Reverend Insanity

by Srtyi

Humans are clever in tens of thousands of ways, Gu are the true refined essences of Heaven and Earth. The Three Temples are unrighteous, the demon is reborn. Former days are but an old dream, an identical name is made anew. A story of a time traveler who keeps on being reborn. A unique world that grows, cultivates, and uses Gu. The Spring and Autumn Cicada, the Venomous Moonlight G

2. 33

Read Reverend Insanity - Chapter 33 online free - Novel Full

Chapter 33 – Go ahead and scold away

"Hmm?" Mo Yan frowned, then her rage burst forth almost instantly as she suddenly understood that she had been fooled by Fang Yuan.

"You are tremendously brave to even consider lying to me!" While speaking, she stretched out her right hand to grab hold of Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan stood firmly on the spot. He raised his head and laughed, "Mo Yan, you better think this through!"

Mo Yan stopped her actions. While she still stood right outside the door, her outstretched hand paused in midair and her face showed a sign of hesitation and resentment.

Within the family, there were relevant rules. Students in the dormitories were protected, and any other person would not be allowed to intrude upon the hostel to capture the students. Mo Yan only wished to teach Fang Yuan a lesson and let him bear a taste of suffering. She definitely did not want to risk getting punished for breaking the rules.

"If it's only me who broke the rules, that would still be fine. However, if this would affect the family and even grandfather's honour…" Thinking of this, Mo Yan reluctantly withdrew her arm. She looked at Fang Yuan who was inside the house with her bloodshot eyes. If her death-stare could be converted into fire, it would burn Fang Yuan to ashes in a second.

"I never lied to you. I said I would bring you to Fang Yuan, and now you have already found him here. It seems you have something to say to me." Fang Yuan smiled faintly with his arms behind his back, ignoring the pressure of a Rank twoGuMaster, fearlessly making eye contact with Mo Yan's furious gaze.

He was just a step apart from Mo Yan. One stood within the house, and one stayed outside. But this same distance had also become as far as the east was from the west.

"Hehehe, oh Fang Yuan, yousurehave studied the clan rules well and thoroughly." Mo Yan, suppressing her anger, said with a sinister smile. She added, "Unfortunately for you, even while relying on the rules, all it will do for you is to stall for time. There is no way you are staying in the dormitories forever. I'll see how long you can stand hiding in there."

Fang Yuan laughed refreshingly and looked at Mo Yan with disdain. "Then all the more I want to see how long you can disturb me.Ah, it is already late. I have a bed to sleep in, but what aboutyou? If I do not show up for class tomorrow and the elders come to investigate, what do you thinkIwill say?"

"You!" Mo Yan flew into a rage, her fingers pointing at Fang Yuan, barely restraining herself, "Do you really think I wouldn't dare come in and take you down?"

Squeak.

Fang Yuan opened the doors of the hostel wide open, his lips breaking into a grin, his eyes dark like the abyss and his tone full of confidence as if the situation was within his grasp. He challenged Mo Yan, "Then show me."

"Hehehe…" Mo Yan calmed down instead upon seeing this. Her eyes squinted as she looked at Fang Yuan and she said, "Do you think I'd fall for your goading?"

Fang Yuan shrugged. He had already seen through Mo Yan's personality.

If he had closed the door, or even half shut it, Mo Yan had at least a 50% probability of breaking into the house. But when he purposely opened it fully, it had instead made her more wary and calm as a result. Thus there was barely any chance of her forcing her way in anymore.

Five hundred years of experience had already made him fully aware of the human nature and their weaknesses.

He grandly turned around, exposing his back fully to Mo Yan. If Mo Yan struck now, she would definitely be able to capture him in one swift action. However, Mo Yan stayed still outside the door as if there was an invisible mountain blocking her way.

Even after Fang Yuan sat in his bed, Mo Yan only stared at him in anger, gritting her teeth. But regardless of this, she did not make a move.

"This is the pathetic side of humans." Fang Yuan sat up and stared at Mo Yan who was outside looking like a fool, thinking to himself, "At times, the things preventing people from taking action is not physical difficulty, but instead it is the restrictions they have placed on themselves subconsciously."

When comparing cultivation levels, Fang Yuan was definitely not her match at this point in time. But even with her Rank two cultivation level, she could only stare at Fang Yuan and had no courage to make a move. Her distance from him was only a few steps away, and the door was wide open with no hindrance. The only thing that was truly restricting her was none other than herself.

"Humanity sought for knowledge relentlessly to understand the world and to comprehend the rules, and ultimately to use them. If one is constantly bound by the rules, thus being restricted by the very knowledge they sought, that is the ultimate tragedy." Fang Yuan took a final look at Mo Yan before closing his eyes and letting his consciousness sink into the primeval sea.

"This Fang Yuandaresto cultivate right in front of me! He is simply doing so as he pleases!" Looking at this sight, Mo Yan felt a sense of frustration erupting from her chest, making her almost wanting to vomit blood.

She badly wanted to go ahead and give him a few punches!

But she knew she couldn't.

Mo Yan suddenly felt a hint of regret. Standing outside the door, she felt the awkwardness of not being able to back down.

She was indignant to give up now, but she would be devastatingly humiliated. She mobilised her servants with the intention to come and teach Fang Yuan a lesson, yet in the end she was the one who ended up becoming the laughing stock.

Especially when there was a servant looking at her now.

"Damn it! Fang Yuan is way too uncooperative! He'stoosly!" Mo Yan furiously thought and started to provoke him with all sorts of insults, hoping to force him out of the room.

"Fang Yuan you brat, come out if you're a man!"

"Fang Yuan, as a man you must own up to your own doings. Now you're being a coward hiding in that room, do you not feel ashamed of yourself?"

"Stop pretending to ignore me, get out if you know what's good for you!"

