Chapter 501: Success Achieved

Tao Yanbai cried out: "It's the King Worm!"

Li Wenying moved swiftly, stepping forward to hand over a jade vial; Pan Yun immediately tossed the King Worm into it.

Li Wenying sealed the lid, then pulled out two yellow talismans to wrap the vial; the screaming in Pan Yun's ear vanished instantly, and the writhing worms lost their direction and target.

Pan Yun mimicked the King Worm's consciousness to soothe them: 【Be quiet, stop moving…】

Tao Yanbai and Miaohe acted no slower; the moment the King Worm was pulled out, the worms inside Mu Xi's body were stirred into frenzy by its shriek, his internal organs battered until they bled.

The two could only use needles to block the worms' chaotic movement while simultaneously using needles to stop the bleeding.

To knock the worms unconscious, Tao Yanbai shoved a pill into his mouth.

Seeing Pan Yun turn his head as if the King Worm had calmed the worms, Tao Yanbai froze for a moment, then immediately reached into his mouth to fish out the pill.

Pan Yun frowned: "It's just one pill—won't kill him. The sleeping worm medicine will only make him sleep four or five extra days."

Tao Yanbai: "It's not sleeping worm medicine—it's a life-saving elixir my Grand Master gave me. I meant to heal his five viscera and six bowels."

Upon hearing this, Pan Yun immediately stepped forward to help him fish it out.

Mu Ang rushed forward and grabbed both their hands: "I'll buy this pill—don't pull it out, don't pull it out…"

Unconscious, Mu Xi seemed to sense this was something precious—he swallowed with a gulp; the pill, previously pressed under his tongue, had somehow risen, and with a swallow of saliva, all of them watched him swallow it.

Pan Yun and Tao Yanbai stared, dumbfounded.

Mu Ang wore a look of relief: "No wonder he's my son—ahem, what I mean is, this pill clearly suits his condition. Even in his sleep, he sensed it. Tao Daochang, how much is this worth? I'm willing to pay for two more."

Tao Yanbai was deeply dejected: "This isn't something money can measure—it's an elixir forged by my Grand Master. Each person in the monastery gets only one in their lifetime, taken at the very start of their Dao path. It's both a life-saving holy pill and a Dao-opening holy pill."

Tao Yanbai was heartbroken: "In the entire Three Pure Ones Monastery, I'm the only one who hasn't entered the Dao yet. My Grand Master spent great effort crafting this for me. I planned to take it after entering the Imperial Academy—he, he's already blocked it—how could he eat my pill…"

Pan Yun patted his shoulder reassuringly: "Forget it. I'll split open your Ren and Du meridians later. It'll hurt, sure—uh, and you'll lose a bit of spiritual nourishment—but you'll just be three or five years slower than others. Everything else will be the same."

With every word Pan Yun spoke, Tao Yanbai felt another blow.

Mu Ang understood instantly: "Tao Daochang, rest assured—whatever herbs you need for the elixir, my Mu household will provide ten portions—no, twenty!"

"Ten portions to compensate you, Tao Daochang; of the remaining ten, seven go to Abbot Wang as payment—just ask you to craft three pills for my son, to help him survive this crisis."

Tao Yanbai's mouth gaped open: "Twenty portions?"

He instinctively glanced at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun smiled warmly and nodded: "Easy enough. Let's settle this for now, General Mu. May I finish treating Mu Xi?"

Mu Ang immediately stepped back two paces, eyes fixed intently on her movements.

With the King Worm gone, the worms in Mu Xi's body were leaderless—much easier to handle now.

Blood began seeping from his chest wound; Mu Ang watched, tears welling, because his son was finally bleeding.

Mu Ang's eyes shimmered with tears: "Can all the worms inside his viscera be removed?"

Pan Yun, while having Miaohe treat the chest wound and drawing out more worms, said: "No—if you remove all the worms, he'll die for sure."

Pan Yun said: "He's now symbiotic with the worms. His viscera are severely damaged—they need the worms to sustain his life."

She paused, then added: "In fact, it's as if he must become a new King Worm."

Mu Ang stared at her in shock: "Is he… still human?"

Pan Yun said: "Of course he's human."

Pan Yun tapped his head: "As long as the worms never enter his brain, he's human."

Mu Lin had entered unnoticed; he stood frozen, then asked hoarsely: "Will my father have to suffer like this, living in symbiosis with worms forever?"

Pan Yun tilted her head, thinking: "It shouldn't be painful. Let me find a balance point—then reduce the worms to just the right number, and stabilize them in a state where they're active enough to live but not so much as to torment him."

"In the future, he just needs to eat more, giving the worms good nutrition; the worms, in turn, will give him back nutrients."

