The Modern Immortal

Secret

Daemon looked down at the filial yet spoiled Jin Ning'er. With a smile, he asked, "So can you release me now?"

A smile finally appeared on Jin Ning'er's face. As she looked at Daemon's arm, she finally noticed how hard she had been squeezing his arm against her chest. It was so tight that not a single gap could be seen. Daemon's arm was almost covered by her chest. Realizing this, Jin Ning'er immediately retracted away from Daemon, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Daemon then sat down again. Now, he was looking at Old Jin with a hint of pity in his eyes.

"It's been going on for quite some time already, right?" Daemon asked straightforwardly.

Old Jin remained silent as he looked up into the sky. It was as if he was reminiscing about the past. Then with a bitter smile, he answered, "It's been almost forty years!"

Jin Ning'er, who was pouring tea for Daemon, was confused. Unable to resist her anxiety, she asked, "What are you guys saying? What forty years?"

Daemon let out a soft laugh before replying, "What we're saying is that your grandpa has an organism living inside his body."

*Clang!*

In a blink of an eye, the ceramic teapot slipped from Jin Ning'er's hand and smashed straight against the cobblestone below, shattering into a million pieces. She remained unreactive even when the hot water splashed on her soft and beautiful legs.

"What...what did you just say?!" Jin Ning'er shouted in disbelief, her face full of shock and uncertainty. Unable to believe what she heard, she turned to her grandfather.

"Grandpa, he...he said there's something in your body…"

Old Jin's brows furrowed as he gave her a bitter smile. At the same time, he glanced at Daemon, giving him a look that expressed his gratefulness. Having kept this matter a secret for forty years, Daemon had revealed it with just a single sentence. However, all Old Jin felt now was a sense of release and freedom. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"There really is a living thing in your body? Oh my god, and for forty years?!" Jin Ning'er exclaimed. She felt like the sky was falling.

"So what is it?"

" A Gu Insect!" her grandfather replied without hesitation. With a perplexed face as he looked into the distance.

"Then why did you lie at that time we met on the m mountain", Daemon asked.

"I didn't know that you would be so proficient in medical arts, I was taking my chance that by befriending you may be your Master will be somehow able to help me, I thought as you are so strong, than your Master must be High Level Cultivator.", Old Jin replied as looks downward.

"Forty years ago, in my quest to reach the pinnacle of medicinal technique and knowledge, I traveled deep into the southwest part of C Country, Miaojiang. In a twist of fate, I rescued a lady from the Miao tribe. Her name was Miao Fengning. I only realized later that she was the Miaojiang's Saint…"

"I was surprised when I saw how well versed in medicine and venom research she was. She was at a level of a master. Thus, acknowledging each other, we started interacting. That was one of the happiest periods of my life…"

Reaching this moment, the elder's gaze softened. He then continued in a gentle tone.

"When I finally felt that my medical skills could no longer improve with my stay, I sought to leave the place. Yet, unbeknownst to me, Miao Fengning had long developed a strong feeling of love towards me…"

"Being such a bold lady, she actually confessed her feelings for me when I mentioned about leaving…"

"However, at that moment in time, your grandmother and I were already married. We even had your father. Thus, it was impossible for me to accept her love."

Jin Ning'er was now totally engrossed in this story of forgotten romance. She was so excited that she interrupted and asked, "So in the end, how were you able to leave?"

Old Jin gave a melancholy smile as he replied, "Leave? A Miaojiang saint only loves a single man in her entire life, to escape that place was no easy feat. Yet, she pretended to accept my decision before putting drugs into my dinner on the day of my departure…"

Hearing this much, Daemon could already guess the rest of the story.

Jin Ning'er, being exceptionally smart, realized what would follow next. With a flushed face, she bit her lower lips before asking, "So the two of you…"

Understanding her question, Old Jin's face turned beet red as well as he gave a low sigh before answering.

"Yes, it was all part of their scheme. It was unavoidable."

Daemon felt a hint of disdain towards the Old Jin as he thought inwardly, I bet you were dying for something to happen. Unavoidable? What a joke.

"But who would have known that after everything was over, she actually planted a Gu Insect in me?"

At that instant, Old Jin's face was a mixture of rage and helplessness as he continued his explanation.

"This type of Gu Insect is called Heart-Devouring Gu Insect. Since young, it would implant itself within the body of a Miao woman of high status. Once this woman finds love and sleeps with the guy, the Gu Insect would travel from the woman into the man's body. This would prevent both sides from forgetting about one another for the rest of their lives. If one is to remain indifferent towards the other, he or she would suffer excruciating pain equivalent to the devouring of one's heart !"

Hearing that Jin Ning'er could not help but ask a weird question softly, "Then I bet she must have been a beauty?"

Old Jin recalled fondly before nodding his head and saying, "Indeed, Miao Fengning was an exceptional beauty rare in our world…"

"Then why did you reject her? You should have just brought her home…"

Such valiance! Such audacity! I approve! I definitely approve! Hearing Jin Ning'er's suggestion, Daemon could not help but totally change his opinion of this young spoiled lady. He may have been a Hard heart Cultivator but even though he seeks materialistic good and pleasure, he is no different from any other person beside his exceptional strength.

*Cough cough* Old Jin was shocked by his granddaughter's bold suggestion, causing him to have a coughing fit again. After a great while, it finally subsided. He then glared at her and replied in a reproachful tone, "Stop talking nonsense, if I brought her back home, what would happen to your grandmother?"

But your heart says otherwise… Of course, that was what the young lady wanted to say in return but she would never have the guts to say it verbally. Having this thought in her mind was the best she could do.

"So what happened next?"

Having revealed so much, Old Jin no longer saw the need to hold back any more secrets. Hence, he smiled as he answered, "After that, I refused to stay with her and with confidence in my medical knowledge, I sought a way to leave Miaojiang…"

"And in order to expel the Gu Insect from my body, I went to find my master. Who would have expected that even my master had no means of expelling the worm? All he was able to do was offer a way for me to suppress it...so…"

Daemon continued his sentence.

"So you started eating various medications made from these plants. In an attempt to strengthen your heart and pancreas. Increasing the heart fire to suppress the poison of the Gu Insect, right?"

Old Jin nodded his head in agreement before continuing.

"That's right, after all, fire overwhelms metal and creates earth. Earth then further produces metal. Thus, as I continued consuming those medications to suppress the Gu Insect, I had to carefully maintain the equilibrium between the three great organs; the heart, the pancreas and the lungs.

Daemon understood exactly what he meant. Earth concentrates within the lungs. With fire prospering, earth would follow. Thus, with the harm caused by an overly powerful heart fire, significant nourishment would be provided to the body as well.

The only downside was that this process was the same as kneading dough. With more flour, more water would be needed and vice versa. Therefore, with both sides accumulating, the bowl that sustains the dough would eventually overflow. For Old Jin to have been able to endure this process for forty years, it was an extraordinary feat!

Yet, obviously, this was not of utmost concern for Jin Ning'er as she was focused solely on  Knowing the story's ending.

"So grandpa, did she ever come looking for you again?"