Chapter Thirty-Six: Leave It to Me

At the same time, Xia Qinghe unleashed her full aura, gripping her sword with both hands. With every swing, a stream of water as thick as a human wrist surged forth, striking the centipede from multiple directions. Faced with the relentless onslaught of sword light and water, the creature let out a sharp hiss, its body wreathed in black mist.

A moment later, the sword light descended. The pool of blood instantly began to boil, erupting with continuous, thunderous roars. When silence finally returned, the centipede was nowhere to be seen.

Gu Xian felt a flicker of unease. Then, he noticed a bubble rising from the blood pool behind Yang Mao. He shouted instantly, "Look out!"

In an instant, the centipede lunged from the pool, fangs bared, aiming straight for Yang Mao’s heart. In the blink of an eye, a ghostly strand of sword energy flashed from behind Yang Mao, grazing his cheek and piercing directly into the creature’s gaping maw. It was a thread of sword energy controlled by Gu Xian.

The man in the green robe roared, "Now!"

Simultaneously, Chu Yang and his two companions struck. The burly man’s spear struck like a dragon, imbued with the fierce aura of the military path, descending upon the centipede with boundless rage. Xia Qinghe, wielding her sword with both hands, merged over a dozen water streams into one, transforming them into a terrifying torrent that swept over the beast. Yang Mao’s sword split into four, piercing the creature from every angle.

The blood pool erupted with violent, surging energies. Only after a long while did everything finally settle. The carcass of the centipede floated in the pool, and only then did the four of them heave a sigh of relief.

Chu Yang prodded the creature with the tip of his spear. "Damn it, it’s finally over."

***

Tongyang City, Demon-Slaying Bureau.

The dungeon.

Located nearly a hundred feet underground, shrouded in eternal darkness, this was where the Demon-Slaying Bureau held its most vicious prisoners.

Outside a cell stood four cultivators of distinct temperaments. Inside sat an elderly man with a hunched, gaunt frame. He looked up, his gaze fixed on the man in the green robe.

Gu Xian asked softly, "When did you see my senior brother?"

The old man’s voice was raspy. "It must have been over a hundred years ago."

"What?" Shocked, Gu Xian lost his usual composure. The man in the green robe asked solemnly, "Are you certain?"

"How could I be mistaken? I was already a Gu master then, and I had received an invitation from a senior of the Demonic Path..." The old man’s voice echoed in the cell as he recounted his first meeting with Zhou You.

After he finished, Gu Xian muttered to himself, "How is this possible?"

Overwhelmed, the man in the green robe felt a sense of bewilderment. Honestly, it was hard for him to reconcile the jolly, carefree senior brother of Wuwang Mountain with the legendary cultivator who had roamed the borders of the Great Xi Dynasty, slaying countless demons. Yet, according to the old man, the appearance, bearing, and the lightning techniques they practiced all confirmed beyond doubt that they were the same person.

But if Wuwang Mountain had such a powerful cultivator protecting it, why had it fallen into such decline? And if his senior brother was truly that formidable, what of their master, whom he held in such profound respect? Could he be an even higher-level practitioner? If so, why did they keep it from him? Was there some hidden reason?

Chu Yang and Yang Mao’s eyes sparkled with excitement; they were equally stunned that such a master could be Gu Xian’s senior brother. Xia Qinghe recalled the man she had met at Yu Family Village; she had sensed then that his cultivation was unfathomable, and now, it appeared she was right.

The old man’s raspy voice broke the silence. "Everyone, my time is near. I will tell you the truth: what I did here in Tongyang City was at someone else’s instruction."

Chu Yang immediately asked, "Who?"

The old man shook his head. "I do not know his identity." He looked lost in memory. "It was about two months ago. I was traveling through the Shu Kingdom, looking for blood-food for my insect. One night, while resting at an immortal inn, a man in a black robe approached me."

"He claimed he had a way to help my insect evolve, provided I did exactly as he said. Over the years, I had explored methods of raising the centipede with my own blood, but I had hit a wall. He gave me a few pointers, and I benefited immensely."

"I agreed to his terms immediately. He told me to return home, and beneath the calligraphy shop in Peach Blossom Alley, I found that underground palace. The moment I stepped foot inside, I felt a strange sensation, as if the place had been built specifically for me."

"Later, I began searching the city for children with pure-yin fates. You are all cultivators and know how rare such a destiny is, yet within this small city of Tongyang, I found so many. Later, the man in the gray robe had others send more from elsewhere until I had thirty-six."

He added with regret, "It is fortunate you intervened. Had it been a few days later, once my insect had fully absorbed all the blood, it would have been reborn."

"By then, it would not have mattered if the four of you had joined forces—even if the Protector of Ling Province had arrived in person, he would have been defeated."

After hearing this, the four of them exchanged glances, filled with relief. It was lucky they had acted in time; otherwise, this would have been another catastrophe like the one in Fengyang City. A sense of impending storm hung over them. The chaos in Fengyang and now this incident in Tongyang—Gu Xian and the others felt a faint suspicion that these two seemingly unrelated events were deeply connected. It was as if an invisible web was tying everything together in the shadows.

The man in the green robe whispered, "Who could it be?"

"What will their next move be?"

Once the old man finished his tale, Gu Xian looked at him, words catching in his throat. The aged Gu master seemed to guess his thoughts and smiled self-deprecatingly. "Since leaving Tongyang in my youth and walking the path of the Gu master, my hands have been stained with blood. I suppose I am finally getting what I deserve."

Gu Xian nodded in agreement. "That is true."

The old man paused, saying nothing more. He stood up and walked to the bars, looking at the man in the green robe. "Immortal Master Gu, I have a request. Would you grant it to me?"

Gu Xian shrugged. "You said it yourself—you are getting what you deserve. I won't bend the law for you."

"It is not that," the old man smiled. "A man like me is destined to die, but before I go, I just want one last drink of Chunxi Brew."

Gu Xian thought for a moment. "Is that all? Leave it to me."