nagpurpolice Chapter 141 Initial Investigation of the Gu Nest in the Desolate Manor
Chapter 141 Initial Investigation of the Gu Nest in the Desolate Manor
The dilapidated walls of the abandoned medicine shop were covered with withered vines, like dry, lifeless hands clinging desperately to the cracks in the stone. When the night wind blew, the vines rustled, like countless people whispering secrets. The broken window frames creaked in the wind; the paper windows had long since rotted away, leaving only a few wooden strips nailed there haphazardly, like the ribs of a skeleton.
There is a dry well in the center of the courtyard.
The stone rim of the well was covered in dead moss, blackened and grayish, like rotting sores. Scattered around the well were several withered herbs, their roots blackened, stems crumbling at the slightest touch, as if something had drained all their sap from within. A dark green, viscous liquid seeped from the soil around the roots, sticky and pus-like, emitting a pungent, sweet-smelling odor mixed with a foul, malevolent aura, permeating the courtyard on the evening breeze.
Lin Chen squatted beside the dry well, picked up a bit of dark green soil with his fingers, and his fingertips glowed slightly with star power.
*Sizzle*—The tiny insects in the soil were instantly burned to ash. The insects were so small that they were almost invisible, only barely showing their transparent shells and pinpoint mouthparts under the starlight. They were densely packed among the soil particles, like a layer of living mold.
"The eggs of a third-tier Bloodline Gu." Lin Chen flicked the ashes from his fingers, his voice low. "They are extremely poisonous. After entering the body, they will devour the meridians within seven days, eventually turning the person into a puppet who only knows how to kill. These things are not easy to cultivate; Qin Kun has invested a lot of money in them."
Leng Feng's figure slid silently along the courtyard wall. He made no sound of footsteps, no sound of breathing, and was almost imperceptible, like a shadow emerging from the shadows at the base of the wall, circling around to the main gate of the medicine shop, peeking out once, and then retreating back in. The whole process took less than three breaths.
"There are two guards at the main gate." He squatted back down next to Lin Chen, drawing two circles on the ground with his finger to mark the guards' positions. "Peak of the Meridian Opening Realm, with cloudy eyes, completely devoid of self-awareness, a puppet warrior controlled by Gu worms. He has no scent of living people, and what flows from his wounds is not blood, but Gu worms."
He paused for a moment, then drew another line on the ground, going around to the back of the courtyard.
"There's a hidden door in the backyard. The door panels are old, but the hinges are new, and people often go in and out. It should be the entrance to the underground lair."
Chu Fan had already taken out three array plates from his backpack, channeling spiritual energy into them with his fingertips. The runes on the array plates lit up one by one. With a flick of his wrist, the three array plates transformed into three streams of light, landing in the east, south, and north corners of the courtyard respectively. Pale golden array patterns spread out from the bottom of the array plates, like plant roots, silently sinking into the ground and weaving into a fine net.
"The triple warning array is set up. Any living thing approaching within a fifty-meter radius will trigger the alarm." He took out three more talismans from his pocket, quickly drew a few strokes on them with his fingertips, and the runes on the talismans lit up and then dimmed. "The concealment array is also ready. It can conceal our presence, and the evil beings underground won't be able to detect us unless they deliberately scan us."
Su Ling'er opened the medicine box, took out a small porcelain bottle from the innermost layer, and poured out five bright red pills. The pills had a fine sheen on their surface and smelled of spicy herbs, like a mixture of chili peppers and ginger.
"This Gu-expelling pill, made from Zheng Yang grass, can be held under the tongue to resist the invasion of low-level Gu worms." She distributed the pills to everyone, then took out a translucent green pill from a hidden compartment in her medicine box and held it up to them. The pill was very small, only the size of a soybean, but its color was perfect, like a piece of polished jade, faintly glowing in the darkness. Her voice lowered, and her speech slowed.
