Volume One: The Soul-Drawing Gourd and the Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 21: The Tongue Gu

Within the fortune-telling shop, the lingering scent of incense made the atmosphere especially tranquil and serene.

Yet the eccentric Taoist before him was peering anxiously at Gu Mo, his expression fraught with concern.
“Mr. Gu, what’s become of Feng Kaixuan now?”

At this, Gu Mo turned to look at Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue, confusion written plainly on his face.
Jiang Jingxue, catching his gaze, merely smiled with impish mischief, her voice as clear and sweet as silver bells.
“Those two fat fools are under my decree. As long as they serve out their penance, they’ll awaken.”

The peculiar Taoist was momentarily stunned by this. Then, frowning deeply, he raised his left hand, fingers moving swiftly in calculation.
Within a few heartbeats, a glimmer of golden light flickered between his fingertips.

Witnessing this, Gu Mo was left gaping, questioning the very fabric of reality.
Though the Taoist appeared unkempt, he clearly possessed uncommon skills.

A few seconds later, the Taoist looked at Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue, lines of exasperation darkening his face.
“Your Excellency, isn’t this a bit much?”
But Jiang Jingxue only laughed again, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

With a resigned sigh, the Taoist stood, retrieved a black Taoist robe, and began to wash up.
Moments later, he had shed his previous disheveled state. His damp hair was now twisted high in a topknot, held in place by a jade hairpin. The black robe shone strikingly, and on his feet were simple cloth shoes.

Looking upon him now, Gu Mo found the Taoist exuded an aura of otherworldly grace—an utter transformation from his previous slovenliness.
Dressed anew, the Taoist gave Gu Mo a sly wink before announcing leisurely,
“Mr. Gu, it seems you and Feng Kaixuan are bound by fate. Come, accompany me on a brief errand.”

Gu Mo nodded, then turned to Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue.
“Your Excellency, the shop’s front door is still broken. Would you mind watching over the place for a bit? I’ll bring you some snacks when I return.”

At the mention of treats, Jiang Jingxue agreed at once.
Then, with a dramatic flick of his robe, the Taoist led Gu Mo away, vanishing into the night...

The cold, silvery moonlight poured down.
Gu Mo followed the Taoist through a secluded wood, the fresh air filling his lungs and verdant scenery offering a unique charm.

After a few breaths, Gu Mo, curiosity piqued, asked,
“Master Taoist, may I ask your name? And why have you waited ten years for me?”

The Taoist smiled, turning his head.
“My secular name is Xiao Yulou, an itinerant from the Wuzhuang Temple atop Jade Void Peak. From now on, let us address each other as brothers.”

Xiao Yulou’s sincerity only deepened Gu Mo’s confusion.
“Master Xiao, isn’t that a bit hasty? This is our first meeting!”

Xiao Yulou merely smiled.
“Brother Gu, to be candid, I have long since divined your fate. Our journey together is only beginning…”

These cryptic words left Gu Mo even more bewildered.
Still, on reflection, having a master by his side could only be a boon.

As they walked, the landscape opened onto a tranquil, jade-green pond.
Birdsong, fragrant flowers, dense woods, and lush undergrowth surrounded them, the gentle murmur of water lending a sense of peace and ease.
This was clearly a place rarely visited by mankind.
Even the air carried a faint sweetness.

Before them, a white stream tumbled into the pond, a string of pearls in motion.
One could not fathom what allure the city held, with its forest of cold, concrete towers.
How could those pitiful strips of greenery improve the air? Let alone the cities choked with factories...

As Gu Mo took in the scene, a strange, rhythmic thudding echoed through the dark sky.
Dong… dong… dong!

Gu Mo tensed, warily scanning the surroundings, bracing for yet another monstrous apparition to leap forth.
But Xiao Yulou, walking ahead with his hands clasped behind him, showed not the slightest fear—he seemed to be on a spring outing.

Within moments, Xiao Yulou had led Gu Mo to the source of the sound…
When Gu Mo set eyes on the scene, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Beneath the shade of the trees, two men—naked and covered in blood—were kneeling before a spirit tablet, incessantly banging their heads against the ground.
Dong… dong… dong!

Blood streamed down their foreheads, trickling from their necks to bathe their entire bodies.
With every alternation, their heads struck a large stone with a heavy, resounding thud.

“I am a beast… I deserve a thousand deaths…”
The other muttered through garbled lips,
“No, I am the beast… I deserve my fate…”

Despite their ravings, Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou recognized the voices—Feng Kaixuan and Feng Kai, the two wretched fat men, had spent the entire day repeating this ritual of penance.
Their once-blubbery forms had slimmed down considerably.

Gu Mo observed them, dazed—their vacant eyes, their ceaseless self-reproach.
“Forgive me… I have sinned… Forgive me…” they mumbled.

Gu Mo could scarcely believe Yan Wang’s punishment had been so severe—but perhaps it was fitting for such lecherous fools.

