Mo Xi suddenly turned his head. His handsome profile, sharp as though carved by an axe and cleaver, regarded the two of them scrutinizingly.
Jiang Yexue’s gentle almond-shaped eyes also widened in astonishment. “…”
“…” Murong Chuyi’s expression darkened. He squeezed several words out from between his teeth. “You encountered me while I was cultivating.”
“All right, you say you were cultivating, so you were cultivating. In any case, you should remember the situation yourself. Although you asked me to help conceal your illness from the Yue family, Young Master Yue had actually noticed it long ago.”
“…”
“He wanted to seek a way to treat you and help shoulder your troubles. But because you kept trying to hide it from him, he only knew the general situation and had no idea where to start. So he could only collect various medical cultivation texts himself and study them.”
Murong Chuyi said, “How do you know so much about him?”
This time, before Gu Mang could answer, Jiang Yexue sighed.
“It is no secret that Chenqing likes medical cultivation texts. If you had paid even a little attention to him, you should have heard about it.”
“…”
Murong Chuyi seemed rather displeased by Jiang Yexue’s words, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Gu Mang sighed. “Yes. Although Mr. Murong deliberately avoided discussing his illness, Young Master Yue cared about you so much that he must have noticed it long ago.”
Murong Chuyi was silent for a moment before turning his face away.
“He’s only a child. Why would I need him meddling in my affairs?”
“That’s true,” Gu Mang said. “But even a blind person can see how much Young Master Yue admires Brother Murong. Asking him not to care is practically impossible. Although he doesn’t understand medicine, he still wanted to find some miraculous pill that could ease your illness and pain.”
He paused before continuing.
“Now, as for the legends throughout the Nine Provinces Continent concerning medicinal herbs capable of curing every illness, there are countless examples. The fruit of the Flame Emperor’s divine tree, the tears of the Xiangfei Empress, indigo roots watered with the Sweet Dew from Willow Branches…”
“…”
“But those are all too mythical. Among all the legends, the only one that can actually be traced to evidence, with records dating back within the past few centuries, is the Blood Spirit Pill of Dream Butterfly Island.”
Murong Chuyi asked, “What is the Blood Spirit Pill? How come I’ve never heard of it?”
“Because it isn’t exactly a legitimate medicine, very few people in Chonghua know about it. But if you look through Liao Kingdom’s records—for example, the Compendium of Divine and Demonic Herbs that Lord Xihe lent to the Cultivation Academy a few days ago—you can still find some records.”
At this point, Murong Chuyi suddenly said, “Wait.”
“What?”
Murong Chuyi narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…You seem to know the records of Liao Kingdom rather well.”
Gu Mang’s expression changed slightly, and his heart gave a sudden jolt.
Murong Chuyi stared at him ominously, like a predator watching its prey.
“But I remember you just said that you had forgotten everything about those eight years after your betrayal of the country.”
“…”
The moment he said this, both Jiang Yexue, who had not been paying attention, and Mo Xi, whose mind was already in turmoil, immediately realized the glaring inconsistency.
That was right.
Gu Mang had clearly said that he remembered nothing about Liao Kingdom. So why had he just mentioned Liao Kingdom’s texts? And earlier, he had also mentioned Liao Kingdom’s techniques?
This traitor… really was still hiding certain truths from them!
The atmosphere, which had finally relaxed, abruptly tightened again. The pressure in the air was like a taut string, tightening until it seemed to cut into flesh.
“Why did you lie?” Murong Chuyi’s gaze was as sharp as a leopard’s. A single word dripping with murderous intent left his pale lips.
“Speak.”
Even Rongrong sensed that something was wrong. The hand holding her fire hesitated in midair, and she did not know whether she should continue eating beside them.
As for Gu Mang, his gaze passed over Jiang Yexue’s slightly furrowed brows, then Murong Chuyi’s tense, ready-to-strike expression, before finally landing on Mo Xi’s face.
The man leaning with folded arms against the entrance of the cavern showed little emotion. He merely gazed at Gu Mang silently from afar, waiting for his answer.
Gu Mang was quiet for a moment before saying, “Because I don’t want to be dragged off for the Black Demon Trials.”
As he spoke, he calmly turned his gaze away. His lashes trembled slightly, concealing the hidden thoughts in his eyes.
Gu Mang said, “If you knew I still remembered so much about Liao Kingdom and the Black Demon-related matters, would you have agreed so readily to keep it secret?”
