Chapter 21: The Gu Village (21)

Chapter 21: The Gu Village (21)

Tan Yue paused, his hand on the door, and turned to look at his lover with a gaze brimming with tenderness. "What's wrong?"

Under his affectionate watch, the young man clicked along in wooden sandals, his movements light and graceful, like an athletic black cat.

Guan Shan wore black today, just as he had when they first met. But this time, the outfit was simple—no ornate and elaborate patterns, just a single piece of black fabric cut from a single bolt of cloth, its cut hugging his frame perfectly.

To Tan Yue, this all-black attire, revealing nothing intimate, wasn’t just mysterious—it was downright sexy.

The monochrome clothing made any colored accessories stand out even more. Around Guan Shan’s neck hung a bone pendant, polished to a lustrous and translucent sheen.

He was still barefoot, as always, never wearing socks. The golden snake coiled around his ankle had transformed from a slender thread into a plump serpent, its head now sporting strange protuberances, making it look less like a snake and more like a nascent dragon. Everyone had an eye for beauty, and it was only natural for his Ah Shan to adorn himself with more jewelry.

When they kissed and embraced, Tan Yue’s fingers would trace his lover’s slender wrists, slowly gliding down to his beautifully sculpted calves. He had mapped every inch of Guan Shan’s skin—including the golden serpent on his ankle.

Tan Yue had even poked at the exquisite accessory. The little snake was cold yet soft to the touch, unmistakably pure gold. He often thought to himself: *Ah Shan loves gold jewelry. I’ll have to earn more to buy him more pieces. When I have time, I should even learn goldsmithing—that way, whatever my darling wife likes, I can craft it for her.*

Guan Shan looped an arm around his. "I’ll go with you."

Now it was Tan Yue’s turn to hesitate. He had assumed the commotion outside was just their friends fooling around, shouting for help as a joke. But what if they were actually in danger?

"Wait for me—let me grab a shovel first." He could handle running fast by himself, but if Guan Shan came along empty-handed, it’d be hard to protect him. Better to have a weapon for intimidation.

Tan Yue grabbed a shovel, then after a moment’s thought, added a wood-chopping axe to the mix. He handed the shovel to Guan Shan. "You take this. If anyone rushes at you, whack them to keep them back!"

The shovel had reach, good for keeping threats at a distance, while the axe was better for close combat. Of course, if this turned out to be nothing but a misunderstanding, that’d be ideal.

Guan Shan glanced down at the shovel pressed into his palm, the handle still warm from Tan Yue’s grip. His eighteen-year-old lover burned like a furnace, always clinging to him in the summer heat, praising how cool his skin felt—like hugging a cool piece of jade.

Even if they started the night apart, by midnight he'd inevitably cling to him. But Guan Shan didn’t mind the warmth. He rotated the handle so the spot Tan Yue had held faced his palm, letting the lingering heat stay a little longer.

Meanwhile, outside... Once Guan Shan was ready, Tan Yue took a deep breath and pushed open the courtyard gate amidst the clamor outside.

Axe in hand, he stared at the chaotic spectacle before him. After a full minute of stunned silence, he finally asked, puzzled, "Is the village throwing a festival? What’s with all the noise?"

Since their courtyard was near the Dragon God Temple, the moment the gate opened, the procession of villagers came into view.

He’d been in the village for days but had only met a handful of villagers—Granny Li and a few others. Today, however, nearly all the faces were unfamiliar. He scanned the crowd but didn’t spot the tottering, slightly hunched figure of Granny Li.

A group of villagers silently chased after his classmates, who were gasping for air as they screamed, "Help! Stay away from us!"

Thankfully, they’d kept up their fitness routines these past days, and by fanning out in different directions, they managed to stay ahead of the monstrous pursuers—for now.

Their earlier assumption had been correct. The Village Elder had led the villagers, dragging sacrificial offerings toward the Dragon God Temple.

The expressionless, swollen-bellied tourists might have looked alive, but they were beyond saving—mere vessels to keep the gu parasites fresh.

Upon reaching the temple, the Village Elder raised a hand. "Bring them forward."

The tourists, light as straw, were effortlessly lifted—two villagers per person, one holding the head, the other the feet. Despite their cumbersome bodies, trussed up like livestock ready for slaughter, they were hoisted into the air with ease.

"Bleed them. Free the children within."

Swarms of tiny insects crawled out, hatching from snow-white eggs nourished by the blood.

Normally, Granny Li’s Gu insects should have been present here as well, but she was gone. It was clear that these newly hatched insects carried traces of her bloodline—they had fed on Granny Li’s flesh and blood, inheriting her family's mark.