Xiao Yulou sighed, shaking his head.
“Brother Gu, your Yan Wang wife certainly has a flair for the dramatic!”

Gu Mo forced a bitter smile.
“Don’t— I haven’t agreed to marry her yet.”

At that, Gu Mo suddenly stared at Xiao Yulou in disbelief.
“Master Xiao, you know about that too?”

Xiao Yulou grinned, feigning mystery.
“A simple divination reveals all.”

Gu Mo nodded, half-convinced.
“So, Master Xiao, what should we do with these two? Or should we let them continue a while?”

Xiao Yulou smiled, flicked his sleeve with an air of immortality, and replied,
“That’s an easy matter.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yulou bowed, sending a flash of golden light from his fingertips.
With a flick, two golden rays shot straight into the foreheads of Feng Kaixuan and Feng Kai.

In an instant, the two dazed men snapped back to consciousness, their screams piercing the tranquility of the pond…

Aaaah—

The world spun wildly as Feng Kaixuan and Feng Kai clutched their wounded foreheads, dizzy from pain and shock.
The cold sweat and blood mingling on their brows stung terribly.
Had Master Xiao not intervened, they might have shattered the stone before stopping.

After a long while, Feng Kaixuan, trembling with cold sweat, stammered to Xiao Yulou,
“Wuuuu—”

But as soon as he spoke, his throat and mouth felt blocked, his tongue tightening painfully.
Panicked, Feng Kaixuan spat out his tongue.

To everyone’s horror, a small, red, glossy, and sinister object—tinged with a greenish glow—hung from his tongue, blood vessels wrapping it tightly, as if seeking to replace it.

At this ghastly sight, Gu Mo broke out in a cold sweat.
Xiao Yulou, undaunted, strode forward and pried open Feng Kaixuan’s jaws, examining the thing with a deep frown.

“What’s this— a Tongue Gu?!”

Gu Mo’s skin crawled.
“Master Xiao, what’s a Tongue Gu?”

The plump Feng, now sitting on the ground, hastily pulled up his trousers and resumed kowtowing.
“Mas…ter… save… me!”

Feng Kai, meanwhile, was so terrified he could only stare, shivering uncontrollably.

Xiao Yulou, hands behind his back, explained unhurriedly,
“Most witchcraft and Gu techniques originate from western Hunan. The Tongue Gu is forged from a dead man’s tongue. Its victim loses the ability to speak, the tongue grows numb, and within days, fever and coma set in—leading to death.”

He paused.
“Whoever set this Gu is no ordinary practitioner.”

Then Xiao Yulou turned to Feng Kai.
“Did you two encounter someone from Hunan?”

Feng Kai, after a moment’s thought, spoke in a hoarse, unpleasant voice.
“Yes, yes! I remember, when I was in a daze, I saw a woman in embroidered clothes… We weren’t dressed, so she lifted her hand and a purple light shot into Feng Kaixuan’s mouth.”

Gu Mo was intrigued.
“Why didn’t you get affected?”

Feng Kai racked his brains but had no answer. At last, he managed a wan smile.
“I really don’t know. I was out of it—I can’t even recall her face.”

Xiao Yulou nodded slowly.
“Go home and tend your wounds. I’ll handle Feng Kaixuan’s treatment.”

With that, Feng Kai, as if granted amnesty, scrambled off into the night.

Feng Kaixuan, pale and desperate, looked hopefully at Xiao Yulou, eyes pleading for life.
Xiao Yulou flicked his sleeve and began setting out his ritual implements on the ground—a yellow talisman, cinnabar, a small dish of chicken blood, and a wolf-hair brush.

Once prepared, Xiao Yulou softly recited the Three Pure Ones’ incantation. Dipping his brush in the cinnabar and chicken blood mixture, he began inscribing on Feng Kaixuan’s tongue a mysterious, indecipherable sigil.

When he finished, Xiao Yulou closed his eyes, bowed, and chanted the sacred formula.
After a few breaths, he suddenly shouted, the crimson sigil merging with the Tongue Gu.

The sinister, green-tinged parasite began to detach itself.
With a wet plop, it fell to the ground and scurried toward the woods.

Xiao Yulou immediately snatched up a talisman, twisting it deftly.
In a flash, the talisman ignited, and a fireball the size of a watermelon shot after the creature.

With a shriek—eerily human—the fleeing Gu was consumed, a nauseating stench filling the air.
Moments later, green fluid oozed from the charred remains, a sight as revolting as could be.

Xiao Yulou smiled lightly and helped Feng Kaixuan to his feet.
“Brother Feng, I came here tonight especially for you.”

Feng Kaixuan, still reeling, offered endless thanks with a tingling tongue, a stream of crystal-clear drool running down his chin.

But Xiao Yulou, ever the immortal eccentric, uttered a remark that left Gu Mo utterly speechless…