booktalesy Chapter 140 Heading to the Border Town
Chapter 140 Heading to the Border Town
Su Muyue lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the gray border town in the distance, her brows furrowing slightly.
"The speed at which the Gu plague is spreading is much faster than recorded in the files. The files say 'sporadic cases, under control,' but this is hardly sporadic; half the border town has been infected." She lowered the carriage curtain, turned to look at the crowd, and her tone grew heavier. "Qin Kun is spreading the Gu worms much faster than expected. He's not slowly infiltrating; he's spreading them frantically. There must be some methods behind this that we don't know about."
Chu Fan took out a map and used the last rays of daylight to check the directions. His finger moved quickly across the map, finding the path marked by Zhao Tiejun, and then followed the path to the outskirts of the city.
"We won't enter the city through the main gate. There are too many people and too many eyes at the main gate, and the five of us outsiders would be too conspicuous. The route Zhao Tiejun gave us is to enter the city through a secret passage on the west side of the mountain. The exit of the secret passage is in an abandoned medicine shop on the outskirts of the city. We'll stay there first and secretly investigate the stronghold where the Gu worms are cultivated."
The five people put away the spirit horse carriage, abandoned it, and walked along the mountain path to the back mountain of the west of the city.
The vegetation in the forest had an unnatural, withered gray hue, not the yellow of autumn, but a deathly gray—as if burned, or as if its life force had been drained away. The grass was curled and blackened, the bark cracked and peeling, and the trunks were covered in grayish-white mold. From the depths of the undergrowth, wild beasts controlled by Gu worms—rabbits, badgers, foxes—emerged from time to time. They weren't large, but their eyes were crimson, and they would frantically pounce on any strangers they saw, as if their lives depended on it. Their attacks were completely haphazard; they simply lunged forward, biting whatever they could, utterly disregarding their own safety. Leng Feng walked at the forefront, his battle sword drawn, runes glowing a dark red light. A sweeping aura of blade energy precisely cleaved each attacking Gu beast in two, decapitation separating them from their prey. Su Ling'er followed behind him, casually tossing out exorcising powder. The pale blue powder landed, and the tiny soul-controlling Gu hidden underground curled up, dried up, and emerged from the soil, dead. Lin Chen walked in the middle of the group, his aura radiating outwards, a faint silver light swirling around the five of them, forming a natural protective circle. The evil energy in the mountains and forests dissipated upon approaching the silver light, like ink dripping into clear water, dissipating before it even had a chance to spread.
Passing through the dense forest, a dilapidated and abandoned old-fashioned medicine shop appeared at the foot of the mountain. The courtyard walls were crumbling, some sections collapsed, others reduced to mere foundations, the bluestone overgrown with moss and vines. The courtyard was littered with withered herbs, their dry, yellow stems trembling in the evening breeze, emitting a faint, sighing sound. The gate lay askew on the ground, the faded couplets still clinging to the door panel, the characters blurred, only the four words "Hanging a gourd to save the world" faintly discernible.
The moment the five stepped into the courtyard of the medicine manor, the Star Martial Core in Lin Chen's dantian suddenly trembled.
The tremor wasn't a stress response to an attack, but rather a sensation—like something calling to him from afar, or reminding him: there's something here, right beneath his feet. He stopped, closed his eyes, and probed the ground with his star power.
A malevolent aura wafted up from the depths of the earth. The aura was thick, cold, and carried the sweet, fishy smell unique to the Soul-Controlling Gu. It felt as if a gigantic insect nest lay beneath their feet, where thousands upon thousands of Gu worms wriggled, multiplied, and waited. It wasn't a natural cave, but a man-made space, complete with passageways, rooms, and protective arrays—a sizable area.
Lin Chen opened his eyes and lowered his voice.
"Found it. The Gu worm breeding nest is right here." His gaze swept over the four of them, a cold glint in his eyes. "Qin Kun's lair is most likely underground in this medicine manor. We came in from above; he probably doesn't know yet."
Su Muyue crouched down, placed her palm on the ground, and probed the underground array structure with her spiritual energy. After a few breaths, she stood up and dusted off her hands.
"The underground formation is of the evil race, but the method of setting it up shows traces of the Qin family. There are two layers of defense—the outer layer is a warning formation, which will sound an alarm if anyone forcibly breaks in from the surface; the inner layer is a trapping and killing formation, specifically designed to target intruders. He protects this lair very well."
Chu Fan adjusted his glasses, took out three concealment array talismans from his backpack, and distributed them to everyone.
"The warning array isn't difficult to break. Mu Yue and I can work together to tear open a gap without triggering the alarm. The problem is, we don't know how many people are waiting for us inside once the gap is open."
Leng Feng held his sword horizontally in front of him, his gaze sweeping over the darkening sky outside the courtyard wall.
"Let's rest first. We'll make our move after dark. Nighttime is our advantage."
Night fell over the stone-lined border town.
The abandoned medicine shop at the foot of the mountain was shrouded in darkness, with only the whistling of the wind through the crumbling walls and the occasional howls of Gu beasts echoing in the distant forest. Five people sat in a circle in the main hall of the medicine shop. No lamps were lit, only a faint light from Su Muyue's palm barely illuminating the area within a few feet around them.
No one spoke; only the sound of breathing and the occasional soft rustling of fabric could be heard.
Lin Chen leaned against a pillar, his eyes closed, but he wasn't resting. His star power had seeped into the ground, carefully probing every passage, every room, and every corner of the underground lair in the darkness. He silently drew a map in his mind, marking the enemy's location, the nodes of the formation, and any potential weaknesses.
Leng Feng sat by the door, his battle sword resting across his knees. The dark red patterns on the blade flickered in the darkness, like the beating of a sleeping heart. His ears were twitching, catching every sound outside—the wind, the chirping of insects, the howls of distant Gu beasts. There were no unusual sounds, but he didn't relax.
Chu Fan squatted in the corner, three high-level demon-trapping array plates spread out in front of him. He wasn't checking the array plates; he was just waiting. Waiting for a signal.
Su Ling'er leaned against a pillar, her medicine box resting on her lap, her fingers on the clasp. Her eyes were half-open, her breathing steady, but her fingers never left the clasp.
Su Muyue stood in the center of the main hall, facing the courtyard gate. Her array flags were already planted in the soil at the four corners of the medicine manor. The twelve flags swayed slightly in the night breeze, and the runes on them glowed with a faint silver light in the darkness. With just a thought, the array would be activated.
Lin Chen opened his eyes.
"Ready." His voice was soft, but exceptionally clear in the silent main hall. "I've explored the underground passages. Three main passages, six rooms. Qin Kun is in the deepest room, the place with the strongest evil energy is his location. There aren't many guards on the perimeter, but they've all been enhanced by Gu worms, their strength and speed far exceeding that of ordinary people."
He stood up, the Star Sword sliding from behind his back into his hand. The blade gleamed with a silvery-white light in the darkness—not a blinding glare, but a cool, moonlit glow. That light illuminated his face, and the faces of everyone in the main hall.
"We'll go down through the secret passage in the main hall—the entrance is at the bottom of the dry well in the courtyard. Mu Yue and Chu Fan will break through the guard formation, Leng Feng will take care of the guards near the entrance, and Ling'er will block their escape route. I'll deal with Qin Kun."
The four men stood up simultaneously. Array flags lit up, battle swords were drawn, array plates were activated, and pills were loaded.
As night deepened, the entrance to the underground lair of the medicine manor quietly opened in the silence.