The Way of Witchcraft and Gu

For true men of letters, the "Qingping Tune" Lu Changfeng had left behind was an insurmountable peak. Especially after Zhang Shu fanned the flames, praising his "dear younger brother" and making his "Dreaming of Heaven" public as well, their admiration was tinged with helplessness.

For a political schemer like Cui Shi, tonight had offered no opportunity to shine. Not only had he failed to fulfill the Prince of Liang's expectations-to try to become Princess Taiping's intimate confidant-even Shangguan Wan'er, a pillar of their own faction, had been stunned by Lu Changfeng's talent and looks. This was hardly good news. Who knew what the prince would think once word reached his residence?

For Princess Anle's faction, the atmosphere was even more complicated and delicate. Princess Anle herself seemed distracted, her gaze drifting now and then toward the direction Lu Changfeng had left. She brushed off Wu Chongxun and Wu Yanxiu's attentions, and the two Wu brothers' expressions naturally grew uglier, though they forced themselves to keep their feelings in check on such an occasion.

As for Shangguan Wan'er, although she continued to mingle with effortless composure, whenever she had a quiet moment, that peerless poem and that transcendent figure would rise in her mind. She admired his talent, wondered about his abilities, and perceived all the more keenly the potential consequences of Princess Taiping gaining such support.

Side-Sealed Officials existed in the current court, and Princess Taiping also had the authority to recommend appointments. She could even send someone soaring into the heavens in a single step: at the highest, she could raise a commoner straight to the second rank!

If she truly devoted herself to supporting Lu Changfeng, he would undoubtedly become an enormous wild card!

Beyond these powerful dignitaries, even lower-ranking officials and attendants could not help talking about him in private. His poetry, his zither playing, and his looks had all become topics of conversation.

Princess Taiping took all of this in.

She knew very well that, once tomorrow had passed, Lu Changfeng's name would resound throughout Chang'an!

Just then, Jinghong returned and informed her that the Wind-Raising Sword had acknowledged its master.

Princess Taiping's fingers trembled slightly.

The Martial Marquis's sword... a divine weapon choosing its master...

She looked up at the flickering candlelight in the hall. In years past, the Martial Marquis had helped a hidden dragon rise from the wilderness, ultimately establishing dominion over a third of the realm. And now...

The thought flashed through her heart like a spark, then quietly vanished beneath her gracious smile.

She calmly sipped her wine and gave Jinghong a faint nod. "This Palace understands. Have our people in Nanzhao prepare to receive them. The one coming this time is the Heavenly Spider Envoy of Chi Ming's lineage. It may be worth a try. Also, have the Three Baleful Skeletons prepare to steal the [Poison-Averting Pearl] from the Prince of Liang's Residence. They can make a considerable stir, but they need not actually make their move. Do you understand?"

Taiping gave her a meaningful look.

Jinghong understood at once.

Her Highness intends to repair the plank road in plain sight while secretly crossing through Chencang! She will create the illusion that the Princess's Residence is still trying to obtain the Poison-Averting Pearl. As long as Wu Sansi believes the pearl remains safe, he will never suspect that the Princess's Residence has opened another route through Nanzhao.

This plan would not only conceal their true method of curing the poison, but also lull their opponents into complacency.

"This servant understands."

"One more thing."

Princess Taiping's gaze swept over Shen Qingshu, the newly appointed deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review, seated in the fourth section. Her voice was indifferent, yet edged with coldness. "Settle the potential trouble over Zhang Shouzhuo for him. Tell Shen Qingshu to keep himself and that junior martial sister of his out of other people's affairs! Zhang Shouzhuo deserved death for his crimes. With so many notorious bandits and rebels from evil cults left to arrest, why are they dragging others into this over a rotten man? Warn them once. If it happens again..."

A cold gleam flashed in Princess Taiping's eyes. "This Palace does not fear even the Red Thread Woman, much less the Embroidered Shadow Pavilion!"

Jinghong's heart tightened.

Her Highness is clearly clearing away any trouble that Zhang Shouzhuo's death might bring upon Master Lu. She is even willing to directly warn the reclusive sect that may be involved behind the scenes, the Embroidered Shadow Pavilion. Master Lu's importance truly grows by the day!

"Yes. This servant will carry out your orders," Jinghong answered with a bow.

Suddenly, a figure flickered in the distance. The female official Fu Rong hurried into the main hall and quietly approached Princess Taiping.

"Your Highness, Jade Pillar Peak on Zhongnan Mountain..."

Fu Rong bent down and whispered a few words in her ear.

At this, Princess Taiping's brows rose almost imperceptibly, but her expression remained composed. Turning her head, she said, "Have Zi Zhi stabilize the injuries first and see how things stand."

"Yes."

Fu Rong nodded and accepted the order.

Seeing this, Jinghong immediately volunteered. "Your Highness, this servant will go help as well."

Princess Taiping nodded slightly. "Go."

Watching Jinghong and Fu Rong hurry away, Princess Taiping lifted her wine cup. An impeccably gracious smile returned to her face as she turned toward Shangguan Wan'er seated below her and raised her cup with poise. As though nothing had happened, she resumed their lively conversation over fine wine.

Inside the Pivot of Heaven Pavilion.

