Chapter 38 : Thousand Venom Gu
Chapter 38: Thousand Venom Gu
Jiang Zhaoming hurriedly nodded at Guo Huaian.
Beads of fine sweat seeped from his forehead, and his voice carried an urgency unlike ever before.
“Someone! Go and summon the other physicians at once!”
A few of his personal guards responded immediately, shooting out of the hall like arrows released from the bowstring.
Jiang Zhaoming then turned toward Guo Huaian, speaking earnestly.
“I must trouble Elder Guo to examine this woman’s injuries.”
Without saying a word, Guo Huaian strode to Gu Landa’s side in just a few quick steps.
His calloused fingers gently pressed against Gu Landa’s slender wrist, then touched a bit of her blood, bringing it to his nose for a careful sniff.
The middle-aged man’s expression gradually grew grave, his brows knotting tightly together.
Moments later, Guo Huaian turned and looked at Jiang Zhaoming.
“Your Highness, this woman is gravely wounded—and her wounds are poisoned.”
Jiang Zhaoming’s expression darkened.
“Elder Guo, is there any way to save her from this poison?”
At his question, Guo Huaian shook his head.
“Your Highness, this old servant has never seen this kind of poison before. I know not how to counter it.”
Jiang Zhaoming’s frown deepened as his gaze shifted to Gu Landa.
At that moment, Gu Landa’s pale lips trembled slightly, and she forced herself to lift her head.
“Elder Guo, remain in the hall. I shall return shortly!” Jiang Zhaoming suddenly stood, his voice swift and firm.
Before Guo Huaian could respond, Jiang Zhaoming dashed out like a gust of wind.
The guards were about to pursue him, but Guo Huaian’s stern shout stopped them.
“Stay where you are!”
The old general raised his black, gleaming heavy iron bow in one hand—its body still stained with blood from the earlier battle.
“With this old man here, there is no need for you to worry about His Highness’s safety!”
The guards glanced toward the bow, unconsciously swallowing hard.
They had witnessed it themselves just moments ago—Guo Huaian had loosed only two arrows.
The first had flown from outside the royal residence straight into the main hall, piercing through a Divine Power Realm cultivator and leaving a gaping hole.
The second was even more terrifying—obliterating another assassin hiding in the shadows, leaving not even bones behind.
Such archery was simply beyond comprehension.
Guo Huaian ignored the reverent stares of those around him, his sharp eagle-like eyes sweeping over every corner of the hall.
Faint golden light flickered within his pupils, as though they could pierce through every hidden thing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhaoming had already returned to his sleeping quarters.
He kicked open the door, leapt onto the bed without even removing his shoes, and sat cross-legged.
As he closed his eyes and concentrated, the scene around him began to distort and shift.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing upon the vast and boundless River of Fortune.
The surging current shimmered with seven-colored light, countless strands of fortune swimming like fish beneath the surface.
Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes shone with brilliance as he activated his Qi-Observing Eye Art, searching across the river’s surface.
Suddenly, his gaze locked onto something—a faint blue light gleaming vividly a hundred feet away.
He immediately grabbed the oar, propelling the small boat forward like an arrow breaking the waves.
With a flick of his right hand, a crystal-clear fishing rod appeared, its tip baited with a wisp of blue fortune.
The boat halted precisely beside the glow.
Jiang Zhaoming flicked his wrist, the fishing line tracing a perfect arc through the air.
The blue fortune in the water seemed to sense something.
It transformed into a translucent, blue-scaled fish and bit down on the hook!
“Rise!” Jiang Zhaoming uttered softly.
The rod bent into a full crescent.
The blue fish burst from the water, transforming midair into a brilliant ball of blue light, which finally condensed into a crystalline gu worm the size of a green bean.
【Thousand Venom Gu】: A strange lifeform from the Gu Spirit Plane.
Once symbiotically bonded with its host, it grants immense affinity for poisons and powerful resistance to toxins.
Upon complete fusion, the host can naturally comprehend poison-based divine powers.
The Thousand Venom Gu landed in Jiang Zhaoming’s hand.
He immediately exited the River of Fortune and rushed back toward the main hall.
