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Глава 78

Master Xufeng had no choice but to steel himself, take out his Swiss Army knife, break the main blade, and hold it in his hand warily.

With a "pop," Li Dihuo spat out a large bubble, which swirled and floated over, emitting a foul odor.

Master Xufeng pushed Youliang with his left hand, sending him to the Hakka old woman's side. He then casually pulled out a small can of German Bayer strong insecticide from his pocket. Since he often tracked and camped in the wild, using chemical means to kill poisonous insects was an indispensable self-defense measure.

The giant bubble had already floated overhead. With a "snap," Master Xufeng flicked open the cap, pressed the button, and a colorless poisonous mist sprayed onto the translucent bubble...

The extremely high concentration of pyrethroids instantly penetrated and seeped into the bubble. The wriggling larvae were so frightened that they fled in panic, their thin tails twitching weakly a few times before they all died. The large bubble lost its vitality and fell to the ground with a "plop," deflated, and the stiff corpses of the tadpoles were scattered all over the ground.

"Ah..." Li Dihuo screamed in despair, lunged forward, and opened his mouth to bite at Master Xufeng's head like a madman.

Master Xufeng brandished a Swiss Army knife, employing the Seven Star Sword Technique of the Quanzhen School, and stood on the Big Dipper, engaging in a tense struggle with Li Dihuo.

The Seven Star Sword Technique of the Quanzhen School was passed down by Qiu Chuji, the Changchun Master. It is in accordance with the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching, and is unpredictable and ever-changing. Although it is suitable for a three-foot-long sword, there is a saying in the martial arts world that "an inch shorter, an inch more dangerous." The Swiss Army knife, which was less than the length of a palm, was as nimble as the wind in Xu Feng's hands, no less than a long sword. Several times, it almost slashed Li Dihuo's long neck.

"Earth Fire, step aside, let this old man meet this 'Five Elements Tracker'..." Guo Ruchang saw that Li Earth Fire was unable to defeat Xu Feng, so he angrily mounted his horse and rode off himself.

Guo Ruchang carefully placed the cologne bottle on the stalagmite, then stood in front of Master Xufeng and earnestly advised him, "Xufeng, life is short, only a few decades. What's the point? Why not become a 'wriggling barbarian'? You can live for at least three hundred years, and by the time you reach seventy, your appearance will no longer change, your hands and feet will remain as agile as ever, and your liver, kidneys, heart, spleen, lungs, and other internal organs will not fall ill. It's much more comfortable than those old men who are on their deathbeds..."

Master Xufeng smiled faintly and said, "Senior, you are mistaken. Although I am over fifty years old, I can only live for another twenty or thirty years. But I still have some relatives and friends around me. We talk about the past and present, and about everyday matters, which adds a lot of fun to my life. If I were to become an insect, even if I lived for two hundred more years, all my acquaintances would be gone, leaving me all alone, without any relatives or friends, and every night would be filled with sorrow and hardship. What would be the point of such a life?"

Guo Ruchang paused slightly upon hearing this, his expression turning somewhat somber. Master Xufeng's words stirred up deep-seated pain within him, bringing to mind his daughter… Even though two hundred years had passed, he could never forget the spring of the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong's reign, when he was arrested by the Yuncheng government and subjected to severe torture to uncover the secrets of the "Feng Hou Tomb." In prison, he endured countless forms of torture, but remained steadfast in his refusal to confess. Fortunately, the Grand Councilor Heshen was inspecting Hedong and released him without charge. Afterwards, Heshen insisted on taking his daughter as a concubine. Being his benefactor, he naturally couldn't refuse and agreed to the marriage. However, since his daughter went to the capital, there had been no news of her; she never returned to Fenglingdu in Hedong.

“Ke’er…” Guo Ruchang sighed deeply, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

"Senior, you..." Daoist Xufeng was puzzled.

"When I recall the past, my heart aches. You are right, in this life, the bond of blood and kinship is truly hard to sever..." Guo Ruchang said wistfully.

Master Xufeng was even more puzzled. Could it be that these wriggling barbarians also had emotions and desires like humans?

Guo Ruchang noticed the doubt in Xu Feng's eyes, and said quietly, "I am Guo Ruchang, a native of Fenglingdu in Hedong. I had a daughter when she was sixteen, whom I cherished like a precious jewel. She later married Heshen, a Grand Councilor of the court. However, since she went to the capital, I have heard nothing from her, and I do not know whether she is alive or dead. This is truly a great regret of my life..."

"Heshen!" Master Xufeng was greatly surprised upon hearing this.

"This is a knot in my heart that has troubled me all my life. Although two hundred years have passed, I still cannot untie it." Guo Ruchang's face showed extreme pain.

"Didn't Senior Guo go to the capital to take a look?" Master Xufeng asked sympathetically.

