Chapter 169: The Virus of the Grand Magus

“Master, there is indeed a hidden virus in your body, but I don’t know what kind it is yet.”

Meng Weian was already shocked when Muxue dragged him over, but after examining Sang Chu’s body, he was even more stunned. If Sang Chu hadn’t suspected there was a hidden virus in her body, he wouldn’t have used magic to examine her spine.

Granny Xiang looked at Meng Weian. “Can you tell roughly where the virus is hiding?”

Meng Weian shook his head. “With magic, I can see red spots showing that there’s something threatening the master’s body, but as for where exactly it is or what kind of virus, I can’t tell. Unless I use a much higher-level spell.”

He was only at Level Two, so the magic he could use was also Level Two. There was no way for him to accurately determine what kind of virus Sang Chu had.

At that moment, C Fei suddenly said, “Master, let me try. If it’s a virus, maybe I can use healing magic to get rid of it.”

Sang Chu nodded. “Okay, give it a try.”

Sang Chu closed her eyes, and C Fei raised his hand. A greenish magical aura spread from his palm, enveloping Sang Chu and slowly seeping into her body.

As the magic was channeled, C Fei’s face grew paler and paler, sweat beading on his forehead. In the end, he could only withdraw his hand helplessly.

Liao Tian, standing beside him, caught him and asked, “How did it go?”

“No good. The virus is hidden too deep, and there’s a powerful force protecting it. I can’t do anything.”

Granny Xiang asked, “Master, do you know who poisoned you?”

“It wasn’t a person. It was a high-level Corrupt Spirit. I used my own Corrupt Spirit power to force the poison out and neutralize it, but I didn’t expect there would still be something hidden inside me. Weian, I’ll give you some Corrupt Spirit DNA. Is there anything you can do with it?”

Meng Weian replied, “The DNA itself isn’t a problem, but if you were bitten by a high-level Corrupt Spirit, then the DNA from a low-level one might only help suppress the virus. The thing is, I can only make Level Two potions right now, but what you need is probably Level Four, or even higher!”

He sounded nervous as he spoke, afraid that if he became useless, Sang Chu would just get rid of him. After all, anything without value wouldn’t be kept around.

“If I give you magic crystals and all kinds of flowers, how long will it take you to level up your magic?”

“Magic crystals? Flowers?”

Faced with everyone’s surprise, Sang Chu calmly explained, “Yes, flowers—roses or any kind you need, I can get them for you. I also have a lot of Corrupt Spirit DNA, though I can’t tell which is high-level and which is what you need. But I can give you all of it. My only condition is that you must level up your magic and make the potion that can save my life!”

Meng Weian hurriedly knelt before Sang Chu and gave the highest salute. “Master, as long as you give me the resources, I guarantee I can do it in less than a week!”

Liao Tian also knelt and said, “Master, I’d like some magic crystals too. Once I level up my magic, I can lend my power to Weian when he needs it.”

He was a mage, and in terms of magic, he was even more skilled than Meng Weian. C Fei, standing to the side, didn’t dare speak up—he knew he couldn’t help with this.

Sang Chu was silent for a moment, then looked at the rabbit nearby and said, “Rabbit, go with Muxue to the flower house and let him use it.”

“Will that work?”

Sang Chu replied, “It has to. The so-called high-level ones might not be reliable. It’s better to trust our own people!”

Granny Xiang looked at Sang Chu and said, “Master, since we’re setting up a flower house, why don’t I help too? I know some lost techniques for cultivating flowers that can greatly enhance their effects and the magic within them.”

“Alright, then let’s all work together!”

Rabbit said, “Let’s go, then. The sooner we get this set up, the sooner he can level up. This can’t be delayed!”

Muxue nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, let’s hurry!”

At this moment, she wished she could go back and smack her past self. If only she had told Sang Chu about this as soon as she saw the signs, maybe they could have found a solution sooner and wouldn’t have to wait until now.

Watching everyone rush around busily, Xi Rui stood guard by Sang Chu’s side. “If I’d known earlier, I would have insisted you go to the Elven lands.”

Back then, she wanted Sang Chu to go, but Granny Xiang said she could cure her, so the trip to the Elven lands was put off. Now, she truly regretted it.

But regret was useless. If they turned back now, it would be a long journey.

