BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 74 Hatching

Just as the black shadow was about to rush back toward Scarface’s body, the copper spike embedded in his hand suddenly exploded. With a deafening blast, his entire hand and half of his arm were blown apart. The shockwave hurled the corpse into the air, causing it to narrowly avoid the incoming shadow.

There was no need to ask whose handiwork it was—this was clearly Yang Xiao’s doing. Che Qianzi wanted to shout for him to show himself, but before he could speak, Sun Desheng stopped him with a look. Though he did not understand what Fatty Sun meant, the little Taoist held back and did not mention Yang Xiao’s name.

“This is the Sacred Relic of the Hehuan Sect—the Hehuan Gu,” Huang Ran said.

Just before the black shadow touched the wound on his arm, he reached out and caught it. In his hand was a fuzzy lump of flesh that looked like a miniature tai sui. The nose that had appeared on Scarface’s face had actually been a transformation of this palm-sized creature.

The little ball of flesh struggled in Huang Ran’s grip, clearly still obsessed with the wound on his arm. Its tiny bean-like eyes stared fixedly at the cut, while it squeaked continuously.

“So this is the Sacred Relic? We went through all this trouble and lost so many people over this pathetic little thing?” Che Qianzi felt rather disappointed. In his imagination, something that had caused so much chaos ought to have been at least as impressive as the giant black centipede. A golden lizard or giant snake would have made more sense.

Without taking his eyes off the creature, Huang Ran explained:

“Don’t underestimate it. According to the oral teachings passed down through generations of Hehuan Sect leaders, the Hehuan Gu possesses the power of immortality.”

Before he could finish, Che Qianzi interrupted:

“What, like Tang Monk’s flesh? Eat it and live forever? Fine, then later everyone take a bite. Fatty Huang, you go first. If you don’t die after an hour, I’ll take the second bite.”

“It’s not eaten. There are many paths to immortality; alchemy is only one of them.”

Huang Ran glanced at him and continued:

“The Hehuan Gu itself is immortal. If someone uses their own body as a Gu furnace and raises it within themselves, then through absorbing its aura and… its excretions… that person will also achieve immortality indirectly. Understand now?”

At the mention of excrement, Che Qianzi looked sick. He dry-heaved a few times before saying:

“So you’re saying you eat its piss and crap? Sure, you’ll live forever, but if I have to spend eternity eating that stuff, I’d rather die together with the thing!”

Although this was also Sun Desheng’s first time hearing of such a bizarre method of immortality, he immediately grasped the principle. Grinning, he said:

“Brother, you’re thinking too narrowly. Why obsess over piss and crap? Isn’t honey sweet? That’s bee excrement too. Just think of it as drinking honey every day.”

At that moment, Meng Qiqi walked over. After looking at the Hehuan Gu, she asked Huang Ran:

“This little fellow came from the Five Poisons devouring one another? Take a good look yourself—which poison does it resemble? Did that old monk drink too much and draw the wrong picture?”

“No mistake.”

Huang Ran smiled at the creature in his hand and continued:

“Earlier, I wasn’t finished. After creating the Great Five-Poison Beast, it had to be soaked for thirty years in a solution made from the most poisonous substances under heaven. The liquid induced hibernation, allowing it to survive without food or water.

Every three years, the Great Five-Poison Beast would molt. After thirty years, it became nothing more than a lump of flesh. But even then, it had no powers and was extremely fragile. It had to parasitize a host and undergo a long incubation process before finally becoming the true Hehuan Gu.

This process couldn’t be completed in a few years or even a few decades. Since the Hehuan Sect was founded during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, they have been incubating the Gu. Only now has it finally reached maturity.

Every successive sect leader served as its host, hoping to be the one to bring it to completion. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Lu Rugi seized it and implanted it in himself. That is why, even after the sect relocated to southern Guangdong, they were determined to reclaim it.”

Meng Qiqi still had doubts.

“That doesn’t make sense. Didn’t you say it can only reside in living bodies? Lu Rugi has been dead for hundreds of years. If he really completed the incubation, then he himself should have become immortal. Since he died, that means he wasn’t immortal. So who actually hatched the Hehuan Gu?”

“It was indeed hatched by Lu Rugi.”

By now there was no longer any danger. Aiden was as good as dead, and Huang Ran relaxed and continued:

“The final step in hatching the Hehuan Gu is the alternation of life and death.

While alive, the host places the immature Gu inside their body. After the host dies, the blood, flesh, and vital essence within the corpse are transformed into nourishment. Only after consuming the flesh and blood does the Gu undergo its final metamorphosis and become the immortal form.

As for the host, all the flesh beneath the skin is consumed, leaving behind something that looks like a dried mummy.

Everyone who raised the Gu dreamed of becoming immortal themselves. Who would willingly sacrifice themselves for others? That’s why the Hehuan Gu was never successfully hatched—until Lu Rugi accidentally accomplished it after his death.”

After Huang Ran finished speaking, Sun Desheng applauded and said with a grin:

“As expected of Old Huang. Nothing in the world escapes your knowledge. Where did you learn all this bizarre stuff? One day I’ll send our La Zi to study it too and broaden his horizons.”

“This wasn’t recorded in any ancient texts.”

As Huang Ran spoke, he took out a box from his backpack and placed the Hehuan Gu inside.

“Master Shangshan personally told me. Years ago, he saved a Hehuan Sect leader. That man, seeing that the Master possessed unparalleled skills, tried to recruit him into the Hehuan Sect. He even offered the Hehuan Gu and the position of sect leader. But unfortunately, he didn’t know that Master Shangshan had already attained immortality.”

“Immortality again? This story gets more ridiculous by the minute. Who would believe something like that?”

Che Qianzi interrupted disdainfully.

Though he possessed abilities to deal with demons and monsters, he scoffed at tales of immortality. Sun Desheng had hinted before that Director Wu of Office Six, Yang Xiao, and Shen La possessed immortal constitutions, but Che Qianzi thought it was merely bait to get him to work harder.

Immortality?

Why not say that Xu Fu, who sailed overseas in search of the elixir of life, was still alive?

Sun Desheng laughed and smoothed things over.

“Alright, enough. By now Boss Wan has probably escaped abroad. Let’s head back up. Hey! You three, come out! There is still forty percent of the gold left. Don’t you want it? Or are you still hoping that the bearded guy would take us all down with him? All the gold here belongs to you now.”

As Fatty Sun spoke, the three surviving foreigners finally emerged from hiding. When they had seen Aiden blown away, they had considered coming out earlier. But after witnessing so many of their companions die, they feared Huang Ran and the others might kill them to eliminate witnesses. Thus they had stayed hidden.

Now that Sun Desheng had called them out, the three cautiously stepped from behind the coffins. Even then, they dared not come too close, stopping near the stone entrance in case the others suddenly decided to silence them. After all, with so much gold at stake, anyone’s greed could be awakened.

But just as they stood with their backs to the entrance—

The massive stone door silently opened by itself.