Guo Ruchang shook his head and said, "The Guo family's 250-year term had expired, and I had to come to this place to take over the family business."

"Oh..." Master Xufeng pondered, so the Guo family lineage was originally a barbarian clan. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Senior Guo, your daughter came to Beijing in the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong's reign, while Heshen was executed in the first month of the fourth year of Jiaqing's reign. In that case, she only stayed in Heshen's mansion for five years. It is said that Emperor Jiaqing adopted Liu Yong's suggestion and pardoned Heshen's family. Your daughter should not have been implicated. Logically speaking, she should have left Beijing and returned to her parents' home in Hedong."

“This is precisely what I’m worried about,” Guo Ruchang said.

"If Senior Guo doesn't mind my predicament, I'm willing to return to the capital, search through historical records, and find your daughter's whereabouts. What do you say?" Master Xufeng said sincerely. If the old man agreed, he could get away smoothly.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Guo Ruchang said, bowing respectfully. “Then you should stop resisting. After planting the Ruotou barbarian seed, we will be one family. Then it will be perfectly legitimate for us to search for our ancestor Guo Ke’er…”

Chapter 120

"Gah gah gah..." Guo Ruchang shook his head, stretched his neck, and slowly opened his huge mouth. Li Dihuo also deformed, and his two small triangular eyes were blood red.

Although Master Xufeng had seen Li Dihuo's terrifying appearance when he stretched his neck in Fengling Temple, Guo Ruchang's mouth was like a giant python, with his temporomandibular joint fully opened to 120 degrees, and a pink crescent-shaped organ like a lip protruding from his throat... In an instant, Master Xufeng was stunned.

Li Dihuo's head silently stretched out again, opening its mouth wide, ready to bite down on Master Xufeng's buttocks...

"Daoist Master!" Youliang exclaimed in surprise, forgetting in his haste that Xu Feng's false identity was Chairman Xu Feng.

Master Xufeng immediately realized what was happening and dodged the sneak attack with a quick movement of his waist. However, the cunning Li Dihuo opened his mouth and snatched the can of Bayer insecticide from Master Xufeng's hand.

Guo Ruchang saw this and secretly praised him. Di Huo was indeed very clever and quick-witted. He had snatched the unknown "hidden weapon" from the "Five Elements Tracker" and thus prevented the larvae of the Wormhead Barbarian from being injured or killed.

With a "pop," Guo Ruchang also spat out a bubble, much larger than Li Dihuo's bubble. Inside were many wriggling larvae, like tadpoles, staring with their small triangular eyes at their future "host," Daoist Xufeng, through the semi-transparent bubble wall.

In his haste, Master Xufeng reached into his robes and pulled out a shiny metal-cased gasoline lighter. Although he did not smoke, the most important thing for survival in the wild was to carry a fire source with him.

"Snap!" Xu Feng pressed the switch, lit the lighter, and with a gentle push of his finger, turned the flame to its maximum, more than three inches long, making a hissing sound. He then quickly brought it to the large bubble... Upon seeing the fire, the larvae were immediately terrified, trembling and huddling together in a ball.

A wisp of smoke rose into the air, filling it with a foul, acrid smell. The bubble burst into flames with a "poof," emitting pale blue flames. It turned out that the bubble contained abundant vaporized fat. The tiny worm-headed larvae squeaked in agony as they were instantly charred, their bodies crackling and falling to the ground.

Guo Ruchang's face was pale, his pupils were bloodshot, and his triangular eyes were bright red. He let out a strange cry of "Wah!" and then the crescent-shaped ovipositor in his mouth opened slightly, shooting out a stream of milky white viscous liquid that shot straight towards Master Xufeng's face.

Master Xu Feng was greatly alarmed and hurriedly retreated. At the same time, his body trembled, and his hands shook, causing the buttons on his front to pop off with two "snap" sounds. His designer suit flew up like a cicada shedding its shell, blocking the oncoming spurt of slime...

The milky white mucus stuck to the clothes, and some smaller wriggling larvae clung to the fabric, instantly biting through the fibers, and then arched their bodies and jumped towards Master Xufeng's face.

Cold sweat beaded on Master Xufeng's forehead. He relit the lighter with his left hand and wielded the Swiss Army knife with incredible skill with his right. The flame hissed and emitted a burnt smell. The sharp blade of the knife sliced the wriggling larvae in half, barely managing to hold them off.

At that moment, Daoist Youliang was on the verge of collapse. In a moment of quick thinking, he ran to the blue stalagmite, grabbed the bottle of cologne, and shouted, "Stop! Or I'll smash it!"

Upon seeing this, Guo Ruchang hurriedly waved his hands and shouted, "No, don't smash it..."

Just then, Master Xufeng suddenly felt a piercing pain in his right buttock. Turning his head, he saw Li Dihuo's large mouth biting his buttocks tightly... Master Xufeng was furious. With a swing of his arm, the sharp Swiss Army knife flashed towards Li Dihuo's long neck...

