Chapter 392: I Don’t Care

The “Smiling Asura” Tang Chuan was an early-stage Spirit Purifier and, if the rumors were to be believed, the disciple of Sichuan Tangmen[1]. Notorious for his hidden weapons, he could toss out hundreds of hidden weapons and kill just as many in a single breath. Since he often smiled when he killed his enemies, he came to be known as the Smiling Asura. He had a gray moral compass and could kill as easily as he save a life.

The “Iron Man” Yu Shu was also an early-stage Spirit Purifier, but he belonged to no one until he joined the Intelligence Department. He was a woodcutter until he stumbled upon a martial arts manual named the “Art of Eating Iron”. By eating and drinking all kinds of metal, he was able to make his body as tough as iron. That was why he was able to cut through Killer Monk’s Golden Bell Shield with his bare hands.

The “Grim Rakshasa” was also an early-stage Spirit Purifier. The scion of a prestigious clan, she was naturally cold and aloof. Her family wanted to marry her off to a worthless, hedonistic son of another powerful clan for political reasons, so she castrated him during her wedding night and left her family to become a Taoist nun. She mastered a sword art called the Supreme Palace Swordkinesis and could mentally control her sword without losing any potency.

These three had made a small name for themselves until one day, they suddenly vanished from the

jianghu

. Now, it would seem that they had joined the Intelligence Department.

“We just left for greener pastures,” Tang Chuan said smilingly. “Only a fool like you would slander us as dogs.”

“You seem to believe that you’re heroes, but a true hero would not resort to killing innocents to achieve their goals. I would rather be a dog—which I’m not—than a hypocritical, delusional ‘hero’ like you.”

“Cough, cough! And I would never become a dog who only knows how to wag its tail to please its master. As expected, you’ve become dogs so long that you couldn’t even differentiate black and white, right from wrong anymore. How pitiful! How laughable!” Sick Scholar shook his head regretfully.

“No wonder they say that a scholar's tongue may rival a warrior’s sword. I wonder if your tongue will remain so sharp when you’re inside our prison?” Tang Chuan was still smiling, but his words were clearly a threat.

“You think you’ve won? Cough...” Sick Scholar said indifferently while looking at Chu Renhe and Tang Chuan.

“Oh? Sounds like you have a plan to turn things around. Do show us what you’re made of,” Tang Chuan retorted sarcastically.

Killer Monk, Fortune Taoist and Sick Scholar were on the same level as the lieutenants. If they were in top form, then it would be a coin toss which side ended up victorious. However, they weren’t alone, and all three of them were seriously injured. Tang Chuan just couldn’t see how they might get out of this alive.

“Cough cough... you never know until you try.” Sick Scholar’s eyes were growing a shade of dark yellow, and his voice was turning raspy. “You said you were prepared for us, right? Then you should know why I’m called the Sick Scholar.”

Chu Renhe and his lieutenants frowned, puzzled.

“The reason I’m called Sick Scholar is because I’m gravely ill, but you probably don’t know why I’m gravely ill, do you? Cough! Cough... This is the reason I’m sick...”

Sick Scholar coughed another two times and spat out a glob of bright red blood. An unnatural redness overtaking his complexion. By now, the incense smoke was fading, and everyone’s vision was returning to normal.

When they looked down on Sick Scholar’s bloody fingers, they noticed that the pool of blood on the ground was wriggling like it was alive. More accurately, there was something inside the blood that was writhing incessantly.

It was at this moment they realized that the blood was full of worms. They looked disgusting, strange and horrifying.

“Gu worms?!”

Chu Renhe paled a bit. “You practice the ‘Feed The Worms Art’?!”

“You’re a knowledgeable man, Lord Chu.” Sick Scholar covered his mouth and coughed again.

“Hmph. So what? You don’t think that the gu worms are enough to stop us, do you?”

Chu Renhe regained his composure quickly. The reason he turned pale wasn’t because he was afraid of the cultivation art, but because its method and process were so cruel and inhumane that even he couldn’t stand it.

The “Feed The Worms Art” was a cultivation art that allowed the practitioner to control gu worms, but it was even crueler, sinister, and inhumane than most gu insect cultivation arts. The practitioner essentially turned their own body into a breeding ground for gu worms and fed them their own flesh and blood to fuel their growth and reproduction.

If the practitioner successfully reached the adept level of the “Feed The Worms Art”, their body would consist entirely of the insects. They could manipulate the worms like their own limb, alter their form as they pleased, and kill anyone with ease. Moreover, they no longer had any weakness or vital spot because their flesh and blood had been fully replaced by gu worms. They could lose most of their body and still live to fight another day.

Despite the strengths of the “Feed The Worms Art”, few people chose to practice it due to how torturous the method and process were. After all, you were basically feeding your body to the worms in exchange for power. To say that the pain was unbearable would be an understatement. One must endure being fed on by the worms practically every second of the day. Most people broke long before they reached the adept level, and those who gave up would immediately be consumed by the gu worms they cultivated. It was a literal do-or-die cultivation art.

