Chapter 383: A Confrontation with the Gu Master & The Death of Yuwen Qi
Translator: DragonRider
Miao s.h.i.+ba was immediately on the alert. He could tell at a glance that the whip was not something to be trifled with. There was a high risk that he would be poisoned if he got hit by it.
The two of them started fighting. What with the Gu master’s whip and Gu-craft which was difficult to defend against, Miao s.h.i.+ba had misgivings about launching an all-out attack, but his consummate lightness skills and powerful internal energy kept the Gu master from gaining any advantage over him, so the fight reached a stalemate.
Yao Yi and Yuwen Feng soon arrived. At the sight of the fight in the courtyard house, they came to understand what was going on.
The Gu master’s face went quite sulky as he saw Yuwen Feng lead a group of guards to the courtyard to seize him. He realized that his cover had been blown, but he didn’t know how much Yuwen Feng had found out about his and Yuwen Zhi’s plan.
“Why are you making such a fuss, Your Lords.h.i.+p? Although I’m not a common physician that I claimed to be, it doesn’t change the fact that I saved your father’s life. There isn’t really any hatred between us, is there?”
Yuwen Feng gave a sneer. “It’s no good trying to justify your doings. You gave Yuwen Qi some Gu worms with which he killed two of my guards, and then you put a Manipulation Gu inside me in an attempt to control me. Your conspiracy has been exposed. If you value your life, surrender yourself to me right now and make a full confession. Otherwise this courtyard will be where you meet your end.”
The Gu master’s countenance changed once again. It surprised him that even the matter of the Manipulation Gu had come to Yuwen Feng’s knowledge. With a sepulchral face, he said, “Given that you’re aware of the Manipulation Gu in your body, you should also know that your life is in my hands.”
“That’s ridiculous. You think your pathetic Manipulation Gu could pose a threat to me?” Yuwen Feng coldly looked back at him.
Yuwen Feng’s reaction came as a surprise to the Gu master, who stared at Yuwen Feng for a few moments and then suddenly sent a signal to the Puppeteer Gu in his body. As the Puppeteer Gu cried, the Puppet Gu in Yuwen Feng naturally started struggling frantically. However, Mr. Mu’s medication was quite amazing, and the Puppet Gu could do nothing but struggle madly.
The only trouble was that as the Puppet Gu struggled, Yuwen Feng’s face went deathly white from the agony. He subconsciously clapped his hands to the right-hand side of his chest, cold sweat breaking out over his face.
Fixing him with a sinister gaze, the Gu master suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Staring fixedly at him, he demanded, “Who helped you restrain my Manipulation Gu?!”
Subduing the pain with all his willpower, Yuwen Feng managed to stiffen his back and replied, “Since the likes of you who enjoy using underhand methods exist in this world, naturally there are people who know how to handle you.”
The Gu master clenched his teeth and glanced around him. He was faced with an opponent who was his match, and whose kung fu was quite good. On top of that, his and Yuwen Zhi’s plan had been exposed, and even the emperor had been alarmed. Obviously going into hiding in this city was no longer an option for him. He must figure out a way to extricate himself from this situation as soon as possible.
“There’s also a Gu worm of mine in your father’s body. If you let me leave, I’ll spare him.”
Yuwen Feng snorted, “That’s not going to happen.”
Yao Yi had examined Yuwen Zhi with a medication provided by Mr. Mu, and confirmed that there was no Gu worm whatsoever inside him.
“Hey, if you’re done talking, put your weapon down right now and make a full confession,” Miao s.h.i.+ba said to the Gu master.
With a forbidding expression on his face, the Gu master looked at them and replied, “You’re seriously expecting me to believe you’ll spare my life if I surrender? Originally I had no intention to make an enemy of any of you. I was just doing that to repay the favor Yuwen Zhi did me. Now that things are past the point of no return…”
He suddenly broke off in the middle of a sentence and wheeled around attempting to rush into the room. Miao s.h.i.+ba immediately hurled his sword at him, which swished through the air and instantly went into the door frame with a wicked gleam, narrowly avoiding cutting off the Gu master’s nose.
Yao Yi and Miao s.h.i.+ba made their move at the same time. “Let’s make this quick,” said Yao Yi.
