Yan Junyu slept for a full day and night before waking up. His panic-stricken expression was immediately replaced with joy when he saw Qi Ze. He gripped the boy's wrist and whispered as if sighing, "I thought I was dreaming. You really came."
"Nice dream you had! Get up, the Young Master's leg is numb from you lying on it!" Ouyang Ye impatiently kicked him a couple of times and tossed a nutrient solution over.
"I'm fine." Qi Ze waved his hand. "Eat something, we'll set out later. If we want to leave here, we need to find out what's emitting the electromagnetic waves first."
"How do we find it? The detectors are affected by the electromagnetic waves as well." Li Ziqian took out the malfunctioned device in exasperation, and said, "Young Master Qi, look, all the electronic devices are useless. We can only figure out our directions based on the stars, but finding the source of the electromagnetic waves can only be left to luck. This planet isn't too big, but it's not small either. It might take us years to search the whole thing."
Yan Junyu silently took the nutrient solution from the boy's hand and took out a loaf of bread from his Interspatial Button, passing it over. He whispered softly, "Eat this, the nutrient solution tastes terrible. By the way, the supply officer has a few bottles of milk left, I'll go get it for you." As he spoke, he got up and left.
"Hey, we're in the middle of a serious discussion, can't you focus?" Ouyang Ye picked up a branch to whack the man's legs.
"Why are you hitting him? He's weak, it's good for him to drink some milk to replenish himself." Qi Ze snatched the branch away, and comforted him, "It's fine, go get it. We'll think of a solution. There's nothing for you to worry about, the most important thing is to restore your health."
"Hmm." Yan Junyu replied softly. He turned his head and genuinely smiled. The supply officer handed him the remaining bottles of milk, whispering mysteriously, "Captain, you seem really happy? You're glowing. Are you and Young Master Qi...?"
"Soon." He nodded affirmatively, and distributed the milk to Qi Ze and Ming Rui, then hesitated as he looked at Xiaohei.
"Xiaohei doesn't eat this, you drink it." Qi Ze inserted a straw into the bottle, feeding it directly to the man's mouth. Only when he obediently drank did he turn to look at Li Ziqian. "I have a way to find the radiation source, just follow me. After breakfast, we'll dismantle camp and set out."
"Young Master Qi, we'll follow you as well." Wolf Fang said with a thick face.
"Don't cause trouble for me." Qi Ze warned him without much emotion, then took out a ninth-rank star disk, secretly infusing it with spirit qi. The originally motionless needle began to spin rapidly, slowly settling on a direction after about half a minute.
The group had breakfast and set off on their journey following the star disk's guidance, witnessing the changes on the planet firsthand. The deeper they went inland, the sparser the forests became. Trees withered in patches, black branches like human skeletons, looking even more terrifying against the thin layer of black mist.
"Is this black mist poisonous?" Li Ziqian worried.
Ouyang Ye hurriedly took out a gas mask and put it on Ming Rui. Xiaohei sat on his shoulder, taking deep breaths with its eyes narrowed into crescents, seeming rather pleased. Everyone felt a bit dizzy, but it was strangely the weakest Yan Junyu who felt no discomfort.
"This is demonic energy, it can drive people insane or kill them. If your rank is high enough, attach your mental energy or inner strength to the surface of your body to isolate this gas. If your rank isn't high enough, take out your protective suits and put them on." Qi Ze immediately pulled Yan Junyu to his side, thinking of the worm in his stomach, he silently withdrew his spirit qi.
"You can take a few more breaths, it's fine." He suggested inaudibly.
Yan Junyu nodded silently, but didn't let go of the boy's hand. Li Ziqian similarly felt like a fish in water, the demonic seed in his body constantly stirring, seemingly improving. The group struggled to trek, encountering many mutated flora and fauna along the way. There were giant flowers that spewed poison to dissolve their prey, vines covered in backward thorns that could walk, earthworms that specialized in eating toxic fruits, and beasts with rotting bodies on the brink of madness. All the creatures on this planet seemed to have undergone varying degrees of mutation, and all carried intense toxins.