"You cowardly, spineless trash!"

Fang Yuan shut his ears and did not give a single response.

After scolding for a while, instead of venting all her anger, she felt even more irritated. She was starting to feel like a clown or a shrew; blocking the door was just way too embarrassing.

"AHHHHH, this is getting to the death of me!" Mo Yan was about to go crazy, and she finally gave up on provoking Fang Yuan.

"Fang Yuan, you can hide now, but you can't hide from me forever!" She furiously stomped the ground and left indignantly. Before leaving she gave a final order, "Gao Wan, stand there and watch him! I do not believe he will not leave the house."

"Yes, Master!" The muscular servant, Gao Wan rapidly replied and sent Mo Yan off. Within his heart he was feeling bitter – the mountain was chilly and breezy at night. He would have to stand guard the entire time, catching a cold easily like this. It was not an easy task.

Swish swoosh……

Within the primeval sea, ebb and flow of the tides raged on.

The green copper primeval essence gathered like water, forcing a tidal wave rolling about. Under Fang Yuan's mental guidance, the waves endlessly crashed towards the surrounding aperture walls.

A Rank one initial stageGuMaster's aperture walls resembled a white barrier. At this time, with the green copper primeval essence crashing towards them, it produced shadows of light, creating an indescribable feeling.

Time passed gradually and the level of the green copper primeval sea slowly declined.

From the original 44%, it dropped to 12%.

"If aGuMaster wants to raise their cultivation level, they would have to expend their primeval essence to nurture the aperture. Initial stageGuMasters have light barriers as their aperture walls, while middle stageGuMasters have water barriers as their aperture walls and for upper stage, they have stone barriers. For me to cultivate from initial stage to middle stage, I will have to nurture the light barrier into water barrier aperture walls."

From his five hundred years of memories, Fang Yuan had complete familiarity with the current stages of cultivation, and the methods were as clear as day to him.

He slowly opened his eyes, only to see that it was already late into the night.

The crescent moon hung high in the night sky, the moonlight shining pure as water.

The door was wide open and the moonlight shone in, letting Fang Yuan think of a famous poem from Earth – On a quiet night I saw the moonlight before my couch, and wondered if it were not the frost on the ground(1).

The night winds blew with a hint of chilliness.

Fang Yuan did not have any warmth-type Gu, and with just the body of a fifteen year old, he could not help but shiver slightly.

The night in the mountain was very cold.

"Scoundrel, you finally opened your eyes. How long are you planning to be cultivating there?! Get out, you'll be punished regardless. You beat up our young master Mo Bei, so it was only a matter of time before young Miss teaches you a lesson." Seeing that Fang Yuan had woken up, Gao Wan who was standing at the door got his spirits up.

Fang Yuan squinted; it seemed that the Rank two femaleGuMaster had left?

"Scoundrel, did you hear me? Hurry and come out here! You have a room to stay in and a bed to sleep, but I had to stand here all night. If you don't come out any time soon, don't you believe I might just barge in?!" Seeing no reaction from Fang Yuan, Gao Wan threatened.

Fang Yuan remained unfazed.

"Scumbag, come out and surrender yourself. You've offended the Mo family, you will not have any good days from now on. Hurry and apologise to young Miss and maybe she might just forgive you." Gao Wan continued to chide.

Fang Yuan did not listen to a single word. He took out a primeval stone from his storage bag and held it in his hands, finally closing his eyes again.

Seeing that he was going to continue cultivating, Gao Wan was anxious and broke into a fit. "You mere C ranked talent, the most you can achieve in life is a Rank twoGuMaster! What is there to cultivate? You are no match for the entire Mo family by yourself! Kid, are you deaf? Did you listen to a single word I said?!"

(1)A famous poem from Li Bai, a Chinese poet.

*This chapter was brought to you by Chibigen and Skyfarrow. Credits to Chibigen for helping with the translations.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 34 – Suppressive Beating!

Fang Yuan paid no heed to the man and started to multitask. He simultaneously absorbed the natural essence from the primeval stone and observed his aperture.

The primeval sea level which had originally fell drastically within the aperture, with help from the constant stream of natural essence, began to slowly rise up again. This form of recovery speed was inevitably slow, but Fang Yuan was in no hurry.

Cultivation was meant to be accumulative; it could not be rushed.

The urgent matter at hand was in fact the middle-aged servant outside the house.

After half an hour, Fang Yuan's green copper primeval sea reached 44%, the maximum capacity it could hold. But this was not the end.

At this point the primeval sea showed a jade-green colour, this was only a Rank one initial stage green copper primeval essence. The primeval essence that Fang Yuan had previously used to nurture the aperture wall was no longer initial stage primeval essence. It had been turned into middle stage primeval essence, refined by the Liquor worm.

"Liquor worm." With a thought from Fang Yuan, the Liquor worm within the primeval sea instantly flew out and hovered in mid-air, its body curling into a ball form, resembling a white rice ball.

Swoosh.

10% of his initial stage primeval essence was deployed and sent into the Liquor Worm's body, and soon the essence was fully absorbed by it. Soon after, a surge of liquor mist emerged from the Liquor worm's body and congregated into a lump.

Once more, Fang Yuan deployed 10% of his primeval essence and invested it into this liquor mist. Once the mist had been fully expended, the original 10% of initial stage primeval essence shrunk by half physically, and at the same time the colour changed from jade-green to pale-green.

This is middle-stage primeval essence.

"In order to advance in their cultivation, ordinary students all use initial stage primeval essence. However, I'll be using middle stage primeval essence, and the efficiency is at least twice of theirs. Similarly, when using middle stage primeval essence to activate the MoonlightGuand throw a moonblade, it will be far stronger than activating it using initial stage primeval essence."

