Chapter 338: Chapter 198: Poison Physician and Gu Insect (Part 2)

But in the next moment, a flash of light flickered past. A blade, drawn from the scabbard on the table at some unknown instant, was now resting against the spot over his heart!

"So fast!!"

He Shujun’s pupils contracted. He was horrified!

He hadn’t seen when Cheng Zongyang drew the blade at all. All he saw was a fleeting glimmer of light, as if something had just flashed before his eyes.

’If I had taken just one more step forward, would this Divine Weapon have pierced my heart?’

Just then, he heard Cheng Zongyang’s cold voice:

"Don’t forget the contents of the agreement. If you make a move against me before our cooperation is complete, be careful you don’t lose your life.

Oh, right. A little hint for you: you guessed correctly. That Beast Hide Scroll is cursed. A real curse. Before you try anything, you should think long and hard about whether you’re willing to bet your life on it."

’To him, now wasn’t the time for He Shujun to die. At the very least, he had to use him to take over all of the Lu Family’s territory. He could die after Zongyang had his share of the profits!’

’Otherwise, if He Shujun died now, he would have to face even more provocations and trouble.’

’It wouldn’t be worth it!’

He Shujun clenched his fists, forcing himself to suppress his anger once more as he took two steps back.

"I could have easily finished you just now. You should be grateful that agreement saved your life. If there’s a next time, according to the agreement, I have every right to kill you!"

He Shujun took a deep breath, forcibly quelling his rage. A moment later, his expression was calm as he said:

"Everyone has their secrets. You think you’d tell me yours? Now, tell me where Lu Yan’s body is!"

Cheng Zongyang sheathed his blade and stood up, in a rather good mood.

’That was the speed from the Illusion Blade Skill. The effect was far beyond my expectations!’

’And I wasn’t even using my full power.’

’I’ve also just discovered that the Illusionary Blade doesn’t just enhance the Illusion Blade Skill. It also makes my ordinary draw speed unexpectedly fast!’

"Where the body is... there’s no rush. Once you’ve dealt with the Lu Family’s affairs, I’ll naturally give it to you."

He knew the other party had a specific purpose for Lu Yan’s body, so of course he hadn’t included it in the agreement. It was his leverage.

However, He Shujun blocked Cheng Zongyang’s path, his gaze cold as he said, "You must give it to me first! I need to know what you did to Lu Yan’s body! Otherwise, our cooperation is canceled!"

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang sneered. "You can go ahead and try. When the time comes, forget about getting the body—your He Family will follow in the footsteps of the Lu Family! At the latest, you have until the day after tomorrow at noon to deliver the resources to the Celestial Break Gang’s headquarters in West City, as per the agreement."

"Wait!"

He Shujun blocked him again. He had no choice!

He didn’t know what Cheng Zongyang had done to Lu Yan’s body, but he needed to get back the Sub-Insect’s corpse! Even if it was dead, he had to let the Mother Insect try!

"What will it take for you to give it to me first?!"

’As long as there’s still an effect when the Mother Insect consumes it, then none of this will have been in vain!’

’As long as I can advance to the Sixth Grade, I’ll return everything this kid has given me, with interest!’

Now, Cheng Zongyang was certain that Lu Yan’s body contained something He Shujun desperately needed! And that thing was in Lu Yan’s heart!

At this, Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Simple. I want Martial Artists from the Lu Family. At least twenty of them, alive. Even if they’re missing arms or legs, it’s fine."

He Shujun frowned. "Martial Artists? You want them for..."

"No need to ask. If you do, the answer is ’for the same reason as you.’" Cheng Zongyang revealed a row of rather white teeth, looking completely harmless.

’God knows what his purpose is, but I know He Shujun will definitely agree!’

He Shujun, of course, didn’t believe him. He took a deep breath, then said through gritted teeth, "I can’t guarantee any will be left alive when we fight. If we hold back even slightly, the He Family will be the one suffering the most casualties!"

Cheng Zongyang chuckled. "That’s your problem. I’ll have the body sent over later. If you fail to deliver, well... I killed Lu Yan, and I can kill you too! Worst case, the Cheng Family will just relocate."

Leaving behind his half-threatening words, he took his blade and left.

After Cheng Zongyang leaped over the courtyard wall and departed, He Shujun could no longer contain his suppressed fury. With a wave of his hand, he violently smashed the stone table beside him to pieces!

Shattered stone scattered, and dust filled the air.

He Shujun spun around angrily and left to give orders to his steward, the dust swirling in his wake, gathering and scattering with the passing breeze.

The thing most important to him was in Cheng Zongyang’s hands. He had no choice but to compromise!

After leaving the He Family estate, Cheng Zongyang returned to that house and entered the Wilderness World.