Little did they know that one of the most remarkable talents of the Wriggle Barbarians was their ability to see behind their heads, making them extremely quick to react. Just before Master Xufeng's blade fell, Li Dihuo had already let go, quickly retracted his head, and grinned, coldly chuckling, "'Five Elements Tracker,' you've been infected with the Wriggle Barbarian's power. From now on, I'm your father."

Master Xufeng suddenly felt a sharp pain and itching in the wound on his buttocks, as if many small maggots were burrowing into his flesh. He knew that he had fallen into the trap, and his heart ached. He felt utterly hopeless and glanced sadly at the Hakka nanny, as if he had a thousand regrets.

"Hahaha, we're finally family! Everyone's happy..." Guo Ruchang laughed heartily.

"Xu Feng, come here, this old woman has something to ask you," the Hakka woman said.

Master Xufeng walked dejectedly to the stone platform.

"Just now, the old woman heard this child call you 'Taoist Master,' why is that?" the Hakka woman asked, looking at him intently.

Master Xufeng sighed and said, "Senior Granny, I am Xufeng from Baiyun Temple in the capital. I am here to secretly visit our former abbot, Jia Shiming. I had no choice but to conceal my identity. Please forgive me, Senior."

The Hakka woman nodded and said, "You are injured because of this old woman. Lie down and let this old woman expel the worms from you."

"Thank you, thank you very much, Senior Granny." Upon hearing this, Daoist Xufeng hurriedly expressed his gratitude, then lay down on his back under the stone platform, lifted his white shirt, and revealed his dark belly button.

The Hakka woman extended her left and right ring fingers and pressed them onto the Tianshu acupoints, located two inches to the left and right of Master Xufeng's navel, silently chanting the third move of the Zhuyou Divine Skill, "Walking Corpse": "曱曵曶曷书曺曻朁..."

Master Xufeng stared intently. After a moment, a narrow crack slowly opened in his Tianque acupoint (navel), and a small, wriggling head emerged from within, staring at him curiously with its pair of small, triangular eyes, before slowly crawling out...

Master Xufeng thought to himself, "This little worm is developing incredibly fast. Just a moment ago it was like a tadpole, and now it has grown limbs..."

The little worm noticed a piece of navel grime embedded in the fold of its belly button, so it stretched out its little paws, dug it out, and threw it away with great disgust.

Guo Ruchang watched from afar, a cold smile playing on his lips. He turned to the "Vermilion Bird" ghost bat and hissed softly. The ghost bat understood, then pursed its nose and fired a continuous stream of ultrasonic waves at the Hakka woman.

The little wriggling head suddenly trembled a few times, glared at Master Xufeng, and then plunged headfirst into the navel crevice, twisting its body and quickly burrowing inside again...

The Hakka woman gave a wry smile, withdrew her hands, shook her head, and said, "I'm sorry, this old woman is powerless to help."

Master Xufeng sat up and sighed deeply, "Such is the will of Heaven..."

"Grandma, Grandma... Dudu's here... here." Just then, a stuttering voice came from not far away, and a blue-feathered macaw flew over the island in the middle of the lake.

A white line of water streaked across the dark green lake as Chen Cai piloted the siphon, carrying Xiong Dahai and Dongfang Hongzheng straight towards the island in the center of the lake…

The ghost bat looked up and saw the large parrot flying close to the island in the middle of the lake. With a "whoosh," it flapped its wings and took flight, silently swooping down towards Dudu.

The ghost bat is a giant bat called the "Guanzhong flying fox," which is extinct on the ground. This particular giant flying fox is the only one remaining in the world. In October 1973, the Shaanxi Provincial Biological Resources Survey Team received a report from residents near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an that a huge, strange creature had been seen flying over the pagoda at dusk. It was neither a hawk nor a bird, and its nature was unknown, causing widespread panic. The government notified the survey team to keep watch, and they finally shot it down with a shotgun. It turned out to be a giant female flying fox, weighing 635 grams, measuring 255 mm in length, 205 mm in arm length, 44 mm in ear length, 55 mm in hind leg length, and with a wingspan of 103 cm. It was the largest bat ever discovered in China, and no flying foxes have been found in the Guanzhong region since. This slain flying fox was the mate of the ground-navel ghost bat, and its specimen is now in the collection of the Xi'an Museum.