Only when all the primeval essence in the primeval sea had been converted to middle stage primeval essence did Fang Yuan open his eyes.

Time passes in the blink of an eye when cultivating, and at this point it was already midnight. The sky was no longer a pure black, but it had turned a deep dark-blue colour. The moon was no longer visible, and only a few lingering stars remained.

The door was open almost throughout the entire night, and a corner of the wooden door was already wet, showing a dark colour as the water tainted it.

The school hostel had this disadvantage, it was not as comfortable as an ordinary wooden lodge that was built above the ground (1), but it was directly built on the ground and thus it had high humidity.

Coming back to reality, Fang Yuan felt a chill down his spine. After sitting cross-legged for such a long time, both his legs felt numb. He opened his clenched right fist and scattered a handful of white stone powder.

This was the primeval stone after its essence had been fully absorbed, and what remained was only the leftover powder.

"After a night of cultivation, I had expended three primeval stones." Fang Yuan calculated in his mind.

He had C ranked talent, but in order to pursue faster cultivation speed, he used primeval stones to replenish his primeval essence. What was more crucial was the Liquor worm, as it had been used to refine his middle stage primeval essence.

This had greatly increased the expenditure of his primeval stones.

"Although I plundered another sum of primeval stones yesterday, a night of cultivation cost me three stones. In this case, although it might seem that I have a lot of resources, it is unable to sustain me for a long time with my current cultivation speed, but this is the price I have to pay for pursuing cultivation speed and efficiency."

Fang Yuan looked outside the room again, only to see Gao Wan, the muscular servant, squatting at a corner with his body curled up, seemingly fallen asleep.

"Looks like that Rank two femaleGuMaster had left long ago, leaving this Gao Wan here to keep a watch on me.Hehe." Fang Yuan revealed a cold smile as he got off the bed and began to exercise his limbs.

Once his body had warmed up, he left the hostel.

"Lad, you finally decided to come out. So how about it? Obediently surrender and leave with me to kowtow and apologise to our young Miss." Gao Wan's ears caught Fang Yuan's footsteps and he stood up immediately.

His muscular body was almost twice the size of Fang Yuan. The muscles in his body tightened and his brows knitted together, a pair of cruel eyes shining with evil light, resembling a starving hyena.

Fang Yuan expressionlessly walked towards him.

"Lad, you should have came out earlier. By coming out now, do you know how muchThe Great Mehad to suffer by watching over you?" He snickered while approaching Fang Yuan, evidently planning something sinister.

At this moment, Fang Yuan lightly cried out, and with a ferocious leap he aimed both fists towards Gao Wan.

"Bastard, you're courting death!!" Gao Wan's face distorted with rising anger within him, raised his brick-sized fist and he punched towards Fang Yuan.

The fist was extremely powerful, slicing through air and the swooshing sound of the wind could be heard.

Fang Yuan's eyes shone clear as crystal. Seeing that the fist was approaching close, he side-stepped and turned towards Gao Wan's rear. Stretching out a finger, he struck towards Gao Wan's waist.

Gao Wan blocked with his retracted arm – Fang Yuan did not get a clear hit, and ended up hitting onto Gao Wan's left forearm.

Fang Yuan's finger felt like it had hit a steel plate, painful and numb.

"This Gao Wan has already approached the limits of a mortal's physical prowess. Right now I can only use the MoonlightGuto fight, and without any otherGuworms to assist me, I am not his match at basic close combat!" Fang Yuan's eyes shone and he decided quickly to give up on attacking. Instead, he retracted a few steps and pulled some distance away from Gao Wan.

In the Gu Yue village, only the Gu Yue clansmen had the rights to cultivate as aGuMaster. The outsiders, regardless of whether they had cultivation talent or not, had no rights to attend the Awakening Ceremony.

But these mortals could train in physical combat.

Just like the Gao Wan here, although he was not aGuMaster, he had trained vigorously in his punches and kicks and his basic skill was steadfast. Additionally he was a middle-aged man, and this meant being at the physical prime in a mortal's lifetime.

Fang Yuan, other than having the MoonlightGuto fight, had only the body of a 15 year old teenager. Be it strength, agility or endurance, he was not Gao Wan's match.

Martial artists like Gao Wan were sufficient enough to kill a Rank one initial stageGuMaster. Even towards a Rank one middle stageGuMaster, they still posed a certain threat.

"This lad is too sneaky!" Seeing that Fang Yuan had drawn some distance between them, Gao Wan felt anxiety within his heart.

The waist was a vital point of the body, and if it was damaged by someone through brute force, the harm was not negligible. If the force was exerted beyond a point, it could also be deadly.

Gao Wan had waited outside the hostel for the entire night, and thus his body was enshrouded by the moist atmosphere, causing his reaction speed to be slightly slower. Hence the strike earlier had almost succeeded. Fortunately, although he was a bootlicker, he had trained hard in his physical ability. So at the crucial moment his body's reflex instinctively reacted and allowed him to narrowly block Fang Yuan's attack.

"I can't be careless anymore! This lad behaves like a wolf, striking harsh and deviously, getting his way whenever I am even but a little careless. No wonder young master was knocked out by him twice." Gao Wan wiped the sweat off his forehead and swept away all hints of contempt. He started to take his opponent seriously.

"If I can capture this lad, it'd be a great accomplishment. Young Miss is sure to reward me! A Rank one initial stage's moonblade is at max only like a small dagger, so as long as it does not hit my vital points it'll merely be a light external injury."

Thinking of this, Gao Wan's heart started to beat faster. Stretching out his shovel-like hands, he grabbed at Fang Yuan.

Boom boom boom!

Fang Yuan showed no fear and approached Gao Wan to engage in close combat. Exchanging punches and kicks, taking turns attacking and defending, loud impact sounds echoed through the area.

