or in the darkness.In this pitch-black environment, the three of them ascended the stairs to the second floor. Although the villa had been uninhabited for a long time and was filled with oppressive Yi...Chapter Thirty-five: 'Cultivation'

"This illness is incurable!!!" As soon as Xiao Yu's words fell, the previously chaotic room suddenly became eerily quiet. After a moment, the uproar started again.

Zhuo Simiao was terrified when he heard Xiao Yu's statement. Unlike Xiao Yu, Zhuo Simiao knew who Zhong Lao was; before retiring, Zhong Lao had been one of the country’s 'Nine Elders.'

"What資格的人是你？你要為你的話負責！" An expert from the Central Health Bureau stood up and pointed at Xiao Yu to rebuke him.

"Exactly!" "Exactly….."

"How do you speak to someone like that"

Various voices of condemnation reached Xiao Yu's ears. However, sitting in a corner with his eyes closed, Xiao Yu remained unperturbed as if he were an old monk in meditation, ignoring the accusations from the experts.

The Zhuo family members looked at Xiao Yu with astonishment, while Zhong Lao, Zhong Jianguo, and Zhong Tao stared at him in shock. When did someone dare to speak to them like this Just one sentence declaring that there was no hope for treatment left the entire Zhong family thunderstruck.

At this moment, Zhuo Hongjun, sitting in the main seat, regained his composure and looked at Xiao Yu, asking: "Little Xiao, does this mean you know what condition it is"

The Old Master Zhong had now calmed down and was looking at Xiao Yu calmly, as if he himself wasn’t the patient: "Young man, what exactly is my illness At the very least, let this old man die with a clear conscience!"

"Grandpa, don't listen to him! You'll be fine!" Zhong Tao said resentfully to Xiao Yu.

"Yeah! Dad! You'll be alright!" Zhong Jianguo also tried to comfort the elder.

Xiao Yu opened his eyes and looked at The Old Master Zhong, then slowly spoke: "This isn’t a disease. You’ve been afflicted by a Miao蠱 (gǔ, insect/curse) from the苗jiang region!"

"Gǔ"

"Gǔ What’s that"

………………

The whole conference room erupted into chaos with people starting all sorts of discussions.

The Old Master Zhuo and the traditional Chinese medicine expert from the Health Bureau, The Old Master Huang, who were seated at the head table, fell into deep thought.

The Zhong family members looked bewildered, but it was Old Zhong who recovered first and asked Xiao Yu, "Young man, what is a蠱 (gū)"

Hearing Old Zhong's question, all the experts in the room turned to look at Xiao Yu, including Zhuoxinghong and Elder Huang, who both raised their heads to gaze at him.

Xiao Yu looked at everyone and slowly said, "When we say Miaojiang (Miao Region), it is a general term referring mainly to today's Miao ethnic group. Living in the mountains, due to dangerous terrain and poisonous insects everywhere, along with highly toxic miasma in between hills, those who enter Miaojiang without local antidotes are sure to die.

Because of the widespread poison-producing insects, each tribe in Miaojiang is skilled at using poisons; there's even a secret method that can control poisonous insects to harm others inconspicuously.

The entire Miao ethnic group dominates Miaojiang. The real reason why the Miao people can dominate Miaojiang isn’t due to their numbers, but because regardless of age or gender, every single Miao person knows an eerie technique—raising蠱 (gū)!

“Raising蠱 (gū)” Elder Zhuo suddenly stood up and exclaimed. "Does the Miaojiang蠱 (gū) art really exist" He then slumped down, muttering to himself.

Hearing Elder Zhuo's exclamation, everyone in the room turned their gaze toward him.

"Elder Zhuo, you know about蠱 (gū) too" Old Zhong looked at Zhuoxinghong with surprise.

Elder Zhuo slowly nodded his head and said, "I heard my father mention it before. According to my father, he hasn’t seen one himself either; it was told to him by his master! This蠱 (gū) thing is extremely peculiar, capable of leading people to death without them noticing, and those who are affected often suffer great pain until they die a terrible death!"

"Who is it Who's out to get my father Find out for me!" Upon hearing what Old Zhuo said, Zhong Jianguo abruptly stood up with wide eyes and shouted loudly.

Zhong Tao also looked猙獰, with a hint of viciousness in his gaze.

Seeing the two men's expressions, Xiao Yu chuckled coldly from the corner: "Gee (a type of venomous insect used for poisoning), is not as scary as people think it is. In fact, most Miao ethnic group members and other minorities make and raise gee primarily for self-protection in the Yi region.

"Self-protection" Old Zhuo was taken aback and muttered to himself.

“Yes, self-protection. People living in the Yi region rely on the gee insects to expel miasma and kill venomous creatures to ensure their safety in an environment filled with toxic pests and noxious fumes.”

The majority of these poisonous gees are made during the Dragon Boat Festival by putting various venomous pests—said to be at least twelve but up to hundreds of types—into a sealed container and burying it underground. These pests, deprived of freedom and food sources, will fight each other until there's only one left after forty-nine days; this last surviving pest is then considered the poisonous gee. After consuming eleven others, the survivor undergoes significant changes, evolving into a gee insect with a certain level of intelligence.

Even though these poisonous gees have some degree of intelligence and enhanced strength after their transformation, they are still relatively weak and need to be raised by their masters for an extended period before being fully under control. During this stage, the master faces great danger as the gee insect's mentality is unstable; if the master fails to provide adequate sustenance, the gees might turn against them.

Moreover, due to differences in toxicity and strength of the chosen pests, the resulting poisonous gees have varying abilities. Generally speaking, they are classified into three levels: basic gees, regular gees, and advanced gees. Most Miao people raise basic gees, which can slightly increase their own strength, constitution, and provide them with miasma immunity. Although these basic gees are also poisonous, after being created by their master, they must live inside the master's body for life, depending entirely on their master for sustenance; they have no offensive capabilities and cannot be used to attack others.g's condition" One of the elderly men bowed to an elder wearing glasses who was seated on the sofa and asked.This man didn't even glance at Li Suiren who was sitting beside him; it seemed as though Li...