Chapter 140: Talking Nonsense Off the Top of One's Head

After the Western Regions sky-wolf spider bit Zhou Yi's finger, it began to inject venom into his body, the venom spreading visibly from his finger straight to his internal organs.

The tender flesh beneath human fingernails is densely packed with pain receptors. The moment the venomous spider injected the venom into Zhou Yi, another miserable scream tore from his throat.

The venom coursed through his entire body with the blood, visible to the naked eye. His complexion turned ashen gray in an instant, then shifted to purple. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. This was a pain Zhou Yi had never experienced before. The flea's venom earlier had caused an all-over itch, but this was excruciating agony.

It was impossible to pinpoint where it hurt; this pain was reflected directly by the central nervous system, utterly impossible to suppress.

Seeing Zhou Yi's expression, the elderly woman from Miao let out a series of cold, mocking laughs. "Little brat, tell Grandma now where my precious golden silkworm went! Tell me, and you won't have to suffer like this anymore!"

After the old woman finished speaking, Zhou Yi opened his tightly shut eyes, locked his gaze onto her, and rolled his tongue in his mouth. With a sharp "Ptui," he spat a glob of saliva directly toward her.

How swift was the old woman's movement? There was no way Zhou Yi could hit her.

"Old hag, your golden silkworm really was eaten by your grandpa here, and by now it's long since turned into shit!" Zhou Yi declared, then burst into loud laughter. His purpose in saying this was to enrage the old woman, hoping only for a quick death.

He simply could not bear the torment any longer. If the old woman could kill him right now, it would be a release for him.

"Little brat, you are forcing me to kill you!" With that, the Miao old woman raised her hand and struck down toward the crown of Zhou Yi's head.

The instant her palm descended, Zhou Yi could not help but close his eyes, a look of liberation washing over his face. Finally, he would no longer have to endure this inhuman torture, though there was a lingering reluctance—he should not have died so young.

"Grandma, wait!" A voice of extreme sweetness rang out, stopping the old woman just in time. Had she been a moment later, Zhou Yi's life would certainly have been forfeited beneath her palm.

Moments later, the newcomer pushed open the door and entered. Zhou Yi turned his head to see that it was none other than the Miao Saintess, Dong Nuo. He offered a bitter smile toward her. This was the woman Baozi thought of day and night, and now she had saved him. Was this destiny?

"Grandma, this person is deliberately trying to enrage you. If you kill him, we will never recover the corpse of the Golden Silkworm Gu King!" Dong Nuo spoke up again.

Hearing this, the Miao old woman paused and realized it was indeed true. She glanced sideways at Zhou Yi and withdrew her hand resentfully. "Little bastard, Grandma is asking you one last time. If you still refuse to talk, don't blame me for what comes next!"

"I really don't know! That day, I used my inner breath to pierce the acupoint at the root of the golden silkworm's wings, and then forced its carcass out of my body. Where it is now, I haven't the foggiest!" As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, he suddenly stopped feeling any pain. Looking down, he saw that the sky-wolf spider on his finger had already breathed its last.

"Where did you force the golden silkworm out of your body?" the old woman demanded urgently.

"It must have been south of the capital. I've forgotten the exact place! That day, Xuhua was carrying me back to Mount Wutai, and he dropped the golden silkworm along the way!" Zhou Yi made up a story off the top of his head.

Hearing this, the old woman bolted out the door, eager to hunt down the carcass of the golden silkworm.

Only Zhou Yi and Dong Nuo remained in the room. It was then that Zhou Yi remembered Baozi and Mu Chen were still nowhere to be seen. Thinking of Baozi reminded him of his friend's infatuation with Dong Nuo, so he asked casually,

"That day, why didn't you go when my silly brother asked you out?"

A flash of confusion crossed Dong Nuo's eyes upon hearing this. However, true to her nature, she offered no reply, turned around, and made to leave.

