Font Size:
The night at the Marquis Manor was oppressively silent, broken only by the occasional beat of the night watchman’s clapper echoing in the darkness.
Inside Concubine Li’s room, the flickering candlelight cast wavering shadows across the faces of her and Bai Xinyao, both twisted with resentment.
“That Bai Linglong is far too arrogant!”
Bai Xinyao gnashed her teeth, the silk handkerchief in her grip wrinkled beyond recognition. “Last time, she managed to escape unscathed. This time, I won’t let her off so easily!”
Her willow-shaped brows were furrowed with fury, her eyes blazing with rage. Just thinking of Bai Linglong’s smug expression made her jaw tighten with hate.
Concubine Li gently patted Bai Xinyao’s hand, trying to soothe her, but her own gaze was equally ruthless. “Yao’er, don’t worry. Even if I have to risk everything, I will make sure she pays.”
Though her voice was soft, it carried a fierce determination. She ran her fingers through Bai Xinyao’s hair, as if gathering strength from the gesture, bracing herself for what was to come.
The two of them huddled close, heads almost touching as they whispered their plot in low tones.
They had decided to seek out once again the mysterious and enigmatic sorcerer from the Western Regions who lived in the west of the city. Rumor had it that his techniques were uncanny and his mastery of Gu parasites was unmatched. As long as they could obtain his help, they refused to believe they couldn’t bring down Bai Linglong.
At the break of dawn, Concubine Li and Bai Xinyao veiled their faces tightly with black gauze, revealing only a pair of wary eyes. Like two nocturnal phantoms, they slipped silently out of the Marquis Manor.
The streets were nearly deserted, save for a few early vendors setting up their stalls. Their hawking cries sounded jarringly loud in the stillness of the morning.
“Mother, do you really think that sorcerer can help us?”
There was a trace of unease in Bai Xinyao’s voice. She clutched tightly at Concubine Li’s sleeve, as though clinging to her last lifeline.
“Last time, it was because we didn’t offer him enough,” Concubine Li replied, quickening her pace. “This time, we’ll pay handsomely. He’ll have no reason not to do as we say.”
She spoke with more conviction than she felt. Her heart was filled with uncertainty, but they had already crossed the point of no return.
The alleys in the west of the city were dank and narrow, filled with the stench of rot. Moss covered the walls, slick and treacherous.
The two tread carefully, wary of slipping.
At the end of the alley stood a hut draped with strange cloth banners. It loomed silently, like a beast in hibernation.
Concubine Li and Bai Xinyao exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and slowly pushed open the door.
The interior of the hut was dimly lit, filled with a pungent medicinal stench. Shelves were lined with strange jars and bottles, and the floor was littered with bones of unknown origin.
The sorcerer from the Western Regions sat hunched at a rickety table. His frame was gaunt, hair tangled like dead grass. From his sunken eye sockets, a pair of eerie, glimmering eyes stared out, sending a chill down one’s spine.
“You’ve come again,” he rasped.
His voice was hoarse and low, like it was being forced out from deep within his throat. It echoed ominously in the silence of the room.
Concubine Li quickly stepped forward and pulled a heavy money pouch from her bosom. With a crisp clatter, she dumped its contents onto the table—gold coins jingling and flashing under the faint light.
“Master, this time we want the most powerful Gu parasite. As long as it can get rid of Bai Linglong, this is only the deposit. Once it’s done, we will reward you handsomely!”
Concubine Li wore a smile, but her eyes remained fixed intently on the sorcerer’s expression.
The sorcerer glanced at the coins, a flicker of greed flashing in his eyes, though it was quickly masked by a cold indifference.
He rose slowly and shuffled toward an old cabinet. Opening its creaking doors, he retrieved an ornate little box from within.
“This is the ‘Soul-Eroding Gu.’ Those infected show no symptoms at first. On the third day, they’ll be wracked with unbearable abdominal pain. By the seventh day, blood will pour from their orifices, and not even immortals can save them.”
The sorcerer opened the box, revealing a blood-red Gu parasite that writhed slowly, its entire body emitting an eerie glow.
Bai Xinyao shuddered at the sight, a chill creeping up her spine. She instinctively stepped back a pace.
But the thought of everything Bai Linglong had done to her reignited her hatred. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Fine, we’ll take this one! Master, please teach us how to use it—there must be no mistakes.”
Her voice trembled slightly, and she struggled to steady herself.
The sorcerer’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Mix the Gu parasite into her food. That’s all it takes.”
A trace of mockery flickered in the sorcerer’s eyes, as if he found the schemes of these two women laughable.
Concubine Li carefully accepted the box and tucked it into her sleeve, but her unease remained. She pressed on anxiously, “Master, are you certain this Gu parasite is as powerful as you say? There won’t be any unexpected mishaps, will there?”
Her voice carried a note of doubt. After all, this was a matter of life and death—she had to be cautious.
The sorcerer shot her a sideways glance, his tone laced with irritation. “I have never failed.”
“However, this Gu parasite is extremely rare and difficult to craft. If not for your generous payment, I wouldn’t have taken it out so easily.”
The sorcerer’s tone was tinged with arrogance, his confidence in his mastery of Gu arts practically radiating from him.
Concubine Li quickly offered a flattering smile. “Yes, yes, Master, your skills are unmatched. Of course, we trust you completely.”
“But Bai Linglong is extremely cunning, we’re just worried that—” Before she could finish, the sorcerer cut her off.
“Hmph. No matter how cunning she is, once infected with this Gu, death is inevitable.”
“As long as you follow my instructions precisely, there will be no mistakes.”
His voice was icy, slicing through the air like a blade.
Concubine Li whispered a few more words with the sorcerer before hurrying away from the thatched hut with Bai Xinyao close behind.