Chapter 35 The Childhood Betrothal of a Miao Girl (Part 5)
Jiang Yiqing took a look and saw that they were all Gu worms with writing on them. "Giant Strength Gu x1"...
Jiang Yiqing took a look and saw that they were all Gu worms with written characters.
"Giant Power Gu × 1"
"Mercury Gu x1"
"Bee Venom Gu x1"
Shui Mingsheng smiled and said, "The Spirit Serpent Gu is a high-level Gu worm, but for some reason, its energy is not as strong as before. These little guys can enhance the strength of my Spirit Serpent Gu. In the Gu worm competition two days later, those guys will be no match for me."
Jiang Yiqing was happy for her when she heard this, and said, "That's great."
"I have to thank Yiqing for this. You are my lucky star."
Jiang Yiqing said shyly, "You're lucky. I also got to see such a wonderful Gu market thanks to you."
If her understanding of Miao territory was still very shallow before, seeing such a vivid scene made Jiang Yiqing begin to understand the Miao people's reverence for Gu worms.
The night before the Gu Dou Conference.
Elder Feng treated Zhao Er to a good meal, bringing out ten-year-old aged wine and a pound of Zhao Er's favorite cured pork cheek meat to accompany the wine.
After a hearty meal, he carefully instructed him: "Tomorrow you must make Shui Mingsheng look foolish on the spot, and then win the Gu Fighting Tournament in one fell swoop. This way you can pull the Shui family down from the position of chief of Qingfeng Village, and Elder Qiu Shu's revenge will be avenged."
Zhao Er recalled the scene from that year: Elder Qiu Shu was bound by a chain made of a long snake. By the time he and the others arrived, he was already on the verge of death. He only managed to say "Be careful" before closing his eyes forever.
The chain itself was the Shui family's heirloom Gu—the Spirit Serpent Gu. This Gu was extremely powerful, capable of condensing into a long snake-shaped whip. Although Shui Mingsheng was only eighteen years old, she wielded the whip with such fluid grace that even after her father had been dead for ten years, he still couldn't remove her from her position as the young master.
Seeing that scene, everyone believed that Shui Mingsheng's father, Shui Lu, had murdered Elder Qiu Shu. However, Shui Lu was asleep in a nearby room and claimed to know nothing about the situation when he woke up. After Elder Qiu Shu's death, Shui Lu's old illness relapsed, and he passed away less than two years later.
Elder Feng said, "This is the ivory Gu left on Elder Qiu Shu's body after his death. I have been keeping it all this time. Zhao Er, I entrust this Gu to you today. You will not let me and Elder Qiu Shu down, will you? You must teach that girl from the Shui family a lesson."
Zhao Er gripped the Gu worm Elder Feng had given him tightly, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. He gritted his teeth and said, "I will definitely pull Shui Mingsheng down from his position as young master and avenge Elder Qiu Shu!"
Elder Feng smiled kindly upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "Indeed, nothing in the world is more compelling than the power of hatred. But Zhao Er doesn't know that he is the real scapegoat, and his death will surely make the people of Qingfeng Village unable to tolerate Shui Mingsheng any longer!"
Although Shui Mingsheng's family's Gu worms were affected, the Spirit Snake Gu was further enhanced after she added the three Gu worms of Great Strength, Mercury, and Bee Venom. Not only was it stronger, but it also had the strength and toxicity of mercury, and the presence of bee venom caused the Spirit Snake to produce fine stings like bee stingers.
Originally, Shui Mingsheng planned to use his family's Gu talisman to forcibly activate and awaken the Spirit Snake Gu in order to win the Gu Battle Tournament, but after finding a bargain at the Gu Market, he no longer needed to do so.
As a large village, Qingfeng Village's Gu-fighting Tournament also attracted many visitors from other Miao villages.
Jiang Yiqing recalled how her mother, as the matriarch, would busily arrange for servants to set up the venue when guests came to her house. Now, she also felt a bit of a sense of ownership and began to take care of things carefully.
