Urban Martial Saint

The short man carefully placed the small insect onto Captain Jin’s wound. As soon as the insect touched the blood, it seemed to transform instantly. Its wings unfurled slightly, trembling incessantly, producing a strange, droning hum.

The insect was no bigger than a soybean, yet the sound of its vibrating wings was piercingly sharp. The rhythmic hum seemed to synchronize with human heartbeats, causing a person’s pulse to quicken uncontrollably.

The short man had already stepped back several paces, clamping his hands over his ears, unwilling to endure the noise. But Captain Jin, with both arms severed, had no way to cover his ears. The sound of the insect’s wings made his heart race, his entire body trembling with an inexplicable excitement. As time went on, his heartbeat accelerated further, the blood in his veins boiling as though driven to madness.

For about five minutes, Captain Jin’s skin turned crimson red, his face so engorged with blood it looked as if it might burst, a result of the blood rushing upward in his body. He felt as though every vessel in his body was on the verge of explosion, an unbearable agony driving him to the brink of insanity. Yet the insect’s wing vibrations did not cease, and his heart continued to pound even faster. The swelling and pressure built up intolerably.

Less than a minute later, Captain Jin suddenly spewed several mouthfuls of blood. His ears, nose, and eyes began to seep blood as well, the result of his heart beating too fast, blood surging with nowhere to escape, forcing it to stream out through his orifices.

The pain was utterly excruciating, a torment beyond description. Captain Jin had never endured such agony before. At that moment, he wished only for death to end his suffering. Yet death was not so easily granted. That tiny insect seemed to control his very fate; the sound of its wings was akin to the summons of King Yanluo’s death bell.

The short man watched Captain Jin’s plight with wide-eyed amazement, a glint of awe flashing in his eyes. He had known this insect was no ordinary creature, but he had never expected it to be so terrifying. Just the sound of its wings alone could kill Captain Jin—it was beyond imagination.

As blood poured from Captain Jin’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, the insect suddenly ceased its wing vibrations and slowly flew in front of Captain Jin, circling his head.

Captain Jin, now on the cusp of death, sluggishly raised a trembling hand, swatting at the insect near his head. By sheer chance, his blow sent the insect smacking against the wall.

”You...” The short man’s face contorted in shock. He didn’t have enough time to intervene and could only watch helplessly. Such a small insect—one finger could crush it. Now that Captain Jin had slapped it against the wall, how could it possibly survive?

The short man began to panic; the insect was incredibly rare and precious, and it was the only one he had. In addition, it was being used to test the capabilities of the creature. If Captain Jin’s slap had killed it, how could he possibly account for this to his master?

”You dare to kill my master’s Golden Silkworm Gu? I’ll kill you!” the short man roared furiously, raising his hand to deliver a punishing strike.

This... This small insect—it was the legendary top-ranking Golden Silkworm Gu of the Miao Borderlands? Wasn’t it said that only the Miaojiang Witch could cultivate such a Gu? How on earth did they manage to breed one?

Just then, the sound of wings vibrating suddenly resumed. The short man froze in astonishment before his expression shifted to delight. The insect hadn’t died?

He hurriedly stepped back, clutching his ears, and scrutinized the scene closely. The wing vibrations continued for nearly thirty seconds. Then, something on the back of Captain Jin’s hand began to move—it seemed as though something beneath the skin was trying to burrow its way out.

The short man’s nerves stretched taut as he stared fixedly at the spot. Within ten seconds, a portion of the skin on Captain Jin’s hand ruptured, and the previously hidden insect emerged, having burrowed through his flesh!

The insect that had emerged from the hand appeared slightly larger than before. What was most unsettling, though, was its appearance. Initially pitch black, the insect now exhibited faint streaks of crimson along its body, an eerie transformation.

The short man initially thought the reddish hue was merely from being soaked in blood. However, on closer inspection, he realized the coloration was not due to external blood but a change in the insect’s exoskeleton. What had been a uniform black shell was now marked with streaks of red, giving it an uncanny, bloody appearance.

The short man had no idea why the insect had undergone such a dramatic transformation. What he did know was that after emerging, it wasted no time and immediately darted into Captain Jin’s nostril.

Captain Jin, barely clinging to life, already lay limp on the ground. With his hand punctured, he couldn’t even summon the strength to scream or struggle, teetering on the brink of death. But once the insect burrowed into his nostril, Captain Jin abruptly sprang to life. Like a madman, he howled and flailed wildly, charging about the room in a frenzy. He smashed his head against the walls, creating cracks and holes, blood streaming down his face. Yet he seemed utterly insensate to the pain, lost in his frenzied state as he howled uncontrollably.

