Ah Chou rubbed her aching forehead, groaning in pain. Xue Qing, however, stared intently at the Ling Shu sword lying on the ground. Fortunately, the scabbard of Ling Shu was just an ordinary brass scabbard. It wasn't uncommon for the maids in the Underworld to know martial arts, so it was understandable to have a sword in the room. Xue Qing reached out to pick up the Ling Shu sword, but then heard Ah Chou exclaim in surprise, "Ling Shu!"
Xue Qing held the Ling Shu sword in her hand and stared at A Chou. The atmosphere was very tense. Someone had recognized the Ling Shu sword, which was not a good thing for Xue Qing. Xue Qing was on high alert. If A Chou screamed, she would not hesitate to cut her throat. Her stiff hands were hidden in her sleeves, ready to strike.
"...Are you Xue Qing from the Lingyu Sect?" A Chou asked, lowering her voice instead of shouting.
This was beyond doubt. Xue Qing nodded, still keeping a close eye on Ah Chou, not letting her guard down.
"Thank God, I've actually run into you. Don't be nervous, I'm on your side." Seeing Xue Qing's wary look, A Chou quickly said.
"Tell me, how exactly do you mean we share the same stance?" Xue Qing asked.
Ah Chou reached out and picked at her cheek, and soon the skin peeled off. She pinched it and ripped the whole skin off, revealing a pretty face beneath her hideous face covered in pimples: "I know you're looking for the Ling Shu Sword Manual. I know where the Ling Shu Sword Manual is. Please don't kill me!"
Xue Qing was surprised. Few people knew she was looking for the Ling Shu Sword Manual, because very few knew that the Ling Shu Sword also had a manual. If Yan Ming hadn't given her a hint, Xue Qing wouldn't have known either, because even someone like Dong Chou didn't know that the Ling Shu had a manual. Xue Qing pressed the hidden sword against A Chou's neck: "I'm very interested in continuing our conversation, provided you don't try anything funny. If you want to sacrifice yourself for the Underworld, I'll grant your wish."
“Da Ling, no, Miss Xue Qing, I am the only person in this world who knows where the Ling Shu Sword Manual is. If I die, the Evil Charm Divine Skill will be invincible. I know Yan Ming abandoned you, and you hate him. I hate him just as much as you do. No, I hate him even more than you do. I think you and I both don’t want to see him living a carefree life!” As he spoke, there was genuine hatred in his eyes.
Xue Qing did indeed hate Yan Ming. Although A Chou had misunderstood the reason for her hatred, she was still very interested in hearing her continue: "Oh? Where is the Ling Shu Sword Manual?"
"So you weren't stealing anything when you searched the study that day, you were looking for the Ling Shu Sword Manual?" Ah Chou recalled something and said.
"Yes, tell me quickly, where is the Ling Shu Sword Manual?" Xue Qing pressed her hidden sword even tighter.
“You’ve come to the wrong place. Even if you search every study in the Underworld, you won’t find the Spirit Pivot Sword Manual, because the Spirit Pivot Sword Manual isn’t a book at all,” A Chou said earnestly.
"What?" Xue Qing was taken aback. The sword manual wasn't a book. Could it be like the Nine Yin Manual, branded onto human skin in a bloody manner?
“Yan Ming destroyed my family and killed my people. I disguised myself and infiltrated the Underworld to find an opportunity to kill him and avenge myself. I know he is very skilled in martial arts, and I am no match for him. Although I know the whereabouts of the Ling Shu Sword Manual, I do not have the Ling Shu Sword and I have no martial arts foundation, so it would be useless for me to learn it. You are different. I have heard that you are very powerful. If you learn the Ling Shu Sword Manual, you will definitely be able to defeat Yan Ming.” A Chou said eagerly.
Disguise can change one's appearance, and lies can change one's words, but the eyes can never lie. But all of this happened so suddenly that Xue Qing still prepared for the worst and treated her as a liar. However, her words answered all of Xue Qing's confusion until now.
"I don't believe you. What you're saying is too far-fetched," Xue Qing said frankly.