Shui Mingsheng was overwhelmed with various matters at the time, and seeing Jiang Yiqing secretly assisting him made him extremely happy.
"Isn't this Shui Mingsheng? I heard you're getting married, and then you'll inherit Qingfeng Village, becoming the only female village chief in Miao territory. Congratulations!" The speaker was Li Shan, the village chief of Yushan Village.
Yushan Village is the largest Miao village in Miao territory, and it also has the only middle school in Miao territory, which teaches both Gu magic and other subjects from the outside world.
"What brings Chief Li here?" Shui Mingsheng asked.
Li Shan chuckled. He had come to Southern Xinjiang on business and heard that Qingfeng Village was going to hold a Gu-fighting tournament. The only female leader of Miao territory might be in danger of losing her position, so he came to watch the excitement. He said, "I have immense respect for people who know Gu techniques, especially women. I came here to cheer on Chief Shui."
"..." Shui Mingsheng said sarcastically, "You should learn some Gu techniques instead of always resorting to such evil tricks."
Li Shan doesn't know any Gu magic, but he is the chieftain. It is said that he has a complex network of connections behind him, and it is unknown what his intentions are.
"I'm doing this for the Miao region too."
Li Shan proclaimed himself the spokesperson for Miao territory, but he performed witchcraft for wealthy and famous people in the outside world to amass wealth. In any case, it was more like he was doing it for himself than for Miao territory, as he claimed.
"Yeah."
Shui Mingsheng ignored him and looked at Jiang Yiqing instead.
That evening, a grand song and dance performance was held around the bonfire. The unique green bamboo wine of Miao region made everyone drunk. At the height of the atmosphere, the Gu-fighting competition began.
The elder in charge of law at Qingfeng Village, whose status was second only to the village chief, announced: "Since four hundred years ago, the descendants of the Shui family have won the Qingfeng Village Gu-fighting Tournament held every ten years, becoming the true village chief. This Gu-fighting Tournament will be held as scheduled. If the Shui family wins, they will continue to be in charge of all village affairs, and no one may object."
Zhao Er immediately stepped forward and said, "Young Master, I challenge you."
Shui Mingsheng looked serious and radiant as she said, "I accept your challenge."
Zhao Er had made things difficult for her time and time again, but Shui Mingsheng was not without tolerance. This time, she was determined to make him realize his place.
Zhao Er brazenly produced the ivory Gu in front of him, which made Shui Mingsheng's eyes narrow slightly.
“Young Master, this looks familiar, doesn’t it? This is Elder Qiu Shu’s Gu worm.”
Shui Mingsheng said coldly, "When Elder Qiu Shu passed away, the whereabouts of the Ivory Gu on his body were unknown. I never expected it to be in your hands."
"It's far worse than leaving it on the body of a murderer like your Shui family, isn't it?" Zhao Er said, revealing a sinister smile.
Jiang Yiqing felt there must be some misunderstanding, but a struggle was inevitable at the moment.
She watched quietly as the chain on Shui Mingsheng's left hand transformed into a bluish-white whip the instant the Gu worm appeared, held firmly in her palm. Empowered by the Mercury Gu, the whip gleamed with a silvery-white light, shimmering like silver in the darkness.
Jiang Yiqing couldn't hide her amazement. Shui Mingsheng was already beautiful and elegant, and under the light of the night and fire, her profile was stunning. Holding a divine weapon, she looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting. Her solemn expression added to her extraordinary aura.
The people of Qingfeng Village hadn't seen the true form of this spirit snake Gu for a long time. Now it was glowing and possessed a power that was not to be underestimated. Its strength was as great as ever. They whispered among themselves, and Elder Feng's face was very ugly.
He had thought the Shui family was doomed, but the appearance of this spirit snake gu was still incredibly convincing. Seeing this, the gu masters from the other villages couldn't help but take Shui Mingsheng more seriously.
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