This went on for about five minutes before Captain Jin finally collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, lifeless. His body occasionally convulsed, as if stuck between death and some other non-living state, lending the scene an eerie uncertainty.

The short man, still transfixed, was struck with overwhelming dread. He had no idea what had transpired but dared not approach Captain Jin, fearful of the peril the insect posed.

Not long after, the insect slowly emerged from Captain Jin’s ear, sticky with yellowish-white matter. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a mixture of brain tissue and blood.

The insect, after entering Captain Jin’s nostril, had burrowed into his brain. No wonder Captain Jin had screamed so miserably earlier—what human could endure such torture, an insect devouring their brain from within?

After emerging, the insect seemed content, lazily fluttering to perch beside the short man. The man quickly retrieved the container meant for the insect, cautiously letting it enter before tightly sealing the lid, exhaling a long sigh of relief. Truth be told, he was wary of the insect even when it flew free.

After securing the insect, the short man finally found the time to examine Captain Jin’s condition and record his observations. He then made a call to report the events that had just transpired.

At the same time, in a villa in Xiangjiang, Patriarch Ou sat alone in one of the rooms. He had the habit of reading in the evening, and during this time, no one was permitted to disturb him—a rule set in stone.

That evening, Patriarch Ou sat in his study as usual, flipping through a book. Suddenly, the faint sound of a mechanism shifting came from one of the bookshelves. The shelf slowly moved aside, revealing a hidden passage. Standing in the passageway was the middle-aged man who had visited him earlier that morning.

The man stepped into the study and knelt before Patriarch Ou, reporting in a low voice: ”Master, the young lady has been rescued by Ye Qing and is no longer in mortal danger!”

Patriarch Ou closed his book and nodded slowly. ”Did you test the Golden Silkworm Gu?”

”Yes, it has been tested,” the man replied hesitantly before continuing in a subdued tone. ”The power of the Golden Silkworm Gu is terrifying. Merely the sound of its wings is enough to overwhelm a person. Though it seems small, its survivability is astonishing. Even after being struck head-on by Captain Jin, it survived. Instead of dying, it punctured his hand and later burrowed into his skull, devouring his brain. Its potency is truly shocking.”

Patriarch Ou nodded, satisfied. ”The Golden Silkworm Gu is the foremost Gu of the Miao Borderlands, and it is hailed as the most venomous creature under heaven. My master spent his entire life searching for the Golden Silkworm Gu, yet never laid eyes on it. Its rarity speaks volumes. The Miao Borderlands’ traditions date back thousands of years, and only a Miaojiang Witch can cultivate the Golden Silkworm Gu. In fact, it has been centuries since a Gu Mother has emerged in the Miao Borderlands. Even they have no way to counter the Golden Silkworm Gu’s power—its lethality cannot be understated.”

The middle-aged man nodded solemnly, still astounded by the Gu’s power as described. Hearing Patriarch Ou’s detailed explanation further deepened his understanding. The terrifying potency of such a rare entity now seemed entirely justified.

”However, the Golden Silkworm Gu underwent some changes after consuming that man’s blood,” the man continued. ”The insect grew slightly larger, and its body began developing streaks of blood-red patterns. Master, could this be a problem?”

”Is that true?” Patriarch Ou’s eyes lit up with excitement. ”The Golden Silkworm Gu really developed blood-colored patterns on its body?”

The man was puzzled by Patriarch Ou’s unusual enthusiasm but nodded. ”Yes, that’s correct!”

”I see... So that’s it!” Patriarch Ou exclaimed, nodding repeatedly. ”This is how the Golden Silkworm Gu evolves. Now I understand—it needs to be nurtured with human blood!”

”Master, are you sure this won’t cause any abnormal mutations?” the man asked skeptically.

”It won’t!” Patriarch Ou shook his head. ”What you’re seeing now isn’t a true Golden Silkworm Gu. These are larvae I obtained from the Miao Borderlands years ago. Even then, they’re not true Golden Silkworm Gu larvae. They’re hybrids resulting from the Golden Silkworm Gu crossbreeding with a Gu Insect known as the Corpse Gu. The bloodline of the Golden Silkworm Gu within them is too diluted to wield its full power.”

”What?” The man’s eyes widened in shock. Even so, the insect’s capabilities were already horrifying. If this wasn’t even the full extent of the Golden Silkworm Gu’s potential, then how fearsome must a true Golden Silkworm Gu be?”