Chapter 519: Chapter 519

Hou Ze was so anxious that he was scratching his head, "It’s more urgent to treat the cold poison first, this Elixir..."

He thought that he couldn’t just take the other party’s word for it. If he was going to use the precious Earth Spirit Flame for a trade, shouldn’t he at least have it appraised first to feel at ease?

However, Leng Yutang waved his hand to indicate that there was no rush. He had been tormented by the cold poison for so many years that waiting a little longer wouldn’t make a difference. It was more important to figure out the source of the cold poison.

After all, he only learned when he was expelled from the tribe that the Furious Fire Bear Demon clan was inherently Fire Attribute and lived in a fiery environment, but occasionally some Bear Demons would contract cold poison!

And according to the clan’s ancestral teachings, cold poison victims were originally thrown into the volcanic lava to be burned to death. Later, perhaps they felt it was too cruel against the natural order, so they were all expelled.

Firstly, it wasn’t fatal;

Secondly, the world is vast and full of opportunities; who knows, wandering outside might lead to finding a cure.

If the cause and cure could be known, perhaps other Angry Fire Bears afflicted by the cold poison wouldn’t have to suffer like him and be expelled far from their loved ones!

"Actually, strictly speaking, you’re not poisoned," Jiang Yuan, adopting the system’s assessment and teaching himself as he explained patiently, said: "Your case, similar to those afflicted with cold poison who suffer chilling episodes, is only symptomatically similar."

Leng Yutang nodded vigorously in agreement.

After seeking medical advice and medicine for so many years, he also understood the usual causes of cold poison, but no matter how hard he recalled, he couldn’t think of any chance he had to be injured by cold poison. It was as if the outbreaks within his body came out of nowhere!

Hou Ze scratched his head involuntarily, wondering if it really wasn’t cold poison? Then all the money spent over the years, was it all misdiagnosed?

The little golden monkey, feeling hot, squatted by the window, listening to the conversation inside the shop while keeping an ear on the noise outside.

Jiang Yuan continued, "You’re parasitized by a rare species of Demon Beast."

This creature is called the Silver-footed Snow Netherworm. In its juvenile stage, it appears as extremely tiny spores, drifting along the wind and entering Demon Beasts through the eyes, ears, nose, or mouth. Once it finds a suitable place, it takes root and begins to parasitize.

The Silver-footed Snow Netherworm feeds on the host’s Life Energy and Spiritual Power to grow. At first, the parasitized host feels nothing until the worm grows large and powerful enough to affect the host, causing symptoms similar to initial cold poison outbreaks.

If not suppressed, the host will weaken increasingly, eventually being hollowed out. As the Silver-footed Snow Netherworm matures, it will freeze the host to death and then burst out, releasing spore-like offspring to parasitize others."

"No wonder!" Leng Yutang was stunned, realizing, "No wonder the ancestral teachings said that cold poison was as terrifying as a plague, which would claim countless lives once spread!

Thus, the initial requirement to burn the cold poison sufferers alive, ensuring the parasites couldn’t mature inside and thereby preventing further contagion!

Even when expelled from the tribe, the Clan Leader would instruct those afflicted with cold poison to end their lives in solitude if they couldn’t find a cure when they felt their Lifespan was near its end. That explains it! So, it was this!"

He paused for a moment and suddenly felt strange, quickly asking, "May I ask, fellow Daoist, do you know about the Silver-footed Snow Netherworm’s living habits?

I don’t recall having had any opportunity to contact Demon Beasts dying of cold poison, as any afflicted were expelled; moreover, the fiery environment of Sand Hill City where I grew up should, by logic, not host such a creature..."

How exactly did I get parasitized? Surely, larvae can’t drift with the wind indefinitely and make me unlucky enough to inhale them?"

Jiang Yuan was taken aback by the inquiry, thinking, "How would I know? The system didn’t say anything."

"Well, I only heard of them from the seniors; I’ve never really seen the Silver-footed Snow Netherworm," he thought before replying, "Perhaps, with further encounters of parasitized ones and more information gathered, we might understand better."

Sand Hill City, Jiang Yuan silently noted down this place name, planning to visit it later when circumstances allowed.

After all, the mature form of this parasite is a raw material for crafting Resurrection Talismans. Who would complain about having more resurrection opportunities? Certainly worth a look, while also tracking down other Silver-footed Snow Netherworms.

"Once he swallows the Elixir, its power will expel the matured parasite. At that time, I must find a way to catch it and prevent the spores from spreading to infect others," Jiang Yuan said as he turned to look at Hou Ze.

The other’s face turned white, "Ah? There’s still a risk of being parasitized?"

The little golden monkey was so frightened it jumped towards the water and seemed to think about getting as far away from the shop as possible.

"How exactly do we capture the parasite?" Leng Yutang calmly asked after hearing this, "To avoid unnecessary risk, I can set up a Barrier to seal myself off, ensuring that even if I fail to catch it, it won’t affect others."

Jiang Yuan felt a bit uneasy, but the system hadn’t explained exactly how to capture it; he would have to wait until Task 3 was completed and the reward was received before knowing more.

"Please wait a moment." He handed the Elixir to Leng Yutang as the task completion was displayed.

[Task 3: Agree to Leng Yutang’s trade request and deliver one Star Flame Antitoxic Pill within three days (1/1), completed. Reward: Silver-footed Snow Netherworm Capture Net (single-use) has been issued]

[Task 4: Successfully capture the expelled mature Silver-footed Snow Netherworm from Leng Yutang. Reward: Capture Net (single-use) Blueprint.

Note: Before it breaks the ice shell, quickly and accurately capture it. Once the ice shell is broken and the spore-like larvae spread, being parasitized will require consuming a large amount of Elixir to suppress parasite growth until it matures fully and is expelled by the Star Flame Antitoxic Pill. The process is extremely painful; please operate with caution]

Even if parasitized, as long as there is enough Elixir, there’s no Life danger.

Jiang Yuan felt relieved, confident in his hand speed, and immediately discussed with Leng Yutang how to set up a Barrier to prevent the spread. Then he retrieved the reward item from the Storage Bag.

The small Capture Net seemed unremarkable; if it wasn’t marked as a system reward specifically for capturing Silver-footed Snow Netherworms and effectively preventing spore larva dispersion, he would doubt whether such a small thing would work at all.

With everything ready, Hou Ze, nervous and anxious again, took the golden-furred monkey and flew far away on his sword, waiting patiently.

Leng Yutang took a deep breath and swallowed the Elixir in one go.

In an instant, a scorching hot sensation rose from his tongue to his stomach, and his body, previously cold and shivering, suddenly shuddered from being heated, unexpectedly breaking out in an intense sweat!

Jiang Yuan gripped the wooden handle of the Capture Net tightly, ready to act at any moment.

The Elixir’s power grew increasingly strong. Leng Yutang felt as if a fire ignited within him, quickly warming his entire being. He tore off the Cold-Resistant Talisman from his body. He breathed heavily, feeling so hot that white steam rose from his head. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⟡fire.net

A few breaths later, excruciating pain surged from his Dantian, indescribable, as though cold and heat clashed fiercely.

The agony mixed with a strangely pleasing feeling made him groan in discomfort, only able to take deep breaths to relieve it.

Moments later, the struggle between hot and cold found a victor: a powerful scorching warmth drove a cold mass upwards from the Dantian, following the meridians, soon reaching the chest and rapidly heading towards the throat!