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Chapter 502 Personal Feud (8,000 words)

"Everything is yours?"

Before Xu Yuan could keep an eye on him, Da Fu had already stretched his neck forward—like a long spear.

The goose's head is the spearhead.

Then it flicked off its two big webbed feet, spread its wings, and flew away with a whooshing sound.

Xu Yuan hurriedly followed after them.

Something must have happened.

……

The hunchbacked brothers that Song Weiming brought were also his old subordinates who had followed him for many years and were renowned in the Northern Capital's Mountain and River Division.

What they relied on was this method of raising the Tengchong insects.

These insects, fed with their own flesh and blood, can communicate with one's own mind.

It is very convenient for surveillance and reconnaissance.

Moreover, this method is extremely secretive. Even a third-rate practitioner would not be able to detect the presence of such a tumbling worm without a corresponding counter-technique.

If Song Weiming hadn't been wary of the "eccentric scholar" Wen Qi in the camp, he wouldn't have just failed to monitor from outside the camp; he would have directly sneaked into the camp and been waiting outside Xu Yuan's door.

Song Weiming certainly did not want to offend Princess Ruicheng.

But as I said before, this is actually a competition between the three departments in charge of strange affairs.

The Mountain and River Division must get its revenge, otherwise it may retreat step by step and eventually be completely suppressed by the Purification Division.

These flying insects possessed their own unique and wondrous properties; once they reached the outside of the camp, they all burrowed underground.

They hide themselves away, as if hibernating, and basically do not reveal any of their presence.

It only extended its two thin, long antennae all the way to the ground, blending into the wild grass.

It sways in the wind like wild grass, receiving all the messages from the air.

They will only be activated when Xu Yuan, the target, appears.

Xu Yuan chased after him... and saw that as soon as Da Fu stepped out, he impatiently flapped his wings and soared into the air, gliding for dozens of feet...

Lord Xu was then unable to pursue him.

He busied himself explaining to the soldiers and staff in the camp, "I don't know what's wrong with this beast, but please rest assured, it will never endanger His Highness's safety..."

How can one fly freely within Your Highness's camp?

Xu Yuan had no way to chase after Da Fu on his fiery wheel.

Dafu flapped its wings a few times and rushed out of the camp.

It landed and followed the scent, then plunged headfirst into the ground.

Dafu is four feet tall and has a neck that is two and a half feet long.

Including its head and flat beak, it is about three feet long.

It plunged right into the ground—but it wasn't long enough.

Those tumbling insects lurked about five feet underground.

You can smell the delicious food, but you can't eat it!

He pulled out his head and neck, and shouted anxiously, stomping his feet.

It struggled to paw at the ground with its large webbed feet.

However, the progress of the excavation was too slow.

Large flippers aren't meant for that, after all.

Dafu called out urgently a few more times.

It's a bit of a shame that we didn't bring the waterbirds out.

The waterbird sisters have such long legs, you could grab them with one swipe of their claws.

But Dafu suddenly had a brilliant idea!
He turned and rushed towards a certain spot in the camp.

……

Flying was forbidden within the camp. Although everyone already knew Dafu, the soldiers still reported the matter to higher authorities.

Commander Shi went to report to His Highness, and Xu Yuan hurriedly followed him to explain.

The princess smiled and waved her hand, saying, "It's nothing serious. Dafu is a goose, and that's just its nature. We can't restrain it with human rules."

Xu Yuan felt a little strange: Why is he suddenly so magnanimous?
But no sooner had His Highness finished speaking than another armored soldier rushed in, panicking: "Your Highness, Dafu, Dafu has broken through the animal pen and kidnapped your pack of mastiffs..."

His Highness looked completely bewildered: "What do you mean by 'kidnapped'?"

"That's exactly what I mean," the soldier said urgently. "You should go and take a look."

His Highness, who adored his mastiffs, quickly got up and hurried outside.

Xu Yuan scratched his head repeatedly.

Dafu... once abducted geese and water birds.

But it seems unlikely that you and a mastiff could get together, right?
Can you really transcend species barriers?!
Xu Yuan followed behind His Highness with a guilty conscience.

