Chapter 1204 - 16 RI

Gu Yue Man Shi was defeated by the newbie Fang Yuan!

The news spread quickly and caused small waves of gossip among Rank two Gu Masters.

Everyone was familiar with the two main characters of this event.

Man Shi was a slightly famous Rank two Gu Master who had managed to escape with his life under Bai Ningbing's hands; he was not to be sniffed at.

And Fang Yuan was the year's champion, many had witnessed him defeating Fang Zheng at the yearly assessment. He also obtained his family inheritance and became rich overnight, causing many to become green with envy.

The gap between the two was clear, but against all expectations, the weaker Fang Yuan had defeated the stronger Man Shi. Such a discrepancy really caught the people by surprise.

As more and more people continued to discuss the event, Fang Yuan's fame also rose.

Rank two Gu Masters began to take this young junior seriously.

"He directly attacked without saying a word. Young people are too impulsive."

"He has wealth and has also refined Moonglow Gu, he has some ability."

"He is a lunatic, he is too hard-handed. Reportedly, Gu Yue Man Shi had to lie in bed for at least three days to recover from his injuries!"

People commented on Fang Yuan.

He had made a sudden attack on Man Shi, initiating a head start; inflicting serious injuries on the very first attack and establishing great dominance. It felt like he did not win honestly.

However, victory was victory and loss was loss.

The result was everything.

Maybe on Earth, most would emphasize the process instead of the results, but in this world where survival was arduous, surroundings full of deadly dangers, victory often meant survival and defeat meant death, losing everything.

Winners gained everything, losers lost everything; almost everyone approved this notion.

Fang Yuan had won; it was the fact, no matter how he did it.

A newbie had sprung up by stepping on Man Shi, entering into everyone's eyes.

Man Shi had become a stepping stone, his reputation was destroyed. Once he recovered, he would resign from the group leader position.

This was the outcome of a failure.

Close relatives would sympathize with the losers, but they respected and acknowledged the winners even more. Winners represented strength and strength meant better security to the people.

After this event, Gu Yue Dong Tu sensibly stopped his dirty tricks.

Gu Yue Man Shi stepping down had finally made the astute uncle aware of the reality. Fang Yuan's growth made him feel helpless, resentment and indignation.

He knew he now had no chance of seizing the inheritance. Continuing was meaningless.

He had used his connections and employed other people to find trouble for Fang Yuan; this consumed his primeval stones. Yet Fang Yuan had profits coming from all sides.

In case the stalemate continued, even if he had a large amount of primeval stones, the final loser would definitely be he, himself.

Because he lost the bamboo houses, wine tavern and Nine Leaves Vitality Grass, he was now without any source of income; the used primeval stones would be difficult to replenish. By contrast, Fang Yuan lacked primeval stones but it was increasing day by day.

The main point was that Gu Yue Dong Tu dispiritedly realized that the stalemate would not have any benefits.

Thus, when he heard Man Shi running away in defeat, he immediately stopped these meaningless actions.

In fact, when Fang Zheng had not been able to create trouble for Fang Yuan, it already signified Gu Yue Dong Tu's defeat.

With this, Fang Yuan's wine tavern's business returned to normal, which was a joyous thing.

There was another joyous matter — the caravan would be coming early.

March.

In the bright and beautiful spring sunshine, the light song of the days of spring treaded a lively and cheerful beat as it arrived.

With the warmth of spring, flowers bloomed and grasses grew wildly.

Qing Mao Mountain was a scene of green as far as the eye could see. Wild flowers blossomed on the sunny side of the hills, forming a colorful and gorgeous sea of flowers. The gurgling and burbling river surged up like a flame and entangled with the sunshine.

Newborn dragonpill crickets came out of their eggs and formed a batch of new swarms, enlivening the nighttime.

At daytime, a large flock of colorful peacock parrots hovered in the air, chirping and twittering.

The warm spring spread its favor and kindness, letting all living things grow in brilliance. @@novelbin@@

In such a scenery, a caravan was slowly making its way to Qing Mao Mountain.

Fat black beetles were slowly moving forward, their backs filled with people and goods.

Proud ostriches with brightly colored feathers were pulling handcarts. Hairy mountain spiders disregarded the terrains, winged snakes twisted and snaked forward, occasionally opening its wings and flying forward.

A Treasure Brass Toad was leading the caravan. It was two and half meters tall, its entire body orange-yellow in color. On its back was the Rank four Gu Master, Jia Fu.

After the caravan stationed in the village, Fang Yuan sighed inwardly, "It changed again. In my previous memories, this caravan should have arrived in summer. According to the previous precedents too, the caravan should have only come in summer. Now, however, it has come in spring, two-three months earlier. And its scale is also much bigger."

Fang Yuan's rebirth changed his current situation and similarly also influenced his surroundings, creating changes in the future.

The root cause should be due to him killing Jia Jin Sheng.

Fang Yuan had deceived everyone, so Jia Fu mistakenly believed Jia Jin Sheng's death was a conspiracy by his rival, Jia Gui.

After Jia Fu returned to the clan, he had taken radical steps which made the competition between them more intense.

To strive for exceptional achievements, the Jia brothers rushed out even before the year's snow had completely melted, leading the caravans to peddle their goods everywhere.

The clan leader Gu Yue Bo received Jia Fu.

The two Rank four Gu Masters were the leaders of the both sides.

"Brother Gu Yue, I trust you have been well?" Jia Fu was full of smiles and warmth, but his face had a long scar now.

"Hahaha, brother Jia Fu, you are quite early this year." Gu Yue Bo looked at the scar on Jia Fu's face. His heart jolted but he didn't ask about it.

"The early bird gets the worm. This time, I have brought many precious goods and I believe the noble Gu Yue clan will have lots of needs." Jia Fu had made a big effort this time to fight for better achievements.

"Yes, this is good news." Gu Yue Bo's eyes flashed. Continuing on, "It just so happens that the day after tomorrow is our clan's Awakening Ceremony, and I would like to invite brother Jia to attend it."

"Haha, it is my honor to be able to witness the prosperity of Gu Yue clan," Jia Fu immediately cupped his hands and sincerely replied.

Inviting others to watch the clan's awakening ceremony was treating them as honoured guests. Jia Fu could feel Gu Yue clan's sincerity from this invitation.

"In fact, there is also another matter." Jia Fu hesitated.

"You have come from afar, so if you have any requests, please say it. Our clan will definitely do our best to fulfil it." Gu Yue Bo said.

Jia Fu sighed, "Ah, it is regarding Jia Jin Sheng's matter. I have especially brought over a few investigation experts from the clan, and I hope that in the course of our investigation, you can allow us some convenience."

Gu Yue Bo immediately revealed a look of understanding.

Apparently, Jia Jin Sheng's death had caused Jia Fu to fall into an awkward and passive situation in the competition for family assets. It was said that after returning to the clan, Jia Fu had squabbled with Jia Gui in public and the situation had erupted into an intense fight. The scar on his face could very well be a trace from that fight.

It was no wonder he had come running over at the start of spring; he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

Fang Yuan was strolling around tents and street stalls.

The scale of this year's caravan was much bigger than any of the previous years. Not only were there more tents, there was also a Gu house.

Gu house was something only large-scale caravans had. A large-scale caravan usually had two to three Gu houses. Jia Fu's caravan was at most a middle-scale, but it had a Gu house.

This Gu house was a large tree.

It was eighteen meters tall and it really seemed to reach to the sky. Its roots and branches were twisted like the tangling of dragons and snakes.

The diameter of the trunk at the base was ten meters; it decreased as it went up but the decrease wasn't that visible. The brown trunk was not actually a single entity, and had three layers of space inside.

There were also windows on the trunk. Sunlight and fresh air passed through the window and entered the three layers of space inside.

The branches and leaves seemed to be scarce on the trunk. Only at the treetop was it verdant and lush. The spring wind blew, and the tree leaves shook and created soft rustling sounds.

This was the most common type of Gu house.

The Rank three plant Gu named 'three star cave'.

It could instantly grow once primeval essence was poured into it. There were three rooms arranged in these three layers of space. The defensive power of these rooms were incomparable to that of the tents.

In the continuous stretch of tents, an enormous tree was standing aloft in the middle like a tower; it was like a crane among a flock of chicken.

At the base of the enormous tree, there were two wide doors used as entrance.

Fang Yuan followed the stream of people and walked into the enormous tree.

The tree had three layers of space which were transformed into the layout of stores. There were rows of counters inside and on them were displayed all kinds of Gu worms.

These counters were made of wood and were a part of the enormous tree. On top of growing green leaves and branches, the three star cave tree Gu could grow different designs according to the Gu Master's will.

Apart from these counters, there were stools and benches for the customers to rest upon.

A Rank three support Gu Master was constantly operating and monitoring the situation from somewhere in this enormous tree.

In case someone snatched the Gu worms in the counters, the monitoring Gu Master could operate the enormous tree to immediately close the doors and create a momentary prison cell. Countless branches would be madly grown and perform group attacks. At the same time, the security Gu Masters in the tree would also make their moves.

