Twilight Boundary-Chapter 393 - 389: Real or Fake?
"We were able to hear Master Tai Sui’s voice because when we refined gu insects, we inevitably had to come into contact with, or even ingest, more Black Tai Sui. It was due to the Witch God’s blessing that we could know what was being nurtured inside this mine."
"That is the Holy Gu—the Holy Gu waiting for us to release it, the incarnation of the Witch God."
Facing Wuya, whose expression had already become extremely strange, the Wugong Clan Chief spoke in an unusually grave tone. "But those Han people are very capable too. They have also found out from other means what exactly is inside this mine."
"They can afford to lose, but we cannot. So, we must seize this opportunity to help the Witch God descend. It will grant us all the blood food mine, and It will protect us Witches, to become the Emperor of these Han people."
"And you, no matter the cost, must take back the gu your brother refined and become the Gu Holder for the respected Witch God."
Wuya stared at him for a long, long time before she finally showed some reaction. Her empty eyes seemed to twitch a little; then, under his gaze, she nodded.
"This is our only chance—the only chance to return to the ancestral hall!"
The Wugong Clan Chief relaxed and took a deep breath, then looked at the Gu Bowl in Wuya’s hand. Slowly, he picked up a small silver knife and gradually inserted it into his chest, cutting himself open bit by bit.
As he moved, it seemed as if something inside his body sensed this and was quickly moving around; occasionally a lump would swell beneath his skin. The Wugong Clan Chief endured the pain, forcing the knife across his body, gradually carving out a bizarre pattern.
The moment the pattern formed, an expression of extreme pain crossed the Wugong Clan Chief’s face. Suddenly, from the center of the pattern, a bloody head drilled out, resembling that of a baby.
In the next moment, he quickly opened the cover on the gu insect, and the bloody infant-worm swiftly crawled into the Gu Bowl.
This was the true gu insect; the Wugong Clan Chief had indeed held back one move.
Zhuang Erchang was smart. As soon as reinforcements arrived, he immediately destroyed his Gu Bowl. This was the most vicious method; all Witches shared a common weakness—if their Gu Bowl was destroyed, it was as if their entire cultivation was destroyed, just like a Shousui man losing his cultivation.
But Zhuang Erchang had underestimated the Wugong Clan Chief’s determination in this matter. This time, when refining gu, he was not using a Gu Bowl but his own body, using himself as the vessel.
This was no longer the usual method of refining gu insects. It was akin to offering himself to the gu insect. This served two purposes: first, to guard against unforeseen changes, and second, to refine a stronger gu insect incarnation to better guide the revered Witch God into the human world.
WHOOSH!
As the Wugong Clan Chief spat out the gu insect, it immediately clashed with the one already in the bowl. The winged insect in the bowl, already on its last legs, was instantly devoured. The gu insect’s body kept changing until, faintly, the Wugong Clan Chief’s face appeared on it.
This face suddenly roared silently, the sound echoing from the bowl throughout the entire valley.
Wuya slowly reached out, picked up the Gu Bowl, and with an awkward, twisted posture, crawled bit by bit towards the mine, which was covered with a red cloth.
HOO...
The Gu Bees, swarming and hovering in the air, parted to either side as she crawled past on the ground below. It was as if an invisible sword had sliced through the swarm of Gu Bees.
Mine Chief Zhuang Erchang, his apprentices, several managers from the Meat Cutting workers, and those who hadn’t managed to escape were all affected. Even those who had followed Old Master Sun but hadn’t been taken away by him were included. All had been stung by the gu poison until they were blue and swollen, lying unconscious. Even Zhuang Erchang, despite his high cultivation, could only lean against a nearby pillar, letting the gu poison sting him, unable to move.
This is bad...
At this moment, in the chaotic valley, Old Calculation was hiding with Zhou Datong and others, heads huddled together, with a strainer on his head. Old Calculation had originally wanted to squeeze in between Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and the few other Shousui men. After all, Shousui men had thicker skin; if stung by the Corpse Nourishing Bees, they could bear it a bit longer. He, on the other hand, would die instantly. But because he was not as strong as the Shousui men, he was squeezed to the very edge. However, this position allowed him to clearly see what the Witches were doing over there, especially the scene where Wuya was forced to eat Black Tai Sui and the Wugong Clan Chief cut open his own chest to extract the gu insect.
Connecting all the clues, he had already realized something terrifying. He muttered blankly, "These Witches are insane! Are they trying to welcome their worshipped Witch God to the human world?"
"But... but this branch of Witches was expelled..."
"Why would the Witch God enshrined by the previous dynasty care about them?"
No matter how anxious and confused I feel inside, there’s nothing I can do about it now. He glanced at the wooden house. The little shopkeeper is still inside. I don’t know what he’s doing, or even if he’s alive or dead. What can I do about it? He could only pray silently in his heart: Ancestral master, you mustn’t deceive me! You said I’d profit from this trip; that’s why I came. If I lose my life... I swear I’ll burn your spirit tablet!
