Ch17 – Zhong Gu

The deepest cave in Lao Miao Cave was spacious enough for ten people to walk side by side. On the cliff were simple and crude sculptures left behind from an unknown era. There were pictures of the Miao people working at sunrise and returning at sunset, as well as pictures of them raising and taming Gu and driving them away. The most central and conspicuous figure was a woman. She held a wooden staff in her hand and was surrounded by four light masses, in which were carved toads, black scorpions, tarantulas and geckos.

Chongshan split in front of her, and the waves of the Yangtze River receded. She led the Miao people to take root in the mountains in the southwest and establish the original tribe. The circle representing the sun on the top of the head was carved with the word “Wu” in the small seal script. 

This was the ancestor of the Wu family. She discovered and taught the Miao people how to train and control poisonous animals such as toads. Even so, the four poisonous beasts that followed the ancestor of the Wu Matriarch for the longest can only be painted on the periphery. The ancestor of the Wu Matriarch held a stick in her right hand and a butterfly in her left hand.

Butterflies were the totem of the Miao people, and also the legendary Gu that could give birth to everything.

Under the four insects totem in the cave, there was a white stone platform, which was carved into four insects from left to right. The stone platform was hollowed out and very delicate. It was possible to see different jars inside through the patterns outside.

Some were ordinary pottery jars, some were specially treated wooden jars, and some were jade jars carved from jadeite, each were different according to the habits of the species. In the heyday of the stronghold, there was a Gu king in every jar, but with the spirit recovery, the climate suddenly changed. Many Gu could not adapt to the environment and died in turn. Although there were still some descendants of Gu species in the Old Miao Cave, the Gu King had not been born for a long time, and the stronghold had gradually declined. 

Entering here, Wu Rong’s left eye was extremely painful. It seemed that there was a small awl constantly digging in it to make a small hole. But in the severe pain, the blurred vision gradually became clear. The black and gloomy fog filled the whole cave, which was ice cold and very strong, and could almost cover people’s sight. He didn’t know if it was an illusion. The fog where Wu Rong was was much lighter, just like thick ink and ink drops that were diluted by water.

In the view of the left eye, those white stone platforms radiated faint white light, but that light did not have any life fluctuations, just the residual light over the years. It would completely dissipate after a long time.

In addition to the stone platform, the butterflies on the fingertips of the Wu master’s carvings were also glowing. Feeling something, Wu Rong stepped forward, his height was just as high as the face of the stone carving, whom his grandmother had told him thousands of instructions to remember before departure. Wu Rong knew what to do.

He took out his own knife and cut his finger. First he pointed at the carved eyes, then at the center of her eyebrows, the tip of her nose and her ears. The Wu Gu masters believed that there was special energy in these places, which was also the source of power to control the Gu.

The world seen by the left eye was quite different from the one seen by the right eye. Wu Rong saw that the black fog in the cave seemed to have been poked by the hornets of his hometown, half of them rushed to the statue, and half of them rushed to him. This was the Yin Qi infusion. The survival requirements of the Zhong Gu were more demanding than other Gu. Women normally couldn’t bear it, let alone men. There was a record in the stronghold that a man of the Wu once carried it with great perseverance and inherited the Zhong Gu, but later he gradually became a woman.

She was a real woman, and later she gave birth to the twin sisters, Grandma Wu and Wu Rao, without any falsehood.

Wu Rong held a snake shaped wood carving in his hand, which was also the basis for Grandma Wu to finally let him go to the Lao Miao Cave. The snake-shaped wood carving was the original habitat of the Qingling Gu. If there was too much Yin Qi and he couldn’t bear it, as long as Wu Rong dropped blood on it, the Qingling Gu could bear most of the Yin Qi for him. Even so, the sharp pain of Yin Qi pouring into the body was unbearable for ordinary people, not to mention also maintaining a clear mind.

Wu Rong was ready to endure the pain and let those turbulent black fog crash on him. 

The black fog didn’t wash him in.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Llr rxlc kjr rilutais mglrq jcv cewy, jcv atf klcv obgwfv ys atf yijmx obu kjr geyylcu bc tlr ybvs regojmf, yea atfs mbeivc’a fcafg Qe Ebcu’r ybvs lc jcs mjrf. Pa’r ilxf j pjg oeii bo kjafg atja mjc’a tbiv jcs wbgf kjafg, jcv Qe Ebcu’r ybvs kjr cba ‘kjafg’.

It was a more gloomy and evil thing than black fog, and the gap between it and the black fog was like solid and gas. Any leakage could create a more intense negative aura than the black fog.

But Wu Rong’s body was like a specially made jar, which locked these things firmly inside. 

The black fog that came in a rush had nowhere to go. It circled Wu Rong for several times, and finally all rushed towards his left eye.

The pain in his eyes was gone.

Wu Rong’s left eye was like a bottomless hole, and the cool black fog flowing into his eyes was just like a drop of eyedrops. The pain and dryness were all eliminated. Wu Rong winked and closed his right eye. The world seen by the left eye was particularly clear and bright. There was less and less black fog in the cave, such as a drop of water. When the water reached a certain level, a flickering light particle appeared on the left hand of the statue.

It was an egg, crystal clear, bright, like a diamond. 

This was the Zhong Gu.