The ghost bat couple lived in the cave for hundreds of years. The male ghost bat was two to three times larger than the female. His duty was to stay in the cave to guard the "divine artifact," while the female flew to the ground to find her kind in the world. However, she was killed by human gunfire and never returned. From then on, the male ghost bat was always depressed and spent his days sleeping on the red stalagmite. It had a pair of large ears and large eyes, no tail, a fox-like snout, and excellent eyesight, unlike ordinary cave bats with degenerated vision. In addition, it was different from other species of flying foxes in the order Chiroptera, not eating fruits and vegetables, but feeding on animal blood and strangling and devouring other Chiroptera. Most large bats use their eyes to find fruits and do not have the ability to emit ultrasonic waves, but this Guanzhong flying fox was an exception. It not only had excellent eyesight, but also emitted extremely strong ultrasonic beams.

Dudu flew over the island in the middle of the lake and was surprised to see a giant, fiery red bat take off from the ground. When the bat got closer, it saw that the bat was baring several sharp white teeth and was about to pounce on it fiercely. Dudu realized that something was wrong and became tense and on guard, its huge curved beak ready to defend itself.

The ghost bat circled around Dudu, its large ears twitching as it received the ultrasonic echoes. Its gaze carefully examined the large, graceful bird with its sapphire-blue feathers. It had never seen such a beautiful bird before, and immediately recognized it as a female. Its hostility vanished, replaced by a growing allure…

Dudu saw that the ferocious bat had suddenly become friendly, not only retracting its sharp teeth, but also showing a tenderness in its eyes in addition to surprise and admiration.

"What...what are you going to do?" Dudu asked reservedly.

The ghost bat flapped its wings a few times to indicate that it meant no harm, then somersaulted and glided rapidly toward the distant lakeshore.

Dudu remained alert and slowly circled before finally landing on the stone platform.

"Grandma, Dudu and...and Caihua are both here!" Dudu said excitedly.

The Hakka woman sighed and looked towards the shore of the small island.

At this moment, the sniffer had reached the shore, and Shen Caihua, Xiong Dahai, and Dongfang Hong were walking towards him...

Chapter 121

"Grandma..." Xiao Caihua saw the Hakka grandma from afar, so he rolled up the straw, held it in his hand, and ran happily to her.

At that moment, the Hakka woman felt a sudden pang of sadness and almost burst into tears.

"Master, are you injured?" Shen Caihua asked with heartache when he saw that half of the old woman's trouser leg was stained with blood.

The Hakka grandmother stroked her beloved student's head and asked, "Caihua, what brings you all here?"

“I’m worried about my master, Granny…” Shen Caihua replied sincerely.

“Good disciple, you shouldn’t have come. It’s too dangerous here,” the Hakka old woman sighed.

"Master, who hurt you?" Chen Caihua asked, puzzled, wondering if there was anyone more powerful than Master.

"It was Li Dihuo who attacked Master from behind, biting him and planting the Wormhead larvae," the Hakka nanny said indignantly.

“Master, I’ll use ‘Walking Dead’ to force them out,” Shen Caihua said urgently.

"Sigh..." the Hakka old woman said with a sigh of helplessness, "Master has tried, but that hateful old red bat keeps interfering with us with ultrasonic waves. If we want to save Master, we have to get rid of it first, but half of my body is already numb and stiff..."

"I'll go kill it!" Shen Caihua said angrily.

At this moment, Dudu suddenly reminded her, "Cai...Caihua, that old, old bat isn't...not here now."

Just then, a red light flashed in mid-air, and the ghost bat suddenly appeared silently in front of everyone, gracefully landing on the stone platform, only a few feet away from Dudu.

But then, the two winged arms of the ghost bat held a white mushroom with red and yellow spots, and carefully offered it to Dudu...

Dudu was stunned, her face flushed, and she asked, "What...what are you doing?"

"Master, is this the Ghost Bat?" Shen Caihua curiously examined the giant, fiery red bat, thinking to himself that this guy was much bigger than the Red-Eyed Yin Bat leader in Linggu Cave.

“That’s it,” the Hakka woman nodded in reply.

With a "whoosh," Chen Cai swung the suction tube and smashed it towards the ghost bat...

With a nimble leap, the ghost bat dodged Shen Caihua's attack, still holding the flower mushroom with affection, its two fiery eyes burning as it stared intently at Dudu.

"Wait!" The Hakka old woman seemed to have figured something out and hurriedly reached out to stop Shen Caihua.

Dudu glanced at the Hakka nanny and stammered, "Nanny, what...is it going to do?"

"It seems... it has fallen in love with you," the Hakka old woman said, unable to suppress a smile.

"Haha..." Old Man Guo Ruchang laughed strangely at the sight, his long neck trembling. "The ghost bat is actually infatuated with this big parrot, it's simply too ridiculous..."

Upon hearing this, Dudu blushed, straightened her face, and said, "How...how absurd! I am a bird of prey, a climbing bird of the order Psittaciformes, while it is a mammal, almost like a mouse! You're delusional, wishful thinking!"

The Hakka nanny had a sudden inspiration and decided to have Dudu lure away the ghost bat that could emit ultrasonic waves. So she winked at Dudu and whispered, "Dudu, lure it away."