Dashing Student

Chapter 370 - 370, The King of Thousands of Gu

"Do you wish to hear a tale of dusty past?" Wu Mazzi opened his mouth slowly, his voice like an old bellows struggling to pull, hoarse and rough, wrapped in endless vicissitudes and sadness.

Chen Nan and Yang Ruoshui both remained silent, watching Wu Mazzi, who lay on the sickbed, his face weak, his lamp run out of oil.

Wu Mazzi murmured, "I was born in Miao Border, a quite renowned wizard there."

"In Miao Border, my reputation was well-known. However, in my heart, there was always an unwillingness stirring. That land, which nurtured my Gu Technique, though it seemed like a gentle homeland, was also like an invisible shackle."

"I longed to break free, to explore broader worlds, to find someone to inherit my mantle, to leave an indelible mark of my Gu Technique in this world."

"Thus, I became a sinner in my clan, breaking ancestral teachings and leaving Miao Border."

Chen Nan listened quietly to Wu Mazzi’s words.

He believed him deeply, for he knew that inheritance was often more important than life itself.

Especially ancient inheritances, where a master regards a disciple’s life as more precious than his own, dedicating his lifeblood to protect and nourish.

"On one occasion, during an expedition, I passed through a remote village."

"That village was like a haven apart from the world, surrounded by green mountains, with gurgling clear waters, peaceful and serene."

"I was an unintentional passerby, yet, at the village entrance under an old tree, a young girl caught my eye."

"The sunlight filtered through the mottled branches and leaves, draping her in a layer of dream-like golden gauze."

"Her eyes, like the most dazzling stars in the night sky, clear and bright, as if hiding an endless mysterious universe."

"Her smile, more radiant than the blooming flowers of spring, so pure and innocent it made all things in the world pale in comparison."

"And I, with my keen insight into the talent of Gu Technique, instantly determined that she was the one in a million Gu Technique prodigy, the hope for the continuation of my legacy."

"That moment, it was as if, after groping in the dark for a long time, I suddenly saw the dawn’s first light, my heart filled with joy and expectation."

His turbid eyes seemed to shimmer with a flicker of light, like a frail candle flame ignited in the dark abyss, stubbornly twinkling, "I joyfully went back, meticulously prepared, carrying the most precious Gu Technique scriptures and carefully nurtured Gu Insects, eagerly prepared to return and impart all my life’s knowledge to her, hoping she would shine on the path of Gu Technique."

"But when I stepped into the village again, what met me was news like a nightmare."

"Just entering the village, a dense sorrow enveloped the whole village like gloom; the tranquility and peace were gone, replaced by a deathly silence."

"A foreboding feeling surged in my heart, so I hurriedly asked the villagers."

"The villagers’ eyes were filled with sadness as they wept and told me the course of events."

"It turned out, the successor I had chosen had caught the eye of the son of a local influential family."

"That son was a notorious rascal, idly misusing his days, relying on his family’s power and wealth to tyrannize and commit wrongdoings in the area."

"He coveted the girl’s beauty, and with a group of servants fierce as wolves, he forcibly took the girl away."

"The girl was stubborn and would rather die than submit."

"Enraged by her defiance, the rogue subjected her to unspeakable brutalities and ultimately killed her cruelly."

"The girl’s family was heartbroken; they believed in justice in this world and hence went to report to the authorities."

"But they didn’t know that some corrupt officials in the police bureau had long been bought by the influential family with money and power."

"Those who were supposed to uphold justice turned a blind eye to such a heinous injustice, coldly turning the girl’s family away at the door."

"When the influential family learned that the girl’s family had reported the crime, they showed no remorse and, instead, escalated their cruelty."

"Insanely, they sent out thugs, exterminating all the girl’s family, sparing neither the old nor the children."

At this point, a flame of anger ignited in Wu Mazzi’s eyes, a flame that seemed to burst forth from his sockets and turn everything to ashes.

His eyes became incredibly ferocious as if he had returned to that bloody night.

The fury, after many years of prison life, had not diminished in the slightest; rather, it had burned more fiercely through the years, as if wanting to incinerate all the injustices of the world.

"So, on a night of torrential rain, I snuck into that wealthy household."

"I slaughtered their entire family."

"I avenged the deep-seated hatred for my poor disciple and his family."

Chen Nan and Yang Ruoshui could not calm their hearts, not expecting Wu Mazzi to have such a past.

After regaining his senses, Chen Nan couldn’t help but ask, "With your strength, you could have killed them and escaped, right?"

Wu Mazzi looked at Chen Nan with an empty gaze and countered, "Why run? Where could I go?"

A simple sentence.

It was like an invisible hand suddenly gripped Chen Nan’s throat, giving him an almost suffocating illusion.

Just as Wu Mazzi had just said.

He had finally found someone who could inherit his mantle, hoping that the person could inherit and further his legacy.

The outcome, however, was that his chosen one was brutally murdered, which was also a heavy blow for Wu Mazzi.

As the old saying goes, there is no greater death of the heart than sorrow.

After that girl was tragically killed, Wu Mazzi’s life became meaningless.

As for fleeing far away.

Or being imprisoned in a dark and sunless prison.

What difference did it make?

After learning the ins and outs of Wu Mazzi’s imprisonment, Chen Nan frowned slightly and couldn’t help asking, "Then why did you choose to use Sister Yang’s body to cultivate Gu?"

Yang Ruoshui also looked on curiously, her eyes filled with doubt as she watched Wu Mazzi.

Wu Mazzi revealed a faint, weak smile, but within that smile was an indescribably complex emotion.

He slowly said, "In this prison, days are long and dull, like stagnant water, without a ripple. Every day, I face cold walls and endless loneliness."

"For me, cultivating Gu became the only way to pass this tedious time."

He paused, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes, then continued, "Actually, over the years, I’ve used many people’s bodies to cultivate Gu, she..."

Wu Mazzi looked at Yang Ruoshui, "was just one of them. However, she was different from the others."

"She held a high position, nourished by the Power of National Destiny, a mysterious and powerful force. Cultivating Gu inside her, my Lifebound Gu Worm grew at an extremely fast pace, far beyond my expectations."

A trace of longing appeared in Wu Mazzi’s eyes as if he saw the aspirational scene he once longed for: "I had originally planned that on my one hundred and twentieth birthday, I would retrieve my Lifebound Gu Worm."

"By then, my Gu Technique would be fully accomplished, and that Lifebound Gu Worm would become the Gu of all Gus under the nourishment of the Power of National Destiny."

"With it, I could not only reach an unprecedented level in Gu Technique but also use its power to live an additional 60 years."

"That was my only hope and solace in prison."

As he spoke, he looked deeply at Chen Nan, his eyes showing both unwillingness and a trace of helplessness: "But I didn’t expect that the plan I had painstakingly managed for decades would be ruined by you, lad."

"However, it’s hard to predict worldly affairs; perhaps this was fate’s arrangement!"

"Fortune or disaster, who can truly foresee?"

Saying that, he looked at Chen Nan with a complex expression, and couldn’t help asking, "Are you willing to inherit the old man’s legacy?"