"Again?" The boy appeared bemused by what he learned from the Sect. "First, Xu Hao wants me out. Then he wants me back. That man has wasted his Wisdom Path Inheritance with his paranoia. What did he think I would be doing aside from keeping watch? Scheme till my last breath?"
He exhaled and lay on the clouds.
'Three days… I'll be gone for three days. Huh. Maybe that's what Xu Hao wants. But he knows better than to ruin the sect's chance of understanding one of our oldest Inheritances.'
The boy mused quietly. While not a Wisdom Path Immortal, the rights of being intelligent did not solely lay in the hands of those scheming bunch.
'These two won't be leaving for a while. Three days shouldn't be fatal. Qin Juan also has the sect's life-saving treasure. And until we are sure of Bai Shou's nature and alignment, Qin Juan will remain my priority.'
'Ah, almost forgot. The act of destroying the Blood Guillotine deserves a reward… but I hoped Bai Shou would be smarter than that and just destroy the insects it generated.'
Still, he respected Bai Shou's choices. Blood Path has always remained a controversial topic in the Gu Master's and Gu Immortal's communities alike. Had Blood Sea Ancestor been slightly merciful with his methods, Blood Path may have surpassed every other Path in the modern era. However, expecting a cruel world to not create crueler sons and daughters was a fantasy.
Perhaps Bai Shou truly despised the Blood Path… but the deceptive Immortal lying above clouds knew not to believe that bullshit. It may have worked on Qin Juan… but that was fine. Everybody wore a mask.
With the clues settled, the boy took his leave.
<<<>>>
Going all out was a relative term for Gu Masters. For an ordinary mortal, going all out meant exerting their entire effort. However, the same couldn't be said for a Gu Master. After all, a Gu Master's 100% was too broad of a concept. Did a Gu Master's 100% mean using the entire Gu in their arsenal? Was it to strategize their set into forming Killer Moves out of it? Was it to go all out even after using everything? Or was it to invest in defeating their enemy without a care for cost?
It could be something else entirely.
All of it depended on the Gu Master itself.
For Bai Shou… she certainly did not go all out. She barely used a fraction of her might—not even needing a single Killer Move. Well, the combined use of Rank 5 Multiply and Beating Refinement could be considered one, but that was the beauty of the Rule Path, most of its Basic Gu Worms were outstanding for enhancing the effects of the Gu Worms originating from other Paths.
Her objective was to understand Qin Juan. A peaceful journey wasn't exactly the best scenario to observe what the latter was made of. Slightly naive, yes. But she wasn't hopeless or a moron that preached justice and righteousness to all those who were foolish enough to have hours of their lives wasted. To Bai Shou's fortune, Qin Juan wasn't a crying mess after every fuck-up. And hey, she could have tried forcing Qin Juan to do things her way, but there was nothing like the taste of failure to fuel one's growth. Bai Shou certainly knew that much from experience.
"No, no, no!" Qin Juan shook her head. "You said it, Sister Bai. Remember? The Pig Triplets? We cannot stay here too long, or your target will escape! What about the rewards you wanted?"
Lying on her side, lazy and annoyed, Bai Shou scratched her ass without a lick of shame, something that made the corner of Qin Juan's eye twitch uncontrollably. "What Gu Master doesn't dream of owning their faction? Besides, I could collect what I want using this Sect, right? And I've never been a Sect Leader before. It could be a nice change of pace."
It's true.
The remaining Brown Yuan Sect Disciples, at least the elite of their bunch, realized how challenging the sect's survival would be without an expert leading them—encouraging them to instantly beg Bai Shou and Qin Juan to become the next Sect Leader and Elder.
The thought wasn't enticing for Bai Shou. However, there was once a time when she considered enjoying the lavish benefit of leading a Clan with Bai Lin as her consort.
Now, Bai Shou had another objective to stay. After all… the sudden Blood Calamity left the sect weak and with a LOT of bodies.
Human Corpses.
Now, wasn't it something Bai Shou could use?
She did desire a mountain of human bones, and taking it from corpses meant no other individual had to die for her cause… well, except the ones that already did.
"But…" Qin Juan fidgeted. "I can't stay…"
"Hmm? And?" Bai Shou smiled. "You can always visit, no?"