On hearing this, Miao s.h.i.+ba dismissed all his misgivings. The two of them were both top kung fu masters. Although the Gu master’s Gu-craft was formidable, the two of them each had a medicine pouch. Also, Mr. Mu was present, ready to offer help, so they naturally were not afraid that the Gu master might play dirty.
After half of the duration of a burning joss stick, the Gu master was captured. During the fight, the back of Miao s.h.i.+ba’s hand had been hit by the whip and skinned, and there was a blackish blue patch on it.
“Here!” Someone tossed a white porcelain phial at Miao s.h.i.+ba, who took it, c.o.c.ked an eye at the person and saw that it was Mr. Mu.
“Take one. It’ll detoxify the poison,” said Mr. Mu matter-of-factly.
Miao s.h.i.+ba opened the porcelain phial, swallowed a pill and, before long, the spreading blackish blue patch on the back of his hand quickly dwindled and soon disappeared without a trace. Considering the detoxification effect visible to the naked eye, the alexipharmic pill given by Mr. Mu was nothing short of a miracle. Everybody present marveled at it. Seeing this, Yuwen Feng was greatly relieved. Though the pain in the right-hand side of his chest was still sharp, he was now quite composed.
The Gu master s.h.i.+fted his gaze to Mr. Mu, sizing him up with a sullen look in his eyes. “Who are you?” he asked.
He believed that his Gu-craft was pretty good, that he was one of the best Gu masters in South Xinjiang. Over the years, he had traveled to a lot of places and even knew about some court physicians, but he had never heard of anybody who was capable of preparing this kind of pill.
Mr. Mu looked at the Gu master with a calm face, appearing uninterested in him. “A physician.”
“No common physician could detoxify my poison so quick.” The Gu master was unconvinced. As he glimpsed Yuwen Feng, something occurred to him. “You were the one who kept the Manipulation Gu in him at bay?”
Mr. Mu replied, “Yes.”
“Who are you exactly? Once a Manipulation Gu enters someone’s body, it’ll wriggle constantly. Only a master of Gu-craft could restrain it. I’ve never heard of you before, and you’re not from South Xinjiang,” said the Gu master.
“Why are you so talky? It is not for you to make inquiries about our miracle-working physician. You have only your average skills to blame for your defeat,” reprimanded Miao s.h.i.+ba.
The Gu master flicked a flinty glance at him. “You would’ve been dead by now had he not detoxified the poison for you.”
Miao s.h.i.+ba curled his lip. “You think that would scare me? Let me tell you something. When I was slaughtering enemies on the battlefield, the word ‘death’ never once crossed my mind. Now cut the s.h.i.+t and tell us what you and Yuwen Zhi have been up to.”
The Gu master refused to confess. He still insisted Mr. Mu identify himself. He was quite unreconciled to the defeat inflicted on him by this man who had restrained his Gu worm and also detoxified his poison. There was a somewhat demented look in his eyes, which showed he was unwilling to admit defeat.
Mr. Mu said, “You’re such a weirdo. As the saying goes, ‘However strong you are, there is always someone stronger.’ Does it really surprise you so much that my medical skill is the bane of your Gu-craft? Please tell me you don’t seriously think the medical experts you’ve met are the only ones in the world. To my knowledge, in the previous dynasty, there were also quite some masters in South Xinjiang, and some of them left the mountains and achieved great things. How come you’re so ignorant? Are all your peers in South Xinjiang like you?”
The look on the Gu master’s face became one of deep shame and intense anger after he heard Mr. Mu’s remarks.
“What do you think we should do with him, Your Lords.h.i.+p?” Yao Yi looked at Yuwen Feng.
Yuwen Feng responded unemotionally, “This Gu master and Yuwen Zhi are to be brought to the imperial palace to be tried by His Majesty and all the courtiers tomorrow morning.”
Yuwen Zhi had committed attempted usurpation twice, and now he had tried to murder his own son. There was no way he could get away with it, and Yuwen Feng clearly wouldn’t intercede for him again. He would let Yuwen Zhi get his just deserts.
Miao s.h.i.+ba exchanged glances with Yao Yi and then observed, “Well then, let’s–”
“AAARGH!” Suddenly, an anguished cry issued from inside the interrogation room. It was Yuwen Qi’s voice.
The others hastened into the room and saw that Yuwen Qi was lying limply on the ground, motionless, black blood flowing from the corners of his mouth, his eyes wide open, staring emptily in the direction of the door.