The two groups were all terrified as they made their way. If they could sprout wings, they'd leave this dangerous planet without hesitation. More perplexing to them was that every time they encountered a toxic creature, Qi Ze would collect samples, categorizing them meticulously in various vials and jars.
The Red Phantom pirates lurked far away, watching as Li Ziqian, Ouyang Ye, and the doll risked their lives for him, climbing mountains and braving fire. They seemed completely fearless, rushing over to collect the toxins as soon as Qi Ze said he wanted them. Especially Li Ziqian, his hands could transform into beast claws, immune to all poisons, indestructible, easily uprooting a large toxic vine and tearing it into countless pieces.
The doll was also bizarre. Despite being thoroughly drenched by the man-eating flower's poison, it didn't turn into a puddle of water. Instead, it jumped into the flower's corolla for a bath, drinking the stored poison like a little bee until it was all gone. When it crawled out of the flower, it had grown two nostrils, and the redness on its cheeks appeared more natural and transparent.
Wolf Fang grew increasingly alarmed the more he watched. He had to rid himself of all malicious intentions. By evening, they finally left the forest shrouded in black mist, reaching a clear field with fresh air. Some organized patrols, some were responsible for cooking, while others lay down to rest haphazardly.
"Give me a piece of black crystal." Yan Junyu sat down next to the boy, his voice weary and strained.
Qi Ze hurriedly took out a sleeping bag and a towel, whispering softly, "Lie down and rest for a bit. I'll wake you when dinner is ready."
"How could I sleep." Yan Junyu shook his head with a bitter smile, "Can I lie on your lap for a moment? Just for a while." His hand holding the black crystal trembled, seeming to lack the strength to even lift it.
"Lie down," Qi Ze patted his own thigh. After Yan Junyu lay down, he took the black crystal and fed it into his mouth.
Yan Junyu buried his face in the boy's abdomen, tightly hugging his waist, savoring this short yet warm moment. He let his body tremble in agony, though he might look a little pathetic, he could feel the boy's gentle pats. It was worth it, more than anything.
"It's okay, it's okay, just a few more minutes." Qi Ze held the tall man in his arms, coaxing him like he would a child. In truth, he didn't know how long this pain would last, but vaguely recalled that when he was young, his father had said the same words when refining his body. Thinking about enduring just a few more minutes, a collapsing willpower would become a little more solid. Looking back, he would find that pain wasn't actually scary, what was scary was giving up the struggle.
At the time, Qi Ze couldn't understand his father's feelings, but now, he finally understood what it meant to empathize. The strong Yan Junyu made him admire, the vulnerable Yan Junyu made him ache. On a whim, he leaned down and kissed the other's sweat-drenched forehead.
Yan Junyu's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, looking at him in shock.
"It won't hurt with a kiss, my dad did this." Qi Ze explained, flustered and helpless.
Yan Junyu's cloudy eyes shone brightly, a smile still on his lips despite the excruciating pain, "It really does feel better. This method is very effective."
"That's good." Qi Ze quietly let out a breath, and then used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from the man's forehead.
"Don't wipe it." Yan Junyu held his wrist, weakly, "This time, I want to keep this mark."
"Oh, you keep it if you want." Qi Ze felt he was being teased, holding the man's head, staring blankly. Li Ziqian sat opposite them, his face somewhat gloomy. When he saw Ouyang Ye stand up with an ashen face, seemingly wanting to go over, he immediately held him back.
"Junyu isn't feeling well, don't disturb him while he's resting." He whispered.
"Haven't you heard what the Red Phantom said? When we weren't here, he was in more pain than now, still patrolling, exploring, fighting, acting as if nothing was wrong. The moment Young Master Qi arrived, he acted weak. He's pulling a pity act, how despicable!" Ouyang Ye whispered indignantly.
