Poison Genius Consort

Gu Beiyue had been searching for a while and found something else that belonged definitively to Gu Qishao. Although he was unwilling, he still dug out the tiny piece of vine buried in the flesh and placed it in his palm. Seeing this, Han Yunxi muffled her mouth and looked away, as if that vine didn’t exist.

But reality was truth.

Gu Beiyue wanted to test the bloodstains to get a final conclusion. After all, Gu Qishao’s blood was different from normal humans, so he could recognize it after analysis. However, the blood samples here were all contaminated with other things. Only the copper coin, red string, and piece of vine served as their proof.

The vines and Gu Qishao were literally one body! If it could be cut to pieces, what about Gu Qishao himself?

“I don’t believe it!” Han Yunxi suddenly rushed into the room as well to check the walls herself. She went from flesh clump to flesh clump, but didn’t find any more red string or vines in the next two piles. That gave her, Long Feiye, and Tang Li hope. They too, helped with her search, too caught up to care about the filth or disgusting conditions. As long as Gu Qishao was well, so what if this place was dirty?

But in the end, their conclusions left them bereft of all hope! They found a whole heap of vine fragments and even a pile of bones. Abruptly, Tang Li cried out. He had dug out a hair-covered skull from a pile of old bones. When Han Yunxi turned and saw this sight, she got a face full of rotting features from the dead skull!

“Ahhhh!” With a shriek, she prepared to flee! But soon enough, Long Feiye caught her in his embrace, although he was at a loss for how to comfort her. Han Yunxi had seen her share of abhorrent corpses, some which were even missing body parts. She ate these things as her daily meals because she was a doctor, so she shouldn’t be afraid of them.

She was only terrified that...she’d recognize a familiar face from the rotten features!

She was fearful of seeing Gu Qishao from that sull.

Han Yunxi buried her head in Long Feiy’s chest and didn’t want to search anymore! She couldn’t help but ask hoarsely, “Long Feiye, how do you know Gu Qishao can’t die? There were only a few medicines capable of creating a Poison Gu human, so how did Gu Qishao end up as one?”

“I know because I can’t kill him?” Long Feiye tried.

Gu Beiyue’s tone was heavy as he chimed in. “Qishao wouldn’t be a Poison Gu human. His body composition must be related to what he experienced in his mother’s womb. It’s also possible that Gu Yuntian mixed in some medicine that left him with those effects.”

Gu Beiyue had wanted to study Gu Qishao a long time ago, but he didn’t have any time. Moreover, it was unlikely that Gu Qishao would agree to it. Of course, Gu Beiyue’s research goals wasn’t to find an immortality elixir, but simply to understand Gu Qishao’s body better. Only Gu Qishao himself had discovering his undying body, but there was no other solid proof. He had no idea what was going on either.

Perhaps he’d age and get old eventually, just at a slower rate.

Perhaps he’d sicken, but simply avoid caching any fatal diseases or viruses.

Perhaps he’d die, but was just missing the right way to kill him.

Perhaps this meat grinder room could leave him without a single bone intact!

Even Bai Yanqing, a Poison Gu human, was at the mercy of the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion, much less a simple Gu Qishao.

Han Yunxi looked at the fallen blade pillars and muttered, “If the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion can destroy Bai Yanqing, then...will it harm Little Qi as well?

“Long Feiye, you said you can’t kill him with one blow? Well, what about 100 blows? 1,000 slashes?” Han Yunxi’s voice choked up.

Every single one of these six pillars were covered with at least 100 knives each. They could probably slash a body thousands to tens of thousands of times.

Long Feiye didn’t answer. He and Gu Beiyue were both questioning themselves: could the myriad blades finish off Gu Qishao like the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion would to Bai Yanqing?

“Say something! Both of you!” Han Yunxi finally lost it and started raging at them. “All of you knew Gu Qishao had an undying body, so why didn’t you tell me? Were you taking me for a fool?

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why not?!”

Han Yunxi pushed Long Feiye aside and glared at the men. If she knew this earlier, she’d definitely bring Gu Qishao to Medical City with her so Gu Beiyue could give him a thorough examination. She would even ask Gu Yuntian which medicines he used on Little Qi to turn his body into this half human, half monster constitution!

At the very least…

At the very least, we would have known for sure whether Gu Qishao was truly Undying, or pinpointed his body’s weaknesses and fears.

“Even Poison Gu humans have their weaknesses, to say nothing of him,” Han Yunxi’s eyes were red with unshed tears. “Why didn’t any of you tell me? Why?”

