54: Chapter 54 Concealment, Transfer, and Research on Gu Insects

Liu Yuan said nothing more; he nodded and turned to leave with quick strides.

Soon, footsteps sounded, and A-Tu walked in, followed by Old Man Shi, the guide responsible for daily procurement and security on the outskirts of Shiyuan Valley.

Upon seeing Lin Chen sitting cross-legged on the jade bed, their faces first showed joy, but their gazes immediately fell upon his left arm, which hung limply against his chest in a cloth sling, and the eerie black spot slightly protruding from his shoulder blade even through his clothing. Their joy was instantly replaced by worry and solemnity.

"Family Head." A-Tu called out in a muffled voice, his dark face filled with concern.

"Family Head, you…" Old Man Shi was even more hesitant, his murky old eyes full of anxiety.

Lin Chen ignored their greetings. Instead, he used his uninjured right hand to point at Su Qingyao, who lay unconscious on another jade bed, and then pointed at Liu Ming in the corner, whose heart meridian was being protected by Liu Yuan's Qi, though his body was still twitching slightly.

His gaze swept over Liu Yuan, A-Tu, and Old Man Shi one by one. He spoke slowly, his voice sounding flat due to weakness, but the content made everyone present tighten with tension.

"Hermit Duxin is no fool. I raided his lair in the Black Fog Forest and lost an important 'Medicine Person.' Even if he doesn't come out to chase us personally, he must have already sealed all the main roads leading to Liuyun Market and set up a dragnet in the surrounding mountains and forests."

Lin Chen's right fingertips subconsciously began to rub the rough stone ring again. The cold sensation made his chaotic thoughts clear.

"Although the breath-concealing Formation of Shiyuan Valley is ingenious, it is not omnipotent. If the Ge Family is determined to search the mountains, using certain special Magical Artifacts or tracking methods, finding this place is only a matter of time. Furthermore," he paused, his gaze falling on Su Qingyao's paper-pale face, "we now have two severely injured people who cannot withstand any bumping or disturbance, and the Medicinal Pills and resources in the valley cannot last much longer. This place is no longer suitable for us to stay."

The air in the secret chamber seemed to solidify. Everyone knew that what Lin Chen said was the truth.

Shiyuan Valley, once a safe haven, had now become a lone boat that could be overturned by a storm at any moment.

"Therefore, we must relocate." Lin Chen's voice was resolute. "I have decided to split our forces into two groups."

His gaze first fixed on Liu Yuan: "Liu Yuan, take A-Tu and Old Man Shi, and escort Qingyao and that Alchemist. Immediately pass through the secret passage left by Hermit Dan Ya and relocate to the depths of the abandoned mine tunnels. I remember that when we explored last time, we found a drier and more hidden natural cave in the western part of the middle section of the mine tunnels. That place is sufficient for you to hide."

Liu Yuan's brows were tightly locked: "Family Head, what about you? Your injuries…"

"I will stay behind." Lin Chen interrupted him, his tone allowing no rebuttal. "My left arm is a burden now. Following the relocation rashly will only slow you down and increase the risk of exposure."

He looked around the Immortal Cave where he had lived for a long time, a trace of coldness flashing deep in his eyes: "Moreover, someone must stay here to maintain the basic signs of life in the valley, light the lamps, and occasionally activate the Formation. I want to make any potential spies think we are still holding our ground. This will buy you the most precious time."

This was a plan that used himself as bait to exchange for the survival of his family.

The three people present instantly understood Lin Chen's intention. A-Tu was so anxious that his face turned red: "Family Head, no! If we go, we go together. I, A-Tu, have thick skin and flesh; I will carry you!"

"Shut up!" Lin Chen shouted in a low voice, his gaze like lightning as it swept over A-Tu. "This is an order. Your mission is to ensure Qingyao and that Alchemist are settled without fail. Liu Yuan, your mastery of Formations is our guarantee; A-Tu, your strength and physique are key to clearing the path; Old Man Shi, your familiarity with the mountains and secret tunnels is unmatched. You three are the only candidates for this relocation."