"If you're envious, why don't you eat a worm yourself?" Li Ziqian offered a suggestion.
Ouyang Ye shuddered, not daring to speak. Xiaohei giggled, reaching into its pocket and pulling out a poisonous worm, scaring the living daylights out of Young Master Ouyang. The soldiers who had toiled all day were infected by this relaxed atmosphere, also wearing pleasant expressions.
Half an hour later, Yan Junyu was finally free of the intense pain. He leaned against the tree trunk, cradling Qi Ze's two legs in his arms, kneading them. Qi Ze held a nutrient solution, slowly feeding it into his mouth, holding one himself, occasionally taking a sip.
Ming Rui drew a simple map on the ground, telling everyone where they would pass the next day and what dangers might be encountered. Although all the electronic devices were useless, her brain was like a database, able to retrieve information about Planet ME219 at any time.
"There's a lake covering eighty thousand square kilometers here, our drinking water is insufficient, we can check it out." She took out a small water bottle and shook it by her ear. The remaining half-bottle of water rattled, sounding pleasant, but it wasn't something to be happy about.
"What if the lake water is contaminated?" Wolf Fang asked in a deep voice. As the temperature climbed higher, the human body would lose a lot of water during the trek, naturally requiring a lot of replenishment. What could have lasted them two months of drinking water would now probably only support them for thirty days or so.
"Then we'll dig for groundwater," Li Ziqian said calmly, "Perhaps before the water runs out, we can find a way to leave."
"Alright." Wolf Fang didn't dare to argue with these monsters, obediently sitting to listen.
"Don't worry about water and food, I'll find a way." Qi Ze promised.
Everyone was inexplicably relieved, but when they saw him take out many small bottles, their scalps tingled.
"Young Master Qi, what are you doing?" Ouyang Ye ran ten meters away before tremblingly asking.
"Brewing Gu, the timid shouldn't watch." Qi Ze took out a large jar from his Qiankun bag, placing it on the ground. He poured the collected toxins into it one by one, stirring them evenly with spirit force. Yellow, bright blue, purple, and green...various colors of bright liquids slowly merged, catalyzed, eventually turning into a dark black fluid, bubbling vigorously.
The stench spread throughout the camp, making everyone back away. They had already witnessed how terrifying these toxins were; some could cause instant death, some could dissolve flesh, some could corrode steel plates. What kind of destructive power would be caused if they were combined?
"What on earth is brewing Gu? Damn it, I'm going to go crazy sooner or later because of this strange Young Master Qi!" Wolf Fang whispered through gritted teeth.
"Boss, I don't know what brewing Gu is either, I've never heard of it! Could this Qi Ze be a biologist?" a star pirate guessed, "Look at him, doesn't he look like he's doing biochemical experiments? That big jar of stuff should be some kind of biochemical weapon."
"Doing biochemical experiments without wearing a gas mask or protective suit? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Wolf Fang kicked the person away, even more uncertain about the boy's tactics.
Qi Ze, however, didn't care what others thought. He warned Yan Junyu not to be splashed by the toxins, then poured the various poisonous insects he had caught on the road into the big jar.
In the Qianyuan Continent, brewing Gu was a type of evil art. The more powerful the Gu King, the more venom and poison it would consume. Once, a Gu Master brewed a Celestial-level Gu King, using nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine types of toxins and the same number of poisonous insects. When the Gu King emerged, the Heavenly Dao responded, sending down eighty-one heavenly tribulations to eliminate it. The Celestial Gu resisted it directly, leading the Gu Master to ascend.
Qi Ze heard this inspirational story from his father, developing a strong interest in Gu techniques. He had spent some time studying them. Now, he had no way of knowing what toxins were on this planet, if there were enough of them, or which ones were the most powerful. So he could only adopt this brute force method, grabbing whatever he saw. Fortunately, this place was infected by demonic energy, so it didn't lack in toxins. Sooner or later, he would succeed.
