On the Verge of Death
The only thing they could do was save as many lives as they could. At present, they were powerless to eradicate Ghost Gate no matter how much they loathed Ghost Gate. There was no way the two of them were going to be able to save all the villages, either. Nobody could falsify Ghost Gate would be one of the biggest contributors in the battle against the elemental demons.
Ku Mu grew much more talkative after living with Mu Yu for a year. Ten sentences a month progressed to over a hundred exchanges daily. Funnily, Ku Mu and Mu Yu’s conversations always ended on verbal tirades no matter how hard Mu Yu tried to behave primly. Evidently, Mu Yu’s character grew on Ku Mu.
Mu Yu’s medical and formation knowledge expanded exponentially during the past year. He also learnt to understand alchemy and poison as tools instead of personalities. Needless to say, Mu Yu’s cultivation also progressed – he consolidated his gains at Primordial Infant Realm’s Third Layer. Ku Mu reacted condescendingly to anything Feng Haochen did, but he couldn’t deny the latter’s brilliant swordplay, especially as he watched Mu Yu polish his skills further and further.
To pass time, Mu Yu drew out fiend beasts from the river and, thanks to the dragon vine’s help, tamed the fiend beasts and trained them.
Mu Yu wasn’t a fan of Hundred Beast Formation, a formation Ku Mu taught him. In a nutshell, the formation killed fiend beasts and trapped their spirits in the formation. The user would then bait targets into the formation, resulting in the fiend spirits assaulting them. The first step was compulsory since fiend beasts couldn’t be controlled, but fiend spirits could. If he had the dragon vine’s support, the dragon vine could command an ordered attack.
Another hobby of Mu Yu’s was establishing a choir of fiend beasts. He trained them each night to the chagrin of Ku Mu. Ku Mu’s patience eventually wilted one night. He demanded Mu Yu end the choir games and shared a piece of information that Mu Yu never imagined.
“You are a member of Pill Cauldron Sect?”
“Hmph!” snorted Ku Mu, recalling Pill Cauldron Sect scorned and banished him for pursuing poison research.
“What do you want to take me to Pill Cauldron Sect for? You want to challenge their medicines with your poisons?”
“What do you think I searched for a successor for?”
Please don’t tell me he just wanted to prove to Pill Cauldron Sect that poison was superior.
“You need to find dark herb and nine qi soul purifying flower. We must visit Pill Cauldron Sect if we are to find them.”
“They can be found at Pill Cauldron Sect? Why do you need me to come along?”
“You will find out soon enough.”
“I don’t have much time left.”
“Haha, are you preparing to die?”
“Yeah, he’s going to die soon,” Xiaoshuai said.
“Huh? You’re kidding me!” exclaimed Mu Yu.
Staring at Mu Yu, Ku Mu instructed, “Once I am gone, you must visit Pill Cauldron Sect. Just pass this letter on to their patriarch.”
“Are you serious? You hung me up yesterday. Come on,” joked Mu Yu, albeit unable to shake off a disturbing feeling.
“You’ll be free after I die. Shouldn’t you be celebrating?”
Mu Yu grabbed Xiaoshuai and shook the latter, “There must be a way to help him.”
Irate with the shaking, Xiaoshuai grouched, “His spiritual energy is contaminated with a lethal poison. He’s lucky to even still be alive. While he’s been able to keep it at bay for a long time, he probably doesn’t have what it takes to fight it anymore.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”
“Didn’t you warn me not to talk about people’s lives? How is it my fault?” Xiaoshuai rhetorically questioned.
“Why must you be so dull?! You could’ve whispered it to me!”
Ku Mu pinched his eyebrows together. “You can stop acting. I’m your shifu’s enemy, and I locked you up. Isn’t this what you’ve been waiting for?”
“Don’t be so cynical, Gramps!” cried Mu Yu, understanding Ku Mu never lashed out at him for no rhyme or reason.
“… You don’t hate me?”
“Why would I hate you? I have not lost anything, have I? I even learnt so much from you. I never doubted you were genuinely eager to save my shifu because you know so much about him. You two must have been friends for you to be so well-informed, right?”
“Enemies,” rectified Ku Mu.
“Nobody helps his enemy. There is a misunderstanding between you two that has yet to be cleared, correct?”
“Enemies,” stressed Ku Mu, frustrated. “An enemy’s disciple is also my enemy.”
“Stubborn old man! Hey Xiaoshuai, tell me how to help him.”
“… Expunge Technique is the only solution.”
Mu Yu froze.
Ku Mu looked over to Xiaoshuai and snickered. “You want me to destroy my dantian to erase my spiritual energy? You want to weaken me so that you can humiliate me to an indignant death?”
Ku Mu actually just didn’t want to lose all of his cultivation he toiled for.
“Is there no other solution?” queried mu Yu.
“No. His spiritual energy has become the poison that’s corroding him.”
“I’d rather die!”
After Ku Mu threw the duo out of the tree room and slammed the door shut, Mu Yu stood there, downtrodden.
Ku Mu didn’t want to mentor Mu Yu after learning Feng Haochen was the boy’s shifu. Howbeit, his wood-control ability made him the perfect candidate to master poisons. With not much time remaining, he reluctantly chose Mu Yu. Ku Mu didn’t regret teaching Mu Yu as the boy’s shifu was someone he knew, and he had the characteristics Ku Mu sought in his successor. Because Mu Yu refused to accept him as his shifu, Ku Mu deemed Mu Yu another cultivator who disliked him. With his only saving grace being his cultivation, he refused to destroy his dantian if it meant dragging out an ignoble existence. He even suspected Mu Yu would get back at him for the punishments he meted out.
“I won’t let you die. You either take me to Pill Cauldron Sect, or I’m not going!”
“Suit yourself! Not my problem if your shifu dies!”
“Aren’t you also my shifu?” Mu Yu blurted without thinking.
Suddenly, spiritual qi in the vicinity turned roiled.
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