The treehouse was much more secure than the tents and so the goods sold inside were more precious.

Fang Yuan had just entered the first layer when he saw a lone counter in the middle and on it was a Liquor worm.

Many Gu Masters were surrounding this Liquor worm, assessing it. Some clicked their tongues in admiration.

Fang Yuan swept his eyes over the place, where the other counters also displayed many precious Gu worms.

There were Jade Skin Gu, Whirlwind Gu, Scar Stone Gu and so on.

All these Gu worms were compatible with the Moonlight gu and could fuse into higher Rank Gu worms.

Jia Fu wasn't completely clear on these fusion recipes, but with his many years of business experience, he knew which Gu worms the Gu Yue clan might need more.

"Naturally, Jia Fu's caravan isn't just targeting the Gu Yue village, he is really making an all-out effort this time. It seems he was thoroughly provoked when he returned to the clan." Fang Yuan's heart moved when he saw this.

-x-X-x-

"Liquor worm..." Fang Yuan lightly muttered, walking to the side of the center reception desk.

He only needed this Liquor worm, along with the sweet, spicy, sour, bitter — four types of wine, to refine the Four Flavours Liquor worm. Of course, such a fusion also entailed a chance of failure.

But if Fang Yuan did not have a second Liquor worm, he does not even have a chance to try.

This is life after all, hard work does not mean results, nor success. But if one does not work hard, they are destined to fail.

The Demonic path was the same, the demonic cultivators are good at clearing obstacles in their way, bravely advancing in their paths. To most people in the world, they were seen as extremists and adventurous.

"I was still worried earlier as to where to find a second Liquor worm. To think that fate sent this Liquor worm right to my doorstep. The chance is in front of me, how can I give up? I must get this Liquor worm!" Fang Yuan's eyes shone with determination.

"If my cultivation reaches Rank four or five, with a strong fighting capability, I would snatch it away without a thought, killing gods and slaying buddhas in my way! If I was Rank three or four, with my ample experience, I can steal it without anyone finding out. Sadly I am just a Rank two now, in fact I'm just initial stage..."

Fang Yuan sighed in his heart, "I can only purchase it fair and square like this."

He looked at the price on the counter.

"Liquor worm — Five hundred primeval stones."

The Liquor worm's normal price is five hundred and eighty primeval stones. The price here was actually eighty pieces cheaper than the market.

But if Fang Yuan really thinks he can spend five hundred primeval stones to buy this Liquor worm, then his five hundred years of living would have been in vain.

The low price was just to attract customers and trigger people's mentality and greed into buying it.

This treehouse was obviously Jia Fu's asset.

"Grandma, this Liquor worm is only five hundred primeval stones!" A young girl walked in, screaming in shock. @@novelbin@@

The young girl's eyes were glowing, shaking her grandmother's hand, "Grandma, tomorrow is the awakening ceremony. Didn't you promise to give me a present? Why don't you give this Liquor worm to me."

The young girl's grandma had a white waist belt, and the belt had a square silver piece with the number "3" on it.

Once a Gu Master reaches Rank three cultivation, they automatically ascend to clan elder position.

Only that among clan elders, there were differences. There were elders in power who held great political power. While others were not, they would only be controlling the departments with little profits.

But this Rank three elder was not those weak clan elders.

"Gu Yue Yao Ji..." Fang Yuan recognised her immediately, this was the medicine hall's clan elder. The medicine hall is the clan's support faction, it can be said to be the most lucrative department. Gu Yue Yao Ji had very great influence due to her seniority, even towards the clan leader, she could do away with paying respects and reply while sitting. She was the number one healing Gu Master in the clan and had saved many lives of the clan elders, thus having very strong network in the clan.

"Alright, alright. If my obedient granddaughter wants it, grandma will buy for you." The old woman's face was full of wrinkles. She was a hunchback and had a walking cane in one hand, helplessly sighing and saying with a benevolent face.

"Grandma is the best, I knew grandma dotes on me the most," The young girl happily grabbed Gu Yue Yao Ji, joyfully planting her lips on her grandma's cheek.

"Then grandma, let's call the shop assistant and buy this Liquor worm immediately!"

Gu Yue Yao Ji shook her head, "My lovely granddaughter, the Gu worm here isn't bought like that. Let granny teach you, you see that stack of paper and pen over at the counter?"

The young girl nodded, "I see it."

Gu Yue Yao Ji said, "Go get a piece of paper and use the pen to write down the price of the Liquor worm. After that, stuff it into the hole. If among all the bidders, your price is the highest, this Liquor worm will belong to you."

"So that's it, very interesting." The young girl took a bamboo paper and held the pen, but hesitated when writing down.

Her lovely eyebrows frowned as she thought hard for a moment, then finally pouting her lips, she said, "Grandma, what price would be appropriate? If I set it too low, other people will get the Liquor worm, but if I set it too high, I would be making a loss."

Gu Yue Yao Ji laughed, teasing her, "How can it be so easy to buy the Liquor worm? Let's see your luck..."

"Grandma!" The young girl said coquettishly, hogging Gu yue Yao Ji's limp and shaking arm.

"Alright, alright, stop swinging, my body is going to collapse." The old woman sighed, "Grandma will fill it for you."

The young girl quickly jumped, saying, "I knew grandma is the best!"

Gu Yue Yao Ji wrote a price before putting her own name as the young girl watched in anticipation.

After she had finished, she folded the paper and signalled to the girl, "Go, put the paper in."

The young girl obediently took the paper and found the hole in the counter and stuffed the paper in.

She returned beside Gu Yue Yao Ji, feeling uncertain, "Grandma, will this do?"

The old woman nodded, "That's about it. But life is hard to predict, someone might put a higher price. But that price would be too high. If they really bidded so much, the person who bought this Liquor worm is a fool. Don't worry, the Liquor worm is in the bag."

"Oh." The young girl nodded with a cute expression.

"Let's go. Come accompany grandma upstairs and look around."

"Okay, grandma."

Seeing them leave, Fang Yuan's eyes shone with severity.

This Gu Yue Yao Ji, to him, was a tough competitor, not to be underestimated.

But this situation, Fang Yuan had prepared and anticipated it.

The Liquor worm was precious. Although it was only usable for Rank one Gu Masters, the Liquor worm could refine primeval essence and that was very useful. Refining primeval essence and raising it by one small stage — this meant that the primeval essence storage increased and this had a great driving force towards Gu Master cultivation.

The only flaw is that the Liquor worm did not have a good prospect in the future.

According to the popular recipes, Liquor worm was only used as a fusion ingredient, and the new Gu worm created does not have the primeval essence refining ability.

This was too much of a waste. In fact, it was not worth it.

Thus, most clans have the Liquor worm and did not use it to undergo fusion, but is used by the academy to allow the students to take turns using it.

If Fang Yuan exposed his advancement recipe, the Liquor worm's market value would rise drastically.

"Sigh, it is not easy to get this Liquor worm. This grandma and granddaughter is just one competitor. I wonder how many others are there who have placed the paper into this hole?"

Liquor worm was a good thing, and people naturally want good things.

Just that among these competitors, some were sincere about buying it, while others were just trying their luck. Some are affluent, like Gu Yue Yao Ji, while some were poor, like Fang Yuan.

"Luckily, I got back the family assets, and these few days I've sold some Rank one vitality leaves, plus the wine tavern and bamboo buildings are all rented out. Thus I could accumulate some savings. If not, I would not even be able to compete."

But he had too little time to save up. On one hand he had a lot of Gu worms to feed, and in terms of fortune he could not compete with an old woman like Gu Yue Yao Ji.

"Sigh, let's go. Lord Yao Ji just tossed in a paper."

"I saw it too, it seems I'm not fated to have this Liquor worm."

The Gu Masters surrounding this counter all left dejected.

Only Fang Yuan still stood there.

His eyes were like the abyss river, shining with cold light.

The Gu Masters who left were all scared off by Gu Yue Yao Ji's aura and backed out of their own accord. But how could Fang Yuan be scared away?

"Some chances are just in front of you, only that people choose to give it up. I still have a chance!" Fang Yuan's brain worked intensely as he fell into deep thought.

To compete fortune, Fang Yuan was not her match.

Even then...

That did not mean that Gu Yue Yao Ji's bidding amount was definitely higher than Fang Yuan!

Even though the Liquor worm was precious, it was still a Rank one Gu worm. The price of any commodity would fluctuate, but it would definitely not rise or fall beyond a certain limit. Thus, all price deviations have a range.

The crucial point now is, what price did Gu Yue Yao Ji give!?

She did not lack money, and for the granddaughter she doted, how much was she willing to pay?

As long as Fang Yuan's price, if even a single point, is higher, he wins.

This is a different kind of battle! The strong might not necessarily win, the weak might not necessarily lose. Guessing and gambling made the fight much more exciting.

