Chapter 483: Prepare Mentally

In the evening, the monk sent someone to inform them, saying the matter had succeeded!

"It actually succeeded! As expected of Yuan Yan!" Qilin clenched a fist.

Mu Yuanzhi: "Let's go see!"

Gu Rongjin: "I'm really looking forward to it."

The three arrived at the ice cellar, and the first to greet them was the witch doctor, who said, "You need to prepare yourselves mentally."

What mental preparation?

The three looked at each other, isn't it already done?

"What kind of mental preparation?" Mu Yuanzhi asked uncertainly.

The witch doctor hesitated, then said, "It might be a bit frightening."

"It's fine, we've all weathered great storms!" Gu Rongjin stepped forward, striding ahead, eager to see the reborn Pei Shangling as a gu insect.

Qilin followed closely behind, turning to Mu Yuanzhi and said, "At worst it's a little ugly, no problem, senior sister."

Mu Yuanzhi nodded: "Ugly appearance is nothing compared to an ugly heart."

"Fortunately he has turned over a new leaf, otherwise he'd be just as ugly and scary." Qilin finished speaking, then heard Gu Rongjin let out a startled cry!

Considering Gu Rongjin rarely lets out such an earth-shattering cry, Qilin and Mu Yuanzhi exchanged a doubtful glance and hurried over in three steps.

Just how scary is it?!

"Wah!" Qilin, who was walking ahead of Mu Yuanzhi, also let out a cry!

Mu Yuanzhi, who arrived afterward, did not cry out but instead sucked in a breath, as if a startled cry were stuck in her throat.

"This..."

This isn't just a bit scary, it's really scary, okay?!

Monk: "Amitabha."

"Is this a person or a gu insect?!"

Mu Yuanzhi was the first among the three to regain her voice, pointing at the strange creature lying flat on the ground and asking.

In length it matches the height of an adult man, yet it looks like a gu insect, moving with a wriggle, its whole pitch-black body exuding an eerie aura—completely a gu insect that has taken on a human form!

It's too frightening!

"It could swallow a person whole..." Gu Rongjin gulped.

Qilin instinctively wanted to hide behind someone, but then remembered he was now the head of a sect, so he forced himself to step forward.

The monk firmly told them, "This is definitely a gu insect."

"Such a huge gu insect, can't possibly be taken back, right?!" Qilin's face twisted in anguish, "How are we supposed to raise it?"

Witch doctor: "It can be taken back."

Upon hearing that, the three all looked at him.

The witch doctor said, then went outside; Mu Yuanzhi and the others followed his movements with their gaze, curious what he would fetch to contain it, only to see him bring in several braziers.

?

What is this for?

Amid their curiosity, the witch doctor placed the braziers beside Pei Shangling's gu insect; the blazing coals instantly heated the whole room, making some people even break into a sweat.

Just as Mu Yuanzhi couldn't help but want to ask, Qilin beside her cried out again, "It's starting to shrink!"

Gu Rongjin rubbed his eyes, "It really is shrinking!"

Mu Yuanzhi doubted, "This doesn't follow thermal expansion and contraction..."

What principle?

Qilin: "Maybe it's heat contraction and cold expansion?"

Needless to say, the shrinking Pei Shangling gu insect became much more pleasing to the eye.

The monk explained, "Actually it absorbed water and expanded; just dry it out."

"No wonder you moved him out of the ice cellar..." Qilin now understood.

Mu Yuanzhi stared speechless, "What a case of water absorption and expansion."

Is this a sponge?

Once Pei Shangling's gu insect had shrunk small enough to fit in a palm, the witch doctor placed it into the usual ceramic jar for gu insects and handed it to Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi took the ceramic jar with mixed feelings, leaned in to look, and saw that inside the jar Pei Shangling's gu insect was pitch-black and hard to discern, except for a pair of bright, sparkling eyes fixed on her, making it clear where its face was.

"Pei Shangling?"

For some unknown reason, Mu Yuanzhi called out to him.

The pitch-black mouth opened toward Mu Yuanzhi.

Gu Rongjin exclaimed in surprise, "It can understand us!"

Oh no, will Xiao Yuanzhi think it's cute?!

Gu Rongjin carefully observed Mu Yuanzhi's reaction, noticing that her daughter-in-law was cautious with a hint of dislike, and then he relaxed.

Who would find a gu insect cute?! He was overthinking.

Qilin also leaned in to look: "It seems it can't speak?"

Gu Rongjin: "If it could speak, that would be spooky!"

"But it can understand our words; look, it's responding again." Mu Yuanzhi said.

Gu Rongjin suddenly thought of a question: "If no one kills a gu insect, how long can it live?"

Qilin: "As long as someone feeds it blood, it can stay alive."

Gu Rongjin: "Right, gu insects need to be fed human blood—who's going to feed him?!"

Qilin: "Naturally it's me, since Pei Shangling did it all to save me."

Let's just write off the affairs of our past life.

Pei Shangling will be raised just like an ordinary gu worm.

"Alright." Gu Rongjin nodded, "Other gu worms have their own uses—what can this one do?!"

Mu Yuanzhi stroked her chin and asked, "Can it function the same as before?"

The witch doctor said, "I doubt it's possible."

The monk laughed and said, "It's time to put his new use to work."

"For example?"

"For example, to absorb the Flame Pool." the monk said with a curled lip.

The witch doctor's eyes lit up upon hearing it: "Great idea."

Mu Yuanzhi hesitated and said, "It currently absorbs water and expands; it only shrinks when dried… So to absorb the Flame Pool, it would have to swell to an enormous size, right?"

"Although it's a huge project, I think it's feasible! Maybe the miasma here can be dispelled by Pei Shangling!" the Qilin exclaimed, rubbing its hands excitedly.

Gu Rongjin said, "If that's really the case, Pei Shangling would make a huge contribution."

The Qilin said, "Once we succeed, we'll set up a memorial tablet for it and receive people's incense offerings."

Mu Yuanzhi said, "Just like that, we've happily decided!"

The Pei Shangling gu in the jar also seemed quite happy.

"No way—since Pei Shangling turned into a gu worm, I find it increasingly displeasing!" Gu Rongjin said, crossing her arms.

"How could that be? I actually find it increasingly pleasing." the Qilin disagreed.

Mu Yuanzhi nodded, "At least it can make a considerable contribution."

"It's your attitude like this that makes me find it increasingly displeasing!" Gu Rongjin muttered.

Then everyone ignored him and got started on their plan.

First, we need to build an artificial pool beside the Flame Pool to store water, then place Pei Shangling inside to absorb the pool's clean water, let it swell to towering height, and then try to absorb the Flame Pool.

The plan is tentatively like this, but Gu Rongjin objected: "Can we guarantee that the gu worm Pei Shangling, once it becomes a colossal creature, will remain under our control? What if it attacks us—can we handle it?"

Mu Yuanzhi said, "It won't attack us; it has its own consciousness."

"What if it loses its self-awareness after swelling to a certain extent?" Gu Rongjin added.