77 Chapter 76: Bugging (2/2)

I didn't resent Tang Qi Hong for tasking me with such tedious and time-consuming chores. If anything, I was grateful for them. They allowed me to get more familiar and intimate with spirit materials, and to learn a vast amount of knowledge about them that I wouldn't otherwise have learned solely from reading encyclopedias.

No wonder I was always told not to only stick to reading, but to go out and experience the world in itself. There was so much to learn beyond just staying in my room or hanging out in the library and reading books.

I wonder when I'll be able to learn Spirit Engraving. I can't wait to forge a spirit armament with those Ice Soul Python scales.

Well, before I attempted that, I needed to get the basics right. And to do that, I needed to focus on preparing the spirit mateirals that Tang Qi Hong had requested from me.

By now, I had gotten used to the chores that Tang Qi Hong assigned me, and I methodically executed the grinding or refining or preparation processes, becoming fully immersed in the work. In fact, I was so engrossed in grinding the Phoenix Jade into powder that I barely paid any attention to the outside world.

However, I raised my head when I detected something outside my door. Ever since I had mastered Heaven and Earth Formula, my Heaven and Earth senses made it extremely difficult for anyone to sneak up on me. Furthermore, I recognized this presence.

”Liang Shao Yang? What are you doing here?”

Confused, I opened my door, only to stare at his shocked expression. Then he scowled coldly and threw something at me.

”Bleah!”

I gagged and shielded myself as something slimy and disgusting struck me. Blinking, I glanced down and my eyes widened when I saw a bunch of worms biting into my skin.

”Whoa! Get them off me!”

With a yell, I squashed them. But it seemed that I was too late. Liang Shao Yang gave me a triumphant smile before he vanished into the night.

”Hey! Get back here!”

Before I could chase after the fleeing Liang Shao Yang, however, I had to eliminate all of these bugs. If I wasn't mistaken, these were Venomous Scarabs, bugs that could inject a highly potent neurotoxin into their victims, and then feed on their flesh. They were usually used to decompose corpses in some ancient civilization that built gigantic pyramids as tombs. Basically this timeline's equivalent of ancient Egpyt.

”Fei Wu! What happened? What's with the commotion?”

To my horror, Tong Xue had emerged from his apartment, having heard the ruckus.

”Wait, wait, wait! Be careful! There's a bunch of Venomous Scarabs in my apartment! Let me exterminate them first!”

”Eh!? Are you all right?!”

Despite my warning, Tong Xue barged in and used his skills, throwing a bunch of shadowy knives at whatever Venomous Scarabs he could see. I sighed and eliminated the rest of them by freezing them in ice.

”Ouch…”

”You're bitten! Oh no!”

Tong Xue's eyes widened when he saw the angry welts on my skin. I shrugged.

”Yeah, I have.”

”What do you mean, 'yeah, you have'?! Those Venomous Scarabs are incredibly lethal! Their poison can kill a man in a few minutes!”

”Well, I wouldn't worry about that if I were you…” I began, getting ready to inform Tong Xue that I was basically immune to poison, but I was too late. Tong Xue was already dialing Lian Rou and Tang Qi Hong on his cellphone.

”Lian Rou! Please come over! Bring Tang Qi Hong with you! Something has happened! Hurry!”

”Oi, oi, don't panic…”

Dude, thanks to Heaven and Earth Formula, and me absorbing the characteristics of a Hellfire Badger, I was immune to poison. Of course, Tong Xue didn't know that, but he wasn't giving me any chance to tell him that.

”Sit down! Don't move too much! Try to stay still so that the poison won't spread!”

”That's why I'm trying to tell you…”

”Try not to talk! You'll only circulate the poison further!”

I gave up.

”Fei Wu! What happened?!”

A few minutes later, Tang Qi Hong came crashing into my apartment, barging through the open door and looking all panicked. Her eyes widened when she saw the dead and frozen Venomous Scarabs in my apartment.

”Venomous Scarabs?! Why are they…?!”

”I don't know! But Fei Wu has been bitten by them! A lot of them too!”

Tong Xue truly knew how to add oil to fire. He gestured animatedly toward the red welts on my arms, which were already starting to heal.

Unfortunately, Tang Qi Hong didn't notice the ”starting to heal” part. She was horrified when she saw the bite marks, and having known about the potent venom of the Venomous Scarabs, she couldn't help descending into panic mode.

”Oh no! Lian Rou! Help!”

”I'm coming, I'm coming!”

Lian Rou also rushed into my apartment, having been close behind Tang Qi Hong. She had been a little delayed as she took some time to grab a first aid kit, having some idea of what had transpired when Tong Xue called her.

And then she stopped and stared at me, her mouth gaping in shock. She glanced at the bites on my arms, and then back at my complexion.

”Uh…okay, it seems like you've been bitten, but you don't look…poisoned?”

Both Tong Xue and Tang Qi Hong stopped panicking and turned to stare at her before spinning around to ogle at me.

””EH?!””

”Like I said…” I sighed. ”I'm immune to poison because of a certain martial arts technique I practiced.”

”Now that you've mentioned it, there are certainly specific types of martial arts that allow you to resist poison, or even become completely immune to it.” Tong Xue thought for a bit. ”Which one is it? The Nine Yang Divine Formula (Jiu Yang Shen Gong)?”

”What, do you think I'm Zhang Wu Ji or something?” I snorted. ”Sorry to disappoint you, but that's not the one. You're pretty close, though.”

”More importantly, where did these Venomous Scarabs come from?” Tang Qi Hong cried out. ”How did they end up here?”

”This…is strange,” Lian Rou agreed with a frown. ”Venomous Scarabs come from the far West, from a huge continent called Fei Zhou. They live in swamps near the north of that continent, and obviously wouldn't be able to travel this far into the Great Zhou Empire. Not unless someone transported them within specially designed containers that imitate their habitats.”

While they were talking, the commotion had drawn a lot of attention from the other outer sect disciples, and they were arriving to stare into my apartment. How rude.

”You were yelling at someone when I arrived,” Tong Xue remembered as he stared intently at outside, his gaze causing several outer sect disciples to flinch. ”I'm assuming someone set these Venomous Scarabs on you.”

”Yeah, he literally threw them on me.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. ”Fortunately I've experienced worse or I would totally flip out.”

As lethal and terrifying as these Venomous Scarabs were, they were nothing compared to my experience with the Parasitic Wasps. Ugh…those memories caused me to shudder even now. That said, I couldn't forgive the perpetuator for setting them on me.

”That bastard…”

”Eh?”

Tang Qi Hong and Lian Rou were looking both frightened and confused. Tong Xue, on the other hand, leaned close.

”Who was it?”

”Liang Shao Yang,” I replied. Tang Qi Hong and Lian Rou froze.

”Are you sure?” Lian Rou asked quietly. Tang Qi Hong nodded.

”That's quite the accusation to make. Did you see him?”

”I did,” I replied.

”Even so, we're going to need more evidence than that, or he'll just brush it off as you falsely accusing him.” Tong Xue sounded frustrated. He rose to his feet. ”Stay still and rest, Fei Wu. I'll report this to Elder Zhao.”

”I'm coming with you!” Tang Qi Hong also sprang to her feet.

”No, you stay here with Fei Wu, Qi Hong.” Lian Rou stopped her. ”I'll accompany Tong Xue. If what Fei Wu says is true…his life is being targeted. And that means we're going to have to tread this situation very carefully.”

”You don't say,” I muttered sarcastically as I toppled over to make a dramatic display in front of the curious, spectating outer sect disciples.