I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script

Ruzhou City thrived day and night, with common folk bustling through the streets while cultivators soared overhead. At first glance, Bai Roushuang found the seamless blend of the mortal and cultivation worlds rather wondrous. But after spending some time here, she realized it was more like two distinct worlds coexisting side by side.

Still, both she and her senior sister Xu Shulou enjoyed the lively human world and its novelties, so they often chose to walk rather than fly through Ruzhou City.

At this moment, Xu Shulou—the true culprit behind robbing the Left Protector of Black Tortoise Tower—strode confidently down the street, trailed by her overly cautious junior sister, who had done nothing wrong yet remained wary.

The two were on their way to Gao Ming’s courtyard. After lingering in Ruzhou City for about ten days, they had finally received word from him: progress had been made in breaking the love gu.

Bai Roushuang heaved a sigh of relief. If there had been no breakthrough, her senior sister might soon have become the top name on Black Tortoise Tower’s most-wanted list.

Gao Ming awaited them in his courtyard and, true to his usual bluntness, cut straight to the point: "I won’t take payment, but I have a condition. If I succeed in breaking the gu, you must do something for me."

"What is it? Tell me first."

"What if I said I wanted you to kill someone for me?"

"If they deserve it, I’ll kill ten for you. If they don’t, then forget about breaking the gu."

Gao Ming smirked at her. "You’ve got spine. Do you even know what this love gu will do to you if it isn’t removed?"

Xu Shulou met his gaze without flinching.

After a moment, Gao Ming relented with a sigh. "Sit. Let me first explain the origin of this gu."

Bai Roushuang nearly interjected that they didn’t care where the gu came from—they just wanted to know how to get rid of it—but seeing her senior sister’s composed demeanor, she swallowed her impatience and sat down.

"This love gu wasn’t originally called that."

The overly poetic opening made Bai Roushuang roll her eyes.

"It was created by a queen of Miaojiang as a means to force obedience from her opponents. It made slaves serve willingly and ministers bow without question—nothing to do with love. Later, modifications turned it into the love gu we know today."

Bai Roushuang shook her head. "Either way, it’s despicable. But if the gu can be broken, why do so many remain under its control?"

"Most victims grow submissive, even forgetting they were ever ensnared. They become willing servants, never thinking to seek a cure. Someone like your senior sister, actively seeking to break it, is rare. That’s why I was surprised last time," Gao Ming said coolly. "Fortunately, this gu is exceedingly rare, or it would wreak havoc on the world."

Bai Roushuang was taken aback, but Gao Ming continued his tale. "Still, the gu wasn’t infallible. It was too rare to control many people. Eventually, the queen’s consort allied with those untouched by the gu and overthrew her, becoming the new ruler of Miaojiang."

Xu Shulou raised a brow. "I assume that wasn’t the end of the story? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be telling me."

Gao Ming nodded. "This beloved and wise consort, in his later years, revived the gu. It seems absolute power and obedience are temptations no one can resist."

Xu Shulou narrowed her eyes. "What are you implying?"

"There are three ways to break the gu."

The abrupt shift left Bai Roushuang struggling to keep up, but since this was the main point, she forced herself to ask, "And they are?"

"First, using spiritual medicine to dissolve it slowly. It takes years, but it’s the safest and gentlest method."

"Years?" Xu Shulou stroked her chin and turned to Bai Roushuang. "If I killed Senior Brother Lu, how heartbroken would you be? Would you be inconsolable, or just lose your appetite?"

Bai ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‍Roushuang pondered seriously. "Well, I do like him, but not enough to swear off marriage forever. Inconsolable might be a stretch—"

Seeing them casually discussing murder, Gao Ming hastily intervened. "Wait, there’s a second way."

"I have a drug that can repurpose the gu. The parasite in your body would feed on your blood and, with my medicine, produce offspring. The mother gu would then obey you, and whoever you infect with the offspring would bow to your will."

Xu Shulou stared at him. "I sincerely hope there’s a third option."

"Not tempted?"

"I have no fondness for raising bugs inside me."

"Fine," Gao Ming said, producing a jade vial. "This is the third method—more brutal. Take this, and the gu will fall dormant, settling in one spot. We cut open your flesh and pull it out."

Bai Roushuang grimaced. "Can’t we hear a fourth option?"

"There isn’t one," Gao Ming said. "But I must warn you—no anesthetic. It would counteract my medicine."

Xu Shulou didn’t hesitate. "No problem. Where do we start cutting?"

Gao Ming hesitated. "The issue is, I currently have no spiritual power. I can’t perform the extraction myself."

Bai Roushuang volunteered eagerly. "I’ll do it!"

"Do you know the body’s meridian pathways?" Gao Ming asked. "If a cultivator’s meridians are damaged, they aren’t easily repaired."

"No, but you could guide me, telling me which meridians to avoid."

"I can’t."

"Why not?"

"I faint at the sight of blood."

Bai Roushuang inhaled sharply. "You’re a real reliable physician."

Gao Ming bristled. "Or you could find someone else who knows how to break a love gu."

Xu Shulou sighed. "I know the meridians. I’ll do it myself."

Gao Ming squinted at her, confirming she was serious, and muttered to Bai Roushuang, "I’ve never met anyone as ruthless as your senior sister—"

"As a woman?" Bai Roushuang supplied.

Gao Ming murmured, "As a living creature."

Bai Roushuang gave him a sidelong glance. Living creature? Had her senior sister’s ferocity transcended humanity?

She couldn’t help but advise, "Senior Sister, why not send word to the sect? A senior brother or sister who knows meridians could come. It wouldn’t take long."

