Chapter 35: The Little Monster Clings to the Little Madman
Through a mix of coercion and bribery, Yun Wuxiang managed to pry a pile of information out of the Toad Envoy’s mouth—though he couldn’t tell how much of it was true.
For instance, Song Yilou didn’t just love eating Gu; he also loved eating poisonous grass, poisonous fruits, and basically anything toxic. Consequently, his blood was poisonous, too.
The last point was certainly true. Yun Wuxiang knew this well because he was currently poisoned—or rather, the illusion believed he was poisoned.
“You fed him quite a few Gu just now, so the toxicity in his blood has likely intensified. The antidote I made previously is probably useless. As for the new antidote, will the Holy Son make it himself, or will you give me two drops of blood so I can help?”
This was the Toad Envoy’s statement after the illusion had draped Yun Wuxiang in the guise of being poisoned.
“No need to trouble yourself,” Yun Wuxiang said, rejecting the offer and sending her away.
With his current cultivation base, mortal poisons couldn’t affect him in the slightest. Not to mention, this was merely an illusion. In reality, Song Yilou’s body had been obliterated by lightning; there was no toxic blood left to speak of.
Yun Wuxiang’s lips were tinged purple, giving him the appearance of someone deeply envenomed, but in reality, he was perfectly fine.
The illusion wouldn’t dare let his identity here die so easily from poison. His next step after breaking out of this illusion was to kill Song Yilou and that Heart Demon.
So, Yun Wuxiang didn’t bother figuring out how to detoxify. Instead, he began researching Song Yilou’s constitution.
He harassed Song Yilou’s mother while conducting his research.
“What did you eat during your pregnancy? Write me a list. Don’t tell me you can’t remember—I won’t believe it. If I find out you’re hiding something and it causes an error in my deductions, I’ll kill you and dissect you for analysis myself.”
The Toad Envoy looked at his purple lips and the earnest expression with which he threatened to kill her. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if he truly meant it or if the poison had damaged his brain.
“I’ll write the list for you in a moment. Right now, don’t you think you need an antidote more?”
Yun Wuxiang refused directly. “No need. I can neutralize the poison myself; I am currently sensing its toxicity.”
Researching Song Yilou’s constitution inevitably involved touching his blood. For every additional Gu the boy ate, the toxicity in his blood increased. Constantly detoxifying would only slow down the research speed.
“What kind of Gu has he eaten over the years? You can’t remember? You must remember the first one, and the ones he’s eaten recently.”
“Have you ever placed a Gu on him? What was the effect? You must have done this; any Gu Master would attempt such a thing.”
“Did his father leave any identification? Are you sure he was just an ordinary man and not a demon or monster in disguise?”
At first, the Toad Envoy answered with a sour expression. Later, her face became increasingly twisted. When the “demon or monster” comment came out, she finally couldn’t hold back and switched to mockery mode.
“Are you stupid from the poison, or have worms eaten your brain? Or maybe you inhaled too much miasma and started taking storybooks for reality? Demons and monsters… Hah, even a seven-year-old in the Poison Mist Swamp doesn’t believe in those things.”
“I slept with that man for so many days and made a brat with him. Do you think I wouldn’t know if he was human?”
Yun Wuxiang said seriously, “Perhaps he only looked like a human on the outside?” Song Yilou grew up to be exactly that, after all.
After asking, he saw the Toad Envoy’s expression, which clearly said, ‘You’re sick in the head, get treated immediately.’ He realized he probably wouldn’t get anything more out of her. She had lived in the mortal realm her whole life and had never encountered non-human entities.
The mortal realm was restricted by worldly laws; indeed, there were no demons or monsters here. Even if Song Yilou’s father truly wasn’t ordinary, he would have been suppressed into a mortal.
Knowing he was poisoned yet daring to leave, missing for many years, suspected of being non-human, perhaps someone from the Immortal Realm who came down to steal the protagonist’s destiny, or a Mirror Demon…
In that case, Song Yilou’s obsession with going to the Immortal Realm might be to find his dad. Song Tadpole looking for his papa?
“Dad. Hungry.”
Two words pulled Yun Wuxiang’s thoughts back. He looked down at the little thing prying open his hand to beg for food. His expression turned subtle. “You called me Dad?”
Little Black Tuft repeated in a slurred, childish voice, “Dad. Hungry.”
Yun Wuxiang glanced at the five small moles on Little Black Tuft’s face—his proof of identity. His mood was strange, yet he let out a laugh that was partly amused and partly mocking.
Leaning back into the bamboo chair, he had the red butterfly bring a Gu insect to dance in front of Little Black Tuft’s eyes. Yun Wuxiang said to him, “Only obedient children get to eat. are you obedient?”
Little Black Tuft stared at the moving Gu insect and stammered, “Obedient.”
Yun Wuxiang began to fish for information. “What does your mother say most often?”
Little Black Tuft pursed his lips and said with a hint of jealousy, “Toad Baby, eat more.”
Judging by his little expression, Yun Wuxiang concluded that this “Toad Baby” wasn’t Song Yilou, but likely the Toad Envoy’s Gu.