“Sister-in-law, I had no idea either! I was clueless! Gu Qishao must have made my big bro and Gu Beiyue keep it a secret, that’s gotta be it,” Tang Li hastened to console her. “Sister-in-law, don’t be angry, it’ll be bad if you affect the baby. Maybe...maybe it’s really like what my big bro said, the cloth was just a piece that fell off of his robes. Same with the copper coin! And the vines...the vines…” Tang Li trailed off, unable to make any more excuses.

Long Feiye and Gu Beiyue should have been able to offer explanations, but both of them stayed mum and allowed Han Yunxi to interrogate them. Long Feiye had promised Gu Qishao to stay quiet, while Gu Beiyue knew Gu Qishao didn’t want to publicize his own matters. Even when they went to the maze, Gu Qishao had simply told him it was enough to trap Bai Yanqing once they found it. That way, his secret would stay safe.

None of them explained themselves because they knew Han Yunxi was only feeling miserable. She didn’t truly blame them. After yelling a few times, Han Yunxi soon quieted down until...tears streamed down her face. She looked at the fresh blood staining her palms as teardrops dripped to the ground. Long Feiye didn’t comfort her, but turned aside to stare elsewhere. His heart was heavy.

In the silent room, the rotten stench rose in the air, making it more and more uncomfortable. But none of the four figures present paid it any attention, much less acknowledge their dangerous situation.

Gu Qishao’s dead? Gone?

Han Yunxi didn’t believe it, but her bloodstained hands were already turning blurry in her vision. She couldn’t find any reasons to refute the truth. Silent tears poured down her face while Long Feiye and the rest remained solemn and mute. Ironically, it was this very silence that alerted them to an obvious noise in the room.

Tong, tong, tong…

Long Feiye was the first to discover the sound and quickly brought Han Yunxi out of the room. He gave a look to Gu Beiyue and Tang Li, who also noticed the oddity. It seemed to be coming from below them. Han Yunxi sensed it as well but only gave it a cursory glance. She buried her face in Long Feiye’s chest, unable to think any further. All she wanted was to sleep. Perhaps she’d wake up to find everything a dream instead with everyone still all right.

Tang Li listened closely before he muttered, “It’s not the sound of a switch, but someone knocking against a surface.”

“There’s another room beneath us?” Long Feiye grew doubtful.

If that was the case, the person could be Bai Yanqing or one of their own people!

Who could it be?

No way, Ning Jing?

Tang Li quickly went to look for a secret switch. He had only inspected the four walls, but forgot all about the floor. It took him massive effort before he found it. The switch was in the same of the eight-trigrams, so he muttered, “Big bro, come help me.”

Long Feiye didn’t budge, but Gu Beiyue drew close. The former was still focused on the depressed Han Yunxi, who watched them work woodenly. Tang Li wiped away the blood on the ground and saw the full diagram revealed: that of a yin-yang symbol mixed with the eight trigrams. The two dots in the yin-yang formed the switch. He and Gu Beiyue both pressed a button lightly, causing the two halves of the yin-yang to break apart between them. Below was none other than a small hole, only big enough to fit one to two people.

They saw none other than…

...than Gu Qishao, crouched on the floor as he grinned up at them. Both Tang Li and Gu Beiyue grew dumbfounded at the sight, too thrilled to speak. Tang Li whipped his head at his brother and sister-in-law, doing nothing but smiling!

“Is it Ning Jing?” Long Feiye asked.

Tang Li shook his head. Although it wasn’t Ning Jing, seeing Gu Qishao still made him very happy.

Not Ning Jing? Could it be?

“Gu Qishao?” Han Yunxi exclaimed.

At her words, Gu Qishao leaped out of the hole, dressed in tattered white inner robes. They were less white and more sanguine from all the bloodstains, and his body was covered in cuts. Not a place on his skin was free from injury, and it was obvious that he’d taken a beating by the knives. Still, he stood there the same as always, grinning like a flower as he chuckled, “Poison lass, did you think Qi gege died? Tsk tsk tsk, dying would be worth it if I got a few of your tears in exchange!”

Han Yunxi gaped at him before rubbing her eyes for a better look. She was afraid she was seeing things and that this was all fake!

Little Qi didn’t die!

Long Feiye only silently exhaled in relief, but he was already outwardly rolling his eyes.

Meanwhile, Gu Qishao came close enough to see Han Yunxi’s red-rimmed, puffy eyes and began to fret. “Poison lass, Qi gege’s perfectly fine. I can’t die! Don’t cry for real!”

He prepared to wipe away Han Yunxi’s tears with a blood-soaked sleeve, but was quickly kicked aside by Long Feiye.

Long Feiye would never admit that he had a heavy heart a few moments ago. Coldly he asked, “Where’s Bai Yanqing? How did you end up shut down there?”

Han Yunxi was both happy and pained as she surveyed Gu Qishao’s injuries from head to toe. “Little Qi,” she croaked, “It hurts a lot, doesn’t it?”