This was a wild, mountainous region shrouded in miasma. Countless low mountain ranges and valleys rose from the land, filled with the low hisses of snakes, insects, rats, and ants. An oppressive, eerie gray vapor permeated the air, and from time to time, a gust of poisonous, miasmatic wind would howl past, sending a chill down the spine. It was a veritable forbidden zone for the living.

Yet, deep within these terrifying mountains, there was, surprisingly, a stockade. Numerous figures in ancient attire flitted about. Creatures that would make one's scalp tingle—poisonous snakes, toads, centipedes, and spiders—appeared brazenly within the settlement, coexisting peacefully with the inhabitants as if it were perfectly normal, a truly astonishing sight.

Not far from this stockade, atop a low mountain peak, a young man sat cross-legged on a huge rock. A pitch-black snake coiled around him, its cold tongue flickering. Even as the wind whipped into a gale around them, both the figure and the snake remained as still as stone.

PFFT!

Just then, the young man's face turned a strange, eerie shade of red. His chest tightened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with flesh. Instantly, the pitch-black snake coiled around him grew restless, twisting anxiously and letting out a concerned hiss.

"COUGH, COUGH… It's okay. My treasure, don't worry about me. I'm fine."

The young man coughed a few times, gently stroking the large snake's back. A gloomy and peculiar glint flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself, "It seems I was too arrogant."

Chen Fei had been so confident in his ability to deal with the Thousand Bone Worm King Cup inside Chen Zhenjun's son because he possessed the legacy of a master from the Cultivation World. Having grasped its true essence, he had officially stepped through the gateway to become a genuine Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Cultivator. Naturally, he looked down on the Gu Insect Technique, which was considered merely an unorthodox path in the Cultivation World.

But that was Chen Fei's perspective. Far away in the Southern Borderlands, Dongtai thought otherwise. To his people, the Gu Insect Technique was revered as Divine Holy, a gift from their witch gods that possessed immense power. Still, at this moment, Dongtai's expression had turned grim and cold.

The Thousand Bone Qing Worm he had used against the Huaxia soldier was now far away in the Capital City, well beyond the range of his senses. However, the Gu was linked to him by blood. The moment Chen Fei killed it, Dongtai felt the connection sever, and the backlash inflicted a substantial injury upon him.

Fortunately, the Gu he had placed inside the Huaxia soldier was merely one of the mother bug's three major offshoots. Had Chen Fei killed the mother itself, the loss would have been tremendous.

Even so, the loss of a mere offshoot was still significant.

After all, the Thousand Bone Worm King was the Holy Bug of their stockade!

Even a great Shaman like his grandfather could not have borne such a loss, let alone him, the 'young' Saint Heir of his generation.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man from the stockade hurried before Dongtai. When he saw the Saint Heir's pale face, his own expression changed slightly. "Saint Heir, you summoned me… Your face—"

"My grandfather is still in seclusion, isn't he?" Dongtai asked faintly, looking at the middle-aged man. By this time, he had already changed into a set of 'outside' clothes. "I plan to take a trip. Tell him for me when he emerges."

Although Chen Fei had killed his Gu Insect, Dongtai still took him seriously. Not long ago, he had become the youngest Earth Level Witch Doctor in the stockade, equivalent to an Innate Ancient Martial Artist. Such strength was impressive even in the vast Southern Borderlands, which naturally gave him plenty of confidence.

If Chen Fei had killed an ordinary Gu Insect, it would not have mattered. But this was one of the three major offshoots of his most powerful asset—the Thousand Bone Worm King. Its destruction not only affected his strength but also caused him a massive loss and a painful backlash. How could he not be furious?

"Saint Heir, you wish to go out… Yes, I understand," the middle-aged man said, his expression shifting slightly. He didn't dare question further and simply nodded.

After all, Dongtai was now a rare Earth Level Witch Doctor in their stockade, so they truly couldn't restrict him from going out.

Even so, he couldn't help but ask, "Saint Heir, has something happened?" A single glance at Dongtai's terribly pale face was enough to prove that something was wrong.

"Nothing much. Just a Gu Insect I casually placed outside has been exterminated," Dongtai said coldly. The sharp pupils of a snake peeked out from his sleeve, radiating an icy chill. "Since I've successfully broken through to the rank of Earth Level Witch Doctor, I was thinking of taking a look around outside anyway. I might as well take this opportunity to meet this person and see what kind of background they have to be so bold as to strike so ruthlessly without a word of warning."