"If it were others, they might not be able to guess it. Gu Yue Yao Ji, you purposely said some things earlier to scare away competitors? But in front of me, you are still too tender!" Fang Yuan's lips curled into an angle as he smiled confidently.

In this world, transactions were very interesting.

If it was on Earth, the seller would definitely adopt an auction style when selling rare Gu worms like the Liquor worm.

But in this world, auction did not work well.

An important reason was that kinship is the greatest value here, it is the clan's cohesiveness.

If an auction was held, the clan's members would have a subconscious animosity towards outsiders like Jia Fu.

Once the auction items are priced too highly, they would step out of the competition and even try to appease the seller, making some leeways to exchange and compensate.

This world's people had one viewpoint — Losing to the family is okay, but for an outsider to earn from it, that is an insult to the entire clan!

Unless, a few clans joined in an auction together. In that case, there is competition, and it would be full of rivalry.

But these auctions were hard to conduct.

Because transport is inconvenient.

Transport is the basis of trade, and if the transport system is not developed, the business and trade would dwindle. Because in trade, it was the movement of commodities that matter.

Each village occupied a mountain and stayed far from each other. The roads that connected them are hard to travel, constantly having wild beasts, cliffs, coupled with dangerous terrain and weather, and even dangerous wild Gu worms — it was truly full of difficulties.

Such an inconvenient transport system made it difficult for different clans to come together for an auction.

Even at Qing Mao Mountain with its three clans, Jia Fu did not dare to organise an auction.

Firstly, where would it be held? It isn't safe in the wilds, and if it is held in the Gu Yue Village, the other two clans would not feel safe.

He was only Rank four, and the head of the other three villages were also Rank four. He could not suppress the situation. Compared to Earth, trade here was not developed and had its own rules.

Using his knowledge of business and enterprise from Earth, Fang Yuan managed to earn and also lose money. After some painful experiences, he finally learnt from experience.

Combining the complete business knowledge from Earth, along with his personal experience, without bragging, Fang Yuan had the top tier knowledge in the business industry in this entire world.

Just an old woman who had lived in the Qing Mao Mountain's village her whole life, she dares to obstruct me in getting the Liquor worm?

Old woman, you're far too tender!

-x-X-x-

"Grandma, what Gu is this?" The young girl curiously pointed at the central counter in the third floor.

There were three floors in this treehouse; the first floor sold Rank one Gu worms, the second floor sold Rank two Gu worms and the third floor sold Rank three Gu worms.

The higher you went, the lesser the Gu worms and the more expensive the price.

Naturally, the Gu worms that were put for sale in the treehouse were all rare and precious.

Gu Yue Yao Ji followed her granddaughter's gaze and saw a round bucket-shaped, tall and thin tree stump. The stump had five branches like five fingers of a human and were intertwined in the middle.

A sphere-shaped Gu worm that was thumb-sized was wrapped around by the fine branches and covered by green leaves, emitting a white silvery glow.

"This is a white silver Relic Gu, it can only be used once and can instantly raise a Rank three Gu Master's cultivation by a small realm," Gu Yue Yao Ji slowly explained.

Relic Gu was a series Gu worm.

Rank one had green copper Relic Gu which was specially targeted towards Rank one Gu Masters. Rank two had red steel Relic Gu which was effective only on Rank two Gu Masters, and Rank three was this Silver Relic Gu.

Rank four had yellow golden Relic Gu.

"The price is thirty thousand primeval stones, it's so expensive!" The young girl was so shocked, she stuck out her tongue.

Gu Yue Yao Ji nodded, "Its final price should reach at least fifty thousand primeval stones. Alright, we have strolled long enough here, let's go to the first floor reception desk, the results to the Liquor worm's bidding should have come out."

In the treehouse, a Rank one Gu worm would only be displayed for half a day once there was a bid on it. For Gu worms that people had little interest in, it would be kept on display till someone made a bid.

Rank two Gu worms would be displayed for a day and Rank three ones for two days.

At first glance, this practice looked odd but when put in practice, this was the most suitable way of doing business.

At the reception desk.

"What, the Liquor worm has been bought by someone else?" Gu Yue Yao Ji immediately frowned upon seeing the results. She had put a high price and was confident in obtaining the Liquor worm, but to think she had actually miscalculated.

"Hmph! Who is it to be so bad as to snatch my dear Liquor worm?" The young girl angrily asked.

"Yao Le," Gu Yue Yao Ji reminded her granddaughter.

The young girl pouted and obediently shut her mouth.

The sales clerk behind the counter was a Rank two female Gu Master. She slightly bowed and answered the young girl, "I am sorry, we can't divulge our customers' information. Each business has special rules, please forgive me."

It was this confidentiality that dispelled many customers' apprehensions and allowed them to freely take part in the bid.

Sometimes, people would have some things they clearly wanted, but they would yield to others because of feelings and courtesy. After all, they would frequently see each other in the clan.

But such a method of doing transactions secretly allowed one to go around the problem of sentiments.

Why would such a good thing need to go to you? Because you are my senior, relative or friend?

Never underestimate the dark side in everyone.

Such secret transactions allowed this dark side to come out.

Gu Yue Yao Ji ruminated for a while and said, "I know the rules. You don't need to worry little girl, I won't ask the name of that person who bought the Liquor worm, I only want to know what the final price was."

The female Gu Master bowed again, "I am really sorry, the price is also confidential. But please don't worry, the final price was definitely the highest among all the bids. Jia family's business has always centered around honesty."

"Hmph, little girl, do you know who I am?" Gu Yue Yao Ji's face sank and coldly snorted.

"What is going on?" At this moment, a Rank three middle-aged Gu Master hurried over.

This treehouse was constantly being monitored; they would naturally know if anything occurred.

"Lord supervisor." The female Gu Master immediately greeted this middle-aged man.

The man waved his hand at the girl, "You can leave now, I will handle it here."

He turned towards Gu Yue Yao Ji and smiled, "So it was lord Yao Ji. She should be your granddaughter, right? She looks smart and sweet."

Gu Yue Yao Ji's expression softened upon seeing that this man was also a Rank three Gu Master, but she still asked to know the final price.

The male supervisor felt that the situation was rather tricky.

He was an elder at the caravan and also a trusted aide of Jia Fu. After doing business for many years, he had a deep understanding of the Gu Yue village's situation and knew the influence this old woman had.

To them, even if they offended Gu Yue Chi Lian or Gu Yue Mo Chen, they wouldn't want to offend Gu Yue Yao Ji. The latter's influence was second only to clan leader Gu Yue Bo.

The male supervisor pondered and said, "How about this, since lord Yao Ji wants to purchase the Liquor worm, I could call the shots and secretly transfer one over. To be honest, the warehouse has three Liquor worms and Lord Jia Fu personally decides where to sell them. You should know how precious the Liquor worm is. As for the price, let's decide your bidding price as it."

However, Gu Yue Yao Ji slightly shook her head and knocked the cane on her hand on the ground.

She said, "I am not looking for a bargain. The price...will be the same as the selling price of the previous Liquor worm."

"This....." The supervisor hesitated, he naturally saw Gu Yue Yao Ji's aim.

Gu Yue Yao Ji pretended to be annoyed and continued to pressure the male supervisor, "What? Is the price so high that you are afraid I won't be able to afford it?"

"Of course, I didn't mean that. Sigh, alright, we will do like you say." The supervisor sighed and said a price.

Upon hearing the price, the young girl first heaved a sigh of relief, but soon after that she felt somewhat indignant, "What, it was only twenty primeval stones more than ours?"

Gu Yue Yao Ji narrowed her eyes, but didn't speak.

Meanwhile, Fang Yuan had already exited the treehouse and arrived at the wine tavern.

The second Liquor worm was already in his possession, and now the only things he needed were the four types of wines — sour, sweet, bitter and spicy wines.

"I already have the sweet wine; there is still quite a lot of the golden honey wine remaining from the family inheritance mission. Spicy and sour wines should not be a problem. My only concern is the bitter wine." Fang Yuan was a bit worried when he thought of this.

If he had bitter wine, he could begin refining the Four Flavours Liquor worm tonight.

Many things in life were like this, whatever you fear, it will come true.

Fang Yuan's worry became reality. He spent several hours rushing through countless tents; he found spicy and sour wines, but he didn't find bitter wine.

"Not everything in this world follows our wishes." Fang Yuan was very helpless. He could only set aside the fusion plan for the Liquor worm.

Without the Four Flavours Liquor worm, his cultivating speed would be ordinary.

In the afternoon, he went to the treehouse again.

There were new Gu worms in many counters on the first floor.

The central counter - where the Liquor worm had been displayed - was now occupied by a Cleansing Water Gu.

The Cleansing Water Gu resembled the leech on Earth, except it was much cuter than the leech; its whole body had a light-blue luster like that of the glimmering water.

"Cleansing Water Gu can remove the mixed aura in the aperture. To Chi Cheng, it is a Gu worm that he must have." Fang Yuan thought of Chi Cheng when he saw this Cleansing Water Gu.