When plundering the students, he had only used his palm with his objective being to control the crowd. But now when engaging with Gao Wan, Fang Yuan had gone all out.

At times he used his fingers to jab at the eyes, sometimes strangling the throat, hitting the jaw with the base of his palm, chopping at the back of his opponent's head, using the knee to strike the pelvic area, or using his hands to grab at the waist.

Gao Wan's sweat poured out like a river.

Fang Yuan's moves were all aiming at the vital points, each strike devious and deadly as if he wanted to end Gao Wan's life right there!

Gao Wan was a mere mortal, and unlike the Gu Masters, although he trained well in his physical combat, his vital points remained vital. Mortals were unable to train their eyelids to become steel-like. This was the limits of the mortal martial arts.

In addition, Gao Wan did not dare to unleash any deadly moves on Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan was a Gu Yue clansman, so killing him would incur public rage and he would be immediately executed. In fact, the Mo family will be the first to carry out his punishment. Thus his only thought was to capture Fang Yuan alive, and it would be good if he could make Fang Yuan suffer in the process of capture.

One side has apprehension while the other side had killing intent. The situation thus became Fang Yuan suppressing Gao Wan in the fight!

(1) 吊脚竹楼 –ordinary wooden lodge that was built above the ground (see image).

*This chapter was brought to you by Chibigen and Skyfarrow. Credits to Chibigen for helping with the translations.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 35 – Go Ahead and Scream!

Fang Yuan had the upper hand for now, but it could not sustain him for much longer.

Exchanging blows back and forth, he was already panting in exhaustion. In contrast, Gao Wan's breathing was still smooth and in-sync, reflecting the huge difference in stamina between the two. At the same time, as Gao Wan exercised his limbs, his body gradually heated up while his punching speed became faster and faster. The effect of the cold that caused him to be slow and numb had worn off, displaying the true skills honed by his training for decades.

"Lad, you are unable to beat me! There are clan rules stating that within the school hostel, you are forbidden from using the MoonlightGu. You are dead meat, doomed to be my captive!" Gao Wan laughed maniacally; his fighting experience was rich, so he attempted to use words to cause Fang Yuan's fighting spirit to waver.

"In the end, I'm only just a teenager and my body that hasn't fully developed cannot be compared to this servant." Fang Yuan's state of mind was calm as ice. Having sharpened his will for five hundred years, there was no way his fighting spirit would waver.

"MoonlightGu!" He called out in his mind, activating his primeval essence and at the same time leaping backwards to pull away from Gao Wan.

Gao Wan wanted to chase after him, but he suddenly saw a watery-blue light emitting from Fang Yuan's palm. His face darkened and he shouted, "Lad, you are using theGuworm to fight in the school hostel, this is against the clan rules!"

"So what if I break the rules?" Fang Yuan sneered. He learnt the clan rules and memorised it to heart, but it was not for the sake of obeying it. Immediately, his palm slashed an arc towards Gao Wan. With a 'ching' sound, the blue moonblade flew towards Gao Wan's face.

Gao Wan gritted his teeth as he raised both arms to cover his face, forming a protective shield. At the same time, he rushed towards Fang Yuan without pause, planning to endure the attack while ending the battle as quickly as he could.

The moonblade struck his arm. With a popping sound, his flesh and blood poured out under the moonlight, a wave of extreme pain hitting Gao Wan's nerves. The unguarded man nearly fainted from the pain.

"How can this be?!" His rush towards Fang Yuan stopped, and he frightfully found out that both his limbs had been cut open with a deep wound. Fresh blood oozed out from the wound and from the side, while bloody muscles could be observed hanging around his flesh. Even the broken white bones of the forearm could be seen.

Gao Wan was shocked beyond words. "This is impossible! A Rank one initial stage moonblade, the most it could do is to lightly injure my flesh. How could it cut through my bones? Only a Rank one middle stage can do this!!"

He had no idea. While Fang Yuan was a Rank one initial stageGuMaster, due to the Liquor worm's refining, he possessed Rank one middle stage primeval essence.

The MoonlightGu, activated using middle stage primeval essence, emitted a moonblade far superior to the initial stage that he originally predicted.

"This is bad, this boy is weird!!" Gao Wan who was caught off-guard had already suffered a grave injury. His fighting spirit was goneand he decisively decided to retreat.

"Are you able to escape?" Fang Yuan smiled coldly as he started to give chase, the moonblades in his hands shooting out consecutively.

"Save me!!!" Gao Wan shouted out in horror as he fled, his voice travelling far out beyond the school hostel.

"What is going on? Someone is asking for help!" The voice alerted the school hostel guards who were nearby.

"It's the Mo Family's young Miss, Mo Yan's servant." The guards who arrived stopped in their tracks upon seeing the chasing scene.

"This is only a servant, there is no need for us to risk protecting him!"

"Letting him stay here was already a favour towards the Mo Family."

"We still have to be careful, just in case he hurts Fang Yuan in desperation."

The anxious guards all gathered around, but no one lent a hand to Gao Wan; they only observed from the sidelines.

This servant Gao Wan, even if he died, it had nothing to do with them. However if Fang Yuan died or got hurt, it would be their responsibility.

Seeing such a sight, Gao Wan despaired, he tragically screamed, "We are all outsiders! You cannot leave me to die!"

His blood loss was getting more severe, and his speed decreased.

Fang Yuan caught up to him, his voice cold as ice, announcing Gao Wan's death sentence, "Go ahead and scream! It doesn't matter how loud you do so."

While saying that, the blade in his arm rotated, and he fired two moonblades towards Gao Wan.

Swoosh, swoosh!

The moon blades flew towards Gao Wan's neck. The servant lost all hope, seemingly one step away into the abyss.

The next moment, he felt that his world was spinning; he actually saw his own feet, chest, back… and that severed neck.