When Jiang Zhaoming returned, the hall was thick with the stench of blood.
In the short span of half a cup of tea, Gu Landa’s face had turned ghostly white, her breath so faint it was almost imperceptible.
The people in the hall parted like a tide the moment he entered, clearing a path.
Seeing Jiang Zhaoming return, Gu Landa forced a faint smile onto her bloodless face.
“Your Highness, Landa has not shamed her duty… she dies for Your Highness.”
Jiang Zhaoming made no reply.
His hand pressed directly over her mouth.
“Your Highness… mmph—”
Before she could speak further, he had already stuffed the Thousand Venom Gu into her mouth, forcing her to swallow it.
Everyone present, including Guo Huaian, stared in confusion, not understanding what Jiang Zhaoming was doing.
Yet before long, they saw the change—the moment Jiang Zhaoming’s palm pressed upon Gu Landa’s lips, her complexion visibly improved.
As the physicians entered to bandage her wounds, the crowd witnessed a miracle: Gu Landa had survived.
Aside from her, more than ten guards lay on the floor—most already dead.
But one guard, though stabbed in the left chest, was still alive.
It turned out his heart was naturally positioned slightly to the right, letting the blade miss his vital point.
And since the strike aimed at him had not been coated with poison, his injury was far lighter than Gu Landa’s.
Pushing through the crowd, Jiang Zhaoming looked down at the wounded guard and instantly recognized him.
It was none other than one of his two vice-commanders of the personal guard corps—apart from Xu Xian—the man named Chen Kang.
Chen Kang tried to salute, but Jiang Zhaoming pressed his hand down gently.
“You’ve done well, Commander Chen.”
Chen Kang was deeply moved, never expecting His Highness to remember his name.
Jiang Zhaoming, however, said nothing more.
His eyes focused, and the Qi-Observing Eye Art activated once again, gazing upon Chen Kang.
【Chen Kang】
Life Fate: Unyielding Will (White Life Fate; when facing setbacks, rarely gives up and excels at learning from failure)
Innate Talent: Lone Rider’s Vigilance (Blue Talent; when serving as a close-guard, can fully unleash one’s potential and easily detect security flaws)
After reading Chen Kang’s Life Fate and talent, Jiang Zhaoming sighed softly.
He had too many subordinates and rarely had time to examine them all—thus, Chen Kang’s potential had gone unnoticed until now.
He hadn’t expected that though Chen Kang only possessed Green Fortune, he carried such a rare Blue Talent.
As for that Life Fate—well, it was rather ironic.
After all, who wanted to be “unyielding” if they could simply succeed?
“From this day forth, Chen Kang shall serve as my personal bodyguard,” Jiang Zhaoming declared, his voice resounding like thunder throughout the hall.
The guards were all shaken.
Most of these young men, born of the Qin clan’s death soldiers, had long since accepted dying at any moment.
Yet now, they felt not just loyalty—but the warmth of truly being regarded as one of His own.
The eyes of these youths, barely past their twenties, grew hot, their blood boiling in their veins.
In their eyes, Jiang Zhaoming’s entire figure seemed to be shrouded in a sacred radiance.
It was not merely the reflection of torchlight—but the innate Highness of a true Son of Heaven.
At this moment, his Life Fate · Imperial Authority manifested in full splendor.
Jiang Zhaoming’s tall figure, his sharply chiseled profile, and those eyes that seemed to see through the human heart—were etched forever into the minds of every guard present.
They knew they were willing to charge through fire and blood for such a sovereign, dying without regret.
“Your Highness…”
Chen Kang choked up, unable to speak.
He could only bow his blood-stained hand and knock his head heavily against the ground.
The other guards likewise knelt on one knee, the clash of their armor echoing like thunder throughout the hall.
Jiang Zhaoming’s gaze swept across them.
The Qi-Observing Eye Art spun once more, and one by one, strands of fortune appeared before his eyes.
Every one of these young guards bore Green Fortune, and many among them even possessed Blue Talents or Life Fates.
Looking upon his men, Jiang Zhaoming’s heart settled on a decision.
These guards were his most loyal subordinates—and each one carried commendable potential.
They must be properly nurtured.