Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

Cui Ming hadn't expected the Great Gu Master to suddenly ask about this. After a moment's thought, he spoke frankly.

"I come from the Tang Clan and have studied toxicology and mechanical arts."

"I don't have the fear and rejection that ordinary people have towards Gu poison; on the contrary, I'm quite curious about it."

"As a unique biological toxin, the way Gu poison works, coexists with its host, and even manipulates it is incredibly mysterious in my eyes."

"This Gu poison technique is quite different from the Qi poison method of my Tang Clan. As for the various natal Gu, they are even more bizarre and have different functions, which is simply amazing."

Cui Ming's words were frank and objective, expressing both respect and curiosity, without the slightest hint of hypocrisy or formality.

The Grand Master Gu was tall and straight, and a smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

She nodded slightly, her tone tinged with emotion.

"It is truly remarkable that Master Cui could think of this."

“In this day and age, outsiders turn pale at the mention of Gu Masters and avoid them at all costs. But they don’t know that the origin of my Gu Master lineage was to cure diseases and eliminate miasma, and to save lives and heal the wounded.”

"So many exquisite techniques were quietly lost and no longer exist amidst the continuous flames of war and the misunderstandings and prejudices of poets..."

After saying that, she sighed softly and said no more.

During the conversation, the group had already arrived at the depths of the dungeon.

Following the downward stone steps, we entered a cold and damp dungeon.

The room was dimly lit, with only a few oil lamps on the walls casting a faint glow.

On the innermost wall of the cell, a figure was firmly imprisoned.

It was a woman, who looked to be around thirty years old. She had an ordinary face, bearing the marks of long-term labor, but at this moment her face was contorted with pain.

Her limbs were pierced by four dark iron chains, the other ends of which were driven deep into the wall.

What's chilling is that the four iron chains are not inanimate objects; upon closer inspection, they are actually a type of vine.

At this moment, as the vine trembled slightly, Cui Ming could sense a faint trace of Qi being forcibly extracted from the woman's body and channeled into the wall through the vine.

This is clearly an extremely cruel method of confinement, preventing her from escaping and cutting off her ability to mobilize Qi.

The Grand Gu Master pointed at the woman and introduced her in a calm tone.

"This person is named Shi Lan. He came to Qinghe Town ten years ago, claiming that he was a refugee."

"For so many years, I have been law-abiding and have done odd jobs for the Gu Master. I am sincere and hardworking."

"I have observed her for a long time and have not noticed anything unusual."

"Over the past ten years, she has gradually progressed from feeding various kinds of Gu worms to handling all kinds of matters."

"He has never made a single mistake; he never fights back when hit or speaks back when insulted."

"Most of my Gu Masters are far inferior to her, even in the cultivation of Gu worms. That's why we entrusted her with the important task of looking after the sacred object."

"But it is precisely this kind of person, who has sacrificed so much for the sect, who only wanted to steal the sacred artifact."

After this incident, the master sorcerer was filled with mixed emotions. He had thought the man was a talented individual, but it turned out he was a villain.

"What's even more ironic is that this guy, who was dedicated to taking care of Gu worms, had never studied Miao secret arts."

"Using some unknown means, they bypassed the many restrictions and various Gu worms of the sacred land and successfully stole the Heavenly Dragon Gu."

"They even left a fragment of a geomantic stone, which was used by the Earth Immortals, at the scene in an attempt to frame someone else."

"pity..."

The Grand Master of Gu snorted coldly.

"She was ultimately outmaneuvered and failed to escape in time, and was discovered and captured by me."

"Otherwise, if she really takes the sacred object and flees far away, who knows what kind of trouble she will cause. I, a Gu master from Miao territory, will probably be unable to clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River."

After saying this, the Grand Gu Master waved his hand.

"Alright! Everyone except Shufen and Hall Master Cui, you may all leave."

The accompanying Gu masters exchanged glances and then walked out of the cell.

Cui Ming also signaled to Yong En via telepathy that she should wait outside.

Soon, only the Great Gu Master, Wei Shufen, Cui Ming, and Shi Lan, who was hanging on the wall and barely alive, remained in the vast dungeon.

"Master Cui, there is no one else here now."

The Grand Gu Master stared intently at Cui Ming.

"I believe you can also see that I am focusing on nurturing Shufen, and the two of you may have dealings in the future."

"Consider it an old woman sharing her knowledge with the younger generation. I'm also very curious, what exactly do you want to do?"

Cui Ming nodded and said no more. Now that he had made up his mind, he would no longer hide.

The mechanism on his back quietly opened a crack, and dozens of Shadow Spiders surrounded the Stone Orchid on the wall.

The shells of these Shadow Spiders are all engraved with illusion array runes that Cui Ming has continuously updated and improved.

