Chapter 105: He Knows How to Deal with Worms (Third Chapter)

The Drifting Master, originally dozens of zhang away from the Locust Witch, flicked out his tongue, which instantly extended dozens of zhang to warmly detain her.

The Locust Witch kicked back hard, trying to sever the tongue with the saw-like teeth on her insect legs.

Unexpectedly, the Drifting Master’s tongue was even tougher than Xu Yuan’s beast-tendon rope—and remained utterly unharmed!

And the trapped Locust Witch made a perfect target!

“Boom!”

Xu Yuan fired.

His rifle wasn’t accurate enough, but the Locust Witch’s massive body meant the shot struck her belly, blowing open a wound the size of a washbasin.

The Locust Witch shrieked in midair as foul-smelling dark-yellow fluid sprayed everywhere.

The Locust Witch knew that if she stayed entangled, she was dead—she bit down hard and severed her own hind leg; the Drifting Master’s tongue snapped back, still clutching the insect limb.

The Drifting Master didn’t hesitate—he curled the giant leg into his mouth and crunched it down.

The Locust Witch staggered upward, then suddenly felt something moving inside her belly!

The golden pill buried inside her surged upward in an instant, reaching her chest and abdomen!

“No—”

The Locust Witch had barely cried out when the golden pill exploded.

Boom!

Shattered tissues flew everywhere.

Bai Lao’s Eye had already raised his bow, determined not to let the Locust Witch escape.

But the Locust Witch had been blown to pieces.

He had just lowered his bow when—plop—a half-locust head landed right in front of him.

The old mountain runner sneered, stepped forward, and chopped off the locust eye—big as a bowl—with a woodcutter’s axe, then stored it in a leather pouch.

To others, the corpse of a malevolent spirit was extremely dangerous.

To Bai Lao’s Eye, it was an excellent prize.

Only the Drifting Master knew why his eyes had become this way.

The locust swarm still viciously tore and devoured each other around the human skin; Xu Yuan led everyone back to Lu Zhengyan’s side.

Master Qin was on the verge of death—he had hidden inside the ghost temple, but the temple statue, affected by Xu Yuan’s “Hunger Devour,” wanted to eat him.

Master Qin used every last trick to resist the temple statue, barely clinging to life.

All to preserve the faintest hope of completing his mission.

He hoped the Locust Witch could turn the tide, hoped the elusive Haikou Toad would arrive at the last moment.

But now, all hope was shattered.

Master Qin refused to accept it!

Seeing Xu Yuan’s group approach, Master Qin mustered his final strength, spitting blood from mouth and nose as he cursed: “You borderland underlings—shortsighted, foolish beyond belief!”

Xu Yuan frowned, puzzled by the insult, but Yan Lao and the other two, seasoned veterans, rushed forward instantly—one gripped his jaw, another searched his body; Fu Jingyu tore open the shattered armor on his chest and gasped: “Baoxin Worm!”

Beneath the skin, the grotesque demon worm had already bitten through and devoured Master Qin’s heart; three black tendrils had already bound his soul into a tight bundle, shoving it toward its mouth…

Xu Yuan swiftly felt his body and pulled out a smooth, jade-like object.

It emitted a faint medicinal fragrance.

The Baoxin Worm, nearly biting into the soul, froze—its sharp snout protruded from beneath the flesh, as if confirming something.

Fu Jingyu and the others tensed: they must preserve Qin’s soul—it was the last clue!

The others had died earlier; their souls had already drifted away.

And Qin was the leader—he knew the most.

But this cursed worm had consumed Qin’s most cherished possession and faithfully carried out his final command.

Though drawn by the scent of the Tai Sui Jade, it had poked out its snout, yet its two tendrils still clamped tightly onto Qin’s soul.

If they acted, it had to be precise—and swift.

Any delay, even a fraction of a second, and the Baoxin Worm would tear the soul apart completely.

Xu Yuan gave Fu Jingyu a look: Think of a way!

Fu Jingyu whispered: “I have the method to bind the three souls, but this Baoxin Worm… its body is as hard as iron, its life stubborn—I can’t do anything.”

Xu Yuan turned to Yan Lao and Lu Lao.

Lu Lao shook his head first—his martial techniques were broad and forceful, useless against such a tiny demon worm.

Moreover, Wu Xiu’s qi and blood were volatile; a strike might shatter the nearby soul along with the worm.

Yan Lao clutched a counting rod tightly, hesitating: “If there’s truly no other way… I’ll try.”

Xu Yuan knew at once: Yan Da was just like him—willing to step up, but without full confidence.

Xu Yuan’s dagger could also handle this worm.

Xu Yuan slowly pulled back with one hand, dragging the “Tai Sui Jade” to lure the black, grotesque Baoxin Worm inch by inch out of the flesh; with his other hand, he gripped the dagger: “Yan Da, strike—if anything goes wrong, I’ll do my best to fix it.”

“Alright!” Yan Lao gritted his teeth and asked Fu Jingyu: “Where’s its vital point?”

Fu Jingyu, from a learned family: “Its abdomen.”

Yan Lao swiftly calculated—confirming Fu Jingyu was correct.

The worm had been pulled out halfway; Yan Lao widened his eyes, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Suddenly, a white shadow shot in from behind Xu Yuan—“Ang!”—it extended its neck and swallowed the Baoxin Worm along with Qin’s soul in a single gulp!

“Da Fu!” Xu Yuan shouted, lunging for the white goose’s neck, trying to squeeze the worm back out.

Fu Jingyu sighed and stopped his hand: “No use—it’s too late.”

Even without Fu Jingyu’s intervention, Da Fu spat out the worm, kicked its big webbed feet, and scurried away—wobbling, yet astonishingly fast!

Xu Yuan’s grasp met empty air; without fire wheels, he could never catch it.

Da Fu flapped his wings triumphantly, honking loudly, circling everyone once.

Then he returned before Xu Yuan, opened his beak, and—glug—spat out a bubble.

Inside the bubble: Qin’s soul.

Unharmed!

Xu Yuan was overjoyed and immediately called to Fu Jingyu: “Quick, act!”

Fu Jingyu cast his spell, firmly binding Qin’s soul!

Yan Lao beamed at Da Fu and said to Xu Yuan: “Da Fu is quite the expert at dealing with worms.”

Xu Yuan patted his forehead in praise; Da Fu ducked his neck to avoid it.

“Immediate soul interrogation!”

Bai Lao’s Eye and the Drifting Master stepped back voluntarily to “clean up the battlefield.”

Fu Jingyu cast several spells, and Qin’s soul spoke without reservation.

The Qu Hui Office was unquestionably the expert here—they had many methods to preserve memory while erasing consciousness.

“What exactly were you doing in Ghost Witch Mountain?”

Qin’s soul, vacant, replied: “To negotiate with the malevolent spirits within, and persuade them to leave Ghost Witch Mountain.”

“What?!” Everyone present was stunned—was this not pure fantasy?

“The malevolent spirits were born and raised here—how could they possibly leave Ghost Witch Mountain?”

“We’ll find them a better place. And as long as those few on Guanghuo Street agree, most of the head monsters will follow.”

“The ordinary malevolent spirits in the mountains? Irrelevant—the Shanhe Office can clear them out.”

(End of Chapter)