“Hehe, that’s true,” Ah Chou chuckled foolishly. “If it were me, I wouldn’t believe it either. How could a five-year-old child who was thrown to feed the wolves survive and even have the life to disguise himself and come back for revenge? It’s because Heaven didn’t forsake me, and Heaven let me meet you. Yan Ming will surely be torn to pieces.” Ah Chou would grit his teeth whenever he mentioned the name Yan Ming.
“I can believe you. No matter what the Ling Shu Sword Manual is written on, show it to me and I’ll believe you,” Xue Qing said.
“The Ling Shu Sword Manual is not something recorded in writing,” Ah Chou said. “Yan Ming is also looking for the Ling Shu Sword Manual. Although he is the person who has cultivated the Evil Charm Divine Art to the highest level in the last hundred years, he is still afraid that someone can really learn the Ling Shu and pose a threat to him. He has already searched the entire Underworld, but he still hasn’t found the Ling Shu Sword Manual.”
"The Spirit Pivot Sword Manual isn't in the Underworld?"
“The sword manual is of course in the Netherworld. If it’s not here, where else would it be? It’s just that no one would think that thing would be a sword manual,” Ah Chou said.
Disguising oneself to become a maid in the Underworld is not a friendly act. If there were no other place for that face here, no one would want to wear a face that is not their own. Xue Qing believed in A Chou emotionally. There are many people who hate Yan Ming, but there is only one person who hates Yan Ming and knows about the location of the Ling Shu Sword Manual. A Chou cannot be related to the former lord of the Underworld.
“It’s okay if you don’t believe me. The human skin disguise technique on your face is Lei Ji’s unique skill. She will help you infiltrate the Underworld. You must have a close relationship with her. You believe her? Take me to her.” Ah Chou said.
Xue Qing pressed the hidden sword against Ah Chou's back, covering it with her sleeve, and went with her to find Lei Ji. Lei Ji was taking a nap in her room. She was quite curious to see Xue Qing and an extremely ugly girl coming to see her. The strong fragrance in the room made Xue Qing feel uncomfortable. She nudged Ah Chou, urging her to hurry up and leave the uncomfortable room.
Ah Chou peeled off his mask and called out to Lei Ji, "Second Mother."
Unbeknownst to them, ten years had passed. The little girl who was thrown into the desert to be fed by wolves had grown into a pretty young woman. Her appearance still bore the shadow of what it was ten years ago, but her eyes were no longer the clear ones that used to follow women around calling "Second Mother, Second Mother." Those eyes now held hatred, weariness, sorrow, and determination.
"Xi Huan," Lei Ji called out, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Xue Qing put away the hidden sword: "You two really know each other?"
"Xi Huan, the only daughter of the previous ruler of the Underworld." Lei Ji said to A Chou as if introducing her. No, she should be called Miss Xi Huan now.
"I'm so glad you still remember me, Second Aunt," Xi Huan said with a slight smile, but she didn't seem particularly happy.
“The daughter of the previous lord of the Underworld, then I can believe you,” Xue Qing said. Everyone knew what Yan Ming had done to the family of the previous lord of the Underworld, who was also her mentor. Since she was an orphan who had survived by a hair’s breadth, her hatred for Yan Ming would be no less than hers.
"That's good, come with me." Xi Huan said, taking Xue Qing's hand.
Lei Ji lay lazily on the bed, lifted the lid of the incense burner by the bedside, and added some incense. She was surprised that Xi Huan was still alive and had even mastered the disguise technique she had taught her to such an extent. Now she had even found the strange woman from the Lingyu Sect. What kind of drama would these two create together? Lei Ji smiled, she was looking forward to it.
Xi Huan found an earthenware jar and carried it back to the room with Xue Qing. Xue Qing opened the jar and peered inside through the round opening. She was so frightened that she fell to the ground. Inside were two incredibly fat worms, one larger and one smaller, wriggling together.
"Didn't you say that the Ling Shu Sword Manual was inside?"
“This is the Ling Shu Sword Manual,” Xi Huan said. “Everyone thinks that a sword manual must be a book, so no one has ever been able to find the Ling Shu Sword Manual, because the Ling Shu Sword Manual is not a book, but a Gu.”