Murong Chuyi: “…”
“But I didn’t really lie to you about anything. Those eight years in Liao Kingdom are just scattered fragments in my memory, pieces that don’t form a complete story. Really.”
Gu Mang paused.
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll simply swear an oath.” He raised a hand solemnly. “If I, Gu Mang, speak even half a falsehood, then let me remain lonely and unmarried for the rest of my life. Let no girl I flirt with respond, let no man I pursue pay me any attention, and let the person I love build a happy, prosperous family with someone else and live happily ever after…”
Whether it was merely Mo Xi’s imagination or not, Gu Mang’s expression seemed to become faintly gentle when he said those words. It did not sound as though he were making a curse or oath. Instead, it sounded like he was sadly and tenderly blessing someone.
“Ugh, that’s so cheesy.”
The gentleness disappeared. The sadness vanished as well. When Gu Mang raised his eyes, there was once again only a bright, smiling gleam within them.
“Well? You believe me now, right?”
Jiang Yexue sighed and helplessly shook his head. Murong Chuyi looked as though he completely did not believe him, but he also did not want to waste any more words on Gu Mang.
And Mo Xi knew even better that Gu Mang was certainly still concealing some truths.
But with Gu Mang’s temperament, if he did not want to speak, then even if one pried his mouth open with a knife, it would be impossible to extract even a single truthful sentence from him.
Seeing that none of them spoke, Gu Mang spread his hands.
“Now, are the three beauties willing to listen to me talk about what the Liao Kingdom records say?”
Murong Chuyi was silent for a while before saying, “I would like to hear the details.”
“Excellent! Three gentlemen, if you have money, show some money; if you don’t, then show some support! This storyteller is about to begin!”
“…”
“It goes like this.” Gu Mang cleared his throat. “According to legend, a hundred years ago, a young cultivator in Liao Kingdom had a mother who suffered from a terrible illness. The young cultivator sought doctors everywhere, yet was still unable to restore his mother’s health. One day, he heard that there was an immortal island somewhere across the sea, carried upon the back of a Black Tortoise. Spring lasted there throughout the year, and an immortal lived upon it. Thus, carrying his last glimmer of hope, he boarded a boat with his mother and sailed toward the island according to the direction given in the legend.”
“The weather at sea was unpredictable. One night, violent rain and raging waves suddenly swept across the ocean. Their boat lost its spiritual power and drifted with the waves for three days and three nights. To keep the small boat from breaking apart, the young cultivator exhausted nearly all of his spiritual power and eventually collapsed unconscious from exhaustion. When he awoke, he discovered that he had somehow arrived at an island inhabited by hundreds upon hundreds of bat spirits—”
Jiang Yexue murmured, “This island…”
“That’s right.” Gu Mang said. “According to the strange tales recorded in Liao Kingdom, when the young cultivator arrived on the yao island, he thought all was lost. Unexpectedly, the yaos on the island did not eat him immediately. Instead, they escorted him to meet the queen of this Bat Island.”
“Wuyan?”
“It should be her.”
“And then?”
“Then? After that, the accounts differ widely. Some books say that Wuyan was an exquisitely beautiful woman with cloud-like hair and a stunning face, and that she was kind-hearted. She bestowed a single Blood Spirit Pill upon the young cultivator’s mother. After the dying old woman swallowed the pill, she regained her health in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Not only that, the woman even used the medicine’s power to reverse her aging, returning to the appearance of her youth, with skin as smooth as jade. After mother and son repeatedly thanked Wuyan, they happily returned home.”
Jiang Yexue nodded after listening and asked, “And what are the other versions?”
“Those are rather perverse. I’ll pick one that’s slightly better.” Gu Mang said, “There is another rumor that Wuyan was a shriveled old woman with gray hair, an old hag who had never seen a man in her entire life. So she made a condition with the young cultivator. She indeed possessed a Blood Spirit Pill made from fresh blood, and she could give it to his mother to cure her illness. But in exchange, the young cultivator had to remain on the island as her male pet, lie there obediently, and let her have her way with him.”
Murong Chuyi: “…”
Jiang Yexue: “…”
“How about that? Disgusting enough, right?” Gu Mang said. “In any case, regardless of what the truth actually was, there are still quite a few records of the Bat Island Blood Spirit Pill in Liao Kingdom.”
Jiang Yexue asked in astonishment, “So Chenqing came here this time for that pill?”