The group quickly arrived outside the animal pen.

The animal pen was built with logs as thick as an arm.

The door was locked with an iron chain.

The chains were now broken as if by an axe and left aside; the door was wide open, and the mastiffs were gone.

Xu Yuan knew immediately that it was Da Fu, that blockhead, who did it.

That blockhead has a single-minded mind.

The wood and chains of the animal pen were actually easier to break through by chiseling.

However, Dafu has lived with humans for too long, and his mind is full of human thoughts.

So the thought was to "open the door," rather than smash the house.

The armored soldiers guarding the mastiffs all knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, please forgive us!"

His Highness is very fond of these mastiffs, and when he was in Beidu, he would often feed them himself.

Now that the mastiff has been lost, the soldiers feel a great sense of guilt.

Princess Ruicheng was very puzzled: "Dafu took my mastiff away, what did he do with it?"

A soldier hurriedly reported, "They've gone out of the camp, and we have men chasing after them."

Just then, another soldier ran back: "Your Highness, Dafu is digging a hole outside the camp with his mastiffs..."

"What did you say, dig a hole?" His Highness and the others were even more confused.

Xu Yuan coughed lightly and tried to exonerate Dafu: "Your Highness, although Dafu is audacious, he wouldn't abduct these mastiffs for no reason. There must be a reason. Let's go out and take a look and we'll understand."

Mr. Cao, accompanied by Mr. Wenqi, arrived and said, "Your Highness need not go out. Mr. Wenqi will protect Your Highness in the camp. This old man will go with Lord Xu."

His Highness waved his hand: "Let's all go together."

Outside the camp gate, dozens of armored soldiers formed a semicircle, their eyes wide but hesitant to move forward.

Ahead of them came the barking of mastiffs, and they could vaguely see dirt flying everywhere.

Then came Dafu's loud "quack quack" cry.

Her Highness listened to her mastiff barking from afar—she knew her dog well, and the barking revealed excitement and joy, not the resentment of being "enslaved."

What exactly are they doing?

His Highness strode forward, but the armored soldiers hurriedly stopped him: "Danger! Your Highness, you must not go forward!"

His Highness was even more puzzled: "What danger?"

The armored soldiers blocked His Highness's way, but they made way for him, allowing him to see what was happening outside the camp.

Dafu stood tall and proud on a mound, like a foreman.

All around were His Highness's dozen or so enormous mastiffs.

Mastiffs are robust, some as big as calves.

Their claws scratched the ground rapidly, sending dirt flying at high speed beneath them.

More than a dozen large pits have been dug out on the grass in front of the camp!
Dafu pointed with its wings at where they were digging, and the clattering sound seemed to be a form of praise.

The mastiff, having received praise, became even more motivated and scratched even harder!

His Highness couldn't help but glance at Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan felt deeply ashamed.

Dafu kidnapped His Highness's mastiff to work as a laborer...

Suddenly, a mastiff seemed to see something terrifying, its fur stood on end, and it quickly jumped to the side.

But within the deep pit it dug, a dark shadow relentlessly pursued it—

Just as it was about to burrow into the mastiff's body, a flat snout suddenly shot out from the side and accurately clamped the dark figure!
His Highness then realized that what Dafu was holding in its mouth was a hideous, monstrous insect!

This insect was incredibly ferocious. Even after being bitten by Dafu, it still glared with its bulging, menacing eyes and struggled fiercely, even extending a long tail barb to pierce Dafu's eyes.

Dafu swallowed it whole without any hesitation.

Then, with a satisfied clucking sound, it gently stroked the mastiff's head with its wing.

The mastiff squinted comfortably, then couldn't resist lying down and exposing its belly to Dafu.

Dafu's wings brushed perfunctorily across its belly before flapping again, urging it to get up immediately and continue its efforts.

The mastiff jumped and ran happily, its head and body twisting like a lion dance, and its thick tail swaying loudly!