Qin Juan thinned her lips before she snorted. Bai Shou hadn't been discreet about her demand of taking the corpses of the sect disciples after they'd been buried according to the customs. She decided to respect their wishes, but it also meant more work for those who needed to dig out the graves. And Qin Juan didn't entirely mind the notion. It didn't take Bai Shou a lot of convincing either.
Most Refinement Path Gu Masters were of this sort, Yang Pao included. The subject nurtured its followers to be the more creative bunch who constantly sought inspiration. Once Qin Juan realized Bai Shou wasn't killing anyone innocent, and it was just the bones she was interested in…
Well, what was the harm in it?
Perhaps someone from the Tie Clan would take this act as a punishable offense. But it wasn't the Tie Clan. It was a small-sized sect with a group of disciples who would do anything to please Bai Shou. She would know. Only the Lord knew how many pretty sect disciples, male and female, tried to buy her favor in the last 24 hours with discreet methods of showing off their bodies or anything unique about them.
Of course, Qin Juan had to chase them away. Bai Shou… well, she wanted to see how far those guys would go. At least, she expected to just organize an orgy to pass the time. There was not much else to do—even cultivation. The thought of anyone discreet enough following Qin Juan, granted the assumption of her being a part of the Sect behind Yuan Yang City being true, forced Bai Shou to stay her hand on several matters.
"Are you going to sit here the entire time, Sister Bai?" Qin Juan frowned.
"Maybe," Bai Shou hummed.
"What about investigating the source of the Blood Demon's interest?" Qin Juan huffed.
"Oh, you can do that alone. You seem experienced enough now."
"Will you come with me?" The other woman punctuated her words with unconcealed exasperation.
"If you ask me nicely."
"Please do not play coy. You are just as interested in it!"
Bai Shou narrowed her eyes before grunting and sitting up, making Qin Juan smile in victory.
"I get to pick whatever treasure we may find."
"Why are you so stingy, Senior Bai. You're already a Rank 5 Gu Master."
"How else do you think I got to this level? Luring cute girls like you in my room? No! By being stingy!"
The truth? It was the former.
<<<>>>
Qin Juan had one thing right, Bai Shou was interested in what the Blood Demon was doing here. Opportunities like this rarely fall into one's lap, especially when she was limiting the use of Rank 5 Eye Gu to keep it from being exposed. Teasing her companion was merely an added bonus.
However, forget about locating anything at the moment. It was a challenge to get inside without making the groups of Bladewing Blood Bats attack crazily.
The entire forest was confined by a team of dedicated Rank 2 Gu Masters under Brown Yuan Sect's Acting Leader—Bai Shou.
There were some deserters, yes. The Elders had also licked the sect's treasury clean, leaving the disciples expecting the 'kind' and 'benevolent' Rank 5 Gu Master to fill the coffer. Again, who was Bai Shou to ruin their sweet dreams?
She was more focused on the issue at hand.
"There must be an underground ruins," Bai Shou muttered, observing the forest from an external clearing. "We need to act quickly before the word spreads further than it already has. Chances are that the band of Evil Gu Masters is doing just that. Maybe we scared off the Blood Path Demon before they could fulfill their objective."
"I doubt that," Qin Juan shook her head. "They had years."
"Some inheritances take more than decades to excavate," Bai Shou replied with a short smile. "Of course, we probably won't be that fortunate. But it just wouldn't be right to not check it."
"If it's that long, your mission…"
"I was never going to get there in time because of you," Bai Shou laughed casually. "You better find an appropriate payment for all my teachings and the time I'm investing."
"Hey! What payment?"
"Well, I'm not to be enjoyed for free, Dear Sister."
"But you approached me!"
"That's the first rule of being a proficient scam master—approaching the target. I'll charge you for this lesson, too. Now, come on."
Bai Shou and Qin Juan moved into the forest. The bat groups' once muffled chattering grew sharper and clearer. The pungent blood scent saturated the duo's surroundings, forcing them to slow their pace.
"Wait a moment," Qin Juan whispered before hesitating and adding. "Also… please keep me safe."
"Of course," Bai Shou smiled and watched Qin Juan close her eyes in concentration.
