The Six-Winged Symbiotic Worm (Seeking Follow-ups)

"Come down."

Lu Xuan returned to the courtyard with three Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea seedlings and spoke to the Cloud Stepping Lynx young beast that had been sprawled on his shoulder all along.

The Cloud Stepping Lynx cast Lu Xuan a cold glance with its Green Eyes, then lightly leaped down and headed straight for the Spirit Spring Pool.

Lu Xuan went to a corner of the Spirit Field, marked out a large patch of empty Spirit Soil, and used the Earth Guidance Art. Three small pits appeared in the field, and he gently placed the three Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea seedlings inside.

After planting the Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea, he focused his mind on the tiny tea seedlings.

"Only the purest water can grow the most wondrous tea."

"Watering the tea seedlings with spirit spring water will yield even better results."

"Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea possesses a clear, ethereal aura among its branches and leaves. Evil spirits and unclean things must not linger near the tea seedlings for long, or their normal growth will be affected."

A thought flashed through Lu Xuan's mind, and he instantly understood the needs of the Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea seedlings, as well as the precautions to take.

"Watering them with spirit spring water won't be difficult. There happens to be a pool of spirit spring water in the courtyard, and a small amount constantly seeps up from the earth veins—more than enough to nourish three Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea seedlings."

"As for evil spirits and unclean things, I, Lu Xuan, am innocent and upright, full of righteous energy. Naturally, I couldn't possibly be tainted by such things."

"Mm, I should let Wang Shan and his wife into the courtyard as little as possible in the future, lest they contaminate my spirit tea."

After casting a round of Spirit Rain Technique and thoroughly nourishing the Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea seedlings, he went to the other side of the Spirit Field.

In a corner of the Spirit Field sat a fog bank roughly half a zhang in length and width.

The mist was hazy, impossible to see through clearly, and even Spiritual Sense felt slightly sluggish within it.

The Third Grade Illusory Mist Luo Fruit seemed to have turned into smoke, blending into the faint mist.

"Oh? Playing hide-and-seek with me now?"

Lu Xuan focused his mind into the mist and kept probing. Before long, he learned the Illusory Mist Luo Fruit's location.

With a Spirit Rain Technique, the faint mist churned slightly before gathering together, revealing the Illusory Mist Luo Fruit seedling.

After nourishing the Illusory Mist Luo Fruit, Lu Xuan made another circuit around the Spirit Field. Only after confirming that every spirit plant was growing well did he return to the house.

Once inside, he sat at the table and counted the Spirit Stones in his hand.

The twenty-two Spirit Firefly Grass plants he had brought this time had fetched a total of seventy-seven Spirit Stones. The three Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea seedlings had cost sixty Spirit Stones, but fortunately, the three Spirit Plant Masters had voluntarily offered a hundred Spirit Stones. All told, he had earned nearly a hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.

Together with what he already had, his total wealth now stood at over two hundred Spirit Stones.

"More than two hundred Spirit Stones. With the Spirit Firefly Grass entering its rapid maturation phase and the Red Cloud Pine about to mature, my wealth is about to see a huge surge."

Lu Xuan gazed at the small pile of Spirit Stones overflowing with spiritual energy on the table and thought happily.

"Little Brother Lu, are you there? Your sister-in-law made a whole table of good food. Why not come over and have a drink with me?"

Wang Shan's call came from outside the courtyard.

Lu Xuan did not know whether it was his imagination, but the voice sounded somewhat overexcited.

The hairs on his body stood on end. The Split Silver Blade silently split into dozens of silvery-white fragments, while a Second Grade Myriad Sword Qi Talisman slipped into his palm.

"Brother Wang, cultivating spirit plants today has left me rather exhausted. My head is splitting, so I won't be coming over. I'll come sample Sister-in-law's cooking another time."

He casually made up an excuse to brush Wang Shan off.

"Alright, then get some proper rest."

Hearing Lu Xuan's reply, Wang Shan left on his own.

At the Wang Family residence.

