24: Chapter 24 Filial Piety and the Gu of a Thousand Tribulations

Night falls, and the silhouette of Shahe Stockade looks like a crouching beast in the thickening darkness.

Jiang Hanzhou, carrying his medicine chest, stepped onto the bluestone path leading to the stockade, accompanied by Pharmacist Qu Fengchun, Senior Sun, and the others.

At the gate, He Yunqi had been waiting for some time. Behind him stood several sturdy young men from the stockade holding torches, the firelight flickering across his pale yet gentle face.

"Gentlemen, thank you for your hard work," He Yunqi said, cupping his hands in greeting. His voice remained hoarse. "The stockade has been divided into zones according to the severity of the illness, and patients have been concentrated in the Eastern District Ancestral Hall and nearby vacant houses. To avoid cross-contamination, please take a bihui pill."

As he spoke, he personally brought a tray containing the Medicinal Pills to the group, his gaze earnest and candid.

Pharmacist Qu Fengchun, Senior Sun, and the others, having no suspicions, each took one and swallowed it with water.

Jiang Hanzhou also reached out to take a pill, his movements natural.

As the Medicinal Pill entered his hand, that sensation of "life squirming" wrapped in exquisite technique returned.

Using the movement of raising his hand to take the medicine to cover with his wide sleeve, his fingertips rubbed imperceptibly. The Medicinal Pill slid into a hidden pocket in his sleeve, while he simultaneously popped another ordinary Heart-Clearing Pill, which he had already prepared in his palm and which looked similar, into his mouth and swallowed.

The entire process was smooth as flowing water, such that even Pharmacist Qu Fengchun, standing diagonally in front of him, did not notice.

"Young Master He is very thoughtful."

After swallowing the pill, Jiang Hanzhou even nodded slightly at He Yunqi, his tone calm.

He Yunqi's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then he smiled: "Pharmacist Jiang is young and promising; please remain vigilant after entering the stockade."

The group stepped through the stockade gate.

The lights within the stockade were much sparser than in previous days. The streets were empty, filled with a complex odor mixed with herbs, lime, and a faint smell of decay.

Occasionally, villagers would hurry past, covering their mouths and noses with cloth, their eyes filled with panic.

The area around the Eastern District Ancestral Hall had been temporarily converted into a centralized treatment zone.

Dim, yellow light shone from dozens of houses, and suppressed coughing and groaning could be faintly heard.

He Yunqi led everyone to the main hall of the Ancestral Hall, which had been set up as a temporary medical office, with the long table covered in various herbs and utensils.

"The thirteen most severe cases are housed in the left wing, to be managed by Senior Sun, Senior Qu, and others. The twenty-seven cases with slightly milder symptoms are in the right wing and the two vacant rooms next door; I will trouble the rest of you gentlemen," He Yunqi quickly assigned tasks, his logic clear. "I have ordered the patients' medical records and medication logs to be prepared and sent over shortly. If you need anything or discover any abnormalities, please inform me at any time."

Everyone agreed and took their medicine chests to their assigned houses.

Inside the side hall of the Ancestral Hall, the lights flickered.

Jiang Hanzhou, carrying his medicine chest, followed an apothecary named Zhao into the first room on the right wing.

Six patients lay inside, men and women, old and young. All were gray-faced, breathing weakly, with dark, dull spots faintly visible on their skin.

Apothecary Zhao stepped forward and began to take pulses, observe complexions, and ask the attending villagers about their recent conditions in a routine manner.

Jiang Hanzhou stood quietly to the side, his gaze slowly sweeping over every hospital bed in the room.

His perception extended silently like invisible threads.

At first, there was nothing unusual; it was similar to the pulse of ordinary Qi and blood deficiency or invasion by evil toxins.

But when he focused and pushed the keen perception brought by his Third-Rank fate to the limit—

He "heard" it.

It wasn't a sound, but an extremely subtle, almost hallucinatory "pulsation."

It was as if countless tiny insects were lurking in the depths of these patients' Qi and blood, gently contracting and expanding with the heartbeat.

They greedily sucked the host's vitality, yet maintained a strange balance, not letting the host die immediately, but instead simulating various disease symptoms.

Even more bizarrely, Jiang Hanzhou could feel that these "insects" were vaguely connected to a certain Origin-style Aura.

That Aura was cold and hungry, pointing in the direction of... it seemed to be deep within the stockade, the location of the He family's main residence.

"Pharmacist Jiang?" Apothecary Zhao saw him not moving and called out, "Come and take a look at this elderly lady. Her pulse is floating yet has a hint of stagnation; I always feel something is not right."

Jiang Hanzhou regained his composure, stepped forward twice, and placed his fingers on the old woman's wrist as requested.

The touch was ice-cold, the pulse weak, but the moment his internal Qi probed slightly—

"Hum..."

An extremely faint, almost hallucinatory resonance came from the depths of the old woman's Qi and blood.

