Chapter 135 - 134: Moon Gu
Since their first year of high school, Yang Shen and Xu Bamboo had been deskmates.
Although, it was only because of Xu Bamboo’s quiet insistence that they were never split up.
But in all fairness... even the closest of high school friends don’t necessarily know everything about each other’s families.
This was especially true back when Yang Shen had no hope in Martial Arts and was plagued by the hardships of life.
Xu Bamboo was very important to him, but she wasn’t everything. Back then, his family’s troubles and burdens were his main focus.
Only by becoming strong yourself do you earn the right to care for the people you want to care for.
He knew Xu Bamboo was exhausted and worked incredibly hard, with a strict study plan and clear goals... but he never imagined it would be like this.
Perhaps Xu Bamboo wasn’t the most overworked one. Maybe Yuan Rui, Tian Zihan, and Cao Wei were just as intense.
But what truly revealed a chilling coldness wasn’t how grueling the "plan" itself was.
It was Ye Qingyao’s indifference to the consequences of that grueling plan.
A resolve that everything had to follow a predetermined path, to continue even if it meant being torn to shreds.
Yang Shen sat down next to Xu Bamboo, unsure of what he should do first.
He had come to get Xu Bamboo to sleep.
’But I feel like I should go through the motions first. I can’t just tell her to sleep right away...’
"Your mom... when is she coming back?"
Xu Bamboo glanced at the time on the screen. "Usually around nine. The Bright Moon Potion needs to be prepared, and Mom will watch me drink it."
"Why does she have to watch you take the potion?"
"Because the ’Bright Moon Potion’ tastes awful, and it makes you feel terrible after you drink it..."
’Worse than my Golden Health Potion?’ Yang Shen thought.
’I don’t believe that for a second.’
’Still, this Ye Qingyao is really... like a ghost...’
Ghost Mother. The term popped into his head.
"So there’s still an hour and a half... You should get some sleep..."
Xu Bamboo shook her head. "I’m already very happy that you came to talk with me. I’m not sure if I can fall asleep, and besides, I still have three language arts test papers to do."
Yang Shen said, "Three test papers? That’s an easy fix. It just depends on how brave you are."
"What if I’m brave?"
"If you’re brave, then to hell with those stupid papers."
"And if I’m not?"
"Then you’ll just have to go to sleep first, and I’ll do the three papers for you..."
PUFF. Xu Bamboo burst out laughing.
She laughed so hard she was practically doubled over, her whole body trembling.
Finally, she fell back onto the bed, gazing up at the ceiling.
Silence fell again.
Yang Shen lay down as well.
The bed was big enough for both of them to lie in a starfish pose.
"Zhuzi... tell me your story. You know what I mean, right?"
He had found many pieces of the puzzle, but the truth was still shrouded in mist.
Xu Bamboo slowly turned on her side to face Yang Shen.
A familiar person in a familiar space, yet he felt so unfamiliar to her...
Perhaps the earlier awkwardness had broken down all barriers, or maybe this strange way of meeting had simply left the young woman unable to calm her heart.
Xu Bamboo grabbed the hem of Yang Shen’s shirt, scooted closer, and curled up under his arm.
She rested her smooth forehead against his side.
Very light... very gentle.
"I don’t have a story... I’m just ordinary."
"But if you want to listen... I’ll talk with you for a while..."
————————
「Half an hour later, at the main entrance of Jinshui Villa.」
Two luxury cars stopped in front of the guardhouse. A window rolled down, revealing Ye Qingyao’s expressionless face.
"The car behind me is with me."
She was back much earlier than expected.
The two cars, one after the other, arrived in front of Building 14. After getting out, Ye Qingyao glanced up at the third-floor window. According to her schedule, Xu Bamboo should be doing her test papers right now.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Let’s go, President Jin. We can have some tea and chat."
A man got out of the rear vehicle. He was chubby and stout—none other than "Jin Wu," the owner of Jinkang Pharmacy.
Jin Wu adopted a very humble posture. He and Ye Qingyao were old acquaintances.
She spared no expense in raising her daughter. Although she looked down on the formulas from Jinkang Pharmacy, she would occasionally ask him to procure some rare medicinal ingredients for a famous Great Physician to prepare potions.
Speaking of which, she was a strange person herself.
She had come to Jinshui over a decade ago. No one knew what she did for a living; it seemed she neither worked a job nor ran a business. Even her Martial Arts Realm was very low, yet she had a lot of money.
Though she was rather low-key and mysterious, over such a long time, she had made a name for herself in the circles of Jinshui’s wealthy.
