Two years after Jiu'er's parents sent her away, they had a son, just as they had hoped.
They named their son "Chu Tianci," meaning "a gift from heaven," and showered him with love and affection, wanting to give him all the good things in the world, completely forgetting that they also had a daughter.
Spoiling and indulging him fostered Chu Tianci's arrogant and domineering personality.
This time, Chu Tianci got into big trouble outside.
He got into a fight with a group of spoiled young men in a tavern over a woman. In his drunken stupor, he grabbed a bottle and smashed it over one of their heads. The man collapsed on the spot, lost consciousness, and eventually became a vegetable.
The opposing family is very powerful and they are determined to make him pay for his crimes in blood, even threatening to kill him.
In the ensuing chaos, the parents frantically ran around trying to defuse the crisis.
By chance, they heard that the Shadow Sect of Southern Xinjiang possessed a mysterious Gu technique that could revive the unconscious. They even had the audacious idea of using the Shadow Sect's power to revive the person injured by Chu Tianci.
But the Shadow Sect is not one to be trifled with. They demanded a person with martial arts skills and pure spiritual energy in exchange.
Upon hearing this, Jiu'er's parents did not hesitate to set their sights on their daughter.
They sent people to lure Jiu'er home, falsely claiming that they hadn't seen her for many years, that she was ill from missing her, and that she longed for a family reunion.
Although Jiu'er is aloof and usually keeps people at arm's length like frost flowers, deep down she secretly longs for her parents' love and to experience the warmth of home.
When she left Wudang Mountain and returned to Baiyun Temple, the moment she received the letter from home, her hands trembled as she carefully folded the letter and placed it in her inner pocket.
Jiu'er had no suspicions and embarked on her journey home.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving home, she was not greeted by the warm embrace of her family, but by a drug cruelly administered by her parents.
She didn't even have time to drink a sip of hot tea before the effects of the drug took hold, and her consciousness gradually faded.
Before she lost consciousness, she saw her mother's indifferent eyes and heard her father's impatient urging: "Hurry up, the people from the Shadow Sect are still waiting."
At that moment, Senior Sister Jiu'er's heart was completely shattered.
She finally realized that she had never been a part of this family, but just a tool that could be discarded at will.
Upon learning the reasons, Liu Feng was consumed by rage. How could there be such heartless and cruel parents in the world!
“Senior Sister Jiu’er…” Liu Feng clenched his fist, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
He immediately set off south. The closer he got to the heart of southern Xinjiang, the more different the scenery became from that of the Central Plains.
The mountains are verdant and shrouded in mist. The humid air is filled with the scent of decaying leaves and unknown wildflowers. Occasionally, the roar of wild animals can be heard, startling the birds in the forest.
Upon arriving at a certain place, Liu Feng heard that there was a "Gu Village" ahead, and that the village was suffering a great disaster.
When local passersby saw him heading towards the Gu Village, they all stepped forward to dissuade him, their faces filled with fear.
"Brother, you absolutely mustn't go to that Gu stronghold! Lately, something very strange has been going on there. People have been dying mysteriously, and their bodies have strangely withered appearances, with blackened skin, as if some evil creature has drained their life essence. If you go there, you might never come back!"
Liu Feng shook his head: "Thank you for the reminder, but I have to go."
The Gu Village is located in a valley, surrounded by steep cliffs.
Upon entering the Gu Village, one immediately sees sorrowful faces and a pervasive atmosphere of grief. Some houses are adorned with white banners, clearly indicating that a funeral is being held.
The villagers gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves, their faces filled with fear and helplessness.
Inside a bamboo house, a girl's heart-wrenching cries echoed: "Arno! Arno, wake up!"
Liu Feng followed the sound and pushed open the half-closed door. The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a strong smell of medicine.
A little boy lay on the bed, his face pale, his lips purple, and his breath weak.
A woman held a medicine bowl and anxiously fed the little boy lying on the bed medicine, but the medicine was spat out as soon as it entered his mouth, flowing down the corner of his mouth and wetting his clothes.
A young girl was kneeling beside the bed, tears streaming down her face, crying helplessly.
"Let me see." Liu Feng squatted down and took the little boy's pulse.
The girl looked at him warily, her eyes filled with suspicion: "Who are you?"
"I am Liu Feng, just passing through this place," he replied slowly.
Liu Feng said no more, focused his mind and circulated his spiritual energy to investigate, and was shocked to find many tiny insect shadows wriggling in the boy's arteries, devouring the boy's essence and blood.
"Your brother has been infected with a type of Gu poison. If he doesn't receive timely treatment, I'm afraid..."
"Can you save my brother?" A glimmer of hope flashed in the girl's eyes, as if she had grasped at the last straw.
Liu Feng nodded and took out a silver needle from his pocket. He channeled his spiritual power, and the silver needle emitted a faint golden light. As the needle pierced through, the little boy's body began to convulse violently.
"Hold him down!" Liu Feng shouted.
The girl and woman quickly held the little boy down. Liu Feng focused intently, his silver needles flying as he moved through the boy's vital acupoints.
Suddenly, the little boy shuddered violently, and tiny red worms crawled out of his mouth and nose.
"Blood-devouring Gu!" the girl exclaimed, her voice filled with fear.
Liu Feng reacted quickly, grabbing a ceramic jar from the corner and collecting all the Gu worms inside.
Then, with a flash of fire, the Gu worms inside instantly turned to ashes.
"Arno!" The woman rushed to the bedside, watching her son's complexion gradually return, and wept with joy.
“My name is Ayi, and this is my younger brother, Arno. Thank you, big brother.” Ayi turned around and bowed deeply to Liu Feng, her eyes filled with gratitude.
The woman beside her also knelt down to express her gratitude, her voice choked with emotion: "Thank you so much for saving my son, thank you so much..."
Liu Feng waved his hand, his tone calm: "It was nothing. But the others in the village..."
Ayi's face darkened again, and her voice was low: "Many people in the village have been poisoned by this Gu poison, and several have already died. We have tried many methods, but none of them have worked."
"Big brother, please save them too!"
"good."
"There's hope!" Ayi exclaimed happily, and quickly took Liu Feng to see the Gu Village chief.
The clan chief was an elderly man in his sixties with a haggard face.
Upon seeing Liu Feng, he was overcome with gratitude and grasped his hand tightly, his voice trembling: "Thank you so much for saving my grandson! I beg you to save our people from the Gu Village!"
Liu Feng dared not delay for a moment. With his profound spiritual power and expertise in pharmacology, he temporarily stabilized the worsening trend of the people in the Miao village who were infected by Gu.
But he knew in his heart that in order to completely get rid of the poison, he had to start from the root.
He told the clan leader that he had urgent business to attend to and that time was of the essence. He needed to go to the Shadow Sect to rescue people, and after rescuing them, he would come back to thoroughly investigate the Gu poison in the Gu Village.
Upon hearing this, the clan leader's expression changed, as painful memories were stirred up.
He sighed deeply and recounted a long-ago story…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