Afterwards, total darkness awaited him.

Gao Wan had died.

Beheaded by two moonblades, his head flew away from the impact, his body pushed back 10 meters before falling. The neck area spewed out a fountain of fresh blood, dyeing the surrounding grass a blood red.

"Murder!!!"

"Fang Yuan killed someone!"

The guards could not help but scream out. They had witnessed the entire process, and they felt a sense of extreme trepidation and terror rushing all over their body.

Fang Yuan was just a weak 15 year old teenager, but he expressionlessly murdered a strong adult. This was the power of aGuMaster!

The victory had been set. Fang Yuan slowed in his footsteps and gradually moved towards the corpse.

His face was calm, as if he had done nothing out of the ordinary. This expression further sent a shiver down the guards' spines.

Gao Wan's head lay on the ground, both his eyes wide open, turning in his grave.

Fang Yuan stared coldly. He raised his leg and sent the head flying.

The guards' eyelids twitched.

Fang Yuan approached the corpse and found that it was still vibrating. The blood spread through the ground, forming a small bloody puddle. He looked at Gao Wan's injuries with a grim expression. These injuries were deep enough to expose the secret to the fact that he had middle stage primeval essence.

Once this was exposed, it'll be quickly deduced that he had a Liquor worm, and with that the family would naturally think of the Flower Wine Monk.

Thus, Fang Yuan had to keep this secret hidden.

"But there are too many onlookers." Fang Yuan's gaze swept through the nearby guards; there was more than ten of them. He had less than 10% primeval essence left, so there was no way to kill them all.

After pondering for a while, Fang Yuan bent down and raised Gao Wan's ankle, dragging the corpse away.

"Young master Fang Yuan, you can leave this to us." The guards controlled their fear and approached Fang Yuan, politely speaking.

The respect and politeness held a tint of obvious fear.

Fang Yuan silently looked at the guards, and they all held their breaths, looking down.

"Give me the sabre," he stretched out his hand and lightly said.

With authority in his speech, he emitted undeniable pressure.

The guard closest to him uncontrollably handed him the sabre on his waist.

Fang Yuan took the sabre over and continued walking, leaving behind a dozen stunned guards staring after his back.

The sun rose from the east, and the first ray of light shone over the mountain peak, lighting up the school hostel.

15 year old Fang Yuan, with the scrawny body of a teenager, a pale look upon his skin.

Under the sunrise, he casually walked.

In his left hand was a shiny sabre.

In his right hand, a headless corpse.

His path left behind a trail of bright red blood traces dragged out on the road.

The guards were flabbergasted, their bodies stiff due to the frightening scene.

Even as the sunlight shone on them, they could not feel a sense of warmth and light.

Gulp.

Someone among them swallowed their saliva loudly.

Author's note: (He's just asking for readers to recommend his book to others. Second half is just trying to motivate the readers.)

For a book that is just written, there will be people who like it and people who don't. For those who don't like it, there is no need to struggle/force yourselves, you can just go and read another book. For those who like it, please do your best to support the book! On the first day of the new year, I ask for recommendations, please bookmark this book! After the apocalypse, I implore everyone of the same Dao to display their strengths, gather our powers and rise up as the demonic flames, and let the people of the world see the power of us demon cultivators! In the new year, those that defend the last remaining territory of the demonic ways, let the demonic way rise up again, and become legendary!!

*This chapter was brought to you by Chibigen and Skyfarrow. Credits to Chibigen for helping with the translations.

*Donations are finally open for Reverend Insanity!! (_)/

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 36 – Gifting a disseminated corpse!

"Did you guys hear? Fang Yuan killed someone!" A student whispered to his classmate beside him.

"I heard it too, he really killed somebody." The classmate clenched his chest with a pale face.

"There were many guards who saw him do it. Fang Yuan was chasing after that man. That guy tried to beg for mercy but Fang Yuan paid him no heed and decapitated him immediately!"

"That's not all. After killing him, Fang Yuan didn't even spare his headless corpse. He dragged it back to the hostel and chopped it into a meat paste."

"Are you for real?"

"I'm serious beyond belief. I came early this morning and I could still see the bloodstains left between the cracks of the green rock."

"Oh man, why would I lie to you? Earlier, the Academy Elder called Fang Yuan over for this matter."

The youths in the Academy did not pay attention to class as they held their little conversations.

To this group of 15 year olds, the concept of killing was too foreign and too scary.

They had been under the protection of the clan since a young age and had at most experienced organized sparring or simply killing chickens and dogs.

As for killing a person, it was still beyond them.

"Who did Fang Yuan kill?"

"I heard it was a family servant of the Mo branch family."

"Yup, I'm the clearest about this matter. Yesterday, I personally saw the Mo Family's Mo Yan bring a bunch of family servants to find trouble with Fang Yuan."

"The Mo family, that's not good. Mo Bei is in trouble now."

A number of the youths turned to look at Gu Yue Mo Bei.

Mo Bei sat on his seat with a pale face – he had only heard about the news of Fang Yuan killing someone this morning. Additionally, it was the Gao Wan that Mo Bei was familiar with. As one of the more energetic family servants, Gao Wan was good at boot licking and had also put effort into his fighting skills. He was an able lackey.

A long while ago, Gao Wan had even sparred with Mo Bei for a bit. To think that he was simply killed by Fang Yuan!

It was precisely because of this that Mo Bei felt astonished. He was full of disbelief and felt twice the shock compared to the others. However, compared to his shock, he felt a greater sense of worry and fear.

Facing a murderer like Fang Yuan, it would be a lie if Mo Bei said that he was not afraid. Actually, it was not just him – the other youngsters were afraid too. When Fang Yuan had robbed them twice previously, all of them had gotten physical with him.