After finishing, he coughed violently, which aggravated his injuries, and fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Liu Yuan looked at Lin Chen's resolute gaze, then looked at Su Qingyao, who was breathing weakly on the bed. Finally, he sighed heavily, cupped his hands, and bowed: "This old man… accepts the order."

Once the decision was made, the action was like a swift wind and raging fire.

Liu Yuan rummaged through the remaining Materials, disregarding the consumption of his Qi, and quickly crafted a few Tier 2 Talismans capable of briefly concealing their figures and eliminating their presence, which he distributed to A-Tu and Old Man Shi.

They used tough vines and animal hides to craft two simple but sturdy stretchers. They carefully lifted Su Qingyao and Liu Ming onto them, securing them firmly with soft cloth to prevent any bumping in the narrow passages.

The night was deep, and the entrance to the secret cave of Shiyuan Valley was quietly opened.

Led by Old Man Shi, who had traversed these mountains and forests for years and was familiar with the terrain, the group filed in one after another.

In the lead was the strong and sturdy A-Tu, holding a moonstone for illumination in one hand and a short axe in the other, ready at any moment to clear any gravel or overgrown roots that might block the passage.

Inside the narrow stone path, the air was stagnant and damp, and it could only accommodate one person passing through with difficulty.

The stretchers had to be turned sideways here, moved forward extremely slowly by A-Tu and Old Man Shi, one in front and one behind. Every step was taken with extreme caution, for fear that the slightest vibration would disturb the people on the stretchers.

Liu Yuan walked at the very back to cover the rear. While remaining vigilant of the rear, he would occasionally take a small pinch of grayish-brown powder from his bosom and sprinkle it into the corners of the stone walls along the way.

That was a powder he had refined by mixing various herbs with pungent odors, which could greatly interfere with the sense of smell of tracking Spirit Beasts and even have a confusing effect on some low-level spiritual sense tracking Spells.

The entire process was slow and oppressive, with only the sound of heavy breathing and the friction of footsteps echoing in the dead-silent passage.

Especially when passing through a section that had become exceptionally narrow due to mountain subsidence, dubbed "A Glimpse of the Sky," the stretchers were almost forced through while scraping against the rock walls on both sides. A-Tu's back was scraped bloody by the rough rocks, but he acted like a silent bull, gritting his teeth without making a single sound.

It took nearly two hours. When the group finally emerged from the other end of the secret passage and stepped into the abandoned mine tunnel, everyone felt as if they had been fished out of water, their bodies soaked with sweat.

Without stopping to rest, under Old Man Shi's guidance, they traveled through the intricate mine tunnels for another half an hour and finally arrived at the designated natural cave.

This place was more primitive than the Immortal Cave in Shiyuan Valley, but it had the advantage of being sufficiently hidden and having dry terrain.

Liu Yuan immediately directed A-Tu to settle the wounded on the dry grass spread in the deepest part of the cave, and then began, without pause, to set up the most basic alert and weak Spirit-Gathering Formation he could manage near the cave entrance.

By the time everything was settled, it was already late at night.

Dragging his exhausted body, Liu Yuan walked to Su Qingyao's side, checked her breathing, and then checked Liu Ming's condition. Confirming that both were stable, he then took out a poor-quality jade box from his bosom, which was sealed tightly with a Spirit-Sealing Talisman.

Inside it was the corpse of that cyan-black beetle that Lin Chen had risked his life to bring back.

He did not light a torch, but instead activated a moonstone, allowing a soft halo of light to spill over a flat stone slab in front of him.

He took out a set of jade knives and tweezers he had refined himself, specifically for handling precision Materials. Holding his breath, he carefully peeled off the Spirit-Sealing Talisman and opened the jade box.

The rice-grain-sized beetle was long dead, but its cyan-black carapace still shimmered with an eerie metallic luster under the illumination of the moonstone.

Liu Yuan used jade tweezers to pick up the beetle and placed it on the stone slab. Then, using the finest jade knife, he precisely cut it open along the seam of its abdomen.

The scene inside made his brows lock tightly.

The internal structure of the beetle was simple to the extreme. There were none of the complex organs he had expected, and he couldn't even see any Systems similar to digestion or reproduction.

