Chapter 270: Blood Gu Worm Grants Immortality? The Witch Appears!

Leng Dian and Zhui Yu were both shocked upon hearing that.

Zhui Yu: "Your Highness, this…… isn't he just the lackey who always introduces the auctions for everyone? He actually is the owner of this gambling house?"

Duan Rongshi did not explain to Zhui Yu.

He simply reached out and pulled Li Qingluo back a bit.

"Be careful not to fall, what's there to see? He's wearing a mask, and just like you, it's hard to tell his gender."

Li Qingluo: "……"

Your Highness, can you shut up?

Zhui Yu beside him: "Look, Your Highness is becoming more and more caring."

It's truly comforting and moving.

Zheng Mama: "Good heavens, is this really the bloodthirsty, ruthless Prince Su, the Yama killing god, as rumored?!!"

Speaking so gently to their lady, it's truly not this old thing dreaming or having an illusion?

Zheng Mama couldn't help but pinch herself hard.

Then she laughed.

It seems the rumors are occasionally unfounded; Prince Su is actually quite considerate.

Only Nan Gongdi had no reaction, leaning by the window and coldly staring down below.

Li Qingluo sat down, and just then she suddenly saw that the side room's window, which had never been opened, finally opened.

She involuntarily stretched her neck to look over there.

Then she heard a few faint coughs; before she could see what it was, a figure blocked her view.

That figure suddenly turned its head and glanced at Li Qingluo.

Li Qingluo immediately honestly shrank her head back.

Zheng Lingzhou!

How could it be him?

The Lotus Sect truly is everywhere; their presence is found wherever.

Li Qingluo furrowed her brows and hid herself completely inside the window; Duan Rongshi noticed her abnormality, "Did you run into someone you know?"

Li Qingluo did not hide it either: "Your Highness, it's a Lotus Sect person. You also know them."

Fortunately they were all in disguise today; otherwise they might not easily escape.

Duan Rongshi seemed not surprised that there were Lotus Sect people here; he casually rested his arm on the windowsill, then suddenly pointed at the two corners below: "They're all Lotus Sect."

Li Qingluo: "Your Highness knows there are so many Lotus Sect followers here today, then why……"

She immediately thought: Duan Rongshi should currently be confined in the Prince Su's Mansion, reflecting behind closed doors.

Thus he has no authority, making it impossible to openly lead people to suppress this heretical cult's stronghold.

Then she also closed her mouth.

Duan Rongshi however said: "Not just today; every auction, this place is full of Lotus Sect followers."

Li Qingluo: "So this gambling house has already been taken over by the Lotus Sect? Your Highness, since you know, why haven't you……"

Duan Rongshi looked at her: "That's not for you to inquire about; inquire less. Be careful not to bring fire upon yourself."

He curled his lips, as if teasing her, yet also as if speaking seriously.

Li Qingluo thought: Fortunately she has always kept a clear distinction from Zheng Lingzhou, and Prince Su has personally witnessed her firm attitude several times; otherwise it would really be impossible to disentangle.

She thought of her own bastard older brother.

Even Uncle De has not yet found out his exact whereabouts.

So is he really still alive?

If he is alive, is he perhaps hiding together with this Zheng Lingzhou inside the Lotus Sect?

But even so, there is not a hint of news, showing how secretive his movements are.

Back when she was still at the Jiangjun Fu, Li Qingluo indeed wanted to find him and then strike early to eliminate future trouble.

Whether one calls her ruthless or heartless, even if she were to face retribution, she does not want to involve herself and her grandmother in the confiscation and extermination of their clan due to this bastard older brother's ties with the Lotus Sect.

But now she and her grandmother are considered to have withdrawn from the Jiangjun Fu at East Chant Lane.

If she could persuade her grandmother to write a letter of severing kinship……

Then this bastard older brother, no matter whether he will ever appear before the world again, or whether he lives or dies, Li Qingluo will no longer care.

"Miss, look!"

Zheng Mama suddenly pointed at the hall and exclaimed; Li Qingluo lowered her head to look down, only to see that the pink flesh worm was actually poured from the glazed bottle by the black-clothed masked young man into a large wooden tub filled with water.

Then he seemed to also add a bottle of something into the wooden tub.

It looked like fresh red blood!

Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi both stood up, leaned close to the window, and looked down carefully.

Looking at the windows of all the side rooms on the second floor, they are now crowded with figures; evidently everyone is extremely curious, wanting to know what that pink giant flesh worm actually is.

Duan Rongshi sensed a probing gaze; when he slowly turned his head to look that way, only Zheng Lingzhou's half face faintly appeared in the window.

Duan Rongshi let out a cold snort, his broad arm completely blocking the possibility of Li Qingluo being peered at by others.

At this moment Zheng Lingzhou, although he withdrew his gaze, still called his subordinates in: "Go, check what identity those people in those side rooms have."

Zheng Wanxiu: "What's up? Did you encounter any suspicious persons?"

Zheng Lingzhou: "An extremely hideous person, plus several individuals wearing masks that conceal their identities."

"Although there's nothing particularly special about them, lately we all need to be careful and not be careless."

Zheng Wanxiu nodded upon hearing: "Although we now have more eyes and ears of the Lotus Sect in the court, sometimes it's indeed hard to tell true from false."

"Moreover, our stronghold in Green Pine Town is becoming increasingly conspicuous, yet it has not yet drawn the court's vigilance…… Even I find it strange: aside from Prince Su, does anyone in the court pay attention to us?"

Although the Macau gambling house's operations are rather covert, it is impossible for the court to have not even a whisper of news.

