Golden Centipede

Before long, the large cocoon had been eaten clean by the centipede. By then, the Golden Centipede's body had grown as thick as a finger. Rather than looking ferocious, it even seemed somewhat adorable.

Newly born Gu Insects were all fragile. They needed to be fed large quantities of medicinal herbs, even the appropriate venomous insects. Of course, spiritual energy would be even better. It could rapidly enhance a Gu Insect's abilities and bring it to its natural limit.

However, this Gu Insect was not the kind that burrowed into human bodies to wreak havoc or provide treatment. After all, Huo Hai had attempted to refine it himself. Because of his blood, the Golden Centipede had long since acknowledged Huo Hai as its master. Whenever Huo Hai looked at the centipede, he even felt waves of intimacy. This came from the spiritual level.

"As expected of an insect-raising art passed down for thousands of years, perhaps even longer. It truly is miraculous." Feeling the faint connection between himself and the Gu Insect, Huo Hai was immensely satisfied. Even Beast Spirit Masters only gained such an ability after reaching the Spirit Practitioner Realm.

Beast Spirit Masters, however, could tame large numbers of Spirit Beasts without refining them themselves. Once his strength improved, he could even use Mental Power to form something akin to a contract directly with the insects he raised. Then, even without converting to a Beast Spirit Master attribute, he could still do what a Beast Spirit Master did—and perhaps do it even better.

Huo Hai smiled faintly. "Heh, it seems that even without reaching the Spirit Practitioner Realm, I'm already equivalent to a Beast Spirit Master. Hmph, He Ya, I wonder how you've been these past few days. But from now on, I'm afraid things won't be so easy for you."

Muttering to himself, Huo Hai walked outside with the Golden Centipede. "Come on. I'll get you something to eat first. Once you grow up, we'll go bully people together. Right, from now on, you'll be called Little Gold."

Looking at the golden centipede, Huo Hai gave it an embarrassingly corny name without the slightest hesitation. Fortunately, Little Gold did not think so. It sent out waves of joyful thoughts, seemingly delighted to have a name.

After leaving the courtyard, Huo Hai found some herbs nearby that had been transplanted a few days earlier. In other people's eyes, they were nothing more than weeds. Yet they did contain a certain amount of medicinal potency and spiritual energy. At least for Little Gold, the Gu Insect, they were good things. Huo Hai plucked them as he walked, casually holding them in his palm and feeding them to Little Gold.

"Wow, it's so pretty! Can centipedes grow this pretty too? Brother Hai, can you get me one as well?" Just as Huo Hai came out of the courtyard and was feeding Little Gold, Huo Yuner spotted him. Her eyes widened, sparkling brightly.

If Little Gold had not assumed an attacking stance, Huo Yuner would have wanted to reach out and touch it. Most centipedes were venomous, but before reaching the level of a Spirit Beast, their poison posed no threat to experts with spiritual energy.

Huo Hai raised his head. This little sister of his made no sound when she walked. But Little Gold was a Gu Insect and had already acknowledged him as its master—how could he possibly give it away? As for teaching Huo Yuner how to refine Gu Insects, that was even more out of the question. Thinking of how frightened she would be upon seeing terrifying insects, Huo Hai knew it would never work. Besides, he did not want Huo Yuner coming into contact with such things.

Shaking his head, Huo Hai said quietly, "No. This is a mutated variety, and it's usually very hard to find. Besides, it has already acknowledged me as its master. I can't give it to you." In one stroke, Huo Hai cut off both of Huo Yuner's options.

Huo Yuner's eyes glittered, her face full of reluctance. She looked at Little Gold, then at Huo Hai. Suddenly, her eyes rolled, and she whispered, "Brother Hai, can I come play with you often? Then you have to let it keep me company."

Hearing that, Huo Hai could not help laughing. "Little girl, I think you want to come play with Little Gold, don't you? Fine. As long as you aren't afraid of the insects I keep at home, come whenever you like." Huo Yuner suddenly remembered that Huo Hai's courtyard was full of all kinds of insects.

Yet after looking at Little Gold as it ate, she finally nodded firmly. "Mm, Yun'er isn't afraid. Yun'er will come play with Little Gold." Her true intentions had been exposed so quickly. Huo Hai did not pay it any mind and simply continued feeding Little Gold herbs. Little Gold was a Gu Insect. Its size had already been set; no matter how much more it ate, it would not change much.

"Brother Hai, does Little Gold like eating grass too? I'll help." As she spoke, Huo Yuner wanted to pull some grass, but Huo Hai stopped her before she could move. Gu Insects did not eat just any grass.

"Alright, alright, don't mess around. Little Gold doesn't eat every kind of grass. It eats this kind of grass with a bit of medicinal potency, and it has to be specific kinds. If it eats too much of other things, it'll die. If you want to feed Little Gold, you can catch some insects instead. Little Gold is a centipede, and centipedes like eating insects." Was this thing really a centipede?

