Chapter 5, Flat-chested! I am not afraid of you

The immortal elder broke into a cold sweat: "I will inform the immortal sovereign right away"

The night breeze seemed to fall silent for a moment

A cold voice fell, and Jiling walked over wearing an outer garment. Upon seeing Ersheng's appearance, she frowned slightly, then her figure flashed, and with swift and precise movements, she struck at Ersheng's neck. Ersheng turned around and, as if to show off, flared her nostrils and said, "Flat-chested! I'm not afraid of you!" Immediately after, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

He closed his eyes to rest, waiting for Er Sheng's breathing to gradually stabilize. Knowing that she had fallen asleep, he took out her hand. By the blue light emanating from the barrier outside the window, he noticed a dark mass in the center of her palm, wriggling as if a worm were crawling beneath her skin

Jiling nodded and did not ask further. She instructed another immortal to carefully accompany Ersheng, ensuring that all her words were well noted. If the insect within her body caused any trouble, it should be extracted and sealed. After saying this, she also left the room.

Chang Yuan suddenly thought that when Er Sheng wakes up, the first thing he wants to tell her is that a good girl should not casually refer to herself as "Guniang" (a term of endearment), as it would make her sound old. If she must use such a term, she should call others "Gui Sunzi" (a term of endearment for younger males) instead.

In fact, it is not surprising that people are astonished. The strength of a zombie is three times greater than that of an ordinary adult male, so how could a young girl who has not practiced any form of cultivation possibly contend with such monsters

Before Changyuan could ponder over this matter for long, a loud knocking sound echoed at the door. Before he could speak, Ersheng exclaimed, "You finally showed up! Get in here!" She rushed over and pulled the door open. Outside stood several startled immortals, their eyes wide with surprise.

Damn it! No!" Ersheng slammed the door hard, "Bastard! Come out! Stop making noise! No more noise allowed!"

Jiling also looked at Ersheng and blinked for a while, the breath that had been held in her chest finally escaped with a long sigh. She rubbed her forehead, for the first time doubting her own ability to express herself: "In other words... in other words..."

There is nothing left. Ji Ling turned to another immortal and instructed, "Take out the talisman paper we used to seek help from the Immortal Sovereign and burn it, informing the Immortal Sovereign of our situation."

What village?

Er Sheng hurriedly ran outside, making a beeline for Chang Yuan's room. Upon pushing the door open, he saw a bulging figure on the bed and, without a second thought, pounced on it, refusing to let go of the blanket.

Er Sheng nodded: "He has been asking me to go."

This looks very much like the "gu" mentioned in some stories told by Si Ming.

You two are truly a perfect match

A friend told me. He looked at Ersheng, who was sitting upright in the chair, attentively listening to the sounds around him.

Jiling rubbed her eyes and woke up, glancing at her lightly: "Are you awake?" After saying this, she gently flicked the rope, and the binding spell was undone.

Carrying Ersheng all the way back to the room, Jiling bound her to the bed, wrapping the demon-binding rope around her three full circles. She lay beside Ersheng, thought for a moment, then turned over, and with a sudden clap of her hand, pinched Ersheng's chest. After pinching a few times, she let out a cold snort of utter disdain: "Not any different from me."

They want you to help. Chang Yuan translated, "Capture the person who released the Gu worms and eliminate them completely."

Chang Yuan was taken aback: "Huilong Valley?"

That person cast a glance at Chang Yuan, knowing that Chang Yuan must be a difficult character to deal with, and thus no longer questioned anything

Jiling gave a knowing glance to a celestial elder, who understood and immediately walked out. Jiling then asked: "According to what you said, the parasitic insect should begin to crawl into the host's body the moment it enters; why is it still lingering beneath the surface?"

Chang Yuan shook his head and said he did not know. Er Sheng suddenly exclaimed, "I know, I know! It must be because of my great-aunt... I grew up eating bugs! This gu worm is also a bug, so it must be afraid that when it crawls into my brain, I will suck it in and chew it up to eat! Haha!"

The other two also expressed their astonishment.

Chang Yuan fell silent, and Ji Ling continued to ask: "Did anything happen yesterday that you did not tell us?"

Er Sheng blinked for a moment and asked, "What does it mean?"