"I'm talking to you, why are you ignoring me?" It had to be said that Zhou Yi possessed a remarkably carefree spirit; even at a time like this, he was still fretting over Baozi's lifelong affairs.

"Keep a close eye on him. If he escapes, I'll hold you responsible!" Dong Nuo instructed the Miao guard at the door before turning away and walking off.

Left all by himself in the room, Zhou Yi's thoughts turned to escape. He carefully inspected his surroundings. Though called a room, it was actually a tent, yet unlike Mongolian yurts, this tent built by the Miao people resembled a proper house, complete with a door and windows. The only furniture inside was a bed.

Looking out the window, his view was filled with a grove of trees—the very spot where Ji Liang had pitched his tents while excavating the mass grave. Seeing this, Zhou Yi's heart sank into despair.

Guards from the Miao tribe stood watch outside both the window and the door. Moreover, with his hands and feet bound, how could escape be so easy? The woods outside the window could be set ablaze, but in his current state, he was powerless to do anything.

He stood up from the chair, hopped awkwardly over to the bed, and slumped face down upon it. Seeing Zhou Yi thrashing about, the guard at the door hurried inside to stop him.

"Cut the tricks and behave yourself!" With that, the Miao guard chambered a round into the rifle slung across his back, the muzzle pointing straight at Zhou Yi's head.

Zhou Yi flashed a cheeky grin at the guard, wriggled and shifted his weight until he found a slightly more comfortable posture, and turned his head to ask,

"Big brother, what's your name?"

"Don't try to get chummy with me. Let me tell you, behave yourself, or don't blame me for being rude!" The Miao guard was exceedingly cautious, well aware of how the old woman would deal with him if anything went wrong.

"What are you afraid of? My hands and feet are tied, I couldn't possibly run away even if I wanted to!" Zhou Yi said with a chuckle, wearing an utterly harmless expression on his face.

"My name is Huang Tianyang!" The Miao man named Huang Tianyang slowly relaxed his vigilance. He sat down on the chair Zhou Yi had just occupied and laid his rifle aside.

"Say, Brother Huang, what use is the carcass of that golden silkworm? Is it really worth the old woman turning everything upside down to find it?" Zhou Yi voiced the question lingering in his mind.

Huang Tianyang poured himself a cup of water, took a sip, and replied, "That just shows how little you know. Let me tell you, the reason the Golden Silkworm Gu King is so precious isn't because it's as hard to find as people outside believe. On the contrary, golden silkworms are quite common here in our Miao territory. It's just that cultivating one into a Gu King requires two strict conditions."

"What two conditions?" Zhou Yi asked eagerly.

"First, the golden silkworm must possess extreme resistance to venom—meaning the virulent poisons in your Han people's mouths cannot kill it! And secondly..."

Here, Huang Tianyang was interrupted by Zhou Yi. "Your grandpa here isn't Han, I'm Manchu! What's the second condition? Go on, Brother Huang!"

Huang Tianyang curled his lip and said, " Manchus are even more detestable than Hans. Bah, never mind. The second condition is that there must be the carcass of a previous Golden Silkworm Gu King. Only by consuming the corpse of another Golden Silkworm Gu King can a silkworm become the new Gu King."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi nodded in understanding. A Golden Silkworm Gu King was fiercely ferocious; if they could be raised at will, the world would have long since been overrun by Gu.

While a single Golden Silkworm Gu King might not be enough to overthrow a nation, a thousand-man army could never withstand such a tiny Gu insect.

"Brother Huang, let me ask you another question. You mentioned..."

"You ask way too much. Alright, I've told you everything I can, don't ask about the rest. Stay put, and I'll check on you later!" Huang Tianyang knew full well that loose lips sink ships. Seeing that Zhou Yi was about to pry further, he cut him off, grabbed his rifle, and turned to push the door open.

Huang Tianyang had left his back exposed to Zhou Yi. How could Zhou Yi possibly let such a golden opportunity slip away? He suddenly surged upward, hooked his arm, and locked it tightly around Huang Tianyang's neck...