Chapter 416: Drinking Poison

A kettle brimming with gu poison sat in front of Lu Jin. Its lid wasn't tightly sealed, and even from a distance, strange noises echoed from inside, as if the venomous creatures were thrashing against the metal walls within the Yellow Springs Water.

"Gao Jian, you have no choice. I'll tell you the truth—the Yellow Springs Water this kid drank was laced with a Child Poison Gu. Mother and child are linked. To draw the Child Gu out of his body, someone of the same bloodline must swallow the Mother Gu and bind it with their blood. That is the only way to save him." Lu Jin glanced at Zhong Jiu, who had been kicked into the corner. Seeing that the man's stomach was merely split open and his life wasn't in danger, he muttered, "Useless trash." Dismissing his subordinate, he focused his attention entirely on me.

"Are you so sure he's my child?" I asked, holding my dagger in a reverse grip. Warm blood from Zhong Jiu's stomach dripped down the cold blade.

"Whether he is or isn't doesn't matter to me. But you had better pray you share blood with this brat. Otherwise, not only will you die, but he will suffer the most agonizing death imaginable within three days."

Lu Jin opened his mouth to say more, but Lu Chen cut him off. The senior Daoist opened his eyes fully for the first time. His gaze was as deep as the ocean, holding the brilliant expanse of a starry sky. "Gao Jian, whatever grudge exists between you and Lu Jin is a private matter. Handle it yourselves. But this involves the Profound Truth Mental Method—the very foundation of our sect. We cannot afford to be careless. I ask for your understanding. If you successfully survive the Heart-Slaying Dao Inquiry, I will have my junior brother apologize to you and offer rare treasures as compensation."

"If I'm dead, what use do I have for treasures?" I lowered my head to hide the cold glint in my eyes.

"It seems you misunderstand the Heart-Slaying Dao Inquiry. When the Mother-Child Gu Poison draws together, the subject cannot be distracted in the slightest. As long as you answer my questions honestly during the process, I guarantee you and this child will remain unharmed." Lu Chen's expression was indifferent. He held no personal grudge against me; he was only here because Lu Jin had provoked him into coming.

"Easy for you to say. Even if you apologize afterward, how will you make up for what you've done to that child? He was already introverted and withdrawn. Now his body has been invaded by yin energy and gu poison, forcing him to endure hellish torture. How is he supposed to live after this? You've ruined a child's life before it even started! Can your mere treasures pay for that?" I stared at Wang Yu, who was curled up on the floor, and tightened my grip on the dagger.

"You only have your own ignorance to blame," Lu Jin said, his tone lofty and arrogant. "You failed to appreciate our kindness and refused to see reason."

"I refused to see reason? You're the ones who have been relentlessly hounding me this whole time! When we first met, you tried to forcefully buy my loyal dog. Then you held a little girl hostage to snatch the Paulownia Mulberry Talisman. After that, you even went after my girlfriend. You've intentionally provoked me time and time again, and now you claim I failed to appreciate your kindness? My only regret is that I didn't butcher you the first time we crossed paths, just to show you how a mortal chops off your dog head!" I stood in the Laboratory Building, my voice dripping with icy venom.

"You—" Lu Jin opened his mouth to curse, but he glanced back at his senior brother and merely flicked his Daoist robes. "If you truly didn't steal the arts of the Profound Truth Dao, why are you afraid to prove it?"

"Your words are bullshit! Once I swallow a highly toxic gu insect, my life will be completely out of my hands. I'll lose any ability to fight back. What happens if you go back on your word?" I snapped.

"I am a Celestial Master of Profound Truth. I belong to a prestigious, orthodox sect. Why would I ever go back on my word?"

"As if you haven't gone back on your word enough! Kidnapping a four-year-old child just to force my hand—what a prestigious sect! How orthodox!" The yin energy in the room thickened. Several more massive pythons manifested from the yin energy, slithering in front and behind to block the exits, completely sealing me inside the Laboratory Building.

A tense deadlock settled over the room. Finally, Lu Chen spoke again. "I know you harbor prejudices against the Profound Truth Dao, but you have no other options. The only way this child lives is if you swallow the Mother Gu and draw the Child Gu out. The yin energy here is much denser than I anticipated. If you hesitate any longer, the Child Gu will burrow into his heart and lungs and fuse with the yin energy. Once that happens, even the immortals won't be able to save him. You have fifteen minutes to consider. If you haven't made a decision by the stroke of midnight, I will join forces with the Three Yin Sect to take you and the child down. Dead or alive, we will show no mercy."

