After dinner, the Guozhao Hunters were diligently practicing their horse stance in the inn's courtyard, their forms disciplined and steady. Deming, feeling restless and out of place, walked to Yang Bao's room and sat tentatively at the table, observing his surroundings. He looked around; Yang Bao's room was strikingly different from Guozhao Zhiqiang's.
In Guozhao Zhiqiang's room, there was only one elegant painting of their Shimu on the wall, a singular focus, but Yang Bao's room was a vibrant sanctuary, full of lush flowers and verdant plants, their leaves unfurling in pots. More than thirty meticulously labeled medicine cabinets lined one entire wall, and the strong, earthy medicinal odor filled the room, a testament to Yang Bao's dedication to healing. After waiting for two quiet hours, Yang Bao finally knocked softly on the door and entered, his face tired but kind.
Yang Bao looked at Deming, a gentle smile on his face. "Brother Deming, you can sleep on the bed. It's more comfortable."
Deming, still wary of comfort and accustomed to hardship, declined. "No, Brother Yang. I'm sleeping in that corner over there," he said, pointing to a secluded spot on the floor, a familiar sense of humility guiding him.
"No, you can sleep on the bed," Yang Bao insisted, his voice firm but warm. "I still want to meditate some more tonight, so I won't be using it right away."
"Brother Yang," Deming began, a flicker of desperate hope in his eyes, "Brother Yu asked me to ask you for a teleport talisman, if you have one to spare."
"Even if you have the talisman, Brother Deming, if you don't understand the equip spells, it's just a piece of paper with some symbols on it," Yang Bao replied gently, explaining the magic. He took out a talisman from his robe and handed it to Deming, a small, yellow rectangle. "Also, you are a human being; our talismans don't work for humans in the same way, they're attuned to our spiritual energy."
"What is the spell?" Deming asked, his voice filled with a desperate curiosity, clutching the talisman.
"Brother Deming, I'm sorry," Yang Bao said, his voice regretful. "You are not a hunter of Guozhao Hunters. I can't teach you the spell. Unless... Senior Brother agrees, then it is his decision."
Deming, his heart sinking with disappointment, returned the yellow paper talisman to Yang Bao. "Here, take it back," he said, his voice flat. He looked at Yang Bao, a bitter truth in his eyes. "I don't understand spells, you are right. When I look at it, it's just a piece of paper with symbols on it, useless to me."
Yang Bao shook his head, pushing the talisman back into Deming's hand. "You keep it, Brother Deming. In case Senior Brother agrees, he will teach you how to use it. It's a gift."
"Thanks," Deming said, his voice soft, tucking the talisman carefully inside his inner robe, a fragile hope rekindled.
Suddenly, there were hard, frantic knocks on the door, followed by Yu Lei bursting into the room, his face pale with alarm. "Second Senior Brother, go to the main dining room! Quickly!"
Yang Bao stood up instantly, his medical instincts kicking in. "What's the matter, Ah Lei?"
Yu Lei, panting, said in a panicked rush, "Xiao Mei and her party just came back with three seriously injured juniors! They look terrible!"
"What?!" Yang Bao exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock and concern. He grabbed his pill box, a small, intricate container of emergency medicines, and rushed out with Yu Lei, their footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Deming, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and curiosity, hurriedly followed the rest of the hunters into the chaotic dining hall. There, amidst the frantic activity, he met Guozhao Zhiqiang and Hu Dingxiang again, their paths crossing once more.
Guozhao Zhiqiang only glanced at Deming once, his gaze brief but intense, before refocusing his attention, his face grim, on the seriously injured men writhing on the floor. In the main dining hall, everyone was a whirlwind of motion, a desperate effort to save lives.
Xiong Lifeng, ordered her workers to quickly make room for the injured hunters, clearing tables and chairs.
Tam Liang, his voice thick with worry, knelt beside Tam Kun, who was convulsing on the floor. "Ah Kun, hang in there! Senior Brother, he can't hold on any longer!" He tried his best to hold Tam Kun's flailing hands down to the floor, his own strength barely enough. He looked at Tam Kun, who was lying on the floor, writhing, turning, and grunting in agonizing pain, his body contorted.
