Chapter 90: Chapter 69 Miao People’s Gu Worm
Translator: 549690339
Lu Yuan casually picked a long sword, as well as an eight-strength bow and a quiver of arrows, before leaving the room.
Standing in the corridor, he drew the bow and notched an arrow, aiming at the center of a target one hundred meters away. He intended to test out his skills and get reacquainted with archery.
With a swoosh.
The arrow flew out, cutting through the air with a thud, it hit the red bullseye. “Hmm, not bad, my skills haven’t deteriorated.”
Looking at the arrow still vibrating slightly in the distance, Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
Then he fired off three more arrows, each hitting the bullseye. Off to the side, Gu Songyun, who had witnessed all this, stood gaping in disbelief.
He never expected that his teacher’s friend was such a skilled archer.
Indeed, anyone who could befriended his teacher, even if it was a hunter, must be an uncanny hunter.
With this archery skill alone, he could easily earn a rank in the military, right?
Suddenly, Gu Songyun’s impression of Lu Yuan changed dramatically.
This was a force to be reckoned with, capable of hitting the bullseye with three arrows, one after another.
Thanks to the societal values that honored martial prowess, in the mundane society, individuals with exceptional martial abilities or academic aptitude enjoyed high statuses, almost on par with each other.
Thus, to Gu Songyun, Lu Yuan’s archery and martial skills alone would have placed him on par with his own teacher, who had official stature.
Of course, his own teacher was still a bit more powerful.
Even if they were both the teacher’s friend, it was still necessary to distinguish who was closer and who was distant.
“Bravo!”
At this moment, Sun Siwen started to clap and commend enthusiastically, “Brother Lu’s archery skills are still as extraordinary as before. Every time I witness it, I can’t help but admire.”
“Haha!” Lu Yuan laughed heartily: “In order to honour Brother Sun’s praise, I’ll have to put my heart into it this time we enter the mountains. I promise to shoot down bears and tigers, for Brother Sun to enjoy the bear paws and tiger tendons, it’ll be a good tonic for your body.
You have been reading so much, your body has weakened a little.”
He put away his bow, came to Sun Siwen’s side, and lightly patted his somewhat frail body. His words were half-jesting and half-serious.
Faced with his friend’s words, Sun Siwen’s face turned slightly red, and he objected, “Nonsense. This time in the mountains, I will definitely show my skills. I will hunt dozens of beasts to show you who’s weak.”
His words were full of grandeur, but one couldn’t help but feel that his resolve was somewhat lacking.
Gu Songyun, standing aside, watched this scene with wide eyes. He was surprised to see that his usually refined, gentle teacher could have this side too. It was truly eye-opening and he couldn’t help but want to laugh.
Sun Siwen noticed the expression on his disciple’s face, turned his head and glared. He put on his air of authority as a teacher and said crossly, “What are you laughing at? Enough. Since we’ve all chosen our weapons, and it’s getting late, let’s get on the mountain now.”
“Yes.”
Gu Songyun suppressed his laughter, afraid of being scolded by his teacher. He quickly jogged ahead to lead the way.
Lu Yuan and Sun Siwen exchanged glances and smiled simultaneously, then quickly followed.
The mountains of Changning County were far less rugged than those of Dayu mountain.
The difference was like that of a giant, burly man compared with a gentle, delicate woman from the south.
But despite the woman’s gentleness, beneath that frail appearance lurked a captivating, dangerous heart. One false move and one could fall prey to it, completely entrapped.
The two followed Gu Songyun into the mountains.
Although wandering through each mountain ridge, Lu Yuan’s greatest feeling was not the danger posed by the beasts in plain sight.
Instead, it was the deadly traps hidden in the forest under the decomposition of fallen leaves, such as the mud pools scattered around, and the deadly poisonous insects lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
These forests were untouched by human hands, and in such virgin woods, poisonous insects and mud pits were as abundant as stars in the night sky, nesting in every corner of the ridge.
Silent and deadly traps lurked in every corner, baring their sharp teeth, waiting for the prey to come.
Just as Gu Songyun had said, in such a wild and dangerous place, even the locals faced great risks.
One careless move, and one would be lost in the mountains forever.
“Actually, this is not the most dangerous part. The area we are in now is just the peripheral part of the mountains. In the depths of the mountains, there are not only more poisonous insects and mud piles, but there are also many terrible miasma beasts, which are far more dangerous than the outside.
There are also the Miao people who live deep in the mountains. These Miao people have different customs from us, the Yue people. They do not admire civilization and are barbarically fierce.
It is said that some of the Miao people like to raise poisonous insects and can perform Gu techniques. They can cast Gu that can harm people. They are more dangerous than the mountains themselves.”
While hunting in the mountains, Gu Songyun also explained the mountain cultures to his teacher and his teacher’s friend.
“More dangerous than the mountains?”
Sun Siwen was surprised to hear his student describe the Miao people who live in the mountains this way, “I see many Miao people coming and going in the city. I have also interacted with them. Although these people are somewhat ferocious, they are generally quite obedient. How are they dangerous?
Lu Yuan was also curious.
But he wasn’t curious about the danger, but about the Gu technique that Gu Songyun mentioned.
Since coming to this world, he had experienced martial arts and even received a jade pendant related to immortals from Sun Siwen, although it was not yet of much use.
With these extraordinary experiences, Lu Yuan naturally wouldn’t consider the Gu technique described by Gu Songyun to be nonsense. Rather, he suspected it was likely true.
Now that he was residing in Dongting, a place mixed with the Miao people, and most likely would have to stay here for a long time in the future.
Then, just in case, for safety’s sake, it seemed necessary to learn about Gu technique in advance.
Seeing that his teacher seemed to have some misunderstandings about the Miao people, Gu Songyun, fearing that his teacher might fall into danger due to his misconceptions, quickly explained, “The obedient Miao people mentioned by the teacher are actually the fully integrated Miao, or Shumuiaos.
These Shumuiaos have either moved out of the mountains and live like us, the Yue people, by farming. Or they live on the outskirts of the mountains, like the mountain people hunters, and make a living by hunting.
These Miao people obey the transformation of civilization, pay taxes, and accept the management of the court.
But in addition to these Shumuiaos, there are also Shengmuiaos.
Not only do they not accept the transformation of civilization, but they often come out of the mountains to attack the villages and the common people outside the mountains, carrying out acts of arson and plundering. The frequent reports of Miao people causing chaos refer to these Shengmuiaos.
Among us who often enter the mountains, we often hear rumors about these Shengmuiaos.
It is said that they are ignorant and worship some evil gods. They perform human sacrifices and use human bodies to breed Gu insects. They attack villages to kidnap people for their cult rituals and to cultivate insect larvae.
Therefore, the mountain people often say that they would rather encounter tigers than run into Shengmuiaos.
One can imagine how evil and terrifying these people are.”
Gu Songyun said with a solemn expression.
Obviously, as someone who had grown up hearing these stories, his dread for the Shengmuiaos had been deeply ingrained in him..