Cult headquarters on fire, return at once!
Seeing these words, the Gu-nanny’s face immediately filled with panic. She slapped her thigh and cried out, “Damn it!” With no time to spare for anything else, she turned and left at once!
The cult headquarters represented everything the Great Barbarian Witch-God Cult stood for, represented the faith of the entire Xiongnu people. Even setting all that aside, the things she’d hidden away in the headquarters’ scripture pavilion—her scriptures, her poison-herbs, all the various Gu she’d cultivated over the years—if those were destroyed, she’d be left with nothing!
Those things represented decades of her life’s work!
The Gu-nanny had no choice but to set aside the matter of the Poison Beast World for now and rush back to the Xiongnu capital.
However, by the time she arrived, the fire had already been put out! By some stroke of luck, the courtyard housing the scripture pavilion hadn’t been touched by the flames.
The Gu-nanny assumed Minhan Mude’er knew she’d returned, and had no intention of concealing her presence.
“Auntie, are you sure you don’t want to see Father even once?”
The Xiongnu emperor had assigned Minhan Mude’er the task of hunting down the High Priestess—the pressure on him was immense.
Hearing this, a flicker of wariness crossed the Gu-nanny’s eyes, and she suddenly seized Minhan Mude’er by the throat, demanding furiously, “Did you set this fire? Did you lure me back here on purpose?”
Faced with the Gu-nanny’s fury and suspicion, Minhan Mude’er only found it tiresome, rolling his eyes at her and turning away, unwilling to talk to her.
Seeing this, the Gu-nanny finally released him, pursing her lips. “Help me one last time, and pretend you never saw me!”
“Then hurry up and leave, don’t get me killed!” Minhan Mude’er urged, displeased. This matter concerned the Great Barbarian Witch-God Cult, with far-reaching implications and a grave situation—if anyone discovered he’d been shielding his aunt, even his position as crown prince might not be safe!
“Ah, my dear nephew, just help your auntie this one last time!” the Gu-nanny wheedled with a fawning smile, affectionately rubbing the back of Minhan Mude’er’s head, chuckling. “I’ll just go take a look in the scripture pavilion and leave right away. You keep watch for me, don’t let anyone near!”
“Auntie, what exactly have you been doing out there, a proper High Priestess acting like this…”
But before Minhan Mude’er could finish, the Gu-nanny had already vanished in a puff of smoke!
This would be her last time returning, so naturally she wanted to take everything worth taking from the scripture pavilion. Some things, even if they’d never prove useful, were still the fruit of decades of her labor!
Unfortunately, sharp as the Gu-nanny was, perhaps clouded by her relief, she failed to notice anything amiss about the scripture pavilion in her moment of gratitude.
She entered through the back door, climbing the stairs all the way to the top floor.
But the moment she lit the oil lamp, she was shocked to discover her treasure room on the top floor already in complete ruin—every poison-herb, every Gu, every scripture, all destroyed, the floor covered in ash and debris!
The Gu-nanny stood frozen, staring at the wreckage all around her, and it took a long moment before fury erupted within her. “Beast! Get out here!”
It had to be that beast—only he could have slipped into the scripture pavilion without a sound!
Only he could have so easily broken into her treasure room!
This fire was set by him!
“Beast, I’m counting to three—if you don’t come out, I swear I will never let you go!” the Gu-nanny raged, nearly bursting with fury.
Baili Weisheng, who had been hanging lazily from the roof beam this whole time, finally spoke up with drawling indifference, “Old hag who won’t die, when have you ever let me go?”
The Gu-nanny snapped her head up to look, and Baili Weisheng made a face at her before flipping down to the ground.
“Beast!” the Gu-nanny fumed with uncontainable fury.
“Don’t go calling everyone a beast—you think you’re worthy of calling me one? Aren’t you afraid of dirtying the word?”
Baili Weisheng shot back lazily, deliberately provoking her until smoke practically poured from her nostrils, blood ready to burst from every orifice.
The Gu-nanny’s breath came in violent heaves with rage, but her hand, hidden behind her back, quietly drew out a small porcelain vial—filled to the brim with poison!
Baili Weisheng was her half-finished human Gu, his mind never fully cultivated—but she at least knew he still had no immunity to certain poisons!
This was the greatest weakness distinguishing a yang-type poison Gu from a yin-type poison Gu!
There were always a few particular poisons that could subdue him. Of course, which exact poisons—in this entire world, only she, his Gu master, knew.
“Heh, Gu-boy, it’s you who isn’t worthy of the word beast. This is the place that raised you, and you burn it down without a shred of mercy—and you still have the nerve to come back?” the Gu-nanny raged, quietly opening the porcelain vial as she spoke.
“Talk to me about mercy—have you forgotten, all my mercy was raised right out of me by you! Old hag who won’t die, I came here today specifically to set fires and kill!”
As Baili Weisheng spoke, he suddenly drew a long sword coated in his own poisonous blood, roaring domineeringly, “Bring your life here!”
Disdain flashed in the Gu-nanny’s eyes as she instantly flung the poison from behind her back—but to her surprise, Baili Weisheng didn’t charge forward to claim her life as she’d expected.
Instead, still shouting “Bring your life here,” he retreated backward—what game was this fellow playing?
Whatever he was up to, in any case, he easily dodged her poison!
“Ha, good thing I kept my guard up—the old crone really is no good after all.” Baili Weisheng sneered like a dangerous devil, rubbing his chin, staring at the smoking poison on the ground.
The Gu-nanny was genuinely choking with rage, pointing straight at Baili Weisheng. “You little brat, let me tell you—even if it costs me my life, I will not let you escape again!”
Baili Weisheng immediately put on a look of terror, though he asked quite seriously, “Auntie, are you sure?”
“Bring your life here!” the Gu-nanny snapped, furious past reason, pulling out the poison with both hands. Baili Weisheng recognized the vial the moment he saw it—the most lethal poison meant specifically for him, one that could spread through the air in an instant, and death was certain upon inhalation!
He cried out urgently, “Wait!”
Seeing this, the Gu-nanny grew even more disdainful—this stupid brat, actually daring to come knocking on her door, well, all the better, it would save her the trouble of hunting him down later!
“So now you’re afraid, are you? Let me tell you, being afraid won’t help—today, your auntie is going to finish you off!”
With that, she truly moved to smash the porcelain vial, but in that split-second flash, Baili Weisheng suddenly flung open the window. “Put the poison down right now, or I’ll bring every royal guard in the palace running here!”
Baili Weisheng of course knew the Gu-nanny’s fatal weakness—otherwise he wouldn’t have made the special trip to Xiongnu territory.
To deal with this old woman, coming to Xiongnu was the only way!
Seeing the Gu-nanny showing no sign of stopping, Baili Weisheng immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, “Someone—”
But in the next instant, the situation flipped entirely. The Gu-nanny cried out in panic, “Wait!”
Baili Weisheng grinned. “Old crone, so you’re afraid too, huh? Let me tell you—fear… does have its uses. As long as you obediently tell me how to open the gate to the Poison Beast World! I guarantee you can slip away without anyone knowing. Otherwise…”
At these words, the Gu-nanny froze. This little brat was actually interested in the Poison Beast World! What was he planning?