Chapter 102: The Liuyao Gu Worm

The Old Mountain God and I followed closely behind into the main hall of the temple.

Grandpa Hu, the Third, glanced at the corpse on the floor and casually ordered his subordinates to carry the body of the Third Young Master Hu away. He then turned back, his face full of smiles, as he invited us to sit and poured us tea.

"I wonder what brings the three of you to my humble temple?" Grandpa Hu asked with an ostensibly benevolent expression.

The Old Mountain God was about to speak, but Hua Yuyan was blunt and immediately began to press him: "Grandpa Hu, are the villagers beyond the pass not the subjects of your Taiyin Temple?"

"Naturally, they are the subjects of my Taiyin Temple," Grandpa Hu did not deny it.

"If that is the case, why did you order your subordinates to slaughter the innocent? Your Taiyin Temple has enjoyed human incense for over a hundred years. Now that your Wuyin Immortal Mountain has gained powerful fortune, you turn on them. Do you not feel ashamed?"

Hua Yuyan’s words were direct, yet the expression on Grandpa Hu’s face did not flicker.

He toyed with his teacup, pondered for a moment, and said, "My unworthy grandson, whose conduct was improper, has been slain by your hands; he deserved his fate, and it is a failure of my own teachings. But since he is dead, his crimes are paid for. His individual sins do not represent the Taiyin Temple slaughtering the innocent. Palace Master Hua, I believe there must be some misunderstanding here. I ask that you investigate clearly."

Once Grandpa Hu finished, I could no longer hold back. "Many villages beyond the pass are now ghost towns, with nine out of ten households empty. The residents were mostly devoured by wild immortals. The Old Mountain God and I witnessed this with our own eyes. How does Grandpa Hu explain that?"

"Oh? There is such a thing? How could I be unaware?" Grandpa Hu asked, feigning complete surprise.

He looked at the Old Mountain God, seemingly doubting my words. The Old Mountain God spoke up directly: "Grandpa Hu, what Young Master Lin says is true; every word can be verified."

Grandpa Hu frowned. He patted his head and said, "It seems I am getting old, and some matters have grown beyond my reach. I truly was unaware of this! However, such actions must not be tolerated. Rest assured, the three of you; I shall investigate this thoroughly and give you an answer!"

I found his words laughable. The wild immortals under his command were likely acting on his direct orders. Otherwise, how would they dare to act so recklessly as to devour entire villages?

"Fine. In that case, the three of us will not disturb you further. Please, Grandpa Hu, we take our leave!" Hua Yuyan said, standing up and signaling to us.

We rose and walked toward the exit of the temple.

However, just as we reached the entrance, two plumes of black smoke appeared. A man and a woman, both wearing fox-like visages, blocked our path.

"You kill my son, come here to provoke us, and then think you can just leave?" the woman asked coldly, her eyes glowing with a chilling, eerie green light.

Hua Yuyan ignored her and turned back to look at Grandpa Hu. "Grandpa Hu, is this your way of treating guests?"

Grandpa Hu walked over, glared at the two of them, and said, "Move aside! It is your own failure in raising your son that led to this. His death was deserved—you cannot blame others!"

"But Grandfather, Rui'er he..." The woman frowned, trying to protest, but she was interrupted by Grandpa Hu.

"Enough! Move!"

Both the man and woman gritted their teeth, their fangs bared as they stared daggers at me, yet they still retreated to the sides at Grandpa Hu's command.

"Noble guests, please go slowly!" Grandpa Hu said with a smile plastered on his face.

Hua Yuyan stepped out. Just as the Old Mountain God and I were about to follow, the woman let out a hiss and suddenly lunged at me. I dodged quickly; she missed, spun around, and bared her sharp claws to strike at my throat. I shifted my footwork and evaded her again.

Given her skill, she could not hurt me.

At that moment, Grandpa Hu stepped up and slapped the woman across the face.

She was furious, but she dared not vent her anger on him. She said, "Father, are you just going to watch as our Hu family's enemy leaves the temple like this?"

The man also approached and said, "Father, we must not let that man surnamed Lin go! He is the one who killed Rui'er!"

Grandpa Hu slapped the man as well. He said, "You two, listen to me: Rui'er's death was his own fault. You are strictly forbidden from seeking revenge!"

"Father!"

The man and woman knelt before Grandpa Hu.

"Do not kneel to me; apologize to them!" Grandpa Hu commanded.

Although they were indignant, they dared not disobey. Hua Yuyan said, "No need. We are leaving now. I hope Grandpa Hu keeps his word!"

"Rest assured, noble guests!" Grandpa Hu replied.

Afterward, the three of us descended Wuyin Immortal Mountain. The man and woman continued to glare at us until we vanished from the mountain path.