Golden centipedes were already rare enough, and this one even had a pair of wings. No matter how one looked at it, it was strange. Yet Huo Yuner's ability to accept things was just that strong. Even without Huo Hai telling her, she had originally regarded Little Gold as a centipede.

What Huo Hai did not say was that Little Gold was a Gu Insect. It did enjoy eating insects, yes, but what it liked most were venomous insects—especially those with poison close to its own, whose toxins resembled its own. Still, Huo Yuner probably would not catch venomous insects. Even if she caught the wrong kind, Little Gold itself knew what it could eat and what it could not.

Over the next few days, Huo Yuner indeed came here every day. Gradually, after seeing more insects, she was no longer so afraid. In any case, they could not get out. At first, Huo Yuner caught pretty insects.

But later, she began to feel somewhat sorry for them, so she started catching ugly insects for Little Gold to eat. As a result, she really did catch some venomous insects. After several days of growth, Little Gold's venom and physical strength had increased by a huge margin. After being fed large amounts of spiritual energy, the spiritual power contained within Little Gold had also risen greatly. It had even reached the level of a Spirit Beast in the Spirit Body Realm.

Yet Gu Insects were special after all. They were naturally capable of concealing their aura and were difficult for people to detect. No matter what kind of poison ordinary venomous insects carried, Little Gold accepted them all without hesitation and swallowed them directly.

Huo Hai had long warned Little Gold not to harm people casually, especially Huo Yuner, who fed it. Whether because the insects of this world were different or because of spiritual energy, Little Gold was far smarter than the Gu Insects his grandmother had described.

As for Huo Hai, he went out to search for herbs that would help Little Gold grow. He was also constantly looking for new herbs, wondering whether he should refine another Gu Insect. On this particular day, when he went out, he inevitably ran into He Ya again.

From far away, He Ya burst into laughter. "Hahaha, it's you again, the Huo Family's idiot. What are you doing this time, eating grass or eating bugs? I think you're about to turn into a toad." Just like before, and perhaps because Huo Hai had never said anything, He Ya had become increasingly arrogant, acting utterly high and mighty before Huo Hai.

But just then, an old man walked over. "Second Young Master, the family just obtained a batch of Body Tempering Pills today. The master wants you to return quickly. If you can obtain a few Body Tempering Pills, your cultivation can improve as well."

Body Tempering Pills were good things that could help Spirit Body Realm experts improve quickly. Yet the Huo Family had never allowed Huo Hai to use them. It was not because they were unwilling, but because Huo Hai was still young. Huo Kai worried that after using Body Tempering Pills, Huo Hai would be unable to suppress his inner urges and would advance too quickly. That would leave his foundation unstable in the future and affect his prospects.

Yet Huo Hai knew his own situation. His mental age was not that of a child. Even if he used Body Tempering Pills, he could restrain the urge to break through. But Huo Kai simply did not believe him, so naturally Huo Hai could not obtain any.

"What are you looking at, you poor bastard? Don't even dream of using Body Tempering Pills in your entire life." He Ya knew some things about the Huo Family's circumstances as well. He glanced at Huo Hai beside him, shouted those words, then turned and left.

What he did not see was the smile that appeared on Huo Hai's face after he left. Huo Hai was not a fool who would be happy after being cursed at. Rather, he had thought of a way to retaliate against He Ya. He Ya, He Ya, I really should thank you for delivering such valuable information to me. How should I thank you? How about I use them on your behalf?

The value of Body Tempering Pills was not something ordinary small households could bear. Even the top Lineages of the Western Frontier found it difficult to obtain some Body Tempering Pills. Naturally, first-grade pills were everywhere. Those were not scarce.

But pills like Body Tempering Pills, which could directly raise one's cultivation, were rare. Any Elixir Spirit Master who possessed such a formula would hide it away tightly. It was not that other Elixir Spirit Masters lacked the ability to refine them, but that they lacked the prescription. It could be said that such formulas for improving oneself were basically held in the hands of major sects and Lineages.

After calculating in his heart, Huo Hai decided Little Gold had nearly finished growing and could be put to use. Little Gold excelled in flight and physical strength. Its power was naturally considerable, while its venom was secondary. It might not be suitable for combat, but it was skilled at stealing things.

Thus, Huo Hai stopped gathering herbs. Or rather, he no longer gathered them specifically. Under the pretense of gathering herbs, he secretly approached the He Family and quietly began observing every arrangement within it. Speaking of which, Huo Hai had only seen the He Family's internal situation a few times, but he was somewhat familiar with it. He would scout during the day and act at night.

The Western Frontier was vast, but Western Frontier City was not large. The top Lineages of the Western Frontier all had their residences within Western Frontier City. Thus, the He Family was not far from the Huo Family estate. At most, the Huo Family estate was closer to the edge of the city.

Huo Hai's behavior did not arouse anyone's suspicions either. The entire Western Frontier knew that this fellow had lost his memory. Nowadays, people only felt sympathy when they saw Huo Hai. Even if he wandered around the He Family's surroundings, no one would suspect him.