Chapter 35: The Ten Thousand Poisonous Gu

Chapter 35: The Ten Thousand Poisonous Gu

Xia Yingtong lifted An Zhi's collar with one hand, leaping across rooftops with him in tow.

They were still within the borders of Jiu Li's capital, and there was no way out. The moment she abducted An Zhi, Dian Shan had activated the city's barrier.

"Take me to the palace where the Heng Yao He family resided in the Jiu Li capital," Xia Yingtong commanded sternly. She spoke to An Zhi with an authoritative tone.

The palace she referred to was likely the one where, six thousand years ago, Dian Shan had used a cup of Yu Zi Chun to intoxicate Shen Yuan, secretly replacing him in the Black Iron Prison, and briefly imprisoning him there.

Back then, Dian Chan, fearing that Shen Yuan might escape the Jiu Li capital, immediately activated the barrier to trap him within. She then dispatched numerous troops to search every corner of the capital for them.

Indeed, the barrier prevented Dian Shan from taking Shen Yuan away. Thus, he collaborated with his mother, Fu Wan, and the queen of the Heng Yao He family, to secretly hide Shen Yuan beneath the palace's grounds. It wasn't until Dian Chan could no longer locate them that she reluctantly opened the barrier, allowing Dian Shan to take Shen Yuan to the Eastern Sea Dragon Clan's territory.

Later, after Shen Yuan slaughtered the Eastern Sea Dragon Clan and led Dian Shan away from the East Sea, they returned to Jiu Li. The first thing Shen Yuan did was to seek out Fu Wan for answers.

Upon entering the palace, the full moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its light upon him. Uncontrollably, he felt a sudden urge to feed on blood. In the past twenty years, he had never experienced such a strong desire. He struggled to maintain control because if he accidentally killed Fu Wan, there would be no one left to vouch for Dian Shan's actions.

However, bringing Dian Shan along had been a mistake. While Shen Yuan was grappling with his overwhelming desires, Dian Shan broke free from his restraints and struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious.

Upon regaining consciousness, he found himself surrounded by a sea of blood, with severed limbs scattered everywhere. His hands were still stained with fresh blood, dripping onto the ground drop by drop. In his grasp was Fu Wan's severed head.

He had slaughtered He Mengfang's entire family!

His mind went blank, and he opened his mouth soundlessly, tears scorching their way down his cheeks.

"A... Ayuan?..." The voice came from his right, quivering with fear and trepidation.

Shen Yuan turned his head and looked in response.

He Mengfang stood within the hall, shivering uncontrollably while leaning on the door frame. His eyes were wide with shock, filled with tears that shimmered under the moonlight, ready to spill at any moment.

Shen Yuan took a step forward, rushing towards him. "Nephew..."

"Don't come near me!" He Mengfang screamed, collapsing to the floor. His tears fell as he scrambled backward, scraping against the ground, shouting desperately, "Stay away! Keep your distance! You're a monster! Give me back my father and mother! I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you! Begone! Begone, I say!!"

The expression on Shen Yuan's face was more miserable than if he were crying. Overwhelmed with emotion, a surge of hot blood rose up from his chest. He covered his mouth with his hand, concealing the bloodstains as he lowered it. "I'll return them to you – soon – farewell –" He gave He Mengfang a longing and apologetic glance before turning to leave with Dian Shan.

The scene before him was a chilling replica of the past.

However, back then, Xia Yingtong was not the Empress of Dian Shan, nor did she know where she was. The secret of Dian Shan and Fu Wan collaborating to hide Shen Yuan beneath the palace that the He family of Heng Yao had built in Jiu Li's capital remained unknown until now.

An Zhi asked, "How did you find out about the hidden underground chamber in the palace that the He family of Heng Yao constructed in Jiu Li's capital?"

"Enough with the questions!" Xia Yingtong snapped. "Take me there now!"

An Zhi, having restored Shen Yuan's memories, knew how to get there, but he couldn't take her without understanding her intentions.

Back then, Dian Chan had turned Jiu Li upside down with an army but failed to locate Shen Yuan and the others. If Xia Yingtong had ill intentions, what if she killed him there? In such a concealed place, no one would even know he was dead, let alone retrieve his body.

