Yan Tianhen walked up to Lin Xuanzhi, “What do you mean, Dage?”
Lin Xuanzhi answered, “Since Shi Yongtai dares to kill us in secret, I can’t let him get away with it.”
“Is Dage going to kill him?” Yan Tianhen asked.
“That man has to be killed.” Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes deepened slightly, “Since he’s already acting desperately and invested so much money into this, it seems that if he fails to kill us once, he’ll try a second time. If he stays alive, he’ll only be trouble along the way.”
The one who strikes first gains the upper hand, while the one who strikes later suffers a calamity. Shi Yongtai had already taken the lead, but unfortunately, these people he chose were not skilled enough. On the contrary, they ended up alerting their prey and made a fool of themselves.
Yan Tianhen narrowed his eyes slightly, “Why don’t we start now?”
Lin Xuanzhi took Yan Tianhen’s hand, “We don’t need to do it ourselves. Shi Yongtai may have other protective measures. We can’t do it easily.”
“What does Dage mean?”
“This corpse can be used.” Lin Xuanzhi put away the magic treasure that could form an enclosed barrier around a set area. The ring of a bell sounded which was especially prominent in the night.
Yan Tianhen looked into the distance. In the long alley, a thin and tall man dressed in white with a pale face came floating towards their side.
He went in front of Lin Xuanzhi and stood still. A pair of indifferent eyes stared at Lin Xuanzhi’s face for a moment, then asked, “What did you call me for this evening?”
Lin Xuanzhi replied, “I need you to put a Gu worm in this corpse and kill a person.”
The man asked flatly, “Who?”
“The shopkeeper of Yongtai Manor, Shi Yongtai.”
“Understood.”
After that, the man took action right away and turned to the corpse, flicking a finger in the air. Yan Tianhen only saw a red object bounce out of his hand. It landed on top of the corpse and disappeared instantly.
Yan Tianhen widened his eyes curiously for fear of missing any of the man’s movements.
He watched as the man formed a few more hand seals, mumbling words that Yan Tianhen didn’t know. In less than the time it takes to make a cup of tea, the corpse that had lost its soul unexpectedly stood up like a living man. Except for a pair of dull-looking eyes, he walked with great coordination and more flexibility than Ling Chigu in the beginning of his creation as a corpse puppet.
“Go.” The man commanded.
The body jumped several times before disappearing into the alley.
Yan Tianhen said in surprise, “Is this the Imperial Corpse Technique?”
The white-robed man gave Yan Tianhen a blank look, “Kind of, but Imperial Corpse Technique depends on the Yin Qi and contractual power of the controller on top of the Gu insect’s foundation. However, my Imperial Corpse Technique relies on Gu poison and witchcraft. They are still different in essence.”
“Witchcraft?” Yan Tianhen gasped, “You are a Gu Master from the South Continent!”
The white-robed man nodded, “My name is Zhuo Ye. I am a Gu Master of the South Continent.”
Gu Masters relied half on Gu insects and half on sorcery, both of which were indispensable to them.
The white-robed man seemed unwilling to continue the conversation. He yawned, “Tomorrow you will receive the news of the man’s death. Is there anything else besides that?”
Yan Tianhen looked reluctant to part with Zhuo Ye, “Can you teach me how to refine Gu?”
Zhuo Ye lightly swept a glance over Yan Tianhen, “It’s not difficult to refine Gu; you just need to be patient. A Gu worm will probably need to be nurtured for ten to twenty years. Can you bear it?”
Yan Tianhen nodded, “It takes this many years to raise spiritual plants too. It might even take hundreds of years. If I don’t have this patience, I won’t be able to see any spiritual plants grow no matter what.”
“Since you have this disposition, when it’s convenient for you, come to me to refine Gu insects. After all, you control corpse puppets, so you have to learn how to refine Gu. However, I can’t teach you witchcraft. “
After saying his part, Zhuo Ye left just as he came, moving leisurely towards the end of the alley.
Yan Tianhen discovered that on closer inspection, the reason why Zhuo Ye looked like he was floating on the ground was because of the group of insects under his feet. These insects moved very fast and were strong enough not to scatter or be crushed. They made Zhuo Ye appear like he was floating three inches off the ground.
Yan Tianhen couldn’t help but click his tongue, “That’s too incredible.”
Lin Xuanzhi commented, “Isn’t it too lazy?”
Yan Tianhen, “…”
Yan Tianhen asked, “Where does he live?”
Lin Xuanzhi pointed to the courtyard next to his house at the end of the alley, “He lives there.”
Yan Tianhen nearly spat out blood and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s only a few steps.”
Lin Xuanzhi nodded, “Yes. He would rather sit than stand, and would rather stand than walk. “
Yan Tianhen replied, “Then he might as well live with Ah Gu. It seems that he already knows Ah Gu exists anyway.”
“He is used to living alone and doesn’t like staying with other people. Moreover… he does know the existence of Ah Gu. When he first came, Zhuo Ye and Ah Gu ran into each other in the alley and started fighting.”
Yan Tianhen, …Why didn’t I know such a thing happened?
“What happened?” Yan Tianhen frowned, “Ah Gu never takes the initiative to look for trouble with people.”
