24. Gu Poison
Ten minutes later, the white-robed woman and Yan Chuyue emerged from the forest. The woman patted her shoulder excitedly. “Miss Yan, you’re a lifesaver!”
Yan Chuyue could only smile awkwardly.
Honestly, in this day and age, who would choose to walk when they could fly?
With the ability to fly, even the most confusing forest was nothing.
But… she had to be the one to suggest it. This woman hadn’t even thought of it, which was even more bizarre.
If she were to wander around alone, she would be much more likely to get lost than her daughter.
“If you want to go to the East Courtyard, you can just take a crane.” Yan Chuyue pointed at the nearby crane station. “And if you get lost again, remember: if you can fly, you can’t get lost.”
“Alright!”
The white-robed woman squinted, smiling and rubbing her cheek. “Miss Yan, do you have any other plans for the afternoon?”
“Yes, I need to find someone.”
“I see.” The white-robed woman seemed a bit disappointed, but she nodded with a smile. “Then I’ll take my leave. But if you happen to see my foolish daughter, please tell her to at least send a letter home.”
—But she didn’t even know what her daughter looked like.
And this woman seemed to have forgotten, or never intended, to describe her daughter’s appearance.
Of course, Yan Chuyue did remember one key characteristic—her daughter liked to burn trees. If she ever encountered someone setting fire to a mountain, she would probably be her daughter.
“If I have any leads, I’ll let you know at the East Courtyard.” Yan Chuyue nodded. “May I have your surname, so I can find you?”
“Mu,” the white-robed woman said without hesitation.
“Then, Senior Mu, I’ll take my leave.”
“Bye.”
“Yes, bye.”
On her way to the South Courtyard to find Leng Yuli, Yan Chuyue was still pondering this unusual surname.
Mu, as a first name, was common, like Gong Muzhi, but as a surname, Yan Chuyue couldn’t recall ever using it.
As she was thinking, she received a message from the doorman at the forging room.
Leng Yuli had been called away by Leng Qianqiu a while ago.
Which meant… she had made a wasted trip!
Despite this, Yan Chuyue didn’t feel too disappointed.
It had been a fulfilling morning, and she felt a sense of anticipation.
It wasn’t until she returned to the North Courtyard that she learned what had happened.
This Miss Gong was truly fearless, causing such a stir at Qian Yue Academy. Truly, a master of her craft.
“You’re finally back!”
As soon as she entered Lan Suqin’s room, Gong Yiling rushed over, her eyes gleaming.
“Where have you been?”
“Just some personal matters,” Yan Chuyue replied, puzzled. “Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Of course there’s work for you!” Gong Yiling pulled her into the inner room, where a group of injured cultivators lay.
“Who are these…?”
“They’ve been poisoned.” Gong Yiling briefly explained the situation. “I can’t identify the poison, so I had to call you.”
Yan Chuyue raised an eyebrow. “You’re so sure I can identify it?”
Gong Yiling mumbled, “Who else can I trust?”
Her words actually meant—You have the Divine Physician’s space. Of course I trust you.
But to Yan Chuyue, it sounded a bit different.
She coughed lightly. “That’s more like it. I’ll help you.”
She sat down and took one of the injured cultivator’s pulses.
His pulse didn’t seem to indicate poisoning.
But since Gong Yiling was so certain, Yan Chuyue, with the help of her Divine Physician’s space, finally found something with a similar effect.
“Strictly speaking, this isn’t poison,” Yan Chuyue shook her head. “It’s a special combination of Gu and herbs.”
Gu?
This concept also existed in her book, with some slight differences from reality.
Gu originally meant poisonous insects, but in her book, it could also refer to certain insects with special abilities. And if Gu was used for poisoning, it was often difficult to detect with conventional medicine.
It was worth mentioning that Gu poison was usually extremely potent. Even if it was difficult to detect, if someone showed signs of poisoning, like a pale face and foaming at the mouth, without any detectable poison, it was a dead giveaway.
“So that’s why they used this special type, which only causes qi stagnation and has few other side effects?”
After listening to Yan Chuyue, Gong Yiling summarized, “But Gu is not something an ordinary person can obtain.”
Yes.
Gu was extremely rare in this world. Although powerful, it was difficult to make.
And compared to poisonous insects, some poisonous plants were a hundred times more potent. Only those ancient, specially cultivated Gu could compare to ten-thousand-year-old treasures like the Three-Day Intestine-Breaking Grass or the Other Shore Soul-Severing Flower.
But ordinary Gu didn’t have such power.
So, the traditional method of making Gu was only possessed by reclusive sects. Others only made low-end versions for fun.
“Bai Dao Mountain… is there a Daoist sect that specializes in Gu?”
This question stumped both of them.
A reader and an author, even they knew it was impossible.
Although Gu wasn’t inherently evil, its danger surpassed even some of the demonic sects’ secret poisons.
Even if it wasn’t explicitly forbidden, who would dare to mess with it?
As for Ye Ao Daoist Mountain, a second-rate sect, how could they have access to such advanced Gu techniques?
“Wait…”
Gong Yiling suddenly remembered the last sentence from the recording stone.
Lei Che’s cultivation had improved significantly, using some special, unspoken method.
Could this method be Gu techniques?
If so, then the key to this problem… should be that Senior Sister.
