Chapter 274: Chapter 193: Time to Settle the Score
Before the tall man could finish, the white-robed cultivator beside him clamped a hand over his mouth, shooting him a harsh glare to silence him.
Then, with a hint of terror, he bowed to Song Changsheng. "Senior, my brother here has a loose tongue. Please, be the bigger person and don’t hold it against him."
Song Changsheng couldn’t help but regard him with a newfound respect. The man had clearly discerned his level of cultivation, yet he still stood up for his brother. ’He’s a competent leader.’
Seeing his leader’s expression, the tall man finally realized his blunder. His face instantly went pale, and cold sweat began to pour from his pores.
Song Changsheng waved a dismissive hand. "Relax. I just want to ask about Luoxia City. You said it’s been locked down?"
The white-robed cultivator breathed an inward sigh of relief, discreetly wiping the sweat from his brow. "In response to Senior’s question, I don’t know much myself. I just ran into a friend on the road."
"He told me that Luoxia City has been locked down. They’ve also sent word of a Beast Tide to the surrounding provinces, warning all the major powers to be on alert. That’s all I know."
After he finished, a hesitant expression returned to his face.
"Speak freely."
Upon hearing that, the white-robed cultivator gritted his teeth. "There is one other rumor. It’s said that this Beast Tide will be massive, and that the Old Flood Dragon from the Black Water Marsh might even take action personally."
"I don’t know where the rumor came from, and it’s not very reliable. But on the principle that it’s better to be safe than sorry, I decided to take my brothers to the Yua Kingdom to try and make a living."
’The Old Flood Dragon is taking action personally...’ Song Changsheng’s heart sank. He was certainly no stranger to the fearsome reputation of the Old Flood Dragon of the Black Water Marsh. It was the Demon King in the Hundred Thousand Mountains closest to reaching Tier Five.
Over the past thousand years, it had single-handedly orchestrated the most devastating Beast Tides to ever threaten the Daqi Cultivation World.
Although the white-robed cultivator called it a rumor, Song Changsheng’s intuition told him it was very likely true.
If he were in its position—if he were the Old Flood Dragon of the Black Water Marsh—he too would choose this moment, when the Daqi Cultivation World was at its most chaotic, to deliver a fatal blow.
A sudden anxiety gripped his heart. Ling Province and Bian Province were interconnected. Although Luoxia City stood on the front lines against the Beast Tide, it couldn’t possibly stop every single Demon Beast.
If even a fraction of the Demon Beasts broke through the Luoxia City defensive line, it would be catastrophic for Ling Province, which was still recovering from a major war.
Seeing Song Changsheng remain silent, the white-robed cultivator had no choice but to stay in his bow. The others around them didn’t dare to make a sound.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Changsheng looked at the white-robed cultivator. "I’m very satisfied with your answer. Therefore, I’m going to give you all a chance to live. It all depends on whether you’re willing to cooperate."
At his words, the men’s faces changed. They looked at Song Changsheng in alarm, wondering what he intended to do.
Although the white-robed cultivator was also flustered, he forced himself to remain composed. "What do you mean, Senior?"
Song Changsheng glanced around the room. "This isn’t the place. If you trust me, follow me somewhere we can speak privately."
The white-robed cultivator hesitated for only a second before replying, "We await Senior’s guidance."
"Good. Then follow me."
Song Changsheng nodded and called over a waiter. "Get me a private room, one large enough for all of us. And move the food and wine from that table into the room."
The waiter promptly fulfilled his request.
Song Changsheng then called over to the two siblings who had been watching from the side. "You two come as well. This will be an educational experience."
Once the group had been led into the private room by the waiter, Song Changsheng waved his sleeve, sealing the doors and windows shut and laying down a Restriction.
This series of actions made the loose cultivators’ eyes twitch uncontrollably. If Song Changsheng wanted them dead, they wouldn’t even have a chance to flee.
Song Changsheng took the seat at the head of the table and looked at the profusely sweating white-robed cultivator. In a heavy tone, he said, "Think hard. Since yesterday, have you provoked or come into contact with anyone... unusual?"
