The man spoke while looking at him, still coughing violently. He was clearly agitated.

Seeing the man’s skeletal appearance, Tu Xiao’an worried that in his agitated state, a single coughing fit might be enough to kill him.

He was far too thin, practically skin and bones. His eye sockets were sunken, his skin was dry, and his arms were as thin as bamboo poles. His legs were out of sight, but when the wind blew, his somewhat narrow pant legs billowed out, vaguely revealing thighs that looked even thinner than wheat stalks.

He was more emaciated than a drug addict with years of abuse. The fact that he was still alive was a miracle.

"And you are?" Tu Xiao’an took a slight step back to put some distance between them. The way this guy was coughing, any harder and he might just hack up a lung.

"Master Tu, it’s me, it’s me! COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

Tu Xiao’an was speechless. ’Just say your name already. You’re acting like we’re old friends, but how could I possibly know someone this skinny?’

’An image this vivid, this bizarre, would be impossible to forget.’

Su Yu spoke up. "Brother Xiao’an, you really don’t recognize him?"

Tu Xiao’an glanced at Su Yu, then took a long, hard look at the skeletal, violently coughing man. Now that he mentioned it, the man did look a little familiar. Suddenly, the image of a majestic cat flashed through his mind. He blurted out in surprise, "You’re Yu Zitong?"

Master Yu, the First Rank Demon Hunter of the Bai Family, the man who conquered the world with nothing but a cat by his side.

After recognizing him, Tu Xiao’an was even more shocked. He remembered perfectly well what Yu Zitong used to look like. While not fat, he had been a far cry from thin.

And now he was this emaciated. It had only been a few days!

"Master Tu, save me! You have to save me!"

The skeletal Yu Zitong grabbed Tu Xiao’an’s shoulders with both hands and shook him, expressing his turbulent and complex emotions.

But after a few shakes, Tu Xiao’an stood firm, not moving an inch. Yu Zitong, on the other hand, was the one who ended up swaying from the effort.

Tu Xiao’an looked at the man’s state, utterly speechless.

’Isn’t Yu Zitong a bit... a bit too much of a weakling now? He has no strength at all; a gust of wind could probably blow him away.’

’His skeletal frame is horrifying to look at.’

Suddenly, Tu Xiao’an caught a strange scent coming from him.

It was Demon Qi—the aura of Awakened Creatures.

Tu Xiao’an’s expression grew stern. His eyes narrowed. A faint Demon Qi was actually emanating from this man.

Just then, Su Yu said, "Brother Xiao’an, take a look and see what’s wrong with Master Yu. It’s like he’s been cursed or something. I took him to the hospital for a check-up to find the cause, but their equipment couldn’t find anything abnormal at all."

He was a perfectly healthy person, and in just a couple of days, he ended up like this. It was as if he’d been drained by a Vampire, leaving nothing but skin and bones.

"Master Yu, tell me, did something happen to you? Or rather, who did this to you?" Tu Xiao’an asked, looking at him sympathetically.

’To turn a person into this... it’s too cruel. It would have been kinder to just kill him.’

"COUGH, COUGH... I... COUGH, COUGH... I..." As Yu Zitong grew more agitated, his condition only worsened.

"..." Tu Xiao’an was at a loss. The man would say one word and then cough for ages, unable to finish a single sentence.

Tu Xiao’an suddenly thought of something and asked, "Where’s your cat? The one with the Golden Pupils that has the might of a tiger and the presence of a lion?"

’Yu Zitong never went anywhere without that cat. For it to be missing now... that’s not normal.’

"I... COUGH, COUGH... I... COUGH, COUGH..."

’Damn it.’

"Alright, stop talking for now." Tu Xiao’an was genuinely afraid the man would fail to catch his breath and just keel over.

"I’ll talk, you listen."

Tu Xiao’an stared intently at his skeletal body and said, "I can sense a faint Demon Qi on you. The reason you’ve become like this... it must be related to that Demon Qi, right?"

Yu Zitong coughed while nodding desperately, a glimmer of joy in his eyes.

"Stand still. Let me see what’s inside you." Tu Xiao’an’s eyes narrowed, and he enveloped Yu Zitong’s body with his powerful Consciousness Power.

The Consciousness Power enveloped every inch of his skin. Tu Xiao’an closed his eyes, as if looking inward.

He searched for the faint Demon Qi within Yu Zitong’s body and quickly found its source. The Demon Qi flowed throughout his body just like blood. But while blood was red, the Demon Qi was like a black streak, making it exceptionally distinct.

It was like a lone boat on a great sea of flowing blood.

However, inspecting him with Consciousness Power alone wasn’t enough for Tu Xiao’an to determine what was creating this Demon Qi.

His eyes snapped open, a light glinting in his Snake King’s Left Eye.

The Snake King’s Left Eye saw it. It saw through him as if with X-ray vision and located the Demon Qi in Yu Zitong’s blood. What was that? It was a thing like a small loach, feeding on his flesh and blood, devouring his Essence. It clung to him like a maggot on bone, like a Demon possessing a body.

Looking closer, Tu Xiao’an was shocked. It wasn’t a small loach, but a tiny snake—a snake so incredibly small that "miniature" didn’t even begin to describe it.

After getting a clear look, Tu Xiao’an’s expression became strange. He was silent for a long moment, seemingly lost in thought. Su Yu, who was beside him, couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Xiao’an, what did you find? Could it be... there’s something unclean inside Master Yu’s body?"

What did he mean by "something unclean"? Anything bizarre that couldn’t be explained by common sense was considered "unclean."

"There is indeed something in his body. To be precise, there’s a snake inside him."

"A snake?" Su Yu was stunned and completely bewildered upon hearing this, while Yu Zitong’s own eyes instantly filled with terror.

"Could it be that Master Yu has been cursed with Gu?" Su Yu wondered aloud. "I’ve heard that people afflicted by Gu waste away day by day as if on drugs. They become delirious and slowly approach death. But even Gu is a slow-acting poison. There’s no way Master Yu would end up like this in just a few days."

Tu Xiao’an thought for a moment and said, "Gu uses insects, but what’s inside him is likely a Gu Snake, a particularly lethal type. The snake is lurking inside Master Yu’s body, frantically devouring his flesh, blood, Essence, and even his life force. That’s why he’s wasting away at a speed visible to the naked eye."

"Based on my assessment, at this rate, I’m afraid Master Yu won’t live to see tomorrow’s sun."

"What? It’s that serious?" Su Yu was shocked.

"COUGH, COUGH... COUGH, COUGH..." Yu Zitong coughed violently, his whole body trembling. He looked like a skeleton with a layer of skin draped over it, his eyes deeply sunken and his face ashen.

Su Yu was still in disbelief. "How can there be a snake inside a person’s body?"

"You don’t believe me? Then I’ll show you." Tu Xiao’an’s eyes glinted. He yanked off Yu Zitong’s shirt, revealing a torso of nothing but skin and bones. It was practically a skeleton, a sight that would send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Then, Tu Xiao’an placed a hand on Yu Zitong’s shoulder and focused his will.