Yuwen Feng was dumbfounded for a brief moment, then quickly walked up to Yuwen Qi, crouched down and reached out a hand with the intention to tap Yuwen Qi on the face, but he had just touched his brother when he withdrew his fingers in spite of himself.
Miao s.h.i.+ba’s and Yao Yi’s faces went grave. They could no longer sense Yuwen Qi’s breathing. He was dead.
“Let me see him,” said Mr. Mu, stepping forward. He examined the body and concluded, “It was Gu worms that killed him. Heart-consuming Gu worms.”
The countenance of everybody else present changed and with that they all s.h.i.+fted their gaze to the restrained Gu master.
Eyes on Yuwen Feng, the Gu master sneered, “Like I said, both your father’s and his lives are in my hands. Unless you let me leave, I’ll kill them both. Yuwen Qi’s death is just a warning to you. The next one will be Yuwen Zhi.”
Yuwen Feng looked at Yuwen Qi whose eyes were still wide open as though he were unreconciled to a death like this, a deep frown creasing his face, a distressed look appearing in his eyes. He stretched out a hand to cover Yuwen Qi’s eyes and said, “Although the ties of brotherhood between us ceased to exist some time ago, I’ll avenge your death. I’ll avenge your death by taking the Gu master’s life.”
After saying this, he removed his hand from Yuwen Qi’s eyes which were now closed.
The Gu master began to struggle, his face registering panic. “Yuwen Feng! Your father’s life is still in my hands!”
“So talky,” Mr. Mu suddenly said in a frosty voice and with that he rapidly stuffed a pill into the Gu master’s mouth and gave his chin a push.
Caught flat-footed, the Gu master swallowed the pill reflexively, his face livid with rage. “What did you just give me?”
Miao s.h.i.+ba and the others also looked at Mr. Mu in bewilderment.
Mr. Mu explained, “It’s a pill with sedative effect. It’ll weaken him and make him less talky. Also, all the Gu worms inside his body are no longer at his command, and they’ll kill him in two days. If there’s any information you want to get from him, you’ll have to do it within the next two days.”
Yao Yi looked at Miao s.h.i.+ba and said, “Let’s take the Gu master away. We’ll bring him and Yuwen Zhi to the palace tomorrow morning.”
Miao s.h.i.+ba inclined his head and marched away the Gu master who was quite indignant but powerless to resist.
Yao Yi said to Yuwen Feng, “Your Lords.h.i.+p, we should get rid of the Gu worm inside your body first.”
Yuwen Feng gave a nod and then instructed some servants to transfer Yuwen Qi’s body to Yuwen Qi’s own courtyard house and start preparing the burial.
…
Mr. Mu helped Yuwen Feng rid his body of the Manipulation Gu. The process was indeed unbearably painful. When the Gu worm was extracted, Yuwen Feng was wet with cold sweat all over, but he finally felt a sense of relief. Looking at the ugly Gu worm, Yuwen Feng felt one twitch of repulsion after another.
“The Gu worm has now been extracted, you’ll be weak for a few days, but with some tonics and enough rest, you’ll fully recover,” observed Mr. Mu.
“Thank you for saving my life. You’re indeed a miracle-working physician. If there’s anything I can do for you, feel free to ask. I’ll do everything within my power to get it done,” said Yuwen Feng.
Mr. Mu said, “I saved you because Childe Ling wanted you to live. He’s the one you should be grateful to.”
On hearing this, Yuwen Feng replied, “I know. I’ll bear this favor from Childe Ling in mind, and I’ll be forever indebted to you for saving my life.”
Yuwen Feng had been aware that Mr. Mu served Ling Zhang, but it was not until this day that he came to know that Mr. Mu was a highly skilled physician indifferent to fame and wealth, and it had certainly come as a great surprise to him that Ling Zhang had a man with such great skills at his back. This made him feel that Mr. Mu’s background was shrouded in mystery.
Mr. Mu didn’t give any particular reaction to Yuwen Feng’s words. In his eyes, it didn’t matter much whether or not Yuwen Feng would remember this favor.
Apart from the Gu worm in Yuwen Feng, Mr. Mu also kindly got rid of the Gu worms in the couple of servants who had been controlled by the worms, saving their lives.