He knew Chi Cheng only had a C grade aptitude and had forcefully raised his cultivation with the help of his grandfather Gu Yue Chi Lian's primeval essence, thus Chi Lian's aura was mixed inside Chi Cheng's aperture. If Chi Cheng didn't clean it off, then his future prospects would be jeopardized.

"Chi Lian will definitely buy this Gu worm for Chi Cheng. Hmm, let me think.....his quote should be between six hundred thirty to six hundred forty."

This price was much more than the Liquor worm's market value. The main reason was that Chi Cheng especially required this Gu worm.

"If I quote six hundred fifty, it should get me this Cleansing Water Gu. Just by adding ten primeval stones, this Cleansing Water Gu is bound to fall in my hands! As for the Liquor worm I bought this morning, my quote should have been about twenty primeval stones higher than Gu Yue Yao Ji's." Fang Yuan coldly smiled inwardly.

He had this self-confidence.

His five hundred years of experience and the advanced business knowledge from Earth had combined to form this self-confidence. It was beyond ordinary.

With his previous life's experience, when he just put ten more primeval stones, he had an eighty percent guarantee of getting the goods. When he bought the Liquor worm, the reason why he had put ten more primeval stones was because of his cautious nature.

Fang Yuan didn't make a quote, he didn't need the Cleansing Water Gu. And if he obtained it, then it would be investigated by Chi Lian. Of course, the main reason Fang Yuan did not bid was because he needed to hold onto the remaining money to see if there were any good Gu worms in the coming days.

"I lack two types of Gu worms; a scouting-type and a movement-type. The wolf tide will come in the coming year, and the caravan won't come again. Although there is the Flower Wine Monk's hidden inheritance, that was hastily left behind by Flower Wine Monk after he was injured. Who is to say if it is complete or not and what Gu worm would be next?"

In his memories, the wolf tide next year will be very dangerous. Fang Yuan didn't want to be powerless just because he lacked Gu worms, being injured or even perishing in the wolf tide.

It would be a disaster for the current him if he were to be surrounded by wolf packs.

Before that happens, he needed to make sufficient preparations; both his cultivation and Gu worms shouldn't be lacking.

After this, he repeatedly went to the treehouse for three days.

On the third day, in the first floor of the treehouse, he discovered something to be happy about — a Black Boar Gu!

Black and White Boar Gu were Gu worms that could increase the fundamental strength of Gu Masters. Fang Yuan had already used the White Boar Gu and received a power equal to that of a boar. If he used another White Boar Gu again, he wouldn't receive any increase in strength. But the Black Boar Gu was different, its ability could overlay with the White Boar Gu's.

Hence, at noon, there was one more Gu worm in his possession.

After that, there was nothing.

Some scouting and movement-type Gu worms appeared on the counters but they couldn't satisfy Fang Yuan.

These Gu worms were displayed on ordinary counters and the price wasn't good, so there weren't many who would purchase them. Fang Yuan heard the caravan would be staying for eight days, so he patiently waited without becoming anxious.

It was the seventh day.

In the second floor of the treehouse, Fang Yuan discovered a red steel Relic Gu.

It could instantly raise a Rank two Gu Master's primeval essence by a small realm!

Its price was marked at three thousand primeval stones, attracting many Rank two Gu Masters to bid over it, dropping papers in the counters; it was a very lively scene.

"If I obtain this red steel Relic Gu, I could push my cultivation to middle stage instantly. With the middle stage scarlet primeval essence, I would be able to use the Moonglow Gu and White Jade Gu many more times."

Cultivation was the foundation of a Gu Master, an increase in cultivation meant an increase in fighting power. In terms of its effects, it was far better than getting the scouting and movement Gu worms.

Moreover, these two types of Gu worms in the treehouse were all ordinary to Fang Yuan, with none catching his eyes.

"I have purchased the Liquor worm and Black Boar Gu, I also bought some wine. This red steel Relic Gu's final price will definitely cross five thousand primeval stones and could even reach eight thousand. After all, everyone knows about the wolf tide, so raising one's cultivation by a small realm will be a lot of help. My primeval stones won't be enough if I want to get this Relic Gu!"

Fang Yuan instantly realized that an obstacle had appeared in front of him.

-x-X-x-

Even though he inherited his parents' assets, to Fang Yuan, the time he had to accumulate wealth was still too little.

Activating the vitality leaf, he could not do it daily as it consumed a lot of time. Every time he grew out nine vitality leaves, half a day would be expended.

Fang Yuan considered for a moment. The sale time of this red steel Relic Gu is only one day. In such a short time, to come up with these large amount of primeval stones, the only way was to mortgage his wine tavern or the bamboo buildings.

This was nothing to feel pity over.

A year later, it would be the wolf tide. Under the wolves' attack, Gu Yue Village would desperately hold on several times, and during the most severe attack, even the front gate was broken through. The clan leader and the clan elders restrained the lightning crown head wolf, and Gu Yue Qing Shu sacrificed his own life to block the gate and stabilized the situation.

The wolf tide caused Qing Mao mountain's three clans to suffer a great reduction in clan members. Although not as much as 90% was gone, but at least half the population was wiped out.

By then, there would be more property than people, what talk would there be about renting out the bamboo building? The wine tavern was facing the eastern gates, who would dare to drink there? Even if they wanted to drink, the tavern would've gotten used by the clan and turned into a defensive tower.

Right now, the clan and many people were underestimating the severity of the wolf tide. At this point, if he could get rid of the tavern and bamboo buildings, he would be able to sell it at the best price.

"Money and fortune are just material goods, only one's cultivation is the root. But, selling it to the clan is too cheap. If I sell it to an individual, the price would be higher. But who would have the financial ability right now to buy my bamboo building and tavern? Such a huge transaction, it is not something that can be settled at one go. Both sides have to observe and haggle for the best prices, that would take too much time. I only have one day. Wait, maybe someone can..."

Fang Yuan's inspiration struck as he thought of someone.

This person was none other than his uncle Gu Yue Dong Tu.

Uncle and Aunt were both cunning and miserly. These decades of operating the tavern, bamboo buildings and selling the vitality leaves, they must have a huge stash of primeval stones.

Moreover, these assets were originally operated by them. All and all, it can save a lot of observation time.

The most important part was, they desperately needed this family asset to continue operating. No matter how much assets they had, without any income, this was like a river without a source; their primeval stones would get lesser and lesser, anyone would also be anxious over it.

It could be said, Uncle and Aunt were the best transaction targets.

Thinking of this, Fang Yuan hesitated no longer, leaving the treehouse and walking towards Gu Yue Dong Tu's estate.

The one who opened the door was Shen Cui, his former servant.

"Ah, it- it's you!" Seeing Fang Yuan, she was very shocked.

Soon, she realized her slip of the tongue, and her face turned white from horror. Fang Yuan was now a Rank two Gu Master, but she was a mere mortal, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.

More importantly, Fang Yuan was the ruthless person who dared to kill the Mo family servant, later mincing the corpse and sending it to the Mo family.

"This servant pays her respects to young master Fang Yuan, welcome home, young master." Shen Cui shivered from her fear and her knees went soft, kneeling on the ground.

"Home?" Fang Yuan took a step into the courtyard. Seeing the familiar settings, his face showed a hint of mockery; there was no sense of belonging or attachment.

A year later, he had returned here once again.

Compared to his mental impression, this place was much more vacant. Just as Fang Zheng had said, some family servants were already sold away or retrenched.

Fang Yuan's sudden appearance had alarmed Uncle and Aunt.

As the housekeeper, Mother Shen arrived at the first moment, kneeling and bowing to invite Fang Yuan into the living room, and served him tea by hand.

Fang Yuan sat on the chair, observing the living room.

Many of the furniture was missing, and the decor was much more simple and plain.

But this did not mean that Uncle and Aunt had no savings.

"Gu Yue Dong Tu is still very cunning, this is an act of self-preservation. He had already stepped into the background, and his battle strength had drastically slipped. Most importantly, he had lost the Nine Leaf Vitality Grass, meaning that he had lost the trump card in maintaining his personal relationships, no longer able to exert influence outside."

A man's wealth is his own ruin by causing another's greed.

After Fang Yuan inherited the assets, many clansmen were jealous and eyed his fortune.

As for Uncle and Aunt, they faced the same problem. The huge amount of savings they had was both a blessing and a problem.

Not showing off one's wealth, to them, this was the correct method of living.

At this time, footsteps could be heard.

The footsteps got closer, and soon, Aunt appeared at the doorstep.

"Fang Yuan, you actually still dared to come back here!" Seeing Fang Yuan, the rage in her heart appeared out of nowhere, screaming shrilly, "You traitorous scoundrel, how did we raise you. And to think you treat us like this, do you have a conscience, has your conscience been eaten by a dog!"

"You still have the cheeks to come here, and have the cheeks to drink tea here? Are you here to see our sorry states, now that you've seen it, are you happy?!"

