Old Daoist Qiu

It seemed to notice Su Jie's gaze, and Yu Wenxian smiled sweetly as she looked over. "Junior Brother Su, why do you keep staring at your senior sister? Could it be you want to spend the night with me?"

Su Jie shuddered and hurriedly waved his hands. "Senior Sister Yu must be joking. I'm utterly insignificant—how would I dare reach for a high mountain flower like you? If people found out, your followers and admirers would drown me in spit, one mouthful each."

"Hehe, you're quite the amusing one."

Yu Wenxian covered her mouth and giggled coquettishly. Her two enormous breasts shook with astonishing arcs, yet not a single disciple dared sneak a glance.

"Someone come here! We're about to leave, and you're still so lacking in tact. Do you want me to walk all the way to see Master? Even a newcomer is more sensible than you."

Her smile vanished, and Yu Wenxian let out a cold snort. Several male disciples immediately ran out in panic, then knelt and prostrated themselves at her feet.

With a light tap of her jade feet, Yu Wenxian sat cross-legged on their backs like she was riding a horse, letting the disciples beneath her crawl forward on all fours while carrying her.

Su Jie breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, that female demon hadn't set her sights on him.

Looking again at the male disciples beneath Yu Wenxian, he realized these were the unlucky fools who had fallen victim after lust had clouded their minds.

Yu Wenxian had refined a special mother-child love Gu worm. Once a male disciple could not withstand temptation, was seduced, and committed an illicit act, the love Gu would enter his body through his vital root and lie dormant near his heart, controlled by the mother Gu in Yu Wenxian's hands.

With a single word from Yu Wenxian, she could make the infected suffer the agony of myriad worms gnawing at their hearts. They could only submit to her will, becoming slaves who worked like oxen and horses to serve her.

Many newcomers who had just entered the sect knew nothing of this. When they encountered Yu Wenxian, they thought their romantic luck had arrived. After falling into her trap, however, they would spend the rest of their lives under her control.

Su Jie truly did not want to provoke such a ruthless woman.

"Everyone's here, right? Follow me to see our venerable Master."

Pei Haibing's face was icy, as though someone owed him eighty or a hundred thousand.

The group traveled several miles before arriving at a grand compound halfway up the mountain.

Several willow trees grew before the courtyard gate. Their drooping branches hung like strands of hair, their floating catkins twisting freely in the breeze.

Knock, knock!

Pei Haibing stepped forward and knocked on the gate.

The gate opened by itself, revealing a magnificent interior. Tall pavilions, covered walkways, towers, terraces, ponds, and rockeries filled the garden. The walls of the buildings were covered in exquisite relief carvings. It was hard to imagine that such a luxurious courtyard existed in these deep mountains and ancient forests.

As they entered, everyone's expressions grew solemn. They walked into the courtyard, and even Yu Wenxian immediately rose from the others' backs and straightened her clothes.

Many servants were busy throughout the courtyard. When they saw the group of disciples, they hurriedly greeted them. They had been bought as slaves in the Black Market. Besides cleaning and managing the courtyard, they could also be used as a source of human resources whenever someone needed to replenish their cultivation of demonic arts.

Aside from them, several particularly conspicuous figures stood guard, their eyes dim and murky and their bellies hugely swollen. Whether male or female, every one of them had a stomach as large as someone carrying a ten-month pregnancy.

These were not living people but insect slaves, insect slaves refined by cultivators.

Their bellies were stuffed with all kinds of tiny Gu worms. The human body itself served as the Gu worms' brood nest.

Because they had been cultivators, their flesh was rich in spiritual energy molecules. The Gu worms nurtured in such an environment were of higher quality and even more bloodthirsty and vicious.

In essence, these people were already dead, with only the instincts of walking corpses remaining. Once they encountered an enemy, all their flesh would transform into nourishment for the Gu worms, hatching Gu worms of every size and forming a terrifying sea of insects.

Su Jie did not dare look too closely. He lowered his head and continued forward.

After walking another hundred meters, Su Jie finally saw Old Daoist Qiu beside a pond filled with blooming lotuses.

He was a man dressed in purple robes, with a somewhat gaunt figure. He looked to be over seventy years old, and his eyes were cold, vertical slits like those of a snake. At that moment, he held a jade cup and scattered bait into the pond, apparently feeding the fish.

But on closer inspection, that was no fish food. It was clearly a series of human eyeballs, freshly gouged out, still threaded with bloody vessels.

Before the eyeballs thrown into the pond could sink, several enormous shadows swept beneath the surface, greedily fighting over them. Water splashed in all directions.

"Master, I've brought everyone over. Please address them."

Pei Haibing hurried to Old Daoist Qiu's side and bowed respectfully as he reported.

"Mm. At least you're on time."

A hoarse voice rang out as Old Daoist Qiu slowly turned around.

"How could we dare be even the slightest bit negligent when serving you, Elder?"

Yu Wenxian spoke in a delicate voice from the side, echoing him. The other disciples did not dare interrupt.

"Since everyone's here, I'll tell you something."

Old Daoist Qiu set down the jade cup and stood with his hands behind his back as he looked at the crowd. "Yesterday, the Earth Vein Taint erupted, causing the Strange Ghost magnetic field in this area to become chaotic and resulting in daytime predation. At today's mountain-gate assembly, the Sect Master made a decision. To protect Insect Valley, the Black Market, the Blood Marrow Stone Mine, and the major transportation routes outside, we will establish a Mountain Guard Patrol Team starting today. All disciples at the second layer of Spirit Infusion or above must take part. You'll form groups of three and patrol the mountains and guard the roads day and night, safeguarding the security of the trade routes."

What?!

As soon as he said this, the disciples erupted in cries of alarm, and the faces of many outer-sect disciples instantly became especially ugly.

The strength of the Strange Ghosts was difficult for ordinary disciples to withstand. Even in groups of three, they would be in extreme danger.

Yet even if they wanted to protest, no one dared utter so much as half a word of refusal.

They only had to think of the insect slaves they had seen in the courtyard to imagine how cruel Old Daoist Qiu's methods were. The sect's decision was not something disciples like them could resist.

Su Jie remained silent. Although he wanted to lie low and cultivate in peace, this was ultimately a sect decision. He could only bite the bullet and take part in such a collective operation.

Peng Shiwen, however, stood beside him with a gloomy expression, like eggplant leaves battered by frost, black and purple all over.

"Our branch's mountain patrol team will be formed in ten days. You'll choose the specific personnel assignments yourselves. Don't disappoint me."

Old Daoist Qiu retrieved the fish food, his expression indifferent.

Everyone turned toward Pei Haibing and Yu Wenxian. Each disciple had different thoughts, and they began calculating their savings.

"That's all. You may leave. Go back and prepare properly."

Old Daoist Qiu dismissed them. The group of disciples left the courtyard and immediately surrounded Pei Haibing and Yu Wenxian.

"Senior Brother Pei, this is Spiritual Tea I bought at Green Peak Pavilion. Please try it and see how it tastes."

"Senior Sister Yu, this Golden Jade Blood Hairpin is a spiritual item I obtained by chance. It can accelerate the gathering of spiritual energy and assist cultivation. It's perfect for a beauty like you."

The disciples crowded around the two of them, falling over themselves to curry favor. After all, both were inner-sect disciples. If they could join the same team, their safety would naturally increase greatly.

Su Jie did not join in. Setting aside whether he had enough money, he had too many secrets on him. He was worried that staying on a team with inner-sect disciples would expose a flaw and allow them to notice something.