Practitioners of this cultivation art either died or went crazy. Adept or not, no one could endure decades of non-stop torture and not go insane.

Chu Renhe didn’t know that the Sick Scholar cultivated the “Feed The Worms Art”. Even so, he didn’t think it was a problem. While the cultivation art was immensely powerful, the gu worms posed no threat to him.

“I know you’re not afraid of the gu worms. Your dogs are immune to my worms as well. But what about the others?”

The corners of Sick Scholar’s lips curled into a sick, disgusting grin. “Since you managed to identify my cultivation art, I assume that you’re aware of its characteristics as well. My gu worms are everywhere inside my body including my blood.”

“When Warrior Luo cut off my arm just now, I took the opportunity to spread them across the whole inn while the incense smoke still existed.”

“In other words, most of the people inside this inn are infected with my gu worms.”

“What?!”

“You are lying, Sick Scholar!”

The spectators inside the inn immediately erupted in shock and disbelief. It was bad enough that they were dragged into the Intelligence Department’s business, now they were infected by flesh-eating gu worms as well? What the fuck!

“I am not. Cough! Cough... I never lie.” Sick Scholar coughed and pointed at an Intelligence Guard standing close to the entrance. An Intelligence Guard referred to the Intelligence Department’s private soldiers and guards.

The guard’s facial features abruptly contorted with pain when Sick Scholar pointed a finger at him. A second later, he clutched his stomach and dropped to the floor, rolling back and forth from sheer pain.

“You see that?” Sick Scholar withdrew his finger with a smirk.

No one could pretend that Sick Scholar was lying after seeing this. They all glared at him and questioned, “What are you planning, Sick Scholar?”

“Nothing much. I just want to live, that’s all.” Sick Scholar looked at Chu Renhe and said, “I’m the only one who can remove my gu insects. You get what I’m saying, don’t you?”

“Are you threatening me?” Chu Renhe immediately figured out his ploy. He was using everyone in the inn as hostages.

“You can say that. You call yourself an imperial official, right? Surely you wouldn’t abandon the people to their fate, Lord Chu?” Sick Scholar asked.

“Hah! You turn your fellow warriors and innocent people into hostages, and you call yourself a hero of the people?” Tang Chuan scoffed.

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” Sick Scholar replied unhurriedly, “Plus, you’re the reason I have no choice but to do this. Otherwise, why on earth would I resort to such a method?”

“So? What do you say, Lord Chu?”

“I think—” Chu Renhe uttered through gritted teeth before dashing forward all of a sudden. He appeared in front of Sick Scholar in the blink of an eye and crushed his whole body with a devastating palm strike.

The attack was useless though. The Sick Scholar immediately broke down into countless gu worms and crawled away in every direction.

Chu Renhe sneered and attacked again. His cold energy flooded the room and froze all of the gu worms. After he landed on his feet, Chu Renhe swung his sleeve and scattered all of the frozen worms into nothing.

“I think I don’t care. No one threatens me, you see,” declared Chu Renhe while sweeping an arrogant gaze across the inn.

“I see you don’t care about the lives of these people. Thank you for confirming that you care nothing for our or the people’s lives.”

Before Chu Renhe finished speaking, Sick Scholar reappeared next to Fortune Taoist. However, he was many times smaller than he was originally. He was also wearing a sick grin as if he knew Chu Renhe would do this from the beginning.

“You see that, my brothers and sisters? These so-called officials don’t think of us as humans. They only see us as stepping stones that will propel them to greater status and authority. Cough! Cough cough... Rather than putting your fates in the hands of someone who will never save you, why don’t you save yourself? If you help us escape this place, I swear in the name of the sages that I will cure you all.”

“But if I die, well... I don’t need to tell you what’s going to happen, do I? Cough cough...”

“Lies and trickery! Kill him!” Chu Renhe’s face darkened as he barked out the order. Tang Chuan, Yu Shi and Luo Changbing immediately rushed forward to kill the trio.

But as soon as they made a move, a huge saber descended from above and slammed into the floor between the three lieutenants and the trio.

“Wait!” A loud voice resounded. “Let’s talk this out, shall we?”

Tang Chuan, Yu Shi and Luo Changbing ignored the speaker and continued their charge. Seeing that they would not listen, a couple more people rushed out of the crowd and blocked in front of them, saying, “Please wait, my lords.”

“You dare stop us? Do you know that the punishment for obstructing the Intelligence Department is death?” Tang Chuan yelled when he saw this.

One of the warriors said stiffly, “We’re not trying to obstruct you, my lords. We just want to talk.”

Yu Shi abruptly charged him and swung his right arm. As the trio were only Astral Refiners, his attack easily sent them flying into the air and forced blood out of their lips.

1. A sect. ?