Her finger pointed at Fang Yuan, her other hand at her waist as she screamed like a shrew.

If not for Fang Yuan wearing a glaring Rank two Gu Master battle attire, reminding her, she would have pounced on him and strangled him.

Fang Yuan paid no heed nor showed any expressions to Aunt's finger or her angry accusations.

A year of not meeting, Aunt's yellow face, although full of rage and hatred, could not hide her haggardness.

Her clothes had already changed to a simple hemp garment, and the accessories on her head had reduced. WIthout any make up, her mouth looked sharp and her face small, like a monkey.

Fang Yuan getting back the assets had caused a great influence and impact on her daily life.

To her furious bantering, Fang Yuan paid no heed to them, he held up his cup and drank some tea before saying slowly, "My trip here today is to sell the tavern and bamboo buildings, does Uncle and Aunt have any interest?"

"Pah, you traitorous wolf, what good can you have, wanting to sell the tavern and bamboo..." Aunt's tone stalled as she finally reacted, her face showing disbelief, "What, you want to sell the tavern and bamboo buildings?"

Fang Yuan put down his teacup, leaning back on the chair, closing his eyes to rest, "Better to get Uncle here to discuss with me."

Aunt gritted her teeth, not believing it, her eyes like erupting flames as she stared angrily at Fang Yuan, saying, "I know, you're trying to toy with me, that's why you said that! Once I agree, I will get harshly mocked and ridiculed. You think I'm a fool, and would be played by you?"

This was purely a way of thinking from a person of low social status.

Fang Yuan sighed in his heart, before saying one sentence to change his aunt's attitude—

"Say any more bullshit and I'm leaving. I believe others would be interested in these assets. By then, I would have sold it to other people, so don't you both regret it."

Aunt paused for a moment, "Do you really want to sell these assets?"

"I am only waiting for five minutes." Fang Yuan opened a slit of his eyes to talk, before shutting them again.

He heard Aunt stomping her foot before a series of quick and softer footsteps.

Not long after, uncle Gu Yue Dong Tu appeared in front of Fang Yuan, but Aunt did not accompany him.

Fang Yuan looked at him.

Uncle was already aging extensively, his originally well-maintained face had shrunk, and there was much more white hair on his head now.

He had been worrying these few days.

Losing the family assets, he lost his financial sources all of a sudden. Without the Nine Leaf Vitality Grass, he also lost his outside influence.

His "hidden elder" title, was already falsifying.

Although he had a huge amount of fortune in his hands, without his influence, these primeval stones had gotten troublesome.

The clan's politics was to encourage the clansmen to compete for resources, especially the rules on Gu fighting, it was inhumane and non-friendly. But this could exterminate parasites and the appearance of a good-for-nothing second generation, allowing the clan's people to maintain a sense of alertness. This also allowed the clan's fighting force to maintain at a strong position.

In this world, only strong fighting force could ensure survival. Tornadoes, floods and beasts do not speak sense with you.

These years, Gu Yue Dong Tu had lived a life of peace, and his fighting ability had diminished. In order to reduce his burden, the Gu worms that he used to fight with, he had sold them away already.

If someone sent him a challenge now, he would definitely lose more than win.

Towards his uncle, Fang Yuan spoke openly about his purpose in coming.

"Fang Yuan, I shall not beat about the bush. I don't understand something, why do you need to sell the wine tavern and bamboo buildings? If you keep them, you will have a steady source of income." Uncle could not believe it, but his tone was much more acceptable than aunt's.

"Because I want to buy a red steel Relic Gu." Fang Yuan said honestly, there was no need to hide such things.

"So that's it." Uncle's gaze shone, "Then, you are selling the Nine Leaf Vitality Grass too?"

"That is impossible." Fang Yuan shook his head without any hesitation, "I am only selling the wine tavern, the bamboo buildings, the land and the eight servants."

Nine Leaf Vitality Grass was the most valuable thing in the asset, Fang Yuan needed its healing ability as well as selling them to earn primeval stones. It could sustain his cultivation and also feed the Gu worms.

Furthermore, next year the wolf tide was coming, and the vitality leaves' price would soar. With this Nine Leaf Vitality Grass in hand, Fang Yuan would have no problems with primeval stones for his Rank two cultivation journey.

But if uncle obtains the Nine Leaf Vitality Grass, his "hidden elder" influence would instantly recover. Fang Yuan did not want to see this happen.

Seeing Fang Yuan's determined attitude, Gu Yue Dong Tu's heart was very disappointed. At the same time, he felt helpless.

The two had a secret talk for two hours, then they signed an extremely secure transfer agreement.

Gu Yue Dong Tu regained the tavern, bamboo buildings, family servants and land, while Fang Yuan led three family servants who were holding a box full of primeval stones each, towards the treehouse.

They each got what they wanted.

Hearing the news, Aunt rushed over. Seeing Gu Yue Dong Tu's contracts and deeds in his hands, she stared with round eyes and showed overwhelming joy, "Hubby, that lad got stupid from cultivating, he actually sold away such a profitable business! So stupid, wanting the eggs and not keeping the hen that lays eggs."

"Will you die if you stop talking, shut up." Gu Yue Dong Tu sounded very irritated.

"Husband..." Aunt pouted, "I'm just happy about it."

"Do not get complacent! With this tavern and the bamboo buildings, we have to be even more cautious now and keep a low profile. A huge tree attracts the wind. Although Fang Zheng is our adopted son, we cannot misuse this relationship. After all, Fang Zheng has not fully developed himself yet, who knows what the future entails?" Gu Yue Dong Tu sighed deeply.

"Got it, husband!" Aunt listened while staring at the stack of deeds, laughing uncontrollably.

Gu Yue Dong Tu's face was solemn throughout.

The transaction went well, and he now had income. The primeval stones he spent would be replenished with two or three years of operation. But he was not happy at all.

His mind was full of Fang Yuan's silhouette.

For a Relic Gu, Fang Yuan unhesitantly sold the assets, this was akin to giving up the comfortable life ahead.

Gu Yue Dong Tu placed himself in Fang Yuan's shoes and thought, would I be able to do this?

I can't.

Even if he did not like Fang Yuan, filled with hatred and disgust, at this moment he could not help but exclaim in his heart, "Able to give up and abandon his future comforts just like that, what great resolve he has!"

-x-X-x-

"The competition is really fierce, who knows who the final winner will be."

"I have been standing here for just fifteen minutes and have already seen over ten Gu Masters putting quotes in the counter."

"Ah, this is a game for the rich. People like us don't even qualify to compete."

In the second floor of the treehouse, Gu Masters were surrounding the central counter; discussing and sighing.

As night approached, the competition for the red steel Relic Gu had reached its peak. Many Rank two Gu Masters who were observing in the dark started putting their quotes in this final hour.

Some Gu Masters even made several bids.

"The final winner for this struggle should be either Mo Yan or Chi Shan," someone guessed.

"That's possible. Mo Yan and Chi Shan are both at Rank two upper stage. With this Relic Gu, they can advance to peak stage and be at the same level as Qing Shu."

"In recent years, Gu Yue Qing Shu has been hanging over their heads. I don't believe these two don't have any thoughts about it."

"We can't say for sure. It is not only us Rank two Gu Masters, there are even some Rank three elders who have made bids. Just this morning, someone saw Lord Yao Ji casting her bid."

"Right, I also heard that. Lord Yao Ji's granddaughter Gu Yue Yao Le is taking part in the coming Awakening Ceremony; Lord Yao Ji should be preparing ahead and paving the way for her granddaughter."

"Ah, how good would it be if I had such a doting senior!"

Fang Yuan was among the crowd, his gaze tranquil as he listened to the discussions.

No one had mentioned his name. In the people's eyes, Fang Yuan was only a lucky kid who had just inherited the family assets. In their minds, Fang Yuan was still not at the level of people like Chi Shan, Mo Yan and Qing Shu.

"Great. The less attention on me, the more smoothly can I get this red steel Relic Gu. But with these repeated purchases, I should have attracted his attention."

Fang Yuan was ninety-nine percent sure of getting this Relic Gu; he began to think of another problem.

If the following events develop according to his expectations, then there would be a perfect ending to his several days of effort.

It was time.

The leaves and branches on the counter suddenly grew and wrapped firmly around the Relic Gu. The green leaves blocked the people's sight and when these leaves again unfolded, the red steel Relic Gu was not there anymore and was replaced by a Revert Gu.

The Revert Gu looked like a flat, oval, palm-sized stone. Its surface was slightly bulging and smooth, forming an eye pattern. The base of the stone was flat and felt rough to the touch.

The stone was black whereas the eye's pattern was covered with white lines.

About every two seconds, the eye would blink once and the white lines that portrayed the eyeball would swivel, giving the feeling that this stone was rolling its eyes.

Revert Gu had a special function.

It decomposed Rank two Gu worm to Rank one.