His question left them completely baffled.
The white-robed cultivator looked bewildered. "We only entered the city yesterday. We haven’t provoked anyone at all."
Song Changsheng’s brow furrowed slightly. He turned to the tall man who had been so insolent earlier. "Give me your hand."
The tall man timidly held out his hand.
SLICE!
Song Changsheng gripped the man’s wrist with his left hand. With his right, he formed a blade with his fingers and sliced open the man’s palm. Bright red blood instantly welled up.
As everyone watched in confusion, Song Changsheng channeled a small amount of Spiritual Power, then picked up a pair of jade chopsticks from the table. From the open wound, he tweezed out a black, soybean-sized worm.
The tall man’s face turned green with horror at the sight.
A commotion rippled through the rest of the men. The white-robed cultivator stared wide-eyed at the insect, stammering, "Senior... what... what is this?"
Song Changsheng didn’t answer him, instead turning his gaze to his two young relatives. "Do you know what this is?"
"It looks like... some kind of Gu insect?" Song Qingxi said hesitantly, leaning in for a closer look.
"Correct. This is a Blood Evil Gu. Once it’s implanted in a host, they unknowingly become a vessel for nurturing it, eventually dying as their entire body rots from the inside out."
"You haven’t been exposed for long, so the Gu is still in the flesh. Once it reaches the heart, even I wouldn’t be able to save you." A cold glint flashed in Song Changsheng’s eyes. ’I suspected something from the start, and now I’m sure I know who did this.’
"A Gu insect?" The white-robed cultivator’s face paled in horror.
Gu Masters were rare; many people could go their entire lives without ever encountering one. But everyone knew just how terrifying their Gu were.
"Who? Who would do something so vile? Senior, do we have these Gu insects inside us as well?" The white-robed cultivator’s lips trembled with rage.
Song Changsheng nodded. "Yes, every single one of you. That’s why I asked if you’d made an enemy. Otherwise, there’s no reason they would single out your group."
"I’ll be frank, I know the person who planted this Gu. They are a master among Foundation Establishment Cultivators; they wouldn’t have attacked you without a reason."
At his words, all the men began to rack their brains, trying to recall any recent incidents.
After a moment, a timid voice spoke up. "Senior, I think I might know."
"Speak."
"Before we entered the city, we’d hunted a batch of Demon Beast Materials. We happened to be passing by the estate of a Cultivation Family, so our leader sold the materials to them. As we were leaving, we ran into a strange person, completely shrouded in a black robe and acting suspiciously."
"Our fourth brother saw him and hurled a few insults. The person didn’t react at the time. When we passed him, I was walking at the very back. The robed figure lifted his head, and I saw a deathly pale face. It gave me the creeps."
"I didn’t think much of it then, but now that I’m remembering it, that has to be it."
As he finished speaking, the white-robed cultivator shot the tall man a venomous glare before turning to Song Changsheng and pleading, "Honorable Senior, please save our lives! I am willing to give you everything I have."
Song Changsheng shook his head. "Payment won’t be necessary. But I need you to take me back to the place where you encountered that black-robed man."
"I will accompany you, Senior," the white-robed cultivator said firmly, without a moment’s hesitation.
"Good."
Song Changsheng found himself admiring the man.
One by one, he extracted the Gu insects from each of the men. At the same time, he taught his two young relatives how to defend against Gu and how to remove them if they were ever discovered.
After dealing with their problem, Song Changsheng turned to his young relatives. "You two head back to the inn for now. I’m taking this fellow cultivator outside the city to settle a personal score."
"Please be careful, Uncle." Song Qingxi obediently followed his instructions, pulling the wooden Song Qingxing along with her as they returned to the inn.
"There’s no time to waste. Let’s go now."
Song Changsheng grabbed the white-robed cultivator and, following his directions, transformed into a streak of light, shooting out of the city.
It had been years, but Song Changsheng had never forgotten this feud. He had thought he would never get the chance for revenge, but to his surprise, what he had searched high and low for had just fallen right into his lap.
’Feng Wuming, it’s time we settled the score!’
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