Chapter 68: The People of Cloud Mountain Bow to No One

Narcissus larvae are shaped like a flattened cone, slightly pointed at both ends, about one centimeter in length, yellowish-white, somewhat translucent, with the head gradually narrowing from the middle downward and a sharp, footless tail. They are light, brittle, and have a faintly unpleasant odor. Their properties are salty and cold, and they enter the spleen and stomach meridians. They clear heat, detoxify, and dissolve accumulations and stagnation. They are commonly used for symptoms such as delirium and incoherent speech.

To put it plainly, narcissus larvae are maggots—the very creatures that grow when meat decays. For most people, this is something utterly repulsive, especially when they writhe upon a corpse.

Lu Feng, who had memorized the effects of herbal medicines since childhood, naturally knew what the narcissus larvae were used for.

When Old Master Zhou fell ill, he indeed suffered from confusion and muttered nonsense, so narcissus larvae were indeed a suitable remedy for him.

“Why keep this in a separate bottle?” Lu Feng asked, curious.

Normally, herbal medicines are dispensed in paper packets, each containing a measured amount of every ingredient specified in the prescription, so it is unusual to find a single herb separated out.

“Oh, the narcissus larvae from the herbal shop were of poor quality and had a bad smell, so Third Aunt specially arranged for someone to find a premium batch, much better than what the shop offered,” Zhou Fuqu explained.

The quality of narcissus larvae varies greatly; the finest are whole, light, swollen, golden, odorless, and free from impurities. Inferior specimens are much worse, especially those with a faint stench. After all, they are maggots—it's not surprising they have an odor.

Lu Feng picked up the glass bottle, slowly twisted open the cap, left a small gap, and fanned the opening with his hand. Immediately, he caught a faint whiff of something foul.

The stench was extremely subtle; someone with an insensitive nose might not even notice it.

Yet upon smelling it, Lu Feng immediately tightened the cap and pointed at the bottle, declaring, “This is it!”

“This? You mean that black magic?” Zhou Fuqu asked, startled.

Lu Feng nodded. “Black magic isn’t as mysterious as people think. The basic kind is simply using specially cultivated woodworms as a carrier; if someone unknowingly ingests them, they exert a unique medicinal or toxic effect, harming or controlling the victim. Low-level black magic is very similar to gu poison, but more sinister.”

Zhou Fuqu’s brow furrowed even tighter. This bottle of ‘narcissus larvae’ had been procured through her Third Aunt’s connections—could it be that someone in the Zhou family was plotting against the old master?

“Are you certain?” Zhou Fuqu glanced at the door, saw it was tightly shut, and asked gravely.

Lu Feng nodded. “I even know exactly how it’s made. This bottle of narcissus larvae is indeed premium, but it contains a type of woodworm. There aren’t many, but they are extremely poisonous.”

Zhou Fuqu’s face clouded with uncertainty and she pressed on, “I need to know the details.”

“Very well. When I opened the lid just now, I smelled the odor of decay,” Lu Feng said.

“Maggots are living things—they smell, that’s not unusual. How can you be sure?” Zhou Fuqu asked.

“It’s not the smell of insect decay, but of human decay,” Lu Feng said, his expression grave.

“Human decay?” Zhou Fuqu’s eyes widened in fright.

“Yes. This is a very crude method of cultivating black magic worms: use a severely decomposed corpse to breed maggots, then process those maggots into medicine. Whoever ingests them falls under the spell, manifesting symptoms like your grandfather’s.”

Zhou Fuqu drew in a sharp breath, panicked, and grabbed Lu Feng’s hand. “What do we do now?”

“I can cure your grandfather’s illness, but the rest is your family’s affair,” Lu Feng replied.

Zhou Fuqu nodded. “Understood. Please heal my grandfather. As for the rest, the Zhou family will handle it—but I hope you’ll keep this secret.”

Lu Feng nodded, “Once I leave, I’ll forget all about it. I hate trouble.”

“Thank you…” Zhou Fuqu said, weighed down by worry.

Lu Feng returned to Old Master Zhou’s room, performed acupuncture, prescribed several herbal remedies, instructed Zhou Fuqu on their sequence, and then left the Zhou household.

Madam Zhou had originally wanted to keep Lu Feng for dinner; last time she hadn’t had time to prepare, but this time she’d arranged a full banquet. Yet Zhou Fuqu stopped her mother from inviting him to stay.

...

After Lu Feng left, Zhou Fuqu told her father, Zhou Zhengqian, everything about the corpse worms.

Zhou Zhengqian was deeply shocked but didn’t act immediately. Instead, he took the bottle of narcissus larvae mixed with corpse worms to a research institute for analysis.

The test results revealed that the corpse worms contained a large quantity of toxic alkaloids. If ingested, they would pose a serious threat to human health.

These toxic alkaloids, more commonly known as corpse poison, are toxins produced during the decomposition of a body, typically found in graves.

Even with this knowledge, Zhou Zhengqian still hesitated, for mishandling this matter could tear the Zhou family apart.

He could only follow Lu Feng’s prescription for Old Master Zhou, strictly controlling diet and medicines, refusing to use anything potentially problematic.

Once Old Master Zhou’s condition improved, Zhou Zhengqian finally told him the truth.

...

In truth, Old Master Zhou had already suspected something, though he didn’t know who was responsible. When Lu Feng mentioned black magic, he realized someone was plotting against him.

...

How the Zhou family handled the situation was none of Lu Feng’s concern. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

Lu Feng first went to check on Xiao Xiao, the little girl who had been frightened that night. Worried that the incident might leave her with psychological scars, he made time to comfort her.

Yet Xiao Xiao proved more resilient and optimistic than Lu Feng expected.

“I’m not afraid! I know you’ll always protect me,” she said, snuggling close to Lu Feng’s neck.

Seeing her cheerful smile, Lu Feng was pleased, gently pinching her cheeks and playing with her for a while.

Whenever Lu Feng visited, Chen Lan always made sure to look as clean and beautiful as possible. In the evenings, she never urged him to leave—she actually hoped he would stay.

She had met Su Muyu and vaguely guessed the nature of Lu Feng’s relationship with her. She knew she had no future with him, but still cherished the hope of being together, even if only for a brief, beautiful moment.

She had not met the right person at the right time, so when she finally did, she wanted to offer what happiness remained.

...

After the events of that night, Chen Lan became increasingly anxious; she refused to work overtime, picked up Xiao Xiao herself every day, locked the doors at night, and even had a security door installed.

That evening, after leaving Chen Lan’s home, Lu Feng set out to find Big Mouth Owl.

Cloud Mountain was not a sect to be bullied. Lu Feng remembered the old man’s words: the purpose of Cloud Mountain is to save and aid the world, but its people will never be oppressed. If someone comes to challenge them, they must strike back!

Lu Feng was ready to strike back now. Until the enemy surrendered, nothing was settled.