"I actually fought with such a ruthless murderer? To think that I'm actually still alive." Many of them patted their chest, feeling a lingering fear.

Fang Yuan killing someone was still somewhat acceptable but the crux was that he even dissected the corpse and chopped the body into meat paste.

That was way too cruel!

The truth of such a horrifying crime had a strong impact on all of the youths' pure and innocent minds.

Within the room, there was only the Academy Elder and Fang Yuan.

The Academy Elder sat while Fang Yuan stood. Neither of them spoke a word, causing the atmosphere to be extremely tense.

The Academy Elder silently looked at Fang Yuan and a hint of complication flashed in his eyes.

In the morning, the guards had reported to him about Fang Yuan's murder incident. This news had made him feel both shocked and suspicious.

He was a Rank threeGuMaster and was in charge of the Academy. He obviously knew the fighting strength of a Rank one initial stageGuMaster.

Fang Yuan being able to kill Gao Wan was like the weak defeating the strong.

In truth, some guards had already reported to him that Mo Yan had trapped Fang Yuan within the Academy by barging in the previous night.

Back then, he had not paid attention to the matter and had not stopped them.

He was the Academy Elder – his objective was to nurture futureGuMasters, not to protect them. As long as there were no deaths among the students, he encouraged hidden conflicts.

Mo Yan coming to find trouble with Fang Yuan was something that he was happy to see. For one, he knew that regardless of whether the fight was won or lost, it would be beneficial to Fang Yuan's growth. Secondly, he wanted to suppress Fang Yuan's influence.

Fang Yuan had consecutively blocked the Academy's gates and robbed the other students. His influence was too great; it had to be suppressed.

However, he hadn't expected that Mo Yan would return fruitlessly and that the family servant that she had left behind would be unable to beat Fang Yuan. Gao Wan even got killed by him!

In this world, strength was above all else. Killing someone was not something peculiar. Especially to aGuMaster, it was something very common.

But it was not so simple when it was a 15 year old's first kill.

The Academy Elder vividly remembered his first killing scene. Back then, he was already a Rank twoGuMaster. At the age of 19, he had killed aGuMaster from the Bai clan's village in a conflict.

After killing the person, he vomited profusely and panicked in his heart. For a few days, he had no mood to eat and had no appetite. He could not even find peace in his sleep. The moment he shut his eyes, he would see the dead person staring angrily at him.

But looking at Fang Yuan now, his face was calm as ice. Where was the fluster? Not to mention that he had no uneasy feelings. It was almost like he had slept perfectly well last night, as if the person who killed a man was not him at all!

Especially when the Academy Elder heard more about the matter. After Fang Yuan had killed the servant, he did not spare the corpse and had even dragged it back to the dormitory to chop it into meat paste in his rage. Such vicious methods, even hearing about it was a kind of terror!

Thus, at this point, the Academy Elder looked at Fang Yuan with complicated emotions.

On one hand, he was amazed at Fang Yuan's indifference towards life, his attitude was as steady and as cold as ice. On the other hand, he was appreciative of the fact that Fang Yuan was a born battle-freak. After familiarizing himself with the MoonlightGufor a few days, he had managed to kill someone with it. An ordinary teenager—even those A grade talents—may not be able to achieve this. This was a talent for battle! If he was well-nurtured and fought for the clan, it would be all of their enemies' nightmare.

Lastly, he felt worry and distressed.

Worry because after this incident, Fang Yuan's reputation was sure to rise and it would be impossible to suppress him. Fang Yuan was way too daring; not only did he disobey the clan rules by using his Gu in the Academy, he even killed someone with it. There was a need to suppress his influence. Otherwise, how would the Elder be able to manage this Academy anymore?

Distress was because he did not know how to perfectly resolve this issue. After all, it involved the Mo family's side.

"Fang Yuan, do you know why I called you here to meet me?" The Academy Elder used a solemn and deep voice to break the silence in the room.

"I know." Fang Yuan nodded and replied, "I used the MoonlightGuin the Academy, breaking the clan rules. According to the rules, as it is my first offense, I should compensate thirty pieces of primeval stones as punishment."

He evaded the crucial point and did not mention Gao Wan's death.

The Academy Elder was stunned for a second, he had not expected that Fang Yuan would answer like this.

His expression darkened as he coldly snapped, "Don't try to blur things in front of me! I'll ask you, what was the matter with Gao Wan's death?"

Fang Yuan squinted his eyes and said, "Hmph, this Gao Wan went against his superiors, his intentions were vicious. Last night, not only did he block my room door, he even tried to kill me. In self-defense, I was forced to use the MoonlightGu.Fortunately, I managed to kill this traitor. I suspect that there is a high possibility of him being a spy of the other mountain villages, I implore the elders to investigate this thoroughly!"

Upon hearing this, the Academy Elder frowned and became at a lost for words.

Now that Gao Wan was dead, Fang Yuan could say whatever he wanted. After all, Gao Wan was just an outsider, not a member of the clan. Even if he was dead, it would not matter to the Academy Elder. However, he was worried about the Mo family's reaction. Gao Wan was their servant and he had died within the academy. The Academy Elder was in charge of the academy and had to give the Mo family an explanation.

Thinking for a bit, the Academy Elder stared at Fang Yuan and questioned, "Then let me ask you. Gao Wan's corpse, how did you deal with it?"

Fang Yuan's lips curled, revealing a cruel smile. "I diced Gao Wan's corpse and put it inside a wooden box. When morning came, I put it at the Mo family's back door."

"What?!" The Academy Elder was stunned beyond words as he almost jumped from his seat.

Not only did Fang Yuan kill their family servant, he had even chopped up the corpse and placed it at the Mo family's back door. This was blatant provocation!

To the Academy Elder who was trying to resolve this peacefully, it was a true nightmare.

