Refusing to See Reason

Meng Huai sat on a rock, swirling the wine flask in his hand. He had planted a Tracking Gu on Zhang Meimei during the day, so finding this place had been easy.

Meng Huai studied the girl opposite him. Obscure fluctuations of magical power emanated from her, but they were weak. Clearly, she had not acquired her abilities through deliberate cultivation.

Meng Huai shook his head gently. "I really don't know where you got those abilities, but using them so recklessly is an affront to heaven!"

The girl looked at him with hatred filling her eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Come to think of it, I should thank you. If it weren't for you, Meimei would have been beyond saving.

"But I know people like you are never good. Someone just like you beat Granny to death back then. Now you want to come after me? It won't be that easy!"

Meng Huai paused in surprise. Quite a few Gu Masters were killed every year for their transgressions. He had no idea which one she meant by Granny.

Although he could not claim that no one had ever been killed unjustly, most of those who died had deserved it and were not worthy of the slightest pity.

Meng Huai said nonchalantly, "I don't know who this Granny of yours was, but anyone who uses gu to harm people deserves to die. Break a Gu Master's taboos, and you must pay the price.

"Since you're young and don't know any better, I'll make an exception and give you a chance. Destroy your Life-Bound Gu and live a decent life from now on, and I won't hold this against you!"

The girl said hysterically, "Don't stand there pretending to be a good person! I don't want to become ordinary. I'm going to become a superhuman with real power.

"No one can defy me. Anyone who dares disobey will die. I'll make their guts rupture and rot, and they'll die in utter agony!"

Meng Huai sighed softly. He had never expected a girl so young to be so vicious. Someone like her could not be allowed to remain in this world, or she would surely become a scourge!

Meng Huai stood and fixed her with a piercing gaze. "I never thought you would be so determined to refuse reason. You may be young, but you can't blame me for what happens now."

A savage expression appeared on the girl's face. She grabbed Zhang Meimei by the throat, and a black insect appeared in her other hand, poised against Zhang Meimei's temple.

She screamed hoarsely, "I know you're stronger than me, but so what? Seal your own Life-Bound Gu, or I'll kill her!"

Zhang Meimei remained calm as she looked at the girl. "We've been classmates since middle school, and you've always helped me. If giving my life today will let you escape alive, I'm willing to do it!

"But I hope that after you escape, you won't use methods like this to hurt anyone again. There won't always be someone willing to sacrifice themselves for you and let you get away every time."

After hearing those words, the girl's hands trembled slightly. The insect writhed continuously until she tightened her fingers and crushed it into two pieces.

She shoved Zhang Meimei aside and glared fiercely at Meng Huai. "I'm willing to hand over my Life-Bound Gu, but you have to promise to keep me safe from now on!"

Meng Huai nodded with a chuckle. "Once you surrender your Life-Bound Gu, you'll be an ordinary person, which naturally puts you under my protection. I'd be happy to oblige!"

The girl slapped the crown of her head, and two long black insects crawled out of her nostrils. They twisted around each other in midair, then flew toward Meng Huai.

Meng Huai extended his right hand. The insects landed on it, but they did not stop. They burrowed straight into his palm and traveled up his arm toward his heart.

The girl laughed loudly. "You Gu Masters are all idiots! Did you think I'd really agree? Dream on!"

"My gu insects are inside you now. They'll devour your heart in a moment. Get on your knees and beg, and I'll let you die quickly!"

Meng Huai shook his head gently, looking disappointed. "You underestimate me far too much. How could your paltry abilities possibly hurt me?"

"Having two Life-Bound Gu shows that you're certainly talented. Unfortunately, you've gone astray and still refuse to see reason. You can't blame me."

The two insects had barely traveled any distance inside his body when they came face-to-face with a little silkworm. Both immediately began trembling, as though they had encountered a primordial beast.

The little silkworm wriggled, then a mouth appeared, generating a suction that drew both gu insects into its belly. It even gave a remarkably human belch.

This was Meng Huai's Life-Bound Gu, the renowned Golden Silkworm Gu. Even across all of Miaojiang, it ranked among the top ten.

The simplest way for a Life-Bound Gu like this to evolve was to devour someone else's Life-Bound Gu. However, that violated the natural order and was strictly taboo.

But there were always ways around the rules. As more and more people used gu insects to harm others, another kind of person eventually emerged. These people were known as Gu Masters.

Their role was to punish those who used gu insects to harm people. After punishing the offenders, they could devour their Life-Bound Gu. Not only did this avoid breaking the taboo, but it also earned them merit.

Becoming a Gu Master, however, was far from easy. It required rigorous assessment and, ultimately, the approval of the Miaojiang Witch Cult.

Moreover, those evil gu cultivators regarded Gu Masters as thorns in their sides and would stop at nothing to eliminate them. It was a life fraught with danger!

After Meng Huai devoured the girl's Life-Bound Gu, she looked utterly drained and collapsed against a rock, without a trace of strength left in her body.

He looked down at the girl. Her eyes were filled with hatred. She had fallen too deeply into darkness, and there was no turning back.

He sighed helplessly, formed a Hand Seal with both hands, and pressed it against the crown of her head. She screamed, and the light went out of her eyes.

Zhang Meimei stood nearby without saying a word. Everything she had witnessed was etched into her mind and would stay with her for the rest of her life.

Meng Huai sighed again and took Zhang Meimei back to the hospital. After greeting the others, he left, his figure looking forlorn.

Gu Masters were destined to wander, like birds without feet, never knowing where they would land. When the day finally came for them to settle, there was no knowing whether it would also mark the end of their lives.

Meng Huai drank himself into a stupor. The reason he got drunk every time was that those he killed were still human. Even if they deserved their fate, each was still a human life.

In his haze, Meng Huai seemed to be with someone. Then he felt waves of warmth.