Chapter 420

In the tranquil courtyard, a heavy oppression settled, and a thick gloom covered everyone's hearts.

The black-robed old man walked slowly, his steps light and casual, like someone strolling leisurely in a garden, watching flowers bloom and fade, showing no urgency. Yet the sound of his slow footsteps brought us endless despair.

Chen Zheng struggled to rise, expending his last strength, but the spent Chen Zheng could not block his steps. Chen Zheng was soaked in blood, and even fallen to the ground, he stubbornly struggled to crawl forward.

The outcome seemed predictable; tonight, our entire force would be annihilated.

"Have they arrived? Where exactly are Xiaoqiang and Hai Sheng?" At that moment, I, curled up on the ground trembling, seemed to hear a very familiar voice, a voice that had accompanied me since childhood, one I knew all too well. The voice belonged to Pangzi's father, QingSongShu. It sounded as if it came from far away, yet also as if it were right beside us.

Just then, the black-robed old man's steps inexplicably stopped. He glanced toward the courtyard gate and chuckled with deep meaning: "Interesting, truly interesting."

He not only stopped his steps, but after standing in the courtyard for a moment, he suddenly turned his back on us and walked away slowly, then vanished strangely into the night.

Watching him go, I felt not only strange but also puzzled. He already had victory in his grasp—why let us go?

But I might never find answers to all these doubts, as yin qi invaded my body through the meridians, rampaging within me; perhaps in a moment I would turn completely into a cold corpse.

With a creak, the gate was pushed open, and two figures hurried inside,

At the moment my consciousness began to blur, I saw Yuan Qiu and QingSongShu. It turned out I wasn't dreaming; I had truly heard QingSongShu's words.

"Pangzi is saved!" As this joyful thought flashed through my mind, my vision darkened and I lost consciousness completely.

………………

I don't know how much time had passed, but I seemed to have spent an eternity in a frozen world. There I felt no warmth, surrounded by swirling white snow, only bone‑deep cold.

The frost spread for a long, long time, then I seemed to hear someone hammering hard, shattering the icy world, and sunlight slowly poured in through the breach.

When my consciousness gradually cleared and I woke up groggily, what met my eyes was an unfamiliar place; turning my head, I saw the familiar faces of Yuan Qiu and QingSongShu. Yuan Qiu's fair, scholarly face was covered in many pimples, he looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes, not having slept for who knows how many days.

QingSongShu's stern, square face was also filled with worry and anxiety as he leaned on the table, eyes closed in sleep.

I tried to move my body, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest; looking down, I saw my body covered in silver needles, like a real‑life porcupine.

Perhaps my cry of pain woke Yuan Qiu; his body jerked, and his weary face slowly lifted.

"Awake, Uncle QingSong, Hai Sheng is awake……" Yuan Qiu excitedly grabbed QingSongShu's shoulders and shook him, tears of joy streaming down.

QingSongShu's body jolted, and he quickly turned his gaze toward me.

"QingSongShu……" I gave him a weak smile.

QingSongShu's bloodshot eyes were on the verge of tearing up.

I struggled to sit up, but my body would not obey; any movement sent a bone‑deep stabbing pain.

"Don't move." QingSongShu pressed me down with one hand: "These silver needles are to dispel the yin qi in your body. Though you've awakened, the yin qi hasn't been fully cleared, so for now you must not move recklessly."

QingSongShu said that, so I could only continue lying still. As I slowly drew a few breaths and my muddled mind grew clearer, I immediately asked about Pangzi.

"QingSongShu, how is Pangzi now?"

QingSongShu patted my hand and reassured me: "Xiaoqiang is in the next room; although the Five Thunder God Strike is immensely powerful, fortunately he has trained martial arts for years, his foundation is solid, and he already woke up yesterday."

Then, QingSongShu seemed to recall something, his expression shifting for a while, and he solemnly instructed me: "Xiaoqiang and Xiao Qiu (Yuan Qiu) have already told me what happened. Although I haven't seen the mysterious person who hurt you, someone who understands both the Yin Mountain and Splendid Light martial arts and is also an insect master must be no ordinary figure. Since you've crossed paths with him, you must be extra careful from now on."

"Sorry, QingSongShu, I was wrong!" I sighed and lowered my head in regret. In this matter, Pangzi and I indeed failed to consider enough. Take the Nine Yin Formation, for example—Pangzi's clan records surely note its drawbacks. But Pangzi was careless, or perhaps he rushed in, blindly thinking the Nine Yin Formation could improve the fortune of Chen Zheng's ancestral home, overlooking its flaws, which led to this great disaster.

If I had asked more and thought more before setting up the formation, perhaps the whole affair wouldn't have turned out so badly.

"Uncle QingSong, this time I invited Brother Weiqiang and Hai Sheng to Aomen; any fault is mine alone, don't blame them!" Yuan Qiu anxiously rose to his feet.