For example, if the Revert Gu was used on Fang Yuan's White Jade Gu, the White Jade Gu would again change back to White Boar Gu and Jade Skin Gu.

This process was called reverse-refining.

Fang Yuan glanced at it and immediately lost his interest. He didn't need the Revert Gu.

The surrounding Gu Masters began arguing. Revert Gu couldn't become everyone's focal point like the red steel Relic Gu.

Everyone was very curious on who the red steel Relic Gu went to.

Some people looked for the floor's caravan Gu Master and some people waited at the main desk.

The crowd slowly thinned out, but Fang Yuan didn't move away.

"Young master Fang Yuan, please come to the third floor. Our lord Jia Fu would like to have a chat with you." A voice suddenly entered Fang Yuan's ears.

Fang Yuan wasn't surprised; there were many types of secret sound-transmission Gu worms in this world.

He followed the directions given by the voice and walked to a wall in the third floor.

Branches and leaves stacked together and covered the wooden wall.

Swoosh.....

The branches and leaves automatically parted to the sides and revealed a concealed door.

Fang Yuan pushed open the door and saw an exquisite whirling staircase that moved up.

He walked along the stairs and came to a small study room.

In the study room, Jia Fu was handling some accounts, his hand writing away speedily.

He raised his head when he heard Fang Yuan's footsteps, revealing the scar on his face. He gave a gentle smile, "We meet again, little brother Fang Yuan."

"Respects to Lord Jia Fu." Fang Yuan clasped his hands and saluted.

"Come, sit here." Jia Fu pointed at a nearest desk.

After Fang Yuan sat, his left hand pushed a bamboo paper on the desk towards Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan took a glance and immediately recognized that this bamboo paper held all his quotes that he had made in the recent days. Under every quote was his signature.

He was inwardly happy, it had gone according to his expectations. But on the surface, he wore a doubtful expression as he asked, "I am not sure what Lord Jia Fu wants to show me?"

Jia Fu's smile slightly decreased, his eyes flashing as he looked at Fang Yuan, "These are your quotes you made along with the quote you gave for the red steel Relic Gu. I will be honest, I am amazed at your business talent. Do you know, every one of your bids was very close to the final sale price."

"Although you only succeeded in buying a Black Boar Gu, a Liquor worm and the red steel Relic Gu, your quotes for other Gu worms only lacked by ten or so primeval stones. Brother, do you have any interest in working for me?" Jia Fu tried to recruit Fang Yuan.

"Here it comes!" Fang Yuan laughed inwardly. He had repeatedly made bids these days and had intentionally lost on most of them; his bids differing from the final price by only ten or so primeval stones. He had only successfully won Black Boar Gu, Liquor worm and red steel Relic Gu.

And just like he wished, Jia Fu was interested in the business talent he showed and took the initiative to recruit him.

However, in fact if Fang Yuan wished so, he had almost full guarantee of being able to purchase all the Gu worms.

"This...." Fang Yuan hesitated, then shook his head, "I am greatly honored to receive Lord Jia Fu's kindness, but I don't want to leave the clan."

"Oh, so it's like that." Jia Fu's gaze flashed, "Brother might have some misunderstandings towards me. A year ago, I indeed doubted you, but after using the Bamboo Gentleman, the suspicions on you have already been removed. Jia Jin Sheng was my brother, I hope you understand what my mood was like then. There is another piece of good news, I have already invited divine investigator Tie Xue Leng. There isn't any case which he cannot solve. I believe he will definitely be able to investigate the truth and give justice to you."

"Divine investigator Tie Xue Leng....this is a problem." Fang Yuan thought over this name. This was not good news to him.

In this world, there were many magical places and also many amazing methods that could be used to investigate.

When Fang Yuan killed Jia Jin Sheng, he had only been at Rank one. Even if he knew a lot of methods, he couldn't use them.

In his memories, Tie Xue Leng had a profound cultivation and wouldn't even tolerate a bit of sand in his eyes. He followed the thought of punishing evil and rewarding the right throughout his whole life. He had an extremely rich sense of justice and his thoughts were meticulous. He was very good at finding subtle traces from any clues.

"Divine investigator has a high reputation, I have also heard of him. But when will this lord divine investigator arrive at Qing Mao Mountain?" Fang Yuan put on an anticipating look and directly asked.

"That....." Jia Fu awkwardly smiled, "Divine investigator is very busy. From his reply, it might only be the year after the next."

Fang Yuan immediately felt relieved, he had a lot of time to prepare.

"Brother, I think highly of you. I hope you can carefully consider my proposal." Jia Fu made attractive offers. @@novelbin@@

Fang Yuan tactfully refused; now was not the best time to leave Qing Mao Mountain.

If he went to a strange environment without enough strength, he was bound to be bullied and pushed aside. The caravan was also full of unwritten rules on bullying and pushing aside.

"That is really a pity for your talent. How about this, I will give you this token. If there comes a day where you want my help, this token will be the proof that I will always welcome you." Jia Fu had failed in recruiting Fang Yuan, but he didn't feel surprised. He had a deep understanding towards this type of clan's cohesiveness.

If he was to know now that Fang Yuan was Jia Jin Sheng's murderer, who knows what his expression would be.

Fang Yuan apologised in shame as he received the token handed by Jia Fu along with the red steel Relic Gu.

He kept the two items close to him and backtracked his way out.

A young female Gu Master was caressing the leaves on the wall, when suddenly she cried out in shock. The branches and leaves suddenly parted and revealed a door.

The door was pushed open from inside and Fang Yuan walked out expressionlessly.

"You, you, you!" The young girl widened her eyes and blankly looked at Fang Yuan brushing past her.

Among the surrounding Gu Masters who saw this scene; some were familiar with this, some gave a knowing smile and some threw amazed looks.

Fang Yuan paid no heed to these gazes and walked down to the second floor. Some Gu Masters were still waiting there, excitedly discussing who the red steel Relic Gu went to.

Some people brazenly made guesses whereas some people gave some little news- "Mo Yan had a mysterious smile when she walked out of the treehouse," - "Chi Shan's face was ashen," - and so on.

And to top it all, some people pledged that so and so had bought the Relic Gu, even making an oath.

Fang Yuan went past this bored group of people. No one knew that at this moment, the red steel Relic Gu was so close to them.

When Fang Yuan walked out of the treehouse, he bumped into Chi Shan.

His face indeed looked unsightly, and at his side, Chi Cheng was asking about the whereabouts of the red steel Relic Gu.

After seeing Fang Yuan, Chi Cheng snorted and turned his head, intentionally not looking at him. Chi Shan silently nodded his head towards Fang Yuan as a greeting.

Fang Yuan also nodded his head as a reply, his face carrying a wisp of smile.

The last of the sunshine shone on this young boy's face; he was indeed happy.

With the red steel Relic Gu, his cultivation would instantly advance by a level.

And there was also the token.

A year ago, Fang Yuan wanted to build a friendship with Jia Jin Sheng and rely on him to take part in the future large-scale Gu fighting competition, reaping benefits in that period of upheaval.

Unfortunately, life was unpredictable, the final outcome made Fang Yuan not know whether to laugh or cry — unexpectedly, he ended up killing Jia Jin Sheng with his own hands.

No matter. Without Jia Jin Sheng, relying on Jia Fu also worked. This token was equivalent to the admission ticket to the future large-scale Gu fighting competition.

-x-X-x-

Three days after the caravan left the village.

In the rock forest inside the mountain, filled with dark red light.

Huge stone pillars extended down from the ceiling, resembling long and gigantic tree trunks, forming into a majestic grey coloured stone forest.

Fang Yuan was retreating from battle in the rock forest.

Chirpchirpchirp...

A bunch of stone monkeys stared with their green circular monkey eyes, chasing after Fang Yuan relentlessly.

"Moonglow Gu!" Fang Yuan called in his mind, his right arm chopping towards the direction of the monkey gang.

Pew.

An eerie blue moonblade as large as a face formed into a crescent and pierced through the air, cutting into the monkey gang.

A jade eye stone monkey was jumping in the air. With no foothold to escape on, it was hit directly by the moonblade.

Before it could scream, in the next moment, its entire body was split into two from head to toe.

It had lost all its remaining life force and was enveloped in a deep aura of death.

In a split second, its lively eyes became a pair of jade pearls. As its body descended, it turned into a rock statue.

Bam.

With a crisp sound, the statue fell onto the ground, smashing into pieces.

The moonblade only dimmed a little, and after killing this stone monkey, its force remained as it rushed for the monkeys behind.

Kachakkk...

After a few cries, five or six stone monkeys were killed on the spot.

Chirpchirpchirp!

Their companions' death fueled the monkey gang's rage as they screamed furiously, their influence doubling, imposingly leaping at Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan was unfazed by the danger, his heart remaining as calm as ice. He fought and retreated appropriately. As the stone monkeys neared, he attacked with the moonblade.

The Moonlight Gu in the past, even with the boost from Little Light Gu, each moonblade could only kill one or two monkeys. But now, with one attack the Moonglow Gu could kill five or six stone monkeys.