But what shocked His Highness and his advisors was not the change in the mastiffs' admiration for strength, but the strange insect that the mastiffs had dug up from the ground and that Daifuku had eaten!

Mr. Cao gritted his teeth and uttered the name: "Ghost-backed Teng Worm!"

The two hunchbacked brothers under Song Weiming were quite famous in Beidu.

Therefore, everyone who came from Beidu recognized this insect!
"Song Weiming is incredibly audacious! How dare he secretly spy on His Highness! Is he plotting a rebellion?"

Mr. Lan flew into a rage, took a large step forward, and clasped his hands tightly before His Highness, pleading, "Your Highness, please give the order, and I will immediately arrest Song Weiming!"

Princess Ruicheng's eyes at this moment seemed like clouds and mist, hazy and deep, making them somewhat unfathomable.

"These insects..." His Highness sneered, "Never mind them. You all come back to camp with me."

"Your Highness—" Mr. Lan said anxiously, "We cannot let this go on..."

Princess Ruicheng raised her hand: "No need to say anything more."

The others had no choice but to follow her back.

Even the armored soldiers who had been chasing the mastiffs retreated back to their camp.

Only the original four armored soldiers remained guarding the camp gate.

Upon returning to the camp, His Highness ordered: "From this moment on, keep the Guardian Garden activated at all times!"

"Yes!"

"Yushou Garden" is under Mr. Cao's control, and this large artifact is usually closed during the day.

Mr. Cao has now reopened it.

Everyone immediately felt as if they were being "protected" by something in the dark.

After that, His Highness said, "Mr. Lan, even if you rush over now and find Song Weiming, what good will it do?"
At most, he'll just push those two brothers out to take the blame.

Mr. Lan frowned, and after thinking it over again, he had no choice but to bow and say, "Your Highness is right. But... are we just going to let them go like this?"

"When did I ever say that I would just let them go like this?" His Highness suddenly laughed: "Dafu is currently hunting those Ghost-Backed Insects with my Ao Quan."

His Highness glanced casually at Xu Yuan and said slowly, "As you all saw just now, my mastiff and Lord Xu's Dafu work together perfectly; they are a match made in heaven!"

Mr. Wenqi, this arrogant scholar, subconsciously said, "Your Highness, the idiom 'a match made in heaven' is not used in this way..."

Mr. Cao and his retainers remained silent.

His Highness and Mr. Wenqi are both people you can't afford to offend.

They could only grumble in silence:

Your Highness has been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood. How could you possibly misuse such a simple idiom?
Your Highness's intentions are crystal clear!
But Mr. Wenqi, besides being able to engage in verbal battles and eat meat and drink alcohol, your other skills are truly utterly terrible.

No wonder you, a third-rate person, couldn't make it in Beidu and only His Highness was willing to take you in.

But if you do this a few more times, His Highness will have to kick you out.

Just then, Xu Yuan chimed in, "It's really not suitable for the perfect match of Dafu and those mastiffs."

Everyone:? ? ?
His Highness's face darkened.

Xu Yuan completely failed to grasp the hidden meaning in His Highness's words.

Not only did they not understand, they also misunderstood.

After stepping forward to support Mr. Wenqi, he continued, "My Dafu... actually already has a family, including twelve hardworking and thrifty geese and seventeen white-feathered long-legged water birds. As for Your Highness's mastiffs... my Dafu is really not a good match!"

Xu Yuan was really having a headache.

If Dafu really brings another pack of mastiffs back... you can imagine how chaotic his house will become!
Every day was truly chaotic!
Can't people even have a moment's peace?

But as soon as he said that, everyone present was stunned.

My first reaction was: You're actually considering whether Dafu and the mastiff are a "match made in heaven"?
Although we are discussing the same topic, it seems... our thoughts are on two different lines.

My second reaction was: Your Dafu already has so many... family members?
You're in good health!

Can Dafu talk? Could you help us ask if there's a magic formula for strengthening muscles and bones?
The third reaction was: You actually believe that the mastiffs would abandon His Highness and elope with your Dafu?!
This last one was originally the least likely.