A redwood table stood in the center of the main hall, covered with more than ten dishes, including rare ingredients such as Demon Beast Meat. Wang Shan's Concubine sat quietly at the table with her head lowered.

"Lu Xuan isn't feeling well and can't come over. Then the two of us will eat together."

"Mm, as you say, Husband."

Wang Shi replied softly, rising to serve Wang Shan his meal.

"Thank you, my dear."

Wang Shan looked at the pair of snow-white, delicate hands reaching toward him, his heart filled with contentment.

When he had bought this Concubine from the Black Market, he had only intended to pass the lonely hours of his ordinary days. Yet the results had far exceeded his initial expectations.

After being brought home, the Concubine had been gentle and attentive, bringing Wang Shan immense pleasure. He had sunk into it so deeply that he had rarely visited the pleasure houses he once loved to frequent.

More importantly, after some time, he vaguely sensed that he was about to break through to Qi Refining Stage 6.

This made him cherish the Concubine even more. He demanded her day and night, forgetting home in Shu.

"My dear, you've worked hard."

He gently stroked the woman's soft, fair hand and spoke tenderly.

"Husband, can't bear to let me toil and suffer, is that it?"

Wang Shi lifted her head. Light shimmered in her eyes, and the mole beneath the corner of her eye was utterly bewitching.

"Of course. I don't even have enough time to dote on you—how could I bear to make you toil and suffer?"

"Then what if I become pregnant someday? I've heard pregnancy can be terribly painful and torturous."

Wang Shi asked piteously.

"Mm..."

As Wang Shan hesitated, Wang Shi quietly withdrew her little hand, a faint smile curling her lips.

"How about you bear me a child, husband?"

Just as Wang Shan was about to refuse, he suddenly felt a strange craving rise within his abdomen, as though something were gestating inside.

"Sure!"

The craving was so overwhelming that it drowned out all his thoughts and Spiritual Sense, making him agree instinctively.

The moment the words left his mouth, gurgling sounds came from his abdomen. His belly swelled at a visible rate while the flesh in his limbs, chest, and back continuously shrank.

Before long, his abdomen had ballooned into a huge sphere. Wang Shan's eye sockets sank inward, a trace of madness showing in his gaze. Every other part of his body had withered beyond recognition, leaving only a layer of skin hanging loosely over his bones.

"My lord, bear a child for me!"

Two blushes bloomed on Wang Shi's face as she gazed at Wang Shan's enormous abdomen with obsession.

At the same time, just as Wang Shan's body began to undergo its mutation, the trunk of a Spirit Tree in the Wang Family courtyard silently split open, and a nearly transparent little worm shot out from the crack.

The little worm was around two inches long and had six wings. Each pair was as thin as cicada wings, patterned with faint markings.

At that moment, the markings on its wings were turning pitch-black along with Wang Shan's transformation, causing the six-winged worm to let out uneasy, faint hisses.

More than ten li away, at the Law Enforcement Hall.

Ling Peng, at the Qi Refining High Stage, looked at the equally restless six-winged worm before him, a grave expression appearing on his face.

"It's finally appeared."

The strange insect before him was called the Six-Winged Symbiotic Worm. It was exceptionally adept at concealing itself. If it sensed the aura of an Evil Spirit nearby, it would undergo a mutation; another worm within a certain range could simultaneously sense its abnormal condition and react violently.

The stronger the Evil Spirit's aura, the greater the reaction.

After he had accidentally learned that Wang Shan might have been possessed by an Evil Spirit, he had secretly investigated, only to find nothing. Left with no choice, he had placed a Six-Winged Symbiotic Worm in the Wang Family courtyard to monitor the family's situation at all times.

After waiting several days, the Evil Spirit had finally shown itself.

"Senior Brother, I'll have to trouble you to come with me. Judging by this worm's reaction, I'm afraid I can't say with absolute certainty that I can deal with it."

He turned toward a young cultivator beside him. A Lightning Scar ran down the center of the man's forehead, with flashes of electricity occasionally flickering across it.