But there were positive and negative impacts. The Moonglow Gu, to the current Fang Yuan, had a huge cost.

Each moonblade used 10% of his red steel primeval essence. Fang Yuan only had 44% primeval sea in his aperture.

This meant that he could only use four moonblades in one go. @@novelbin@@

"If I can successfully fuse the Four Flavors Liquor worm and refine my primeval essence, I would be able to shoot eight moonblades. What a pity. Even though I have the second Liquor worm and three out of the four flavours of wine, I am lacking the final one, I'm stuck at the final step," Fang Yuan sighed deeply.

Three moonblades later, his aperture only had 14% light red primeval essence left.

To play safe, he no longer used the moonblade, but activated the White Jade Gu.

The stone monkeys encircled him, the closest monkey jumping to Fang Yuan's leg and going into a frenzy. From down to up, it used its monkey head to hit Fang Yuan's chin.

Fang Yuan snorted, he wanted to use his fist to crush this overconfident monkey.

But suddenly he had a thought and stopped his hand, using his chin to receive the blow instead.

A moment before the point of impact, his chin shone with white jade cold light.

A loud bam sound resounded.

The force of the attack caused Fang Yuan's head to tilt back. But that monkey laid on the ground, hugging its head and rolling around the ground screaming in agony.

Without the White Jade Gu, Fang Yuan's chin would've been smashed. But now, Fang Yuan only felt slightly dizziness with no injuries.

But, even with the White Jade Gu's defense, he still had to withstand the impact of the attack.

Fang Yuan took a few steps back before recovering and seeing the scenery clearly before his eyes again.

He had intentionally withstood the monkey's headbutt earlier, it was to have this body get used to such attacks and get used to the slight dizziness.

This way, in the future when he falls into a life-and-death crisis, encountering such an attack, he would be able to recover much more quickly and fight for a survival chance.

Fang Yuan was always ruthless with his methods. This ruthlessness was not only towards enemies, but also himself!

He came here to kill stone monkeys almost every three days.

His motive was not just the Flower Wine Monk's strength inheritance, but also another motive — to utilize the stone monkeys to train his own fighting ability.

A Gu Master's physical stats, physical combat proficiency, aperture primeval essence, battle experience and every Gu worm, they were all elements that affected the overall battle strength.

Only by gathering all these elements tightly together can one exert the greatest fighting strength.

The stone monkey group was like a hammer, and Fang Yuan was the ingot that had just came out of the cauldron. With every hit of the hammer, he would become more sturdy, more refined, and more compact.

Fifteen minutes later, this battle ended.

On the ground, there were rock fragments all over the ground, and within those were dozens of jade pearls.

"I killed fourty-one jade eyes stone monkeys this time," Fang Yuan counted in his heart, and every time he would collate the battle results. From each battle, he'd reflect upon himself and improve upon what he did not do properly. At the same time, he would feel his own improvement speed.

"In the earlier battle, the Moonglow Gu was the most contributing factor, with three moonblades killing at least seventeen or eighteen stone monkeys. That is about half of the entire battle results, the remaining monkeys were all killed by my close combat.

Moonlight Gu's effect on the stone monkeys was not very obvious. But after advancing to Moonglow Gu, it jumped to being Fang Yuan's most powerful attacking method.

Not only was its attack power strong, but more crucially, its efficiency was very high.

Fang Yuan utilized three moonblades only in the span of a few breath's time, but when he used his fists and kicks to smash the stone monkeys, that took over ten minutes.

These stone monkeys were very agile and had swift movements.

When the stone monkeys were on the ground, there was no point thinking of hitting them physically. With a jump, they could easily leap away and avoid Fang Yuan's attack.

The only weakness was that when they jumped in mid-air, they couldn't change their moving direction. Fang Yuan being able to kill them, was due to this weakness.

But this was owing to his rich fighting experience. If it was any other Rank two Gu master, even Chi Shan, Mo Yan or Qing Shu, they would not be able to catch the weakness every time like Fang Yuan.

His previous life's memories could allow Fang Yuan to sensitively catch the opportunities in battle and seize them. He could meticulously use every ounce of his strength. Even though he was Rank two, he could already utilize his fighting strength to the limit of his abilities.

He was definitely not like Fang Zheng, having the Jade Skin Gu, but on the arena after being overwhelmed by Fang Yuan's aura, could not even display his supposed strength.

Of course, Fang Yuan's cultivation was still very low, and against the monkey group, he could not overwhelm them by brute force.

Every time, he had to fight while retreating.

Luckily, the monkeys did not have high intelligence. They could not adjust their attack patterns, and even after seeing Fang Yuan crushing them in mid-air many times, they still leapt towards Fang Yuan while attacking.

At the same time, every time they chased Fang Yuan, if it was too far from their homes, their longingness to their homes would overwhelm their anger. Many monkeys gave up on the chase due to this.

Gu are the essence of heaven and earth, humans are the spirit of all living things.

Fang Yuan is relying on the intelligence of humans to understand the stone monkeys' habits and using the correct fighting methods to get deeper into the rock forest, at this point he was already near the central area of the rock forest.

After many attempts, Fang Yuan finally exterminated the monkey group on this rock pillar.

Right now, in front of him, was the final pillar.

It was the largest and thickest rock pillar in this rock forest.

The pillar extended downwards from the ceiling, almost touching the ground. It emitted a majestic aura amidst the silence.

Fang Yuan counted the number of rock caves on the pillar, getting an estimation of at least five hundred stone monkeys. This was the largest monkey group he had encountered up till now.

But no matter how many jade eye stone monkeys there were, to Fang Yuan, it was just a small bit of trouble, at most he'd have to exert more effort and waste a few more trips.

What caused his gaze to become serious, was the rock cave at the most upper level.

The entrance of this cave was larger than any of the surrounding caves, at least twice as large if not more.

And below it, the caves were tightly cluttered together, forming and resembling a position where they were worshipping and revering.

"It seems that there is a monkey king in this rock cave." Fang Yuan frowned.

This was where the problem lay.

As long as a beast group is large, there would be a beast king created. There was a wild boar king in the wild boar group. Obviously there would also be a monkey king in the monkey group.

The threat of a beast king was multiple times higher than a normal wild beast.

The reason was that their bodies had one or two Gu worms inside. These Gu had a mutual partnership with the beast kings, and once the beast king is attacked, they would come out and assist.

"This jade eye stone monkey king should not be very strong, at least weaker than the wild boar king. Otherwise, the surrounding monkey groups would've been under his control already." Fang Yuan using his experiences, gauged the monkey king's strength.

Normally, the bigger the beast group, the stronger the beast king; weaker beast kings did not have the ability to rule over a large number of its kind.

According to the beast group's size and classifying of the beast kings, from low to high, they could be classified as hundred beast king, thousand beast king, and myriad beast king.

The wild boar king that sickly snake's group hunted was a thousand beast king, it ruled over a thousand wild boars.

The stone monkey king before Fang Yuan was a hundred beast king, it only had several hundred stone monkeys under its rule.

The culprit behind the wolf tide, the lightning crown wolf was a myriad beast king, every single lightning crown wolf ruled over at least ten thousand lightning wolves.

The difference in ability between the three beast kings, were huge.

Thousand beast kings needed three teams to cooperate together to be able to barely kill it. The sickly snake group was able to deal with the wild boar king, mostly due to it being injured beforehand.

A myriad beast king required the clan elders and clan leader to work together to be able to go against it head on.

As for hundred beast king, a regular five man group would be able to handle it.

But for Fang Yuan who wanted to deal with this monkey king, he could not borrow outside strength, and could only rely on his own power.

"Rank two initial stage primeval essence is ineffective here, it seems it is time to use the red steel Relic Gu." Fang Yuan eyed the rock cave deeply, then left the second secret room and closed the rock door.

If what stands in his way is a thousand beast king like the wild boar king, Fang Yuan would retreat without thinking.

But if it is only a hundred beast king, if Fang Yuan had Rank two middle stage cultivation, he could give it a shot.

Of course, the results could go either way. Even with middle stage cultivation, he still had roughly 75% chance of failure, his chances of success not even hitting 30%.

-x-X-x-

The translucent light membrane, faint red primeval sea and the surging waves.

On the sea surface, two fat white Liquor worms were absorbing the water. In the air above the sea, a black ladybug-like Black Boar Gu was shaking its wings and hovering around the red steel Relic Gu.

The pebble like White Jade Gu had sunk to the depths of the sea and was motionless.

Spring Autumn Cicada had concealed itself; it was in a deep slumber to recuperate.

"It is time." Fang Yuan willed; the sea waves paused, and a portion of primeval essence surged up and poured towards the red steel Relic Gu.

The red steel Relic Gu immediately shook and flew up, giving off bursts of red rays of light.

It was like the slowly rising sun, its rays of light shining upon the aperture wall.

The rays of light were as hot as fire and as dazzling as a sword.