'Rank 4 Solvent for long-ranged option, Rank 4 Burning Streak for Movement, Rank 4 Fire Refinement that is an orthodox refinement path Gu Worm, and the Rank 4 Stable Cauldron Gu.' Bai Shou observed Qin Juan. 'The food for this Gu Set is in harmony. But it's not entirely outstanding, either. And now a Gu to scout? She might not be proficient in anything but refinement, but there aren't any glaring holes in her set aside from a healing gu. But that shouldn't be an issue. Refinement Path actually has several outstanding Healing Gu.'
Qin Juan continued standing for a while, beads of sweat soon rolling down her face. Her expression contorted with concentration and a rare intensity.
"There are eight major bat groups… others are too scattered to be identified correctly. Most of them are sleeping."
"And the underground ruins?" Bai Shou inquired. "Did you find the entrance?"
"Sorry, it doesn't work like that."
"It doesn't?" Bai Shou frowned with dissatisfaction as Qin Juan opened her eyes. "What Gu Worm are you even using?"
"Like I'd just tell you everything," Qin Juan scoffed, prompting the former to smirk.
"Now you're learning."
The duo marched ahead. Instead of avoiding the bat groups, they chose to tackle it! Why?
Because the chances of finding clues were better in the regions occupied by the bats.
Their strike was swift but less efficient. The duo did not display a method to deal widespread damage and needed to kill each bat blow-by-blow. They also understood the Bladewing Blood Bats were slightly more dangerous to the surroundings in the long run. After all, the male variant could continuously produce the female bats with enough blood. And these bats possessed keen survival instincts, going rabid once they felt their numbers decrease.
The battle was draining and tiring, forcing Qin Juan to adopt short breaks several times, unlike Bai Shou, who didn't shy from displaying the extent of her Body Refinement, not needing any Gu to smash the beast group into a meat paste.
"Do you want to continue tomorrow?" Bai Shou questioned, adjusting her hair tied into a bun. It was getting too much in her way when she fought. Meanwhile, Qin Juan shook her head. Although covered in sweat, she didn't look like someone about to fall unconscious from exertion.
"No. It's already evening. Let's continue searching before it gets too dark."
And they searched. Aside from several pools of blood, the forest had nothing conspicuous to offer.
"Don't you have any Gu Worm to scout our surroundings?" Qin Juan glanced at Bai Shou, who shrugged. "I wouldn't wait until now if I had a way. We also shouldn't forget those bastards might have destroyed the underground ruins before they ran away."
Acting under the assumption that they stood to learn something was nice, but Bai Shou also wanted to cap the maximum duration they spent on this matter. The lure of one possible Inheritance Site wouldn't make her lose sight of long-term objectives.
"Hmm? Say, Senior Bai. All those spots where we found the Blood Bats… let's draw a map," Qin Juan suddenly suggested. "Quick. Before it gets dark."
"As if darkness was ever an issue to us," Bai Shou leaned against a tree with a crooked smile. "You draw the map."
Qin Juan shrugged and crouched, using her finger to create dots where they found the blood bats, even singular ones.
Then, under Bai Shou's intrigued gaze, Qin Juan grouped several dots by connecting them until…
"A rose?"
—the geometrical shapes resembled a rose's bloom.
Qin Juan continued staring at the drawing.
"A blood rose…" she muttered. "Is it a clue?"
Then, it hit Bai Shou, which included a lack of experience with the Formation Path.
"It's a formation," Bai Shou narrowed her eyes. "Those bastards left a formation using the Blood Bats… no, they were probably there to destroy said formation nodes. Is there any other clue? Any way to crack the formation?"
"Well," Qin Juan looked away. "I noticed something else around those points. Do you know about the Illusion Wisps, Senior?"
Bai Shou tilted her head and gestured for Qin Juan to continue.
"I thought I saw it wrong… but I witnessed Illusion Wisps before, Senior. They are a strange blend of Wind and Illusion Path. The way to identify it is bizarre and cannot be noticed unless you are looking for it. These wisps delude the vision into believing the faint streak of blue and pink was nothing but our eyes adjusting to the surroundings."
"How does that help us?"
"Illusion Wisps aren't created out of nothing. They always have a source—a hidden pathway. The conditions of their appearance are very strange and unorthodox, making them an unreliable resource to nurture."
