Chapter 977: Chapter 977
The elder sister of the Fire Sang girl was extremely confident in this snake-scorpion hybrid, convinced that Ye Qing was no match for it, which is why she made such an arrogant statement.
Indeed, this was not baseless. This snake-scorpion hybrid was considered a rare Gu insect even in the Miao Borderlands, a venomous offspring resulting from the mating of a Ming Snake and a Hard-armored Black Lizard. Such a pairing was exceptionally difficult to achieve, oftentimes requiring over ten thousand attempts for a single success. Moreover, both the highly venomous Ming Snake and the Hard-armored Black Lizard were already hard to come by. Therefore, this snake-lizard hybrid could only be cultivated by the more powerful Gu Masters within the Miao Borderlands. Once successfully bred, it combined the venom and agility of the Ming Snake with the tough, impenetrable hide of the Hard-armored Black Lizard, making it one of the more troublesome Gu insects of the region.
The Fire Sang girl's Huo Family was indeed one of the more prominent clans in the Miao Borderlands. As the eldest daughter of the family, her elder sister naturally wielded exceptional Gu insects. This snake-scorpion hybrid alone was enough to earn her the envy of most of her peers. Seeing the envious gazes of those around her, a feeling of immense pride swelled within her heart.
The snake-scorpion hybrid, failing to gain any advantage in its initial confrontations with Ye Qing, shifted its strategy. Instead of continuing to lunge directly at him, it began circling around him, seemingly searching for the optimal moment to strike.
Though Ye Qing wasn't sure just how deadly the snake-scorpion hybrid could be, he knew it was the Gu insect of a Miao Gu Master, and thus he had no intention of letting it near him. Fixing his intense gaze on it, Ye Qing mirrored its movements, circling and keeping it at bay, refusing to provide any opportunity for an attack.
This standoff persisted for nearly three minutes before the elder sister of the Fire Sang girl grew visibly impatient. She let out a sharp whistle, commanding the snake-scorpion hybrid to attack.
Following her order, the snake-scorpion hybrid immediately opened its mouth. Flesh-like wings unfolded from its neck, vibrating rapidly as it emitted a peculiar screech. Simultaneously, its throat began to swell, forming into a bulge reminiscent of a toad inflating itself, creating an unsettling sight.
Ye Qing didn't know what this snake-scorpion hybrid was planning, but instinct warned him that it was preparing a lethal move. He cautiously retreated a few steps, keeping a vigilant eye on the creature in case of a sudden attack.
Before half a minute had passed, the snake-scorpion hybrid abruptly leapt from the ground like a toad, reaching a height of half a meter. At its apex, its jaws opened wide, and a jet of black liquid shot forth like a sharp arrow, aimed directly at Ye Qing.
Though Ye Qing had been on guard, he hadn't anticipated that the snake-scorpion hybrid could jump so high or that the liquid it spewed could reach such a distance. Despite his retreat, he failed to evade the attack entirely, and the liquid splashed directly onto his left hand.
Witnessing this, the elder sister of the Fire Sang girl let out a cold laugh and jeered, "Didn't I say? There's no way you can best my snake-scorpion hybrid. Hah! Now that you've been poisoned by it, you won't last three minutes before your entire body succumbs to paralysis, and you collapse, dead!"
Ye Qing's face darkened—this black liquid was venomous? Could it be that he'd already been poisoned?
Ye Qing instinctively took a step back, lowering his gaze toward his left arm to assess his condition. At that moment, the snake-scorpion hybrid seized the opportunity, darting forward and latching onto Ye Qing's leg, rapidly climbing up along his thigh.
Ye Qing barely had time to react before the creature had reached his abdomen and was slipping under his clothes. Without hesitation, and with no concern for whether the creature was venomous, he reached down, grabbed hold of the snake-scorpion hybrid, and yanked it out.
In his grasp, the snake-scorpion hybrid thrashed violently with remarkable strength, nearly breaking free. Furrowing his brows, Ye Qing tightened his grip, pressing down firmly to restrain it, though the beast responded savagely. Unable to escape, it sank its fangs into Ye Qing's finger.
The pain ignited Ye Qing's fury. Despite the bite, he refused to loosen his grip. Holding the struggling creature with one hand, he reached toward a nearby tree with the other, unsheathing the Seven-Star Ancient Sword lodged there.
The moment the sword emerged, it emitted a desolate sword song that stunned everyone present. Even Ye Qing was taken aback—this sword had never made any sound when unsheathed before. Why was it doing so now?
Of course, Ye Qing had seen famed instruments produce sounds upon being drawn before. Cui Yulong's Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, for instance, emitted a powerful dragon's roar each time it was unsheathed, its very sound enough to intimidate many. Could it be that his Seven-Star Ancient Sword was similar to the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade? However, the tones emitted by the two weapons were strikingly different. The Seven-Star Ancient Sword's sound was desolate, akin to an ancient lament, while the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade's dragon roar was proud and domineering, like a dragon declaring its supremacy over all.