Xu Shulou nodded. "Fine. First, go buy some wine and food. I’d like to treat Gao Ming to a drink."

"Got it!" Bai Roushuang hurried off obediently.

Watching her leave, Xu Shulou turned to Gao Ming. "Is this place secure?"

Gao Ming nodded. "Fairly. Hardly anyone comes looking for me. What are you planning?"

"Then let’s begin," Xu Shulou said, removing her outer robe. "What do I need to do?"

Gao Ming blinked. "You lied to your junior sister?"

"It's a bloody mess, why let her see it?" Xu Shulou sniffed the elixir in the bottle, confirmed it was harmless, then drank it in one gulp. Moments later, the restless gu worm that had been trying to burrow into her heart meridian finally quieted down.

Gao Ming watched her, his gaze a mix of three parts indifference and two parts the unique compassion of a healer: "Suppressing the love gu while pretending everything's fine in front of your junior sister—doesn’t that exhaust you?"

"I'm used to it." After the fall of the Xu imperial clan, Xu Shulou had never complained or shown weakness in front of anyone. Resilience had become a habit, gradually turning into nonchalance. She wasn’t holding back just for her junior sister’s sake; even alone, she remained composed. She merely shook her head lightly. "Shall we begin?"

Gao Ming said no more and reached out to take her pulse. "Left shoulder, an inch and a half below the midpoint of the collarbone. Do you need a blade? Remember to wipe it with this Frostgrass first. Cultivators may not fear infections, but it’s still best to be cautious."

"No blade." Xu Shulou shook her head, cleansed her hands with the Frostgrass, then formed two fingers into a blade. Without hesitation, she channeled spiritual energy into her fingertips and pierced through her own skin.

Gao Ming hastily wheeled himself out of the room. He couldn’t even bear to listen to the sound of flesh tearing, communicating with her from the courtyard instead. "If you feel something slippery and different from flesh, that’s likely it. You must extract it whole."

Xu Shulou soon found the revolting, slippery, squishy thing he’d described. The gu worm, nourished by her flesh, had grown larger inside her body. It was so slick that her fingers couldn’t grip it properly.

Frowning, she plunged her entire hand deeper.

Gao Ming, growing concerned, called out again, "Are you alright, miss? You haven’t passed out from the pain, have you?"

"No." For some reason, Xu Shulou suddenly felt like laughing. Tearing into her own flesh was certainly a novel experience in her life.

"Good, good." Gao Ming sighed in relief, trying to distract her from the agony. "Miss, may I ask your real name?"

"Xu Shulou." Facing someone who had done her a kindness, she saw no reason to hide it.

"So it’s you? The most talented cultivator of this generation—I’ve heard of you for years. What an honor." Gao Ming was startled, then chuckled. "You’re also the one who broke my fifth brother’s... ahem. He was too embarrassed to see other physicians, so I had to treat him."

Xu Shulou scowled. "I went through all that trouble to break it, and you just fixed it for him?"

"I had no choice. They forced me." Gao Ming sighed. "Though we’re brothers, we don’t get along. The last time I refused, they locked me up for over half a month."

"Fine." Xu Shulou continued working, then asked, "Earlier, you clearly didn’t want me to choose the second method and even told me that story to scare me. So why mention this way of removing the gu at all?"

Gao Ming sounded slightly ashamed. "I wanted to test your character. I didn’t want to save a villain."

"..." Xu Shulou fell silent, no longer in the mood for conversation.

Just as she focused, the courtyard gate was suddenly pounded open. The visitor clearly had no patience—or respect—shouting loudly, "Eldest Young Master! The Fifth Young Master demands your presence. Come with us at once!"

Gao Ming stiffened, immediately warning Xu Shulou, "Miss, it’s the Black Tortoise Tower. My fifth brother still holds a grudge against you. You must leave!"

Of all the cursed timing. Weren’t they supposed to be safe here, with no visitors? A vein throbbed in Xu Shulou’s forehead. "How exactly am I supposed to leave?"

"Can you pause for now?"

Xu Shulou’s right hand was buried in her own flesh. She flashed a strained, almost ferocious smile. "Do I look like I can just stop midway?"

Gao Ming didn’t dare look at her progress, afraid he’d faint on the spot. "Never mind. Stay quiet. I’ll go out first and let them take me. They shouldn’t search inside."

"I’m disguised. They won’t recognize me."

"Still, I can’t let them disturb you." Gao Ming sighed. "I can’t avoid this anyway. Oh, there’s anesthetic on the table. Hold on a little longer—once the gu’s out, the pain will stop. I might not return soon. If you need me again, you’ll have to wait."

In the midst of excruciating pain, Xu Shulou’s senses sharpened. She heard the creak of the wheelchair in the courtyard, the slam of the gate, then Gao Ming’s icy voice: "I’m here. What does the Fifth Young Master want?"

"Well, well, the Eldest Young Master graces us with his presence! Come along now!" Their tone held no respect despite the honorific. The wheelchair’s movement quickened—clearly, they were dragging him away impatiently.

Xu Shulou exhaled, feeling like she was born under an unlucky star. As she continued working, listening to the sickening sound of tearing flesh, she gritted her teeth and sent a message to Gao Ming: "Go be their prisoner for a bit. Once I dig this thing out, I’ll come rescue you."

...How very considerate of you.

Gao Ming, caught between fury and disbelief, was momentarily stunned. He’d never met anyone who could dig into their own flesh while already planning their next fight. It was nothing short of awe-inspiring.