The Gu, capable of disturbing the mind and controlling the body, can be sensed moving slightly beneath the skin when touched by an external object, causing discomfort and pain to the host. A celestial elder, somewhat skeptical, gently touched the black spot in Ersheng's hand, and indeed, Ersheng trembled immediately. Changyuan remarked, "Do not touch it too much. To avoid being easily extracted, the Gu often burrows deeper into the body, making it difficult to detect. Ersheng claimed she had not been bitten by a zombie; she merely blew off a zombie's head. Perhaps this Gu once resided in that zombie's brain and then drilled into the palm of Ersheng's hand. I suspect that this so-called epidemic is not a natural disaster at all, but rather a deliberate act by someone who has implanted the Gu within individuals to control them and make them serve their purpose.

Upon the utterance of these words, everyone was taken aback

Okay, no problem. What else is there?

It is merely a conjecture. Chang Yuan said, "Catch a zombie, break open its skull, and you will know at a glance."

Chang Yuan pondered for a moment and did not object. Just as Ji Ling was about to close the door, he gently remarked, "Children speak without restraint. Er Sheng is simply more honest in his words"

I do not know who it is," Ersheng said with a confused expression, "It is a man's voice, somewhat hoarse, and he keeps telling me to go north, to the woods behind the village

The God of Fate, who oversees the destinies of all things, possesses an innate understanding of the characteristics of all entities. She once smiled and told Chang Yuan that within the fate of every person who is destined, there must be one or two extraordinary elements; only then can one lead a stimulating life. As a result, although Chang Yuan is unaware of many common pieces of knowledge, he is quite familiar with numerous peculiar and bizarre things.

Er Sheng turned back to glance at Chang Yuan, and upon seeing him nod lightly, Er Sheng extended his right hand to show Ji Ling: "Yesterday, before you all arrived, I blew off a zombie's head. It was nothing at first, but then these black things suddenly appeared in the afternoon."

Jiling immediately said: "Sit quietly in the room and say everything you have heard."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd outside the door immediately dispersed completely

Ji Ling and the other two immortals slightly twitched the corners of their lips, but Chang Yuan nodded solemnly: "So that is the case"

He gently pressed the slightly bulging area, and the black object trembled violently, followed by a muffled groan from Ersheng, indicating considerable discomfort

The other three individuals immediately felt even more powerless

Jiling stared expressionlessly at Ersheng on the ground, then coldly scanned the crowd whose faces were flushed: "What are you doing? Don't you all want to sleep?"

Chang Yuan cast a faint glance at Ji Ling and said, "There is no such thing there"

This is my village, go to the woods to find a place called Huailong Valley

Er Sheng jumped up with joy: "So that means this bug has been staying in the palm of my hand, and after it's taken out, I won't turn into a zombie, right? If I don't turn into a zombie, I won't be killed! Then I can keep following Chang Yuan, haha!" After laughing for a while, Er Sheng suddenly stopped, "Wait a minute, if I didn't turn into a zombie, then what about the voices I heard?"

His tone made Ersheng slightly annoyed, and she interjected, "Changyuan taught me magic! If it weren't for the fact that two of them came after me at the same time, I would be very formidable!"

Jiling looked carefully for a long time and finally frowned, saying: "I have practiced immortality for so many years, and I have indeed never seen anything like this."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then Jiling suddenly said: "Ancient legends say that the Long Returning Valley is the dragon tomb of the divine dragon, where the land is covered with immortality grass, and consuming it can grant eternal life"

At last, a voice came from the bed, saying: "It is a gu worm"

Becoming a bit more honest... closing the door, the veins on Jiling's hand throbbed twice, becoming a bit more honest...

When Ersheng heard about her actions from yesterday, she was stunned for a long time. She said, "I did hear someone calling me, constantly asking me to do things, but I thought I was dreaming. I clearly remember seeing nothing but desolate wilderness..."

As soon as Changyuan saw Ersheng, he opened his mouth and repeated what he had been contemplating to say to her since yesterday. After listening, Ersheng nodded seriously, indicating that she would absolutely never refer to herself as "Auntie" again. Changyuan patted Ersheng on the head, his expression one of great satisfaction

Chang Yuan was deep in thought when he suddenly heard Er Sheng shout, "Who!" Startled, Chang Yuan paused, and Er Sheng abruptly opened his eyes, sat up, and looked around, asking, "Who is speaking?"

Disturbing others' tranquility made the ascetic Taoists feel somewhat embarrassed. After clearing their throats several times, they finally settled down in the room and began to discuss serious matters

Chang Yuan was unaware whether Er Sheng had been infected with corpse poison. Her words, rather than being understood as a fear of becoming a zombie, could be interpreted as a fear of being abandoned by him. He had heard those cultivators say that one would only turn into a zombie if bitten; Er Sheng had merely been splattered with brain matter. Would that also lead to transformation?