“Eight or nine times out of ten.” Gu Mang said. “I heard that a few days before Young Master Yue departed for Dream Butterfly Island, he happened to borrow a collection of medicinal herbs from Liao Kingdom. Putting the two things together, I thought I should take a look inside Wuyan’s alchemy chamber. Perhaps I might find some clues.”
After saying this, he glanced at Rongrong.
“And sure enough, I found her.”
Murong Chuyi asked, “So the Blood Spirit Pill is a medicine refined from Miss Rong’s blood?”
Gu Mang nodded. “That’s right.”
Jiang Yexue sighed. “Heaven help her.”
“Exactly. This Bat Queen is rather sinister. So, regarding the earlier legend about the young cultivator seeking medicine, I’m more inclined to believe the second version. Wuyan, the Bat Queen, doesn’t seem like the sort who would simply hear a few flattering words from a stranger and then bestow medicine before letting him go. I think she must have demanded an appropriate price.”
“Why not ask her to confirm the truth?” Murong Chuyi raised his chin slightly, indicating Rongrong.
Rongrong had originally been secretly listening. The moment she realized they were all looking at her, she immediately lowered her head and began eating fire again in fright.
“Of course I asked her. It’s just that Rongrong has spent years locked inside the alchemy chamber as a medicinal ingredient, so she doesn’t know much about what happens outside. I couldn’t get much information from her. But most of my guesses are accurate.”
Murong Chuyi said coldly, “Then what other guesses do you have? You might as well tell us all of them.”
Gu Mang clapped his hands and smiled.
“I really do have another one. I was thinking that perhaps the reason Wuyan wanted to keep that young cultivator back then and forcibly take him as her male pet wasn’t because she had lived on the island for so long that she had never seen a man.”
“Instead, it might have been precisely because she had once met a certain man—and had never been able to forget him.”
Murong Chuyi’s sword-like brows furrowed slightly.
“What makes you say that?”
Gu Mang looked at Yue Chenqing, who was suffering under the torment of his high fever, and uttered two words.
“The Gu worm.”
“The Gu worm inside Yue Chenqing can gradually alter a person’s voice, appearance, even memories and personality. If Wuyan merely wanted to capture a man and keep him as a male pet, why would she go to such lengths for no reason?”
Murong Chuyi pondered for a moment.
“That makes sense. Continue.”
“Shan Gao mentioned earlier that Young Master Yue had violated a taboo. That must mean men are forbidden from entering this island. Young Master Yue recklessly came onto the island, so just like that cultivator from a hundred years ago, he was detained by Wuyan and transformed with the Gu worm into the man Wuyan truly wanted.”
Gu Mang shrugged.
“Of course, there may be other reasons. But aside from this one, I can’t think of a more reasonable explanation for now.”
“…”
Murong Chuyi thoughtfully looked at Gu Mang.
Back then, he and Gu Mang could almost be said to have had no interaction at all. He only knew that many people in Chonghua believed that as long as Marshal Gu was there, nothing was worth fearing, even if the sky itself collapsed.
But at that time, he had only encountered Gu Mang a handful of times, and he did not even remember directly speaking with him. Thus, he had never understood why those people had developed such blind faith in a commander.
Now, listening to this well-reasoned analysis and looking at Gu Mang’s calm, orderly manner, he could not help seriously examining the man’s face—
Gradually, he noticed that there truly was a powerful force of spirit in that face.
When Gu Mang was serious, when that pair of blue eyes shone brightly, the spiritual force radiating between his brows was almost overwhelming.
“That’s basically it.” Having finished his analysis, Gu Mang said, “The Fire Bat clan and the Feathered People are closely related after all, their innate gifts originating from the same lineage. Brother Jiang, Mr. Murong, there’s no need to worry too much. I think Wuyan’s Gu worm can definitely be neutralized by Miss Rongrong.”
Perhaps it was precisely because of that reliable spiritual force that whenever Gu Mang said everything would be fine, it was as though he had given everyone a calming pill, making them believe that there truly would be no further accidents.
Murong Chuyi was silent for a while.
“…All right.”
And the facts proved that Gu Mang was right.
As Rongrong ate more and more flames, the red markings between her brows became increasingly vivid. Finally, she let out a tiny, star-spark-filled belch. Embarrassed, she cupped her face.
“I-I-I’m rested now! I can help!”
Jiang Yexue said, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” Rongrong said nervously. “If Brother Gu Mang hadn’t rescued me from the alchemy chamber… I-I would have been imprisoned by Wuyan for the rest of my life.”
