NOVPUB
Chapter 236: The Truth About Cecile’s Condition
Inside one of the main bedrooms of the Rivas family mansion, Irene sat on her cultivation mattress, meditating. A frown was visible on her face, and sweat dripped from her brow as she struggled to concentrate. An hour ago, she had suddenly received a letter from an unknown sender, and ever since reading its contents, she had been unable to stop thinking about it.
The letter stated that something significant would happen and that she needed to be strong, as it was related to her retainer within the mansion. Irene wanted to understand what was going on but didn’t know who to ask. Her thoughts turned to her retainer, Cecile, since the letter specifically mentioned her. She wished to speak with Cecile but felt she might refuse to talk about it. Their relationship had grown distant a few days before Irene was trapped in the Everlasting Silent Forest over a decade ago.
Cecile’s gestures and the way she spoke to Irene felt distant, and this remained unchanged even today. She spent most of her time in her room, only coming out when assigned a task by Irene. Cecile rarely spoke to Irene now, and on the rare occasions Irene managed to talk to her, Cecile seemed reluctant to engage in conversation. Irene had already asked a few maids about what had happened with Cecile, but all their answers were the same—they didn’t know.
Irene felt sad, but she couldn’t force Cecile to speak if she didn’t want to share anything. She didn’t know what to do, and now, with the letter warning her about something that might happen to her, she couldn’t calm her mind, no matter how hard she tried.
"This won’t do. This isn’t good for my heart. I’d better try asking her again," Irene decided, resolving to be more assertive with Cecile this time. With that, she ended her cultivation session and walked toward the door of her room. However, before she could step outside, she sensed several presences passing by her room. Confused, she opened the door and was stunned by the attire of the people walking past.
"The Iron Fist Order."
That was a group of cultivators from the Rivas family, who mobilized only when a serious crime occurred within the family, and they were the ones who enacted judgment. Seeing a dozen members of the Iron Fist Order walking purposefully toward an unknown destination, Irene couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.
Then, she remembered the warning in the letter—that something would happen to Cecile. Her heart trembled at the possibility that Cecile might have committed a grave offense, one serious enough to prompt the Iron Fist Order to act.
She ran toward the group and blocked their path. The group was stunned that Irene had stopped them, but they slightly bowed their heads in respect.
"I am sorry, Lady Irene. Could you please step aside? We are carrying out a duty as ordered by the patriarch," said the leader of the group, an old man with a blonde beard.
"Where are you going right now?" Irene asked.
"We are on our way to apprehend the suspect involved in espionage against the family and ties to the devils, so please excuse us," the leader said, bowing once again before continuing on with the others.
Irene was stunned by the answer. Her body froze like a statue for a few seconds, her mind racing as she imagined countless scenarios. She gritted her teeth. Devils? Espionage? Without a second thought, she ran to pursue the Iron Fist Order. By the time she reached Cecile’s room, she saw that they had already breached the door.
"Wait!" Irene shouted, rushing to enter the room where the members of the Iron Fist Order seemed stunned by what they were witnessing. Once Irene saw what had happened, she too was shocked. She closed her mouth in disbelief at the sight before her.
Cecile’s body lay motionless on the bed, or more accurately, she seemed to be on the brink of death. Her life appeared to be hanging between life and death. Her eyes were lifeless, devoid of any spark, but there were still faint signs of life in her—her breath was so shallow that one might doubt she was still alive.
"Cecile!"
"Be careful, Lady Irene!" the group leader shouted, grabbing Irene to prevent her from approaching Cecile. His face frowned, wary of Cecile after seeing her condition. He wanted to assess what had happened to her first, but Irene struggled in his arms, determined to reach Cecile.
"Let go of me!" Irene demanded. The group leader could only sigh and release her, not wanting to hurt her, but he continued to watch her closely, standing guard beside her. He scanned the entire room for any anomalies while Irene dropped to her knees beside Cecile’s bed. Her body trembled as she reached for Cecile’s hand. There was a faint pulse, so weak that it felt as though Cecile was on the verge of death.
