Chapter 1918: Gu Worms

Not only was he confused, but Yi Lao on the side also twitched his mouth, unable to hold back any longer: 'Young Master Zhang... stop messing around!'

They were already at a critical moment of life and death, and he was still joking. If he had known this person was so unreliable, he wouldn't have let the young master save him!

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan knew they definitely didn't believe him. He clasped his hands behind his back, trying to display the demeanor of a master, but ended up pulling at his wound, causing his mouth to twitch uncontrollably, and he nearly fell to the ground.

He stopped his movements and forcibly suppressed the pain: 'The meridians in your body were injured when you were young, preventing true qi from circulating, and your dantian was also damaged, unable to accumulate power. That's why you can't cultivate. Am I correct?'

Shan Xiaotian nodded.

At the age of six, his family suffered a catastrophe, and his dantian and meridians were shattered by a powerful force. To this day, they had not recovered. So, although he practiced swordsmanship every day, his strength had not improved at all, and all his techniques were merely flashy, empty moves.

He had consulted countless renowned doctors, all of whom said there was no cure. Over time, he had grown accustomed to it.

'Then do you know what injured your meridians and dantian?' Zhang Xuan asked.

'It was a powerful true qi that invaded my body. I'm already fortunate to have survived...' Shan Xiaotian said.

Over the years, after numerous diagnoses, he knew exactly what had happened inside his body.

'True qi?'

Zhang Xuan shook his head: "If it were merely true qi, you have been cultivating diligently every day, hoping that one day you could improve the condition within your body, yet after so many years, why has there not been the slightest change?"

Shan Xiaotian was speechless.

In fact, this was also what puzzled him.

Over the past ten years, he had consulted all kinds of renowned physicians, tried countless methods—medicinal herbs, elixirs, acupuncture, medicinal baths—yet none had been of any use. His body was like a tattered sack; spiritual energy would enter but eventually dissipate, unable to accumulate at all.

According to many famous doctors, if true qi had indeed damaged the body, such treatments should have been able to repair it. But there was no effect at all... leaving many baffled.

"If it wasn't true qi invasion, then what could have damaged the meridians and dantian without causing death? And even allowing normal life without any impact?"

After a moment of silence, Shan Xiaotian looked over.

His injury, aside from preventing cultivation, had no other effects. What the other had said about impotence was false; every morning, he stood tall and mighty, impressive and extraordinary.

"It's a gu worm!" Zhang Xuan said. "You have been infested with this thing, which is why no medicine works!"

"Gu worm?" Shan Xiaotian could not believe it. "You mean... this worm inside me is still alive?"

"Not only alive... but over the years, it has been continuously absorbing the power you cultivate, and has already become very strong!" Zhang Xuan said.

Through the library, he had already seen the root cause of the other's problem.

It was not damage to the foundation, but rather that he had been infested with a gu worm, which had been ceaselessly devouring the power he cultivated, resulting in ten years of cultivation without any progress.

"A living Gu worm..."

Shan Xiaotian exchanged a glance with the old man Yi beside him, horror in their eyes.

What the man before them said was too terrifying for them to believe.

A Gu worm inside his body, and for ten years... so many renowned doctors had failed to detect it. How could this man have seen it?

"I know you don't believe me, but I can prove it right now!"

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan knew they didn't believe him. He smiled and said, "Do you have any silver needles or something like that here?"

"Yes!"

Old man Yi nodded, turned and walked into the room. After a short while, he came back with a box of silver needles.

Prolonged illness made a doctor of the patient. With the young master's illness treated daily, such common items could always be found.

"Alright, I'll help you catch it out now..."

With a light smile, Zhang Xuan casually picked up a silver needle and flicked it with his finger.

Tinkle!

The silver needle fell to the ground less than three meters away from him.

"Ahem, I don't have any strength right now. Come closer..."

Seeing the sudden silence around him, Zhang Xuan felt embarrassed.

He was used to shooting needles from a distance, but only now remembered that he couldn't use any true energy at all. At this moment, he was no different from a cripple.

"Alright."

Although he felt this man wasn't very reliable, Shan Xiaotian hesitated for a moment and then walked over.

It was already this bad; he might as well try anything.

Taking out another silver needle, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and, according to the location recorded in the library, stabbed it fiercely.

Ding!

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Without strength, the silver needle couldn't even pierce the other's skin.

Although Shan Xiaotian couldn't cultivate, his actual cultivation was at the sixth level of the Saint Domain. Such a person, nourished by mercury spiritual energy for years, had a body tempered to be harder than steel, definitely not something he could easily pierce.

"Please help me out!"

Zhang Xuan turned his head.

Old Yi came over from one side, pointed his finger, and a stream of true qi entered the silver needle. In the blink of an eye, the bent needle became straight. With a "swish!" it pierced into Shan Xiaotian's body.