Bai Shou scoffed. "And why would you nurture it?"
"I didn't say that. I just said I saw it once before and know what it is. Out of the major eight nodes, I detected Illusion Wisps near four of them… our entrance could be there, waiting for us to crack the formation."
The Rank 5 Gu Master nodded.
"Crack it, eh?"
<<<>>>
*Crash*
The ground crumbled apart and erupted with dust as if Mother Nature itself retaliated against the force generated by Bai Shou to open up a path. The tree's splintered wood did not affect the duo, who began moving away from the rubble only to discover a dim hole further underneath that emitted an ominous red glow as the sky darkened.
"There could be traps," Qin Juan whispered with a grave expression.
"Hmm. Let's one of my brave sect disciples charge the exploration."
"Senior Bai! This is no time for humor!"
Bai Shou frowned. Joke? Her? When?
Shaking her head, Bai Shou exhaled and couldn't help but grumble. "I was too hasty to destroy that Blood Guillotine. It could have been useful now."
Qin Juan shook her head.
"No. You did the right thing. There has to be a way to inspect the cavern's interior."
"Let's deal with the other entrances," Bai Shou suggested, and they moved.
Formations couldn't always be destroyed in such a manner. However, no individual controlled or supplied it with essence. Furthermore, the formation was built to conceal and not defend the entrances.
*Drip*
*Drip*
*Drip*
The duo finally encountered an entrance with a staircase leading down into a massive hall built to contain a large pool of blood. Droplets of crimson blood continued to flow from the ground and into the pool, creating echoes of dripping noise. However, the most intriguing thing about the entrance was the murals drawn on both sides of the wall, which did not appear to lead to any further path.
On the right hall was a mural depicting a young man who was persecuted by his surroundings. He was soon forced to enter a massive pond with a large snake inside it. The mural's markings were dark maroon.
Meanwhile, the mural on the left showed a concealed figure digging graves, and in the center laid the very same blood pool where the duo stood.
Bai Shou traced the lines of the mural, hoping to activate some mechanism. However, nothing happened.
"There's been no test of any sort. Maybe it's not inheritance," Qin Juan hummed as she frowned. "Or maybe they were creating an inheritance. The murals on the wall could depict the background of the mysterious Blood Path Gu Master who escaped.
"Could be," Bai Shou didn't decline such a reasonable theory. "But the only path further seems to be diving into the Blood Pool."
She then paused and looked at Qin Juan with a smile.
"Or using a Gu Worm that can travel into a pool of water, like a certain Rank 3 Reflective Pond House Gu."
Qin Juan quietly crossed her arms and mulled over the matter before grunting and waving her hand. A blue light emerged from her Aperture and entered the blood pool, quickly transforming into a pale blue box.
"Wait here for a minute."
Qin Juan didn't explain anything or care if Bai Shou mistook her actions for moving forward alone. She hastily entered the Gu House and emerged only after a few minutes with an even expression that betrayed no emotion.
"You can enter," Qin Juan hummed, avoiding Bai Shou's knowing smirk.
"It wasn't anything like that. Just… just quickly enter."
The Gu House's interior was small and congested, barely good enough for one individual, much less a second one. However, they made do, observing the outside using the one-sided see-through walls as Qin Juan controlled the Gu Worm to descend into the Blood Pool.
***
Alternate Title: Guarding Immortal Leaves? What Could Go Wrong?; When In Doubt, It Is The Heaven's Will You Shall Call Out; Bai Shou The Sect Leader?; Qin Juan Panics; Bai Shou's New Rule As The Sect Leader: Daily Orgies; Exploring The Forest; Hints; Sprinkled Methods; Human Bones Achieved; Imagine The Plight Of Disciples Who Just Buried Their Friends Before Being Ordered To Dig Them Out; Bai Shou Casually Creates Villain Origin Stories; The Reward?; Qin Juan Is Another Cutey; OG FY: Meets Every Murderous Freak of Nature *Meanwhile Lo Jik/Bai Shou: Unlimited Waifu Works*; The Mural; The Blood Pond; Entering The Site; Questions; The Strange Grounds; The Gu House; Qin Juan Was Cleaning Out Her Stuff
***
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