The Black Boar Gu was soon unable to bear it and fell down to the primeval sea.

The two Liquor worms also sunk down to the depths of the primeval sea.

White Jade Gu was flashing inside the sea.

For Fang Yuan to advance to rank two middle stage with normal methods, he could only use the method of grinding; using his light red primeval essence to cleanse the light membrane aperture wall.

But now, red steel Relic Gu gave off majestic red light which replaced the light red primeval essence and poured directly into the aperture wall, giving astonishing results.

Fang Yuan could see the whole light membrane thickening at an astonishing pace.

The light on the light membrane condensed into streams of light, gradually changing to a water membrane. The white shimmering rays flowed continuously; becoming clear one moment and dark in the next.

Right now, Fang Yuan had advanced to middle stage!

However, the Relic Gu was still bursting with red rays of light.

The rays of light filled the whole aperture; it replaced the primeval essence and continuously injected its essence and foundation into Fang Yuan's aperture.

The water membrane accepted it all and the shimmering rays of light on it was like water as it flowed freely.

This continued on for about fifteen minutes.

Red steel Relic Gu had thoroughly exhausted all its energy; its body turned transparent and disappeared in the red light.

The penetrating red rays of light also suddenly dissipated with its disappearance.

The aperture recovered its tranquility once again.

However the water membrane had become much thicker. Using the red steel Relic Gu had saved Fang Yuan from wasting a lot of time and effort.

A thread of scarlet red primeval essence appeared in the primeval sea.

This was the rank two middle stage primeval essence. It was more condensed than the light red initial stage primeval essence. It sank to the depths of the primeval sea and lingered around the White Jade Gu.

A red steel Relic Gu could directly strengthen the foundation of the aperture. To a Gu Master, this meant advancing by a small realm.

This type of Gu worm was naturally better if used early.

To a Gu Master, higher cultivation meant stronger fighting force, better survival rate, more mission completions and also more primeval stones earnings. It had a great influence on every aspect.

After reaching the middle stage, Fang Yuan took several primeval stones and started recovering his primeval essence. He stopped only after the 44% percent primeval sea in his aperture had completely filled with middle stage scarlet primeval essence.

Half an hour later, he once again stepped into the stone forest, heading towards the central area.

He stepped into the warning zones of the monkey groups; immediately, furious jade eye stone monkeys came out of the stone pillars. @@novelbin@@

They screeched and pounced upon Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan's expression didn't change, most of his attention was on that cave at the highest layer of the stone pillar.

When encountering a common jade eye stone monkey, there was no need to be nervous as long as you weren't surrounded by them. The main problem was the stone monkey king.

What Gu worms resided on it? Fang Yuan didn't know.

Fang Yuan slowly retreated while cautiously observing, but the stone monkey king didn't appear.

Fang Yuan was baffled, "Is there no monkey king in this monkey group? If there was a monkey king, then it would no doubt be the first to come out if someone infringed on its territory. Hold it, maybe it has already come out!"

Just as he thought of this, the sleeping Spring Autumn Cicada in his aperture suddenly floated into appearance. Its body was trembling as it gave a weak startled cry that resonated only within Fang Yuan's mind.

The vital Gu's warning!

This appeared only when the vital Gu felt there was an intense threat against the Gu Master's life.

In that split second, Fang Yuan's hairs stood up. Without thinking twice, he directly used the White Jade Gu.

A layer of bright white jade light covered his whole body.

In the next instant, the stone monkey king - who was three times bigger than a normal stone monkey - suddenly appeared on the left side of Fang Yuan and fiercely struck out with its sharp claws at Fang Yuan's left shoulder.

Bang.

The stone monkey king's attack was blocked by the White Jade Gu's defense; its attack failed.

In the instant Fang Yuan received this attack, the White Jade Gu in his aperture suddenly lit up and consumed five percent of the scarlet primeval essence.

If it was when Fang Yuan was at the initial stage, ten percent of light red primeval essence would have been used up.

From this, one could see how sinister and vicious the stone monkey king's sneak attack was.

Despite Fang Yuan having a calm character, he couldn't help breaking out in cold sweat at this moment. If it were not for him sharpening himself these days and polishing his condition to a peak combat state, he might have really been hit by the stone monkey king's attack.

Had his reaction been just a bit late, his left shoulder would have become crippled and unusable. Fang Yuan would then end up miserable just like Gu Yue Man Shi not long ago.

"There is actually a wild concealing-type Gu worm residing in this stone monkey king!" Fang Yuan hurriedly retreated, he had no way to detect a concealing Gu worm and ended up in disadvantage all of a sudden.

The stone monkey king seemed to be more cunning than normal stone monkeys. After its attack missed, it again hid itself away.

This undoubtedly was a huge mental pressure on Fang Yuan.

He used the White Jade Gu to form a defense around his whole body. Such a method used primeval essence every moment and it was impossible for him to maintain this defense.

Even when he had fought with the stone monkey troops before, he would only use the White Jade Gu at the crucial moment.

If he continued to maintain this state, then his primeval essence would completely dissipate not long after.

Over five hundred stone monkeys encircled Fang Yuan aggressively.

Fang Yuan used his greatest speed to retreat and pull some distance.

Some stone monkey's momentum became weaker, whereas some stomped on the ground and began to head back to their homes.

"Chirp!" Right at this moment, the jade eye stone monkey king appeared and commanded in a loud voice.

"Chirp chirp!!" The stone monkey groups immediately responded; their confusion and hesitation disappeared and again started their chase after Fang Yuan.

Over five hundred jade eye stone monkeys were persistently chasing after him, but Fang Yuan didn't panic; his lips revealing a cold smile on the contrary.

This accident was already in his expectations.

He had chosen the easiest route towards the central area of the stone forest, opening up a passage. In the surroundings of the passage were large numbers of stone monkey groups.

Fang Yuan was very familiar with this passage.

However, with the low intelligence of these stone monkeys, how could they know? Under the supervision of the stone monkey king, they stormed through the stone forest, infringing on other monkey groups' warning zones and resulting in counterattacks from the other monkey groups.

The stone forest was in a great chaos!

Countless jade eye stone monkeys stood at their place, starting a massacre to defend their homes.

In ten or more years, the stone monkey king might even advance to become a thousand beast king and completely unify this stone forest. But now, it was only a hundred beast king and didn't have the ability to control so many stone monkeys.

The different groups of stone monkeys fell into a chaotic battle with each other.

For a moment, all Fang Yuan could hear was the screeching and screaming sounds of the stone monkeys.

Those five hundred stone monkeys that were chasing him were quickly entangled with the other stone monkey groups. But the stone monkey king still persisted on chasing after Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan was attacking and retreating. In this period of time, he suffered many sneak attacks from the stone monkey king and every attack would consume great amounts of his primeval essence. Luckily, he had advanced to middle stage before this. Otherwise, with the initial stage primeval essence, he wouldn't have been to handle this consumption.

Fang Yuan landed in absolute disadvantage; he had not found any weakness in the stone monkey king.

The only chance to attack lay in the moment the stone monkey king was about to attack. But even if Fang Yuan was able to react, he had no time to even make an attacking movement.

The stone monkey king possessed a concealment-type gu worm and firmly held the initiative. It could attack Fang Yuan whenever it wanted to attack. Even if Fang Yuan injured it, it could use the concealment-type gu worm to safely escape; it was in an invincible position.

"Without a stealth-removal Gu worm, the probability to win this battle is extremely low! If I had a wide area attacking method, maybe I could give it a try. But Moonglow Gu...I will only be able to hit this stone monkey king if I am lucky, but the probability is too low."

Fang Yuan clearly understood the battle situation and immediately retreated.

However, the stone monkey king seemed to be determined to kill him.

Fang Yuan retreated to about a hundred meters from the rock door when he suddenly stopped.

"I only have a bit over 10% of my primeval essence remaining. It won't be enough to cover this hundred meters of distance. And even if I am able to enter the second secret room and close the rock door, this stone monkey king might just break the door!"

Fang Yuan had thought that the stone monkey king would give up after chasing him for such a long period of time. Yet who could have thought that it still persisted on chasing him.

He was already out of the stone forest now and around him was a patch of empty ground.

Countless stone monkeys were fighting chaotically in the stone forest, causing an uproar. Their noisy sounds kept on echoing within this empty space.

Fang Yuan didn't budge; his battle intuition told him that the stone monkey king was hiding somewhere, waiting for him to show a gap before making a fatal attack.

Fang Yuan knew he had already fallen into an impasse.

Normal Rank two Gu Masters would have already fallen apart from this fear, unable to endure this formless pressure.

But Fang Yuan was still calm.

This situation was also within his expectations, though its probability was very low. According to logic, the stone monkey king should also possess the stone monkey's habits and be reluctant to leave its home. But for some reason, this stone monkey king was hell bent on chasing and killing Fang Yuan.

"If you choose to take a risk, you need to be willing to risk your life!" Fang Yuan's eyes flashed with a cold light; he then took off his upper garment.