Ahem... So what Little Li meant was, Old Man Tian, you're actually not an old man at all…
Sikong Ran scratched his head sheepishly, surprised by his own wild imagination.
"You could say that my true age is far from what my outward appearance suggests."
Old Man Tian shot him a glare before finally admitting it.
Who would have thought that a secret he had kept hidden for so many years would be unraveled so easily?
"There's no need for despair, Mr. Tian. I'm not particularly interested in the secrets you hold. It's just that I can sense something within you that's consuming your life force, though I cannot identify exactly what it is. If you're willing to confide in me, perhaps I may one day find a way to help."
Gu Qingli spoke with genuine sincerity, making no empty promises of immediate solutions.
Old Man Tian sat down in dejection. After a long silence, he finally began to speak.
At that moment, an auction for a weapon was taking place outside, but none of them showed the slightest interest—each now focused solely on Tian's revelation.
"I was poisoned."
The words were squeezed from his throat, and his face bore an expression caught between laughter and tears.
"By the woman I loved most."
His confession stunned everyone into silence—even Sikong Ran, who always found a way to bicker with him, was now speechless.
Yet Tian spoke no further of it. He only said:
"For years, I've tried to uncover the nature of the poison, but even as a King-rank alchemist, I've found nothing. All I've become is an old man, worn and withered."
The group was shaken. No wonder he avoided the topic—it was a wound too painful to bear. From the looks of him, he had once been a man in his prime, yet love had left him with a cruel and lingering curse.
His life might not be in immediate danger, but what remained was a hollow existence, bleak and sorrowful.
"I've tried every means imaginable, yet nothing has helped…"
Especially now, as he sat hunched over, his frail figure cloaked in time and despair, he seemed every bit the tragic remnant of who he once was.
"Though I can't promise a cure, I believe I can at least help preserve your appearance for a while. From what I've observed, the poison within you appears to be alive. It continuously feeds on your life force. For a cultivator, this life force is vast and potent, which is why, for now, only your outward form has aged. But as time goes on, that creature will grow stronger... and then, who knows what might happen."
Gu Qingli's Phoenix Flame Art gave her insights far beyond what ordinary senses could perceive.
There was something she hadn't said aloud—that the sensation she felt closely resembled… a Gu insect.
But she wasn't sure if such things existed in the Shen Gu Continent, so she held her tongue. After all, if it truly were a Gu, it would be a terrifying and elusive force, not easily dealt with—and not something she was deeply familiar with.
Old Man Tian's expression shifted yet again at her words.
"You're right, little girl. I've never been able to determine what it is, but I've always felt that the poison in me is alive. And that's what's made it so hopeless!"
Though he lacked evidence, his instincts, honed by years of alchemical mastery, had long warned him of this unsettling truth.
Sikong Ran grew even more intrigued.
"What kind of poison… can actually be alive?"
Seeing the growing confusion, Gu Qingli finally spoke plainly.
"Mr. Tian, have you ever heard of a creature known as a Gu worm?"
She wasn't sure whether it would be called the same thing in this world.
"Gu worm?"
Old Man Tian looked bewildered. Sikong Ran and He Zhongyi wore similarly puzzled expressions.
Gu Qingli couldn't help but rub her forehead. So, the Shen Gu Continent had no concept of such things?
She tried her best to explain in simpler terms.
"Well… they're a kind of creature—many shapes and forms. Most of them can live inside the human body. Often, they bring great harm to the host, though not always. In rare cases, they may even bring benefits."
Her explanation was clumsy. In her previous life, she had only heard tales of such things. She had never truly encountered one.
All she knew about Gu came from old books in her family's library—grim, bizarre accounts that had once revolted her so much she hadn't bothered reading further.
The spiritual energy in the Huaxia continent had been sparse, yet Gu insects had still existed. The Shen Gu Continent, brimming with energy, surely had even more bizarre lifeforms.
Sikong Ran immediately made a face of disgust.
He Zhongyi remained calm, but his expression made it clear he was just as unfamiliar with the subject.
Old Man Tian was stunned, unable to accept that such a creature might be living inside him. The very thought was difficult to digest.
Elder Shui furrowed his brow, falling into thought. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"I think… I may know something."
Gu Qingli's eyes lit up. As expected of the Gu family's elder—he knew what even a King-rank alchemist did not.
All eyes turned to Elder Shui.
"Surely you all know that our Gu family once produced one of the most formidable figures in the continent."
Everyone nodded. Who hadn't heard of him—Gu Langge, the legendary name that resounded across the land.
"In his youth, Gu Langge traveled far and wide across the vast expanses of the Shen Gu Continent. Compared to that, Loulan City is but a secluded corner. There are countless mysteries and marvels in the world beyond. The Gu worm that the Sixth Young Lady mentioned—I believe I read about it in one of Gu Langge's personal journals."
Elder Shui seemed to be reaching deep into his memory.
"He left behind writings?"
Gu Qingli was even more intrigued now. No wonder people said the Gu family, though no longer exceptional, still possessed deep roots.
A family that once produced a legend would always be different.
"There's nothing particularly secret about it," Elder Shui added. "It's merely a record of the places Gu Langge visited during his travels across the Shen Gu Continent. Each location had its own wonders, so it's more like a personal travelogue. If the Sixth Miss is interested, you may ask the family head for it upon your return."
"I read it once when I was younger. Though it wasn't directly related to cultivation, I remember one section where he described a coastal tribe at the far western edge of the Xihai Kingdom. That tribe worshiped insects—they were their totems and their healers."
Everyone listened with rapt attention.
To Gu Qingli, Sikong Ran, and He Zhongyi, who had never stepped beyond the borders of Loulan City, the outside world was full of wonder and mystery.
If they could one day roam the continent like Gu Langge, it would surely be a life of passion and adventure.
"According to the journal," Elder Shui continued, "the tribe practiced medicine with insects, used them in rituals and cultivation alike. Their entire way of life revolved around these strange creatures."