Fang Yuan was just a small Rank oneGuMaster, how would the large Mo family react?

Thinking of this, the Academy Elder felt a headache as the matter had already developed out of his control. This Fang Yuan was a true troublemaker.

"Sigh, since it has already happened, there's no point in saying anymore. Leave first, the punishment will come within these few days, you should get mentally prepared." The Academy Elder was terribly upset. He waved his hand and signaled for Fang Yuan to leave; he needed to think through this calmly to come up with a solution.

TL Note: So my person-in-charge said I can post on my site with a time delay while Qidian site has to be the first, so I'm just going to post here too anyway if that's the case o/

– Skyfarrow

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 37 – Both a compromise and a threat

Meanwhile, at the Mo family.

"What were my instructions to you?See what you did!" In the study room, Gu Yue Mo Chen slammed the table, exploding with a rage.

Mo Yan stood opposite this old man, her head lowered. Her eyes were full of shock and rage. She had also just gotten the news that Gao Wan had been killed by Fang Yuan!

That 15 year old teenager, to think he had such methods and determination. Gao Wan was the proud servant of her Mo family and Fang Yuan's act of killing him was a blatant showing of disrespect towards them!

"Grandpa, you don't have to be so angry. This Gao Wan was only a servant, his death is of no concern. He isn't a Gu Yue clan member anyways. But that Fang Yuan, he is too daring, you have to 'look at the owner before you beat the dog'. Not only did he beat our dog but he even beat it to death!" Mo Yan said indignantly.

Gu Yue Mo Chen furiously scowled, "You still have the cheeks to say that! Have your wings grown so tough now that you don't even put my words to heart,hmm? What I told you before, you have forgotten all about it!"

"Your granddaughter dares not!" Mo Yan jumped in shock. She knew now that her grandfather was really angry and quickly kneeled down.

Gu Yue Mo Chen pointed his finger out the window and scolded, "Hmph, so what if that servant died. But now you are still showing hostility towards Fang Yuan, this is really a matter of you being short sighted and unclear of the implications! Do you know the significance of your actions? The fight among juniors is their own business. As elders, we should not interfere. These are the rules! Now that you went to find trouble with Fang Yuan, it means you are breaking the rules. I can't tell how many people are out there now, looking at this disgrace of our Mo family!"

"Grandpa, please calm down, anger will harm your body. It's Mo Yan fault, I burdened the Mo family. Whatever Grandpa tells Mo Yan to do, Mo Yan will do it! But your granddaughter really cannot take this lying down, that Fang Yuan is too despicable, too shameless. First, he lied to me and entered the academy. Next, he hid in the dormitory and no matter how much I scolded him, he would not come out. Once I left, he went ahead and killed Gao Wan. He is extremely sinister and despicable!" Mo Yan reported.

"Oh, is that so?" Gu Yue Mo Chen frowned. This was the first time he had heard this information and a bright light shone across his eyes.

He took in a deep breath, suppressing his rage and he stroked his beard while saying, "I've heard stories about this Fang Yuan. In his early years, he was able to make poems and songs, showing early intelligence. But to think that he only had C grade talent. It was difficult for him to have a good future and thus I gave up on recruiting him. But now it seems that it's slightly interesting."

Pausing for a second, Gu Yue Mo Chen knocked on the table and ordered, "Someone, bring that box over here."

The servant outside the door quickly obeyed. Soon, he brought in a box. The box was neither too big nor too small but it was slightly heavy. The servant used both hands to carry it and stood beside the study table.

"Grandpa, what is this?" Mo Yan stared at the wooden box and asked doubtfully.

"Why don't you open it and take a look?" Gu Yue Mo Chen squinted his eyes and said in a complicated tone.

Mo Yan stood up, flipped over the wooden lid and looked inside.

Immediately, her facial expression changed and her pupils shrunk to a needle-like size. She could not help but take a step back and let loose an unsuppressed scream. The wooden lid in her hand also fell to the ground.

Without the wooden lid, the thing kept within the wooden box was shown to everyone present.

It was actually a pile of flesh and blood!

The bloody flesh was obviously sliced off piece by piece and placed into the box. Bright scarlet blood had accumulated inside. There was some pale skin and flesh, while some were long strands of intestines, mixed in with a few pieces of bones, either leg bones or the ribs. In the pool of blood at a corner, there were also two fingers and half a toe floating in it.

Blech…

Mo Yan beautiful face changed color as she took another step backwards, her stomach turning as she almost vomited on the spot.

She was Rank twoGuMaster and had gone out to gain experience before. Despite that, this was the first time that she had seen such a disgusting and twisted scene even though she had killed people before.

The flesh and blood in this box were obviously the corpse of a person after being minced into pieces and stuffed in.

The scent of blood burst into the air and rapidly permeated the air immediately, filling the entire study room.

Both of the family servant's hands shook as he carried the box, his complexion pale. Although he had seen the box earlier and vomited before, he could still feel waves of palpitation and disgust as he held it now.

Among the three people in the study room, only the family elder Gu Yue Mo Chen was unfazed. He lightly looked at the contents of the box for a moment and said to Mo Yan slowly: "This box was what Fang Yuan had placed at our family's back door this morning."

"What, it's really him?!" Mo Yan was extremely shocked as images of Fang Yuan showed up in her mind.

The first time she saw Fang Yuan, it was at the inn.

At that time, Fang Yuan sat near the window, quietly eating his meal. His facial features were bland and both of his eyes were dark and gloomy. His body was thin and his skin had the special paleness of a teenager.

He looked like such a normal and quiet youth. To think that he had done such a twisted and insane act!

After her initial shock came a furious rage. Mo Yan yelled, "This Fang Yuan is too outrageous, who gave him the guts to do so! To dare to do such a thing, this is a provocation towards our Mo family! I will go ahead now and bring him here to question him for his crimes!" After she said this, she headed towards the exit.