"What happened to you?" Irene’s voice trembled, but there was no answer. Cecile seemed unable to hear anything. Irene’s heart ached as she looked at Cecile’s condition, and tears threatened to fall. She injected her energy into Cecile to check her body. But then Irene frowned as her energy was absorbed by something inside.
After ensuring there was no immediate threat in the room, the group leader walked to the other side of the bed, placing his hand on Cecile’s other hand to check her condition. However, he was shocked by what he felt. Despite the strange phenomenon, his peak King-stage cultivation allowed him to overpower whatever was inside Cecile’s body. Once he had finished his examination, the group leader turned to look at Irene.
"My lady, she has been inflicted by gu!" The group leader said, his voice grave. Irene’s eyes widened upon hearing it.
"Gu?! How can that be?"
Gu is a type of poison, shaped like insects or small creatures, that typically reside inside a host’s body to survive. They serve various functions—some act as poison, others control the victim’s body, or even cripple the host. Gu is harmful to the host, which is why it is often used by opponents to control their adversaries way of life. There are many types of gu insects, and the group leader sensed one in Cecile’s brain. It appeared to be a small, worm-like creature, and judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a type of gu that controls its victim’s body.
This type of gu is particularly dangerous because once you are infected by it, it not only drains your life force and energy but also takes control of your mind and body, following the will of the one who possesses the Mother Gu. The Mother Gu is controlled by someone, and the host must obey; if they resist, the gu will inflict excruciating pain on the host. Essentially, this type of gu turns the host into a puppet, controlled by the one who holds the Mother Gu.
Irene, hearing the group leader’s explanation, could only be shocked, as she hadn’t sensed anything like that herself. It was understandable, though, because this type of gu is not easily detected, especially if it is a high-level gu nurtured with powerful cultivator.
Suddenly, someone appeared beside Irene as her tears finally began to fall. She looked up at her father, who had silently stood beside her, frowning as he observed Cecile’s condition. He then checked her body, injecting his energy into her. After a few moments, he sighed, shaking his head before turning to his daughter.
"I’m sorry, dear, but her condition..." Grand Duke Rivas sighed again. "It’s beyond saving. Her life force has been drained to the point that it can’t be restored. She’s only hanging on because of the gu controlling her. Once we remove it, she will..."
Hearing her father’s judgment, Irene’s tears flowed even more. She looked at Cecile again, but this time, she noticed a faint movement from Cecile’s lips. Irene was stunned, then leaned closer, straining to hear.
"Ki...kill me."
The moment those words left Cecile’s lips, Irene looked into her eyes. They were deadpan, unfocused, not seeing Irene at all, yet her soft words indicated that there was still a flicker of consciousness inside her mind.
Grand Duke Rivas stood stunned. He couldn’t tell how long Cecile had been like this, but from the symptoms, it seemed to have been for a long time, perhaps more than five years. The thought that Cecile’s consciousness had remained intact all this time made him imagine the torment she must have endured, forced to obey someone’s orders every day.
The most infuriating thing was that he hadn’t known Cecile was under the influence of gu!
He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was his fault for not discovering it sooner. There had been a time when he noticed Cecile’s strange behavior, but he found nothing unusual about her body and let it slip by. If only he had checked her more thoroughly back then, clenching his fist in frustration.
Now, as he examined her body, he could feel how deeply the gu had merged with her brain, making it nearly impossible to separate the two. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
The only way to end her misery was...
"Irene, can you step outside? You don’t want to watch Cecile in more misery, do you?" Grand Duke Rivas said with a soft voice. However, Irene just kept looking at Cecile’s face, and now her deadpan eyes seemed to want to cry, her mouth still mumbling about killing her.
After a few moments of silence, Irene then said to her father without looking at him, "Father, let me do it."
