Can You Transform Yourself

Without the Devouring Spirit Sacred Gu, Xu Mu would have had no choice but to forcibly restore the bones in Tushan Ju’s neck.

That would have caused the bones to shatter again. By then, it would have taken several ninth-grade heavenly treasures and a great deal of time to heal them.

But now, all he had to do was break through the small piece of bone causing the obstruction, and everything would be fine.

Using silver needles, he numbed the area around her neck. Then he began directing the little Gu worm to devour the blockage, taking care not to damage the marrow cavity or nerves inside the bone.

Following Xu Mu’s orders, the little Gu worm cleared the section of bone in barely ten seconds.

The slightly misaligned bone had not been restored, but her meridians and spiritual channels were functioning normally again.

Xu Mu certainly wasn’t going to say that she was completely fine. His task this time was to earn Tushan Rui’s favor, so naturally, he had to draw the treatment out a little.

“All right. The first treatment session is over.”

Xu Mu removed all the silver needles, temporarily leaving the little Gu worm inside her body. “You shouldn’t have any problems for now, but the symptoms will probably return after some time. I’ll come back before that happens.”

“What did you say? I’m completely fine?”

Tushan Ju rose from the chair. She lifted her hand and slowly released her qi.

As the force grew stronger, the headache she had suffered before truly vanished without a trace.

“This…”

In the blink of an eye, she shot into the sky. After flying around at a high altitude, she landed again, so excited that she could hardly put it into words.

Seeing this, tears of emotion welled up in Tushan Rui’s eyes.

She had heard her grandmother say that whenever she released qi at the Gang-Qi level, her vision would begin to darken and her head would grow dizzy. She could last less than ten seconds before fainting on the spot.

Her grandmother might appear to be a supreme expert, but in reality, she had been useless in battle. The moment she unleashed her strength, her weakness would be exposed.

The former king was already dead. If outsiders did not know that the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan still had Tushan Ju, the various tribes of Qingqiu might launch an attack against them at any moment.

But now, everything was different.

Under Xu Mu’s treatment, Tushan Ju had recovered.

That meant that even if they faced threats from the other tribes, she would be able to fight.

“Xu Mu, thank you! Thank you!”

Tushan Rui hurried over to Xu Mu, completely abandoning the composure she had displayed earlier.

[Favorability +20]

Tushan Ju, meanwhile, was also filled with gratitude.

“Xu Mu, thank you for saving my life. I really was blind with age before—I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

Tushan Ju’s face was full of remorse.

She had originally thought that Xiao Gui might simply be pretending to understand something he didn’t, and that he had meant well.

But now, she had seen the truth clearly: Xiao Gui was either an idiot or a malicious person.

She had taken so many of his medicines, yet at most, they had only eased her headaches.

After Xu Mu’s treatment, however, her cultivation had completely recovered.

“Oh, right, Xu Mu. I can sense spiritual energy fluctuating inside me. What did you leave in my body?”

Tushan Ju looked at Xu Mu questioningly.

Xu Mu was secretly alarmed. As expected of a supreme expert—she had noticed it. From now on, he would have to be more cautious when dealing with people like her.

His expression remained calm. “I left a Gu worm.”

As he spoke, Xu Mu raised his hand, and a dark golden glow appeared in his palm.

“Why did you leave a Gu worm inside me?” Tushan Ju asked, puzzled.

Given the current situation, she naturally did not suspect Xu Mu. She simply assumed that he had another reason.

Xu Mu had no choice but to come up with a relatively reasonable explanation. “I’ve only completed the first stage of the treatment. There’s still some stagnant blood that will accumulate inside you. This Gu worm is there to clear it away. I’ll retrieve it during the next treatment session.”

“So amazing! I didn’t know you could use Gu.”

Tushan Rui’s face was full of disbelief. “You were holding back during the martial contest for the title of Champion.”

[ Favorability +5 ]

“I only know a little,” Xu Mu said modestly, rubbing his nose.

Next time he came, he would have to retrieve the little Gu worm.

“Then I should thank your Gu worm as well. Here, give this to it.”

Tushan Ju touched her ring, and from her spatial ring, she took out a flower that looked somewhat like a stone.

A faint black radiance surrounded the flower.

“An Ancient Stone Flower?”

Xu Mu felt somewhat helpless. He had truly been cursed lately. During his previous lottery draws, he had obtained two Ancient Stone Flowers in a row.