Though the path of the Southern Borderlands' witch insects had long since declined, on the ancient land of Huaxia, it was still a force no one dared to underestimate. Thus, he genuinely wanted to meet Chen Fei and see what kind of person would be so disrespectful as to strike without any preamble.

「...」

Meanwhile, Chen Fei was staring dejectedly at a special container in the hospital room. It was filled with water that was now stained crimson. In the bloody water lay a ferocious, thumb-sized insect, its body now stiff and lifeless.

"So it was just a larva. No wonder it was so easy to deal with. It was just a knock-off," Chen Fei muttered gloomily at the grotesque insect.

If it was merely a larva, it had no real value to him. It was completely dispensable.

At this thought, he lost all interest, dissolved the formation, and walked to the hospital room door to press the call button. A moment later, the elderly Quan Qiusheng appeared, leaning shakily on his cane. Beside him was an extremely nervous Chen Zhenjun.

"Doctor Chen…" Chen Zhenjun began, about to ask about his son's condition. But then his gaze inadvertently fell upon the special container behind Chen Fei, and he froze. "Gasp! What is that!?" he asked, a chill running down his spine as he saw the ghastly insect in the container.

"Could this be the Thousand Bone Worm?" Elder Quan interjected, his turbid, ancient eyes fixed intently on the ferocious creature.

"Yes, but sadly, it's only a larva," Chen Fei confirmed with a nod of regret. He then smiled and said, "Uncle Chen, your son is out of danger now. However, the internal damage caused by the insect will take a long time to heal—at least half a year, maybe more. Let me write you a prescription. Once he fully regains consciousness, make sure he takes the medicine on schedule. I'll come by to check on him every half-month or month after that."

"Really!? That's wonderful! Doctor Chen, I'm so grateful. Thank you so much!" Hearing that his son was safe, Chen Zhenjun was overwhelmed with joy, tears streaming down his face as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart. He walked over to Chen Fei and bowed deeply.

"He truly is out of danger. The Gu Insect inside his body has been completely eradicated."

Even Elder Quan, after shakily making his way to the bedside to examine Chen Zhenjun's son, had to admit that Chen Fei was correct. The patient's condition had completely stabilized. The culprit that had wreaked havoc inside him had been driven out.

Realizing this, even someone of Elder Quan's status couldn't help but look at Chen Fei with silent admiration. He said slowly, "No wonder even Xunn Lun holds you in such high regard. Your medical skills are indeed beyond my imagination."

"You're too kind, elder," Chen Fei replied with a modest smile. He then turned back to Chen Zhenjun and instructed, "If all goes well, he should wake up for a while soon, but he'll likely be unconscious. Prepare some thin porridge for him with a little glucose and some vitamins. Do this every day; whenever he's awake, feed him some. After about ten days of this, he should fully regain consciousness. At that point, you can start giving him some meat."

"Really! Little Liin will wake up soon? I understand, Doctor Chen! I'll go and get it ready right now. Thank you!" Hearing this, joy lit up Chen Zhenjun's eyes again. Devoid of his usual dignity as an executive vice-minister, he was as excited as a child. He immediately hurried out of the room to call his wife with the good news and to get the porridge prepared.

After Chen Zhenjun had left, Elder Quan Qiusheng turned to Chen Fei and asked with a slight cough, "Ahem, young man, what should be done with this thing?"

"Although it's just an offspring, it still has great medicinal value. If you're interested, elder, why not keep it for research?" Chen Fei responded, a half-smile on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Hehe, you saw right through me," Elder Quan chuckled softly and continued in a shaky voice. "Well, in that case, I'd be remiss to refuse. However, I can't take such a great advantage of you. Ahem… consider it a favor I owe you." He was naturally very interested in the Thousand Bone Worm, even if it was just a dead larva.

After all, if he could learn something from the corpse, it would serve as a valuable reference should he encounter a similar situation in the future. Even if he couldn't solve the problem himself, having a reference was incredibly important to a medical practitioner like him. That was why he offered Chen Fei a favor.

A favor from Quan Qiusheng, even in the diverse and complex Capital City, was extremely significant and valuable.

"Hehe, thank you for your generosity, elder. In that case, I will accept without hesitation," Chen Fei replied with a grin. Favors were the kind of thing one could never have too many of. This was especially true when the other party was clearly a person of significant stature. His cultivation level alone—Innate Middle Stage or higher—was intimidating enough.

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