“I didn’t say it was Ah Gu’s fault.” Lin Xuanzhi thought for a moment, “It was probably because the Gu insects on Zhuo Ye and the one in Ah Gu’s body had a mutual reaction which was why Ah Gu was discovered by Zhuo Ye. He thought Ah Gu was a good vessel for refining Gu and a good target for a potential corpse puppet, so he wanted to put a Gu in him and make him his subordinate. Ah Gu seemed to have noticed his plan and fought with him.”
When Yan Tianhen heard that Ah Gu was actually being sought after, he immediately expressed his dissatisfaction, “He’s too unkind. Ah Gu is not without a master. Why does he care about Ah Gu?”
Yan Tianhen was very protective of his things. If anyone wanted to snatch something from him, it wouldn’t be easy.
Lin Xuanzhi couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Yan Tianhen, “I have already told him that Ah Gu is not someone he can have. Since Zhuo Ye decided to follow me, he wouldn’t think about Ah Gu anymore.”
Yan Tianhen breathed a little sigh of relief, “That’s better.”
Previously, Lin Xuanzhi had told him that he asked Ji Lanjun’s help to find a reliable Gu Master. Yan Tianhen had been looking forward to the arrival of one, and he was indeed not disappointed when he saw Zhuo Ye today.
The East Continent was separated from the South by a big mountain range and sea. The South Continent was the most closed off and xenophobic region among the Five Continents so everything in there was very novel to those in the East.
Moreover, there were countless legends about South Continent’s Gu cultivators and witchcraft, which made people both scared and curious.
Yan Tianhen didn’t know how powerful a Gu Master had to be in order to be considered strong, but he was sure that the Zhuo Ye he saw today was not someone whom Ji Lanjun casually picked.
After all, as one could see from Ling Chigu’s recent performance, his cultivation was at least Hardened Body Stage third layer, and his strength was boundless. That was why he could easily crush the neck of a Hardened Body cultivator with one hand.
But when Ling Chigu and Zhuo Ye fought, both of them had not been injured. It seemed that a winner hadn’t been found…
“What’s the background of this Zhuo Ye? Is he reliable?” Yan Tianhen had some worries.
“I can’t say for sure. It depends on the future.” Lin Xuanzhi took Yan Tianhen’s hand and walked back into the courtyard, “Aunt Ji wrote to me the other day that this was her younger brother from the same father and mother. Because he cultivated the Gu path ever since he was a child and was innately gifted in witchcraft, he had been exiled by the family and never had any friends. She hoped that I would take more care of him if I can.”
Yan Tianhen nodded thoughtfully, “The Ji family in the South Continent claim themselves to be of noble status so it’s only natural that they would not want to have a Gu Master sorcerer who is often linked to demonic cultivators.”
“Indeed.” While they talked, he and Yan Tianhen had arrived at the inner court.
Several corpses that were originally scattered around had already disappeared at this point. Lin Xuanzhi glanced at the bloodstains on the ground and looked at Ling Chigu standing at the gate of the inner courtyard as if he were trying to merge with the night. “Ah Gu can even take care of the aftermath now.”
Yan Tianhen smiled, “Ah Gu, did you do this?”
Ling Chigu nodded stiffly.
Yan Tianhen walked over, “Where did you throw the bodies?”
Ling Chigu pointed to the back of the house which meant that he’d thrown them on the mountain.
Yan Tianhen pulled open Ling Chigu’s hand and looked at it carefully. When he found some bloodstains on it, he frowned, “Ah Gu, how many times have I told you not to touch those corpses with your hands? Look, your hands are dirty again.”
Ling Chigu let him take out his handkerchief to wipe his fingers carefully.
Lin Xuanzhi felt that he could not watch anymore. He came over and pulled Yan Tianhen away, “It’s useless to wipe it just like that. Let Ah Gu go inside and wash his hands with water.”
Ling Chigu seemed to shake his head, somewhat confused. He raised his hand and opened and closed his mouth. He changed his mouth’s shape a few times. Then Yan Tianhen and Lin Xuanzhi saw three bodies with crooked necks and missing arms climbing up from the back wall of the courtyard and limping their heavy bodies into the inner courtyard.
Yan Tianhen was dumbfounded.
Lin Xuanzhi watched as more blood fell on the ground and his eyelids couldn’t help twitching.
Ling Chigu seemed to appear very satisfied when Yan Tianhen looked at him. Yan Tianhen felt that Ling Chigu’s handsome face that usually had no expression was asking for praise.
Yan Tianhen held his forehead and wiped his face. He said to Lin Xuanzhi, “Ah Gu means that he can control these low-grade corpses, so he didn’t throw them out the door with his own hands.”
Lin Xuanzhi said with deep meaning, “It’s enough for him to tell you directly. There was no need for them to come again.”
Yan Tianhen curled a corner of his mouth, “Ah Gu just lacks the ability to express himself.”
Ling Chigu’s tongue was stiff and he couldn’t bend it yet. In addition, he had no soul in his body. Everything he did at this time, except for what Yan Tianhen asked him to do through the contract, was a conditioned reflex formed by the residual consciousness before his death.
Just like that time he quietly cried when he heard Feng Jingyu mention his past.
Lin Xuanzhi pondered this, “If you see the Ghost Masked Man again, you may as well ask him how to make a corpse puppet talk.”
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Sarah: i haven’t been able to say it before but thank you so much to the people who sent me ko-fis!!! ;w; they’ve really helped with the motivation since posting almost everyday with only the two of us is a bit of a struggle haha but there might be an improvement soon~ 