Grudge Infant Haunts Him

Grudge Infant Haunts Him

I was astonished. My master had said that the Miao People used black jars to raise Gu, and the most powerful Gu insect was the Golden Silkworm Gu. I asked, "Uncle Ma, Camellia Village is a Miao settlement. Do you have Golden Silkworm Gu there?"

Pride appeared on Uncle Ma's face. "Among all the Miao settlements in Western Hunan, only Camellia Village can raise Golden Silkworm Gu. If fate allows, perhaps you'll get to see its true form."

I quickly waved my hands. "Better not. The more powerful a Gu insect is, the worse its temper. If it bites me, I'll be in trouble."

Supporting Uncle Ma, I climbed to the mountaintop. Endless forests stretched before my eyes, and when I looked back at the mountains we had crossed, the name Shiwan Mountains truly did not seem exaggerated.

"Gu God Temple, Luo Family Village, we'll meet again." Looking back at the road behind me, I felt deeply moved. In the end, I resolutely turned and walked forward.

Descending from the mountaintop, we came upon a paved road.

We waited by the roadside until a battered bus came along. After riding for over four hours, we arrived at a county town called Phoenix County. There, Uncle Ma had me pick out a plush toy.

After looking carefully, I finally chose a little raccoon.

At noon, we set off for Camellia Village.

According to Uncle Ma, after leaving Phoenix County and walking along mountain roads for half a day, we would reach Camellia Village by Clearwater Creek, at the foot of the Shiwan Mountains.

I began to feel nervous, wondering whether my master had reached Camellia Village yet.

Uncle Ma had been tormented by the Blood Mantis, and after traveling through the mountains, he moved very slowly. After walking for a while, he began coughing incessantly. His face turned bluish-black and looked terrible.

I asked anxiously, "Uncle Ma, your face is turning blue. What's wrong?"

Uncle Ma said calmly, "The Blood Mantis poison probably hasn't been fully removed yet. It's nothing serious. Once I return to Camellia Village, I'll have a way to completely remove the Gu."

The sky gradually darkened, and the cries of wild beasts rose from the forest.

Uncle Ma grew weaker and weaker.

Gritting my teeth, I carried Uncle Ma on my back and continued along the mountain path.

At last, I saw a faint light in the distance. It should have been a Miao settlement. Listening carefully, I could also hear the sound of a creek flowing.

I said happily, "Uncle Ma, we're here."

Uncle Ma said, "I can smell fried cured meat. I'm finally home. I thought I was going to die out there."

In the end, we stopped beside Clearwater Creek.

I set Uncle Ma down on a rock by the creek, looked around, and shouted, "Master! Master... are you here?"

I shouted more than a dozen times in a row, but no one answered.

My heart felt empty. My master was not here waiting for me.

Uncle Ma's coughing grew increasingly violent. He covered his mouth with a hand, and black blood poured out.

"Strike the gong!" Uncle Ma waved his hand.

Coming back to my senses, I struck the Yin Gong several times.

Before long, I heard dogs barking. Then I saw a thin, short boy with a black headscarf and gray cloth clothes running out with a lantern in hand.

"Dad, you're finally back." The skinny boy ran straight through the creek, his eyes already red.

The skinny boy turned to look at me. He first noticed the Yellow Jar hanging from my waist, and hostility flashed in his eyes. "Who are you?"

I said, "My name is Xiao Kunlun. Kunlun, as in the Kunlun Mountains."

Uncle Ma said, "Xiaodao, I was attacked by Mantis Gu. Kunlun saved me. Help me back first so I can recover." Then he said to me, "Kunlun, you're carrying the Three-Corpse Snake Gu. For now, you can't enter the settlement."

I frowned and asked, "Why not?"

Uncle Ma said, "Camellia Village has Golden Silkworm Gu guarding it. Foreign Gu insects cannot enter recklessly. Wait until I report back, then you can go in. Just wait a little while."

Miao settlements had many taboos concerning Gu arts, so I nodded. Looking at the skinny boy, I asked, "Has any outsider come to the settlement recently?"

The skinny boy shook his head. "No outsiders."

My heart sank. We had been delayed for so long. By all rights, my master should have reached Camellia Village long ago. Why had he not come?

I sat on a rock in a daze, my mind in complete turmoil.

Uncle Ma repeatedly wiped his bloodstained hands on his clothes, then handed the plush teddy bear to the skinny boy. Delight appeared on the boy's face, revealing a row of white teeth.