Pan Yun grinned: "Think of it like pregnancy—but far better, because the worms feed him nutrients in return."

"We owe this to the King Worm."

Pan Yun glanced at the jade vial in Li Wenying's hand, her expression complex: "Fate loves to toy with people. His suffering and near-fatal condition came from having a King Worm inside him—but his survival after the corpse worms invaded to the second stage? Also thanks to the King Worm."

Mu Lin: "What do you mean?"

Pan Yun explained: "Corpse worms and Qi-sucking worms share the same lineage. Both devour essence and flesh, and upon breaking out, return nutrients to the mother worm. But the mother of Qi-sucking worms can synchronize with the host's absorbed essence and flesh—corpse worm mothers cannot."

"Corpse worms—mother or offspring—die after one feeding of essence and flesh. The host must immediately grow a new mother and offspring to replace them. That's why they're different from the Qi-sucking worms we saw at Long Hushan."

Zhang Ziming nodded: "These corpse worms are older and more ruthless than Qi-sucking worms."

Pan Yun: "When the mother dies, the offspring cannot survive—they immediately devour the host, then burst out and die."

"But perhaps because Mu Xi was too far from the mother worm's host when she died, the offspring lost contact with her. And with my second senior brother's needles sealing them, they didn't immediately kill Mu Xi—instead, they gave rise to a King Worm."

"They can exchange essence and flesh inside the body—so look, the corpse worms we drew out today were all thin and small, but that King Worm was fat and large—because all the good stuff went to it." Pan Yun said: "It's somewhat like the Qi-sucking worms now."

She paused: "Though Qi-sucking worms and corpse worms are equally evil and should be eradicated, for Mu Xi, this is his lifeline."

"We just need to tame these corpse worms—make them recognize him as their King Worm. Whatever he eats will be transformed into essence, blood, and qi to nourish them; they, in turn, will excrete nutrients back to him. When I entered his consciousness earlier, his heart was missing a corner—his other organs were even worse. If you remove all the worms, his organs can't sustain his body—he'll die for sure."

Mu Lin cared about only one thing: "Can my father speak, walk, and live like a normal person?"

Pan Yun nodded: "As long as we find the balance point."

"Will he still be tormented day and night, eaten by worms?"

Pan Yun: "As long as the worms recognize him as their King Worm, they won't."

Mu Ang asked gravely: "Can you help him find the balance point? Can you help him become the King Worm?"

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly, confidently: "Before today, I couldn't swear it—but now? I guarantee I can."

Mu Ang's gaze shifted slightly: "Worms reproduce. What if they ever get out of control?"

He invited Pan Yun: "Little Daoist, why not stay in Yunnan? I'll build you a monastery inside the city—or outside, anywhere you choose."

Pan Yun: "General Mu, the follow-up is simple. If the worms ever multiply too much, just bring back the person who knows how to cut open the skin and draw out worms—just a bowl of blood will lure them out." "Don't rush to refuse—this isn't some wild shrine. I'll petition the imperial court to register this monastery under the Dao Registry Office and recommend you as its abbot."

Pan Yun, unaware of the stakes, was about to refuse—when Li Wenying stepped lightly beside her and whispered: "Don't refuse yet."

"Yes, think again," Mu Ang smiled warmly: "Becoming the abbot of this monastery grants you an official Daoist license directly—no examination required."

Pan Yun lifted her chin with confident pride: "Am I afraid of a mere exam?"

I've taken countless exams since childhood—why would I fear this one?

Mu Ang merely smiled and said to Pan Yun: "This promise will stand forever. When you change your mind, come find me anytime."

He paused, then added: "If I am gone, my son and grandson will uphold this promise."

Mu Ang saw Mu Lin dazed and glared at him: "I'm talking to you!"

Mu Lin immediately snapped to attention, nodding rapidly: "Yes, yes, the Mu family's door will always be open to you."

Pan Yun waved her hand dismissively, using Wang Chong's consciousness to bewitch the insects into stillness, then said: "Enough insects for today. Tend to the wounds, let's assess the situation."

Tao Yanbai and Miao He responded in unison and began treating Mu Xi's wounds.

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Pan Yun also moved the blood basin farther away, sealing its stench completely with yellow talismans, then gestured— the golden glow within it faded.

Pan Yun finally turned to the unconscious Blood Armor and the pale-faced man, grinning: "Don't rush—today you're not needed. Tomorrow, I'll use you."

The man trembled, lips quivering: "You—you treat human lives as grass!"

Pan Yun slapped him across the face with a sharp crack, coldly saying: "So you know the term 'treat human lives as grass'? I thought your scholarly books were too profound for you to know such a phrase."

