Chapter 740 - 222: Ten Thousand Gu Insects

Shen Bai set down his teacup. "I’ll cut to the chase. Members of the Shuinan Commerce Association were found dead in the wilderness with Gu Insects on their bodies. This incident may be connected to your Gu Village."

At these words, Chief Wan frowned.

Shen Bai circulated the Qi in his body and cast his Infinite Divination Skill, his own brow furrowing slightly.

Under the guidance of his Infinite Divination Skill, everything before him seemed perfectly normal, as if the Gu Village had nothing to do with the incident.

However, the threads of his Infinite Divination Skill were spreading out, extending from the Gu Village, along the Calamity Source Mountain Range, and toward the Great Yue Country.

This development took Shen Bai by surprise.

Chief Wan collected himself and said with a wry smile, "Lord Shen, if I told you we had nothing to do with this, you surely wouldn’t believe me."

"I do."

Shen Bai said, "But you must know something."

Chief Wan had already prepared what to say next, but Shen Bai’s simple two-word reply made him swallow the words he was about to speak.

"You truly are remarkable, Lord Shen. Yes, I do know something."

"This attack on the Shuinan Commerce Association’s caravan is, in a way, connected to the Gu Village."

Shen Bai swirled the tea in his cup. "Elaborate."

’He had a feeling there was something more to this, something that might even lead to some hidden secrets.’

Chief Wan’s wry smile alone spoke volumes.

After a moment’s thought, Chief Wan began slowly, "Three months ago, the Gu Village split."

"The Gu Village has always been a lawless territory. It’s not just because of the terrain, but also because the village itself is split into two factions."

"One faction wants to pledge allegiance to the Great Zhou Country, while the other wants to side with the Great Yue Country."

"We call them the Zhou Sect and the Yue Sect."

Shen Bai said with interest, "Your talent for naming things is remarkably similar to my own."

"Please don’t mock me, Lord Shen," Chief Wan said with a sigh.

Shen Bai smiled. "You’re with the Zhou Sect?"

Chief Wan nodded. "Correct. In fact, our two sides have always been evenly matched. Because of that, neither of us made a definitive move, and the Gu Village has managed to carry on in this state."

"But a few months ago, for some reason, that bunch from the Yue Sect suddenly made their move. They took all their people and withdrew from the Gu Village completely, heading deep into the Calamity Source Mountain Range toward the Great Yue Country. Because of that, the Gu Village lost its standing as a top-tier power."

As he spoke, the bitter expression on Chief Wan’s face deepened.

The existence of the two factions had always been a matter of maintaining the village’s power.

If they truly split, the Gu Village’s influence would inevitably decline.

Both sides had taken this into account, which was why they had coexisted peacefully for so many years.

’But Chief Wan had never expected the other side to leave so decisively.’

’Now they’ve left him to deal with this mess.’

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "So you’re saying the Shuinan Commerce Association incident was entirely the Yue Sect’s doing?"

Chief Wan nodded. "That’s right. It was all their doing. But they’ve already gone deep into the Calamity Source Mountain Range. It’s incredibly dangerous there; even we can’t find any trace of them."

Shen Bai fell into thought.

Ding Quan, standing to the side, said, "My Lord, it seems the Great Yue Country intends to further destabilize the Great Zhou Country."

Shen Bai nodded.

’Of course, he understood the reasoning.’

’Use the Yue Sect from the Gu Village to attack the Shuinan Commerce Association, dealing a commercial blow to the Great Zhou Country.’

’Then, they’d have the perfect excuse to pin the blame on the Gu Village as a whole. A truly clever play.’

’The ultimate goal was to hasten the turmoil within the Great Zhou Country.’

"You’re certain there are no leads?" Shen Bai asked.

Chief Wan gave a wry smile. "If there were any leads, Lord Shen, I would certainly tell you. But there truly are none. There’s nothing I can do."

’He had anticipated that the Yue Sect’s departure would cause trouble, but he never imagined it would be on this scale.’

’The fact that even Shen Bai, a man of great renown, had come personally proved just how serious the situation was.’

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "Since the Yue Sect left on their own, why did you wait so long to contact the Great Zhou Country?"

The Yue Sect had left months ago.

Previously, neither faction had been willing to leave, as doing so would mean the Gu Village would lose its status as a top-tier power.

But now that the Yue Sect was long gone, the Zhou Sect had remained in the Calamity Source Mountain Range without reporting the situation to the Observatory. That was suspicious.

Hearing this, Chief Wan said, "We couldn’t leave. It was all because of the Ten Thousand Gu Insects."

"What is the Ten Thousand Gu Insects?" Shen Bai asked.

Chief Wan chose his words for a moment before saying, "Since ancient times, the Gu Village has lived in the Calamity Source Mountain Range. The reason we have a continuous supply of Gu Insects is not only due to the unique environment here, but also because of the Ten Thousand Gu Insects."

"All of our Gu Insects are spawned from the Ten Thousand Gu Insects. While we can breed them ourselves, the ones nurtured by the Ten Thousand Gu Insects are far more powerful."

"Every so often, the Ten Thousand Gu Insects undergoes a metamorphosis. This process is very long, taking about half a year, and during that time, it cannot be moved."

Hearing this, the picture began to form in Shen Bai’s mind.

’This so-called Ten Thousand Gu Insects was essentially the progenitor of all other Gu Insects.’

’And because the Ten Thousand Gu Insects was in the middle of its metamorphosis, Chief Wan and his people couldn’t take it and leave.’

"But you still should have sent someone to report this to the Observatory," Shen Bai said.

A complicated look crossed Chief Wan’s face.

Shen Bai sensed there was more to it. "Is there something else?" he asked.

Chief Wan shook his head. "No, it’s just... the legends about you in the Jianghu, Lord Shen, are rather intimidating. We thought it would be best to wait until the Ten Thousand Gu Insects had finished its metamorphosis before informing the Observatory."