The sacrificial offerings were dumped into a massive cauldron about three meters in diameter, filled with a concoction prepared by the Village Elder and numerous other poisonous creatures. The insects crawled out from the wounds, feeding voraciously, stripping the bodies to bone in moments before even the bones vanished in an instant.

"Serve the children their meal."

Large basins of colorful venomous snakes were soon devoured by the newly hatched insects, along with centipedes, spiders, toads…

All manner of poisonous creatures gathered inside, swallowed whole by the ravenous Gu insects in the blink of an eye. Beyond consuming these external prey, they also turned on each other.

The Gu King emerged victorious from this brutal contest. To cultivate the finest sacrifice, they were fed the best food—along with vast amounts of flesh and blood.

By the time Tan Yue stepped outside, the ritual at the Dragon God Temple was nearly complete. Apart from the earlier offerings, the Village Elder had no intention of sparing the young, vigorous students either.

Calculating the digestion time of the Gu insects, he waved his hand. "Round up those brats."

Implanting Gu first would’ve made them better feed, but Granny Li’s unexpected demise had disrupted the plan. Still, capturing and feeding them directly would suffice.

At the Village Elder’s command, the villagers obediently charged toward Wang Yihan and the others.

Initially, the students had scattered in different directions, pausing when no pursuers emerged, gathering where Tan Yue had disappeared.

But when the villagers suddenly rushed out, they bolted in panic. No—these weren’t people chasing them! They were monstrous figures with eerie green eyes!

After running in circles for several minutes with no sign of Tan Yue, hope drained away.

Song Yu refused to die like this. "Run! Head for the village exit! Down the mountain!"

The group sprinted toward the village gate, only to find it chained shut with thick iron links. The walls bristled with thorns and barbs—even if they could climb, the plants would impale them. That long wall had clearly been designed to trap them.

Worse, those plants weren’t harmless greenery—they were living Gu—dormant at first, now awakened and twisted, their tendrils snatching prey from midair.

The villagers sent by the Village Elder weren’t running at full speed. More accurately, they were deliberately holding back, toying with their prey like cats with mice, marinating them in terror for a tastier meal.

Tan Yue finally pushed open the courtyard gate just as Wang Yihan and the others had circled the village.

Pausing in confusion at the gate, he watched the chaotic chase, baffled by this macabre game.

"Tan-ge! Boss! You’re finally out!"

From nearly a hundred meters away, Wang Yihan spotted Tan Yue.

His hero stood there, unshaken. Though the day was gloomy and sunless, in his eyes, Tan Yue seemed aglow with celestial radiance.

Pumped full of adrenaline, he charged—even if he died, he’d die at Tan Yue’s feet!

Wham—

Before Wang Yihan could reach Tan Yue and cling to his ankles, Guan Shan beside him struck.

Tan Yue stared at Guan Shan in shock, but the pretty boy batted his lashes innocently. "He was charging at you—I thought he meant harm. Was I… mistaken? Ah Yue, are you angry at me for him?"

Tan Yue couldn’t stand his doting lover looking hurt. He immediately reassured him. "Of course not! He’s the one who acted recklessly! You did perfectly, Ah Shan. He’s the one who acted recklessly!"

He prodded Wang Yihan with his foot. Good—he was still breathing. Guan Shan held back, just knocking him cold, no skull fracture.

The villagers following behind Wang Yihan also rushed forward, but before they could get close to Tan Yue, they all dropped to their knees.

Song Yu, who witnessed this from a distance, exclaimed in excitement: "Charge! Head toward Tan Yue! It's safe near him!"

As soon as he charged ahead, his entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning. At about ten meters away from Tan Yue, an immense pressure bent his spine, making his knees give way. Like the villagers, he collapsed to the ground in a kneeling position.

Song Yu's scalp tingled with terror, his face contorted with fear. He saw it—Tan Yue hadn’t come out alone this time. By his side was that "mysterious boyfriend" he always talked about.

Tan Yue occasionally turned his head, whispering with a tender look, even holding his boyfriend’s hand.

The monstrous villagers chasing them didn’t kneel because of Tan Yue, an ordinary man, but because of his boyfriend.

Utter terror, both physical and psychological, overwhelmed Song Yu, paralyzing him completely. His limbs refused to move, and his mind went blank, unable to form coherent thoughts.

What stood before him was a monstrous, sky-obscuring black mist—so terrifying that one look short-circuited his mind and made his blood boil as if ready to explode.

Tan Yue’s so-called "boyfriend" wasn’t human at all. He was a monster a thousand times scarier than the villagers!