But then everyone remembered how the mastiffs outside the camp gate had acted so obsequiously and fawningly after Dafu praised them...

My confidence has diminished.

His Highness gave Xu Yuan a long, thoughtful look.

You're a silly goose too.

As soon as Xu Yuan finished speaking, he found that everyone was silent—including Mr. Wen Qi.

So he looked at everyone with a somewhat blank expression...

The crowd remained silent.

Finally, His Highness secretly bit her cherry lips and said lazily, "Let's disperse, I'm tired."

Everyone took their leave.

However, the things His Highness has instructed will be carried out diligently by others.

Mr. Cao immediately grabbed Xu Yuan, and the two walked and talked, "Can Dafu solve those ghost-backed worms?"

“Of course, no problem at all,” Xu Yuan replied easily.

Mr. Cao's expression was very serious: "Lord Xu, you don't understand this Ghost-Backed Teng Worm, let me explain it to you first:

These creatures were raised by the hunchback brothers using their own flesh and blood, and were connected to their very being. There were a total of 1,200 of them, with 600 for each of the brothers.

These insects excel at stealth and surveillance; even a third-rate cultivator would find it difficult to detect them without corresponding counter-techniques.

"Is Daifuku naturally able to control these flying insects, or did he just happen to find a few by chance?"

Xu Yuan had nothing but faith in Dafu.

"Of course it's an innate advantage! My Dafu is naturally able to counter all strange insects!"

Mr. Cao nodded, saying nothing more, but still felt that Xu Yuan was exaggerating a bit.

But Dafu must have some skill, as he happened to be able to find these ghost-backed worms.

"Then here's the second question: Can Dafu completely exterminate all these Ghost-Backed Insects? Don't boast to me yet, there are a full twelve hundred of them!"

"Daifuku is only so big, how many can it eat? A thousand or twelve hundred? Won't that burst its belly?"

Mr. Cao continued, "Moreover, others may not know, but I do. These Ghost-Backed Insects are not only capable of lurking and surveillance, but also of assassination!"

They contain poison glands.

It is extremely poisonous, said to be effective against those below the fourth rank; anyone stabbed by it is doomed!
In recent years, there have been several cases of poisoning deaths near Beidu, and it is said that these brothers may have been acting on Song Weiming's orders, but no one has been able to find evidence against them.

He then reminded Xu Yuan: "Eating one or two dafu probably won't be a big problem, after all, dafu is also a naturally occurring species."

But if you eat too much, you might die from poisoning.

Outside the camp, behind the small earthen mound, Song Weiming and the others saw the commotion in front of the camp gate from afar.

When Princess Ruicheng led her entourage out, everyone else was very nervous: "My lord..."

"What's the panic!" Song Weiming coldly hissed, and no one dared to say another word.

Song Weiming knew, of course, that by doing this, he had completely offended Princess Ruicheng.

But just as Princess Ruicheng had predicted, he was preparing to push the hunchbacked brothers out to take the blame.

These two brothers were born with hunchbacks.

He was abandoned by his family while he was still an infant.

It was Song Weiming who adopted them, raised them to adulthood, taught them cultivation, and provided them with various cultivation resources.

The two brothers were extremely loyal to him; they wouldn't even flinch if asked to die in his place.

Although Song Weiming also came from a prominent family, his Song family could only be considered a third-rate family in the Ming Dynasty.

Although he is quite talented in cultivation, he is not good at solving cases.

The cases I had handled independently before all turned out terribly, and in the end, Shanhe Division sent someone else to clean up the mess.

If he comes from a first-rate family, this is certainly not a problem.

But after messing up several cases, he lost the opportunity to be transferred to another region and take charge of a region within the Shanhe Division.

According to imperial custom, cabinet ministers must have risen from the ranks of prefectures and counties.

This practice was also adopted by various government departments.

The same applies to the Three Offices of Strange Affairs; to reach the highest position, one must have experience in governing a local area.

Otherwise, you are not qualified at all.

Song Weiming is indeed formidable; he may not be good at solving cases, but he makes up for it through cultivation.