"I won't kill you," Xia Yingtong seemed to have read An Zhi's concerns. "Zhe Dan is the master of the Gu Jade. He was involved in your matter back then, and after the incident, Jiaomiao and Dian Shan wanted to silence him. Now that the Gu Jade has resurfaced, Dian Shan is panicking, assuming Zhe Dan is still alive and that you possess the Gu Jade. Naturally, he believes that Zhe Dan has joined forces with you to expose the truth and strip him of his position as the ruler of Jiu Li."

Upon hearing this, An Zhi said, "No wonder Dian Shan suddenly became agitated. Earlier, he appeared calm and unconcerned. I thought this pearl was the breathing soil, but it turns out it's Zhe Dan's Gu Jade!" Frustrated, he exclaimed, "Chu Yun lied to me! Why would he lie to me?!"

"Xuan Zhu learned from Chu Yun. Judging by his reserved demeanor, Chu Yun can't be an innocent person," Xia Yingtong urged. "Take me there quickly."

After some hesitation, An Zhi finally led her to the palace that Heng Yao's He family had built in Jiu Li's capital.

...

The setting sun bled crimson, casting a golden hue upon the distant verdant mountains.

Xia Huan omitted the formal title "Deputy Island Lord" as she asked, "Why did you lie to us?!"

Chu Yun responded calmly, "Weren't you curious about who the evil spirit was that possessed and controlled Half-Saint Fu You in Ciye Town?"

Undeterred by Chu Yun's attempt to divert the conversation, Xia Huan pressed on, "I'm asking why you lied to us?! Cough! Cough!" The blow from Dian Shan still lingered in her chest, causing her to wince and cough in pain.

Chu Yun continued irrelevantly, "If a soul is separated from its body for too long, it can no longer return on its own and requires external force to reunite, like how you used Soul Shackles on Shen Yuan. But what about Xia Yingtong? Though her soul was trapped alongside her body, once the mirror shattered, her soul was devoured by the Soul Devouring Flower. Her soul also detached from her body for a period."

Exasperated, Xia Huan replied, "I don't understand."

"You wouldn't," Chu Yun said with a hint of disdain.

Unwilling to be outdone, Xia Huan crossed her arms and lifted her chin slightly, looking down at Chu Yun with an air of arrogance, retorting coldly, "And Deputy Island Lord understands this now?"

"Certainly," Chu Yun answered without humility, explaining, "Fu You lost his soul, leaving an empty shell for the evil spirit to occupy. After Xia Yingtong's soul was devoured, her body should have been devoid of life as well."

Unfolding his crossed arms, Xia Huan suddenly realized the truth and exclaimed, "My mother's body was taken over by that evil spirit!"

Chu Yun nodded in approval. "There is hope for you yet."

"But what about my mother then..." Xia Huan stumbled backward, his body swaying unsteadily. Eventually, his calf hit against a chair, causing him to fall onto it. However, he lost his balance and toppled over with the chair, landing in a disheveled and desolate state. It seemed as if his soul had been snatched away, leaving him in a daze. He muttered softly to himself, "My mother... isn't she... dead..."

Instead of comforting him, Chu Yun added more distressing words, "What you don't know is that Xia Yingtong used extremely cruel and shady methods to secure her position as the Empress Jiu Li."

"Stop speaking ill of my mother!" In that moment, Xia Huan couldn't bear the reality and sternly rebuked Chu Yun.

Before Chu Yun left Xia Huan to be alone, he explained, "Zhe Dan was originally a small black snake from Huaitree Ridge. Not long after his birth, Dian Shan's father set the ridge aflame. In the midst of the fire, Zhe Dan was saved by Jiaomiao, who transformed him into a snake gu. The Gu Jade was a magical artifact given to him by Jiaomiao, imbued with supreme gu poison. He was involved in Shen Yuan's incident six thousand years ago and was later silenced, along with the Gu Jade, disappearing from the world. However, I discovered it on a deserted island in the East China Sea, which is why I have it now.

"Having fought his way out of the poison to become a gu, how could Zhe Dan be willing to die? He abandoned his body and began possessing corpses, creating lost souls when none were available. Fu You in Ciye Town was his first lost soul creation. Now, having been expelled from Fu You's body by Shen Yuan, he had nowhere to go and ended up following Shen Yuan. Coincidentally, he found the lost soul of Xia Yingtong and possessed her.