Er Sheng once again understood, his eyes widened in excitement: "Can I help? Can I assist the immortals in defeating the great villain? How can I help, just tell me."

"It is not possible." Jiling extended her hand to stop Ersheng, her expression serious. "If the difficulties posed by this zombie are indeed as this Young Master Changyuan has described, then the mastermind behind it must have even more terrifying ambitions. The words you have just heard, the other zombies must have heard the same. We can deduce the identity of that person from his commands and ascertain what he intends to do, thereby formulating a countermeasure."

It was still Jiling who reacted first: "Are you sure the facts are as such?"

Four people surrounded him, examining Ersheng's hand closely. One of them asked, "Did you blow off a zombie's head?" seeming quite incredulous

If there are Gu worms, then there must be a person controlling the Gu worms. This epidemic is not a natural disaster, but rather **!

Chang Yuan shook his head: "Let's ask her again tomorrow morning; she seems to have heard something."

If I did not know that there are people behind the scenes manipulating this zombie crisis, I would never seek help. However... if I am not mistaken, these zombies must be seeking the legendary Huailong Valley for the immortal herb found there. If the zombies consume such a thing, they would be immortal and indestructible. What do you think could possibly stand against them in this world? The person behind the manipulation of these zombies undoubtedly possesses an invincible army. If the zombies consume such a thing, they would be immortal and indestructible. What do you think could possibly stand against them in this world? The person behind the manipulation of these zombies undoubtedly possesses an invincible army. Think about it again; what could be the ambition of such a vast and powerful army?

Jiling nodded, grabbed Ersheng by the collar, and lifted her up, saying as they walked outside: "If you cannot keep an eye on her, then I will watch over her tonight"

Several immortals were taken aback for a moment, and then they surrounded Ersheng's hand, examining it closely: "Is this the Gu worm mentioned in the ancient immortal texts? It does bear some resemblance, but nowadays Gu worms have become quite rare in the world. Only the King of Yue in the southern border seems to still keep a few."

A celestial elder beside me remarked curiously, "Ancient legends are all untraceable; how can you be certain that there is nothing there?"

Er Sheng understood, and a surge of anger arose in his heart: "This son of a turtle, causing me to be depressed all day, just wait and see if I don't pick you out and crush you to eat."

Jiling turned to Changyuan again and asked, "What is going on?"

Jiling looked for a while and asked Changyuan, "How can we confirm this?"

A flash of brilliance appeared in Jiling's eyes: "Who called you? What are you called to do?"

The person frowned slightly and said, "This is not good, after all, we are going down the mountain for training..."

Of course, this was something that the God of Fate had told him before

Er Sheng. Chang Yuan reached out to grab Er Sheng, but unexpectedly, Er Sheng exerted an extraordinary force, pushing him away with a single motion and rolling off the bed.

So that as soon as Jiling led the three immortals in, they immediately beheld such a warm and inviting scene

She forgot that Ersheng had not yet turned fourteen at this time

What is going on

Er Sheng scrambled to her feet from the ground, the blue light from the barrier outside casting an eerie pallor on her face. Her gaze was somewhat vacant as she looked around the room, and suddenly she shouted, "Come out! Don't think that just because I lost a tooth I'm easy to bully! I may speak with a lisp, but my fists are still strong! Come out!"

Changyuan Dao: "The insect enters the body, and the one behind the scenes must be issuing commands to the insect in order to control the actions of the 'zombie'. The reason you can hear his voice may be because the insect is within you, and the fact that you are not being controlled is likely because this insect has not crawled into your body."

After that person left, Ji Ling turned around and made a bow to Chang Yuan, saying: "Thank you, Young Master Chang Yuan, for informing us of this lead. However, the Gu worm has not been seen for several hundred years; how did you come to know of its existence?"

A number of immortals were blocked at the entrance, and everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter. Upon seeing Ersheng walking back and forth in a fit of rage, it seemed as though he was about to flip the table.

Indeed, it is a curse. Chang Yuan furrowed his brows. Er Sheng said that she had blown off a zombie's head, but if she were to be infected, she would only contract corpse poison. How could she possibly be infected with a curse?

The next morning, when Ersheng woke up, she clearly had no memory of what she had done the night before. When she saw that Jiling was sleeping beside her and that she was bound with three loops of rope, her face turned pale: "Where is Changyuan? Where is Changyuan? Miss Fairy, why am I tied up? Has Changyuan left?"

Unless ... there is absolutely no corpse poison, those zombies are created by these gu worms