Chapter 32 Looking for Gu
A muscular, dark brown coyote appeared from the bushes, growling softly and baring its sharp teeth, trying to force Ling Zheng and the other man back.
Little did it know that Ling Zheng's goal was their lives. Seeing Ling Zheng advancing instead of retreating, the leader wolf raised its head and let out a deep howl, as if a signal. In an instant, the wolf pack rushed towards them like a black wave.
Before the wolves could surround him tightly, Wen Rensu used his Qinggong skills to leap onto the treetops and observe Ling Zheng's battle. If Wen Rensu had assisted Ling Zheng, this training would have been a complete setback.
Ling Zheng moved, unleashing the sword technique taught by Wen Rensu, his sword flashing. However, the wolves were numerous and exceptionally cunning, constantly shifting their attack direction, trying to find Ling Zheng's weakness.
Ling Zheng had always been fighting against Wen Rensu, and had never encountered a collective attack like that of coyotes. He seemed a little flustered, and his body movements were messy for a moment, and the coyotes who seized the opportunity to attack him cut a piece of his clothes.
After seeing the torn cloth and realizing the power of the wolf claws, Ling Zheng's face turned ugly. If it caught him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
At this moment, Wen Rensu's voice, which contained a hint of inner strength, came: "Don't panic, try your best to separate them."
There were many trees around... Ling Zheng walked quickly between the trees. Sure enough, the wolves chased him, but they could not predict his route of movement, which resulted in several wolves being left alone and stabbed to death by Ling Zheng's sword.
When more wolves saw their companions being killed in the battle, their loud howls resounded through the sky, startling a flock of birds, which flew high from the branches.
The battle with the coyotes intensified, and Ling Zheng's strength was rapidly depleting. He knew that circling around like this was not a solution. If he couldn't resolve the battle quickly, he would definitely not be able to match them physically.
During a dangerous escape, the enraged wolf leader slashed Ling Zheng's back, tearing the flesh apart. Ling Zheng groaned in pain, the intense pain causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead, and a flash of red flashed in his eyes.
He resolutely removed his outer robe and pressed on the wound to squeeze out more sticky blood. His face, though growing paler, showed no other change in expression, and there was no sign that the fabric had been stained red. Then, he suddenly flung the robe away.
The wolves were attracted by the strong smell of blood and pounced on the cloth. Taking advantage of the wolves' distraction, Ling Zheng flew up and swung his sword. A flash of cold light, and the howls of wolves echoed one after another, instantly disrupting the wolves' momentum.
Seeing Ling Zheng using hurting himself as bait, Wen Rensu narrowed his eyes slightly, from which he could easily see the self-destructive tendency in Ling Zheng's bones.
None of the wolves were standing anymore. They were all lying on the ground, either twitching or motionless. Ling Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Behind his beautiful appearance was a mess of blood and flesh.
At this moment, a strange buzzing sound could be heard from all directions. Wen Rensu's eyebrows furrowed, and he pulled a brocade pouch from his bag. He stepped into the air and descended, his sword slicing through the pouch, circling Ling Zheng in a circle, sending the powder from the pouch scattering.
The buzzing sound stopped, and the poisonous insect attracted by Ling Zheng's sweet blood suddenly seemed to have lost its direction, wandering around, flying around like a headless fly.
Ling Zheng seemed to be bewitched and took a few steps forward unconsciously, but was grabbed by Wen Rensu.
"Do you want to live? You will be sucked dry by the poisonous insects as soon as you go out." Wen Rensu scolded.
Ling Zheng suddenly woke up and realized what Wen Rensu said, "How did you know?"
"I just discovered it... I knew it by the crazy poisonous insects around here." Wen Rensu exclaimed in amazement, "Luckily I brought some insect repellent powder."
Ling Zheng pursed his lips. Wen Rensu had learned another of his secrets...
Wen Rensu suddenly became serious, "You shouldn't have taken the risk just now. There were obviously safer ways. If you don't take your own life seriously, who else will care?" When he said the last part, his tone was almost furious.