The market cabin was empty. Through Luo Dingran, he learned that the person had already been sent to Zhang Jinquan’s Pharmacy for examination.

When Cheng Zongyang went over, he saw not only Zhang Jinquan and Han Mo in the Pharmacy, but also Luo Zheng.

Seeing Luo Zheng, Cheng Zongyang was a bit puzzled. "Why are you here?"

Luo Zheng cupped his fists toward Cheng Zongyang and said, "My lord, Mr. Zhang asked me to come. He said he wanted to borrow the Ghost-faced Spider for research."

At this moment, Zhang Jinquan spoke up to explain, "My lord, I previously learned from Luo Zheng that the Ghost-faced Pearl is quite sensitive to certain small insects."

"This subordinate thought that if there was a living creature in this man’s heart, it would likely be some tiny, inconspicuous insect. Therefore, I had him bring it to give it a try."

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang understood Zhang Jinquan’s meaning and asked curiously, "Are there any results? I’m preparing to take him away."

Zhang Jinquan smiled. "Yes! A certain aura emitted by the Ghost-faced Spider was able to affect the Qi and Blood fluctuations in the man’s heart. This indicates there really is a small creature inside him. If it hadn’t been agitated, it would have been truly impossible to detect.

"At the same time, after taking his pulse for a short while, I noticed that the Qi and Blood in his body is gradually weakening.

"Although it’s not very obvious, it’s discoverable with careful examination. This is consistent with his previous symptoms of deficient Qi and Blood.

"From this, we can surmise that the little creature inside him is feeding on his Essence Blood.

"But as for what it is, this subordinate doesn’t know. Unless we cut out his heart for identification."

Cheng Zongyang pondered for a moment, seeming to think of something, but in the end, he just shook his head and said, "Just knowing the gist of it is enough."

’I was thinking of putting him on the wooden bed, performing surgery, and taking out his heart to have a look.’

’As long as I could ensure he was still breathing, I could use the wooden bed to restore him at any time.’

’But that would cost me a lot of Points. So I dismissed the idea.’

’It’s not necessary. What good would it do to know?’

He just asked Zhang Jinquan, "If such an insect truly exists, what is its function? Have you heard of anything like it?"

Zhang Jinquan was silent for a long moment before his expression turned grave. He said solemnly:

"My lord’s words have reminded this subordinate of something.

"Within the Dao of medicine, there are common physicians, Martial Physicians, and another extremely rare type: the Poison Physician!

"And these Poison Physicians are practitioners who use Gu Insects to heal, kill, or for their own Cultivation.

"If the insect inside this man is a Gu Insect, and located in his heart, then its only function would be to absorb the essence contained within a person’s blood and gradually refine it into a single, ultimate drop of blood essence—also known as a Blood Spirit!

"This is far more precious than even Essence Blood.

"So, the Gu Insect is placed on a host to gradually feed on the essence of their Qi and Blood, which then condenses within the Gu Insect’s body. After it matures and the Blood Spirit is successfully refined, it is extracted to be used in medicine or consumed directly, thereby boosting one’s own Qi and Blood!

"It is precisely because of these cruel methods that Poison Physicians are spurned and hunted by those in the world of Martial Arts. That’s why such people are extremely rare!"

At this point, Zhang Jinquan suddenly smiled. "My lord, if we could extract it, this thing could indeed be used in medicine. It can even be refined into a type of pill called the Blood Essence Pill.

"After a Lower Three Grades Martial Artist takes it, their probability of breaking through is, one could say, one hundred percent.

"The Qi and Blood Power of this medicine is determined by the host’s own Qi and Blood strength, but it’s essentially the condensed essence of an entire Martial Artist’s Qi and Blood. The effect is naturally quite good.

"But because of this, Poison Physicians are targets that many families either put bounties on or secretly cooperate with!"

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang finally understood He Shujun’s motive.

No wonder he was so anxious and furious!

Lu Yan was powerful, and with his Horizontal Training, his level of Qi and Blood far surpassed that of other Martial Artists at the same grade.

That explained why he had been targeted by He Shujun.

Furthermore, he also understood the meaning behind Zhang Jinquan’s last sentence.

Suddenly, two things occurred to him.

’First, Li Lu knows that I collect the bodies of Martial Artists and has always assumed it has something to do with Body Refining Drugs. If he were to find out about Poison Physicians, he could easily make the connection, and it would be difficult to explain.’

’Second, with so many Martial Artists under their command, do the Thirteen Royal Families also have such Poison Physicians, using this method—or perhaps an even more sustainable one—to cultivate their own Martial Artists?’

’But either way, it doesn’t really matter to me. And there’s no need to explain anything.’