Sang Chu asked, “Would going to the Elven lands cure me?”

Xi Rui was silent for a moment, then smiled. “You want me to become an elf, right? If I shed my current body, the poison would naturally disappear.”

Xi Rui looked at Sang Chu in surprise, not understanding how she knew.

Sang Chu was dumbfounded herself—she’d just blurted it out!

“Really?”

Xi Rui nodded. “Yes, through a ritual, I can summon an elven body. Then, I’ll extract your soul and put it into the elven body.”

“I really… love you!”

Xi Rui looked at Sang Chu seriously. “No need to thank me. You’re my master. Of course I have to find a way to keep you alive.”

Yi Ping, standing nearby, was sweating coldly. Thank goodness they hadn’t gone through with it earlier—otherwise, he’d be a sinner for all eternity!

“You, you, you—don’t stay here anymore. Go help set up the flower house. You’re too scary!”

Yi Ping hurriedly tried to push Xi Rui out, but before he could touch her, she flipped him over. “Touch me and I’ll chop your paws off!”

Yi Ping had no idea how he’d been thrown. “Hey, big sis, I wasn’t even trying to touch you! Just go help with the flower house. I’ll watch things here.”

“Hmph!”

Xi Rui snorted coldly at him and strode away.

Only then did Yi Ping slowly get up, looking at Sang Chu apologetically. “Sorry, little sis. I almost turned you into a monster!”

“It’s fine. You were just trying to save me. I just didn’t expect Xi Rui to be so hardcore!”

“Sigh, if you hadn’t guessed it, she probably wouldn’t have said anything. She’s too scary, my god. Anyway, about your poison…”

Sang Jingwen said, “According to what Muxue said, the thing controlling Sang Sang’s body is that mutated plant, but the one that bit her was that servant. What’s going on?”

Sang Chu replied, “The servant was probably controlled by the mutated plant. In fact, all the poor people in Qingliu City are under its control. I originally wanted to make a deal with it, but now I’m not sure if the city’s crystal cores are safe to use. Yi-ge, take the crystal cores from Qingliu City and give them to Weian for testing. If there’s a hidden virus, then none of us should use them!”

“Alright, I’ll go right now.”"

"Here’s a fluent, natural English translation of your text:

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**Chapter 170: The Grand Magic—Dark Weasel Forest (Part 1)**

Three days in the blood pool passed in the blink of an eye.

When Sang Chu emerged from the pool, she felt as if she’d been reborn.

Sure enough, her skin was now smooth and flawless. The dark patches and small scars that had once marked her body were all gone, even the calluses on her hands had disappeared.

Mu Xue held Sang Chu’s hand, gently rubbing it in amazement. “This is incredible! Look at you, it’s like you’ve shed your old skin.”

Granny Xiang stood nearby, collecting the blood pool, and explained with a smile, “Human-mermaid blood has the power to renew the body. But if you want to avoid any side effects, you have to use magic to remove the curses embedded in human-mermaid blood. Otherwise, strange patches will appear on your body, and you’ll end up as a half-human monster.”

Mu Xue looked at Granny Xiang curiously. “Granny, what do you mean by ‘half-human monster’?”

Granny Xiang replied, “They’re hideous creatures, not quite human, not quite merfolk. They can’t live among humans, nor can they return to the sea. They’re forced to live in the shadows, like some of our merfolk mages.”

Sang Chu put on her dry clothes and looked at Granny Xiang. “What about Wu Qi? Did he end up like that too?”

Granny Xiang’s hands trembled slightly at the mention of that name. She was clearly afraid, and after a moment of silence, she spoke in a low voice:

“No, he didn’t. He trapped me in a magic circle and kept using an extractor to drain my blood. He knows how to use merfolk magic, and he also knows how to harness the laws hidden within the magic of blood!”

That’s why she called herself a sinner of the human-merfolk race. Many newborn merfolk were captured by Wu Qi’s men and taken to his lab to suffer inhuman torment.

If Sang Chu hadn’t destroyed the witch’s institute, they would all have died there.

At this point, Granny Xiang looked at Sang Chu with gratitude. “If it weren’t for you, Master, we would all have been tortured to death. Master, I don’t know where you’re going next, but if possible, please take us with you!”