Ling Zheng paused. He had never seen Wen Rensu express his emotions so openly. In the Cliff Valley, he wore a mask all day long. Even when he killed someone, his facial muscles hardly moved and his lips were pursed into a line.
After being poisoned by the love poison, he would occasionally show unexpected cunningness, but more often he would be gentle. Ling Zheng thought that it was due to Wen Rensu's personality and he would not have too many emotional fluctuations.
When Ling Zheng was a medicine man, bleeding was the norm, and gaining profit through injuries was a very common transaction. He was used to it, but how could he understand Wen Rensu, a child of destiny?
People with different ideals cannot work together. Ling Zheng and Wen Rensu took a few steps back, crossed their arms, and said coldly, "No one cares, so let him die."
The poisonous insects around were still buzzing relentlessly, the atmosphere was stagnant for a while, and the discord put the initial tacit understanding in jeopardy.
Wen Rensu walked away in silence. Ling Zheng still kept his arms crossed, the sound of footsteps gradually receding in his ears. He lowered his gaze and let the other person leave.
Wen Rensu was just a deceived passerby. As a top-notch master in the martial arts world, even if he didn't leave now, he would eventually break free from the control of the love Gu, which would bring him trouble.
Anyway, I am destined to be alone, no matter when I was a child or now...
When Wen Rensu came back, he saw Ling Zheng still standing there stupidly, like an abandoned animal, looking bewildered and helpless. He shook his head helplessly.
"Sit down, I'll give you some medicine."
Originally thinking it was an auditory hallucination, Ling Zheng came back to his senses after a few seconds. He turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, and what caught his eye was Wen Rensu coming back with a few vines in his hands.
Only then did Ling Zheng suddenly realize that the burning sensation in his wound had gradually turned into a continuous dull pain, as if a huge weight was pressing on the wound.
Wen Rensu asked Ling Zheng to sit on the ground. He walked behind him, chewed the hemostatic vine into pieces, and then applied it on his back with great care.
Ling Zheng touched his wrist with one hand, seemingly casually, but his fingertips, clenched until they turned white, revealed that he was not in a peaceful state of mind.
On the one hand, there was the pain in his body. Every time the herbs touched him, his muscles would tense up. But more importantly, he was not used to exposing his vulnerable side in front of others. Wen Rensu's breath brushed against the wound, and Ling Zheng felt his back becoming more and more uncomfortable.
After applying the herbal compress, Wen Rensu tore the strip of cloth that was cut by the wolf's claws completely, turning it into a piece of rag and wrapped it around Ling Zheng's back.
At this time, Ling Zheng looked funny and embarrassed, but at least the bleeding had stopped.
The two were speechless. Ling Zheng caught some movement and a light suddenly lit up in his eyes. He took the initiative to break the deadlock: "Wen Rensu, I want to go somewhere."
Wen Rensu glanced sideways, his tone revealing obvious anger, "Look at how much blood you've lost. Where do you want to go?!"
Even if the road is full of thorns, Ling Zheng will fight for it with all his might as long as it can make him stronger. This is his life creed. Only when he falls on the road of pursuing strength can he die a worthy death.
"I can feel the fluctuations of high-level poisonous insects about five miles to the southeast." If he didn't say it, Wen Rensu would definitely not help him, so Ling Zheng had to expose this ability.
At the same time, with the help of the quiet moonlight, he carefully examined the changes in Wen Rensu's micro-expressions. After all, people die for money and birds die for food. How many lovers have become enemies because of momentary greed.
Wen Rensu's brows were furrowed, his tone filled with disapproval: "Isn't it just a poisonous insect? I'll catch it for you later. You've suffered too much loss today. If you continue to work hard, your body won't be able to bear it."
His eyes were still clear, without any greed, or perhaps he was disguised too well, so Ling Zheng could not tell for the time being. However, no matter how much Wenren complained, for the sake of this rare opportunity, Ling Zheng would not follow his arrangements.
