Chapter 19: Red Silk Entanglement

"You..." Qingyuan looked at Lingxiao in doubt, as if he didn't know him!

Is this still that good disciple of his who is always cold and unsmiling? Is this still that good disciple of his who never asks for help and acts independently?

Qingyuan carefully examined Lingxiao and Shi Ran, then suddenly realized!

If Lingxiao is the real deal, then there is only one possibility!

Lingxiao's Red Phoenix Star finally moved! Heavens! Earth! My deceased senior brother! Our little Lingxiao has finally grown love threads!

Qingyuan sniffed, nearly bursting into tears—it's not easy. Thinking that he had never taken a disciple, and his senior brother had only taken Lingxiao as a disciple, the two of them hated to not pass on all their learning to him.

But he liked to wander the four seas, while his senior brother liked to roam slaying demons; for a long time, only Lingxiao remained on the mountain. Originally a lively and lovable child, he gradually became unsmiling, cold as an iceberg.

This is understandable, after all the cultivation method is dull and tasteless; in the long years of cultivation, only Lingxiao explored forward, thanks to his exceptional talent and deep comprehension, he avoided falling into the demonic path.

At thirteen he reached Golden Core stage, leading all the way in the secret realm contests held by the major sects; after seventeen, among his peers he had no rival.

Look! Such a heaven‑chosen prodigy, actually lowering himself to beg this little old man for a disciple's sake—something never seen before! The key is, this disciple is a lovely maiden! A lovely maiden!

Qingyuan was excited!

He seemed to see the two of them marrying in the future, a grand banquet with guests; his old face unconsciously flushed, and he remained silent for a long while.

Lingxiao never expected that a single sentence would stir so many thoughts in Qingyuan; he merely watched his uncle master stay silent, and increasingly felt that the Red Silk Entanglement on Shi Ran was hard to resolve.

"What's going on?" Since it concerned herself, Shi Ran was frantic; Qingyuan still blushed and giggled foolishly, so she only begged Lingxiao, "Master, can I really live?" How many more chapters can she live? Give her a quick answer!

"She can live!"

Qingyuan suddenly slapped his thigh, "She must live!" Otherwise, what about his good disciple? What about his grand wedding banquet? What about the gift money he gave out?

Therefore he poured all his learning into it, also wanting Shi Ran to survive!

He looked at Shi Ran, changed his previous demeanor, and smiled kindly: "Don't think that because you're afflicted with the Red Silk Entanglement, and don't think that I, this old man, currently have no solution—but! Where there is a knot there is a solution; rest assured, I will definitely let you live until you no longer wish to live!"

Why is his smile so ugly! Shi Ran became even more frightened; she pitifully looked at Lingxiao and said, "Master, I… I… am I going to die?"

"Hey! You little girl!" … He actually still questioned him! Even if she is Lingxiao's… disciple, he cannot forgive!

"Uncle Master!" Lingxiao shook his head at the excited Qingyuan, saying, "Let me explain!"

"Yo yo yo!" He just got protective! Qingyuan instantly became honest, sat down smiling, and said, "You say, you say!"

Lingxiao…… how come I feel something's off?

But he quickly came to his senses, and explained to the several disciples, especially Shi Ran: "Shi Ran is afflicted with the Red Silk Entanglement; it's not a poison, but a Gu!"

"Gu requires a seed; it is divided into mother Gu and child Gu. Mother Gu needs a fully formed mother worm to be seeded; child Gu needs none—just drop the worm eggs into food or drink, colorless and tasteless!"

"So I was seeded with child Gu?" Shi Ran guessed, after all everyone around her is cultivators like Lingxiao—how could they plant worm larvae in her? She doesn't want to live!

Who would have thought—Lingxiao actually shook his head: "No, you were seeded with mother Gu!"

No one knows when, where, or why the Gu suddenly stirred! But that red thread is the mother Gu wandering in Shi Ran's body; Lingxiao guesses perhaps some mechanism triggered the mother Gu's agitation, which let him notice it—but besides that, he knows it's still too little; aside from suppression, he can hardly think of any other solution.

Qi Chengshuang, although he couldn't bear to see Shi Ran well, was still made to have his hairs stand on end by Lingxiao's mother worm child worm; he fears worms more than anything in his life, all kinds of worms scare him, and he anxiously said, "Kill the seeded Gu… the Gu worms—wouldn't that solve it? We cultivators… we still can't deal with a single worm?!"

This time Qingyuan actually returned to normal, explaining: "The problem is, the Red Silk Entanglement is not an ordinary Gu! It was a last resort devised by an Immortal Master in ancient times to restrain the demon race!"

Qingyuan sipped tea and continued: "The Immortal Master's name cannot be verified nowadays; the story has various versions; even what happens if one is afflicted with this unsolvable Red Silk Entanglement differs in the telling!"

"The only thing we can be sure of is that this Red Silk Entanglement… must be resolved as soon as possible!"

Otherwise her little life would still be in danger! Shi Ran's legs went weak, she was about to kneel, but Luo Changfeng caught her in time. Still, her mouth remained vicious: "Junior Sister, how did you actually stir up this messy business!"

"Don't be afraid!" Lingxiao also spoke again: "In this world, everything has mutual generation and restriction; since there is this Gu, there must certainly be someone who can resolve Gu!"

"But before we find that person, I give you the Cold Moon Long Jade Hairpin—you must never take it off; it is the supreme treasure of the Moon‑Treading Immortal Lord from antiquity, and can temporarily suppress the Red Silk Entanglement!"

Actually this is not a love token, but a life‑preserving treasure! Shi Ran touched her hair bun, nodded firmly: "Master, rest assured—as long as the hairpin remains, I remain; if the hairpin is lost, I am lost."

Lingxiao cleared his throat, inexplicably feeling a sense of weakness—such a chaotic oath had better not be sworn over hair!

Qingyuan suddenly clapped his hands: "This old man suddenly remembered something!"

Everyone: ⊙﹏⊙

Lingxiao was in a tough spot, asking Qingyuan, "Uncle Master, what did you think of?"

"Lianhua Secret Realm! This time, among the prizes for winning in the Lianhua Secret Realm, there is a book titled *Nine Heavens Nine Earths Mysterious Treasure Chronicle*; this book records the Red Silk Entanglement!"

"Huh? The prize is just one book?" Qi Chengshuang looked bewildered: "Then we might as well not go to the Lianhua Secret Realm!"

Qingyuan jumped up in anger: "Is that the point?!"

"What the Grand Uncle Master means…" Gu Yusheng finally turned around, facing Shi Ran with a half‑smile: "We must first obtain first place in the Lianhua Secret Realm, then obtain this Mysterious Treasure Chronicle, and then see if the Red Silk Entanglement has an antidote? The problem is!"

Gu Yusheng gave Shi Ran an up‑and‑down glance: "The problem is, can Junior Sister actually get first place?"

"What do you mean!" Shi Ran flared up—just because he's the male lead he can joke about people at will?!

"Literal meaning!" Gu Yusheng couldn't be bothered to say another word! He felt that, based on Shi Ran's ability, whether she could drag out to be eliminated within the top thirty is debatable.

"She isn't going alone!" Lingxiao hammered it home: "You all have to go! We need team first place!"

What!

The heavy fools stared at each other!

Did they hear wrong?

Lying Mei Ruoxue suddenly struggled to sit up: "We'll go together; even if Shi Ran is no longer human, as a disciple of the Fumeng Sect, no one else gets to take her life!"

Shi Ran: "Senior Sister, I thank you!!"