Chapter 65

Shao Fei was reluctantly leading Lin Du and her group to check on her fellow disciple.

Inside the side room, there was no heated bed, which didn’t matter much to cultivators, but as soon as they entered, they could still feel the cold, oppressive atmosphere.

A person was curled up on the bed, with no sunlight penetrating the room, making the person lying there seem even more shadowy and obscure.

Yuan Ye couldn’t help but wave his hand in front of his nose. Lin Du remained composed, only casting a thoughtful glance at the small window above.

The six of them entered in single file, taking over as guests turned hosts, standing in front of the bed, and looking down at the lump on it.

The person initially tried to pretend to be asleep, but the pressure of six gazes was too intense, especially with their constant chatter.

“Is that a person on the bed?”

“Still sleeping in the middle of the day? Aren’t you going to get up to meditate and heal? Or is the injury too severe?”

“Daoist friend, are you awake? We are disciples of the Supreme Sect, here to examine your injuries.”

“Could it be that the injuries are so severe that you’ve passed out? If that’s the case, Second Sister, would you like to take over? We can hold him down.”

The person on the bed slowly turned over and opened his eyes, meeting the six expectant faces.

“Daoist friend, you’re awake!”

“Would you like to sleep a little more?” Yuan Ye rubbed his hands and focused on the person’s side neck.

The cultivator suddenly felt a chill on his neck. Just as he was about to speak, a woman’s voice interrupted, “Wait, let’s first ask about the symptoms.”

Following the steps of diagnosis, although Xia Tianwu had been taught by Jiang Liang and didn’t place much emphasis on patients’ descriptions, the proper procedure still had to be followed.

The person on the bed curled up tighter. “This isn’t an illness that your average medical cultivator can cure. There’s no need for you to trouble yourselves.”

Lin Du raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it an injury from a beast? What can’t be treated?”

The person stiffened. Shao Fei spoke up, “Indeed, but it’s not an ordinary beast. It’s a Black Snow Green Snake. Although I managed to expel the poison in time, the residual toxins will take some time to be resolved.”

“Black Snow Green Snake? That thing still exists?” Yan Qing furrowed his brow in disbelief. “I thought such poisonous creatures…”

Lin Du squinted his eyes. “Tianwu, be careful of the poison.”

Xia Tianwu paused as she extended her hand. “Please extend your hand.”

The person with a complex expression glanced at the neatly arranged crowd in front of the bed. There were too many people, and even Shao Fei couldn’t squeeze in.

Silver threads flew out from Xia Tianwu’s hand and wrapped around the person’s wrist. The person looked ordinary, but their eyes were extremely dark.

Unlike the deep, dark eyes of her Junior Master, this person’s black eyes exuded a sinister and eerie aura. Although Lin Du was gloomy, his presence did not give off a negative feeling but rather a sense of tender sympathy.

The black eyes of the person in front of them were deeply unsettling, as if they were being targeted by some kind of poisonous insect hidden in the mud.

Even the sinister arts of corpse refining rarely had such eyes.

The silver thread from Xia Tianwu had not yet wrapped around the person’s wrist, but as soon as it touched the person’s sleeve, it turned black.

Lin Du squinted his eyes. This residual poison is quite intriguing, it’s already on the surface, huh?

Mo Lin spoke up. “Tianwu… if it’s not possible, then don’t…”

“Are you also a Gu Master?” Xia Tianwu’s expression remained unchanged, but only Mo Lin, who had been with her for many years, noticed the aloofness and skepticism in her tone.

“You’ve been attacked by the Gu worm’s backlash, and the poison has entered your lungs,” she said calmly. “I can’t save you. You either give up on this technique, or… continually suppressing it may not be beneficial.”

The person gave a dejected smile and then raised their hand.

The five members of the Supreme Sect all gripped their weapon handles, and even Yuan Ye drew out a bowstring.

The silver thread was cut by the person’s spiritual power, which did not turn black. Xia Tianwu directly dropped the silver thread in her hand and pressed down on Lin Du’s shoulder, who had already gathered his spiritual power.

“It’s fine,” she said calmly. “He can’t harm anyone anymore.”

That was the maximum power he could exert. The more he used his spiritual power, the faster the poison would spread, unless he truly wanted to die.

