The corpses of the insect tide gathered together, forming a writhing, black substance that seemed still alive. Clustered in masses, it resembled quicksand or a swamp, devouring everything that sank into it.
Chu'he halted her steps before the pile of insect beasts, her scalp tingling with fear, goosebumps rising all over her skin.
Little Qing, the small green snake, leaped off her body and landed on the ground, swiftly slithering across the corpses of the insect beasts before turning back to look at Chu'he, as if telling her that it had caught the scent of its master.
Chu'he stomped her foot and steeled herself.
She followed Little Qing, climbing over the mountain of insect beast corpses, stumbling with each step. The gu worms seemed not entirely dead, their soft, slippery bodies coiling around her feet, making her shut her eyes and scream.
"Get away!"
"Stay far from me!"
"This is terrifying!"
"Little Qing, I’m scared of bugs!"
Chu'he shrieked, frantically shaking her feet—she truly feared insects, wailing at even the slightest touch.
Yet despite her cries, her steps upward never ceased.
Little Qing guarded her side, biting to death every insect that dared approach. Even so, Chu'he’s hands were stung several times by unknown bugs.
Her body grew cold again, but she had no time to care.
"Ninth, Ninth!"
"Where are you?"
"If you're alive, make a sound!"
The next moment—"Squeak..."
Chu'he stopped, her eyes darting around. Fireflies gathered in one direction, illuminating a half-buried hand protruding from the pile of insect corpses.
"Ninth!"
Stumbling forward, Chu'he crawled desperately toward him, digging through the surrounding corpses with her bare hands. Some gu worms had sharp spines and hard shells, slicing her fingers open in multiple places.
Little Qing stood guard beside her, biting down any crawling insect that drew near.
Chu'he’s hands lost all sensation, moving mechanically as she dug. After what felt like an eternity, the half-rotted face of the young man emerged from the blackened pile.
"Ninth... Ninth..."
Chu'he didn’t know how to proceed, wanting to cradle his face but afraid to touch it.
On the unrotted half of his face, pale skin was streaked with crimson cracks, like a shattered porcelain doll—one touch away from crumbling.
A single red eye struggled to open a slit, fixing on her disheveled appearance.
"Didn’t I tell you to leave... idiot, why did you come back...?"
"If you’re about to die, stop talking!" Seeing he still had the energy to scold her, hope flickered in Chu'he’s eyes as she kept digging, clearing more corpses from his body.
"I’ll take you back to the stone cave. There are plenty of medicine jars there, just like before. Once you use them, you’ll recover quickly."
She gripped his upper body, straining to pull him free.
But only his torso emerged from the insect tide.
Chu'he stared at him, frozen in helplessness.
Now, not even half of his body remained intact.
"I won’t survive."
Chu'he’s blurred gaze lingered on his face. "What... did you say?"
"I won’t survive," he repeated. "Gu vessels are raised on insects, and in death, we feed them in return. To them, I’m the finest meal."
"But... but you’re so strong! How could you just... disappear like this?"
A warm droplet fell onto his cracked skin, quickly seeping into his flesh, mingling with his blood.
Ninth’s lashes trembled. His strength was nearly gone, his senses fading—yet, strangely, he felt the warmth of that tear with perfect clarity.
"Are you crying for me?"
Chu'he wiped her eyes roughly. "I’m not crying!"
"I saw it. You cried."
"I didn’t!"
"You did."
"I didn’t!"
"You did."
...
Little Qing tilted its head nearby.
Chu'he flushed with embarrassment. "At a time like this, must you be so infuriating?"
Ninth: "You’re my fiancée. I’m about to die—can’t you just admit you cried for me?"
Chu'he: "...Fine. I cried."
Having gotten his answer, Ninth returned to his dying state, his breaths growing ragged, his gaze clinging to her face.
"If I die... will you remarry?"
Chu'he: "Yes."
Ninth fumed. "I forbid you to take Little Treasure with you."
"Then I’ll abandon Little Treasure before remarrying."
The dying man gritted his teeth. "Chu'he, would it kill you to say something nice to me?"
Chu'he: "If you’re unhappy, wait until you recover and scold me then."
He fell silent.
Ignoring him, Chu'he kept digging through the insect corpses, retrieving a single leg—whether it belonged to Seventh or Ninth, she couldn’t tell.
Then again, they looked similar enough. It would have to do.
With one hand clutching the leg and the other supporting his broken body, she endured the bone-deep chill, slowly carrying him down the mountain of corpses and across the sea of blood.
