"The letter that will change your life..."
Ye Ling frowned, suppressing the urge to search Yang Qi's soul, and asked, "Where is the letter now?"
Yang Qi replied, "I don't have it on me. It's buried in the backyard of my old house."
Ye Ling continued, "And where is your old house?"
Yang Qi said, "It's not far from the city, about a thirty-minute drive."
Ye Ling said coldly, "Take me there."
"Yes, yes..." Yang Qi stood up tremblingly, his body stiff as he led Ye Ling.
He was merely a third-rank异士 (yishi). The fact that he could withstand the pressure Ye Ling was emitting without fainting was a testament to his strong will.
Standing before Ye Ling, he didn't even dare to think, fearing that any stray thought might cause his head to fall off.
In the tense atmosphere, Yang Qi dared not speak. He led Ye Ling to the southern outskirts of the small town and stopped in front of a dilapidated old building.
Yang Qi glanced at the ruined house ahead, a flicker of melancholy in his eyes. He then cautioned Ye Ling, "No one has lived here for a long time, and the house is in disrepair. It could collapse easily. Your Excellency, please be careful when you enter with me."
After his warning, Yang Qi prepared to enter the yard, but as he lifted his foot, he was pulled back by Ye Ling.
"Your Excellency?" Yang Qi's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Ye Ling nervously, wondering why Ye Ling was stopping him.
Ye Ling walked past Yang Qi and looked at the dilapidated old house in the yard, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Your old house seems to be hiding some foul things."
"Foul things?" Yang Qi was even more confused, not understanding what Ye Ling was referring to.
Although he was a third-rank 异士 (yishi), he had never truly interacted with the 异士 (yishi) community. In essence, he still viewed things from a mortal perspective and had never encountered ghosts or spirits.
Hearing Ye Ling's words, an inexplicable fear arose within him.
Ye Ling scanned the yard again with his divine sense, then looked at Yang Qi and asked, "The letter you mentioned, is it buried under the old locust tree in the yard?"
Yang Qi exclaimed, "How do you know, Your Excellency? I did hide it in an iron box under the old locust tree. I've never told anyone else..."
"Why do I know?" Ye Ling glanced at the old locust tree again, a hint of a knowing smile in his eyes.
Under the old locust tree, the iron box was still there.
However, the iron box did not contain a letter, but a dormant Gu worm...
Once someone opened the iron box, the dormant Gu worm would awaken and bite the opener to death.
Ye Ling glanced at Yang Qi, wanting to confirm if Yang Qi had good intentions.
However, judging by Yang Qi's expression, he seemed genuinely unaware of this. The iron box truly contained a letter for him.
"This means someone got here before us. The letter has already been taken, and a Gu worm was deliberately left behind to kill the next person who tried to retrieve the letter."
"What a malicious method..." Ye Ling walked into the yard and with a wave of his hand, the iron box buried under the locust tree broke through the soil and was drawn into his palm.
"Your Excellency, that's the iron box!"
Yang Qi's eyes lit up when he saw Ye Ling retrieve the iron box. He quickly said to Ye Ling and moved to approach him, only to be repelled by Ye Ling's spiritual energy.
"You'd best stay away from me," Ye Ling said casually, then opened the iron box in front of Yang Qi.
The dormant Gu worm inside let out an ear-piercing shriek the moment it came into contact with the air, its monstrous mouth opening wide as it lunged towards Ye Ling!
"Hiss—!"
Ye Ling watched the Gu worm fly towards him without making any unnecessary movements. He simply and cleanly grabbed the Gu worm and crushed it in his hand.
"This, this is?"
Yang Qi was startled by the Gu worm that suddenly emerged and collapsed onto the ground, his face ashen.
"Hiss—!"
The Gu worm shrieked, its body erupting with sharp spikes, and it bit towards Ye Ling's wrist without hesitation!
But it couldn't leave even the slightest mark on Ye Ling's hand. Instead, its teeth were shattered!
"Hiss hiss!!!"
With its teeth broken, venom splattered mixed with blood.
The Gu worm struggled painfully in Ye Ling's hand, but its protruding spikes couldn't pierce the skin of Ye Ling's palm. Instead, its spikes were all broken, causing it even more agony.
Soon, the Gu worm became still.
Yang Qi, who had been terrified by the Gu worm that suddenly burst from the iron box, turning his face pale, hadn't even reacted before he saw the terrifying Gu worm being crushed to death by Ye Ling!
Yang Qi was completely stunned.
"This, this..." He stared at Ye Ling with disbelief, unable to believe his own eyes.
Was Ye Ling's hand made of iron?
Ye Ling casually tossed the corpse of the Gu worm onto the ground, took out a handkerchief from his spatial ring to wipe the blood from his hands, and then warned Yang Qi, "Be careful. This Gu worm is highly venomous. Even a single drop of its blood on you could melt you into a pool of blood."
"Oh, oh..."
Yang Qi nodded subconsciously. Although Ye Ling's words were dire, seeing Ye Ling's blood-stained hand, he felt Ye Ling's warning lacked credibility.
However, the Gu worm's appearance was truly monstrous, and the blood that dripped onto the ground corroded a large hole in the ground. Yang Qi dared not underestimate Ye Ling's warning.
He swallowed hard, shakily stood up, and carefully skirted around the blood splatter from the Gu worm. He walked up to Ye Ling and explained, "Your, Your Excellency... The letter Xiaomei gave me, I clearly put it in the iron box. I have no idea what that bug is about... I didn't do this."
"I know it's not your fault."
Ye Ling looked at the dilapidated old house ahead and chuckled, "Someone has their sights set on this place. That Gu worm was just an appetizer."
"Someone has their sights set on this place?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Yang Qi's face turned instantly pale, and a flicker of fear crossed his eyes.
Clearly, he had thought of something.
Ye Ling looked at Yang Qi deeply, not exposing his unease. He said, "I'm going to meet the person hiding inside. You'd best follow closely behind me, or I can't guarantee you'll walk out in one piece."
Yang Qi nodded repeatedly, "U-understood..."
If Ye Ling hadn't been here, he would have certainly died if he had returned to retrieve the iron box!
His dilapidated shack had not been visited by anyone for over a decade. Now, someone had taken the letter and placed a Gu worm in the iron box, clearly intending to kill him!
'Since they found this place, why did they spare my life?'
Yang Qi was filled with doubt but dared not ask further. He obediently followed behind Ye Ling.
He knew in his heart that ever since he got involved with Li Xiaomei, he had been drawn into a massive vortex. No matter how long he hid, he would never escape the disaster.
If he faced this vortex alone, he would eventually die.
Ye Ling's appearance, however, gave him hope of escaping this vortex!
Whether for his daughter or for himself, he had to take a gamble!
"Xiaomei..."
Yang Qi whispered her name, clenched his fists, and his gaze gradually firmed.
He pushed open the long-rotted door with Ye Ling.
Creak—!
The door slowly swung open, and a nauseating stench of decay wafted out!
"You're finally here! Yang Qi!!!"
A shrill scream suddenly erupted from inside the house!