The entire interior of the shell was almost hollow, with only some extremely thin, spiderweb-like meridians connecting to the inner wall of the carapace.

It did not look like a living creature at all; instead, it resembled a "container" meticulously designed to store and release some kind of special energy.

Liu Yuan's gaze lingered on the fragments of the carapace.

He picked up a fragment, brought it close to his eyes, and injected a faint trace of spiritual energy into it.

Under the illumination of the spiritual energy, he finally saw clearly that the inner side of the hard carapace was inscribed with countless tiny runes, thinner than a strand of hair, using a method he could not comprehend.

The structure of these runes was extremely strange and completely different from any rune System he knew.

Just as he attempted to copy the structure of one of the runes with his spiritual energy, a sudden change occurred.

The beetle remains fragment in his hand, along with the rest on the stone slab, seemed to be ignited instantly, and with a very faint "pfft" sound, they suddenly turned into a wisp of black smoke with a faint, fishy-sweet smell.

This black smoke did not dissipate immediately but condensed into a thin thread in the air, trembling slightly as if it had its own consciousness, seemingly wanting to drift toward a certain direction outside the cave.

Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly waved his sleeve to create a breeze, blowing the wisp of black smoke away.

However, he had already firmly memorized the direction the black smoke was pointing and that familiar, nauseating, fishy-sweet smell.

He took out his Jade Slip and meticulously recorded the general patterns of the strange runes he had just seen, as well as the energy reaction of the beetle remains.

A bold guess vaguely formed in his heart: these Gu worms implanted into the bodies of Alchemists might not be independent individuals at all; they were more like some kind of "terminal," existing in a weak, ultra-long-distance connection with a more powerful "Mother Gu" or "control core."

Just as Liu Yuan was immersed in his research, hundreds of miles away, Lin Chen, who was guarding Shiyuan Valley alone, also encountered new variables.

He sat cross-legged on the jade bed, enduring the waves of dead, numbing sensation coming from his left arm, while regulating the exhausted spiritual energy within his body.

Suddenly, a piece of Talisman paper he kept close to his body, with edges slightly curled, emitted a faint warmth without any warning.

Lin Chen's eyes sharpened, and he immediately reached out to take it out.

This was the only one-time, one-way communication Talisman he had left for Qin Ruowei; once activated, it meant there was extremely urgent information to convey.

He injected a trace of spiritual energy into the Talisman paper.

The Talisman paper ignited without fire, and a faint light submerged into the center of his brows; Qin Ruowei's slightly anxious voice rang directly in his mind.

"Brother Lin, the situation has changed!"

"First, over at the Black Fog Forest, the Ge Family's manpower has increased by at least thirty percent, and they have begun a dragnet search of all the surrounding forests; the atmosphere is very tense. Two of the informants I placed on the outskirts of the market have lost contact."

"Second, Steward Yan Song of the Medicine King Pavilion has been acting like a madman lately, spending almost every day at the Alchemist Association, visiting those Elders who hold real power everywhere, as if he is lobbying for something, but I cannot find out the specific content for the time being."

"Third, and most importantly! Through a broker who has some indirect relationship with the Association, I spent a lot of money to buy a rumor. It is said that the rules for the third round of the Alchemy Tournament, the 'Self-Selected Challenge,' might be temporarily changed, and it is highly likely that an additional segment will be added—providing an unknown, or even slightly toxic, Medicinal Pill material on the spot, requiring the competing Alchemists to analyze its medicinal properties on the spot and incorporate it into the Medicinal Pill they are refining. On the surface, it is said to be to test the Alchemists' adaptability and innovation ability, but for such a change to appear at this critical juncture is too suspicious!"

The message ended there, and the ashes of the communication Talisman slipped from Lin Chen's fingertips.

Lin Chen slowly closed his eyes, his right fingertips rubbing rapidly against the stone ring.

The three pieces of information sent by Qin Ruowei were like threads, stringing together all the scattered beads in his mind.

Ge Family... Hermit Duxin... Steward Yan Song... Alchemy Tournament... unknown Medicinal Pill Materials...