Little Qing trailed behind, glancing back now and then.
Ninth’s chin rested on her shoulder as he listened to her increasingly labored breaths.
"Chu'he... you’re wasting your effort."
"How do you know unless we try?" Chu'he said. "Your gu sorcery is powerful—reviving the dead and regrowing flesh isn’t impossible. I found you a leg. In the future, you’ll have one arm and one leg. It might look odd, but with a cane, you can still walk."
She glanced back at him. "Once you’re healed, I’ll take you to the Central Plains. My family is wealthy—I’ll provide for you."
A short, quiet laugh brushed her ear.
She couldn’t tell if he was mocking her ignorance or her blind optimism.
"You once said... your father disliked me. Said I was poor and uneducated."
"It doesn’t matter. If my father complains, we’ll move out."
"Central Plains folk are rigid and conservative... Aren’t you afraid of gossip?"
"I eloped with you—do you think I care about gossip now?"
At this moment, Chu'he couldn’t even tell if she was acting or if her lies had become truth. The line between reality and illusion had blurred beyond recognition.
This path, lit only by the faint glow of fireflies, was one they could never leave.
So whether it was real or not no longer mattered.
"What’s... the Central Plains like?"
His voice grew weaker, like a feather resting on her shoulder—one gust of wind, and he might vanish.
Chu'he’s steps slowed, heavy as if filled with lead. This dark, endless passage seemed desperate to keep her.
"The Central Plains is beautiful. Take my hometown in Jiangnan—spring brings flowers, summer lotus, autumn moons, and winter snow. There’s so much delicious food too, Ninth. You’d love it."
The figure on her back gave no reply.
Chu'he's blurred gaze fixed ahead, "If only... if only we could go to the Central Plains together."
The sound of something hitting the ground echoed through the murky space, abrupt and jarring.
Two figures emerged, looking down at the person on the ground as if observing ants.
One of them laughed, "Now that the Young Master has severed all emotions and desires, the Gu King is complete!"
The other, however, cast a greedy glance at the girl radiating cold energy. "This girl is born with a Spirit-Containing physique. Using her to refine a Gu will surely produce a Sacred Gu."
The two men stepped back in unison, bowing and extending their hands in a respectful gesture. "Congratulations, Young Master, on the completion of the Gu King and obtaining the Mother Gu. This is truly a blessing for our Witchcraft and Gu Sorcery Sect!"
A masked figure in red robes and white hair took a step forward, the tiny bells on their ankle chain tinkling softly, a crisp and pleasant sound.
The black-based, colorfully painted mask was eerie and sinister, revealing only a pair of crimson eyes—clear, beautiful, and utterly pure.
Their gaze lowered.
The young man's mutilated body lay in a pool of blood, grotesque and repulsive.
The girl, battered and disheveled, curled into a ball unconsciously from the cold. Her breathing grew fainter; in just three breaths, she would perish.
Receiving no response from the Young Master, the two men exchanged glances and quickly understood.
One who had severed all emotions and desires would naturally regard everything with indifference.
One of the men spoke up, "Young Master, we’ll clean this up right away."
He bent down, reaching first for Chu'he’s body—a rare material for the Mother Gu, too precious to waste.
Suddenly, blood splattered. The man’s head exploded, collapsing into a mess of flesh on the ground as a venomous scorpion crawled out, lapping at the blood with relish.
It wasn’t until the headless body crumpled that his companion realized what had happened.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the mutilated remains on the ground underwent a transformation.
Ninth’s body turned to ashes, but unexpectedly, within the ashes lay a jade-like fragment—translucent and pristine, untouched by blood or filth.
The fragment flew back into a pale hand, merging into the skin and vanishing without a trace.
"Young... Young Master... your desires... they weren’t... severed..."
The shadow on the stone wall showed the man recoiling in terror, but in an instant, the shadow was torn apart, flesh and blood raining down in a gruesome cascade.
A black venomous spider clung to the wall, having silently spun threads, weaving an elegant web.
Slender, deathly pale fingers brushed against Chu'he’s scarred fingertips—testing, sensing—before slowly enveloping her entire hand.
She was lifted horizontally, pressed against a chest both familiar and unfamiliar. The cold dissipated instantly, and her tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
The blue fireflies dimmed, plunging the passage into darkness.
Only the rhythmic "ding-ding-dang-dang" of bells accompanied steady footsteps, composing a haunting, otherworldly melody.
