Chapter Fifteen: The Sacred Child of the Gu-Bearing Body

About ten minutes later...

Drip...
Drip...

The sound of fresh blood dripping echoed through the cavern, and save for that, there was nothing but silence.

"Haaa..."
"Heh heh."

Exhaling a long breath, Xiao Zizai wore a look of pure satisfaction. It was the first time since his birth that he felt so full, and the first time he had been able to lose himself so completely in the act of slaughter.

In the past, his mind had always been clouded, but now it was exceptionally clear. He could savor every detail of the carnage, relishing each moment as if he were tasting a gourmet feast, finding joy in every nuance of the experience.

Such a wondrous sensation left him intoxicated. He began to feel that meeting that man, Xia Ye, was truly a stroke of fortune; his life had only just begun at this very moment!

*Gurgle, gurgle...*

After confirming that there were no other Gu practitioners left in the cave, Xiao Zizai’s body, which had swelled to three meters in height, began to writhe and shrink, returning to its normal proportions.

Because his frame had expanded so drastically, his clothes had long since been shredded. He picked up a black robe from the floor to drape over himself and began to explore.

Xiao Zizai had not forgotten that, beyond exterminating the Medicine Immortal Society, he had another task: to find any surviving Gu children and bring them back.

Having learned about the plight of these Gu children, he could not help but feel a pang of pity. If he could help these children, it would be for the best.

He soon made a discovery...

"This is..."

Stopping before a wooden hut, Xiao Zizai looked up. The structure was exceptionally large—at least three times the size of the other huts, with a much greater footprint.

"If I recall correctly, that 'President' walked out of here just moments ago..." He narrowed his eyes. "And judging by the method of refining Gu children, it seems only a place like this could hold so many of them."

Without hesitation, Xiao Zizai pushed open the door and entered a bedchamber. Judging by the lingering scent, it belonged to Jin Quan.

On the wall opposite the door was a massive pane of glass. Beyond it lay a spacious, quiet room, where a small figure sat motionless.

"Hm?"

Seeing this figure, Xiao Zizai immediately stepped forward. He realized it was a one-way mirror, designed for observation.

Judging by the physique, the figure in the quiet room appeared to be a young girl, perhaps eleven or twelve years old. She looked remarkably delicate, sitting cross-legged with her eyes tightly shut.

"It looks like... she is meditating?"

Seeing her remain motionless, Xiao Zizai narrowed his eyes and scanned the room, his brow furrowing instantly.

He realized that besides the girl, there were several other small figures in the room, all lying on the ground. They appeared to have... stopped breathing.

"So this is the refining of Gu..."

Upon seeing this, Xiao Zizai’s expression darkened. A chill and a surge of fury rose from the depths of his eyes, causing him to clench his fists.

Without hesitation, he left the room and entered the quiet room through another door. Ignoring the girl for the moment, he went to check the children lying on the floor.

"..."
"They're all dead..."

After a moment, Xiao Zizai closed his eyes in silence. While he enjoyed killing, he only killed those who deserved it; for these lives that should never have withered, he could not help but feel a deep sense of sorrow.

The next moment, he turned to the girl. He walked up to her quickly, raising his hand to wake her so he could whisk her away.

However...

*Snap!*

The moment his palm touched the girl’s shoulder, he felt something attempting to burrow into his hand, only to be blocked by the scent of the Gu-repelling pill. He recoiled his hand immediately and saw the true form of the threat.

They were tiny black specks. They did not look like insects, but rather like manifestations of Qi, yet their writhing suggested a life of their own. Xiao Zizai was struck with astonishment.

"Could these be the Primal Gu?"

Xiao Zizai raised an eyebrow, immediately recalling Xia Ye’s explanation. These "Primal Gu" were the Gu toxins produced by a "Gu-Body Holy Child"—neither fully Qi nor fully insect, possessing a toxicity so violent that even the host’s own body would be eroded by them!

He realized then that if not for Xia Ye’s Gu-repelling pill, he might have already been infected. That man seemed to have foreseen everything; he truly left nothing to chance.

With this thought, he took out another pill, used his Qi to pry the girl’s small mouth open, and flicked the medicine inside.

Even with such caution, he had almost been caught. The moment his Qi touched the girl, those black specks emerged once more, devouring his true Qi and beginning to erode his hand like maggots attached to bone.

"..."

Seeing this, Xiao Zizai made a decisive choice and severed that portion of his Qi. Though he felt a jolt in his body, it was nothing to his current physique.

Looking at the girl again, she shuddered after swallowing the pill. Strange forces began to churn within her, and she opened her mouth slightly before slowly opening her eyes.

One had to admit, the girl’s eyes were beautiful—a rare, emerald green. Combined with her fair, fine skin, she looked like a porcelain doll.

At the same time, she was profoundly still. Any hint of surprise vanished as quickly as it appeared, like a ripple on a deep lake that smoothed over in an instant.

"..."

After opening her eyes, the girl showed no further reaction, merely staring at Xiao Zizai with a blank expression, as if waiting for something.

Xiao Zizai knew that she was this way because the past had suppressed her nature, turning her into something akin to a machine. His pupils trembled as a renewed sense of pity washed over him.

He knew that in her current state, there was little point in talking to her, so he simply stated:

"Those people are all dead. I killed them. Come with me."

"..."

As expected, the girl said nothing. She simply nodded lightly and stood up. Her past "training" had taught her that she only needed to "follow instructions."

By now, the medicinal effect within her had fully taken hold. Xiao Zizai could sense that the strange "Primal Gu" had all been gathered in her lower Dantian, as if held firmly in place by something.

With that, when he tried to touch the girl again, there was no reaction. He stopped stalling, scooped her up, and with a flash, exited the cave to return the way he had come.

At the same time...

"Chen Duo... not bad."

Outside the mountain forest, Xia Ye, who had been sharing Xiao Zizai’s vision, opened his eyes. His eyelids flickered, and a smile appeared on his face.

This meant his second experiment could proceed in tandem. Everything was going according to his plan; this was another major reason why he had brought Xiao Zizai here...

Everything was proceeding smoothly.