Jiang Hanzhou's fingertips trembled slightly.

That was not a disease; that was... a living thing!

It was a Gu!

He understood in an instant.

He Yunqi's so-called "epidemic" was simply a large-scale deployment of Gu poison!

These villagers had all been implanted with some kind of strange Gu insect, which fed on their Qi and blood and simulated epidemic symptoms!

And the "bihui pill" he developed... was likely not an antidote, but bait to maintain the Gu insects' vitality and even deepen their connection with the host!

The "life squirming" hidden in those Medicinal Pills were unhatched Gu eggs or Gu lures!

He let many apothecaries enter the stockade and take the bihui pill; could it be that he wanted to...

A chill surged in Jiang Hanzhou's heart.

He calmly withdrew his hand and said to Apothecary Zhao in a low voice:

"It is indeed a bit strange. The pulse is stagnant within the weakness, as if evil is entrenched, not a simple deficiency syndrome. It might be necessary to use gold needles to probe the acupoints and carefully investigate the root of the evil Qi."

Apothecary Zhao nodded in agreement: "Young Master He also mentioned earlier that this epidemic's evil poison is stubborn and easily entrenched in the acupoints. Then I will go and apply needles to the others first; Pharmacist Jiang can go check the next room."

Jiang Hanzhou agreed and exited the room, carrying his medicine chest.

The corridor was dim, with only a few oil lamps casting flickering shadows.

He did not go to the next room but instead flickered like light smoke, rushing toward the back of the Ancestral Hall.

That was the direction of the He family's main residence, and also the source of that cold, hungry Aura.

He had to see for himself what He Yunqi was up to!

In the He family's main residence, in a room with closed doors and windows in the backyard.

He Yunqi sat cross-legged in front of a carved wooden bed, eyes closed, hands forming seals.

On the bed, Stockade Master He Kun lay on his back, his complexion no longer waxy yellow, but a near-transparent, deathly pale.

From his seven orifices, wisps of pale golden blood energy were drawn out by an invisible force and flowed into He Yunqi's chest.

He Yunqi's Aura surged, and his clothes fluttered without wind.

At his chest, a dark red light flickered, and in the center of the light, a blood-colored phantom resembling a silkworm chrysalis but with hundreds of tiny legs could be vaguely seen, frantically devouring the blood energy drawn from He Kun's body!

Every time the blood-colored phantom pulsed, it expanded, and its color gradually turned from dark red to an eerie purple-gold!

"Almost there... just a little bit left..." He Yunqi's temples bulged, but his face was filled with wild joy. "Using the Qi and blood of 137 close relatives as a guide, and the essence and blood of 300 villagers as a base... The Close Relative Qi and Blood Gu is about to reach Perfection! As long as I absorb this last wisp of Father's Origin blood energy..."

He opened his eyes abruptly, blood light surging in them!

"Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu, it must be completed today!"

Before the words fell, He Kun's body on the bed twitched violently, and the last concentrated, almost tangible golden blood energy rushed out from his crown, pouring directly into the blood-colored phantom!

"Hum—!"

The phantom expanded suddenly, and the purple-gold light became brilliant! The whole room was illuminated in an eerie glow!

He Yunqi laughed loudly, opening his arms, ready to welcome the mother Gu, which was about to complete its transformation, into his body!

Just at this moment—

His brow suddenly furrowed, and he turned his head sharply to look into the shadows outside the door.

"Who?!"

Before the voice faded, his figure had already swept out like a ghost, slapping a palm toward that shadow!

"Boom!"

The wooden door shattered, and debris flew everywhere.

A black-clad figure drifted backward from the shadows and landed steadily in the moonlight in the courtyard; it was Jiang Hanzhou.

He was still carrying his medicine chest, his expression calm, as if he were just passing by.

"Young Master He," Jiang Hanzhou spoke, his voice showing no waves, "It is late, why are you here? How is the Stockade Master's condition?"

He Yunqi narrowed his eyes, sizing up Jiang Hanzhou, and suddenly laughed.

That smile was no longer gentle, but permeated with a cold, mocking air.

"Jiang Hanzhou... right? A Third-Rank Apothecary from the Medicinal Cuisine Hall, Pharmacist Qu Fengchun's prized apprentice."

He walked down the steps slowly, the moonlight illuminating his pale yet handsome face. Those eyes, which always carried compassion, were now deep as a pool, bottomless.

"You really didn't disappoint me. I knew that among so many people, only you... could detect that something was wrong."

He was neither shocked nor angry, but instead examined Jiang Hanzhou with interest, as if looking at an unexpected surprise.

"Let me guess," the purple-gold light on He Yunqi's chest hovered, spewing eerie light, "You didn't take the bihui pill, did you? The Qi and blood in your body are clean, without a trace of the child Gu... In my perception, you are as conspicuous as a torch in the dark night."

Jiang Hanzhou suddenly realized.

He Yunqi could actually perceive whether there were Gu insects in a person's body; no wonder he was so fearless.