After he was promoted to the third rank, this sliver of an opportunity appeared again.

This sliver of opportunity turned into reality when Xu Yuan publicly humiliated Li Mouzhong, causing Shanhe Division to lose face in Jiaozhi.

Song Weiming had once suppressed Ma Tianshou, so he was appointed as the commander of the Jiaozhi Division of the Shanhe Department.

However, his position was not secure. Before taking office, his superior made it clear to him that his ability to deal with Xu Yuan would be his assessment upon taking office.

If it's done well, the Shanhe Division will be proud, and you can continue to hold your position as commander in peace.

If it doesn't work out, you'll have to come back obediently in six months at most.

Song Weiming had already decided to sacrifice the hunchbacked brothers, but His Highness and his entourage only watched for a while before returning!

Song Weiming and those around him breathed a sigh of relief.

But the young man beside Song Weiming glanced into the distance, his expression changed, and he said, "Sir, six insects have already been dug out and eaten!"

Song Weiming looked at the hunchbacked brothers.

The two brothers were raised by Song Weiming and took Song Weiming's surname. The elder brother was called "Song Da" and the younger brother was called "Song Xiao".

Song Da said unhurriedly, "Father, don't worry. You know how much insects the children eat. That goose is having a good time eating them now. In half an hour at most, it will be bleeding from all seven orifices and die from poisoning!"

Song Weiming nodded and smiled, "Okay, let it eat, eat its fill!"

The area in front of the camp looked like a large construction site.

His Highness's mastiffs are also of a different breed, extremely strong, and can dig a five-foot-deep pit in the ground in no time.

Without receiving any new orders, the ghost-backed worms remained hidden underneath.

In front of the camp gate, four armored soldiers, who were bored, were counting for fun.

When Mr. Cao and Xu Yuan arrived, the soldiers had already counted to "twenty-seven".

Mr. Cao asked, "How many ghost-backed worms did you eat at Shu Da Fu?"

"Exactly."

Mr. Cao was surprised. According to his estimate, he would be unable to hold on after eating about ten daifuku.

But now, Dafu is still full of vigor, directing the mastiffs to cooperate with each other in the digging. They don't even have to dig directly from the ground, but instead start digging horizontally underground, which is much faster.

Mr. Cao rubbed his cheeks in confusion and turned to ask Xu Yuan, "Is Dafu really okay?"

Xu Yuan said proudly, "I already said it, but you just didn't believe me."

Ma Tianshou also came along.

Having witnessed Dafu's miraculous abilities, he suggested, "Why don't we get the armored soldiers and our officers from the Exorcism Division to help dig out these insects as soon as possible? That would rid the Northern Capital of a scourge!"

Ma Tianshou spared no effort in slandering his competitors.

The hunchbacked brothers were "capable officials" in the Shanhe Division, but in his words, they became "a scourge of the Northern Capital."

Mr. Cao looked at Xu Yuan questioningly, and Xu Yuan nodded firmly.

“Okay.” Mr. Cao made up his mind. Although he was not so confident in Dafu, he now had complete trust in Xu Yuan.

Mr. Cao summoned Captain Shi and ordered him to bring one hundred armored soldiers.

Xu Yuan also had Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu summon all the officers who were tasked with exorcising evil spirits.

Let me make this clear to everyone: "These ghost-backed worms are extremely ferocious and highly poisonous. Be very careful when digging, especially when you are about to reach them, as the worms may suddenly lunge forward. Be sure to dodge them immediately!"

"Respect!"

With the addition of these hundred-plus cultivators, the excavation progress is much faster than that of the mastiffs.

Dafu was already getting impatient.

These mastiffs were obedient, but they were still slow.

Of all these people, Lang Xiaoba was undoubtedly the most hardworking and efficient.

Lang Xiaoba specially selected a three-pointed, double-edged knife.

It looks like a long-handled shovel.

He also possessed immense strength. With one thrust, he pressed down hard, reaching a depth of five feet underground, then flipped it up and dug out an insect.

Dafu then transformed into a white shadow and rushed over to eat him.

