Troublemaker

Ma Bianlang froze for a moment, his eyes narrowing into slits that shot out a venomous glare. He looked at me as if he were looking at a dead man and said coldly, "Xiao Kunlun, you're dead!"

I met his poisonous stare without the slightest fear and said, "The Seven-Colored Gu's disappearance has nothing to do with me. I've already discussed it with your father. Before coming to me, you should have gone to him and asked clearly."

Ma Bianlang's sleeve shifted, and a bright-green venomous snake slipped out, coiling around his arm. The snake was long and slender, its green body dotted with black specks, its forked tongue flicking out from time to time.

It was a Vine Snake.

In summer, it hid in trees and was extremely hard to spot. Once it launched an attack, it would dart out from among the emerald leaves and, with the speed of a thunderclap that left no time to cover one's ears, deliver a fatal blow to its prey.

Ma Bianlang took two steps forward. The Vine Snake stretched out, only twenty centimeters from my eyes. As long as Ma Bianlang loosened his grip and the Vine Snake sprayed its venom, my eyeballs would be blinded. Back then, Ma Huoxin's eyes had been splashed with poisonous blood, and in the end, both of them had gone blind.

I swallowed, cold sweat seeping from my forehead, beads of sweat gathering on the tip of my nose as well.

Ma Bianlang said, "You wanted to use some stone egg to swindle my family's Seven-Colored Gu. I'm not my father. My eyes aren't dim with age. In all of Qingya Village, no one would dare steal the Seven-Colored Gu. Other than you people, it couldn't have been anyone else. I'll give you five minutes to think it over."

I cursed inwardly. Your old man at least knew the Earth Egg was precious, but you're a twisted freak with eyes that can't see Mount Tai. Your Seven-Colored Gu ran off, and now you're pinning it on me. Where am I supposed to get it back for you?

When I used to raise poisonous insects, once they reached a certain age, they would be busy seeking mates and breeding. To fight over mates, they often killed one another. People were probably the same.

Cold sweat kept pouring out of me. I thought of countless methods, but conjuring a Seven-Colored Gu out of thin air was truly far too difficult.

I asked, "Would another gu work? I have the Three-Corpse Snake Gu on me. Can I give it to you as a betrothal gift? I'll think of another way to help you find the Seven-Colored Gu."

Ma Bianlang deliberately shook his right hand and said, "I'm Miao. For my marriage, you want me to use a Dong People's snake gu? Do you think that works? How could a Dong People's snake gu compare to Qingya Village's Seven-Colored Gu? Four minutes left, you slippery Han. Even at a time like this, you still want to play tricks."

Misery screamed through my heart. The Vine Snake's tongue was getting closer and closer. Ma Bianlang was beyond reason. Trying to persuade him was already impossible. I silently activated the Three-Corpse Snake Gu and shouted in my heart, Three-Corpse Snake Gu, the Vine Snake is about to kill me. Help me suppress it.

I felt a faint prickling pain on my skin. The Sha Qi of the Three-Corpse Snake Gu spread out, wrapping around my body.

My eyes fixed on the Vine Snake's mung-bean-sized pupils. I swayed my head slightly, then suddenly widened my eyes.

The body of the Vine Snake in Ma Bianlang's hand shrank back swiftly, retreating twenty centimeters. The corner of Ma Bianlang's mouth lifted slightly, and he said with a savage smile, "You do have a bit of evil air about you, sure enough. Even the Vine Snake I raised was suppressed by you. Fine. Since you refuse to talk, I won't make things difficult for you. You were the one who broke faith first, so don't blame me."

Ma Bianlang withdrew the Vine Snake and stood with his hands behind his back. He did not fly into a rage from shame. He even looked a little delighted.

This was beyond my expectations. I had thought he would take out even more poisonous insects, but in the end, he actually stopped there.

"What do you mean? Why are you suddenly happy?" I was a little confused. Had Ma Bianlang suddenly grown a merciful heart and turned into a living Bodhisattva?

Ma Bianlang glanced at me, smiled mysteriously, and said, "In two days, that wife of mine will come to my door. Without the Seven-Colored Gu, she definitely won't stay in Qingya Village. Maybe she's an ugly monster anyway. If she leaves, then let her leave. That tomboy with you has proper looks. Leaving her to be my wife makes me very happy."

Ma Erlei was stunned for a moment, then immediately broke into curses. "You dead pervert! You want to turn a man into a woman. You're too damn twisted!"

Ma Bianlang ignored Ma Erlei, his eyes greedily looking at me. My heart was as clear as a mirror. Ma Bianlang had already seen that Xiao Yudao was a girl, and he had also seen that Xiao Yudao was a beauty in the making. Wicked thoughts had already taken root in him.

He used the Vine Snake to force me, and I had no way to hand over the Seven-Colored Gu. Then he would use that as an excuse to seize Xiao Yudao by force. His intentions were truly sinister, his methods vicious.

Unable to bear it any longer, I cursed, "You're just like your old man. One of you covets my treasure, the Earth Egg, and the other covets beauty. Your behavior is even more disgusting. This is a matter between us men. If you have the guts, come at me."

My body struggled violently, and the ropes cut bloody marks into my wrists.

"Come in," Ma Bianlang shouted twice after achieving his goal. Two guards walked in from outside, looking fearfully at Ma Bianlang, and stood to one side awaiting orders.

Ma Bianlang said, "It'll be dark soon. Light a brazier beside them. Don't let them freeze to death."

"That doesn't seem good..."

Ma Bianlang limped out. Looking at his wretched, ugly back, I only felt my stomach turn with nausea, and I swore that I absolutely could not let his scheme succeed.