“What else?”
Little Black Tuft thought for a moment and said, “The Grand Wu Zhu is a dipshit.”
“Stupid Scorpion is so noisy; I’ll poison him mute sooner or later.”
“Not enough poison.”
“So poor. Go kill a few unlucky bastards to boost our fortune.”
“The little beast has a tough life.”
“Spit out my Gu!” The little black dumpling even mimicked the angry tone perfectly.
Yun Wuxiang confirmed once again that the Toad Envoy had truly been eaten out of house and home by this Little Black Tuft. Regardless of her true motives, her desire to find an allied sucker to help raise Song Yilou was likely genuine.
The red butterfly brought the Gu insect to the little guy. However, Little Black Tuft didn’t eat it immediately. Instead, he placed the Gu into Yun Wuxiang’s palm first, and only then put it into his own mouth.
Watching him complete this step, Yun Wuxiang felt the regret of missing the chance to domesticate Song Yilou intensify.
Why was this only an illusion?
Song Yilou’s optimal domestication period had long passed!
Wait. Yun Wuxiang’s train of thought took a turn. Optimal domestication period? Does such a thing really exist? Both the Toad Envoy and the Holy Son had died unknown years ago.
If Song Yilou could truly be domesticated, he should have grown up to be a secret weapon for the Toad Envoy or someone else, not a psychopath drifting freely in the ocean.
“Dad. Hungry.” Little Black Tuft, having finished one Gu, sent out the signal for food again.
Yun Wuxiang’s thoughts were pulled back by the little thing. He stared intently at the innocent, tender face before him, which seemed to be stamped with the words: I am a sweet, naive fool; I am very easy to kidnap.
Real? Fake?
It didn’t matter. This was just an illusion.
Yun Wuxiang withdrew his gaze. The red butterfly brought more Gu insects for feeding. The crunching sound of biting through exoskeletons echoed in the room.
While Little Black Tuft ate, Yun Wuxiang pricked his own finger to draw a few drops of blood and continued researching Song Yilou’s constitution using the pile of materials the Toad Envoy had provided.
“Regeneration, toxicity, intelligence.” The more Yun Wuxiang researched, the more he felt that Song Yilou was less like a human and more like a Gu that had gained sentience and human form.
The Toad Envoy said Little Black Tuft was stupid and couldn’t understand cultivation methods. But if one imagined Song Yilou as a Gu, he would be considered absolute genius among poisonous insects.
Wasn’t it normal for a Gu not to understand human cultivation methods and records?
He didn’t need to understand. Devouring and controlling Gu was instinct to him.
In this light, there was nothing wrong with Song Yilou’s self-perception. The only similarity between him and humans was this human shell.
Yun Wuxiang’s gaze landed on the top of Song Yilou’s head. An image floated before his eyes: the adult Song Yilou opening his skull to reveal a pile of insect eggs inside.
What was inside the current Song Yilou’s head? A human brain, or a cocoon?
Should I open it and take a look?
Little Black Tuft, gnawing on a venomous snake, seemed to sense danger like a small animal. He looked up and glanced around, confusion appearing in his large, black-grape eyes.
Placing a hand on the top of his head, Yun Wuxiang said, “Open your head and let me see.”
The Toad Envoy arrived just in time to hear this remark, which made her heart skip a beat. “What kind of ghostly nonsense are you spouting now?”
“His regenerative ability is higher than a normal person’s, but it’s not without limits. Cracking open his skull… do you want all the poisonous Gu you fed him earlier to go to waste just to satisfy your momentary curiosity?”
Yun Wuxiang ran his fingers through the soft hair and asked, “What limits?”
Toad Envoy: “Gu. After he recovers from a severe injury, his appetite will explode for a period of time.”
Yun Wuxiang hadn’t noticed this. Little Black Tuft hadn’t stopped eating since he got here; his appetite had consistently been enormous.
“He’s eaten quite a few Gu these past few days. Opening his head shouldn’t stop him from recovering.”
Yun Wuxiang’s finger traced an imaginary horizontal line across Little Black Tuft’s forehead, matching the position where Song Yilou had once opened his own skull.
Little Black Tuft covered his head. The little thing, who hadn’t reacted to being stabbed in the heart and had continued begging for food from Yun Wuxiang after waking up, now scrambled on his two little legs to hide behind his mother, peeking out with one eye to secretly observe Yun Wuxiang.
Yun Wuxiang glanced at Little Black Tuft out of the corner of his eye, then looked at the Toad Envoy, who was staring at him with a bizarre expression. “What did you come to find me for?”
“I didn’t come to find you; I just came to pass a message.” The Toad Envoy adjusted her veil, hiding the expression on her face.
“The Grand Wu Zhu is very curious about how your peerless Poison Gu—the one you had to rob the entire Poison Mist Swamp to refine—is doing.”
Another illusion NPC looking for trouble. They couldn’t win in a fight, so they went to tattle. Too bad that was useless, too.
Yun Wuxiang strode outward. “He won’t be curious for much longer.”
