"I was like you before," Tian Mengyao said with a wry smile. "Until I truly encountered it, I realized that things passed down through generations always have some basis."
Bai Jing remained noncommittal and turned to look at Lin Fan, asking suspiciously, "You just said you fought with a monster?"
Lin Fan shrugged. "Strictly speaking, it wasn't me, but my pet."
"Heh heh." Bai Jing found it absurd. What was this all about? He had just described the monster as terrifying, an existence utterly beyond human capabilities, and now he claimed his pet fought it. Utterly baffling!
"Do you want to meet my pet?" Lin Fan asked with a hearty laugh.
"Certainly." Bai Jing gestured, wanting to see what trick Lin Fan would pull.
"Xiao Fan, maybe not," Tian Mengyao interjected.
"What are you afraid of?" Bai Jing pointed to the handgun at her waist. "Do you think I'm a pushover?"
Tian Mengyao suddenly recalled their past confrontations and took a deep breath. "Alright, today I'll broaden your horizons."
"Come on, bring out your pet so I can see it." Bai Jing surveyed the clean and tidy clinic, showing no signs of any large animals. Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a trash can in the corner. There seemed to be some animal fur sticking out of it.
"Don't be scared, and don't overreact later," Lin Fan cautioned.
"Mmm." Bai Jing nodded dismissively.
"Come out." Lin Fan clapped his hands softly.
*Clang!*
The wooden box in the inner room was violently thrown open by a powerful force. The stifled蛊虫 (gǔchóng - poisonous insects) swarmed out eagerly, forming a dark cloud that flew towards the living room. The dried rabbits weren't tasty; they craved fresh blood and flesh.
"Ah!" Bai Jing screamed, her pupils dilating. She instinctively drew her handgun.
"Don't shoot!" Lin Fan, prepared, immediately pushed her arm down. "They won't attack anyone without my permission."
Bai Jing held her breath, sitting motionless on the stool, watching the strange-looking insects circle overhead. The bizarre black and yellow patterns on the "Iron Head Gu" instinctively made people feel they were not to be trifled with.
"Make them stay away from me," Bai Jing said stiffly, tilting her head back and speaking in a low voice.
Lin Fan found it amusing. Weren't you just being tough? What about now?
"Go chop some firewood for me," Lin Fan commanded, intending to display the Gu worms' prowess. Despite having two fresh, delicious meals before them, their master forbade them from eating and instead ordered them to work? The Gu worms circled slowly, then reluctantly flew towards the firewood pile. They then vented their dissatisfaction on the innocent logs.
*Crunch, crunch...*
Visibly, the large logs rapidly shrank, and sawdust rained down like a deluge. Bai Jing stared in disbelief. In her experience, insects gnawing on wood was a slow, painstaking process, requiring persistent effort to hollow out hard wood. These strange insects, however, did it with ease. She could hardly imagine the consequences if their target were an animal or a person. Bai Jing estimated that with these insects' destructive power, killing a person would take less than half a minute.
"These are your pets?" Bai Jing tilted her head, her eyes filled with shock.
Lin Fan smiled. "Not entirely pets, just some Gu worms I happened to find. I kept them because I was afraid they'd cause trouble."
Seeing Bai Jing's flustered state, Tian Mengyao felt a surge of satisfaction. You think you're so arrogant, now you know their power!
"Gu worms?!" Bai Jing was even more astonished. The existence of monsters was enough to shatter her worldview, and now even legendary Gu worms existed. The fact that these insects could understand human speech forced her to believe.
"Alright, go back," Lin Fan said. Having the Gu worms chop firewood was a whim; these little guys were excellent at destruction if nothing else. In less than two minutes, the pile of firewood was reduced to sawdust. After venting their energy, the Gu worms took to the air. A small portion lifted the lid of the wooden box, while the rest burrowed inside. Then, the Gu worms that had been propping up the lid also descended.
*Clang!*
The lid closed perfectly, and the clinic fell silent. Bai Jing stared at the scene, utterly stunned.
"Have some water," Tian Mengyao said with a broad smile. In truth, Tian Mengyao was also a bit unnerved, but she didn't want to show weakness in front of Bai Jing.
"Careful, it's hot."
"Hiss~" Only when the scalding hot water was poured into the cup did Bai Jing belatedly retract her hand, nearly knocking over the cup. She pinched her ear and said displeasantly, "Are you trying to scald me to death?"
Tian Mengyao snorted, "Who told you to keep holding the cup?"
Bai Jing glared at her but didn't retort.
"Xiao Fan, quickly tell me how you defeated the snake demon?" Tian Mengyao's curiosity was piqued, and she asked eagerly.
Lin Fan pointed to the large box in the inner room. "The snake demon was arrogant and didn't expect my Gu worms to be any good. In the end, they burrowed into her body. She was in so much pain that she negotiated with me."
"Negotiated what, just kill her!" Tian Mengyao interrupted.
Lin Fan shook his head and gave a wry smile. "She threatened to destroy her demon core, which would turn dozens of miles into ashes, causing immense casualties. What choice did I have but to agree?"
"This..." Tian Mengyao was speechless.
Lin Fan patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, I left seven Golden Cicada Gu worms inside her. If she ever does anything evil, they'll take her life immediately."
"What are you planning to do with her? What about the future?" Tian Mengyao asked, her face full of worry.
Lin Fan smiled mysteriously. "Didn't someone want to build a mountain god temple on Mount Luofeng..."
"You want a monster to be the mountain god of Mount Luofeng?" Tian Mengyao furrowed her brows.
Lin Fan explained, "We'll just let her temporarily reside in the mountain god temple and not harm the villagers below. We can send food, clothes, and other necessities up the mountain under the guise of offerings. No one should notice anything unusual."
Bai Jing's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but admire Lin Fan's courage. Not only did he dare to go meet the monster alone and fight it, but he could also coexist peacefully with it. Remarkable!
"Xiao Fan, Xu Zixin isn't from Luofeng Village, and we don't know much about her. Will this work?" Tian Mengyao seemed uneasy.
"It'll be fine," Lin Fan insisted on his idea.
Bai Jing, confused, was about to ask something when her phone vibrated. She pulled out her phone and her face immediately changed.
"I'm going to take a call," she said, and hurried out.
"Mengyao, could she be in trouble?" Lin Fan hadn't considered it before, but now that he thought about it, carrying a gun without authorization was no small matter.
"Mmm," Tian Mengyao nodded with a complex expression. Then she glared at Lin Fan, "It's all your fault!"