TGCFNM -Chapter 273 Bai Zhuoxing Appears

Wan Sanjin looked at the stunned Chu Ling and asked strangely, “My lord, what’s wrong?”

Chu Ling raised her hand and pointed toward the corner of the wall. “Look.”

Wan Sanjin followed her finger. “Look at what?”

Gui Wushuang and Yuan Luo both walked over and looked in the direction Chu Ling was staring, yet they couldn’t see anything unusual. But Chu Ling’s expression was extremely grave.

Lowering her arm, Chu Ling said, “All of you are considered people of deep cultivation. Have you felt the underground currents surging beneath us?”

Imitating what Chu Ling had just done, Gui Wushuang crouched down and pressed his fingers against the ground.

After a moment, he looked up and replied calmly, “No.”

Chu Ling frowned. That’s not right. If it had sunk before, then beneath us should be an ice river. How could it be impossible to sense it? Could it be that the ice river has frozen over?

Wait—

Opening the divine hall and taking away its treasures would incur the wrath of the gods… The divine hall only opens for a limited time. The moment it opens, it might very well begin to collapse.

So that’s how it is.

Understanding dawned in Chu Ling’s eyes. She gripped the rope tightly in her hand and then swept her gaze around.

Everyone was still searching, unaware that danger was about to descend. Their hearts and eyes were filled only with thoughts of obtaining the mysterious treasures of the Wu clan.

Chu Ling looked at Ling Da and deliberately asked, “Will there be anything else here?”

Ling Da looked baffled. “No. Ordinary clan members aren’t qualified to possess valuable items. As for the Wu God’s belongings, they’re all inside the divine hall.”

Yuan Luo looked at Chu Ling. “My lord, what do you mean by that?”

Chu Ling turned to him and smiled casually. “Nothing in particular. Just that I happen to have a kind of medicine.”

“Medicine?” Yuan Luo looked at her strangely, not understanding her sudden shift.

Chu Ling hummed in acknowledgment and turned to Gui Wushuang. “A medicine specifically for Gu worms. It works wonders—but its potency is extremely strong.”

Yuan Luo stared at her in confusion. “Lord Chu, what exactly are you talking about?”

Gui Wushuang’s lips turned pale as he stared blankly at Chu Ling.

“Our group once passed through Changhe County. In Changhe County lived the former Fort Master Guo and his daughter. He was arranging a martial arts tournament to choose a son-in-law for her, so many martial artists were invited,” Chu Ling said.

Yuan Luo was even more puzzled. Why suddenly talk about this?

At this moment, Gui Wushuang suddenly interjected, “Fort Master Guo ultimately died, I believe.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Fort Master Guo used his own daughter to raise a Blood Gu. In the end, he died at his daughter’s hands. One could say it was karmic retribution.”

“Then… what about Miss Guo?” Yuan Luo asked.

Chu Ling sighed softly. “As the vessel for the Blood Gu, Miss Guo had long become one with the parasite. I fed her the medicine, and she was able to regain clarity for a short while. But she was already at the end of her strength. There was no saving her.”

Wan Sanjin added, “Her corpse would have been used as food for the Gu worms, so we could only build a fire and burn her clean, to prevent the worms from devouring her.”

Yuan Luo sucked in a sharp breath. “She couldn’t even be laid to rest?”

“Let the dead rest in peace. What if someone steals the corpse?” Wan Sanjin said. “I’ve never seen a good person who raises gu worms.”

Although Yuan Luo didn’t quite understand why the topic had suddenly shifted to gu worms, it was indeed a heartbreaking matter. He spoke up, “Whether gu worms are good or bad depends entirely on the one who uses them. In the Central Plains, the few who raise them mostly use them for sinister harm. But I’ve heard that among the Miao people, they can even use gu worms to treat illnesses and save lives. That’s not necessarily a bad way to use them.”

Chu Ling took a porcelain bottle from her waist and handed it to Gui Wushuang. “There’s medicine in here. Do you want to gamble on it?”

Gui Wushuang didn’t take it. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at her. “How… did you know?”

Chu Ling sighed softly. “Probably because I personally saw Miss Guo being raised as a vessel for a blood gu.”

Only then did Yuan Luo begin to understand. He turned to look at Gui Wushuang’s deathly pale face, opened his mouth, but didn’t even know how to ask.

“They all say in the palace that the Palace Master picked me up,” Gui Wushuang said. “But that’s not true. I was sent there. The palace was full of women—only me, a little boy—so I was doted on. But then… I bit someone to death.” He turned to Yuan Luo. “And then I drank her blood.”

Chu Ling frowned at him. “Your Palace Master didn’t do anything?”

Gui Wushuang looked at her mockingly. “You must think that even if she didn’t get rid of a scourge like me, she would at least have kept me under strict watch. But no. She raised me well—she even raised blood slaves for me.”

Chu Ling thought of the white-clad women who had always accompanied Gui Wushuang. So those women were both guards and blood slaves.

Though it hadn’t been his wish, he had ultimately done much the same as his father.

Bai Su bit her lip hard, clutching Chu Ling’s wrist, trembling. “He must… be killed.”

Gui Wushuang’s gaze suddenly sharpened. With a swift leap forward, he snatched the medicine from Chu Ling’s hand and pulled out the stopper.

At that moment, a figure suddenly swept in, striking toward Chu Ling with a palm.

Startled, Bai Su flicked out her white silk ribbon, wrapping Chu Ling and pulling her back swiftly. At the same time, she lifted Chu Ling’s arm, and Chu Ling immediately released a sleeve arrow.

The newcomer flipped effortlessly in midair, catching the arrow and knocking the medicine bottle from Gui Wushuang’s hand.

Yuan Luo cried out in shock, “Seventh Elder?”

“What Seventh Elder? That’s Bai Zhuoxing!” Chu Ling snapped through gritted teeth. “He’s been hiding in Mount Tianjian for who knows how many years. No wonder no one in the jianghu could find him.”

Yuan Luo hurriedly retreated. The others, startled by the sudden commotion, also rushed over.

Xie Yubai stared coldly at Chu Ling. “Lord Chu, do not spout nonsense.”

Chu Ling rolled her eyes sideways. “Whether I’m spouting nonsense or not—you don’t know? And Gui Wushuang doesn’t know?”

The hunched back of Bai Zhuoxing suddenly straightened, and his entire bearing changed at once. He slowly turned around, eyes glinting with interest as he looked at Chu Ling. “You truly are… audacious beyond measure.”

Chu Ling couldn’t help but glance sideways at Bai Su. No wonder this scoundrel could charm both men and women—even at his age, his voice was still pleasant to hear.

Xie Yubai’s expression darkened as he looked at Bai Zhuoxing. “Seventh Elder, your voice—you…”

“The Seventh Elder has long been dead. From the moment I told you there was a Wu Clan treasure hidden in this snowy mountain, it’s been me all along,” Bai Zhuoxing said calmly. As he spoke, he slowly tore off a circle of white beard and ripped away the fake human-skin mask, revealing a face that bore an eighty percent resemblance to Gui Wushuang.

Wan Sanjin let out a “wow.” “My lord, he’s even better-looking than Gui Wushuang.”

Chu Ling rubbed her forehead and lowered her head, grabbing him. “Keep your voice down. Be mindful.”

Xie Yubai drew his long sword. “Where is the Seventh Elder?”

“Do you really need to ask?” Bai Zhuoxing turned slightly, sneering at him. “Naturally, I fed him to my worms.”