Capítulo 43: Chapter 43: You’re the Seventh
Typically, those who study the art of Gu are women—not because men are incapable, but because Gu is an extremely sinister and chilling practice. Men who study it tend to have shortened lifespans. As such, the Miao family strictly prohibits teaching Gu to males.
Mr. Gu's proficiency in the craft came from secretly learning and self-study. Despite his exceptional talent, his male physiology worked against him. As his mastery of Gu grew, his life expectancy diminished. To prolong his survival, he had to seek objects of extreme yin energy to sustain his body.
His agreement to assist Jiang Chen by using Gu to kill Gao Jian was born out of desperation. Purchasing rare yin-affiliated items on the market required immense wealth, which was almost impossible to amass in the remote Miao regions.
Everything he did was for survival. Yet today, his millipede Gu worm detected a girl born at an hour of extreme yin.
A girl born at such a time is naturally suited to learning Gu. If she were among the Miao, she would undoubtedly be chosen as the clan's saintess.
"Born during an extreme yin moment, and yet carrying such a dense aura of yin... What is this? A living ghost, or someone who has ventured into the underworld? If I could stay near this girl long-term, perhaps the sinister aura of my Gu worms could be neutralized or transferred entirely."
After a great deal of effort, Mr. Gu finally coaxed his millipede Gu back into its jar. That night, he slept more soundly than he had in years.
The next morning, I was shaken awake by Xiao Feng.
"Is there a fire?!" I jumped out of bed, only to see Xiao Feng kneeling beside the mat with an odd expression on her face.
How should I describe it? Like she'd seen a cockroach but couldn't muster the nerve to stomp on it.
Following her gaze, I spotted Mr. Gu on the other side of the mat, wrapped in a sheet. He was already awake, wearing a stiff smile. His hawk-like eyes were fixed on Xiao Feng, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
"Seriously? This old pervert has a thing for Xiao Feng? The age gap is ridiculous. Shameless!"
I got dressed, walked over to Mr. Gu, and asked, "It's already daylight. Why haven't you left yet?"
"There's no rush," he replied serenely. "I feel a deep connection with this young lady in your shop and wish to offer her an opportunity."
"What kind of opportunity?"
"I want to take her as my apprentice and teach her the Gu arts of Miaojiang." His plan was clear: use the guise of a mentor to linger around Xiao Feng, transferring the sinister energy of his Gu worms to her.
"Did you hit your head?" I was still half-asleep, struggling to grasp the absurdity of his suggestion. I turned to Xiao Feng for her opinion, and she immediately shook her head in refusal.
"You heard her. Xiao Feng isn't interested in learning Gu arts. It's late, so pack up and leave. This isn't a shelter for the disabled. Go back to wherever you came from."
Mr. Gu's face alternated between shades of green and white. "Young lady, think carefully. My Gu arts have dominated Miaojiang. Just a little guidance and even the basics would let you poison and defeat five strong men with ease."
"No interest. I don't like fighting."
"Gu arts are profound. Beyond killing enemies, they can maintain youth and beauty."
"No need."
"Some Gu worms even have unique effects, such as controlling hearts and making the person you love completely devoted to you."
"I trust Gao Jian."
"You..." Mr. Gu was at a loss for words. After a long pause, his lips turned purple from frustration.
I folded my bedding, nudged Mr. Gu, and said, "Alright, old man, that's enough. I need to open up shop. Stop loitering."
"How about this," he said earnestly, "I swear on my life-bound Gu worm that if the young lady lends me one item, I'll never harm you two and will help you with one thing, unconditionally."
"Borrow something? What do you want?" I asked, curious.
After a moment of hesitation, Mr. Gu awkwardly replied, "Her monthly yin essence."
"Yin essence has been used medicinally since ancient times. The yin essence of a saintess is even more precious."
Xiao Feng, still groggy, tugged at my arm and asked, "What's yin essence?"
"If you don't understand, look it up online later. I'm heading to the kitchen to grab something."
"I'm being sincere here. If she agrees, I'll promise to help with two... no, three tasks!"
I didn't respond. Instead, I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, and returned. "You pervert! If you don't leave now, I'll hack you to pieces!"
"Don't be rash! How about five tasks? We can still negotiate!"
I chased Mr. Gu out of the shop, but he kept knocking on the shutter outside. "Think it over!"
By noon, Xiao Feng stepped out to buy groceries, only to run into Mr. Gu loitering nearby.
In his tattered black robe, holding a flatbread in one hand, he looked far from a master of any kind.
"Young lady, meeting you in this vast sea of people is fate..." he began.
Annoyed, Xiao Feng avoided him, taking small alleys to shake him off. Yet, in an eerie and deserted alleyway, someone tapped her shoulder.
"You again? I already told you, I hate bugs and have no interest in Gu..." she started, only to hear an unfamiliar voice reply, "Gu? I don't teach drumming. But I do have something more entertaining to teach you."
The voice was wrong. Turning abruptly, she saw a man with a scorpion tattoo.
"It's you! The thug from the night market!"
"Thug? Who are you calling a thug?" The tattooed man grinned maliciously, reaching for her.
Before he could grab her, Mr. Gu appeared at the alley's entrance. "You dare touch the person I've taken an interest in? You're courting death."
"What can an old bag of bones like you do? Look all you want; that's all you're capable of!"
Mr. Gu sneered coldly. "Your sentence had twenty-one words. I'll torture you for twenty-one days before letting you die. Millipede Gu!"
Just as he prepared to release his Gu worm, a blow struck the back of his head. Before losing consciousness, he glimpsed the figure behind him: a man with a duckbill cap, one side of his face scarred as if burned.
"Take the woman. Let's move," the man commanded.
"Let me go!" Xiao Feng screamed, struggling.
The scarred man's lips curled into a smile. "Sister, long time no see. I hear you've been doing well?"
"Sister?" Xiao Feng froze, terror creeping across her face.
She raised her head, looked at the man's scarred visage beneath the cap, and let out a piercing scream: "Lu Xing!"
"Shut her up. Take her away!"
In an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Jiang City.
Xiao Feng was tightly bound and thrown onto a worn-out sofa. Her brother, Lu Xing, sat right beside her.
"The corpses hidden in the Peaceful Inn were discovered. Mom and Dad were taken away by the police, and now I'm a wanted man," he said, casually playing with a short knife, occasionally pointing it at Xiao Feng's face. "But look at you—living a cozy life with your little boyfriend. Have you forgotten your cursed birthright?"
As he spoke, Lu Xing grabbed Xiao Feng's hair, ignoring her screams of pain, and pressed the blade against her neck. "You can't escape. Not one of the Eight Fated Spirits can escape. But don't worry, I won't kill you yet. You're the seventh. Before you, there's one more person I need to deal with."
Lu Xing picked up a newspaper from the ground. The headline read, Police Break Major Case at Peaceful Inn, Expose Hidden Corpses. The article included two photos: one of the Peaceful Inn and another of Jiang City Police Bureau's Criminal Investigation Captain, Tie Ningxiang.
"The General Star Spirit—I've been searching for ten years, and it turns out she's right here in Jiang City!" He burst into laughter. The underlings around him bowed their heads low; their submissive demeanor resembled that of puppets under complete mind control.
"Red Phoenix, Yuanchen, Calamity, Death Spirit, Heavenly Physician, Noble Star, General Star, and Ten Evils—they're all gathered now. All that's left is to wait for the Mourning, Hanging Guest, and Death Gate omens. Then, I'll rewrite fate itself and reshape my destiny!"
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