Through the hidden connection, Cui Ming directly activated the illusion array.

With the power of Dan Shi and the Chaotic Mind Technique activated simultaneously, Shi Lan, who was hanging on the wall, frowned and fell into a complete coma.

Chapter 98 The Mastermind (3k chapters, please vote)

This smooth and effortless operation opened the eyes of both the Grand Master of Gu and Wei Shufen.

Using the illusion array constructed by the Shadow Spider, combined with his own powerful divine soul force, Cui Ming directly penetrated into the opponent's mind and began to peruse the opponent's memories.

This method was originally extremely dangerous, but under the influence of Cui Ming's illusion array and the strange affinity of the power of Dan Shi, Shi Lan did not even raise the slightest thought of resistance.

This made Cui Ming's process of reviewing his memories exceptionally smooth.

Under Cui Ming's control, Shi Lan simply fell into a deep sleep, and even a slight smile appeared on her face, as if she had seen a long-lost relative.

Meanwhile, Cui Ming was searching for important information in Shi Lan's mind.

Countless images, sounds, and emotions, like shattered mirrors, drifted through Shi Lan's sea of ​​consciousness.

Cui Ming then used his powerful divine soul to sort through these memories one by one.

What Cui Ming saw first was the scene after the sacred object was stolen a few days earlier.

In my memory, Shi Lan's face was filled with relief and bewilderment after completing her mission.

She actually had a chance to escape; her accomplices were already waiting outside the town.

However, just as she was about to embark on this final leg of her journey, Shi Lan hesitated.

She recalled every little detail of the past ten years.

The Grand Master of Gu's strict yet subtly caring guidance;

The townspeople offered her hot porridge and warm smiles when she first arrived, all alone and helpless.

Those worms that initially terrified her, but later became simple to understand, and even somewhat cute...

Ten years have passed, and the original cold outer shell of the stone orchid has been eroded with deep cracks.

She has developed genuine feelings for this land and its people.

It was this complex emotional entanglement that caused her to hesitate at this crucial moment, miss the best opportunity to escape, and ultimately be captured by the Great Gu Master.

But these memories weren't of interest to Cui Ming, so he continued to dig deeper.

Then we saw more details about Shi Lan's life in Qinghe Town.

That was a young woman's memory of trying to fit in and working hard.

She seemed to have genuinely fallen in love with the work of caring for the Gu worms. Her amazing talent, as well as her meticulousness and patience, quickly won the recognition and trust of those around her.

Those memories are brightly colored, carrying a kind of ordinary warmth.

Although Shi Lan's memories unexpectedly gave Cui Ming a lot of experience in raising Gu worms, it was still not what he wanted.

However, when Cui Ming tried to explore Shi Lan's memories before she came to Qinghe Town...

Shi Lan's mind began to clearly resist, and the scattered fragments of memory became even more fragmented and blurry, as if covered with a layer of dust.

Shi Lan began to instinctively resist the exploration of her past memories.

Especially when Cui Ming touched on the edge of her memory of when she first arrived in Qinghe Town, and was about to continue down that path.

It seemed to have triggered some kind of switch on Shi Lan, causing her consciousness to briefly awaken for a moment, and she attempted to expel Cui Ming's consciousness.

"Humph!"

Cui Ming snorted coldly and increased the input of various abilities.

The power of Dan Shi forcefully stabilized the restless mental world;

The mind-disrupting technique instantly shattered the mental barrier that Shi Lan had painstakingly constructed.

The illusion array further distorted Shi Lan's perception, making her subconsciously believe that this probing method was nothing more than a way to soothe her mind.

Under Cui Ming's multi-pronged mental suppression, Shi Lan's faint resistance melted away instantly, like ice and snow under the sun.

Shi Lan's mental defenses completely collapsed, and all the secrets deep in her memory were laid bare to Cui Ming, allowing him to peruse them at will.

The truth was finally revealed to Cui Ming.

It turns out that Shilan's real name is Suzuki Fujiran.

She was not a citizen of the East, but a spy from the East.

Ten years ago, many spies like her were sent, infiltrating all walks of life, including men, women, and children.

She was carefully selected by the Japanese, secretly trained in psychological resilience, and then secretly dispatched to the East.

Her mission was to settle down in Qinghe Town. If she could join the Miao Gu Masters, that would be best. If not, then she would have to establish a secret base.

If necessary, execute sabotage or special instructions.

However, what she herself did not expect was that this peaceful life would last for ten years.

The residents of Qinghe Town accepted and cared for her without reservation, and her talent in caring for Gu worms was recognized by the Gu masters of Miao territory. Under the careful guidance of the Grand Gu Master, she was able to receive further training.

She, Suzuki Fujiran, had been assimilated and changed from the inside out, becoming Shilan of Qinghe Town.