Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 1327 - 1377: Clue of the Worm Poison

Chapter 1327: Chapter 1377: Clue of the Worm Poison

The next day, Li Yifei and his group returned to Mile City. He had already called Murong Yuanqing in advance, but Murong Yuanqing knew very little about Miao’s Worm Technique. However, he mentioned that Yao Lingfu had some knowledge of Miao’s Worm Poison and would be coming over in the next few days to take a look. This greatly reassured Li Yifei. Since Yao Lingfu’s abilities were on par with Murong Yuanqing and her insights were extraordinary, if she came, the matter wouldn’t be too difficult to resolve.

The call Li Yifei had received on his wedding day had not been made again, indicating that they believed they had failed. So, Li Yifei planned to fabricate an illusion that Xu Yingying was perfectly fine, allowing them to make their move again and capture them. If they could directly retrieve the antidote from them, solving the problem would be much simpler.

Before Xu Yingying returned, Li Yifei had already instructed He Fangqing and Jiang Ningxiang to keep the matter strictly confidential—even from others in the family. Therefore, in the entire Li family, aside from Li Yifei and the women involved, no one knew that Xu Yingying was currently in a coma.

For the past few days, Xu Shanshan had been impersonating Xu Yingying at home, while Xu Shanshan’s identity wasn’t present at all, which didn’t raise much suspicion.

Furthermore, Li Yifei still didn’t know the identity of the enemy. He had had no significant interactions with Miaojiang before, so it didn’t make sense to have offended these people. Thus, it was highly likely that someone else had invited the Miaojiang people here, with the Song Family and the Sun Family being the most probable suspects.

However, other possibilities couldn’t be ruled out—for instance, the disappearance of his son remained an unsolved mystery, with the perpetrators still unidentified. Therefore, Li Yifei couldn’t jump to conclusions rashly.

Still, Li Yifei believed that the most likely culprits were the Song Family and the Sun Family, as someone calling earlier had addressed him as "Clan leader Li." Using the title "clan chief" clearly implied a connection to a family. If it had been some foreign organization, the caller might have referred to him as "Golden Eagle."

Apart from the Song and Sun families, other clans could also be involved, such as the Gu Family and Wei Family. Though these two families had ceased interactions with the Li family after their last conflicts, the grievances between Li Yifei and these families had not dissipated.

It was also possible that a large family was intentionally provoking a bigger clash between Li Yifei and other clans; such tactics could not be ruled out either.

For three days straight, no attempt had been made on Xu Shanshan, and the plan to lure the enemy seemed temporarily stalled.

That evening, as Li Yifei sat in his study examining documents, he suddenly darted out through the window. On the roof of a nearby villa stood a shadowy figure. Simultaneously, Jiang Ningxiang and Xu Shanshan leaped out of the villa one after another, rushing toward the figure.

"Elder Yao, you’ve finally arrived!" Li Yifei jumped onto the roof of the nearby villa.

The visitor was Yao Lingfu, who smiled lightly and said, "Boy, you’re progressing fast. You’ve managed to spot me so soon."

"Elder Yao!" Jiang Ningxiang called out excitedly. Since Yao Lingfu had taught her many things, she felt close to Yao Lingfu.

Yao Lingfu held Jiang Ningxiang’s hand and smiled, saying, "Ningxiang’s progress has been remarkable! Your current strength isn’t inferior to mine."

"Not at all." Jiang Ningxiang responded shyly.

"Haha, Innate Vital Energy is indeed formidable. I must say I envy all of you." Yao Lingfu said with a cheerful grin.

Li Yifei quickly said, "Elder Yao, please come inside and have a seat."

"Take me directly to the girl afflicted by the Worm," Yao Lingfu replied bluntly.

Li Yifei immediately led Yao Lingfu to the room where Xu Yingying was. Jiang Ningxiang and Xu Shanshan followed closely behind.

Yao Lingfu placed her hand on Xu Yingying’s wrist to check her pulse, while Li Yifei and the other two watched nervously. After two minutes, Yao Lingfu released her hand and said, "This should be the simplest form of Coma Worm from Miaojiang. It doesn’t harm the body; it merely keeps the person unconscious."

Li Yifei immediately asked, "So, Elder Yao, how can we wake Yingying up?"

Yao Lingfu shrugged and replied, "I don’t have a solution either. The only way is to go to Miaojiang and find those who practice Worm Techniques—get the antidote from them to remove the Worm Poison."

Li Yifei frowned deeply and asked, "Is the Worm this difficult to remove?"

