Chapter 298 - Light Miao Shuiyun Village
Xue Qiming tried to stir up some conversation as they took the main route out of the city. "Did your Miao family split up or something?" he asked.
The two were seated on a newly purchased ox cart. Xue Qiming drove and Xue Niang held a stick of tanghulu in her hand. After Xue Qiming posed his question, Xue Niang replied, "We've never been one family. The Light Miao and Dark Miao are always fighting."
Xue Qiming raised an eyebrow. "Really? Tell me more."
Xue Niang rolled her eyes. "How would I know why? They just keep fighting and fighting. No one's ever mentioned the reason. All I know is that the Dark Miao value martial strength, and the Light Miao are skilled in gu techniques.[1] The Dark Miao have always been the combative side..."
Xue Qiming rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Haven’t the Miao people rebelled several times before?"
"That’s all the Dark Miao," Xue Niang replied, "Our side follows ancestral rules that forbid such things."
Xue Qiming nodded, neither agreeing or disagreeing. After a pause, he asked, "You said the Light Miao are skilled in raising gu... I’ve only heard about it, but I've never seen it. Stories say that gu can control people's minds and kill without being seen. Are they really that magical?"
Xue Niang continued licking her candy and shook her head, "I don't know."
"You don’t know?" Xue Qiming raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you one of the Light Miao? How could you not know?"
Xue Niang pursed her lips, looked up at Xue Qiming, and stayed silent for long enough to make him feel uncomfortable. She finally said, "Our ancestral rules say gu techniques are only passed down to women."
Xue Qiming started. "Aren’t you a wo—"