A few minutes later, they emerged outside.
Shen Bayian and Shen Bayue attended to the old lady, their gazes towards Qin Yi having undergone a sea change from before! Gratitude, guilt, self-reproach…
"Mr. Qin, what exactly was that giant worm just now?" Rod Xuan asked.
"That was a Gu worm!" Xue Qiao'er said first, before Qin Yi could answer.
Qin Yi looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to know about Gu worms. However, he quickly came to understand; as a member of the Order Hall, it was normal for Xue Qiao'er to be well-informed. Qin Yi himself had learned about Gu worms from the crazy old man. While in prison, Qin Yi had taken the crazy old man as his master. Besides teaching him cultivation, the old man had also told him about many strange and wondrous things in the world, including Gu worms!
Shen Bayue, hearing Xue Qiao'er's words, asked in confusion, "What is a Gu worm???"
Rod Xuan, Shen Bayian, and the physician Hua all turned their attention to Xue Qiao'er, waiting for her answer. Clearly, none of them knew what a Gu worm was.
Sensing their gazes, Xue Qiao'er did not hesitate to explain. "Simply put, a Gu worm is a poisonous insect! It's just far more powerful than ordinary poisonous insects!"
"There are some people who specially raise Gu worms and use them to kill and manipulate others…"
Physician Hua blurted out, "Who are these people you're talking about???"
Xue Qiao'er glanced at Physician Hua. Due to his earlier actions, she, like Qin Yi, felt a deep disdain for him. Thus, she replied coolly, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't know!"
Physician Hua: "…"
The next moment, feeling insulted by her dismissiveness, he was about to erupt in anger. But before he could say anything, Rod Xuan spoke first, "You should go change your pants first! Otherwise, I can smell the stench even from this distance!"
Physician Hua finally realized the dampness in his crotch and his old face flushed red. He felt ashamed to remain there any longer and fled the room as if escaping.
Shen Bayian walked a step closer to Xue Qiao'er in shock and asked, "How could my mother have been infected by a Gu worm?"
Xue Qiao'er gave a wry smile. "You should ask yourselves that. How would I know!"
Shen Bayian turned back to the old lady. "Mom, where did you go last time? Were you really bitten by a snake?"
"Yes! I only went to our backyard mountain, nowhere else!" the old lady replied.
"Backyard mountain? How could there be such a strange thing on our backyard mountain…" Shen Bayian was utterly perplexed. Shen Bayue was equally so.
Seeing that they intended to question the old lady further, Qin Yi interrupted them. "Your mother has just recovered and is still quite weak. You should let her rest properly first!" If the old lady had known she was infected with a Gu worm, she wouldn't have been infected in the first place.
Hearing Qin Yi's words, Shen Bayian and Shen Bayue stopped questioning their mother.
Later, seeing that the old lady was well, Qin Yi had no intention of staying longer and prepared to leave with Xue Qiao'er and Rod Xuan. Shen Bayian called out to Qin Yi, apologizing and thanking him profusely! Qin Yi stated that he didn't hold any grudges about the previous events! Shen Bayian offered Qin Yi five hundred million as a token of gratitude, which Qin Yi also refused, eventually accepting only ten million. Having previously forced the Gu worm out of the old lady and supplied her with so much true qi, accepting ten million was a reasonable compensation for himself!
After Qin Yi's group left, Shen Bayian was so ashamed he felt like crawling into a hole. Recalling his previous actions, he slapped himself twice!
"By the way, Bayue, quickly go find Physician Hua and get our money back!" Shen Bayian suddenly remembered the three hundred million given to Physician Hua and immediately said to Shen Bayue. They had paid Physician Hua three hundred million as a consultation fee. Not only had he failed to cure their mother, but he had nearly killed her. How could they just let him leave with the money? Hearing this, Shen Bayue also reacted and chased after him.
Qin Yi, Xue Qiao'er, and Rod Xuan left the hotel and drove away from Heyuan Town. At Xue Qiao'er's insistence, Qin Yi was forced to ride in Xue Qiao'er's car, no longer in Rod Xuan's.
In the car.
Qin Yi sat in the passenger seat and said helplessly, "Group Leader Xue, you really don't have to do this. You've seen my strength, I won't be in any danger!" Qin Yi knew that Xue Qiao'er insisted on them riding in the same car to protect him. His disruption of the auction had caused Myriad Treasure Pavilion significant losses and damaged their reputation, and she was worried that Ming Xuanyuan would retaliate against him! By traveling with her, Xue Qiao'er hoped that Ming Xuanyuan, fearing the Order Hall, would not dare to act rashly against him.
"I know you're very capable, but don't underestimate Myriad Treasure Pavilion," Xue Qiao'er said seriously as she drove. "Myriad Treasure Pavilion is no simple organization. They have many experts, including many Dao-Entering Grandmasters!"
"The two people you injured were just ordinary members of Myriad Treasure Pavilion!"
Qin Yi's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this. Of course, it wasn't because of her latter statement, but because of the four words "Dao-Entering Grandmasters" that came before it. Since his release from prison, the strongest martial artists he had encountered were only Grandmasters. He had never met a Dao-Entering Grandmaster before. He wondered how powerful a Dao-Entering Grandmaster truly was.
Xue Qiao'er finished speaking and, not hearing Qin Yi's immediate response, instinctively turned her head to look at him. When she saw him looking pensive, she assumed he was scared by her words! Immediately, she added, "But Qin Yi, you don't need to worry too much. Every Dao-Entering Grandmaster of Myriad Treasure Pavilion is under the surveillance of our Order Hall. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly…" To maintain stability in the martial arts world, and even peace in the secular world, the Order Hall monitored some exceptionally powerful individuals. The purpose was to prevent them from acting arbitrarily! It was similar to how official departments in the secular world would register and regulate individuals with special skills!
Qin Yi curled his lips. "Group Leader Xue, please don't misunderstand. I'm not worried about Myriad Treasure Pavilion's Dao-Entering Grandmasters coming to trouble me. On the contrary, I'm very much hoping they will, so I can know how strong a Dao-Entering Grandmaster really is!"
"!!!" Xue Qiao'er was stunned. As she was about to turn a corner, she almost didn't react in time, her hands jerking the steering wheel. She nearly drove the car straight into a ditch! She quickly regained control of the car and asked Qin Yi, "Qin Yi, are you joking with me?"