A complete chain of conspiracy gradually became clear in his mind.

The Ge Family is advancing on multiple fronts, using a two-pronged approach!

On one hand, Hermit Duxin, that mad dog, is frantically investigating in the open, determined to find him and the "Medicine Human" Liu Ming who was rescued, in order to seal the secret and recoup losses.

On the other hand, Steward Yan Song is exerting influence in the dark, paving the way for Ge Yuan from the level of rules.

That so-called "unknown Medicinal Pill material" segment is simply a stage tailor-made for them!

Since the Ge Family is using living people to test the drug resistance of the "Heart-Linking Gu," they must possess a large amount of poisonous herbs or Materials related to Gu poison that are unheard of by outsiders.

It is very likely that they want to use this rule to bring out some kind of material related to Gu poison at the highly anticipated Alchemy Tournament, which would not only allow Ge Yuan to make a stunning impression but also use this opportunity to openly "test" or even "ambush" all the opponents they suspect.

For example, Su Qingyao.

If Su Qingyao participates, facing this kind of sinister material she has never encountered, once handled improperly, at best she would have a furnace explosion and be eliminated, and at worst, she might even be backlashed and poisoned on the spot!

What a vicious scheme!

Lin Chen opened his eyes abruptly, cold light shooting from them.

He immediately took out another spare communication Talisman and quickly transmitted his judgment and new instructions.

He told Qin Ruowei to spare no cost to continue closely monitoring the exact news of the rule changes, and at the same time, find a way to figure out Ge Yuan's recent battle preparations, such as what his most proficient Pill Formula is, and what special Medicinal Pill Materials not common on the market he has recently purchased in bulk.

Immediately after, he used the reserved secret code to send a message to Liu Yuan deep in the mine tunnel, telling him that besides taking care of the wounded, he should focus his research on the "parasitic web" inside Liu Ming's body and the Gu worm samples, and must find from them any possible targeted restraint ideas or drug reactions.

Even if it is just a tiny clue.

After doing all this, Lin Chen felt a wave of deep exhaustion and powerlessness surge over him.

He leaned against the cold stone wall, trying to communicate with the System within his body, but only received a disjointed, blurry feedback like a bad signal.

[Energy restoring... Core reserves: Extremely low... External threats marked (Hermit Duxin/Ge Family)... Highest directive: Concealment...]

Apparently, the [Elementary Purification and Detoxification] that Su Qingyao used to save him last time not only overdrawn her own energy but also caused this System, which is deeply bound to her, to fall into some kind of "low energy consumption" dormant state.

The real storm had not yet arrived, but he and Su Qingyao, the two most critical figures, were far from ready—one with a crippled left arm and the other with a severely damaged Origin.

Time passed for another three days in this suffocating wait and undercurrents.

In the cave deep in the mine tunnel, Liu Yuan continuously used his gentle spiritual energy to uninterruptedly guide the chaotic Qi inside Su Qingyao's body.

Finally, at dusk on the third day, Su Qingyao, who had been lying quietly like a porcelain doll, had her long eyelashes tremble slightly, and her delicate brows furrowed unconsciously, as if she had fallen into some kind of uneasy dream.

Liu Yuan felt a joy in his heart and hurriedly stepped forward to check carefully.

He discovered that Su Qingyao had moved from a deep coma of near-death into a light sleep, which was a sign of improvement.

However, her Dantian Origin was still severely depleted, and her Divine Soul had also suffered a great shock; to fully recover, it would likely require a massive amount of precious Medicinal Pills and a long period of quiet recuperation.

Just as Liu Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to get up to check on Liu Ming's situation, a faint sound of bell ringing, as if penetrating the thick rock, came vaguely from the direction of the Liuyun Market in the far distance.

The bell toll was ancient and melodious, carrying an unquestionable majesty, resounding through the sky for hundreds of miles around.

Liu Yuan was stunned and tilted his ear to listen.

That was the "Dao-Hearing Bell," which the Southern Region Branch of the Alchemist Association would only ring when there were major matters to announce.

The bell rang three times, declaring that a transformation concerning the fate of all Alchemists had already been settled.