"I found it!" Feng Yongrui pointed to a certain paragraph in the book he was reading.
The Gu worm.
The poisonous Gu worm was something that frequently appeared in cultivation novels, movies, and so on. A poisonous worm that could be used for many things, this Gu worm would always give a headache to the protagonist or characters involved.
"I can't believe I didn't think of it," Feng Yongrui muttered.
In novels, the Gu worm could be implanted inside a person's body to control the person's body, to inflict pain on a person, to poison the person, and so on. Feng Yongrui was just unsure of what the Gu worms in this world could do.
"Tsk, tsk," Feng Yongrui clicked his tongue.
"How could someone use the Gu worm on an eight year old child?! So ruthless..."
Feng Yongrui paused and continued reading the book he was holding. Unfortunately, the book did not describe what Gu worms could do...
Maybe because the Gu worm was a poisonous insect that was mainly used by Demonic Cultivators, so the Immortal Pathway Sect did not have detailed information about it.
"So the wriggling thing I saw in Ya'er's brain was definitely the Gu Worm. But... theoretically, shouldn't she be dead by now? It's been at least six months since she was kidnapped, meaning the Gu worm should've been inside her for a long time now..."
"Eh? Don't tell me she was able to survive because she had an excellent spirit root that suppressed the Gu worm?" Feng Yongrui recalled the golden spirit root he had seen and thought his idea was plausible.
Feng Yongrui put aside the book regarding the Gu worm and took another book. This one was about various kinds of herbs and trees. Feng Yongrui flipped the pages and finally found the page regarding the Fuahua tree.
According to the book, the Fuahua tree sap was indeed sweet and tasty, but the sap also had calming properties. The Fuahua tree sap could soothe the nerves and bring a sense of joy to the eater...
Feng Yongrui: !!!
"I think I understand now!" Feng Yongrui cried in his head. A small smile could be seen on his lips and he left the library with hurried footsteps. He could guess what had happened. Now, all he needed to do was look for the place where they kept the children...
However, as soon as Feng Yongrui stepped out of the library, the System's prompt sounded in his brain.
"Ding~ The side quest has been triggered. Side quest: bring Hou Renshu and Ma Bo to investigate the disappearance of the children and kill the mastermind!"
"When the side quest is completed successfully, 100 points will be awarded and Host will receive 3 lucky draws. Side quest failure will result in severe punishment. Host, please work hard~"
Feng Yongrui sucked in a cold breath.
This was the first time a side quest was triggered. And also... why did he have to bring his disciples along? He had planned to leave them in the sect so that they wouldn't have to get into danger...
"System, you did this on purpose, right?" Feng Yongrui said, rolling his eyes in displeasure.
"Host, please do not slander the System~"
Feng Yongrui: "..."
System, the tone of your voice says everything.
Feng Yongrui sighed and changed directions to his Mountain Peak. He had to inform his disciples of the task and tell them to get ready.
When Feng Yongrui arrived in the Mountain Peak, Hou Renshu and Ma Bo were cultivating. Seeing their Master, the two of them stood up and saluted.
"You two, I'm going down the mountain to do a certain task. I'm going to bring you both with me, so get ready," He said.
Ma Bo's face grew brighter and Hou Renshu's lips tilted into a smile. Their Master rarely made them do tasks or go outside to often.
On one hand, their Master's over protectiveness made them touched, but on the other hand, they grew restless because they didn't want to be sheltered forever.
The two boys picked up their swords and prepared to go out. However, before they could leave, the three of them heard the sound of barking. It was Little Prince.
"Woof! Woof!" The puppy that was once so small had already grown so big. Little Prince gave a few barks and wagged his tail. His face seemed to say, "Take me with you!"
Ma Bo understood what he wanted and rubbed Little Prince's head.
"Master, can we bring him along?" Ma Bo asked.
Feng Yongrui's expression became complicated. Dogs were said to be very smart, so maybe Little Prince could help them, but...