He stopped a few feet in front of Jiang Hanzhou, tilted his head, and his tone even carried a bit of curiosity:

"However, before you die, I would like to ask, how did you discover it? I thought I had laid this trap perfectly, and even old Jianghu veterans like Old Man Sun were kept in the dark."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

That smile was faint, but it made He Yunqi feel a chill in his heart for no reason.

"Young Master He, you flatter me." Jiang Hanzhou let go of the medicine chest, letting it land gently, "I am just naturally sensitive to living things. Especially... those things hiding in human Qi and blood, about to mature and break out of their cocoons."

He Yunqi's eyes turned fierce instantly!

"You can perceive the state of the mother Gu?!" His voice turned cold, "What else do you know?"

"Not much." Jiang Hanzhou said candidly, "I only know that the so-called epidemic of the villagers is a Gu you planted. The so-called bihui pill is bait to make the Gu insects take deeper root. You let us enter the stockade for treatment, not to save people, but to turn the Qi, blood, and medicinal properties of us apothecaries into nourishment for the Gu insects' transformation."

He paused, looked at the purple-gold light in front of He Yunqi, and then looked at He Kun, who was gasping for breath on the bed:

"As for Stockade Master He... I am afraid he is the last blood guide you used to nurture the mother Gu? Using your own father's Origin blood energy as a medium to help the Gu insects completely transform... Young Master He, such a cruel heart, such poisonous methods."

He Yunqi listened quietly, but the anger on his face gradually dissipated, turning into a calm that bordered on madness.

"Hehe... Hahaha..." He laughed lowly, his shoulders trembling slightly, "Cruel? Poisonous? Jiang Hanzhou, what do you know?"

He raised his head, blood light burning in his eyes, reflecting the purple-gold light on his chest, which was eerily strange.

"Do you know, when I was eighteen and reached Perfection in Qi Refining, hailed as a once-in-a-century Genius of Three Rivers Estuary, how glorious I was? Do you know how miserable I was when I traveled abroad, was betrayed by my best friend, had my Dantian broken, my Meridians shattered, and crawled back to Shahe Stockade like a dying dog?!"

His voice grew higher, filled with the resentment accumulated over many years:

"My father, my dear Stockade Master father, seeing that I had become a cripple, the first thing he thought of was not to find a doctor for me, but how to maintain the dignity of the stockade's heir! He publicly claimed I was sick and recuperating, but in fact, he locked me in the backyard and let me fend for myself!"

"My good big brother was even more eager to take over everything of mine! Reputation, resources, and even my fiancée who had not yet married into the family!"

He Yunqi pointed at He Kun, who was dying on the bed, and laughed grimly:

"And him? He lies on the bed, dying, just because three years ago, when practicing, he suffered Qi Deviation and his Qi and blood reversed! Retribution! This is retribution! Since he treated me as an abandoned pawn back then, now that I take his Origin blood energy to refine Gu and help me re-ascend the Dao, why not?!"

He stared fiercely at Jiang Hanzhou, his Aura no longer concealed, and it erupted violently!

"Boom—!"

The Aura of the Viscera Burning Realm swept through the entire room like a raging wave!

However, facing this terrifying pressure of the Viscera Burning Realm, and facing that strange, soul-devouring Gu shadow—

Jiang Hanzhou suddenly laughed.

Not a cold laugh, not a mocking laugh.

But a truly hearty laugh.

As if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing until his eyes curved, his shoulders trembled, and even the heavy Killing Intent in the courtyard stagnated.

He Yunqi was stunned.

He had anticipated various reactions from Jiang Hanzhou: fear, despair, anger, a desperate fight...

But he never imagined that the other party would laugh.

Laughing so brightly, so... pleasantly.

"What are you laughing at?" He Yunqi's brow furrowed, and a trace of unease inexplicably rose in his heart.

Jiang Hanzhou finally stopped laughing, raised his hand to wipe away non-existent tears from the corner of his eyes, and looked at He Yunqi with eyes full of sincere...

Pity.

"Young Master He, thank you." He said sincerely, "Really, thank you for telling me so much."

"However..."

He took a step forward.

The Aura around him was also no longer concealed.

The Qi and blood of the Gold Bone level of the Iron Bone Realm surged, a pale golden halo faintly showing from under his skin, warm currents surged in the depths of his bone marrow, the intent of the "Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength" was ready to be unleashed, the majestic Qi and blood brought by the "Blood Fortifying Secret Record" surged like a great river, and the "Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method" made his internal organs resonate like a bell!

At the same time, his right hand gripped the air.

A pitch-black water-dividing thorn slid from his sleeve into his palm.

The tip of the thorn lifted slightly, pointing at He Yunqi from afar.

The smile on Jiang Hanzhou's face did not fade, but a cold tide rose in his eyes, and his tone was as light as if he were discussing the moonlight tonight:

"Who told you..."

"That the one who will die is me?"