Sang Chu sighed softly and, with Mu Xue’s help, sat on the stone edge of the pool. “Granny, to be honest, the world I’m from is a wasteland. All the water sources there are contaminated with deadly viruses—so toxic that even a drop will rot your skin and brain, leading to a painful death. If you want to follow me, you can, but you’ll probably have to stay in the card world.”

Granny Xiang seemed to understand that Sang Chu had another world.

“Master, the human-merfolk race isn’t afraid of any pollution. I can purify water sources.”

Mu Xue’s eyes lit up at this. If Granny Xiang could really do that, wouldn’t there be hope for the apocalypse?

She looked expectantly at Sang Chu, but heard her say, “Even if you can purify water, I’m afraid I can’t let you return to the sea. If you’re sure, are you willing?”

“I’m willing, I’m willing! As long as Master lets me follow, I’m happy.”

“Alright. I hope you remember what you said today, and don’t regret it later.”

She hadn’t planned to take them along, but since they insisted, she wouldn’t refuse.

Lu Min knocked on the door from outside. “Ah Chu, Xiao Xue, are you ready?”

“Yes, we’re ready. Have you packed up?”

Lu Min said he was ready, so Sang Chu pushed open the door. “Good. The cold current has already passed. I’ll take my flying squirrel and set off now. By the time we reach the Dark Weasel Forest, it should be dawn. When we get there, I’ll switch to my main body. Crossing the Dark Weasel Forest will take a lot of time. Are you all up for it?”

He had already stayed here too long. If he didn’t hurry, it would be hard to reach Rose City within a month.

Besides, who knew what might happen along the way?

“No problem. My brother will put away the flying squirrel first and repair it later. I’ll head out now.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

...

After getting onto Lu Min’s flying squirrel, Sang Chu finally relaxed.

They headed straight for the Dark Weasel Forest.

It took a full day and night before they finally reached the edge of the forest. Crossing it would take even longer.

Granny Xiang had taken the transformation pill Sang Chu gave her, shedding her fishtail and becoming a two-legged human.

She walked up to Sang Chu and said, “Sang Sang, once we enter the Dark Weasel Forest, we can’t ride the flying squirrel anymore. There might be dark witches inside. Everyone needs to be extra careful. It’s best if we cross on foot.”

She had already warned them before, and now she was repeating it, which showed just how dangerous this forest was.

Sang Chu glanced at Lu Min. “Min, how long can your stealth skill last at most?”

“About a day, if there aren’t too many people.”

Sang Chu thought for a moment and took out the stealth cloaks. “Let’s do this: Xiao Xue, you and I will take turns using the cloaks to stay hidden. Xiao Xue, I’ll need you to use your spatial powers to cover a wide area around me. If you sense anything, let me know immediately. And if your prophetic ability activates again, don’t be afraid of what you see—just tell me. Only if I know can I try to resolve it.”

Mu Xue nodded seriously. “I understand. Like you said, what I see might not be the whole truth, but it’s always a sign of something. I’ll remember. If I see anything, I’ll tell you right away!”

“Good.” Sang Chu turned to Yi Ge. “Yi Ge, your eyesight is the best. Keep a close watch on the road ahead. If you notice anything unusual, let me know immediately.”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me!”

Yi Ge patted his chest confidently, as if to say, “With me here, you can relax.”

“Naxi Rui, you stay in the card house for now. There are plenty of flowers in the greenhouse, so you can rest there.”

Originally, she wanted to keep Rui out of danger, but Rui said, “Master, can you give me the same transformation pill you gave Granny? My mental power is pretty good, and I can attack from a distance. There are others like me among the merfolk. As long as I change my appearance, no one will notice.”

“You’re sure? There will be a lot of people out there.”

“Yes, I’m not afraid. Besides, on land, I can transform into a snake. Granny Xiang can disguise herself as a noblewoman. That way, we can even confuse Wu Qi’s spies!”

Sang Jingwen looked at Rui. “That’s actually a good idea.”

Lu Min agreed, “This might really work. I’ve dealt with snakefolk before—they often take on delivery jobs for witches. Jingwen can release his tail, Yi Ge has his little fire, and with Naisen and Riyi, plus Sang Chu and Rui, we’ll have a pretty strong little team.”

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Let me know if you need further chapters or more context!"