Chilling gusts swept through the Laboratory Building. The temperature inside felt significantly colder than outside the school. I couldn't tell if it was due to the haunting presence of yin souls, or simply the weight of Lu Chen's words.

Outside the Laboratory Building, most of Er Gou's men had already succumbed, the yin energy invading their meridians and turning their complexions a ghastly pale. Only Mr. Gu and Er Gou, who wielded the Deer Cutting Saber, were still capable of fighting.

But they were currently fending off the Daoists from the Three Yin Sect. They could barely protect themselves, let alone break away to help me.

'I'm caught in a dilemma. I've stepped into a complete dead end.' If I put everything on the line, I had a fifty percent chance of escaping. But Wang Yu would undoubtedly die. Staring at the tiny figure collapsed on the floor, I didn't know how to face him.

I originally took him from the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center out of the goodness of my heart, hoping to give him a better life. Of course, part of it was also because the Ghost Mother had forced my hand. But now that I had resolved the issue with the Three-Eyed Ghost Infant, I had effectively reaped a massive reward for nothing. Was I still obligated to take responsibility for this child?

He was severely withdrawn to begin with. After enduring this torture, it was unlikely he would ever fully recover.

A voice in my head kept weighing the pros and cons, desperately trying to persuade me to walk away from the danger. To not do anything foolish.

"You have ten minutes," Lu Jin reminded lazily. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. Now that his senior brother had laid down the ultimatum, all he had to do was sit back and watch the show.

The yin energy raged around me. The Yin Meridian within my body was constantly absorbing the purest strands of it, yet I still felt a deep, piercing cold.

"Profound Truth Dao... I will remember what happened today. If I survive this, when my power is fully formed, I will absolutely pay your sect a visit!" Stepping through the swirling yin energy, I walked toward Lu Jin step by step. "I'll drink the gu poison!"

"Jian Ge!" Blocked by the dense yin energy, Er Gou couldn't push inside, but he could clearly see everything happening in the room. He swung his Deer Cutting Saber and tried to charge in, but Mr. Gu barely managed to hold him back.

"Don't cause trouble for Gao Jian!" Mr. Gu stared at the kettle of gu poison. Seeming to realize something, he hauled Er Gou back with all his strength. "Listen to me! Stay out of there!"

Before we arrived at Xinhu High School, I had given Er Gou strict orders: if anything happened to me, Mr. Gu was in charge. Er Gou struggled against the grip for a few seconds before giving up. With bloodshot eyes, he stood outside the building and shouted loudly.

His frantic shouts only drew sneers from the black-robed Daoists of the Three Yin Sect. To them, Er Gou was nothing but a mortal. They lived in entirely different worlds. With a mere wave of their hands, they could crush a man like him in a dozen different ways.

I tuned out Er Gou's desperate pleas from outside. Walking up to Lu Chen and Lu Jin, I bent down and picked up the kettle.

"What exactly do I need to do for you to let the boy go?"

"Drink the Yellow Springs Water in the kettle, then take your knife and slice open your wrist and his," Lu Chen said slowly. "Once your blood mixes, the Mother Gu will attract the Child Gu. It will crawl out of the boy's veins and cross into your body. The transfer takes a few minutes. During that time, I will ask you a series of questions. Answer them truthfully. If you don't, the gu parasite will burrow into your heart and lungs and feast on your internal organs."

"Once the Child Gu is out, what happens to the yin energy wreaking havoc in the boy's body?" My voice was devoid of emotion. "And one more thing. When both the Mother Gu and the Child Gu are inside me, how do I get rid of them?"

"Once you answer my senior brother's questions, he will naturally tell you," Lu Jin said, checking his watch. "Make your choice. You have seven minutes left."

Gripping the kettle, I could feel the writhing creatures slamming against the metal from the inside. If an ordinary mortal drank this, they would be dead ten times over. "Fine. I'll do as you say. Just don't go back on your word—let the child go."

I took a deep breath, raised the kettle to my lips, and gulped it down.

The liquid felt like jagged gravel tearing down my throat. My mouth instantly went numb. The Yellow Springs Water was a massive tonic for ghostly entities. The Yin Meridian in my body roared to life, and the Ghost Infant screamed with excitement. Every yin aperture I possessed greedily stored the concentrated yin energy. Without me even realizing it, my Yin-Yang Ghost Art had reached the absolute peak of the Second Realm. I was on the verge of breaking through to the Third Realm at any moment.

The Yellow Springs Water was a tremendous boon to my cultivation, but the Mother Gu insect was a massive problem. I hadn't even finished the liquid before a blinding, knife-twisting agony erupted in my stomach.