"This is my only Tier 3 Cleansing Gu Pill. It can cure the Bloodline Gu poison, but it can only suppress it for half an hour. If you are bitten by the Gu Mother, this will be useless." She carefully put the pill back into the compartment and zipped it up.
Su Muyue held the twelve array flags in her hands, the runes on the flags pulsating slightly under the stimulation of the evil energy. She closed her eyes, her Martial Emperor Guardian bloodline operating at full power, her spiritual energy probing into the ground, extending downwards layer by layer, sensing the distribution of evil energy underground.
A moment later, she opened her eyes.
"It's a three-level underground structure. The lowest level has the most concentrated evil energy; the Gu Mother should be there." She drew a cross-sectional diagram of the three levels in the air with her finger. "Qin Kun's aura is in the center of the second level, accompanied by four evil guards at the early stage of the Transformation Realm. There are also dozens of martial artists controlled by Gu worms, patrolling the passages on each level at varying intervals, but their patrol routes are regular."
The five people sat in a circle, heads close together, quickly finalizing their plan of action. Leng Feng led the way, Chu Fan marked the route, Su Ling'er was ready with pills to deal with any sudden attacks from the Gu worms, Su Muyue was responsible for suppressing the evil power of the Gu worms on a large scale, and Lin Chen provided support in the center to deal with any sudden powerful enemies. Each person's task was a short, clear, and concise sentence, without any unnecessary words.
The hinges of the hidden door were indeed very new, oiled, and made almost no sound when pushed open.
Behind the door was a narrow stone staircase leading downwards, allowing only one person to pass at a time. The walls on either side were plastered with a dark green, sticky, snot-like substance that gleamed greasy in the torchlight. Countless white maggots wriggled within the slime, huddled together, rolling, wriggling, and devouring each other, making a soft rustling sound, like countless insects crawling. The air was filled with a nauseating stench, a mixture of sweet and fishy, musty, and rusty smells, thick and cloying, like a wall.
Lin Chen walked in the middle of the group, his star energy flowing slowly within his body. A silvery-white light emanated from him, illuminating an area several steps around him. The light was not dazzling, but pure, like moonlight or spring water. Wherever the light touched, the slime on the walls turned slightly black, dried, and cracked. Maggots in the slime wriggled wildly, desperately trying to burrow into the cracks, as if they had encountered their natural enemy.
The end of the passage was dimly lit, with only a few eerie green oil lamps hanging on the wall. The wicks were black, and the flames were green, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps. The green light made people's faces appear bluish-purple, distorting everyone's expressions as if they were wearing a strange mask.
At the corner of the first floor, three patrolling puppet warriors walked towards us.
They wore tattered armor, stained with dried blood and black grime, some parts corroded and riddled with holes. Their eyes were crimson, without pupils, only a murky red glow. Saliva, sticky and mixed with black blood, dripped from their chins. Their weapons were swung wildly and haphazardly, without any technique, but with immense force, the blades whistling through the air. Their steps were heavy and stiff, like marionettes, led by unseen strings.
Leng Feng did not wait.
His figure shot out from the darkness, his sword drawn without a sound. Three flashes of light appeared, not one, but three, almost simultaneously, and then vanished just as quickly. The three puppet warriors froze, their heads sliding off their necks, rolling onto the ground, hitting the wall, bouncing once, and then stopping.
There was no blood flowing from the severed neck. Only countless tiny black worms gushed forth from the wound, like black spring water, densely packed, covering the ground in all directions. These worms were about the size of a fingernail, with glossy carapaces and sharp mouthparts, making a rustling sound as they crawled, like countless ants gnawing at a bone.
Su Ling'er raised her hand, and a handful of white powder fell from her palm like snowflakes. The moment the powder hit the ground, the black Gu worms writhed, curled up, and dried up as if they had been burned, finally turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating. A burnt stench filled the air, mixed with the pungent smell of the powder, making people cough.