The skinny boy helped Uncle Ma across Clearwater Creek, and they soon headed into Camellia Village.

I waited by Clearwater Creek for more than an hour before the skinny boy finally emerged with a lantern. "The village chief said the Three-Corpse Gu is the sacred Gu of the Dong People, so it isn't suitable for entering a Miao settlement. You can leave the Three-Corpse Gu outside and go in empty-handed."

I did not want to abandon the Three-Corpse Snake Gu. "I came to Camellia Village to meet up with my master. It doesn't matter whether I enter the Miao settlement or not. But it's dark now. Is there anywhere nearby where I can rest? Any broken house or cave will do."

The skinny boy said, "Do as you like. Walk two hundred meters west. There's a cave on the slope where you can spend the night."

I said, "All right. Go back and take good care of Uncle Ma."

The skinny boy returned to the settlement with his lantern.

Following the direction he had indicated, I really did find a ruined cave.

The moment I entered, I smelled a faint stench of corpses. This was probably where Ma Huoxin kept his Walking Corpses.

I gathered some branches and lit a bonfire. I still had steamed buns with me. After eating, I took out the Yellow Jar and the iron can.

I checked on the Black and White Worms. Their auras had grown even weaker.

I sighed. "Black and White Worms, I had planned to ask my master to treat your injuries. But now my master's whereabouts are unknown, and I don't even know whether he's alive or dead. I have no way to save you. You can only rely on yourselves."

The Black and White Worms did not move at all and gave no response.

There was nothing I could do. I could only take off my coat and cover the iron can with it.

Leaning against the stone wall, I still felt a dull ache from the wound on my chest. After days of walking, my legs felt as heavy as lead. I was exhausted beyond measure, yet thoughts of my master kept me from falling asleep.

By now, the Three-Corpse Snake Gu, the Black and White Twin Insects, and I were all the same. We had no home and could only wander from place to place.

I sat up, hugged the two containers to my chest, and wept. In my heart, I cried, "Black and White Gu insects, neither you nor I can die. Three-Corpse Gu, grow stronger quickly. Master is gone. From now on, we have only each other."

After crying for a long time, I finally fell asleep.

It was the latter half of the night.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of scarlet eyes watching me from the darkness. The entire cave turned sinister and cold.

I jerked my eyes open. Only a faint glow remained in the fire.

"What is it? Get the hell out here!"

I looked around. At the cave entrance stood a child whose entire body was blood-red, while his face was unnaturally pale and his pupils were crimson. He stood there as blood continuously flowed across his skin.

He was terrifying beyond words.

The child opened his mouth, and a piercing scream suddenly rushed toward me.

Cold sweat broke out all over me. This was the scream I had heard when I fought the Blood Mantis for my life. That night, I had sensed an infant's resentment following the Blood Mantis.

I had never expected that although the Blood Mantis had vanished, the resentment had not dispersed. It had followed me all the way here.

Instinctively, I backed away and shouted, "Every grievance has its perpetrator, every debt has its debtor. The one who truly harmed you was that mysterious man in black. He used his blood to raise the Mantis Gu. Killing me won't help you. Your true enemy is still living freely and well."

I knew perfectly well that if an evil ghost came to claim my life, my current condition left me with only death. Against the Blood Mantis, I could still manage with the Three-Corpse Snake Gu and the Innate Insect. But now that the Grudge Infant had appeared, I was utterly helpless.

All I could hope was that he retained a shred of reason and understood that killing me would accomplish nothing.

The Grudge Infant slowly approached, and the cave became increasingly scarlet.

I kept retreating until I reached the deepest part of the cave, with nowhere left to go.

The Grudge Infant stopped three meters away. He forced his mouth open and made a weak sound. "Help me avenge myself, and I'll spare your life."

The voice seemed to come from the depths of hell.

I sucked in a breath and shook my head. "You... you... have the wrong person. I only defeated the Blood Mantis because I got lucky. That man in black's Gu arts are hundreds of times stronger than mine. Don't waste your time on me."

The Grudge Infant did not listen at all. He took another two steps forward, and the red resentment grew stronger, shrouding me. My skin began to sting faintly.

"If you don't help me, I... I'll bite open your throat right now."

I groaned inwardly and cried, "We have no grudge between us. I don't even know your name. Why... why are you clinging to me?"

The Grudge Infant bared his mouth again and said, "Because you are the child... my enemy is looking for. Only you can help me avenge myself."