"Mother, you..."
Li Gou had just started to speak when the woman in white interrupted him.
"Don't call me that. I'm not your mother," the woman in white sneered as she stood up.
"Are you the aunt from next door?!" Li Gou felt a bad premonition.
"Hehe... That bitch Bai Su sure loves to claim sons, but you wouldn't be the first I've eaten."
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman in white let out a sinister laugh and transformed into a blur, lunging at Li Gou.
Before Li Gou could even react, he was knocked to the ground.
The woman in white bit into Li Gou's neck, and he felt a sharp pain. To his horror, he realized she was sucking his blood.
Li Gou was terrified!
This woman clearly had a split personality with a horrifying side.
With his life hanging by a thread, Li Gou's mind raced.
The woman in white had mentioned that it had been a long time since she had a new prey. Although he didn't know why she couldn't actively hunt for prey, he quickly formed a plan.
"Don't kill me! I can help you find more prey!" Li Gou shouted.
The woman in white paused, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
Li Gou was extremely nervous. If she didn't agree, he likely wouldn't survive this ordeal.
"Fine, I won't kill you… for now."
The woman in white said, lifting her head. Her lips were smeared with fresh blood.
Li Gou quickly used his spiritual energy to stop the bleeding and sighed in relief.
At that moment, the woman in white took out a black porcelain bottle and poured out a foul-smelling black pill.
"However, you must swallow this Corpse Poison Pill. It is a First-Grade Supreme Poison Pill refined from corpse poison. Aside from a Second-Grade Detox Pill, only my cultivation method can neutralize it. If I don't help reduce the poison in your body within a month, you will die a painful death, rotting away like a corpse."
Gritting his teeth, Li Gou took the Corpse Poison Pill from her hand and, enduring the stench, swallowed it.
As soon as the pill entered his body, it transformed into a foul, corrosive energy, spreading throughout his body and slowly advancing toward his meridians and vital organs.
The spiritual energy in his body evaporated like snow meeting molten lava before it could even approach the foul energy—it was terrifying.
Li Gou could feel that if these toxins entered his meridians, he would instantly become crippled, and if they reached his vital organs, even the gods couldn't save him.
Until he found a Second-Grade Detox Pill, he would be under her control.
"Heh heh, very good. From today on, you will bring me prey—cultivators or demonic beasts. The higher their cultivation, the more I will reduce the corpse poison in your body.
If you delay, you'll suffer the pain of your body slowly rotting. Of course, if you help me escape from this place, I will completely cure you," the woman in white sneered.
"If helping you escape will free me, can you tell me what your predicament is?" Li Gou asked cautiously.
"That bitch Bai Su used a First-Grade Supreme Formation, the Small Yin-Yang Reversal Formation, to seal this bamboo forest, preventing me from escaping. I have no knowledge of formations and have tried for many years to break it, but I've never succeeded," the woman in white said bitterly.
Well, helping her escape seemed to be a dead end.
Even if this schizophrenic woman managed to get out, she would just come back after switching personalities.
It seemed the only option was to delay the poison's effects by bringing prey and trying to find a Second-Grade Detox Pill in the meantime.
Li Gou sighed inwardly.
"In that case, can I cultivate for a while? My current cultivation is only at the second layer of Qi Refining. To catch prey, I need to reach a higher level," Li Gou asked.
"Do as you like. After all, your life is in my hands."
The woman in white waved dismissively, pulling out a black lacquered box and gnawing on an arm as if it were a snack.
Seeing this, Li Gou immediately recalled the mysterious meat he had eaten not long ago, and his face turned pale with a strong feeling of nausea.
He forced the nausea down, silently mocking himself for being too naive and underestimating the cruelty of this cultivation world.
From now on, he would avoid eating any food from strangers if he could.
Taking a deep breath, Li Gou decided not to waste precious time. He pulled out a Wood Spirit Pill, swallowed it, and closed his eyes to cultivate.
As soon as the power of the Wood Spirit Pill was absorbed, a familiar voice called out beside him.
"My child, what happened to the wound on your neck?"
Li Gou opened his eyes and saw the woman in white looking at him with genuine concern. Li Gou felt helpless.
This woman had two personalities—one was a kind, caring mother, the other a bloodthirsty demon. It was hard for Li Gou to accept.
Still, he remained on high alert and vigilant.
"Oh, Auntie came by earlier," Li Gou half-joked.
Crack!
The woman in white broke the bamboo broom in her hand, her delicate face turning cold.
"That bitch Mo You dared to harm my son! I won't let her get away with it! Come, let's go find her next door!"
The woman in white didn't even ask how the other had gotten in. She just grabbed Li Gou's hand and headed straight next door, only to find themselves staring at an empty space.
'There was no one there!' Li Gou silently mocked.
Taking this chance, Li Gou subtly looked around.
He found that aside from dried bloodstains all over the place, the room was completely empty.
It was certainly the style of that demon woman—utterly terrifying.
"It seems that bitch Mo You went to mess with the formation again. We'll come back tomorrow to find her," the woman in white said angrily.
Li Gou's mouth twitched. As expected, there was always some twisted humor in dealing with a crazy person. You might never see her in this lifetime!
"Come, my son, let me apply some medicine to your wounds."
The woman in white turned her attention back to Li Gou's injuries, pulling out a white porcelain bottle to apply some medicine.
"No need, it's just a minor wound. I can heal it quickly with wood-attribute spiritual energy."
Li Gou took a step back, waving his hands.
The nausea from the meat incident was still lingering, so Li Gou dared not accept any more of her kindness.
"Wood-attribute spiritual energy? It seems you've been cultivating a wood-attribute technique. How far have you progressed?" the woman in white asked with concern.
"I'm currently at the second layer of Qi Refining," Li Gou answered truthfully.
There was no point in hiding this.
"Heh, then these First-Grade Basic Qi Gathering Pills should be useful to you."
The woman in white smiled warmly and handed him a white porcelain bottle.
Li Gou hesitantly took the bottle.
After the incident with the meat, he was already wary. Who knew if these pills were really for cultivation?
Opening the lid, a fresh medicinal fragrance wafted out, completely dispelling Li Gou's doubts.
Inside the porcelain bottle were four milky white pills.
They were genuine cultivation pills!
Li Gou suddenly felt a mix of emotions.
After hesitating for a while, he finally decided to ask the question.
"Mother, where did the meat from last night come from?"