“These things should belong to a sect called ‘Xuanwu Sect’ deep in the mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou in Southwest China,” Ye Xingchen said. “The Xuanwu Sect is skilled in using poison to concoct Gu, worships a witch god, and is composed of ethnic minorities such as Miao, Zhuang, and Yi.”
"Ask the hotel manager if anyone dressed in ethnic minority clothing has come by recently, and if they have offended anyone," Ye Xingchen asked.
"Okay, I'll go ask right away," Lü Peng said hurriedly.
“Mr. Lü, a little girl dressed in ethnic minority clothing did come by a week ago. She should be Miao.” Just then, a supervisor raised his hand and said cautiously.
"It's her." Ye Xingchen turned to ask, "Did you offend her? Or did your attitude cause a verbal conflict?"
"No, not at all." The supervisor said with a bitter face, "Our hotel competes on service, how could we possibly have a bad attitude?"
"Then tell me what happened that day," Ye Xingchen said. "Describe what she looked like."
"She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a blue ethnic minority dress, and said she was looking for work." The foreman recalled, "I saw that she was too young, so I didn't agree. I thought she was in trouble, and I was about to get her some food when she left."
"But before she left, she said that we would definitely agree."
"That's it, it's her." Ye Xingchen smiled and said, "Brother Lü, don't worry, go check your kitchen."
"Alright, this way please, brother." Lü Peng quickly led Ye Xingchen to the kitchen.
After all, it was a flagship store, and the kitchen was spotless. Ye Xingchen searched around for a while and then found a golden worm in a corner of the kitchen.
The insect was golden all over, as if it were cast in gold, and it was very beautiful. Ye Xingchen grabbed a teacup and put it inside.
As the insect was trapped inside, it fluttered its wings and chirped softly. With a crack, the cup broke open.
Ye Xingchen then inserted a piece of lightning-struck wood to completely subdue it, and then carefully observed it through the transparent cup: "It really is it."
"Brother, what... what is this thing?" Lu Peng was completely dumbfounded when he saw the insect he had never seen before.
If it hadn't resisted so fiercely just now, he would have really thought it was pure gold.
"The Gu Mother, it seems that the little girl holds an extraordinary position in the Xuanwu Sect. This is the most important thing in the Xuanwu Sect. Whoever possesses the Gu Mother should succeed as the leader of the Xuanwu Sect," Ye Xingchen said.
"Brother, you absolutely have to help me!" Lu Peng was terrified.
He didn't know what the Xuanwu Sect was, but he could tell from Ye Xingchen's tone that the other party was extraordinary.
A martial arts sect? A mysterious sect? How could a restaurant owner like him afford to offend someone like that?
"Don't worry, I'll take the stuff. You can just open for business as usual." Ye Xingchen smiled slightly and put away the Gu Mother.
"Thank you, brother. I'll treat you to drinks another day. Are you alright now?" Lu Peng asked.
"Yes, it's alright, you can open for business with peace of mind," Ye Xingchen said with a smile.
As soon as Ye Xingchen left with the Gu Mother, he felt that he was being watched.
He walked quickly to a secluded path, where a wall blocked his way.
When he turned around, he saw a girl dressed in blue ethnic minority clothing slowly walking towards him.
A string of silver bells hung on her wrist, and with a gentle shake of her right hand, a mesmerizing bell sound rang out.
Immediately afterwards, a swarm of black, venomous insects emerged from the cracks in the surrounding bricks. This army of thousands of scorpions and centipedes blocked Ye Xingchen in the alley.
"Give me back the ancient tomb." The girl looked up at Ye Xingchen, a cold glint in her eyes.
"The Xuanwu Sect's Thousand Poison Array?" Ye Xingchen smiled. "Little girl, the art of Gu poison is a closely guarded secret of the Xuanwu Sect. I doubt the sect leader would teach you to use Gu poison to harm ordinary people."
“This has nothing to do with you. Hand over the Ancient Mother, or else…” The girl flicked her right hand, and the silver bell on her wrist suddenly rang.
The captivating ringtone momentarily stunned Ye Xingchen, who quickly held his breath and focused his mind to banish the sound.
However, accompanied by squeaking sounds, countless poisonous insects swarmed around.
The mother Gu, which was covered by a glass in Ye Xingchen's hand, seemed to sense its master's arrival. It squeaked and spun restlessly inside the bottle, trying to break free.
However, the piece of lightning-struck wood held it firmly in place, so it could only flap its wings and chirp, but dared not break free of the cup.
"Quiet down!" Ye Xingchen snapped, flicking her wrist at the cup.
His shout was imbued with his true energy, forcefully pushing the girl back several steps, while the mother Gu in the cup also quieted down.
"Xiao Jin..." the girl called out, then she angrily said, "Who are you? Give Xiao Jin back to me."
"So its name is Xiao Jin." Ye Xingchen smiled. "It's not that I can't give it back to you, but you're not allowed to use Gu magic to harm people again."
"I didn't really hurt anyone, I'm just angry." The girl said angrily, "My master said that after I leave home, I have to support myself. I... I just don't have any money, so I want to go to their place to find a job."
"But the people there said I was too young and wouldn't take me?"
"Looking for a job? You're too young! You're not even sixteen, are you? If they hire you, they'll be employing a minor and will be fined a lot of money." Ye Xingchen said, both amused and exasperated.
"Ah... I don't know. I've never left Xiwu Mountain before." The girl's eyes widened. "I... I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted to play a prank on them."
"So you put the Gu Mother there and set up the Thousand Illusion Insect Array. Have you thought about what the consequences would be if the guests actually ate the Gu worms?" Ye Xingchen said helplessly.
"I was wrong, I'm sorry." The girl lowered her head.
"Alright, it seems you've never been around this world before. Here, take the Gu Mother back. It's a treasure of the Xuanwu Sect, don't throw it away carelessly." Ye Xingchen returned the Gu Mother to her: "What's your name?"
“Su Jin,” the girl replied, “I come from the Xuanwu Cult.”
"The Xuanwu Sect is located deep in the mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou in the southwest, isolated from the world, and few of its members travel around in the martial arts world. How did you get here?" Ye Xingchen asked in confusion.
“My master sent me out to gain experience and find my relatives,” Su Jin said.
"Relatives?" Ye Xingchen frowned slightly. "You have relatives in Tianhai?"
“My grandfather, but I don’t know if he’s here. According to my father, he never saw his father after he was born. Every time the moon was full, my grandmother would sit at the highest point of the mountain and look towards the sky and the sea. She passed away ten years ago without ever seeing my grandfather.” Su Jin said, “I came here to try my luck.”
"What's your grandfather's name? Do you have a picture of him?" Ye Xingchen asked.
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