"I pretended the Gu Jade was the breathing soil because I had sensed Zhe Dan's presence around Shen Yuan and wanted to lure him out to capture him in one move. In the Hall of Cangwu, when Dian Shan choked Shen Yuan, I didn't intervene. In fact, I was waiting for Zhe Dan to take the Gu Jade. But he didn't show up, possibly because my presence made him too cautious. That's why I temporarily stepped away. Only..."

Chu Yun's brows furrowed slightly, a look of great puzzlement on his face as if he had encountered an insurmountable problem. "I thought it would be fine once he got the Gu Jade, but I never expected him to abduct Shen Yuan as well..."

In the palace of the Jiu Li Imperial City resided the Heng Yao Clan.

It seemed that the place was regularly swept clean, free from any dust, and tidily arranged.

The same was true beneath the ground.

Their footsteps echoed in the underground chamber.

Perhaps it was due to the perpetual lack of sunlight underground or An Zhi's recollection of Shen Yuan's torment here, but he felt an icy chill run through his body. Despite being in the sweltering heat of August, his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Click, click, click—An Zhi's teeth clattered in the dim and solitary space.

Upon hearing this, Zhe Dan couldn't help but chuckle.

An Zhi asked curiously, "What's so funny?"

Zhe Dan replied, "I find you amusing now."

When he thought back, An Zhi had indeed caused quite a few amusing and embarrassing situations. He said, "It's better to make people laugh than to make them cry."

Zhe Dan murmured, "Have you not made her cry enough?..."

An Zhi seemed to have heard something astonishing. "What!?"

Zhe Dan continued, seemingly talking to himself, "Would you like to visit Ang Liu's Twin Flower Temple and see the murals inside?"

An Zhi nodded, responding casually, "Oh."

As they delved deeper underground, the layout of the area became clearer.

It was a pool, its water darkened by the dim surroundings, appearing as black as ink and bottomless.

In the very center of the pool, a white marble platform floated on the surface. Upon this platform stood an execution rack, bound with numerous iron chains. A pile of them lay scattered beneath it.

Back then, Shen Yuan had been bound to this platform, tormented by Dian Shan and the others under the weight of those chains.

Though Shen Yuan was numb to pain, he felt agony from centipedes, lightning, and the Pure Source Whip. With each lash of the whip against his back, he could only grit his teeth in tolerance, his lips cracking, and blood seeping from his gums in silence.

At the thought of this, An Zhi unconsciously scratched his own back.

Now, Wang Pan's medicine had long since healed the whip scars, leaving the skin smooth and delicate.

Suddenly, Zhe Dan wrapped his arms around An Zhi's waist, his feet lifting off the ground as he whisked them both up to the platform.

Upon landing, An Zhi felt something hard beneath his feet. Looking down, he realized it was the Clear Source Whip!

Bending down to pick it up, he examined it from the handle to the tip. The whip's surface was covered in a layer of black scabs, raised and brittle, as if they would crumble at the slightest touch.

Since entering this underground space, An Zhi's brows had remained furrowed, his tension palpable. "This is his blood, isn't it?... After all these thousands of years, it's still here..."

As he spoke, he extended a finger and gently touched one of the scabs.

The scab fell to the ground, and Zhe Dan suddenly shouted, "Hurry and go! ——"

An Zhi's back seared with pain as he received Zhe Dan's palm, then shot outwards, crashing onto the opposite shore with a thunderous boom.

"Cough... Cough... My bones feel shattered..." He curled up on the ground, wincing in agony.

Before he could catch his breath, another deafening crash echoed through the air.

The source of the sound was none other than where he had just been, on that elevated marble platform.

Looking up, he saw a iron cage descending from the sky, landing precisely to enclose the entire white marble platform. Zhe Dan was left behind, trapped inside.

Seeing this, An Zhi wondered, "She... let me leave first just now?..."

He gazed at the Qingyuan Whip in his hand. Considering how pristine and orderly everything in the palace seemed, how could this whip be left here on the ground, stained with blood and untouched?

This was clearly a trap!

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