Others followed suit, and Dafu, like a white lightning bolt, repeatedly refracted among the crowd.

On several occasions, the soldiers were nearly bitten by the Ghost-Backed Insects because they were unprepared—but Dafu always managed to eat the insects first.

Xu Yuan watched for a while, then relaxed.

With Dafu looking after you, it's even safer than if you were to keep an eye on things yourself.

I, Dafu, have always maintained a serious and meticulous attitude towards food.

Never waste a single bite.

Behind the earthen slope, Song Weiming and his group were momentarily stunned.

The situation has taken a turn for the worse!

The hunchbacked brothers' faces turned ashen.

In just this short time, Dafu has already eaten more than two hundred of their Ghost Back Teng Insects!
The goose showed absolutely no signs of poisoning.

And they became even more lively and energetic.

It kept pointing out to the soldiers and captains the location where the Ghost-Backed Insect was hiding underground.

Every dig is a sure thing.

Everyone could see that Dafu had completely subdued these Ghost-Backed Insects!

The insects couldn't kill Dafu.

Someone suggested, "Let's bring back the Ghost-Backed Insects. If this continues, they'll all be eaten by that goose."

The hunchbacked brothers looked at their adoptive father, and Song Weiming asked, "Can we bring them back?"

Those in front of the camp gate can't be retreated, but there are still opportunities elsewhere.

These ghost-backed worms can hide underground, but they cannot travel underground.

If you want to leave, you have to crawl out from underground first...

At that speed of the big white goose, once it comes out, it will probably eat us all in one go.

Of their 1,200 Ghost-Backed Insects, 600 were positioned in front of the camp gate.

Two hundred were distributed to each of the other three directions.

In other words, even if all of them were successfully recovered, a full half would still be lost!
Song Weiming sighed inwardly; the plan had failed again.

This Xu Yuan is really difficult to deal with!

No wonder Li Mouzhong was humiliated by him. The vast Jiaozhi Bureau of the Shanhe Division had no way to deal with him and needed the headquarters to send him over from Beidu.

"Let's withdraw," Song Weiming said helplessly.

Then he comforted the two brothers, saying, "We'll find a way to make up the difference of 1,200 for you later."

The two brothers found the Ghost-Backed Teng Insects quite useful. Losing six hundred of them left them pale-faced, and Song Weiming also felt a pang of regret.

"Yes, thank you, godfather."

The two immediately urged the insects to come back quickly!
From the other three directions of the camp, the Ghost-Backed Teng Worms immediately wriggled and emerged from the ground.

……

Dafu immediately smelled the odor and angrily squealed loudly!
How could you run away?
Why can't you just stay underground and wait for me to dig you up and eat you?

Xu Yuan saw that Da Fu was anxious and knew that something had changed.

"What's wrong?" he asked Dafu.

"Gaga gaga, gaga..."

Dafu called out urgently, and only Xu Yuan could understand what Dafu meant, and his expression also changed.

"Gah gah!" Dafu urged, "Fan Zhezi, hurry up and think of a solution!"

Xu Yuan: "Stop arguing, think about it again..."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up: "I've got it!"

Xu Yuan found Mr. Cao and Ma Tianshou, and the three of them whispered among themselves.

Then they temporarily held back.

Dafu continued to run around, pecking at the insects he had dug out.

Thinking their plan was going smoothly, the hunchbacked brothers carefully controlled the remaining Ghostback Insects, bypassing a large area in front of the camp and circling around from both sides, converging behind the mound.

Xu Yuan kept "Wangming" running, glancing at it every now and then.

The insects are very slow.

After all, they dared not fly.

Once it takes flight, it's as if it's exposed to Dafu's eyes.

Even the most elusive insects can't crawl very fast on the ground.

Dafu focused intently on devouring all six hundred of them in front of the camp—while the other Tengchong had only just reached halfway.

The armored soldiers and the captain of the Exorcism Division withdrew their troops and returned to their camp.

Xu Yuan also dragged Dafu back.

In front of the camp gate, only four armored soldiers remained... and the ground was covered with craters.