Lin Du withdrew his spiritual power silently.

“There is a pill here that will save your life if you give up on the technique. Whether you use it or not is up to you.”

Xia Tianwu took out a pill. Lin Du glanced at it and recognized that it was indeed a pill she had refined herself, with an extremely strong fire attribute.

He fire is naturally a spirit material, the essence of fire attribute in the world.

Once she fully mastered the use of the fire, Xia Tianwu would surpass Jiang Liang and become the most suitable alchemist and healer.

The cultivator hesitated, but Shao Fei’s voice suddenly sounded again. “Please don’t trouble yourself, this Gu technique is not your forte. When we return to Yunnan, there will be elders to rescue him. I believe Qi Zhun will make it through. It is common for Gu Masters to suffer from backlash.”

She continued softly, “I don’t know if you have any temporary remedies for the symptoms. I don’t want to see my fellow disciples in so much pain.”

Yan Qing suddenly spoke up, “You do understand the loyalty among fellow disciples.”

The person thanked Xia Tianwu for her kindness, then only said they needed to rest and asked everyone to leave the room.

The six people left, and Yuan Ye, the last one to leave, closed the door, causing Shao Fei, who was a bit slower, to face a closed door.

Lin Du walked ahead with his arms crossed, and after a long silence, he spoke in a heavy tone, “Why does the Feixing Sect accept Gu Masters?”

Among the Three Sects and Six Sects and Ten Schools in Zhongzhou, the Feixing Sect is one of the six sects and can be considered a major sect, especially skilled in weapon refining and star observation techniques.

Others also sensed something unusual. Mo Lin pondered for a moment. “The Feixing Sect is in Yunnan, where Gu Masters are mostly in separate villages, passed down through generations, and do not communicate with the outside world or join other sects.”

“It’s a bit suspicious. I will inform the Sect Leader.”

Yuan Ye asked quietly, “Yan Qing, what exactly is the Black Snow Green Snake?”

“A special poisonous snake from the deep mountains. After poisoning, a person will freeze inch by inch and slowly lose their life, almost like freezing to death. Apart from the blackening of the nails and blood, the corpse’s external signs are identical to someone who froze to death.”

Yan Qing didn’t bother to lower his voice.

Lin Du added, “Not only that, ancient books record that this poison is a rare type of ice attribute poison. It was once sought by Gu Masters in Yunnan to refine into Frost Gu. This type of Gu is versatile and can coexist with any other Gu, which is why the Black Snow Green Snake has become extinct.”

Yan Qing was taken aback. “I only knew that this beast was extinct, but didn’t know it was due to the Gu Masters’ large-scale hunting. How did you know, Junior Master?”

“I read about it in a book in the library. I remember it was in the ‘Zhongzhou Fengwuzhi,’ Yunnan chapter, which mentioned that after removing the poison sac, the snake’s stew has a pure icy flavor.”

Lin Du glanced at them and noticed several children looking at him with admiration.

“Don’t you all like to read Fengwuzhi? How will you understand the customs, specialties, and precautions of various places when you travel down the mountain in the future?”

“It’s not that…” Yuan Ye scratched his head. “Daily work is already quite full, and we also have to do chores. When we have free time, we either meditate or sleep from exhaustion. We don’t really think about reading leisure books.”

Lin Du responded, “The Sect Leader said I just need to manage the warehouse and repair formations. I don’t need to do farm work.”

She was essentially an office secretary who also had to fix the water dispenser and change light bulbs in the office.

The library had almost become her study.

“Later, Yan Qing and Yuan Ye will come with me to set up a simple beast-repelling formation in their village and farmland. Master’s nephew, you take Jin Xuan and Tianwu with you. Give any villagers without spiritual talismans a talisman.”

Lin Du paused. “Tianwu, what would happen to an ordinary person who comes into contact with that poison?”

“Cultivators have protective energy, so it’s fine. Otherwise, if they come into contact with it, they need to detoxify immediately. The Five Flavors Detox Pill from the sect’s annual provisions will be enough.” Xia Tianwu paused. “Junior Master, was there any sinister aura at the scene of the incident?”

Lin Du met her gaze and smiled slightly. “Then it will be up to the second brother master to take a look.”