Bang!

Zhang Xuan had just stepped forward to control the silver needle when he saw it fly back out at an even faster speed, directly embedding into the wall and disappearing.

Shan Xiaotian and Old Yi both widened their eyes, especially the former, who was utterly incredulous.

As the one involved, he knew he hadn't used any force, yet the silver needle had flown out so fast. Could it be... that there really was something else inside his body?

"You should have felt it—it was the gu worm that pushed the needle back out..." Zhang Xuan explained.

With his current strength, killing the gu worm was certainly out of the question, but the worm's counterattack had made its presence clearly felt.

"There really is a gu worm?"

Shan Xiaotian was speechless.

If before he hadn't believed it at all, now he was somewhat shaken.

Not to mention that he hadn't exerted any force; even if he had, it would have been impossible to drive such a fine silver needle backward into the rock wall without leaving a trace.

"That thrust just now, though it didn't harm it at all, did reveal its location. Barring accidents, it will seek a new home, and as it moves, you'll feel the power of true qi, and your injured leg will also be relieved!"

Zhang Xuan said: "Of course, this is only temporary. Once it settles down, everything will return to how it was. The only way is to find a way to kill it!"

"This..."

Shan Xiaotian found it hard to believe, but before long, his eyes went wide, and he looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

Because, just as the other had said, he indeed felt a flow of true qi inside his body, and then his numb left leg seemed to regain sensation.

He couldn't help but take a few steps forward, and he walked just like a normal person, without any hindrance.

But this feeling lasted only a dozen breaths before stopping, and his leg became as wooden as before.

"Now you should believe it, right..."

Seeing his expression, Zhang Xuan knew his diagnosis had been completely correct, and he smiled lightly.

"Your disciple pays respects to the teacher!"

Without further hesitation, Shan Xiaotian knelt down.

So many famous doctors had examined him without any effect, yet this man, with just a glance and without even approaching, had identified the root cause, and everything had happened exactly as he said. This alone proved he was a man of great skill.

"Rise."

After the other had formally performed the disciple's ceremony, Zhang Xuan helped him up.

Accepting him as a disciple was also a way to repay the life-saving grace.

"Teacher... how do we deal with this gu worm?"

After the ceremony, Shan Xiaotian looked at him.

Before, not knowing, he hadn't felt anything, but now that he knew a worm was growing inside him, he could no longer bear it. If it wasn't removed soon, he might not be able to eat or sleep.

"Once my injuries heal, it will be easy to deal with..."

Zhang Xuan said.

If he weren't severely injured, with the Heavenly Dao true qi surging into the other's body, the so-called gu worm wouldn't last a single breath. But now, unable to use his true qi, even knowing where the thing was, he couldn't kill it.

What's more, it had even smugly shot the silver needle out, practically challenging his bottom line.

"Heal your injuries?"

Shan Xiaotian was taken aback, then said: "That's simple. I have many precious healing medicines here, originally intended for you to take, but since you were unconscious, I dared not use them. Now is the perfect time to swallow them. Once they dissolve in your body, you should recover most of your strength before long!"

Powerful healing medicines have too strong an effect; taking them while unconscious would be counterproductive unless there's enough true qi to help dissolve the medicine.

And since he couldn't cultivate, he had never done so.

Old Yi went back into the room and soon returned with a jade bottle. He gently pulled out the stopper, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted over.

It was an eighth-grade healing pill.

Zhang Xuan took it, swallowed it, and after a moment, couldn't help shaking his head: "This medicine is useless for me..."

Though he appeared to have no strength now, he was actually a Broken Void expert at the fourth level of the Ancient Sage realm. An eighth-grade pill might be a miraculous healing medicine for someone at the sixth level of the Saint Domain, but for him, it was utterly useless.

"Useless?"

Shan Xiaotian had Old Yi fetch the best healing medicines from the house, but none of them helped much.

"Is there a large marketplace here where I can buy healing pills or medicinal herbs?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"There is a marketplace, but... the herbs and pills sold there are of low grade. These medicines I have were bought there..." Shan Xiaotian scratched his head.

These medicines were useless for the man before him; even if he bought more, it would be pointless.

"Then where can I find higher-grade pills?"

Zhang Xuan asked.

If his injuries didn't heal, he couldn't treat the other, and if he couldn't treat him, not to mention lasting three days, he might not even survive the night.

"Cultivators buy higher-grade pills using the [Divine Communication Jade Talisman]! Once the transaction is successful, the item arrives quickly, without much delay..." Shan Xiaotian said.

"Divine Communication Jade Talisman?" Zhang Xuan paused, then asked: "Where can I find this item? Or can it be bought?"