QingSongShu waved his hand and smiled faintly: "All right, all right, I don't blame you."

"In the world, every sip and bite is predestined. Though this is a misfortune, people must experience things to grow." QingSongShu glanced at me and Yuan Qiu, then said calmly: "I never fear your mistakes; on the contrary, I hope you make them. For what I teach is always just theory on paper—benefits and harms, good and evil—only after you have lived through them will you gain true understanding, learn how to choose, and walk well on the road ahead."

"Yes… I understand!" I replied sincerely.

QingSongShu gazed at me with indulgence, a hint of fatigue in his expression, then slowly rose and said to me: "Rest well first; I'll go check on Xiaoqiang… and that… girl."

Having said that, he walked out toward the ward's exterior.

After QingSongShu left, I could no longer contain my curiosity and asked Yuan Qiu: "Just now, who was that girl QingSongShu mentioned—could it be Chen Mo? And have you seen Brother Wuchang? How is he doing now?"

Yuan Qiu comforted me: "Don't worry, Brother Wuchang has already been rescued; although he's still hospitalized, his life is out of danger and he can slowly recover. As for the girl QingSongShu just mentioned……"

Yuan Qiu's face showed a hint of bitterness; after a pause, he hoarsely said: "It's Sister‑in‑law Dong Yumin."

Upon hearing that Fan Wuchang was unharmed, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yet when Yuan Qiu mentioned Dong Yumin, I too felt a pang of gloom.

"Is the insect poison in Sister‑in‑law's body really that severe?"

"Very severe!" Yuan Qiu nodded firmly.

He said Dong Yumin's Heart‑Eating Gu had become fused with her heart; even though QingSongShu used silver needles to confine the poison to a certain area, he could not stop the insects from spreading. Now Dong Yumin is no different from a poisoned person—her very blood is toxic—and QingSongShu can only alternate between giving her blood transfusions and forcing out some of the gu from her body.

Moreover, this Heart‑Eating Gu is refined from countless queen ants, and among them there is a king ant; as long as the king ant lives, the worm eggs will proliferate endlessly, making it extremely troublesome.

"Ah… I can only hope Sister‑in‑law catches a lucky break." I sighed, only able to pray for her silently in my heart. I admit that I had indeed harbored reservations and prejudices toward Dong Yumin before, especially when I felt that pang of panic at the banquet, which made me suspect her of being one of those who harmed Chen Zheng.

My speculation was not wrong; inside the courtyard, Dong Yumin's brandishing of a knife proved everything. I only guessed the beginning correctly, not the ending. Dong Yumin was indeed one of those who harmed Chen Zheng, but she was being controlled, compelled to do so. Moreover, even under the insects' control, at the critical moment she managed to break free, and in an instant of clarity she unhesitatingly turned the blade's tip toward herself.

"Heart‑Eating Gu, devouring heart and spirit—I do not know what power allowed Dong Yumin to break free from the insects' grasp at that moment, nor what compelled her to sacrifice herself without hesitation."

Perhaps the reason, which defies ordinary explanation, can be summed up in a single word… love. Dong Yumin's love for Chen Zheng.

……

Amid anxiety and worry, another day passed; the next day, QingSongShu finally came to remove my needles. Afterwards I discovered I could not summon a trace of qi; my body felt empty, devoid of any spiritual power.

In an instant I was dazed, unable to regain my composure for a long while. Later QingSongShu explained everything, and my heart eased somewhat.

QingSongShu said that, because I suffered a backlash while resisting the invasion of yin qi, my meridians were damaged, and my internal spiritual power and yin qi became intertwined and knotted. Using yin needles to drain the yin qi inevitably drained the spiritual power as well. However, this is only temporary; as long as I nurse my body back to health, clear my meridians, my spiritual power will gradually recover.

For this I could only sigh helplessly, on the verge of tears. Especially after shaving my head and tying on a leather eyepatch, looking at my reflection I resembled a Republican‑era bandit, which made me want to cry even more.

As for why I had to shave my head to fashion a one‑eyed dragon image, there must be a reason, and I certainly did not do it willingly—I was forced……

Having been scorched by lightning in the courtyard, my hair was already burnt to a crisp. If I didn't shave it off, no new hair would grow, and without hair I couldn't cover my left eye… If I left my left eye exposed, stepping onto the street would surely terrify a crowd.

Gazing at my reflection, I even began to doubt whether my usual flamboyant manner had gone too far—since they say showing off invites lightning strikes, perhaps I should henceforth be more low‑key and restrained.

In short, this period can be said to be the darkest time of my life; amid this oppressive and painful stretch, the suffering me unexpectedly grasped a certain principle,

No wonder people say that the flowers one loves have owners; look at my reflection in the mirror… I instantly understood why all famous flowers have owners—my appearance is truly pitiful to behold… sigh.

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