“That’s right. This divine medicine is extremely poisonous and completely useless to humans, but it’s a supreme treasure to Gu worms. They aren’t affected by the poison and can fully absorb the terrifying spiritual energy released by the divine medicine.”

Tushan Ju handed the flower to Xu Mu. “Consider it my way of thanking the mother Gu worm.”

Xu Mu was secretly stunned when he heard this. He had never imagined there could be such a method.

His Devouring Spirit Sacred Gu was going to feast. Combined with the one he had obtained from the lottery earlier, it could eat three entire divine medicines in one sitting.

“Thank you, Senior.”

Xu Mu accepted the Ancient Stone Flower.

“Don’t mention it. It was useless to me anyway.”

Tushan Ju waved her hand and said to Tushan Rui, “Girl, take Xu Mu downstairs and entertain him properly.”

“Is it finally over? I’m starving.”

Ying Weiyang, who had been sitting in the distance drawing circles on the floor, stood up and said with a grin.

“We certainly won’t neglect you.”

A smile appeared in Tushan Rui’s eyes, and the sorrow she had worn earlier was gone.

After the former queen died, the clan needed a new queen. There were only a handful of pure-blooded women within the clan, and most of them were still young.

The women of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan served as its representatives, almost like a totem. Their position could never be left vacant.

That was also why the women of their clan were more famous than the men.

At the time, Tushan Rui had taken up the position only because they had no other choice.

The king had been Tushan Ju’s junior. Unfortunately, he had only reached the seventh level, so his lifespan was actually shorter than Tushan Ju’s.

All these years, he had never touched Tushan Rui. The two of them had merely stayed together for appearances before the outside world.

In Tushan Rui’s eyes, he was an elder.

Naturally, she was saddened by the king’s death, but she was even more worried about the survival of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.

After all, Tushan Ju—their true ancestor—had been unable even to fight.

The moment the king died, their clan had fallen to the ranks of a third-rate tribe.

That had been the source of Tushan Rui’s sorrow. But now, the problem had been completely resolved.

…

The Sacred Palace’s reception hall.

Ying Weiyang was wolfing down the dishes. “This meat is so delicious! It tastes better than steamed buns!”

Tushan Rui, sitting beside her, was dumbfounded. How could such a small child eat so much?

Was her stomach a bottomless pit?

Xu Mu also sampled a little. Although it was nowhere near as good as what he cooked himself, the overall flavor was decent.

“If there’s anything you need me to do, I’ll definitely help. Anything at all.”

Only after the servers had left did Tushan Rui speak to Xu Mu.

“I do have something in mind. Can you transform?”

Xu Mu smiled and rubbed his hands together.

A blush spread across Tushan Rui’s cheeks, and she nodded.

As qi flowed through her body, her hair turned white, and a pair of white animal ears appeared atop her head. Beneath her skirt, a large, fluffy tail also emerged.

Xu Mu immediately grabbed the white tail. It was indeed real, and incredibly smooth.

It would be quite an experience to marry a woman like this someday.

Tushan Rui’s body suddenly trembled, and her face flushed so deeply that it looked as though water might drip from it.

“Sorry, that was rude.”

Seeing Tushan Rui’s expression, Xu Mu hurriedly let go. “I was just curious.”

“It’s… it’s fine.”

Tushan Rui pretended to be calm, but her heart was pounding out of her chest. “When is your next treatment?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll remember the date.”

Xu Mu grabbed Ying Weiyang by the arm and pulled her to her feet. “Stop eating. We have to go.”

“But I’m not full yet.”

Before leaving, Ying Weiyang grabbed one more large chicken leg.

Seeing this, Tushan Rui couldn’t help covering her mouth and laughing.

……

After Xu Mu and Ying Weiyang were escorted out of the ruins, they left the area for the time being.

Suddenly, Xu Mu let out a cold laugh. Someone was following them.

He quickened his pace, pulling Ying Weiyang away from the town.

If nothing unexpected happened, their pursuers were probably from the Xiao or Jiao clans.

They had barely left the city when several black-robed figures blocked their path.

“You’re Xiao Gui?”

One of the middle-aged men questioned him.

“How strange. Usually, the male leads come forward on their own. This time, it’s the other way around.”

Xu Mu found it rather novel.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Die!”

One of the black-robed men attacked first.