Night fell, and a fine, pattering autumn rain began to fall. Inside the ancestral hall, it was bitterly cold, with chilly wind constantly pouring in through the main doors and side doors. The guards brought over an iron basin, set it in front of Ma Erlei and me, stacked dry firewood in it, and lit it.

A plume of white smoke spread out, flames shooting upward. Once the main doors and side doors were shut, the temperature inside the ancestral hall began to rise.

"Brother Kunlun, why do I feel like there are bugs gnawing inside my chest? This fire feels like it might eat people." Ma Erlei looked somewhat haggard, and his strength had weakened a great deal. "Gu insects fear sunlight and raging fire the most. Is the Five-Colored Gu acting up? Ma Bianlang had someone put a brazier here. He obviously doesn't have good intentions."

Back when the Gu God Temple caught fire, the Black and White Twin Insects had almost burned to death. Ma Bianlang had people set up a brazier to roast our bodies. The Five-Colored Gu inside us would also grow restless. Once the Five-Colored Gu grew restless, we would naturally suffer.

I said, "Erlei, don't think about the Five-Colored Gu biting you. Think about something else. For example, we're eating braised pork, or we're running happily through the woods. Forget the Five-Colored Gu as quickly as you can."

After Ma Erlei said that, I also felt a gnawing sensation in my chest, but it was not strong. Perhaps it was because I had the Innate Insect inside me, or perhaps because of the Three-Corpse Snake Gu.

The green in Ma Erlei's face grew thicker and thicker, finally turning dark green. I struggled and shouted, "Hurry up and move the brazier away! If my brother dies, I won't let you off!"

"Who told you to offend Bianlang!" the guard said helplessly. "But don't worry. Torture of this level won't take anyone's life."

Ma Erlei gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Kunlun, I'm fine. The Five-Colored Gu biting me is just scratching an itch. Back then, the Golden Silkworm bit me once and nearly hurt me to death, but didn't I still endure it all the same? I'm thinking of braised pork, and white rice..."

My eyes reddened, my heart aching terribly, and I kept comforting Ma Erlei. The firewood in the brazier burned more and more fiercely. Ma Erlei's brows twisted together, and only when he truly could not bear it did he let out a cry. Fortunately, after more than half an hour, the flames began to shrink, and the Five-Colored Gu gradually settled down as well.

Ma Erlei fell into a deep sleep.

The rain outside grew heavier and heavier, the raindrops striking the tiles on the ancestral hall roof in a dense clatter. Outside, the wind and rain were loud, but inside the ancestral hall, it was extremely quiet. The guards grew drowsy too, nodding off from time to time.

The oil lamp in the ancestral hall flickered bright and dim. I was exceptionally awake. Trapped in such desperate straits, I had to find a way to escape. I tested the ropes on my hands and discovered they were tied tight as death. There was simply no way to break free. Trying to escape in the dark was unlikely.

Just then, inside the black cloth bag I was carrying on my back, something suddenly began to burrow and move. I made no sound. After more than ten seconds, a mass of green crawled out.

It was Green Nest-Head, that failed fake Gu King Insect.

Damn it, how did it get out? I was secretly startled. After Green Nest-Head crawled out of the black bag, it landed lightly on the ground, then rolled and headed deeper into the ancestral hall.

"Uh, uh, uh," one of the guards made a sound.

Green Nest-Head was extremely fast. It pressed itself against the side of a pillar and hid. After waiting a while, it began rolling again. In the end, it reached the second section of the ancestral hall, then sprang up and jumped onto a chair.

What the hell was this dog thing trying to do? My curiosity was hooked.

Green Nest-Head rolled around on the chair, then sprang up and leaped straight onto the ancestral hall's altar. It nimbly burrowed among the spirit tablets, its movements looking extremely practiced.

Green Nest-Head quickly vanished among the spirit tablets, and I couldn't see what it was doing. The rain was too loud, so I couldn't hear anything either. Just as I thought Green Nest-Head was about to escape, it jumped down from the altar again.

After landing, its body pressed against the ground and rolled.

When it reached me, I finally discovered that its body was stained with colored water marks, and compared to earlier, it seemed to have grown a size larger. The watery sheen on its body was still giving off the unique Sha Qi and resentment of Gu insects.

A bad thought flashed through my mind: the Seven-Colored Gu hadn't disappeared. Last night, Green Nest-Head had eaten it.

No wonder when I took it back in this morning, I found brightly colored water stains beside the bamboo tube. Last night, it had been basking in the moonlight, gotten hungry, and run out to look for food. Who would have thought it would eat the Seven-Colored Gu?

On the ancestral hall's altar, there were very likely jars placed there, with some Gu insects inside for the villagers of Qingya Village to worship. Now it wanted to eat again, so it had burrowed out and eaten the Gu insects on Qingya Village's altar too.

The more I thought about it, the more reasonable this deduction seemed. Green Nest-Head was a Gu King Insect, after all—the very lord that ate Gu insects. Before this, we had always thought the Seven-Colored Gu had been stolen and hidden somewhere by a person, but we had overlooked that a Gu insect could also do such a thing.

I cursed inwardly. Green Nest-Head, you bastard, you've really screwed me over this time. Couldn't you have just eaten some ordinary, lousy Gu insects? You just had to eat the divine Gu insect that guarded someone else's village. You son of a bitch, your mouth is pretty damn picky too—if it isn't a powerful poisonous Gu insect, you won't even eat it.

Motherfucker, how the hell was this supposed to end? This was really damn ghostly.

"Heh heh, a little interesting..." A voice came out of nowhere.