Yao Lingfu nodded and said, "Miao’s Worm Technique has always been one of the most mysterious abilities, never shared with outsiders. Very few people in Miaojiang practice Worm Techniques, and they seldom leave the area. Especially in modern society, practitioners are even more reclusive—it’s been years since anyone has heard of someone being afflicted by a Worm."

"Do you know where these practitioners might be, Elder Yao?" Li Yifei asked promptly.

Yao Lingfu smiled and replied, "From what I know, they live deep in the mountains of Miaojiang. No one knows exactly where. Finding them will require searching bit by bit. Moreover, these practitioners look like ordinary Miaojiang natives, so recognizing them will be very challenging."

Jiang Ningxiang urgently interjected, "Elder Yao, what if we can’t find someone who practices Worm Techniques? Does that mean Sister Yingying will never wake up?"

Yao Lingfu said, "For now, it seems I truly have no solution."

Xu Shanshan furrowed her brow and said, "Then doesn’t that make Miaojiang practitioners of Worm Skills practically invincible? With just one Worm, even the strongest person would be doomed."

Yao Lingfu chuckled and replied, "That’s not entirely true. In the past, skilled practitioners could afflict targets without notice. However, these days, I suspect they can only administer Worms orally, making Worm Techniques comparable to poisoning. As long as one remains cautious, there’s little chance for them to succeed. Besides, Worm practitioners aren’t necessarily elite fighters. If they reveal their use of Worm Techniques, they’d likely be eliminated—hence their need for secrecy."

Li Yifei nodded and said, "Yingying fell unconscious after drinking a bottle of water, presumably laced with Worms by the enemy. Unfortunately, we were careless at the time and didn’t anticipate such tactics, which led to us being caught off guard."

"Worm cultivation is quite challenging, requiring several years of careful nurturing. Most Worms can only be used once, and then new ones need to be cultivated. So, practitioners rarely use Worms lightly," Yao Lingfu added.

After a pause, Yao Lingfu continued, "There’s another point: Miaojiang Worm cultivators abide by an unwritten rule—if one person administers a Worm, others are unlikely to assist in removing it. So, even if you find someone who knows Worm Poison, they might not help you remove it. This applies to ordinary Worms, and for special Worm Poisons, only the individual who cultivated the Worm knows how to remove it."

Li Yifei’s frown deepened as he said, "So even if I find someone knowledgeable in Worm Poison, they might not necessarily help Yingying?"

Yao Lingfu nodded and said, "That’s essentially correct. However, if you offer sufficient benefits or perform an extraordinary favor, they might help you. It’s not impossible."

Li Yifei immediately said, "Then there’s hope—I must try to find them."

Xu Shanshan quickly interjected, "Brother-in-law, you shouldn’t go. Let me handle this."

Jiang Ningxiang chimed in urgently, "Yes, let me go instead. You should stay home to oversee matters."

Yao Lingfu smiled and said, "I think this boy should go."

"Why?" Xu Shanshan and Jiang Ningxiang asked in unison, confused.

Yao Lingfu explained, "Practitioners in Miaojiang are known to be highly lustful. If they see young girls like you two, they might afflict you with a Worm instead. Then not only would your mission fail, but you could land yourselves in severe danger. On the other hand, a man stands less chance of attracting their attention. Additionally, practitioners of Worm Techniques are extremely cautious. If you approach them strategically instead of openly, it’s easier to find them. I suggest you go alone and search deep into the mountains. You might locate them quickly."

"Just me alone... Elder Yao, Miaojiang is so vast. How long would it take to find them?"

Yao Lingfu chuckled and said, "I’ll give you a rough direction. I encountered some of them near there years ago, so the place shouldn’t be far from their residence."

Li Yifei rejoiced and said, "That’s fantastic!"

Suddenly, Yao Lingfu blinked at Li Yifei and quipped, "Yifei, be cautious when you’re there. Women in Miaojiang, having lived in the mountains for so long, might find you appealing. If one falls for you, she might afflict you with a Dedicated Worm. That Worm would make you love only her. If you fall for someone else, the Worm could backfire and harm you."

Li Yifei was startled and said, "There’s really such a thing?"

Yao Lingfu giggled and said, "Haven’t you read martial arts novels? They often describe these scenarios."

Li Yifei felt a wave of embarrassment and said, "Elder Yao, you’re scaring me to death! If such a Worm exists, it’d be the end of me."

Yao Lingfu gave Li Yifei a sideways glance and said, "Serves you right for being so frivolous! If I weren’t fond of how Ningxiang has been sticking by you faithfully, I’d have slapped you silly long ago."

Li Yifei smiled awkwardly. Despite her age, Yao Lingfu had retained a playful streak—her knack for teasing people was truly nerve-wracking.