Amidst their turmoil, Wuya had picked up the Gu Bowl and was slowly crawling towards the mine covered in red cloth. In the valley, the Gu Bees dared not approach. Old Master Sun had fled, and the Meat Cutting Craftsmen had all hidden away, leaving no one to stop her.
Then, a low sigh broke the silence. Ahead of Wuya, a swarm of Gu Bees flitted about, like a black mist drifting past. Behind the mist, a line of shadowy figures gradually appeared. They all had black cloth wrapped around their heads, wore black clothes, and were barefoot. Each held a bamboo flute to their lips, playing softly.
They sat in a line before Wuya, blocking the path to the mine. Then, they all raised their heads mechanically, their dry and hollow eyes staring blankly at Wuya holding the Gu Bowl, their eyes seemingly filled with deep confusion.
"Get out!"
Blocked by this line of Witches, Wuya stopped. The urgency of sending the gu insect into the mine now overshadowed the matter of killing her brother. Confused by the obstruction, she froze, unsure what to do.
But in the Gu Bowl, a sudden burst of insect chirping sounded. On the gu insect’s back, the Wugong Clan Chief’s face could be seen, contorted as he yelled in anger. His shouts, however, emerged as insect chirps. Yet, their pitch and intonation faintly resembled a human voice, still conveying the surprise and anger within.
"Instead of pursuing those people, what are you doing blocking the way here?"
"Why is that?"
The sound of bamboo flutes suddenly ceased. The eight Witches blocking the way simultaneously lowered their bamboo flutes. In that moment, the valley became extremely quiet. Even the buzzing of the Gu Bees seemed to diminish significantly.
Simultaneously, the eight Witches raised their heads mechanically. Their lips opened and closed—Gu Bees crawling in and out of their mouths, noses, eyes, and ears—as they produced a sound of a shared frequency: "Father, why has Wuya become like this?"
"That’s not for you to ask! You only need to do what you’re supposed to do!" the Wugong Clan Chief’s face on the gu insect’s back scolded angrily. "This is all your fault! I told you earlier to guard the valley entrance. Where did you suddenly disappear to?"
"These Han people from the One Coin Sect suddenly broke in, destroyed our Holy Object, and even nearly killed the Holy Gu! Why didn’t you stop them? But I won’t press you on that now. Quickly step aside!"
The eight Witches all mechanically opened and closed their lips, the buzzing sound rising and falling, merging into a single response: "Why can’t we ask?"
"Everyone should have a purpose for their actions, shouldn’t they? Why can’t Witches have one?"
"You’ve devoted your entire life to the Witch God. You believed whatever It said and did whatever It asked. That included making me refine gu, banishing me, cutting off my food supply, and even planting gu insects in me to take my heart’s blood to heal me..."
On the gu insect’s back, the Wugong Clan Chief’s face was contorted with unimaginable anger. The opportunity was right before him, yet he was blocked. This enraged him completely. The gu insect trembled, emitting a shrill scream as the Wugong Clan Chief’s voice, though still insect-like, formed words: "Because you are an evil spirit! You are not my son at all!"
As these words were spoken, it seemed as if all the surrounding buzzing went silent.
Attached to the gu insect’s back, the Wugong Clan Chief couldn’t produce vocal sounds; his words could only be understood by reading his lips. But these words still carried an indescribable power.
However, upon "hearing" them, Wu Song—or rather, the eight Witches who were his incarnations—showed not the slightest agitation.
"I know," they all spoke simultaneously, their voices still utterly indifferent. "I know It guessed, and I know It would tell you. I also know you’d believe It, so nothing you did to me came as a surprise. Just..."
"What about Wuya?"
While speaking, one of the Witches slightly raised his head, a movement different from the others. He looked at Wuya, who stood before him holding the Gu Bowl. His dry eyes seemed to carry a different emotion as, in unison with the other Witches, he let out a low sigh. "You sent her to ask for my Golden Silkworm Gu, and I gave it. You sent her to ask for my Vengeful Ghost Gu, and I gave that too."
"You sent her to steal my hair, and I gave it all."
"I gave her so many gu; she is already the most powerful Gu Master in the village. Why did you still have to turn her into what she is now?"
Hearing his words, even the Wugong Clan Chief fell silent for a moment before speaking again, his voice cold. "The Witch God originally chose you as the Gu Holder. But since you refused, it had to be Wuya."
"Isn’t that still your fault?"
This line of Witches fell silent once more. After a long while, a lengthy sigh escaped them. "That’s why I’ve never understood: what is real, and what is fake?"
"If I were truly fake, then Wuya and I should have no relation. You should be her real father."
"But why is it that I, the supposed fake one, know to feel compassion for my sister, while you, the supposedly real father, are so heartless?"
