Chapter Ten: The Elixir Core

After a thorough interrogation,

“Heh, it’s definitely not that simple...”

Xia Ye chuckled softly, slipping a pill into the old man’s mouth before waving at Xiao Zizai.

Crack!

The old man’s neck snapped in response.

The Medicine Immortal Sect operated with extreme caution. This guy was merely a peripheral member, never having been to the headquarters. His internal communications were one-way, so his knowledge was very limited.

“No wonder he managed to exist right under the company’s nose for so long...”

Xia Ye raised an eyebrow. Still, this wasn’t a total loss; at least they had learned their communication method, giving them a direction to pursue.

He also discovered that the old man had originally been an ordinary person with some Qi sensitivity but no cultivation experience. It wasn’t until he was in his fifties that the Medicine Immortal Sect discovered him, and his actual cultivation had only lasted a decade or so.

Such cases were common among the peripheral members of the sect, indicating that the Medicine Immortal Sect was relatively young and lacked deep foundations. To Xia Ye, this was undoubtedly a good sign.

With this thought, he snapped his fingers. The old man’s corpse suddenly sat up with a sharp sound. The pill Xia Ye had fed him was a “Soul Locking Pill” used to control corpses, turning him into a living dead.

Then Xia Ye took out several more pills and force-fed them into the old man’s mouth, instantly repairing the broken neck and restoring vitality within his body.

Now, the old man looked as if alive except for his vacant expression. With his soul under control, the disguise was flawless without any flaws.

“With this, we can use him as bait to lure out his contact and then trace the line back to their headquarters,” Xia Ye said with a smile, bringing the controlled old man back to his own room.

Nothing else occurred on the train. After more than ten hours of travel, the two arrived in Baise, Guangxi, entering the Miao territory.

According to the old man’s instructions, after completing his task, he would hand over the “loot” to his contact that evening in exchange for cultivation techniques, spells, or spirit insects.

So, immediately after disembarking, without a word, the two controlled the old man to head to the rendezvous point. Deep in the mountains outside Baise, they lay in wait.

“Do you think these guys might be hiding deep in the mountains?” Xiao Zizai whispered as he observed from the shadows, his fingers twitching slightly.

“It’s not a question of possibility but certainty!” Xia Ye replied softly. “With the company’s current capabilities, there’s nowhere to hide in the city; only deep in the mountains can one hope to conceal themselves.”

“Hmm...”

Xiao Zizai nodded but then frowned, as if troubled. “But even if they hid in the mountains, the company can surely search the entire range. Besides, there are sorcerers who can deduce their whereabouts. How could they remain hidden for so long?”

“I’ve thought about that too. The key likely lies in their Gu technique. Gu arts are a branch of witchcraft—mysterious and unpredictable. It’s entirely possible to conceal one’s presence and shield from heavenly detection.” Xia Ye narrowed his eyes.

Having traveled extensively in recent years, Xia Ye had encountered Gu arts and knew that “Gu insects” were merely the medium of the spell, not its essence. The source remained witchcraft itself...

As the oldest magical practice in the world, witchcraft was far more mysterious and encompassed a broader scope. Communicating with heaven and earth was only the beginning; its secrets surpassed even Daoist magic!

Just then...

“Someone’s coming!”

As they conversed, Xia Ye’s eyes suddenly shifted, sensing someone approaching the old man. He immediately gestured to stay quiet.

The old man had already arrived at the meeting spot—a hidden mountain cave—standing with a bundle that looked like a swaddled infant. Footsteps echoed at the cave entrance.

Tap, tap, tap...

Soon, a tall figure cloaked in black entered. The darkness obscured their face.

“Just one?”

Seeing the bundle, the newcomer immediately spoke with a cold tone, clearly dissatisfied.

“There was no choice. Only this one was found on the train,” the old man said helplessly, now free from control and fully alert.

“There were almost others interfering on the train—other strange people whose backgrounds are unknown. I couldn’t take too much risk.”

“...”

“Fine, hand over the child.”

Apparently understanding the difficulty of the mission, the visitor said no more and reached out to take the infant, beginning an inspection.

The bundle opened, revealing a sleeping baby. The visitor sensed the Qi within before reaching into their pocket.

“Here.”

They tossed a black pill to the old man, explaining, “This is the latest cultivated Black Gu egg. It can hatch into a powerful Black Gu. Swallowing it will produce larvae.”

“Be careful when feeding it. It’s very fierce and will devour other Gu if too close. It’s best to keep it isolated in a separate dantian to avoid contact with other Gu.”

“Got it! Got it! Understood, understood!” The old man eagerly accepted the pill, tucking it into his bosom and bowing in thanks.

“Good. Go catch more. You won’t miss out on your reward.” The visitor looked down on this peripheral member with disdain, offering only a cold glance before leaving the cave.

After the figure disappeared...

“Hehe! Hehe... heh...”

The old man’s face filled with smiles gradually stiffened, expression fading until only dullness remained.

Swish!

Immediately after, Xia Ye and Xiao Zizai appeared inside the cave. Everything was proceeding smoothly—the bait had taken the hook!

“So, Lao Xiao, how is it?”

Xia Ye glanced outside the cave, then patted Xiao Zizai’s shoulder with a slight smile.

“My ‘Dan Ying’ (Pill Infant) is realistic enough, right? Heh heh...”

Indeed, the “baby” taken away was not real but a “Dan Ying” crafted through alchemy by Xiao Zizai. Its appearance was indistinguishable from a living infant. The “material” used was one of the old man’s remaining subordinates.

“...”

Mentioning this, Xiao Zizai’s expression grew complex. The entire creation process had taken place right under his watchful eyes. It could only be described as miraculous.

Yet because of this, he felt increasingly unable to fathom this man. Everything he did seemed to transcend the realms of “medicine” and “alchemy,” repeatedly overturning his understanding of the “extraordinary.”

However...

“Not bad at all...”

He then pushed up his glasses, a smile appearing on his face.