"No, it has entered its mature stage. If we don't catch it quickly, it will escape in less than half a day." Ling Zheng was determined, as if he would go there on his own if Wenrensu didn't allow him to.
The two men exchanged glances. Ling Zheng's face turned pale, almost transparent, but his eyes still flashed with a stubborn light.
Wen Rensu's eyes darkened a little. He took a step closer and raised his hand to stroke Ling Zheng's face. The touch was like fine silk, delicate and slightly cool.
In the end, Wen Rensu was defeated, sighed lightly, and accompanied Ling Zheng to cut off the wolf's gallbladder, wrap it in wolf skin and put it in a bundle.
"I'll take you there." Afterwards, Wen Rensu avoided the wound, tightly held Ling Zheng's waist, jumped up, and used the tree trunks as a relay to fly through the dense forest.
Ling Zheng's eyes were shining brightly. Wen Rensu's embrace was very tight, giving him a sufficient sense of security. So he looked down at the earth with interest. The night scenery was not clear, but the strong wind whistling in his ears was really refreshing.
He had been confined to a corner of the abyss for half his life, and for the first time he felt the vastness of the world. His heart felt faintly warm and he was filled with great passion.
How wonderful it would be if we could fly freely across the universe on our own without relying on the help of others!
The heartache that had been pent up for years was slightly relieved. In addition to revenge, Ling Zheng also had another desire for freedom in order to increase his strength.
Seeing that Ling Zheng was no longer the gloomy image of deep hatred and resentment, and was more lively and alert as a teenager should be, Wen Rensu's eyes moved and he said softly, "Jiang Ling, I will teach you Qinggong later."
After that? Ling Zheng pulled his thoughts back, avoided answering, and pointed in a certain direction, "Land there."
As if not noticing Ling Zheng's avoidance, Wen Ren Su stopped at the place Ling Zheng indicated.
The night was dark. Ling Zheng held a torch and walked in front with a clear goal. He gradually went deeper into the place where he was summoned. The buzzing of poisonous insects on all sides became louder and louder, as if he had rashly fallen into an uninhabited place.
After walking for half an incense stick of time, Ling Zheng stopped. He felt that the high-level poisonous insect was nearby, but it was always shrouded in an unclear mist.
There was no water source anywhere, yet Wen Rensu suddenly noticed the sound of dripping water. Fortunately, he was a martial artist and his five senses were enhanced before he could hear it.
While Ling Zheng was puzzled, Wen Rensu took the torch, walked lightly to a corner, drew his sword and pulled aside the lush vegetation, revealing a cave, which was indeed hidden.
After the cave was exposed, the sound of dripping water became more obvious, so that Ling Zheng could also hear it. From the empty echo it aroused, he roughly judged that there was still quite a large space inside.
"The high-level poisonous insect is inside the cave." Ling Zheng was very sure.
"Let me go in first." Wen Rensu held a torch in his hand, stepped in front of Ling Zheng, and walked into the cave with his head down.
The flame of the torch flickered, and a breeze blew from outside, and it burned normally again.
Ling Zheng followed closely behind, and the two walked side by side. The sound of their footsteps was particularly clear in the silent environment, and the only sound was the regular and dull sound of water dripping.
There were identical stone walls on both sides. It was difficult to calculate the passage of time in such an environment. Ling Zheng took a deep breath. Even though he could feel that the poisonous insect was not far away, he couldn't help feeling a little frustrated after walking for so long.
Wen Rensu touched Ling Zheng's head and said, "It's okay. As long as the torch is not extinguished, we will continue to walk. I have brought dry food and water."
Ling Zheng hummed sullenly, unwilling to say anything more.
As time slipped by, they walked a long way. Wen Rensu, judging by his heartbeat, estimated that it was already midnight. The sound of dripping water grew stronger, as if echoing Ling Zheng's increasingly tense heartbeat.
"I feel it, the insect is under the water..." Following Ling Zheng's gaze, the water that continuously seeped down from the top of the cave gathered into a dark pool, quiet and mysterious.
