The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 378 - 224: The Cause of the Illness?
Ning Xiaoxian widened her eyes and said, "But the Flipping Gu is extremely tricky; there are a total of fifteen types of insects that can be cultivated as the main worm, and even more, over a hundred types, as auxiliary insects. If we don’t know which ones the breeder used as the main and auxiliary insects, it’s hard to solve!" She had studied the permutations and combinations in mathematics; how many types of Flipping Gu could be combined from so many insects? She did some mental calculations for a moment, felt her brain wasn’t working, and then gave up.
This is the most difficult aspect of the Flipping Gu. Even if they diagnosed the cause correctly, using the wrong method could still lead to the demise of this young lady. "Such a pity, she’s such a beautiful girl, who could be so cold-hearted to harm her?" Ning Xiaoxian sighed softly.
Miluo heard this and wanted to say something, but then closed his mouth.
She summoned a maid, asking her to help open the windows and put out the charcoal basin. The maid exclaimed in shock, "Immortal, that cannot be done!" The miss is already freezing like this; extinguishing the charcoal and opening windows, isn’t that akin to freezing her to death?
Ning Xiaoxian couldn’t be bothered to argue with her and asked her to find Lord Wu.
Taking advantage of this moment, she quickly opened all the windows, sweeping away the stuffy air. The suddenly opened wooden window welcomed a cool breeze, which fluttered her black hair about. Miluo, unintentionally glancing upwards, noticed a faint red mark on the back of her neck.
What’s this? His gaze sharpened. He had good eyesight and was not an inexperienced young man; naturally, he understood what that implied.
No wonder she had her hair down today to cover the back of her neck, so that was why.
But in the past few days, he knew she had been resting in the upstairs bedroom, yet he hadn’t heard any sound from above. If she had a man, when did he show up, and how could it have escaped his notice?
He habitually conducted a rational analysis based on his own habits, but his heart felt uncomfortably stifled, and somewhat angry.
When Wu Huo arrived, Ning Xiaoxian had already extinguished all the braziers. The three cultivators in the yard hurriedly entered the room, where the tall one scolded, "What are you doing? If you can’t cure her, don’t harm her!" Then he received a cold glare from Tu Jin, sending a chill through his heart.
She couldn’t be bothered to talk much with these people, only smiling slightly at Wu Huo, "Lord Wu, you now have two choices. Either do it my way and ask these three behind you to shut up; or do it their way, and I’ll leave immediately." Her words were quite impolite, but Wu Huo, despite his discomfort, respected her status as a cultivator and did not lash out. Besides, his daughter’s life was of utmost importance, and everything else could wait.
He turned back and hesitated to ask, "Three Immortal Masters, do you have a good plan?"
The three of them looked at each other and remained silent.
Wu Huo sighed, "In that case, please, immortal, perform your technique."
"I would also request these three Daoists to excuse themselves."
This woman, too excessive! The tall one couldn’t help but say, "What tricks are you playing? Why can’t we three stay here?"
"You can’t!" she stated straightforwardly, "It’s not that I cherish my own practices, but I need to remove all the brocade quilts from Miss Wu’s body. You three are grown men, and it’s really inappropriate for you to be in this woman’s chamber." After removing the quilts, the curves of the girl on the bed would be exposed, indeed not suitable for three men to stay and watch.
"This..." The tall one, not expecting this reason, was stunned for a moment before shaking his head and said, "Let it be, junior brothers, let’s go! Let’s not worry about the life and death of Miss Wu."
Lord Wu hurriedly tried to persuade them, but to no avail as the three had made up their minds; they summoned their Magic Artifacts and left the yard.
Wu Huo kept smiling bitterly. The choices posed by this girl were too ruthless, instantly driving away the three immortals; he had to be even more polite to her from now on, otherwise if he ended up with nothing, it would be a true injustice.
Ning Xiaoxian directed the maid to move the thick quilts off Wu Yunfang. After a dozen seconds, she let Wu Huo touch his daughter’s forehead, and he couldn’t help but feel joy, "She’s not freezing as badly anymore! Immortal, you are truly skilled."
Ning Xiaoxian shook her head and said, "Miss Wu’s trouble is not yet resolved; she’s not ill, but poisoned with a Gu." She then explained the severity of the Gu to Lord Wu.
As Wu Huo listened, his face grew increasingly distressed and gloomy. He understood that if they couldn’t find the breeder to remove the Gu from Wu Yunfang, she was truly on a path to death. But with only three days left, where could they possibly start looking?
Ning Xiaoxian pondered for a moment and said, "This Gu is to be placed into the ear, only someone close can do it. Miss Wu’s maids and old nurse, have there been any new ones?"
Wu Huo turned to instruct his subordinates to check. After a while, the response he got was that most of Wu Yunfang’s servants were house-born, and even the younger girls had been with them for at least five or six years, none were unfamiliar faces.
It seems there was no problem discovered with the servants for the time being. She walked around the room for a while before asking, "In the past few weeks, have any relatives or friends visited?"
The maid servants looked at each other for a while, and then one timidly said, "Miss is introverted by nature, she has not been close to anyone else this month, except for Miss Xianglian from the Li Family in the east of the city, who came to visit our miss half a month ago."
