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In just a moment, those Gu insects regained their tranquility, quietly staying inside the bottles.
Shen Yu’an roughly counted them; there were about thirty bottles in total.
Coupled with the insects inside the bells hanging on Hua Ling’s body, there were surely over fifty of them.
They had learned from the words revealed by Hua Ling that their entire clan had been learning the art of refining and controlling Gu insects since childhood.
Now that Shen Yu’an knew what they were, she felt a tremendous surge of curiosity.
In the future, the art of refining Gu insects had become a legend.
During a mission, Shen Yu’an once met someone who claimed to possess knowledge of Gu techniques. However, Shen Yu’an was in a hurry to complete her task and didn’t have time to delve into whether the person’s claims were true or false.
But now, unexpectedly, she had encountered living proof of it.
Her eyes shimmered as she stared at the bottles and jars.
Shen Yu’an asked, “Are these all the Gu insects you raise?”
Hua Ling, noticing Shen Yu’an’s interest, eagerly introduced them, saying, “Yes, there’s the Lover Gu, the Truth-Telling Gu…”
Of course, there were numerous types of Gu worms, and Hua Ling didn’t go into detail about their functions. However, one could roughly guess their purposes from their literal meanings.
On the other side, shortly after Hua Ling led Shen Yu’an and Fei Yanchen out of the house, Hua Ji took Hua Nan and Hua Yun to the forbidden area.
Shen Yu’an and Fei Yanchen were being guided by Hua Ling to tour the village at that time, so they did not encounter Hua Ji and the others who went to the forbidden area.
Meanwhile, Hua Ji and his companions went directly to one of the houses in the forbidden area with a clear objective in mind.
Upon reaching the front of the house, Hua Nan stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The wooden door creaked open, revealing a gaunt old man with sharp, eagle-like eyes. He looked at the three individuals outside the door and asked, “What brings you here?”
Hua Ji respectfully inquired, “Third Elder, we heard that you brought back someone from the outside?”
“Just picked up a random person,” Third Elder’s deep and hoarse voice echoed.
He then continued, asking, “Why? Are you interested in that person too?”
Hua Ji was about to speak but was interrupted by Hua Yun.
She stared directly at Third Elder and spoke firmly, saying, “Third Elder, as an elder, you shouldn’t forget the words of our ancestors.”
Elder San’s gaze faltered, looking displeased at Hua Yun. He angrily retorted, “You’re being narrow-minded. With our tremendous abilities, why should we hide in these secluded mountains, too afraid to show ourselves to others?”
“Hmph, we should be respected, not hiding and avoiding people,” Hua Yun responded defiantly.
He remembered the scenes from when he was young, being carried by his parents as they fled, and a wave of resentment surged in his eyes.
The clan members were truly useless now, forced to hide like fleeing rats in this place.
Unlike before, when they could do whatever they wanted and use Gu insects to control things to their advantage, they were now constantly being controlled by others. There were hardly any clan members left.
If only those methods of refining Gu had not been destroyed by their ancestors who had escaped here, he wouldn’t have to spend his days researching how to completely control people with Gu insects all over again.
Indeed, Hua Mei, that girl with the floral eyebrows, was still the one who suited his preferences.
In the present, it seemed that the only one in the clan who shared his mindset was that girl.
However, he wouldn’t voice such thoughts.
Hua Yun showed no fear and continued, ” Third Elder, it seems you have forgotten why our people were collectively attacked and killed by outsiders in the first place.”
Saying that, Hua Yun walked straight into the room, and Hua Ji and Hua Nan hurriedly followed suit.
Third Elder’s face darkened, but he didn’t dare to stop the fierce Hua Yun. He could only close the door and follow closely behind.
As the door closed, the room instantly grew dim, illuminated only by the faint light of two kerosene lamps.
Upon entering, Hua Yun and the other two saw a young boy lying in the center of the room, appearing to be around ten years old.
The young boy lay there quietly, seemingly unconscious, resembling a small white mouse.
If Shen Yu’an were here, he would surely recognize this as the person they were looking for, Shen Erlang!
The three individuals who entered the room grew serious upon seeing the young boy, but it appeared that he hadn’t been affected by the lower-level Gu insects yet.
Hua Ji spoke up and asked, “Where did you capture this person from?”
Third Elder calmly responded, “He trespassed into our territory, so there’s nothing wrong with capturing him.”
He then asked, “I heard that two more people have arrived. Are they here to find this person?”
“Our information must not be leaked. Since they have come, detain those two individuals as well and bring them here,” he continued.
After bringing this young boy back, Third Elder had not left the room. The news of outsiders must have been brought to him by other clan members.
Hua Yun’s expression turned stern as she questioned, “Third Elder, we have long prohibited using live subjects for experiments. Have you forgotten?”