CHAPTER 381: CHAPTER 354: PAINFUL REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST

Miao Danyi even poisoned all the Miao people at the foot of Leishan, making them obey and be manipulated by him.

Besides following orders, on festivals, the Miao people also had to offer their best food and items to the Witch Clan. If their offerings pleased the Witch Clan, they might happily reward the Miao people with some Immortal Powder.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaolian finally understood why those Miao people were willing to stay there for generations, guarding the Witch Clan, sacrificing for the Witch Clan, and supporting them.

It turned out they had no choice.

Just as Miao Danyi was rubbing his hands and preparing to recruit soldiers and showcase his skills, his only daughter fell deathly ill from a mysterious poison. He fed her his blood, which could only relieve her pain but not save her life.

This left Miao Danyi quite frustrated.

Later, his wife suggested he give the Longevity Gu on his body to their daughter, hoping it might save her life. But at that time, Miao Danyi was determined to seize the world. He was ambitious and capable, and unwilling to give up his grand plan.

But he couldn’t bear to give up his beloved daughter either. Miao Danyi wrestled with the decision for a long time, eventually giving up the Longevity Gu to save his daughter.

Unexpectedly, after giving the Longevity Gu to his daughter, he discovered that he had been tricked by his wife and daughter. It turned out his daughter hadn’t been poisoned at all. Everything was a ruse by his wife and daughter to acquire the Longevity Gu.

Upon discovering the truth, Miao Danyi became irate and, in a fit of rage, killed his daughter personally and reclaimed the Longevity Gu.

Hearing this, Yu Xiaolian was overjoyed; it seemed the Longevity Gu could indeed change hosts, likely through some unknown method.

She had to find a way to learn the method from Miao Danyi.

After he killed his daughter, Miao Danyi’s wife hurriedly arrived and told him in her utter grief that his daughter’s desire for the Longevity Gu was actually to save him.

Because she had discovered in ancient books about the Longevity Gu that women nourish the Gu with yin, and men with their lives. Men benefit greatly from nurturing the Longevity Gu but cannot have it long-term.

The wife and daughter knew he would never willingly relinquish the Longevity Gu, so they had no choice but to deceive him together to ensure he lived well. Yet, Miao Danyi did not believe a word of her explanation.

The Longevity Gu was in his body, and he would know better than anyone if he felt any discomfort.

Miao Danyi believed his wife had changed and without hesitating, killed her as well. He buried the mother-daughter pair in this cave, behind the stone door.

After the death of his wife and daughter, Miao Danyi killed many who had previously opposed his actions, leaving very few elders of the Witch Clan.

Miao Danyi began recruiting soldiers, using the Gu Technique to control those who disobeyed him to serve as his puppets.

Coincidentally, that year Great Meng Country again provoked the borders of Great Liang, and Miao Danyi, with his newly assembled thirty thousand troops, targeted Great Meng Country’s army.

Alongside the Far King of Great Liang, they dealt a crushing defeat to Great Meng Country’s army.

But Miao Danyi never anticipated that, due to repeatedly utilizing the Longevity Gu to control a large number of Gu worms during that war, soon after returning to Leishan, he discovered his legs felt heavy as if filled with lead.

This revelation terrified him, recalling his wife’s dying words. Miao Danyi began to fear for his life. He searched through his daughter’s belongings, only to find her room had been thoroughly cleaned out by the new woman he married, leaving nothing behind.

Miao Danyi’s leg condition worsened, forcing him to remove the Longevity Gu from his body.

He thought that without the Longevity Gu, his legs would gradually heal, but upon extracting the Gu, his legs became unbearably itchy, and within a day began to show signs of rot, terrifying Miao Danyi.

At the same time, he deeply regretted having killed his wife and daughter.

But regret was futile; his feet and ankles turned a red-green color, with his blood vessels visible and transparent, and besides itching, occasionally excruciating pain.

Helpless, Miao Danyi cut an incision in his arm and placed the Longevity Gu back into his body.

As soon as the Longevity Gu entered his body, all the itching and pain vanished, yet his legs remained heavy and sluggish.

Meanwhile, the thirty thousand troops Miao Danyi maintained consumed a lot of food daily; his hoarded gold, silver, and jewelry from the years of plunder visibly depleted.

To save money and food, Miao Danyi again used the Longevity Gu to put his troops into a slumber state, awakening them every seven days for water and food.

After repeating this process a few times, Miao Danyi noticed his leg stiffness worsened, extending from his ankles to his calves.

Miao Danyi’s unusual condition had long caught the attention of some clan members, who decided to replace him.

Knowing they couldn’t confront Miao Danyi alone, they banded together, some targeting the incapacitated Miao Danyi for his military command, while others emptied his treasury.

Once they obtained the military command and controlled the thirty thousand troops, they could completely sideline Miao Danyi.

Regarding Miao Danyi’s Longevity Gu, they had nothing to fear, knowing that each use worsened his condition, forcing him into restraint.

Moreover, they doubted that the Gu worm in Miao Danyi was truly the Longevity Gu, believing all Gu worms exist to serve their hosts, yet the Longevity Gu evidently ensnared Miao Danyi. Since acquiring the Longevity Gu, his temper became volatile, heart and mind transformed, and he even killed his wife, daughter, and close clan members. They saw this fearsome worm as controlling Miao Danyi’s psyche; even if given to them for free, they wouldn’t want it.

Unexpectedly for them, Miao Danyi had long foreseen their treacherous intent, prepared his defense, relocated remaining assets, and using the Longevity Gu once more unrestrainedly, eradicated those who plotted against him.

Indeed, without the Longevity Gu’s assistance, Miao Danyi couldn’t have subdued them.

However, after this incident, Miao Danyi’s legs suffered unbearable itchiness and pain, leading to a brief loss of sanity.

Upon regaining consciousness, he found his legs had been mindlessly amputated, leaving him utterly devastated.

His fighting spirit vanished!

He regretted not listening to his wife’s and daughter’s explanation, lamented the decision to act against them.

Once his legs slightly recovered, Miao Danyi selected a promising successor from the Miao Family’s younger generation to become the Witch Clan’s new leader, disappearing without a word. No one knew he locked himself in his wife and daughter’s burial chamber, deeply reflecting or where he hid his wealth.

"Of course, some clever young members discovered this place, but I fed them to the snakes," Miao Danyi coldly glanced at Yu Xiaolian. "If not for the Child Gu on you, you’d meet the same fate as them."