The Gu insects entered the toxins, some instantly melting into liquid, some barely alive, some lively and bouncing without end. The jar was repeatedly hit by them, making a clinking sound. To those who didn't know what was going on, it was like the sound of a demon.
"Young Master Qi, what exactly are you doing? Could there be a problem?" A soldier couldn't stand it anymore and came over, asking nervously.
"No, if you don't dare to watch, go out on patrol." Qi Ze had both hands pressed against the jar's belly, continuously pouring in spirit force.
The soldier glanced at the jar's mouth, his face instantly turning pale. The toxins were visibly decreasing, not evaporating, but being greedily consumed by the poisonous insects. Their colors became brighter, their sizes larger, some even emitting a green glow, looking eerie to the extreme. This wasn't all, after drinking the toxins, they began to kill each other, you bite my head off, I pierce your abdomen, various limbs flying everywhere.
"I, I, I'll go on patrol." The soldier couldn't even speak in complete sentences, running away with his pants falling down.
Li Ziqian looked into the jar and opened his mouth hoarsely, "I didn't expect the internal war of the insects to be the cruelest. Even someone who's been to the Zerg battlefield is a bit frightened."
"Really? Let me see." Wolf Fang finally found a legitimate reason to probe the depths of Qi Ze's abilities, and stretched his neck to take a look. He nearly fell in with weakened legs. Terrifying, too damn terrifying! The insects had undergone mutations, one uglier than the next. Some emitted strange yip-yip howls, twisting and wriggling together, killing and eating each other. Their numbers were rapidly decreasing, and the survivors underwent another mutation, growing larger and brighter in color. A single glance made one's spine chill.
"Shit!" Wolf Fang cursed repeatedly, retreating five or six meters before barely regaining his balance. Without a doubt, these already incredibly toxic insects had become even more terrifying now.
"Didn't you see that some of the insects have grown wings? They'll fly out!" He jumped up in panic.
"They can't fly out." This jar was a spiritual artifact specially used for brewing Gu, embedded with countless formations. Even a high-rank cultivator couldn't break it, let alone a Gu insect? But Qi Ze had no time to explain to others, only continuously pouring in spirit force to incite the ferocity of these insects.
There was another round of chaotic fighting in the jar. After fifteen minutes, hundreds of Gu insects were left with only one, resembling a silkworm, but with colorful hues, a pair of transparent wings sprouting on its back. It was plump, somewhat cute. But apart from Xiaohei drooling, no one seemed to get Qi Ze's cute point.
Seeing Qi Ze reach into the jar to grab the insect, everyone wore expressions of agony. No matter how much confidence Yan Junyu had in him, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, stopping him, "Don't move, it'll bite you."
"It's fine." Qi Ze attached spirit force to his hand, isolating the insect's attack. After scooping it out, he handed it to Yan Junyu, instructing, "Eat it."
"What did you say?" Yan Junyu suspected there was something wrong with his hearing.
"Eat it, while it's hot!" Qi Ze repeated patiently. He had been too naive, assuming that brewing Celestial Gu was easy. Only in practice did he realize that ten thousand nine thousand ninety-eight types of poisons were only the base number. Each type required countless poisons to cultivate. The number was truly frightening if you actually calculated it. But since he had chosen this path, he would try to reach the peak. Yan Junyu could be born mediocre, but he couldn't be mediocre because of his incapability.
"You want our captain to eat it?" The soldiers couldn't sit still anymore, all crowding around.
"Trust me." Qi Ze didn't look at anyone, only staring intently at Yan Junyu. If the other party showed even a hint of cowardice, he would abandon this path. He could reach the peak under the condition that no one was hindering him.
"Qi, Young Master Qi, do you know what you're doing?" Ouyang Ye asked timidly. Li Ziqian remained silent, but his face was ashen. Wolf Fang covered his mouth and squinted his eyes, it was unclear whether he was gloating or struggling to suppress his nausea.
