more to channel his internal energy to force the poison out. But the Blazing Flame Centipede’s venom was too potent; he found himself unable to even summon his power.
Mirror Flower Lake seemed bottomless, the light fading into deepening gloom as the water grew bone-chillingly cold. Wen Jin had held his breath for so long that he was on the verge of collapse. At the critical moment, someone swam swiftly toward him, hooked an arm around his waist, and pressed their lips to his, channeling a stream of cool True Qi into his mouth.
Big Brother!
Wen Jin was overcome with relief.
Before he knew it, they had sunk to the lakebed. The water was piercingly cold as Lan Yulang held him close and swam westward. Soon, a dark tunnel appeared before them. Lan Yulang guided him inside, swimming upward for a short while before emerging into a dry cavern.
Lan Yulang carried Wen Jin out of the water and found a clean rock to sit on. “Yan Tang, what happened to you? Why did you suddenly fall into the lake?”
Wen Jin tried to speak, but no sound came. He could only twitch the finger that the centipede had bitten.
Lan Yulang’s gaze fell upon the wound at the base of his finger, and he understood instantly. He bit his own finger and pressed it into Wen Jin’s mouth. “My blood can neutralize the poison. Suck on it, and you will recover.”
As the blood rolled across his tongue, the metallic sweetness filled Wen Jin’s mouth.
He suddenly remembered his elder brother telling him that he had tasted all the world’s rarest poisons and had long since become immune to them. He recalled the time he had been bitten on the back of his neck by that Golden-Banded Snake named Jiaojiao, falling into a coma from the poison. Upon waking, the scent of fresh blood had filled his mouth. The same sensation had occurred after he accidentally inhaled Mo Changling’s poisonous incense at the inn.
So, all this time, he had been using his own blood to detoxify me.
Wen Jin sucked the blood twice before releasing Lan Yulang’s finger.
After about a quarter of an hour, strength gradually returned to his limbs. Wen Jin was finally able to speak. “Big Brother…”
Lan Yulang asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
Wen Jin shook his head. “I’m fine. I owe you my life for saving me this time.”
Lan Yulang smiled faintly. “Might this be a way to repay Young Hero Wen for saving my life in the past?”
Wen Jin also smiled. “Why do you always bring that up?” He looked around. The place was dark and damp. Several shark-oil lamps, burning eternally, were set into niches carved into the walls, providing the only light in the small space.
“What place is this?” he asked, slowly rising to his feet and walking toward the corridor ahead.
Lan Yulang’s expression darkened. “An unknown place,” he said. “Do not wander off. It is best we leave as quickly as possible.”
Wen Jin asked, “I heard there is a Glazed Palace at the bottom of Mirror Flower Lake, a forbidden ground where the Devil cultivates in seclusion. Could this be it?”
Seeing his intent to explore further, Lan Yulang hurriedly asked, “Jinjin, is the Blazing Flame Centipede still on your person?”
Only then did Wen Jin remember the purpose of their journey. He touched the glazed bottle at his waist and breathed a sigh of relief. “It is.”
Lan Yulang said, “Your senior brother is still waiting for you to save his life. Let us go back first.”
Wen Jin nodded, then leaped into the water, returning by the same path they had come.
This Blazing Flame Centipede was still juvenile, its size not yet immense, making it the perfect cure for Murong Qishu.
Meng Duwei made an incision on Murong Qishu’s arm, then used a pair of forceps to take the centipede from the glazed bottle.
Sensing the scent of blood, the centipede instantly became violent. The moment it touched skin, it burrowed into the wound without warning, slithering along the meridians.
Though Murong Qishu remained unconscious, his face contorted in agony. As the Blazing Flame Centipede scurried through his body, its movement could be seen even through a layer of clothing.
Wen Jin couldn’t bear to look. A cold sweat broke out across his back.
Moments later, he rushed out of the bedchamber and under the eaves, taking a deep breath.
Lan Yulang walked over slowly and took his hand. “Jinjin, are you all right?”
Wen Jin closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing sharply. “Big Brother, I regret it.”
Lan Yulang was confused. “Regret what?”
“I should never have come to the Heaven-Seizing Cult as a mole,” Wen Jin said. “I am the one who brought this suffering upon Senior Brother. If anything were to happen to him, I would never find peace in this life.”
Lan Yulang fell silent.
After a moment, Wen Jin spoke again. “Once the Gu Poison is cleared from Senior Brother’s body, I will leave with him and return to the Central Plains Martial World.” He looked at Lan Yulang. “Big Brother, you should come with us.”
Lan Yulang’s expression shifted for a fleeting moment before returning to normal, so quickly that no one could have noticed.
After a few breaths of hesitation, he spoke softly, “Jinjin, I—”
“What is it?” Wen Jin asked, surprised.
Lan Yulang seemed to have made a firm decision. His voice grew grave. “Actually, I am—”
“Wen Jin, get back inside, quickly!”
His unfinished words were cut short by Meng Duwei’s urgent cry. A sense of dread washed over Wen Jin, his face turning pale as he spun around and rushed back into the room.
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