BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 73 The Hehuan Gu

If all those copper needles had struck Che Qianzi, he would have been turned into a sieve on the spot.

Just as Aiden attacked, Che Qianzi suddenly felt his foot go soft, as if something had hooked it. Losing his balance, he fell backward onto the ground.

That split second saved his life.

At the very moment he fell, more than a dozen copper needles missed their target and struck the golden platform behind him, actually slicing off one of its corners. Had they hit a person, half of his body would have disappeared.

Cold sweat broke out all over Che Qianzi. As he climbed back to his feet, he saw Sun Desheng lying behind him. It had been Sun Fatty who had undone his belt and whipped it around Che Qianzi’s ankle, pulling him down.

Had Sun Desheng been even a moment slower, Che Qianzi would have been beyond saving.

Seeing that Che Qianzi had escaped his attack, Aiden was equally surprised.

At that moment, he made up his mind. If he really had to die at Yang Xiao’s hands today, he would drag this half-grown kid down with him.

As he reached for more copper needles, he discovered that in his haste he had already exhausted all the needles hidden in the sleeve of his good arm.

He had hidden dozens of needles in each sleeve. Now he had to use the other sleeve—the one attached to the hand pierced by the copper spike. The injury slowed him down for just an instant.

That brief delay was enough.

With bloodshot eyes, Che Qianzi had already reached him.

Aiden wasn’t flustered.

He circulated the Yin-Yang Qi stored in his abdomen. As long as he could spit that breath into Che Qianzi’s face, the young Taoist would die for certain.

Just as the bearded man coughed and opened his mouth to unleash the Yin-Yang Qi, Che Qianzi moved first.

Bang!

His fist smashed directly into Aiden’s nose.

The punch broke the bridge of his nose.

The intense pain disrupted his breathing. Screaming and coughing at the same time, Aiden accidentally sucked the Yin-Yang Qi into his windpipe.

That breath was deadly. Normally it was stored in the dantian. Even the cultivator himself could not withstand it entering his airway.

After coughing twice, Aiden’s face turned crimson.

Using all his strength, he coughed desperately.

Finally, he managed to expel the Yin-Yang Qi.

Along with it came nearly half a liter of blood.

Just as Aiden was celebrating his narrow escape, an agonizing pain suddenly shot through the hand pierced by the copper spike.

Che Qianzi had raised his foot and stomped directly onto the wound.

The pain nearly caused the bearded man to black out.

Before he could recover, another burst of excruciating agony exploded from his crotch.

Che Qianzi leaped and kicked him squarely between the legs.

This time Aiden could no longer endure it.

Like a cooked shrimp, he curled up, clamped his legs together, and collapsed onto the ground.

Foam poured from his mouth while his body twitched uncontrollably.

Before losing consciousness, one final thought crossed Aiden’s mind:

Who the hell is this kid?

Ordinary people couldn’t even hurt him.

So how had this brat almost beaten him to death?

He should never have listened to Wan Changluo and infiltrated Huang Ran’s group. Now he might even end up crippled for life…

Watching the bearded man collapse while clutching his groin, Che Qianzi still wasn’t satisfied.

Ignoring whether Aiden lived or died, he kicked him several more times in the head.

Back when they were in Northeast China, Che Qianzi’s master, Kong Dalong, had once remarked that the biggest difference between his disciple and ordinary street punks was:

Che Qianzi fought with killing intent.

Seeing Aiden go down, even Huang Ran found it hard to believe.

He had his own trump card for dealing with Aiden, but it would have required considerable effort.

Certainly not as easily as Che Qianzi had done.

Aiden’s arts were profound, and his body was incredibly tough. Even Huang Ran himself might not have been able to injure him.

Yet this teenager had nearly beaten the man to death.

How had he done it?

No wonder Sun Desheng brought Che Qianzi with him everywhere.

At that moment, even Huang Ran was considering whether he should find an excuse to become sworn brothers with the boy.

Sun Desheng walked up behind Che Qianzi and held back his “brother from another father and mother.”

Looking at the blood-soaked Aiden, he said:

“Brother, that’s enough. I’ve still got questions for him later. Give your big brother some face and leave him alive.”

Che Qianzi angrily replied:

“Fatty, didn’t you hear what I said? If I don’t kill him, I’ve got to take his surname! What the hell kind of name is ‘Ai Qianzi’? Sounds like I’m selling barbecue skewers!”

Sun Desheng chuckled.

“Who said you can’t kill him? I just need to ask him something first. Besides, ‘Aiden’ is a fake name. Hell, this appearance of his is probably fake too. Like I always say, we’re real brothers. If he really dies by your hand, your big brother will help bury him.”

Giving Sun Desheng some face, Che Qianzi angrily delivered one more kick before turning to Huang Ran.

“Fatty Huang, what other tricks are you hiding? I’m too lazy to guess anymore. Just tell me. Was that holy relic Wan took away real or fake? Don’t even think about lying to me. I’m still angry, and after him, you’re next.”

Huang Ran smiled and glanced at Sun Desheng standing behind Che Qianzi.

“I’ll tell the truth. It was fake.”

“That thing was the Bodhi Cicada left here by our Venerable Shangshan. Years ago, when he heard that the Hehuan Sect’s sacred relic was hidden here, he came down to investigate. He opened every coffin in this place once. It was because of that trip that our Zen Master learned the truth. The so-called sacred relic of the Hehuan Sect was nothing more than a Gu insect.”

“They raised the five poisonous creatures of the Hehuan Sect and made them fight each other. The victor remained. Then the winners from four other groups fought again. The survivors fought yet another five groups. On and on, endlessly, until the original Hehuan Gu was finally created. But even then, it wasn’t finished.”

As he spoke, Huang Ran turned around and shined his flashlight on the foreigner whose nose had been sliced off.

Che Qianzi and Sun Desheng looked over as well.

The scar-faced man was still leaning motionlessly against the golden platform.

But somehow…

He looked different.

“The nose!”

Che Qianzi was the first to notice.

“His nose grew back!”

Everyone had clearly seen the centipede slice off his nose.

Yet after such a short time, this dead man had somehow grown a new one.

And not only that—

His complexion had improved dramatically.

No longer pale and gray, his face was rosy and healthy-looking.

Only one person present could explain what was happening.

Sun Desheng and Che Qianzi both turned toward Huang Ran.

Knowing he had no choice, Old Huang smiled and continued:

“That nose is the holy relic. Or rather—the Gu I just mentioned.”

“For all these years, the Gu had been nurtured inside Lu Ruji’s corpse. Only recently did it finally mature. Once mature, it possesses a unique instinct. It refuses to touch dead flesh. Instead, it seeks out wounded living people and enters through their injuries. That person becomes its host.”

“Unfortunately, Scarface wasn’t lucky enough. By the time the Gu entered his body, he was already dead. The dead body trapped the Gu inside. It needs a lure to come out.”

As he spoke, Huang Ran took out his dagger and sliced open his own arm.

Blood immediately began dripping from the wound.

At once, something strange happened on Scarface’s side.

His newly regenerated nose suddenly dissolved into a mass of black shadow and shot toward Huang Ran.

Its target was clearly the wound on his arm.

But just as the black shadow was about to reach him—

The seemingly dead Aiden suddenly stood upright.

Then he threw himself between Huang Ran and the black shadow with his own body…