Toad Envoy: “Young people are so confident. Although the Grand Wu Zhu is about to die of old age and can barely suppress the Gu in his body, his fate is extremely tough. He’s outlived several Holy Sons. And the Gu he raises are livelier than the last.”
Yun Wuxiang stopped and looked back at the smiling eyes of the Toad Envoy. That smile, like honey-coated arsenic, was truly familiar.
“Coming along?” After killing him, I can give Little Black Tuft a taste of fresh, high-grade food.
The Toad Envoy was surprised. “Today?” So fast? Don’t you need to prepare?
Yun Wuxiang’s gaze shifted down to meet the eyes of the little thing looking up at him. “He’s been getting pickier and greedier these past few days. Even if the Grand Wu Zhu hadn’t actively sought me out, I was going to take him to the Gu Kiln tomorrow to find food that meets his standards.”
He gestured with the red flute above Little Black Tuft’s head. “He ate so many Gu, yet he hasn’t grown taller at all. When was the last time he grew?”
Some time had passed in the illusion. No matter how many Gu he ate, the little thing’s height and body shape hadn’t changed a bit. He didn’t grow taller or gain meat; he only grew in toxicity and regeneration.
The Toad Envoy’s single visible eye blinked. “I don’t know. I never paid attention to his height.”
“Is that so?” Yun Wuxiang raised the corner of his eye to look at the Toad Envoy. His clear gaze seemed to have seen through everything, making the heart of the person he looked at beat like a drum.
“Let’s go. Time to meet the Grand Wu Zhu.”
The Toad Envoy looked at his still unnaturally colored lips and asked, “Do you really not need to detoxify yourself before going?”
Yun Wuxiang: “No need.”
“I hope your strength matches your confidence and you won’t capsize in the gutter.”
The Toad Envoy didn’t persuade him further. She adjusted her veil and led Yun Wuxiang through the eerie, dark stone paths of the Poison Mist Swamp toward the Grand Wu Zhu’s residence.
When they arrived, a row of black shadows elongated under the light of torches. At the source of the shadows, numerous tattooed Gu Masters cast their gazes upon Yun Wuxiang as he arrived. Seeing his obviously abnormal lip color, their imposing manner surged.
These people, men and women alike, all wore silver ornaments and had one or more Gu insects crawling on them. Their expressions varied, but the one thing missing was goodwill.
The atmosphere of a Hongmen Banquet assaulted his face.
Yun Wuxiang turned to look at the woman beside him, who had brought the little thing along.
“I warned you it would be best to detoxify first.” The Toad Envoy shrugged slightly, holding Little Black Tuft’s hand as she took a step forward.
On the second step, a red shadow swept past at lightning speed, clearing the entire field before anyone could cover their ears.
By the time the Toad Envoy took her third step, the group of people in front were all clutching their waists and abdomens, desperately trying to staunch the bleeding.
Yun Wuxiang looked at the farce-like scene before him and expressed genuine confusion: “What gave you the confidence to provoke me?”
The Scorpion Envoy struggled to look at the Toad Envoy. “You traitor! Didn’t you say he was poisoned and had lost his mind?”
Yun Wuxiang also looked at the Toad Envoy. The woman draped in white gauze sighed leisurely. “A half-grown boy eats a family out of house and home. I did this to raise my son. I had no choice but to sacrifice you all. Sigh, I didn’t want it to be like this either.”
As she spoke, she pushed the little thing beside her and said, “Time to eat.”
The moment those three words came out, Little Song Yilou’s innocent eyes instantly filled with aggression and gluttony. Like a dangerous creature that had received the signal to attack, he walked straight to a fallen Gu Master. His tender white hand aimed at the tattoo on the man’s body and grabbed downwards. After a scream, a bloody Gu insect was held in his palm.
Little Black Tuft opened his mouth. Just as he was about to bite down, he suddenly thought of something. He turned his head to find Yun Wuxiang, then ran thump-thump-thump over to him, holding the struggling scorpion Gu, trying to grab his hand.
He missed.
Yun Wuxiang dodged the blood-stained claws with disgust. Little Black Tuft persevered and tried to grab him again. Yun Wuxiang dodged again. After a few back-and-forths, he said, “Go to your mother and wipe the blood off.”
The Toad Envoy’s eyes widened slightly as she watched her son trot all the way over and swipe his claw right onto the corner of her clothes.
She dodged. She failed.
Looking down at the bloodstains on the hem of her skirt, her expression became unreadable. She raised her eyes to look at the pair nearby.
The harmless-looking child held the poisonous scorpion and took the red-clad youth’s hand. Under Yun Wuxiang’s still rather disgusted gaze, the child placed the poisonous scorpion into his palm, revealing a satisfied smile at the completion of the ritual. Then, he swallowed the scorpion in one gulp, his cheeks bulging as he chewed.
Witnessing this scene, the corners of the Toad Envoy’s eyes curved into a meaningful arc. Beneath the veil, her lips hooked into a bizarre smile—amused, sinister, and laced with a bit of schadenfreude.
Oh my, my. The little monster has entangled himself with the little madman. How interesting.
Could she finally offload this troublesome son?
It just so happened that the little madman was also very interested in her son.
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