Seeing this, Wen Rensu frowned and said, "I'll go down and look for it. It's cold in the cave, and if you get wet, you'll catch a cold. I have internal energy to rely on."
Ling Zheng rejected Wen Rensu's kindness, "I know where the Gu worm is. Looking for it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's meaningless."
He took off his outer robe, hesitated for a moment, then took off his inner garment as well, leaving only his underwear. Then, without hesitation, he plunged into the pool.
Icy water immediately rushed into his nasal cavity and ear canal, the biting chill stimulating his sensitive nerves like sharp silver needles. Ling Zheng followed the guidance of his blood vessels and swam resolutely towards the depths...
Wen Rensu stood on the shore, his face shrouded in shadow. He knew what was going to happen next.
In the original novel, Ling Zheng escaped from the Cliff Valley and accidentally went to the employment agency. Wen Rensu's intervention only advanced the time for Ling Zheng to complete the collection task.
Suddenly, the surface of the tranquil pool began to ripple, and the waves grew stronger and stronger. Wen Rensu also jumped in decisively, looking for Ling Zheng's figure.
This pond was unexpectedly deep. When Ling Zheng was found, his black hair was scattered and floating, tiny bubbles were coming out of his nose and mouth, and he had fallen into a semi-comatose state, with something tightly grasped in his hands.
The bandage was mysteriously torn to pieces, and the blood, which was extremely sweet to the insect, spread out.
Wen Rensu's two soft lips touched Ling Zheng's, and he passed the oxygen he had previously contained into Ling Zheng's mouth. Then he put his arm around his waist and swam towards the shore.
After emerging from the water, Wen Rensu pushed Ling Zheng onto the shore and made him lie on his back. He then came up and checked his pulse.
As the protagonist, Ling Zheng would definitely not die so easily. After he absorbed enough oxygen, he choked a few times and vomited out the water he accidentally drank.
Ling Zheng curled up his fingers and felt a small hardness in his palm, so he felt relieved and waited quietly for the air to fill his lungs again bit by bit.
Wen Rensu leaned over and hugged Ling Zheng tightly, saying in a low voice, "Jiang Ling, I will never let you fall into danger again."
The trembling of the other person's fingertips was clearly transmitted to his back through the wet cloth. Ling Zheng pursed his lips and recalled his experience underwater.
When he found the high-level poisonous insect, he looked at its appearance and, according to his memory of the poisonous insect encyclopedia, learned that this poisonous insect was called the Paralysis Poison, a very rare and special type of poisonous insect that could paralyze the nerves of living things.
The paralysis Gu not only has special abilities, but also has a relatively docile temperament, which makes Ling Zheng happy and feels that he will be able to catch it easily this time.
However, he momentarily overlooked that the blood oozing from the wound would drive the paralysis insect crazy, and it attacked it repeatedly, trying to make Ling Zheng release more "tonic" liquid.
Ling Zheng's movements were slow underwater, but the Paralysis Gu's streamlined body took to the water like a fish. Using its compact size, it circled around Ling Zheng's back, piercing the fabric with its serrated mouthparts, sucking blood while injecting paralysis agents.
When Ling Zheng was about to slap him, the paralyzing insect quickly swam away and tugged at Ling Zheng, very cunningly.
Thus, the inexperienced Ling Zheng was played around by the thumb-sized paralysis insect. This was also the first time that Ling Zheng faced a life-or-death crisis.
When the paralysis insect attacked again, the dizzy Ling Zheng had an idea and vaguely grasped the characteristics of the water flow. He caught the insect in his palm with almost no ripples, close to his beating heart.
The insect naturally bit through the skin and when it touched the blood in the heart, it instantly completed the master-recognition contract.
In the fight against the invasion of paralyzing agents, Ling Zheng had reached his limit at this time. He rolled his eyes and was then swallowed by the boundless darkness.