"This thing is Gu?" Xue Qing straightened up again and looked into the jar. The upper part of the character Gu is the character for insect, because most Gu are carried by insects. But, "Even if the Ling Shu Sword Manual is really Gu, how do you learn it? Can this insect teach people swordsmanship?"
"Although there are two insects here, they are actually one Gu. The larger one is the mother Gu, and the smaller one is the offspring Gu. Although the wife of the founder of the Underworld Sect came from the Broken Sword Manor in the Central Plains, she became a Gu master after arriving in the Desert. She created the Spirit Pivot Sword using the sword-making techniques of the Central Plains, and then refined the sword technique of the Spirit Pivot into a Gu using the Gu techniques of the Desert. This pair of mother and offspring Gu is a kind of mind-controlling Gu. It burrows into a person's heart. A person infected by the mother Gu will naturally learn the sword technique of the Spirit Pivot. Therefore, only one person can use the sword technique of the Spirit Pivot at the same time, because there is only one Gu. The sword technique of the Spirit Pivot cannot be passed on by hand, but only by Gu." Xi Huan told Xue Qing.
"What is the use of the so-called mother-child Gu?"
"This is just a juvenile Gu. The reason why the sect leader's wife refined the Ling Shu Sword Technique into a Gu instead of writing it into a sword manual is because she never intended to pass this sword technique on to future generations. She left behind the Ling Shu Sword and this Gu, all for her own amusement. The Mind Control Gu is the most terrifying type of Gu because it can sense people's hearts. The Ling Shu Sword Gu is for couples to use together. One person uses the mother Gu and the other uses the juvenile Gu. The mother Gu is used first, followed by the juvenile Gu. The two people must be in love. If the person using the juvenile Gu does not deeply love the person using the mother Gu, the mother Gu will immediately devour the host's heart. Once the sword Gu is used, it cannot be removed unless the user dies. If one day the person using the juvenile Gu no longer deeply loves the person using the mother Gu, the mother Gu will still immediately devour the host's heart."
What is this? A true test of love? Xue Qing looked at the mother-child Gu in the jar and couldn't help but feel a chill. Even if the world knew about this Gu, how many people would dare to try it? How could one know if the beauty beside them truly loved them? How could one know if he would love them forever? The future is full of unknowns, and how many people would dare to entrust their lives to the unknown?
"Ling ling ...
Xi Huan stood up from the ground and pulled Xue Qing up as well. The two of them also had to rush to the assembly point. The sounding of the alarm meant that Yan Ming was going to announce something very important. What could it be? The two of them were filled with unease.
Challenge the King
Inside the hall, a dense mass of people knelt. Yan Ming sat on his high golden chair, looking down at the maids and guards below who dared not raise their heads. Xue Qing and Xi Huan hid in the farthest place from Yan Ming's gaze, both with their heads bowed low. Xue Qing glanced at Xi Huan sideways. Although Xi Huan's head was down, her eyes were fixed on Yan Ming, filled with clear hatred, a hatred that went to the bone. Xue Qing didn't know if Xi Huan was carrying a weapon and was afraid that she would lose control and rush to fight Yan Ming. She quietly grabbed Xi Huan's wrist so that she could control her with her strength.
"Tomorrow night at an auspicious hour, I will marry Miss Nangong. You all go and make good preparations for me. If anyone makes a mistake, I will hang their head on a stone outside the Underworld," Yan Ming said.
Yan Ming and Nangong Luoluo are getting married. The novel Xue Qing is reading hasn't reached this point yet, but the story has already progressed beyond its original content, extending into an unknown time, a place where everything is unknown.
The Underworld was in a frenzy over the Lord's wedding. Anluo, who was like the Underworld's steward, was so busy that she didn't even have time to eat. Bright red silks hung everywhere in the deathly dark Underworld, and a red lantern hung in front of every door, making the deathly festive atmosphere seem even more eerie.
Xue Qing sat alone in her room, guarding the jar containing the sword-shaped poison. Who can love whom forever? Countless famous sayings tell people not to talk about forever. Forever is too far away. If you live to eighty, forever is eighty years. If you live to ninety, forever is ninety years. If you live to one hundred, forever is a hundred years. One hundred years is from millet and rifles to the nuclear weapons era. How far is that? Very, very far.