Wu Rong would soak it with blood until it hatches.
It’s just that his situation was too different from what Grandma Wu said, he didn’t absorb the fog. Wu Rong didn’t know whether the yin in his blood was enough to hatch the Zong Gu

The temperature in the cave was still dropping, and people in summer clothes would feel extremely cold, but Wu Rong felt extremely good. The black fog was almost sucked up by his left eye, and the feeling of a chisel appeared again. This time, it was very mild, not painful, but slightly itchy, as if something was gestating.

The blood drops were dripping on the Zhong Gu, one drop and two drops. The blood drops were absorbed by the Gu as soon as they fell. At the same time, Wu Rong felt that he had established a certain relationship with the egg. A very tender and vague voice tried to convey his desire to him. 

No, not enough.

‘This blood is far from enough.’ Wu Rong twisted his eyebrows, and the blade fell on his wrist.

The blood flowed like a torrent, completely submerging the Gu. Its white shell was finally stained with a little red, like a blood plum blooming in the snow. But it stopped before it was half red.

Not enough, not enough! 

Zhong Gu were young and greedy.

Still more!

The vertigo of excessive blood loss came in, Wu Rong’s fingertips were cold, and his thinking was in a little trance. The voice of Zhong Gu contained some kind of temptation, trying to control his thinking, especially when he lost too much blood. Zhong Gu were the king of thousands of Gu. The game between them was extremely dangerous. If one was really lured carelessly, they would eventually become blood depleted mummies.

No one taught him how to grasp the degree that just wakes up the Zhong Gu without making him faint. This was a necessary test. The contest between wills was like taming animals. Only the bravest, calmest and most determined person in the world can tame the Gu species. 

This blood was really not enough.

Wu Rong calmly thought that his right wrist had just been cut, and he looked at his left hand.

The bandage wrapped on the wrist was lifted with a knife, revealing a little dark red ghost pattern. Wu Rong did not hesitate, and the blade fell.

The blood soaked the Gu. Wu Rong leaned against the rock wall and seemed to integrate into the mural. He couldn’t bear to close his eyes and breathe because of too much blood loss. The greedy clamour of the Zhong Gu became more and more harsh and sharp, but Wu Rong ignored it. He kept his balance in his weakness and remained calm as before. 

It should be enough this time.

The blood from the left wrist dyed the Gu with red. It also dyed the bandage red. Wu Rong was closing his eyes, and did not see the bloody red light from the blood-soaked ghost veins. The bandage broke off inch by inch, flying like snowflakes, and all the ghost marks on his left arm had turned scarlet.

Wu Rong shivered, and a cold feeling from nowhere enveloped him. His bone seams were frozen, which were very cold. Especially at the wrist wound, Wu Rong opened his eyes and found that his wound had healed and no longer bled. The wrist was cold, like a man carved from ice and snow was holding his wrist.

More! Still more! Need more! Also—— 

Like a reread machine, the Zhong Gu, who was always shouting in Wu Rong’s mind, suddenly burst into tears, as if he was scared by some ghost. He cried and howled, fearing:

Wow – no, no, no, no, no!

At the same time, the Zhong Gu quickly ingratiate itself like a maple leaf in an orange glow, and it was ready to recognize its Master.

Wu Rong stared at it and saw the torn bandage on his left arm. 

Did that big ghost come out?!

Wu Rong was wary of leaning against the rock wall and looked around blankly. He could see nothing. Naturally, he didn’t know that his current alert posture made it more convenient for him to be confined by some things. If the Yin Qi and resentment were real, Wu Rong would be pressed on the cliff. Only his hand was held in vain. It seemed that the ghost was looking at his wound. The cold feeling ran across his wrist, and the wound on his right wrist was no longer bleeding.

But those blood stains solidified on the skin were wiped away by the cold. Strangely, Wu Rong did not feel too much malice from its actions.

‘After becoming a domestic ghost, an orphan is almost in the same state as a newborn.’ 

Wu Rong recalled Zhou Xun’s education as a novice ghost keeper.

‘Although the strength will be greatly reduced, it will also be closer to you. You have to feed it slowly with the paper money and cultivate its feelings. Then it will listen to you. ‘

But now was not the time to coax ghosts. The Zhong Gu has been flashing like alarm lights for several minutes. If it was not recovered, accidents may occur. Wu Rong thought about how to communicate with the ‘newborn’ from his barren experience, reluctantly and patiently, patted the air in front of him, and coaxed the big dog into saying:

“Go play aside.” 

At the same time, the three evil Miao people who had long been lurking in the Lao Miao Cave were ready to move.

“The Zhong Gu was really awakened!”

“That guy lost too much blood. I guess he’s going to die. It’s just cheap for us brothers.”

Wu Rong, who was immobilized by the Yin pressure on the rock wall, really looked like in a coma, which made these evil Miao greedy. In addition, excessive fear will lead to nervous breakdown, which will blind people to the danger in front of them. They just want to finish the task quickly and leave this cursed place.
“Kill the Wu guy first, and then seize the Zhong Gu!”
The strong man did not hesitate to take off his gun, aiming at Wu Rong from afar, and his eyes were full of excitement and greed. 

TL note:
I hope I haven’t butchered the cool Gu species’ name
The Gu’s name is 蛊种 (Zhǒng Gǔ)