Once we were gone, Grandpa Hu raised a hand and struck a stone lion at the temple gate with a burst of turbid energy, shattering it into dust.

Seeing this, the man and woman were stunned. The woman asked, "Father, this Taiyin Temple is our territory. Why could we not keep them here and avenge Rui'er?"

Grandpa Hu’s eyes were treacherous and flickering. He said, "Rui'er was your son, but he was also my grandson. Do you think I did not want to avenge him?"

"But..."

"You do not know. That young man surnamed Lin is the leader of the Ghost Path. He carries the Planet of Disaster, and his fortune is incredibly strong. Do you think you alone could avenge Rui'er? If I hadn't stopped you and let you fight him, you would not have succeeded, and the ones who would have died are the two of you!" Grandpa Hu said. His expression was completely different from the benevolent one he had worn moments ago; his features were now filled with sinister, treacherous, and venomous intent.

Upon hearing this, the man and woman finally understood. The woman said, "Father, forgive us. We misunderstood you just now, and almost..."

"It is fine. You were blinded by love for your son; how could I not understand? It is just that the Four Great Immortals—Yellow, White, Willow, and Grey—are not at the temple. Those three have the Spirit Response Palace and the Ghost Path members behind them; we must not act rashly. In recent days, I have heard from the four immortals that they have attained an opportunity and will return upon achieving success. We shall settle the matter of revenge then!" Grandpa Hu declared.

Just then, an old woman dressed in grey approached from a side path. When Grandpa Hu saw her, he said, "Sister Grey, what brings you here?"

This Old Lady Grey was the same one who had been harming the village earlier. She approached and said to Grandpa Hu, "Greetings, Grandpa Hu. I have a matter to report to you."

"What is it?" Grandpa Hu asked.

"Today, I received news from a friend in the Daoist sect, surnamed Ma. He said that someone carrying the Planet of Disaster has come beyond the pass and asked us to keep a close eye on him. The Planet of Disaster chooses its host; if the host is incompetent or dies, it will naturally seek a new one. My friend believes that you, Grandpa Hu, are the best candidate to be the new host."

"If the Planet of Disaster chooses you, Grandpa Hu, all the fortune of the resurgent Ghost Path will be gathered in our Taiyin Temple. When that time comes, our entry into the interior will be just around the corner!"

Old Lady Grey spoke, and Grandpa Hu nodded slightly. "What you say is true; I have had the same thought."

Hearing this, the man and woman bowed and said, "Father, that would be wonderful! Killing that brat Lin Yi would not only avenge us but also allow us to obtain the Ghost Path's fortune and enter the pass. It would be two birds with one stone!"

At this, Old Lady Grey exclaimed, "What? That Lin Yi is so insane that even the Third Young Master Hu fell victim to him?"

Grandpa Hu nodded and sighed.

"To be honest, Grandpa Hu, my three grandsons also lost their lives at his hands!" Old Lady Grey said. She had come specifically to incite Grandpa Hu to take revenge for her, but she hadn't expected him to have lost his own grandson to Lin Yi as well—this was the perfect opportunity to use him for revenge!

"I see. How about this, Sister Grey: you track that Lin Yi in secret. I will dispatch a few subordinates to you to keep an eye on their movements. If there is any news, send someone to report immediately!" Grandpa Hu commanded.

"As you command!"

Grandpa Hu then summoned a dozen subordinates to accompany Old Lady Grey down the mountain via the side path.

Before she left, Grandpa Hu stopped her. He took a bottle from his sleeve and gave it to her, saying, "Inside this bottle is the Soul-Devouring Poisonous Gu, the Six-Yao Insect, gifted to me by the Southern Gu King, Luo Jinhong. The Six-Yao Insect can transform into mosquitoes or moths and poison a person's soul unnoticed. If you can destroy Lin Yi's soul, he will be nothing but a cripple. If you accomplish this, it will be a great merit, and I will establish a divine shrine for you in the Taiyin Temple, allowing you to share in the fortune of Wuyin Immortal Mountain."

Old Lady Grey took the porcelain bottle and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Hu. Please await good news!"

She then left Wuyin Immortal Mountain with the Six-Yao Insect.

After we left the mountain, we went to the nearby villages to check the situation. These villages were very close to Wuyin Immortal Mountain, and they were completely deserted.

We walked through four or five more villages, but saw no one. Instead, we found scattered bones—some human, some livestock—inside the houses.

After passing through a dozen villages, we finally saw some signs of life in a village closer to the Changbai Mountains. However, most of the people there were the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

There was indeed no aura of monsters in the village.

Could it be that Grandpa Hu had truly ordered the wild immortals to stop?

I asked this, but the Old Mountain God replied, "That is impossible. Grandpa Hu is a double-dealing person by nature. His words were pleasant, but in the dark, he is certainly scheming to figure out how to eliminate us."