Holding a yellowed volume of the "Secret Record of Southern Border Gu Arts," Lu Changfeng read with rapt attention.

Its contents far exceeded his expectations. To think witchcraft and gu arts shared so many intricate ties with medicine!

The book stated its purpose at the outset: "Gu are not all things meant to harm others. The shamans of antiquity communed with heaven and earth and understood yin and yang. Using gu as a medium, they could commune with spirits and cure illnesses, or command beasts and drive away evil. Physicians treat illness after it arises; shamans avert calamity before it occurs. Their principles are one: both harmonize yin and yang and bring qi and blood into proper order."

The book also contained a simple gu method: "On the fifth day of the fifth month, gather a hundred creatures into a jar, the largest being snakes and the smallest lice. Let them devour one another, and keep the sole survivor. If it is a snake, it is called a snake gu; if a louse, a louse gu. Refine it with secret medicines and vital blood, then employ it to injure enemies."

Gu came in many varieties, each possessing wondrous effects.

Gu Insects were not particularly difficult to refine, but making them grow was extremely hard. Every transformation consumed countless resources.

For precisely that reason, all powerful Gu Insects were passed down through generations.

The five most powerful Gu Insects of the Five Poisons Cult in the Miao Borderlands were controlled by successive generations of Five Poisons Holy Envoys.

"So that's how it works..."

Deep in thought, Lu Changfeng lightly brushed his fingertips over the ancient writing on the page. "Witchcraft and gu... gu arts are themselves a form of yin-yang arts, or witchcraft. They simply use living creatures as a medium, making the magical power of heaven and earth's yin, yang, and five elements tangible, controllable, and sustained through a specific 'gu'..."

Gu arts and yin-yang arts seemed to follow different paths, but ultimately reached the same destination: the Yin-Yang School observed the stars and interpreted hexagram lines, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth; gu masters refined tiny creatures and forged blood pacts, manipulating the essences of the five elements.

Both sought the word "balance."

When yin and yang fell out of balance, heaven and earth turned hostile; when the five elements descended into disorder, gu turned upon their masters!

"Interesting."

Lu Changfeng smiled. He was only in the Xiantian Initial Realm, his spiritual sense was weak, and his resonance with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was limited. Even if he practiced spells, their power would be mediocre. Refining gu, however, would let him play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses. Without needing a particularly powerful spiritual sense, he could wield great strength through Gu Insects. He could also combine them with "pufferfish poison" to kill, making the source even harder to trace!

Still, refining gu was relatively easy; nurturing them was not.

Lu Changfeng glanced over the gu-nurturing methods in the book and clicked his tongue. "Feed it your own vital blood every day, and on the last day of each lunar month, temper it with hot blood from your heart..."

He shook his head. "No wonder they speak of 'Gu Insects devouring their masters.' With this sort of drain day and night, the slightest carelessness would leave both qi and blood depleted, or even let the Gu Insects turn the tables and become the master."

He continued reading, his brows drawing tighter and tighter.

According to the book, cultivating a life-bound spirit gu and establishing communion between human and gu required implanting a newborn gu creature inside one's body, using the internal organs as its warm bed and vital blood and true essence as nourishment. Throughout the process, one had to endure pain that pierced the heart and gnawed the bones, while constantly suppressing the creature's ferocity through willpower. The slightest distraction could allow it to devour one's mind, leaving one a walking corpse.

"Sure enough, Evil Path methods may bring quick results, but every one of them is a business of dancing on a knife's edge."

Lu Changfeng sighed softly. "This way of nurturing gu is practically bargaining with a tiger for its skin. No wonder the Central Plains regard it as a crooked side path... Still, come to think of it, implanting Gu Insects inside the body to nurture them does share a certain elegance with the 'Shennong Glazed Glass Art,' which draws medicinal potency into the body to nourish Shennong Qi..."

Immersed in his studies, he read diligently. Before he knew it, the moon had climbed to the middle of the sky, and several dozen books had piled up beside him.

He was just about to rise and return to the Snow Listening Tower to rest when hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Recognizing the sound, Lu Changfeng raised his brows. "Qing Dai, what's wrong?"

Qing Dai appeared in the doorway, her face anxious, and transmitted her voice to him. "Master, Her Highness summons you urgently! The Three Signs of Spring Equinox returned from investigating Jade Pillar Peak on Zhongnan Mountain. They were ambushed by a monster and poisoned! Sister Zi Zhi is doing everything she can to stabilize their injuries, but this poison is extremely strange. I fear she cannot hold it off for long! Her Highness asks you to intervene!"

Lu Changfeng was somewhat surprised.

He knew Zi Zhi's medical skills. She had certainly studied the "Medical Compendium" diligently!

Although she had yet to achieve complete mastery, the mere fact that she remembered the thousands of treatments for internal injuries in the book proved she was far from ordinary!

What sort of monster could leave her at a loss?

They returned from Jade Pillar Peak on Zhongnan Mountain... could this be connected to the Blood Tai Sui?

Lu Changfeng's mind sharpened. He immediately said, "Lead the way!"

Qing Dai turned at once to guide him, and their figures swiftly vanished into the night-shrouded corridors of the Princess's Residence.