Suddenly, Tam Kun, two female huntresses, and Hu Dingxiang, all afflicted, began to vomit blood, their bodies seizing.
Guozhao Zhiqiang, his voice calm amidst the chaos, commanded, "Help them sit down, quickly!" He looked at Yang Bao, his gaze sharp. "Ah Bao, save those two juniors first! They're in critical condition!"
Yang Bao hurriedly sat behind the two female huntresses, his hands already glowing with spiritual energy, and passed his healing energy to the two injured huntresses, his face etched with concentration.
Xiao Mei looked at Tam Qiu, her voice urgent. "Ah Qiu, use your needle to pin the larva in place and cut it out! It's the only way!"
Tam Qiu nodded, her face pale but determined, already preparing her tools.
Guozhao Zhiqiang, his face grim, put his hands on the backs of Hu Dingxiang and Tam Kun, his spiritual energy flowing into them, forcing the parasitic larva to the surface of their skin. He turned and looked at Xiao Mei, his voice sharp. "Quickly locate the larva, Xiao Mei!"
Xiao Mei, her eyes scanning their bodies, said, "Ah Kun... Childe Hu, pay attention. Where do you feel the most crawling and pain? Pinpoint it!"
Tam Kun snorted painfully, his voice choked, "Left...upper...arm… It burns!"
Hu Dingxiang grunted, his body twitching, "Stomach… It's twisting!"
Xiao Mei immediately lifted Tam Kun's left sleeve and, with a gasp of grim satisfaction, saw the larva move rapidly up and down under the skin, a grotesque ripple. She pulled out a thin, gold needle and, with lightning speed, pinned the larva in place, immobilizing it. She then took out a small, sharp knife, made a swift, precise incision into Tam Kun's left arm, and with a practiced flick, pulled out the squirming larva. The larva was the size of two fingers and about the length of one finger, a repulsive, segmented creature. She quickly checked Tam Kun; it seemed that this larva was the only one in him. She then turned her attention to Hu Dingxiang.
Xiao Mei said, her voice firm, "Childe Hu, I have to take off your robe to get to the larvae."
Hu Dingxiang screamed in pain, a guttural sound of agony, and his spiritual energy, uncontrolled, violently counterattacked Guozhao Zhiqiang's spiritual energy, pushing Guozhao Zhiqiang back a step.
Yu Lei jumped forward with Tam Liang, their faces grim, and together they held Hu Dingxiang, who was thrashing wildly, to the floor. Yu Lei shouted, "Senior Brothers, he is going to lose control! Help me hold him down!"
Tam Liang and Yu Lei held Hu Dingxiang's legs firmly to the floor. Guozhao Zhiqiang, regaining his composure, grabbed Hu Dingxiang's two wrists and pressed them to the floor, pinning him down with immense strength. Xiao Mei quickly untied Hu Dingxiang's robe, and they could clearly see, to their horror, that there were two larvae moving rapidly up and down Hu Dingxiang's abdomen, just beneath his skin.
"Childe Hu keeps twisting and turning, I can't kill it!" Xiao Mei said, her voice strained, struggling to pin them. She looked at Guozhao Zhiqiang, her eyes wide with urgency. "Do something to distract him, Senior Brother, hurry…!"
Guozhao Zhiqiang stared at the two grotesque larvae moving under Hu Dingxiang's skin, a wave of disgust and cold fury washing over him. At this critical moment, a desperate, unexpected plan formed. He lowered his head and sealed his mouth to Hu Dingxiang's mouth, pressing their lips together. The sudden, intimate contact made Hu Dingxiang stop moving, his thrashing ceasing instantly, and he stared directly into Guozhao Zhiqiang's eyes, stunned into stillness.
Everyone inside the dining hall, witnessing the shocking kiss, was stunned into silence, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Xiao Mei, seizing the unexpected opportunity, quickly pinned the two larvae down with her two gold needles. She quickly made a small incision for each and, with swift, practiced movements, pulled the first larva out.