"Do you want to eat it? If not, forget it." Qi Ze saw Yan Junyu not moving for a long time and was inevitably a little hurt. He was about to take the Gu King back when Yan Junyu suddenly took it, without hesitation, sending it into his mouth. The insect was too long and large, its fat butt wriggling outside his lips. He had to swallow hard for a while before it was sent into his stomach.
The insect beast confined in his dantian had some kind of response, immediately extending a long tentacle to pull the Gu King over. The two insects were filled with ferociousness, fighting to the death, almost bursting Yan Junyu's abdomen. He originally thought he had experienced the most intense pain in the world, but he only now understood that pain had no bottom limit.
"Hmm..." He grunted, falling into the boy's arms. This wasn't intentional weakness or coquetry, but he really couldn't hold back.
Qi Ze immediately hugged him and gently laid him on the ground, continuously wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead with both hands, "Just bear with it, it'll pass. Trust me, I won't harm you." He could only repeat this sentence over and over, feeling extremely uncomfortable in his heart.
"I, trust, you." Even as he lost his senses from the pain, Yan Junyu still squeezed out these words through his teeth.
"Is the captain poisoned? Why did you make him eat that damn thing?" a soldier roared.
"Brother, calm down." Li Ziqian clasped the other's neck, forcefully pulling him away. Then he blocked in front of Young Master Qi, coldly saying, "If you want to avenge your captain, wait until he's dead." Before he even finished speaking, his hands had already transformed into sharp beast claws.
The soldiers had seen the power of these hands, not daring to move rashly. Ouyang Ye and Ming Rui ran over, forming a human wall. Xiaohei sat on Yan Junyu's abdomen, drooling.
Wolf Fang shouted in his heart, "Fight, fight already," but on his face, he wore an anxious expression.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but they were all stuck in place. After about half an hour, Yan Junyu finally recovered. When the pain was truly unbearable, he would instead try to control his body, neither trembling nor struggling, to avoid making Qi Ze more worried. He half sat up, his hair and clothes completely drenched in sweat, as if he had been fished out of a lake.
"I'm fine now." He touched the boy's pale cheeks.
"Who won?" Qi Ze didn't dare to peek into the man's body with spirit force, to avoid inciting the ferocity of the Gu insect.
"The original one won."
"Then it's pretty powerful." Qi Ze let out a huge sigh of relief, his legs going weak, nearly collapsing onto Yan Junyu.
Yan Junyu hurriedly picked him up, laughing happily a couple of times. He patted the boy's slender back, then tousled his equally sweat-drenched hair, and finally looked at his subordinates, scolding, "Who told you to take out your guns? Put them away! In the future, don't be disrespectful to Young Master Qi."
"Captain, are you alright?" The soldiers felt their hearts weren't quite up to the task. Young Master Qi's treatment methods were too evil! Was he saving lives or taking them?
"I'm fine." Yan Junyu nodded. He heard Qi Ze say indifferently, "It's just temporary, from now on, I'll make you swallow a Gu insect every day, you have to be mentally prepared."
"No problem, I can hold out." Yan Junyu's smile didn't change. If it were someone else, he absolutely wouldn't cooperate with such absurd, disgusting, and incomprehensible treatment plans, but it was Qi Ze, so he could agree to anything.
"Real man! In the entire Black Eye Galaxy, I don't respect anyone but you!" Wolf Fang gagged while raising his thumb at his archenemy.
Yan Junyu didn't bother with him, instead spreading his palms and asking Qi Ze, "What's this? It suddenly grew out."
Everyone looked intently, and their faces that had just regained their blood color turned pale once again. They saw that three vines full of black backward thorns had actually sprouted from the flesh of his palms, intertwining together. They wriggled and sniffed like living things, ready to choose their prey and bite.