As she spoke, she rose from the ground and walked over to Yue Chenqing.
“This little brother who has the Gu worm… may I touch his face?”
Murong Chuyi said, “Touch it.”
Rongrong then made a crooked little bow toward him and awkwardly said, “Then this humble one shall presume upon the fair lady.”
“…”
Seeing Murong Chuyi’s expression, Gu Mang could not help laughing. He explained, “She’s been locked up since she was little. Her only contact with the outside world was the occasional time she was allowed out to get some fresh air, a few bat spirits, and some random storybooks thrown into the alchemy chamber for her to pass the time. So she speaks rather strangely. You’ll get used to it.”
Rongrong pursed her rosy little lips. She probably realized that she had made another mistake. Her cheeks flushed like clouds, and she stopped speaking. Lowering her head, she extended her fluffy little paw and carefully placed it against Yue Chenqing’s brow.
After a while, she asked again, “May I touch his neck?”
Murong Chuyi said, “You may.”
Rongrong then placed her paw against the side of Murong Chuyi’s neck and examined his pulse, before asking again, “May I also touch his chest?”
“…”
Murong Chuyi preferred to handle things simply and brutally. Becoming increasingly impatient with her asking one question after another, he said, “As long as you can remove the Gu, you can touch whatever you want.”
Having received permission, Rongrong proceeded to examine Yue Chenqing’s chest, both arms, and both ankles.
“How is he?”
“It can be removed, but we have to do it quickly. And I also need the blood of one of his close relatives as a catalyst…”
At this point, she hesitantly glanced at Murong Chuyi.
“This immortal lord is his uncle, right? I wonder if Immortal Lord would be willing to… offer himself in marriage…”
Seeing the gloomy look in Murong Chuyi’s eyes, Rongrong could not help shivering.
“Is… is ‘offer yourself in marriage’ really, really, really, really used like this?”
“No.”
Murong Chuyi pressed his watery, pale lips together, and the light in his eyes grew even darker.
“And I’m not his blood uncle either.”
Rongrong: “Is… is he adopted?”
Murong Chuyi’s expression was cold and austere.
“I’m the one who was adopted.”
“…”
Rongrong looked at the immortal lord before her, whose bearing was radiant and otherworldly, and was at a loss for words.
At this moment, Jiang Yexue asked from the side, “Miss Rong, does it have to be the blood of a close relative?”
“Mm… preferably. Otherwise, it would be too dangerous…”
Jiang Yexue said, “Then use my blood.”
Rongrong froze.
“You are…?”
“I’m his elder half-brother.” Jiang Yexue gave a bitter smile. “Unfortunately, we don’t share the same mother and father. Will mine do?”
Rongrong had observed the way they spoke and behaved earlier. She had seen Murong Chuyi constantly acting as Yue Chenqing’s elder, while Jiang Yexue was always pushed aside and could hardly get a word in. So she had assumed that Murong Chuyi was close to Yue Chenqing and that Jiang Yexue was merely an outsider.
She had never expected that Jiang Yexue was actually Yue Chenqing’s true blood relative, while Murong Chuyi had no blood relation to them at all.
Naturally, she did not understand the complicated matters of legitimate and illegitimate birth, wives and concubines, and household struggles. For a moment, all these human relationships left her completely confused.
It was not until Jiang Yexue gently asked her for the third time, “Will my blood do?” that Rongrong finally reacted and hurriedly nodded.
“Y-Yes! Yes, it will!”
Removing the Gu from Yue Chenqing would take considerable time and effort, and the process would be extremely dangerous. They could not be disturbed in the slightest.
Jiang Yexue was therefore somewhat worried.
“Although I set up a concealment barrier around the cavern, Wuyan has had her prisoners rescued, her pagoda destroyed, and now even Miss Rong has been rescued by us. She will inevitably be even more furious. I’m worried that when her magic cannot detect us, she’ll search everywhere and turn the entire island upside down. Can we find somewhere more concealed?”
Rongrong shook her head and pointed at Yue Chenqing, timidly rejecting the suggestion.
“This little brother absolutely can’t withstand being moved right now. And he’s already had the Gu worm inside him for several days. If we delay any longer, I don’t know whether I’ll still be able to destroy the worm… We can’t wait any longer.”
As they hesitated over this, Mo Xi, who had been standing silently at the cavern entrance listening to their conversation, turned around.
Mo Xi said, “You stay here and guard Yue Chenqing while you remove the Gu. I’ll go find Wuyan alone.”