Leave a Backup Plan

The intestine-like monster fish contracted, folding up like a pile of clothes as it retreated into Lu Huai's red robes.

Liu Feng stood frozen in place, a sense of desolation inevitably chilling his heart; Yan Hongda had been swallowed alive just like that.

He couldn't help but think of the various "Exotic Gu" in the Medicine Garden, all of which were once Gu Masters who had been transformed, their ultimate fate to become nothing more than fertilizer.

Today, he, Liu Feng, had become the Fourth Senior Brother of Insect Valley, but how long could he truly remain secure?

At this moment, Lu Huai tossed a segment of Blood Vine down from the stone platform.

"This item will aid in your recovery. Go down and recuperate; once the Medicine Slave awakens, you will head out on a journey with your Second and Third Senior Brothers."

"As you command, Master."

Liu Feng took the Blood Vine, his heart feeling incredibly heavy.

The path of a Gu Master is either to become nourishment for others or to rise above the rest!

If he could not surpass this "Master," he would one day be unable to escape the fate of becoming nourishment himself.

Insect Valley, beneath the eastern cliff face.

Gu Children bustled back and forth, pushing wooden carts to transport insect medicine and dead Gu to the cave entrance.

A sharp-eyed Gu Child stopped in his tracks, suddenly exclaiming, "Look at the mountainside, someone is coming out!"

The Gu Children all turned their heads in unison, seeing a refined youth slowly descending the mountain from the cave entrance at the waist of the cliff.

The youth held three strange Gu insects in one hand and a segment of blood-colored vine in the other, his face devoid of any joy.

"It's Liu Feng. He's the only one who survived."

"You dare address him by name? That is Fourth Senior Brother."

"We offer our congratulations to Fourth Senior Brother..."

Aside from a few Gu Children busy elsewhere, nearly a hundred Gu Children present offered their congratulations in unison.

In front of the cave entrance, Third Senior Brother Zhu Li, who was responsible for guarding the Medicine Slave, also looked up.

Zhu Li paid little mind to the Exotic Gu and Blood Vine in Liu Feng's hand; what caught his attention was the change in Liu Feng himself.

It wasn't just the aura of the youth before him that had shifted; his inner temperament had undergone a transformation as well.

He has truly come to understand Insect Valley; such a change is only natural. Zhu Li realized this inwardly and nodded at Liu Feng as he walked down the mountain.

Liu Feng no longer showed the same deferential respect he once had for Zhu Li, merely offering a faint nod in return.

The Gu Children below saw Liu Feng approaching and all bowed in greeting.

Even the Gu Servants who had previously oppressed the Gu Children were now forced to bow and offer their congratulations to this Fourth Senior Brother.

Liu Feng's expression remained indifferent. As his gaze swept over the Gu Children, he silently activated his Mind Eye Technique.

The world in his eyes slowed down instantly, and every face was etched into his vision.

Once the Medicine Slave wakes up, I must head out on business with my two senior brothers. I need to leave some contingencies behind, and there are some who need to be cleared out.

According to Lu Huai, once the Medicine Slave was awakened, he would have to leave on business with his two senior brothers, making it difficult to keep an eye on the situation within Insect Valley.

Whether for his own sake or for the sake of Leng Qiuyue back in the valley, he had to eliminate any hidden threats.

Soon, his gaze locked onto a figure hurriedly trying to leave.

The man's body was deformed—one arm swollen, the other thin as a hemp stalk—and his face was covered by a tattered cloth.

Beside him were four other similarly deformed figures, all with their faces masked by rags.

"Ma Kun, where are you going?"

As soon as Liu Feng spoke, the surrounding congratulations fell silent, and everyone turned to look at the deformed figure.

"Greetings, Fourth Senior Brother."

"Congratulations, Fourth Senior Brother." Seeing Liu Feng striding over, four of the five masked men immediately bowed.

Ma Kun's face beneath the rag was filled with terror. He said hoarsely, "Liu... Fourth Senior Brother, I, I have matters to attend to, I shall take my leave first."

But just as he took a step, Liu Feng gave him no chance to take a second.

Squelch. An insect limb nearly eight feet long shot out, piercing straight through Ma Kun's heart on the spot.

"You might as well join Liu Xing on the road! Being released from such a form early is a blessing," Liu Feng said calmly.

The remaining four were struck with horror, not daring to lift their heads, let alone speak.

Looking at the surrounding Gu Children, not one felt sympathy; instead, many revealed expressions of joy.