"What is her relationship with your miss?"
"Like sisters, close as confidantes, they shared a bed that night."
"Whose idea was it to have these braziers and these thick quilts?"
"It was... Miss Li’s idea as well. After Miss Wu fell ill, although she did not visit, she sent over a piece of warm jade and persuaded Lord City Master to add more quilts for the young lady. Not long after, my young mistress’s body became colder and colder. At that time, we all thought Miss Li was being precautious."
She nodded, dismissed the servants, and then said to Lord Wu, "If I’m not mistaken, it’s likely this Miss Li Xianglian who’s causing the mischief."
Wu Huo’s face turned pale and said, "Isn’t the gu supposed to act on the day it is planted?"
"If the gu refiner is skilled, they can also make it activate at a set time, to lessen their own suspicion."
"The Li family and our Wu family have been friends for generations. Li Xianglian’s father has also been a friend of mine for many years. Why would he hurt us? And their family is known for its scholarly achievements; I’ve never heard that they practice the art of raising gu."
She shrugged: "Then I don’t know."
Just as Wu Huo was about to order someone to handle this, Ning Xiaoxian waved her hand and said, "Just tell me where her house is. By the time you give the orders and find people to bring Li Xianglian here for questioning, at least a day will have passed, and it might scare the snake. It’s better if I go myself."
Wu Huo joyfully said, "Will the Immortal Lady take action for my daughter? I truly cannot thank you enough."
She had no choice but to act; after all, she was coveting the ginseng fruit tree branch in Wu Huo’s hand. She immediately got the directions to the Li family, and she and Tu Jin left the prefecture.
She brought Miluo along, and since it was daytime, it was not suitable to fly openly in the sky. She borrowed two swift horses from Wu Huo and rushed to the east of the city.
During the ride, Miluo curiously asked, "How do you know the person who planted the gu must be Li Xianglian?"
Ning Xiaoxian scoffed, "All that talk of ’handkerchief sisters’ and ’intimate bosom friends’ is the most unreliable. They’ll turn around and stab you in the back! Women, the least reliable thing is a woman."
Upon hearing this, all the male beings inside and outside the God Demon Prison were petrified.
The following matter was straightforward. The tall walls of the Li family could not stop her and Tu Jin’s steps. In broad daylight, they sneaked like thieves, knocked down the maidservant in Miss Li’s boudoir, and directly dragged the pitiful Miss Xianglian to an unoccupied guest room for questioning.
Li Xianglian, just nineteen years old and a charming young beauty herself, trembled all over when she heard Ning Xiaoxian’s purpose for the visit, pleaded her innocence passionately, swearing to heaven and earth that she would never harm her best friend.
Her voice was like that of a thrush, crying and pleading; even Miluo doubted, "Could it really not be her?"
"Whether it is or isn’t, one test will reveal all," Ning Xiaoxian sneered coldly and flashed a look at Tu Jin. This woman’s appearance truly lived up to her name, seeming both fragrant and pitiful. But Ning Xiaoxian could see the scheming glint deep in Li Xianglian’s eyes. She too was a woman, and although the fragile lady before her was in a tearful mess, the depths of her eyes flickered with calculating light, definitely not someone innocent.
Tu Jin was merciless. Other than Fairy Su Xia, he had never feigned affection toward any woman. He released a strand of his soul avatar and slipped into Li Xianglian’s mind, indifferent to her rolling her eyes in agony and nearly vomiting, meticulously probing for a long while before withdrawing.
Ning Xiaoxian casually asked, "How is it?"
"It really is her."
It turned out Li Xianglian and Wu Yunfang’s betrothed, the Eldest Son of the Lin Family, had long been involved romantically. Her lover always persuaded her that he would end the engagement with the Wu family, but even until a month ago, the marriage had not been canceled. She realized she had been deceived, felt immense hatred in her heart. Still, she couldn’t bear to harm her own lover, so she shifted all her fury onto Wu Yunfang, hating her friend for not being considerate enough to step aside, wondering why she had to steal her love.
Half a month ago, she finally made up her mind, went to the Wu Mansion to find Wu Yunfang. The latter was about to get married and inevitably had a lot to say to her. Watching her friend express all the shyness and happiness on her face, Li Xianglian’s last bit of hesitation vanished. That night, as she slept beside Wu Yunfang, she secretly placed the Flipping Gu into the ears of this unsuspecting girl...
What a clichéd plot. Ning Xiaoxian complained silently; this was far less sensational than modern romance dramas.
She was curious, "The Li family has passed down poetry for generations, and they’ve never taken in foreigners. How then did she learn the technique of manipulating gu?"
Tu Jin shrugged: "She didn’t learn it. Someone just taught her how to place the gu on Wu Yunfang."
That makes sense, she thought. Time to look for the black hand behind the scenes.
Half a month ago, Li Xianglian was devastated, washing her face with tears every day. One afternoon while she was locked in her room crying, a noise came from outside her door. She paid no attention, but soon the door silently opened, and a woman stood before her, coldly saying: "Your lover is taken away and you only know how to cry; what a lack of spirit. Why don’t you know how to snatch him back?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