Ye Qing didn't have time to ponder the mystery of the sword's song. Steeling himself, he gripped the Seven-Star Ancient Sword tightly and shouted, "Miss, retrieve your Gu insect at once, or I won't hold back!"
"Hahahaha…" The elder sister of the Fire Sang girl threw her head back and laughed. "With that rusty piece of scrap metal? And just what can you do to my snake-scorpion hybrid? It's impervious to blades; even if you manage to make so much as a mark on it, I'll concede that you're skilled!"
Enraged by her mockery, Ye Qing ceased speaking. Jaw clenched, he swung the Seven-Star Ancient Sword down with all his might.
The elder sister of the Fire Sang girl sneered, confident in the snake-scorpion hybrid's impenetrability. Blades and spears couldn't harm it. She was certain that Ye Qing's effort would prove futile, incapable of even scratching the creature.
Yet the reality was entirely different. The Seven-Star Ancient Sword sliced cleanly through the snake-scorpion hybrid's neck, severing its head without the slightest resistance. Its famed imperviousness crumbled like tofu before the legendary blade!
The entire crowd gasped in disbelief, their eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
The Miao people present knew well of the snake-scorpion hybrid's reputation—invulnerable to weapons, a fact universally acknowledged in the Miao Borderlands. Thus, they'd been certain Ye Qing couldn't harm it. But against all expectations, Ye Qing's single strike had cleaved the creature in two. Was this… some kind of illusion?
The elder sister of the Fire Sang girl froze momentarily before erupting into a furious scream. "How dare you kill my Gu insect! I'll kill you!"
She lunged forward in a rage, but before she could get far, that strange sound from earlier rang out again, this time louder and more unsettling, startling her into halting and turning toward her father in confusion.
The eerie sound reverberated throughout the forest. Elsewhere, lying curled up on the ground in another small grove was the Fire Sang girl. Strangely, her wounds had all scabbed over, and she now appeared uninjured. Without her cloak and veil, her exposed face in the darkness of the forest bore the ghastly semblance of an evil ghost.
The sound pulled her from her daze. She looked toward its source, hesitant for a moment before rising and making her way in that direction.
Back in the clearing, the Fire Sang girl's father stepped forward, standing before the crowd. His cold eyes locked onto Ye Qing, and he demanded in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you?"
"My name is Ye Qing. I came to the Miao Borderlands without any ill intent!" Ye Qing tore a piece of cloth to bandage the wound on his hand. "I'm here to seek help, nothing more!"
"Seeking help?" The Fire Sang girl's father narrowed his eyes. "You mean to find Mu Chen and ask for his assistance? Hah, Mu Chen is the Gu Master in the Miao Borderlands who despises Han people the most. What help could you possibly expect from him? Moreover, you Han people are naturally arrogant—what could possibly compel you to seek help from us Miao people?"
Ye Qing sighed, deciding to be upfront. "I've been cursed with a Gu."
At this, the crowd fell silent, staring at Ye Qing in disbelief. The Fire Sang girl's father scrutinized him and asked, "You don't look like someone under a Gu's curse. What kind of Gu have you been afflicted with?"
"The Twin Life Gu," Ye Qing replied.
"Nonsense. The Twin Life Gu? Who could have possibly bred such a thing?"
The crowd erupted in astonishment, stunned by the mere mention of the Twin Life Gu. It ranked second among all Gu insects of the Miao Borderlands, surpassed only by the Golden Silkworm Gu, and was infamous for its terrifying potency. Yet, for decades, the Twin Life Gu had been thought extinct. Ye Qing's claim naturally left everyone shaken.
"No one has successfully bred a Twin Life Gu in decades. How could you have fallen victim to one?" The Fire Sang girl's elder sister stared daggers at Ye Qing. "Father, he's lying. This Han man is deceitful, bringing such a weapon into our territory only to harbor ulterior motives. Father, I suggest we kill him now!"
Her suggestion was met with murmurs of agreement. The Miao's innate distrust of the Han made their first instinct to eliminate Ye Qing, ensuring their peace of mind.
Ye Qing said nothing, silently awaiting the verdict from the Fire Sang girl's father.
After a prolonged silence, her father finally spoke. "Are you carrying a sacred object for detoxification?"
"What?" Ye Qing blinked, unsure of the man's meaning or how he'd reached that conclusion.
"The venom of the snake-scorpion hybrid… you've been afflicted for nearly ten minutes now, yet you're entirely unharmed." The Fire Sang girl's father fixed Ye Qing with a piercing gaze. "What sacred object for detoxification are you hiding?"