Xu Yuan, hiding behind the camp gate, watched as the "fates" of the Ghost-Backed Teng Insects split into two groups on the left and right of the open field, and were about to converge behind the mound when he shouted, "Move out!"

He grabbed Dafu by the neck with one hand and rushed out of the camp gate at lightning speed.

Behind them were Mr. Cao and Ma Tianshou.

After leaving the camp, Xu Yuan threw Dafu into the air.

Daifu spread its wings and flapped them vigorously.

It glided through the air straight towards the mound, its speed rivaling that of wild geese.

There is still a considerable gap between them and the waterbird sisters.

Xu Yuan followed closely behind, riding on his fiery wheels.

Ma Tianshou and Mr. Cao were a bit slower.

Song Weiming and the others hid behind a mound, watching as the swarm of insects began to gather. The hunchbacked brothers knelt on the ground, their backs split open, ready to receive their insect offspring and take them home.

Dafu flew through the air and plunged headfirst into the insects!

The people behind the mound were stunned.

The young man beside Song Weiming had a ferocious expression on his face: "This is outrageous!"

He opened his mouth and spat out a strange eyeball, then slapped it into his forehead with a "smack."

Hundreds of blood vessels spread from his eyes, merging with the flesh on his forehead.

It was as if his own eyeballs had grown out of him.

But it's more like... his entire being was born from those eyes!

The young man exuded a sinister aura, making him appear incredibly malevolent.

The others quickly moved aside.

The coldness emanating from the young man made even these cultivators feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"I will go and kill this beast!" he roared, his teeth becoming sharp enough to cut his own lips!
"Stop!" Song Weiming shouted and grabbed him.

But the young man, influenced by those eyes, had become vicious and cruel. He shoved Song Weiming aside and roared, "Why are you stopping me!"

Song Weiming was surprised that he couldn't control this guy! He also thought to himself: This craftsman is indeed violent!
But he knew the price he would have to pay for using this artifact, so he had no intention of keeping it for himself.

He took out a "pod" from his sleeve.

Open it up, and there are four compartments inside the pod.

One of them was empty—which originally belonged to the eyeball—while the other three positions held a curled-up finger, a tuft of hair, and a tooth.

He opened the pod and aimed it at the eyeball.

An irresistible suction force ripped the eyeballs off the young man's forehead!

"Ah—" the young man screamed incessantly.

When his eyeballs detached, the hundreds of blood vessels pulled at the flesh on his forehead!
It was as if a layer of his scalp had been ripped off!
The young man collapsed to the ground in agony, his eyeballs gone, and he was utterly weak.

"Take him with us, let's go!" Song Weiming coldly ordered.

Without even explaining the reasoning to the young man, he ruthlessly used the pod to steal his eyeball, causing him great suffering.

This is punishment for the young people who dared to offend him!
The men dared not delay and immediately lifted the young man up, following Song Weiming as they quickly left.

The hunchbacked brothers watched helplessly as Dafu rushed down and devoured the swarm of ghost-backed worms. Tears streamed down their faces, but they could only follow their adoptive father.

When Song Weiming saw Xu Yuan with Mr. Cao, he understood Xu Yuan's intention.

I let my Dafu eat your insects in front of you, and you didn't dare to stop me!
If you, Song Weiming, were to show your face, it would confirm your guilt in ordering your subordinates to monitor His Highness's camp!

If you don't step in, relying solely on Brother Hunchback won't stop Dafu and me!

This is also an open conspiracy.

Song Weiming saw through this and immediately decided to cut off his tail to save his life, abandoning all the Ghost Back Insects and taking the Hunchback Brothers with him.

As long as the two brothers are alive, they still have a chance to raise a group of Ghost-Backed Insects again.

But these 1,200... were raised with countless resources and effort.

This process was incredibly painful for the hunchbacked brothers.

They weren't sure if they could raise them to this level again if they started from scratch.

Song Weiming was so angry he gritted his teeth.

What started as a business matter with Xu Yuan has now turned into a personal feud!

(End of this chapter)