Hu Dingxiang, overwhelmed by the pain and the shock of the kiss, fainted, collapsing into unconsciousness, while Guozhao Zhiqiang was still kissing him, maintaining the contact.
After the second larva was incised and removed, Guozhao Zhiqiang finally parted his lips from Hu Dingxiang's and removed his hands from Hu Dingxiang's wrists. He glanced back, searching for Deming, but Deming was gone, vanished from the hall. He stood up, his face grim, and looked at the two remaining Hu disciples. "I think your young master can't move for a while," he stated, his voice flat. He looked at Xiong Lifeng.. "Auntie, do you have any space for them to rest and recover?"
Xiong Lifeng nodded, her face still pale from the shocking scene, turned to the two waiters, and said, "Clean the room for these four hunters, quickly, and prepare them for rest."
Yang Bao looked at Yu Lei, his voice tired. "Ah Lei, help her to her room," he instructed, referring to one of the injured huntresses.
Yu Lei picked up one of the seriously injured classmates and, with careful movements, brought her back to her prepared room. The three Snow Sector disciples, still shaken, helped the unconscious Hu Dingxiang upstairs and entered the room prepared for them by the waiters.
Guozhao Zhiqiang and Yang Bao were sitting quietly at a table, the chaos subsiding, and the juniors helped to clean up the dining hall, restoring order. Yang Bao poured Guozhao Zhiqiang a cup of warm tea, its steam rising gently.
"How did this happen, Senior Brother?" Yang Bao asked, his voice low, seeking answers.
"I don't know," Guozhao Zhiqiang replied, his gaze distant. "I was summoned. When I arrived, they were all like this, convulsing. Xiao Mei said that they just rested for a while, drank some water from a stream, and suddenly they were in pain, collapsing."
"Where is this stream?" Yang Bao asked, his brow furrowed, connecting the dots.
Guozhao Zhiqiang drank his tea slowly. "Near the abandoned village where we found Deming."
Yang Bao looked at Guozhao Zhiqiang, a dawning realization in his eyes. "We were there two days ago, and we also met a crazy woman who was possessed by a spirit who escaped from Peach Blossom Valley. The spirit was caught, Nianzu cleaned up the place, and the other spirits moved on, but we didn't find any larvae."
"Maybe these larvae are the cause of the extinction of the entire village, the reason it was abandoned," Guozhao Zhiqiang mused, a grim possibility.
"We will rest for tonight and go back tomorrow to have a look, investigate properly." Just when the two stood up and were about to leave, Yang Bao stopped Guozhao Zhiqiang, a slight smile on his face. "Senior Brother, Lim Junjie is in your room, waiting for you."
"What about?" Guozhao Zhiqiang asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
Yang Bao smiled, a knowing glint in his eye. "He is in my room now, Senior Brother. I will go sleep with Nianzu tonight."
"Thank you, Ah Bao," Guozhao Zhiqiang said, a rare note of gratitude in his voice.
Yang Bao smiled warmly at Guozhao Zhiqiang. "Senior Brother, Deming is a man with many scars, deep emotional wounds. So, if you want to heal those scars, truly heal him, maybe it's best to open up and have a heart-to-heart talk with him. Honesty is the key."
"I understand," Guozhao Zhiqiang said, his gaze distant, pondering Yang Bao's advice.
Yang Bao smiled at Guozhao Zhiqiang, then looked back at the other juniors, who were finishing their cleanup. "That's it. Everyone, rest, we still have important things to do tomorrow. Nianzu, I'll sleep with you in your room tonight."
"Sure, Second Senior Brother," Lee Nianzu replied. He walked towards the inn's manager, Uncle Tong. "Uncle Tong, before we set off tomorrow, is there anything else we can help you with?"
"No, thank you, young hunters," Manager Tong said, his voice filled with relief and gratitude. "You've done more than enough."
The hunters followed Guozhao Zhiqiang and Yang Bao back towards the quiet back rooms of the inn, ready for a much-needed rest after the eventful night.