Of course, none of this mattered to Jin Wu. He only cared whether his "Jinkang Pharmacy" could survive this crisis.
Ever since the main store "ascended to heaven," Jinkang Pharmacy’s cash flow had been in a massive crisis. He had shamelessly placated many of his creditors, but the business remained in a precarious state.
He didn’t know which month a small bill of a few tens of thousands might bring the whole thing crashing down.
So when Ye Qingyao approached him again to procure rare medicinal ingredients, Jin Wu took the initiative to reveal a little secret, hoping to pique her interest...
Ye Qingyao led Jin Wu into the villa but didn’t go far, sitting down in the tearoom next to the foyer.
The exquisite tea set hadn’t been used in a long time, showing the hostess’s indifference to it. Clearly, "having tea and chatting" was just a concept; Jin Wu wasn’t even offered a glass of water.
After sitting down, Ye Qingyao got straight to the point. "President Jin, let’s hear it. What is this treasure you mentioned?"
Jin Wu wasn’t annoyed. He said with a chuckle:
"President Ye, I wonder if you’ve heard of the ’Witchcraft and Gu Technique’?"
A glint flashed through Ye Qingyao’s eyes, instantly vanishing beneath her cold expression. "I’ve heard a little. A unique application of ’Source’ technology from the ’Si Realm’. What about it?"
Jin Wu said with feigned pride, "Through a stroke of luck, I recently acquired a treasure that might be of some help to you, President Ye."
He placed a sandalwood box on the tea table and tapped it lightly with his finger, producing a crisp sound.
He knew very well that although Ye Qingyao was wealthy, her Martial Arts Realm was low.
It was quite strange that no one had caused her trouble in Jinshui District all these years.
He wasn’t worried about any danger from carrying the item on his person; keeping it with him added to his persuasiveness.
He began to show off, saying:
"Yanhua has been developing the ’Si Realm’ for a thousand years, and there are countless records of Witchcraft. Many technical materials are scattered among both the public and the government, but a thing like this is truly magical..."
Ye Qingyao glanced at the sandalwood box. "Stop trying to be mysterious."
Jin Wu remained unfazed and continued his spiel:
"This thing is very mysterious. I’ve searched through all the ancient texts. Luckily, an old rival of mine left behind some research on Witchcraft, which mentioned this item... It is called the ’Moon Gu’..."
Ye Qingyao frowned slightly. "Moon Gu...! What does it do?"
Jin Wu had seized control of the conversation, and his expression became much more natural. He was anxious to sell the item, but he couldn’t let anyone think he was desperate.
Saving face wasn’t important; the main thing was that he wouldn’t be able to name a high price.
"This Moon Gu is quite magical. It’s not an ’Insect Gu,’ but a ’Source Gu.’ In essence, it is a mass of ’Alien Source’ that resides within a human body. It cannot be rotted by water or destroyed by fire... Even if the person dies, it will continue to reside in the remains."
"As for its effects...! The Moon Gu can only be planted in a female body. During her menstrual cycle, it will covertly absorb a wisp of the ’Gu Poisoned’ person’s Life Origin... In our Martial Arts terms, you can think of it as ’Qi Blood Transformation’..."
"The ’Gu Poisoned’ person will feel discomfort, but it will be masked by the menstrual cycle itself, making it very difficult to detect..."
Ye Qingyao frowned. "What use is such a sinister thing to me?"
Jin Wu pushed the sandalwood box forward and said persuasively, "Because it can absorb a woman’s qi and blood, it is naturally meant to be released one day."
"And this one I have in my hands, the power contained within it is nearly 600 points according to the Qi and Blood Value evaluation system! This has been accumulated over several years, or even decades! Who knows how many people it has absorbed from to amass this much."
"The Moon Gu is fundamentally a type of ’Nourishing Technique.’ Its purpose is to steal the qi and blood of others to nourish one person. Legend has it that in the ancient ’Si Realm,’ the Moon Gu came from the hands of a notorious Great Witch. This Great Witch used this Secret Technique to harvest from hundreds or thousands of women to allow one person to retain their youth forever... The Si Realm People do not cultivate Martial Arts; they only use it as a way to extend their lifespan."
Jin Wu gave a dry cough. "Of course, I only have this one, so it certainly can’t grant eternal youth. But it can make you a few years younger, President Ye. And if I recall correctly, you have no time for Martial Arts. You should be in the initial stage of Bone Training, right?"
"With this Moon Gu, you might have a chance to step into the Innate realm and experience ’Innate Rebirth’. Tell me, isn’t a treasure like this worth a fortune?"
==Portal==
[Monthly Ticket]