Chapter 15

Without needing Gui Bu to remind him, Wu Mian had already felt a strong sense of weakness when he pulled the dagger out of his chest. At first, he did not pay much attention, thinking it was due to excessive blood loss. But now, after being reminded by the old, immortal Gui Bu, Wu Mian secretly adjusted the flow of energy in his meridians. The energy that he could control so easily before was now impossible to even raise. Even the aura of the seed was gradually becoming blurred...

Seeing that Wu Mian finally reacted, Gui Bu put on a mysterious look, gave a strange smile, and said, "If I, the old man, say your hair has turned black, would you believe it?" As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Mian was already by Gui Bu's side, grabbed his neck, and slapped the old man a third time.

Gui Bu was hit to one side, and before he could fall to the ground, Wu Mian had already grabbed his neck and lifted him up again. He said in a sinister tone, "Tell me, what's wrong with my body? When did you do it?"

Gui Bu's hands waved frantically, his eyes bulging. His throat was being choked by Wu Mian, and despite his mouth being wide open, he couldn't say a word. Seeing that the old man had no ability to fight back, Wu Mian finally let go. Gui Bu coughed on the ground for a while before saying in a tearful voice, "It has nothing to do with me... Do you really not know, or are you just pretending? Even if it's your first time in the weakening period, when Xu Fu gave you the elixir, didn't he tell you that you would have a weakening period every three years?"

Wu Mian knew he had probably misunderstood Gui Bu, but seeing his sly look, he still felt the slaps were justified. Any trace of guilt quickly disappeared. Instead, he said confidently, "Should I have known? Xu Fu set sail the day after he gave me the elixir. Where was I supposed to ask him?"

It's impossible to reason with this little brat... Gui Bu could only vent his anger on Xu Fu. He shouted into the air, "Old immortal Xu Fu, couldn't you explain things clearly before leaving? Or are you deliberately trying to screw me over? I was just staying in the mountains, who did I offend?"

After all, he had mistakenly hit Gui Bu. Since the curses didn't mention him, he pretended Gui Bu was really cursing Xu Fu. Wu Mian waited until Gui Bu had finished venting before saying to the old man, "What's this about a three-year weakening period? Explain it to me..."

Facing someone like Wu Mian, Gui Bu didn't dare to act superior. He lowered his head and explained the reason for the changes in Wu Mian's body.

This change was a side effect of the immortal constitution. After taking the elixir, although one gained an endless lifespan, the immortal constitution would disappear for thirteen days every three years. This was a common trait among those who had taken the elixir for immortality, even someone like Xu Fu, who was almost a deity, could not escape this mysterious trait.

The Great Alchemist had tried many methods to eliminate the thirteen-day weakening period, but after several hundred years, he still had to endure the thirteen days of suffering every three years.

After listening to Gui Bu, Wu Mian lowered his head and thought for a moment. Then he looked at Gui Bu and said, "What do you and Guangren do during these thirteen days?"

Gui Bu sighed and said, "When I was with Xu Fu, I was surrounded by tough old men with white hair, and the thirteen days passed quickly. Later, when I was alone, I had to find a place to hide. You know, who doesn't have a few enemies in their life? With my tendency to meddle in others' affairs, if an enemy figured out the timing and came to confront me, even with all my skills, I would be no different from a three-year-old child."

"Thirteen days..." Wu Mian repeated, and after a while, he looked at the spot where Lin Huo had left and said, "Let you have a few more days of peace, and we'll meet again after thirteen days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gui Bu suddenly looked up at Wu Mian, hesitated for a moment, and then, covering his cheek, took a step back and said timidly, "But I advise you to give up the idea of avenging the Witch Ancestor. The boy Lin is one thing, but the Witch Ancestor is not someone you can provoke."

As soon as Gui Bu finished speaking, Wu Mian turned his head and said with a cold laugh, "I don't think the Witch Ancestor is that great. If he were as powerful as you say, he wouldn't have just stabbed me and let me escape."

"That's because the Witch Ancestor borrowed the body of the boy Lin. Their constitutions are incompatible, and the Witch Ancestor's witchcraft has been greatly weakened," Gui Bu swallowed, and continued, "I've seen a few Witch Ancestors here, and I know a bit more than you. Remember the large pond where you met? That's the Miao people's altar. Each Witch Ancestor lives there, and their bodies are buried there after their souls are passed on. The Witch Ancestors rarely leave the altar because the closer they are to the altar, the more powerful they become, and the farther they are from the altar, the more their power diminishes. Calculate how many days and nights the Witch Ancestor's soul has been in the boy Lin's body outside the altar, and you'll see how much power he has left."

Wu Mian quickly found a flaw in Gui Bu's words and said, "Why didn't he confront me at the pond? According to you, his chances of winning were highest there. Why did he come all the way here? And why did I run into you by chance?"

"You really think it was by chance..." Gui Bu muttered softly, taking advantage of Wu Mian not hearing him, and continued, "The altar above the pond is the most sacred place for the Witch Ancestor. Except for the occasional ritual where captives are sacrificed to the gods, no one is allowed to kill within the altar's range. The Miao people believe that doing so would bring divine punishment, especially for the Witch Ancestor, who relies on the altar for his power."

After hearing Gui Bu, Wu Mian suddenly laughed and said in a sinister tone, "So you think I should just let this go..."

"How can I just let this go!" Seeing the change in Wu Mian's expression, Gui Bu's heart started pounding. He said with righteous indignation, "Of course this can't be left unresolved. Since the Witch Ancestors are passed down generation by generation, killing any of them would count as revenge. When you find the remaining maps and lift the seal on me, with my help, a mere Witch Ancestor is nothing to me."

Wu Mian glanced at Gui Bu but didn't respond, only saying, "So what do we do now?"

Gui Bu was afraid Wu Mian would return to the Miao village to seek revenge on the Witch Ancestor and Lin Huo. Hearing Wu Mian's relaxed tone, he put his heart back in place. Pointing to the depths of the forest, he said, "I know this mountain well. Keep moving forward, the farther we are from the altar, the safer we are. Further in is a cave that no Miao person has visited for over eighty years. By the way, there are some small gadgets left by Xu Fu in the cave. I've been relying on them to pass the time for years."

It took Wu Mian and Gui Bu two days and one night to reach the cave Gui Bu mentioned. Without his previously exceptional constitution, the old and young man were out of breath and struggled greatly. Wu Mian had thought it was just a small cave for shelter from the rain, but when they arrived, he found the cave was surprisingly large. Next to the cave was a spring, and the water formed a stream that flowed down the mountain. Above the spring was a natural stone basin filled with water, and about ten white strange fish swam inside.

The strange fish in the stone basin were covered in feathers, and their fin-like wings flapped back and forth, making them look like they were flying in the sky. When they saw people, they gathered in a corner and occasionally made sounds similar to bird calls.