"NO. Absolutely not. Don't you dare bring him on this dangerous mission!" The System was talking with a grave voice inside Feng Yongrui's head.
"Oh come on, you know it's dangerous but you're letting me go and do this side quest? Don't you care about me?" Feng Yongrui retorted.
"Host, a dog is the most precious thing in this world. Besides, you can protect yourself with your own skills," The System said solemnly.
"Master, let's just bring him along," Ma Bo said. He couldn't bear to leave the dog all alone on the Mountain Peak.
What if they were gone for several days and no one was there to feed Little Prince?
Feng Yongrui nodded and decided to bring the dog with them, ignoring the System's nagging.
Seeing that they were all ready, Feng Yongrui brought his two disciples and the dog down the mountain and explained everything that had happened. He also explained Ya'er's situation and his hypothesis on the whole situation.
"This is my guess so far, and it might not be true. I think those kidnappers were specifically targeting children of certain age groups. So when the children were outside, the Gu worm was implanted inside them. The Gu worm went inside their body and into the brain."
"When the Gu worm reached the brain, the children began having headaches. Then when night came, the person who controls the Gu made the Gu move around in the children's brain. Of course, this made the children feel painful, and then the kidnappers lured the children out with the Fuahua sap."
Hou Renshu frowned in confusion, and Feng Yongrui continued.
"I've checked it. The Fuahua sap has a calming effect and soothes the nerves. The children were not lured by the sweetness of the Fuahua sap, they wanted the Fuahua sap to soothe their nerves because the Gu worm was rampaging in their brain!"
Ma Bo gasped. "That makes sense, Master! But... if this is true, it means we're not dealing with ordinary robbers. Someone must be behind this, and that person might be quite powerful," He said.
Hou Renshu nodded. "Yes. Someone who can use the Gu worm must be powerful, not just some robbers who are greedy for money..."
Feng Yongrui nodded in agreement, feeling proud in his heart, His disciples were getting smarter and more acute!
"Han Gang told me where he found Ya'er, so the three of us will search that area and try to find traces of the kidnappers," Feng Yongrui said.
"Understood, Master," The two disciples nodded.
Feng Yongrui brought the two disciples to Han Gang's house. As usual, the three of them used a face changing spell to alter their appearance. When they arrived, Ya'er was staring into space and her face was emotionless.
Feng Yongrui introduced his two disciples and asked Han Gang to lead them to the place where he had found Ya'er. Han Gang agreed, but he did not feel at ease leaving Ya'er at home alone, so he carried her along.
When they arrived at the specific location, Feng Yongrui and his disciples observed their surroundings. They were inside a forest, with tall trees and green foliage blocking their view. Feng Yongrui walked to one side and arrived in front of a cave.
"I found Ya'er here, in this cave," Han Gang said.
He pointed to the east and said, "The trail of blood started from that direction. Come, I'll show you where I first found the blood stains."
Following Han Gang's lead, they walked through the forest, ignoring the chirping and tweeting of the various animals inside. Han Gang finally stopped walking.
"I first found the traces of blood somewhere around here... Then I walked all the way to the cave I just showed you."
"...I see. Thank you for telling us," Feng Yongrui said. Han Gang said it was no problem and left, saying he had something else to do.
Feng Yongrui was left with his two disciples and Little Prince, who was sitting quietly and wagging his tail. Nobody knew what he was thinking.
Feng Yongrui told his disciples to split up and they began searching the area, hoping to find any clues. Feng Yongrui guessed that Ya'er had somehow escaped from her kidnappers and ran all the way here, only to pass out in that cave.
If his guess was correct, then the kidnappers' location shouldn't be too far from here...
***
Feng Yongrui: My disciples are getting smarter and more acute! They must take after me~~
System: ...In your dreams.
***
Let's explore your dark side: if you could implant a Gu worm in someone, who would it be and for what reason?
Comment below~