"There are a few words my father wants me to relay to you," Fifth Princess said, her gaze shifting to Zhang Dabiao.
"Huh?"
Zhang Dabiao blinked, then realized he was the one being addressed.
"Uh, I'm going out for a smoke. You two chat," he said, making to leave.
I grabbed his arm. "Fifth Princess, this is my elder brother. Just say what you need to say."
Ever since she mentioned the ten-year pact, I'd felt a bit awkward around Fifth Princess. While she hadn't explicitly stated what the pact entailed, I always felt her gaze towards me was peculiar.
Fifth Princess remained silent, merely glancing at me before her eyes returned to Zhang Dabiao. Her intention was clear: if he was present, she wouldn't convey the message.
Zhang Dabiao chuckled, and I felt a prickling sensation in my wrist as I involuntarily released my grip. He then gave me a nonchalant look and left.
"You need to leave too."
After Zhang Dabiao departed, Fifth Princess turned her attention to Bai Ling'er.
Bai Ling'er offered a serpentine smile, then vanished with a swish.
With only Fifth Princess and me in the room, I felt a pang of guilt. "Fifth Princess, you're not here to make me fulfill the ten-year pact, are you?"
"The matter of the pact, you don't know what it is, so how can you fulfill it?" After a pause, Fifth Princess continued, "I'm here to save your life."
Save my life? Save it from what? I looked at Fifth Princess, puzzled. In the situation just moments ago, even without Fifth Princess's intervention, it wouldn't have been easy for Li Zuoquan to subdue me.
Fifth Princess didn't reply. Instead, she extended her fair, jade-like hand, offering me something. I looked closely and saw a segment of Yin Bamboo, as black as ink, reflecting a dark sheen under the light.
I looked at her, bewildered. "What is this?"
Fifth Princess didn't explain. "Hold onto this. No matter what happens next, do not let go."
Seeing her serious expression, which didn't seem feigned, I took the segment of Yin Bamboo from her hand, half-believing.
It was so cold.
After taking it, I couldn't help but shiver, feeling as though I were holding not Yin Bamboo, but a piece of thousand-year-old ice unearthed from the South Pole.
"Don't let go, it'll be over in a bit."
As she spoke, I suddenly felt an intense itch on my back and instinctively reached to scratch it, but Fifth Princess stopped me.
"Don't scratch, just bear with it," she said. Suddenly, a white ribbon appeared in her hand, and with a swish, it bound my wrists together. This forced me to hold the Yin Bamboo segment with both hands, making it impossible to discard. Su Dan Novel Network.
I felt countless points on my body itching – my head, eyelids, ears, chest, the soles of my feet. It felt like cramps, or like countless tiny insects crawling inside me. The sensation was neither painful nor intensely itchy, but so unbearable that tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
After about a minute, I noticed numerous small bumps appearing on my exposed arms, looking as if insects were crawling beneath the skin. The numb, itchy sensation shifted from my entire body to my arms.
Screech—
With a sound like a mosquito's buzz emanating from my palm, more and more chirping sounds came from my hands. Simultaneously, a pungent, foul odor assailed my nostrils, nearly making me vomit my last meal. The smell was utterly revolting.
Seeing this, Fifth Princess waved her hand, and a gentle breeze stirred within the room, sweeping all the stench out the door.
After another minute, the Yin Bamboo segment in my hand began to fade in color, eventually turning completely white, resembling a jade brush holder.
Fifth Princess untied the ribbon from my wrists. "Alright, you can let go now."
Upon releasing my grip, the Yin Bamboo segment dropped. In mid-air, Fifth Princess caught it.
"This is a good thing," she said, her wrist flicking as the Yin Bamboo segment vanished from her hand.
I looked at my palm. There were over a dozen red spots, resembling tiny puncture marks from needles, with a trace of blood.
"What just happened?"
"You were infected with Li Zuoquan's Yin-Yang Gu Worms."
"Yin-Yang Gu Worms?"
Recalling the small bumps that had appeared on my arm, the thought of worms crawling inside my body sent shivers down my spine.
I had heard of Gu, of course, but this was the first time I'd heard the name Yin-Yang Gu Worms.
"This is a type of Gu from the southern regions. Modified by Li Zuoquan, it's divided into Yin Gu and Yang Gu. You were infected with the Yang Gu. They feed on the vital energy of living humans to multiply and grow. After a month, they will lay eggs inside you. Within half a year, you will waste away to skin and bones until you die, leaving nothing but a husk."
As Fifth Princess recounted this, I felt a chill run through me, and a cold sweat broke out on my back. Li Zuoquan was truly vicious to seek revenge in such a manner.
"When did he infect me? Why didn't I feel anything? Was it just now?"
As I said this, I suddenly stopped. I thought of Zhang Dabiao. He had been standing with me in the courtyard earlier. If I had been infected with the Yin Gu, wouldn't Zhang Dabiao also be in danger?
"Fifth Princess, could you also check on my elder brother? See if he's also infected with the Yin Gu."
Fifth Princess shook her head. "He is not infected. You were infected while you were at the prince's manor. Your father discovered this while recovering his soul body using the Tiger Kui Seal, which is why he summoned you to see if you were also infected with the Yin-Yang Gu Worms."
Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. But then I felt a new dilemma.
This life-saving favor was a debt too great to repay. Thinking about how I had refused Prince Wu's request to guard the Half-Yin Realm, I felt rather ashamed.
He could have easily ignored my plight, leaving me to be gnawed to skin and bones by the Yang Gu, but he didn't. Instead, he sent Fifth Princess to save me.
If Fifth Princess hadn't arrived today, the outcome in a few months would have been chilling to contemplate.
"Alright, my task is done, and I should be going," Fifth Princess said, standing up to leave.
I quickly stepped in front of her, my voice earnest. "Thank you, Fifth Princess, for saving my life. I owe Prince Wu my life. If you ever need anything in the future, please tell me, and I will spare no effort."
Fifth Princess said nothing, merely looking at me calmly. "Spare no effort? You speak so readily. Did you agree to guard the Half-Yin Realm? Did you fulfill the ten-year pact? It's alright if you're unwilling to do some things, because there will always be someone to do them for you. I just hope that when you learn the truth, you won't regret it."
Fifth Princess's words left me speechless, unable to find a retort.
"Alright, don't waste my time here. Aren't you looking for someone for Li Zuoquan? That person is hidden in Xiangyang Gully, ten miles south of Molu Village. Once you find them, you'll be free, free as a bird in the sky or a fish in the sea."
As soon as she finished speaking, Fifth Princess's figure dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished before my eyes.
It wasn't until Bai Ling'er reappeared that I snapped back to reality.
"A life-saving grace is greater than heaven. This debt is hard to repay."
Hearing Bai Ling'er's teasing tone, I couldn't help but frown. I had a feeling her words held a deeper meaning.
"Bai Ling'er, do you know something?"
Bai Ling'er tilted her little head upwards. "Know what? I don't know anything."