Wei Chuan nodded,
"Indeed, it is Spirit Grass!"
He immediately reached out and plucked the Red Berry from the top, carefully placing it inside his chest and looked at Gu Shi Yi with a sinister smile,
"You keep this jade box on you, take the carriage and leave. I'll take Youngest Miss Sun and go another way!"
Gu Shi Yi's eyes widened as she looked at him, her mouth opening as if to say something, but knowing that nothing she said would make a difference at that moment, she closed her mouth!
This old man really is a son of a bitch!
He was anticipating that Mr. Shang would recover and chase after them or that he might have accomplices who would come after them. He wanted her to lead the pursuers away!
The crafty old bastard really was cunning as they came. Even though he had never met Mr. Shang's people, he had guessed that the man had accomplices. So, he immediately plucked the most precious part of the medicine from the jade box, leaving just a few broken leaves for Gu Shi Yi, sending her off in the carriage to draw the pursuers away!
Damn, how vicious!
Gu Shi Yi cursed inwardly,
"You damn old fart, how come you didn't get blown up just now! I've done you no harm, yet you trick me with a Zhong Worm first, then make me your scapegoat. You deserve to die, old thing!"
It seemed as if Wei Chuan could see what she was thinking and said coldly,
"If you are willing to obey, after this matter is settled, I will remove your Zhong Worm and give you a sum of Gold and Silver. You can then live out the rest of your life in peace. But if you're not willing, I can have you killed right here and now!"
As he spoke, a chilling light shot from his one eye, filled with a terrifying murderous intent. Gu Shi Yi, despite usually being slick and adapting to changing winds, had a tendency to become reckless when truly provoked. In this moment, her anger rose to the point of not caring anymore. Without hesitation, she replied,
"Old Mr. Wei, to speak honestly, if I were to obey you, there's an eighty percent chance I won't survive. Whether you remove this Zhong Worm or not, it's all the same..."
That old man had bombed Mr. Shang so badly, what chance did she have if Mr. Shang caught up with her?
Gu Shi Yi paused before continuing,
"Besides, you're a powerful figure who could kill me with just a thought. Even if by some fluke I escaped with my life and found you, one thought from you, and I'd be dead. Why would you bother spending Gold and Silver on me? To me, dying sooner or later is still dying. You might as well... kill me now!"
With that, she threw her head back, puffed out her chest, and adopted a posture ready for execution,
"I've made my peace. To die quickly is to be reborn quickly, so go ahead and do it with a thought!"
Her defiant stance seemed to stun Wei Chuan,
"Do you truly not fear death?"
Gu Shi Yi gave a bitter laugh,
"I am afraid, yes, but after helping you with such an important matter, my life is still in danger. Rather than living in constant fear and dread only to die later, I'd rather die now and get it over with!"
Upon hearing her words, Wei Chuan was taken aback, but after a moment's thought, he asked,
"Then... what do you want?"
Gu Shi Yi gritted her teeth and after a moment's thought answered,
"Remove this Zhong Worm from me, and I'll lead the pursuers away for you!"
Wei Chuan hesitated, but seeing a flicker of interest in his expression, Gu Shi Yi added more fuel to the fire,
"Old Mr. Wei, after all, someone as insignificant as me is neither here nor there to you. If you remove my Zhong Worm now, even if I'm caught, I'll probably end up dead anyhow. Why waste your Zhong Worm on me?"
Her point was valid. After all, if a mere servant died, so be it; if she managed to survive thanks to her luck and escape far away, could she really cause any trouble?
After thinking it over, Wei Chuan nodded,
"Fine! You... extend your hand!"
Gu Shi Yi, relieved at his consent, rejoiced inwardly,
"To hell with it, first get this thing off me. Once he's gone, I'll just ditch the jade box, and my life will be saved!"
Wei Chuan, seemingly catching on to her thoughts, just chuckled without saying much and instructed,
"Extend your hand!"
Gu Shi Yi quickly extended her left hand, and Wei Chuan used his right little finger's nail to lightly slice across her palm. Blood immediately welled up, and he muttered inaudible incantations over Gu Shi Yi's wound. Soon enough, a thin worm-like thread crawled out from the cut,
Gu Shi Yi, revolted at the realization that she had such a thing inside her body, grimaced as she watched it move from her wound into the palm of Wei Chuan,
"There, I've removed it for you!"
Gu Shi Yi was skeptical,
"Are you sure it's gone?"
Wei Chuan sneered,