They were all part of the new batch of Gu Children and few knew this former leader of the Gu Children, now a Gu Servant.

If they had any impression of him, it was that he had failed his Gu cultivation, was deformed and ugly, and might have made things difficult for them in the future—dying now was just as well.

Liu Feng retracted his Soldier Gu and, catching Zhu Li watching him, said casually, "When the Medicine Slave awakens, please have Third Senior Brother send someone to call for me."

Zhu Li did not blame Liu Feng for killing Ma Kun, nor did he have the standing to do so; hearing this, he merely nodded faintly once more.

Having dealt with Ma Kun, Liu Feng quickened his pace. As he passed two Gu Servants, he said in a low voice, "The two of you, follow me."

"Yes, Fourth Senior Brother." The two Gu Servants exchanged a glance and hurried to follow.

Inside the Stone Chamber, there remained only a table, a bed, and a single green lamp.

Given Liu Feng's current status as the fourth disciple of the Insect Valley, this place no longer belonged to him.

Within three days, a separate stone cave would be carved out for him on the northern hillside, and he would move then.

Liu Feng glanced at the two Gu Servants before him and spoke directly: "I know your names—one is Fang Xing, the other Hu Xiangyang. While neither of you are saints, you are not madmen like Liu Xing."

"I have summoned you to secretly look after a Gu Child named Leng Qiuyue while I am away. You will be duly rewarded."

"We shall certainly carry out whatever you command, Senior Brother," Fang Xing and Hu Xiangyang replied respectfully.

Talk is cheap, and he could not rely on his status alone to make empty promises.

Liu Feng immediately produced a wooden box containing the pills he had obtained from Su Jing and Su Anjie—a total of thirty-six Blood Qi Pills.

He took out sixteen of them and handed them over.

"These sixteen pills for nourishing blood and qi are for you."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"You may go. On your way, stop by the medicinal mud preparation area and tell Leng Qiuyue to come here."

Fang Xing and Hu Xiangyang accepted the reward, bowed, and turned to leave.

With only Liu Feng left in the Stone Chamber, he muttered to himself: "Ma Kun, that hidden threat, is removed, and I have left behind my contingencies."

If it were possible, he would have liked to eliminate Su Jing and Su Anjie as well—those two dogs belonging to the Second Senior Brother.

However, since the Second Senior Brother was currently in the valley, he had no opportunity to strike. Thus, he could only leave the two Gu Servants to look after her in secret.

"I accepted her parents' dying request, so I have done my best. Once she grows stronger, I will give her the Exotic Gu egg, 'Flower Immortal'."

As he pondered whether any other threats remained, the two Gu Servants did not keep him waiting long.

Light footsteps soon echoed in the corridor outside the stone cave.

A pretty figure appeared at the entrance of the Stone Chamber. The person who arrived, her face flushed, was none other than Leng Qiuyue, who had come alone.

Facing Liu Feng once more, Leng Qiuyue appeared hesitant, her demeanor somewhat strange.

"Greetings, Fourth Senior Brother. I wonder... what instructions you have for me?" Leng Qiuyue twisted her slender fingers together, looking increasingly awkward.

"These are twenty pills for greatly nourishing blood and qi. Take them to strengthen your physique."

Liu Feng casually handed over the wooden box. As he glanced up inadvertently, he could not help but freeze.

He noticed that Leng Qiuyue was staring at his profile, her expression bashful and her cheeks flushed—something was very wrong.

As she reached out to take the wooden box, her face grew even redder, threatening to turn a deep, bruised purple.

Hmm! Liu Feng was stunned for a moment, but after a brief thought, he understood.

Although he had yet to experience romantic love, he could deduce a little of the girl's thoughts.

A woman's heart is said to be mysterious, yet it is not difficult to fathom.

His current appearance, after his transformation, was quite decent. To Leng Qiuyue, he was powerful and now held the status of the Insect Valley's fourth disciple.

Of course, the key lay in his repeated gestures of goodwill and his blunt declaration that "I have taken a fancy to this girl."

Leng Qiuyue was currently lonely and helpless, grieving for her parents; with him appearing to assist her, the change in her feelings was only natural.

Watching the bashful Leng Qiuyue now, she was truly charming and moving; for a young man in the prime of his blood and vigor, the attraction was not insignificant.

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Liu Feng reached out and let his hand rest upon Leng Qiuyue's crimson cheek.

Leng Qiuyue's delicate body trembled, but she did not pull away. Feeling that large hand stroke her right cheek, her heart hammered wildly.