167: Chapter 167 Refining the Gu Insects!

He thought of the peach blossom luck gu worm inside his body.

That had been given directly by the System's lucky draw; it didn't require him to refine it at all. He only needed to extract it and establish a connection.

It certainly saved a lot of effort.

Just as he was about to open the jade box, Xiao Caiyue, who was beside him, suddenly spoke up.

"Husband, could you let your wife take a look first?"

Ye Changge looked toward her.

Xiao Caiyue's eyes were clear, her tone gentle yet serious.

"Although I am not versed in the Dao of Gu, I have at least read a few ancient texts. This Gu worm is, after all, an object of the Demonic Path; it is always better to be cautious."

Hearing this, Ye Changge felt another surge of warmth in his heart.

He knew Xiao Caiyue was acting for his own good.

While he believed Su Xiaotang wouldn't harm him, Xiao Caiyue didn't quite trust her—after all, the other girl was a Demonic Path Cultivator.

Are there good people among Demonic Path Cultivators?

Certainly.

But they were few and far between.

Ye Changge nodded and handed the jade box to Xiao Caiyue.

Beside them, Su Xiaotang opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

She saw the distrust in Xiao Caiyue's eyes.

And...

As she watched the natural intimacy between the two,

that manner of mutual trust and protection, her heart felt another pang of discomfort.

Xiao Caiyue took the jade box and examined it carefully for a moment.

She closed her eyes, and a faint glimmer of spiritual light emerged from her fingertips, probing into the jade box to establish a profound connection with the Gu worm.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and returned the jade box to Ye Changge.

Immediately after, a Spiritual Qi transmission quietly entered Ye Changge's ears:

"Husband, this Gu worm is no different from the 'Thousand Silk Love-Binding Gu' recorded in the ancient texts. It is indeed an orthodox Love-Locking Gu, not one of those harmful things."

She paused, her voice becoming even more solemn.

"But since it is to be used on a Core Formation True Person, it is better for Husband to be careful. In case something goes wrong..."

Ye Changge nodded slightly and sent a transmission back:

"I will. Thank you for the reminder, Caiyue."

Only then did Xiao Caiyue nod in relief.

Ye Changge looked at Su Xiaotang and spoke.

"Miss Xiaotang, tell me the incantation. I am ready to refine it."

Su Xiaotang nodded and obediently told him the incantation word by word.

At the end, she added:

"Senior, because this Gu worm was previously used by my grandmother and later passed down to Revered Master, it already carries some of its 'former Revered Masters' aura. The difficulty of refining it will be higher than that of a normal Gu worm. Please be careful when you refine it, Senior."

Hearing this, Ye Changge frowned slightly.

It had been used before?

That would indeed make it more difficult.

But his brow soon smoothed out, and he nodded.

"I understand."

Beside him, Xiao Caiyue's heart also tightened slightly.

She gently took Ye Changge's hand and said softly:

"Husband, please be careful. I have heard that if some Gu worms are not refined properly, one can suffer a backlash. It would not be worth the loss then."

Looking into her beautiful eyes filled with concern, Ye Changge felt even more warmth in his heart.

He squeezed her hand back and said gently:

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

After a pause, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Xiao Caiyue.

"Caiyue, do you think we should reinforce this Formation? It would be troublesome if we were discovered by the Cultivators of the Qingshui Sword Sect."

Hearing this, Xiao Caiyue looked around and pondered for a moment.

The place they were currently in was a hidden valley outside the Immortal City. Deep within the valley was a spiritual spring, misted with Spiritual Qi, quite suitable for healing and recuperation.

Xiao Caiyue's eyes flickered as she spoke.

"Husband, if we are to treat that Senior Nangong here, we will certainly have to stay for a while. I see there is a natural spiritual spring here; we could set up a grand array to conceal our aura."

She pointed to their surroundings.

"Combined with the Small Five Elements Formation you set up earlier, if I set up a 'Cloud Mist Tracking-Hiding Formation', even if a Core Formation True Person comes, they won't be able to see any clues."

Ye Changge nodded upon hearing this.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Caiyue."

He looked at her with a gentle gaze.

"Just do your best, don't overexert yourself."

Xiao Caiyue nodded slightly, then took out several Formation Plates and several Formation Flags from her Storage Pouch.

With light steps, she began to set them up around the area.

Her movements were elegant and skilled, as natural as flowing water.

Su Xiaotang watched from the side, dumbfounded.

Although she didn't understand Formations, she could tell that this Sister Xiao's methods were by no means comparable to an ordinary Formation Master.

The precision of the placements, the fluid movements, the confidence in every gesture...

She was clearly a Great Master of Formations!

Su Xiaotang couldn't help but sigh secretly in her heart.

The women around Senior are all so outstanding...

This Sister Xiao is dignified and gentle, with profound attainments in Formations; she is clearly a capable wife who can be a great help to Senior.

And what about herself?

She knew nothing, couldn't help with anything, and had needed Senior's help time and time again.

Thinking of this, Su Xiaotang felt an indescribable mix of emotions.

There was envy, loss, and a faint hint of... inferiority.

She stole a glance at Ye Changge, who was focused on refining the Gu worm, then at Xiao Caiyue, who was setting up the Formation, and silently lowered her head, saying nothing.

Meanwhile, Ye Changge had already opened the jade box.

The Thousand Silk Love-Binding Gu was lying quietly at the bottom of the jade box.

Its body was pale gold, about the size of a little finger, shaped like a silkworm cocoon but with fine golden patterns. At the moment, it was motionless, as if in a deep sleep.

Ye Changge took a deep breath and, following Su Xiaotang's instructions, forced out a drop of Essence Blood and let it fall onto the Gu worm.

The moment the Essence Blood landed on the Gu worm, it was absorbed completely.

Immediately after, the Gu worm's body trembled slightly, and it slowly woke up.

Ye Changge didn't dare to be careless and quickly placed the Gu worm near his Dantian.

As soon as the Gu worm touched his skin, it was like mercury spilling onto the ground, drilling right in!

A strange sensation came from deep within his Dantian.

Ye Changge quickly sat cross-legged and, according to the incantation, began to circulate his spiritual power to refine it.

However, as soon as he started, he felt resistance.

Just as Su Xiaotang had said, because this Gu worm had been used before, it carried the aura of its former Revered Masters and had an instinctive rejection of him, the "new Revered Master."

It curled into a ball in Ye Changge's Dantian, emitting a "keep away" vibe of resistance; no matter how Ye Changge urged his spiritual power to refine it, it remained motionless.

Ye Changge's brow furrowed slightly.

Because he had the peach blossom gu and the hope gu in his body, he had some knowledge of the way of Gu.

He knew that the difficulty of refining a Gu worm depended largely on its "temperament."

If one encountered a Gu worm with a weak temperament, refining it would be very easy, taking only three to five days to succeed.

But if one encountered one with a stubborn temperament...

Then it would be a war of attrition.