Green Vine Gu

After Mu Shan suffered a setback at Lu Qingshan's hands and slunk back in disgrace, he pretended nothing had happened and casually approached another demon hunter.

"Big Brother, that kid is slippery as an eel. I followed your instructions and deliberately provoked him, hoping to force him to make a move. Who knew not only did he reveal none of his secrets, he even made me lose face." Mu Shan muttered venomously to the cultivator beside him.

If outsiders had overheard their conversation at that moment, they would have been utterly astonished.

Because the cultivator Mu Shan called Big Brother was also a demon hunter, named Wu Xinyuan.

Their conversation made it abundantly clear that the two were quite close.

Yet before this, Wu Xinyuan and Mu Shan had always played the parts of strangers who had never met.

Wu Xinyuan frowned deeply at Mu Shan's words, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

Mu Shan ground his teeth. "Big Brother, I know you're cautious, but he's just a yellow-haired brat. How much can he possibly amount to?

"That kid looks no older than seventeen or eighteen. It would already be giving him too much credit to say he has Qi Refining Level Four or Five cultivation. What are you worried about? Do you really think he can stir up any great waves?"

Mu Shan had lost face before Lu Qingshan and hated him to the bone. He wished he could skin Lu Qingshan alive and pull out his tendons right then and there. Seeing Wu Xinyuan still hesitating, he hurriedly tried to persuade him.

After hearing Mu Shan's reasoning, Wu Xinyuan considered it carefully and felt that perhaps he had indeed been overly cautious.

Cultivators had techniques to preserve their appearance, so age could not be judged by looks.

But that applied to high-level cultivators.

As for Qi Refining cultivators, however old they looked was generally how old they were.

A youth who still looked wet behind the ears—how capable could he be? Perhaps he had merely stumbled upon a cultivation technique by chance, gained Qi Refining Level One or Two cultivation, and then dared to wander about recklessly.

These years of treading on thin ice had made him somewhat jumpy after all.

Wu Xinyuan mocked himself inwardly.

"Big Brother, when should we make our move?"

Wu Xinyuan hesitated for a moment before finally deciding, "We'll act tonight. Better to strike before the night grows long and dreams multiply."

Over the course of the day, he had already investigated every detail.

There were eleven cultivators traveling with the Lin Family. Apart from Lin He, who was at Qi Refining Level Eight, the rest were minor cultivators below Qi Refining Level Five.

There was also the Lin Family's eldest daughter, Lin Yao, who had remained inside the carriage and never shown herself.

Although Lin Yao had never appeared before anyone and was exceedingly mysterious, Wu Xinyuan knew her age. She was only eighteen.

At eighteen, how high could her cultivation be?

As for the demon hunters, there were ten in total, and eight of them were his men.

The weakest among those eight was already at Qi Refining Level Six, while his own Qi Refining Level Ten cultivation was enough to crush everyone present.

Of the remaining two demon hunters, one had long since been investigated and was merely at Qi Refining Level Five—not worth mentioning. The only unknown was that young cultivator.

The disparity in strength was so vast, and they would be striking with intent against those unaware. Once they acted, they should be able to take them down with ease.

With his mind settled, Wu Xinyuan felt victory was already in the bag.

Though day and night made little difference in cultivators' eyes,

the Black Rhinoceroses pulling carts full of ore still needed rest.

After carefully surveying the terrain, Lin He chose a sheltered slope with no signs of demon beasts nearby as their campsite.

Calling it a campsite was generous. They merely arranged the cargo carts in a circle.

Very soon, under Lin He's orders, Lin Family cultivators carried Formation Flags and set up a warning formation around the area.

The moment demon beasts invaded, the warning formation would immediately alert them.

Once the formation had been arranged, the cultivators leaned against the cargo carts and dozed lightly.

The roads chosen by the caravan had all been traveled by others before. Any demon beasts along them should have been cleared out, so they ought to have been quite safe.

But anyone who clung to such thoughts and acted without restraint in the wilderness would often die an ugly death.

Low-grade demon beasts did not have a strong sense of territory and often roamed about in search of prey.

Thus, even a place that had been completely safe yesterday might produce one or two demon beasts today.

So while the journey appeared peaceful, everyone remained taut as a bowstring, constantly wary of the slightest rustle of wind or movement of grass.

The Black Rhinoceroses were not the only ones who needed rest. In truth, the cultivators themselves had suffered considerable mental exhaustion and needed rest as well.

Holding a wineskin of Spirit Wine, Wu Xinyuan walked up to Lin He and greeted him heartily. "Steward Lin, I have a jug of Spirit Wine here. It has a refreshing effect. Would Steward Lin like a couple of sips?"

Lin He smiled and waved a hand in polite refusal. "No need. Spirit Wine is not cheap. Fellow Daoist, you should save it for yourself."

It was only natural to remain guarded around cultivators one did not know well.

Lin He did not dare drink the wine carelessly.

Wu Xinyuan did not mind Lin He's refusal and turned to leave.

At that moment, Mu Shan came over from the side, slapped Wu Xinyuan on the back, and cursed in a booming voice, "Well, Wu Xinyuan, you're not being nearly considerate enough! Why ask only Steward Lin and not us? What, do you look down on us Rogue Cultivators?"

Perhaps the sudden motion startled Wu Xinyuan.

The wineskin slipped from Wu Xinyuan's hand and fell to the ground.

The Spirit Wine within spilled out, its fragrance permeating the air.

Wu Xinyuan looked at the spilled Spirit Wine with some heartache and complained to Mu Shan, "This wineskin cost five First-grade Spirit Stones. Now it's all gone to waste."

Mu Shan hurriedly bowed and apologized.

Lin He lightly sniffed the wine fragrance hanging in the air and clicked his tongue in amazement. "What kind of Spirit Wine is this? Its aroma is so rich and mellow?"

A vicious glint flashed through Wu Xinyuan's eyes. "This wine is called Meng Po's Brew. Once that old bastard reaches the Yellow Springs, he can drink his fill!"

Lin He's expression changed drastically. "You—"

Wu Xinyuan chuckled. "Realizing it only now? Then it's already too late!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin He's body stiffened, and a shimmering green light flashed across his face.

Green Vine Gu: A First-grade Gu Worm that emits a strange, difficult-to-conceal wine fragrance.

Special effect: After parasitizing a cultivator, it can release Green Vine Poison, preventing the parasitized cultivator from using spiritual power for a period of time.

Among First-grade Gu Worms, the Green Vine Gu was considered a relatively powerful one. Its spirit-sealing effect was no different from a killing blow to low-level cultivators, whose methods were limited to only a few tricks.

But this Gu's weakness was equally obvious. The Green Vine Gu was born with a dense wine fragrance, making it truly difficult for it to be effective outside special circumstances.

So long as one was even slightly on guard, a poisonous Gu as frail as the Green Vine Gu would never be able to approach a cultivator.

Yet Wu Xinyuan had used the fragrance of Spirit Wine to conceal the wine fragrance emitted by the Green Vine Gu itself, allowing Lin He to fall victim without any defense.

Wu Xinyuan was a Gu Cultivator.

Gu Cultivators were a branch of Beast Cultivators. Because Gu Worms were so strange and unpredictable, Gu Cultivators' methods were exceedingly sinister and impossible to guard against.