Chapter 5158 — Controlling Through Gu Poison
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Truly? Your disciple thanks Grand-Uncle Master for sparing my life! Such great kindness and virtue I shall never forget so long as I live!" Qin Yuanming was overjoyed.
"However..." Wei Zhao had uttered only three words, and Qin Yuanming's heart leapt back into his throat. Then the man went on: "I can't spare you for nothing. Frankly, I simply can't trust a creature with a prior record of betraying his sect—especially one who has betrayed twice in a row."
"Uh..." Qin Yuanming was choked red in the face by these words. Every one of them was true, but a man wants his face as a tree wants its bark. And he had betrayed them only recently; his hide was not yet thick enough to be impervious to fire and water. Still, to stay alive he hurriedly asked, "Pray instruct me, Grand-Uncle Master."
"Simple. The Center didn't trust you, so they used poison qi to control you. I likewise don't trust you, so I'll have to plant a gu in you as well." Wei Zhao spoke calmly. He intended to use the same method he had once used on Wei Shenjin. Against a man like Qin Yuanming, this was the only way; otherwise he would sooner or later be bitten in return.
"Plant a gu?!" Qin Yuanming's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and he wailed inwardly. Damn it all—this was out of the wolf's den and straight into the tiger's lair!
"Not willing? Then I won't force you. I'll just send you on your way after all." Wei Zhao looked utterly indifferent.
Seeing that Wei Zhao was about to act, Qin Yuanming panicked and hurriedly begged for mercy: "No, no, no! Your disciple is willing, your disciple is willing! This is only proper. Please, Grand-Uncle Master, trouble yourself to plant the gu in your disciple!"
In his heart Qin Yuanming was on the verge of weeping tears without tears. Wei Zhao was going to plant a gu in him, and he still had to shamelessly beg for the privilege—was there ever anything so wretchedly pathetic?
Wei Zhao found it amusing too, and was just about to plant the gu when a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Hold on!"
Qin Yuanming's heart leapt with joy. His savior had come!
But before he could even begin to rejoice, the voice went on: "With the little skill you've got, you've got the nerve to plant a gu in someone? Let me do it, before you botch it and make a fool of yourself. When it comes to skill in gu, you're still a hundred thousand miles off, boy."
Thud! Qin Yuanming's knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground once more. Today's roller coaster had twist upon twist and turn upon turn—his heart simply couldn't take it...
The speaker was, of course, Lin Dongfang. Wei Zhao turned to look at him. "What are you doing here too?"
"Cut the crap. You've got this thing howling like a banshee and raising hell—it disturbed my afternoon nap, so of course I had to come." Lin Dongfang spoke irritably.
"This is seven or eight li away, and it still disturbed your afternoon nap?" Wei Zhao was speechless. True, Qin Yuanming had just now been put through the wringer, but even his howls had been forcefully suppressed; the noise had not actually been very loud. If that could still affect Lin Dongfang, it would be truly bizarre.
"This old man has sharp ears and keen eyes." Lin Dongfang gave a snort and casually slapped Qin Yuanming on the shoulder. Then he said, "Done."
"Done?" Qin Yuanming could not help but freeze. He had assumed the process of planting a gu would be excruciating; who would have thought Lin Dongfang would simply give him a casual slap and be finished?
He carefully searched within his body, but found nothing unusual even after two passes. Only on the third did he faintly detect something: it seemed a needle's eye had appeared in his mind, so tiny as to be almost imperceptible. It appeared to have no effect whatsoever, yet when he focused on it there was an inexplicable sense of dread, as though his very life were held within that needle's eye.