Yet over the past two years, the Macau gambling house's fame has grown ever larger, while the court seems to show no sign whatsoever of intending to crack down on this place.

This has caused their Lotus Sect to become increasingly unrestrained, treating this place entirely as a venue for amassing wealth and winning over people's hearts.

Zheng Wanxiu, however, has always felt some burden in her heart, thinking this matter will not be so simple.

Zheng Lingzhou: "Older sister, you are a woman after all; sometimes you are overly cautious."

"Nowadays, on the surface, only Prince Su in the court is severely cracking down on our Lotus Sect, and he has always been the most ferocious and strict. But do you really think that among this mixed crowd, there are no court spies?"

"The Macau gambling house now takes in more silver each day than half of Jinling City combined, with gold and silver flowing in like water; such immense wealth—do you really think no one would be greedy and envious?"

"It's merely a game between the two sides; neither is willing to temporarily give up this chunk of fat. How could it be easily exposed before the world, leading to collapse and ruin?"

"You haven't realized that in the Daliang court already many people have reached into this gambling house, trying to thoroughly muddy the waters here, all hoping to scoop up some profit and get a piece of the meat."

"If the court does nothing and lets this place rot away… but if one day it completely turns hostile, that will be the outcome and result of the game."

"But what does this have to do with us? It's merely a gambling house of obscure origin; our Lotus Sect can abandon it and leave at any time."

Zheng Wanxiu whispered: "But this place is the sect leader……"

Zheng Lingzhou: "As long as the Daliang dynasty utterly decays and rots, the sect leader's ideal realm will naturally draw nearer; what harm is there in a mere gambling house?"

Zheng Wanxiu listened with a tightly furrowed brow, until suddenly a sharp cough came from behind her.

She immediately turned her head back to Jingchuan's side: "Little Chuan, are you alright? Someone, stoke the furnace fire higher!"

"It's all Mother's fault; today she wanted to bring you out to see the liveliness, but she didn't expect that you had already caught a chill in the Prefect's manor dungeon, your body severely harmed, and this ordeal is just making you suffer again."

Jingchuan shook his head.

"Mother, I'm fine. You don't even know my old ailment? When the weather warms up a bit, I'll be able to go out for a walk."

Zheng Lingzhou looked on silently, saying nothing.

Jingchuan suddenly asked: "By the way, how is that pink meat worm down there now? Any changes?"

Zheng Wanxiu and Zheng Lingzhou both looked down together.

Zheng Wanxiu glanced at it and sucked in a cold breath: "That worm… the worm has grown bigger!"

Li Qingluo also saw it.

After being placed in the large wooden tub, the pink meat worm quickly grew to fill the barrel completely in just a moment.

Even those seated on the first floor were worried, wondering if it would continue to grow and slide out over the rim of the tub.

Fortunately, this scene did not occur.

All that could be seen was the pink meat worm's body coiled into countless loops, with no discernible head or tail, and without eyes it kept swimming incessantly in the tub.

Everyone held their breath, watching the sight before them with astonishment and disgust.

"What on earth is this thing?"

"How can it possibly grow this large?"

"It doesn't even look like a yellow eel; it looks even more disgusting than a yellow eel!"

At that moment, the masked young man finally began to introduce this pink meat worm: "This is, a blood gu worm."

"Blood gu worm? What is a blood gu worm?"

"Yeah, what exactly is this thing? It looks quite sinister."

"I don't know, but I certainly wouldn't want it; it's utterly disgusting."

But then the masked young man continued: "So-called blood gu worm is a kind of gu worm raised by feeding it blood."

"This is a type of gu worm that has long been lost in MiaoJiang, belonging to a very ancient kind of gu worm. Would you all like to know how many years this blood gu worm in my hand has lived?"

Everyone murmured among themselves, and then someone shouted: "Five years!"

"Three years!"

"Maybe one year. How could a worm possibly live that long? Even one year is already the limit."

The masked young man smiled and said: "No. It has already lived for at least fifty years."

Upon hearing this, everyone sucked in a cold breath.

"How is that possible?"

"Exactly. How could a worm possibly live that long?"

"That's not even older than my age?"

"You're deceiving us! And even if it could live fifty years, what then? We couldn't possibly buy such a sinister worm and take it home to raise."

"Exactly, what's the point of raising it? To ruin one's appetite and not be able to eat, or is it just some rare curiosity for people to come and gawk at?"

The masked young man: "Everyone, what if I said this worm could grant people eternal life?"

The hall fell silent in an instant.

Everyone stared at each other, afraid to speak.

"Eternal life!?"

"Could this even be fabricated nonsense?"

"Moreover, if such a good thing truly existed, could it be brought out for auction while the keeper keeps none for themselves?"

But then the masked young man immediately explained: "I certainly know this is a peerless treasure unique in the world today, but raising this blood gu worm is not something ordinary people can persist in doing."

"Because raising it requires not only money, but also human lives."

"Precisely because I am unable to do so, we have no choice but to painfully bring it out, hoping to find it a true home."

"If you don't believe me, please look."

The young man said, clapped his hands, and immediately a person completely wrapped in black gauze sitting in a chair was lifted out.

When the people had fully removed the black gauze, everyone finally saw clearly that it was a stunningly beautiful Western Region woman!

However, the woman appeared unable to move, merely sitting stiff and wooden in the chair, motionless.

Only when her eyeballs moved slightly did people believe that she was indeed still alive.

The masked young man said: "The person everyone sees before them is indeed the former master of this blood worm, a Western Region woman named Zaina."