In the original novel, even without Wen Rensu's help, Ling Zheng would still be safe. After he fell into a coma, the paralysis Gu continued to inject large amounts of paralysis into his body to protect its master, causing Ling Zheng's muscles to relax, and he gradually surfaced, but he was left with a headache caused by humid weather.
But thanks to Wen Rensu's timely rescue, Ling Zheng was quietly spared from the chronic illness that would plague him for the rest of his life.
Ling Zheng didn’t know this at the moment. He only felt that in the cold water, Wen Ren Su was kissing him mouth to mouth.
At that moment, he realized that this was the breath, but his heart couldn't help but tremble - his first kiss was taken away by a man in such a situation.
The previous hugs and kisses could be dismissed as nothing serious, but this time, for the conservative ancients, it was a significant shock.
Before he could investigate further, he heard a voice yelling in frustration from outside the cave: "Damn it! Which bastard stole my high-level Gu worm?"
Wen Ren Su stood up quickly, holding his sword and alert to the enemy who was about to face him.
In the darkness, a skinny old man gradually appeared and walked towards them at great speed.
Ling Zheng immediately recognized that this was Elder Qu from the Cliff Valley. Although he looked ordinary, he was notoriously brutal and bloodthirsty. He had killed countless medicine men. If they were transferred to Elder Qu's hands, the medicine men would definitely have written a suicide note long ago.
Wen Rensu had clearly recognized Elder Qu, and with murderous intent, he stepped forward to block his obscene gaze. His sword's force was like a rainbow piercing the sun, suddenly stirring up a cloud of dust.
Seeing this, Elder Qu's cloudy eyes narrowed into a slit, and a large group of black beetles emerged from his throat, covering his entire body in an instant, forming a well-armed hard armor.
This black beetle is called the Diamond Gu, and those who are well versed in its ways would never dare approach it. This is because the Diamond Gu not only acts as armor that protects against swords and knives, but also, most insidiously, carries a highly toxic venom on its shell. The slightest touch can kill a man eight feet tall in the blink of an eye.
Elder Qu is a well-known figure not only in the Cliff Valley, but also in the martial arts world, because even among the Gu Masters, there are only a handful of people who can release Gu worms from their mouths.
The poisonous insects kept in the body are certainly much stronger than those trapped in the insect jar, but the disadvantage is that you will be tickled by thousands of ants all the time. It is an itch in the blood that can never be eradicated.
It is said that there was a Gu Master who raised Gu in his own body, but could not bear the torture and finally chose to commit suicide. When people found him, there was still a relaxed smile on his face.
Facing the unfriendly approach, Ling Zheng shouted to Wen Rensu, "This is a King Kong Gu, it's extremely poisonous. Don't get close to it, remember!"
Wen Rensu turned his head and nodded slightly to show that he understood, then quickly took out an ancient moon-horn bow from his bag.
When Elder Qu saw Wen Ren Su and Ling Zheng, he subconsciously thought that Wen Ren Su, who had a strong aura, was the one who stole the insect. Unexpectedly, it was the thin boy in the corner who directly called out the name of the Vajra Gu.
That's why he focused his attention on the other person. He inexplicably felt that he looked familiar. However, such a stunning appearance was impossible to ignore...
Elder Qu's eyes flashed, and he remembered that it was that little medicine man. He had once wanted to borrow him from the elder of the same level under his command, but was ruthlessly rejected. He felt sorry for it for a while.
The man in front of him who was protecting the little medicine man looked unfamiliar. Elder Qu suddenly remembered the recent rumors in the Cliff Valley. Protector Wenren defected for a medicine man. Oh - it was obvious.
"Protector Wenren, how are you? I'm not the second person in the Cliff Valley to have seen your true appearance. I'm truly flattered."
It was not surprising that the shrewd Elder Qu could see through their identities. Wen Rensu's eyes were as sharp as a torch. He raised his hand and pulled the bowstring. "Swoosh" the arrow flew through the air with a sharp sound of wind.
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The author has something to say: Su Su's baggage is like a treasure bag...
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