Pan Yun leaned close, staring into his eyes: "When you threatened my father and brother's lives, did you not think of 'treating human lives as grass'?"

The man turned ashen, unable to speak further.

Pan Yun snorted, rising: "General Mu, send someone to take them to our quarters, tend their wounds—just keep them alive."

Later treatments will require more flesh-cutting and bloodletting."

Mu Ang pretended ignorance of their identities, waved his hand, and had them dragged away.

With life returning, Mu Xi's entire demeanor changed.

Mu Lin was the same—though his father now bore countless wounds, wrapped like a rice dumpling, and the two blood basins in the corner were revolting, he still paced excitedly: "When will my father wake?"

Pan Yun said: "His primordial energy is shattered. Let him sleep for two days before waking him."

Mu Lin nodded, eyes red.

This risky endeavor had succeeded. All eyes turned to the two blood basins in the corner and Wang Cong's large bottle: "How do we handle these corpse insects?"

Pan Yun rolled up her sleeves: "Of course, we conduct experiments."

Mu Ang frowned: "What kind of experiment?"

Pan Yun: "An experiment on how to turn a person into a Wang Chong—using consciousness to control corpse insects."

Pan Yun casually summoned two lids to cover the wooden basins, then directed Wang Cong and Tao Yanbai to carry them away: "I'm uniquely gifted, with profound cultivation—so I can mimic the Wang Chong's consciousness to command corpse insects. But others can't. Especially Mu Xi—he's not even a cultivator."

So I'll take them back to experiment—how to give Mu Xi commands these insects can understand."

Mu Ang found no argument, but warned gravely: "Please, Master Pan, don't forget your original intent. Whether corpse insects or Qi-absorbing insects, both are heretical paths—don't let them blind you."

Pan Yun stared at him, utterly baffled: "Whether corpse insects or Qi-absorbing insects—they're nothing compared to my innate talent. Do you think I need these things to cultivate?"

Mu Ang knew that extraordinary cultivators existed, but didn't understand them well—he instinctively glanced at Zhang Ziming and Li Wenying.

Zhang Ziming sighed: "She reached the First Marquis rank in under three years—she's a rare genius. Corpse insects and Qi-absorbing insects hold no value for her."

It's better to find a place rich in spiritual energy and stay awhile, or undergo worldly trials and gain insight—far superior to cultivating with these abominations.

Zhang Ziming said gravely: "Only those with abysmal cultivation potential would consider such heretical methods."

Pan Yun nodded vigorously: "True cultivators of orthodox sects—like Long Hushan and Mount Sanqing—look down on them utterly."

Zhang Ziming smiled, nodding deeply in agreement.

Li Wenying glanced at her—clever flattery.

Mu Ang was finally convinced, allowing them to remove all the corpse insects from the courtyard.

But he wasn't fully at ease, repeatedly warning: "Keep them tightly secured—once these corpse insects escape, they'll silently burrow into human bodies and breed countless more."

Mu Ang said sorrowfully: "When Mu Xi was first brought home, the servants were unprepared, inexperienced—hence the disaster."

Pan Yun assured she would guard the insects closely.

Mu Ang still wasn't satisfied: "Then dig a fire pit outside your quarters."

Without delay, Mu Ang sent men that very day to dig a fire trench around the courtyard—one meter wide, two meters deep.

Pan Yun stared, mouth slightly open, then nodded in understanding, turned, seized Pan Xiaohei by the neck, and dragged him to the basin and bottle, saying sternly: "You watch them—twelve hours a day. Not a single insect escapes."

Pan Yun opened her mouth slightly and watched for a while, then expressed her understanding. She turned around, grabbed Pan Xiaohei by the neck, and hauled him over to the basin and bottle. In a low voice she said, "You watch these things for twelve whole hours a day, and you won't let even a single bug out."

Pan Yun: "By the way, your cat body has begun cultivating—haven't you thought of earning merit for it? That way, your luck improves and your cultivation flows smoother."

Pan Yun: "Come to think of it, this cat body of yours has started cultivating too—have you ever thought about earning some merit for it as well? That way not only would your luck be a bit better, your cultivation would go more smoothly too, right?"

Pan Yun: "If you succeed, this feat counts as your contribution. When General Mu carves my statue, I'll make him carve you in too—leave your name, let people worship you. How's that?"

Pan Xiaohei: "When did General Mu say he'd carve you a statue?"

Pan Yun: "It's inevitable. Besides, if he doesn't mention it, don't I have the right to bring it up?"

Pan Xiaohei: "How shamelessly bold."

Pan Yun: "So—will you do it or not?"

Pan Xiaohei: "Fine!" (End of Chapter)

Pan Xiaohei: "Damn it!" (End of chapter)