"You scoundrel, stop right there!" Gu Yue Mo Chen was angrier than she was as he grabbed an ink slab on his study desk and threw it over.

The hard and heavy ink slab hit Mo Yan's shoulder and with a 'bang' it fell to the ground.

"Grandpa!" Mo Yan held her shoulder as she called out in alarm.

Gu Yue Mo Chen stood up, his finger pointing at his granddaughter as he spoke with an extremely agitated tone, "It seems like all these years of training were in vain. You have disappointed me greatly! Against a small Rank one initial stageGuMaster, not to mention you involving so many people, but even getting led by the nose by the other party. Now that you've let your rage get the better of you, at this point, do you still not understand the meaning behind Fang Yuan's actions?"

"What meaning?" Mo Yan was puzzled.

Gu Yue Mo Chen snorted, "If Fang Yuan wanted to provoke us, he would have blown up this matter, so why did he place this box at the secluded back door instead of placing it at the front door where there are many people walking around?"

"Maybe he wants to reconcile with us? No, if he wanted to reconcile, wouldn't it be better to apologise face to face? Why must he send us this box of minced corpse, this is definitely a provocation!" Mo Yan said.

Gu Yue Mo Chen shook his head, then nodded. "He wants to reconcile, but at the same time, he is also provoking us. Placing the wooden box at the back door is his intention to reconcile. Placing the corpse inside the box, that is a provocation."

"You see," The old man pointed at the box, and spoke, "This wooden box is not big, and it cannot hold a complete corpse. Therefore there can only be a portion of the corpse inside. He is trying to tell us that he does not wish to blow up this matter and wants to settle this amicably. But if our Mo Family wants to pursue this matter, he will place the remainder of the corpse at our main entrance, thoroughly blowing up the issue. By that time, it would be a losing situation for both sides. The entire clan knows that our Mo family broke the rules first, and to our Mo Family's future head, this would be seen as him being so weak since he actually required his elder's doting and protection."

Upon hearing these words, Mo Yan was momentarily dumbfounded. She had never expected that Fang Yuan's actions would have such profound meaning.

"His method is really wise," Gu Yue Mo Chen said with admiration, "With just one action, he exercised both toughness and softness, capable of advancing and retreating safely. This is just a simple wooden box but it not only expresses Fang Yuan's intention to compromise but also his ability to pose a threat to our Mo family. And it so happens that he does hold onto the weakness of our Mo family. If the Mo family's reputation is tarnished, what follows after will be the Chi family's attack as well as the assault from the clan leader's side."

Mo Yan found it unbelievable. "Grandpa, aren't you thinking too highly of him? Are you sure that he's capable of this? He is only 15 years old."

"Too highly?" Mo Chen looked at his granddaughter unhappily. "Looks like you've had too smooth a life in these past few years. Fostering your arrogant attitude, you are unable to clearly see the reality. This Fang Yuan was unfazed towards danger and deceived you to enter the school. Next, he used his wisdom in the face of danger and hid within the dormitory to avoid trouble. No matter what insult you threw at him he did not respond, this is his ability to calmly endure. After you left, he killed Gao Wan immediately, this is his bravery and courage. Now he sent this box, clearly showing his wisdom and planning ability. Can you still say that I thought of him too highly?"

Mo Yan listened with wide eyes as she had not expected her grandfather to praise Fang Yuan so highly. Immediately she said indignantly, "Grandpa, he only has a C grade talent."

Gu Yue Mo Chen sighed deeply, "Yes, he is only a C grade. Having such wisdom and yet only C grade talent, it really is a pity. As long as his talent was higher, even if it was just a B grade, he would certainly become an influential member of our Gu Yue clan. What a pity, he is only a C grade."

The old man's sigh was full of emotion. His sigh held both regret and at the same time rejoice.

Mo Yan was silent and in her mind, Fang Yuan's image appeared once again. Under her psychological influence, Fang Yuan's frail expression was shrouded by a layer of mysterious and vicious shadow.

"This problem was created by you single-handedly. How are you going to settle it?" Gu Yue Mo Chen broke the silence as he started to test Mo Yan.

Mo Yan pondered for a while before she replied in a cold and aloof tone, "Gao Wan was just a servant, so there are no implications even if he dies. Fang Yuan is just a C grade, so he is also a small matter. What's important is maintaining my Mo family's reputation. To appease this matter, we might as well kill Gao Wan's entire family to show the entire clan our attitude to protect the rules and regulations."

"Mmm, you're able to think of the big picture. Setting aside your personal emotions to defend the interests of family, this is very good. However, your method is still flawed." Gu Yue Mo Chen analyzed her response.

"Please enlighten me, Grandpa," Mo Yan implored.

Gu Yue Mo Chen said solemnly, "This matter was instigated by you, so I shall punish you with seven days of confinement. From now on, do not find trouble with Fang Yuan again. Gao Wan defied his superiors – a servant who dares to offend his master deserves death, so he should have been executed for his crimes! Because he is a servant of the Mo family, we are responsible for our inability to educate our subordinate and thus we shall compensate that Fang Yuan with thirty primeval stones. As for Gao Wan's family members, give them fifty primeval stones as compensation and expel them from the clan."

After a short pause, he continued, "For the next seven days, rest well at home, do not go out. At the same time, think about the profound meaning of why Grandpa chose to handle the matter this way."

"Yes, Grandpa."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 38 – Demon walking in the light

From the layers of dark clouds in the sky, the spring rain fell.

The raindrops were thin like hair. As they fell, they enveloped Qing Mao Mountain in a layer of fine mist.

The dining hall on the first floor of the inn was rather empty. There were only four tables of guests.

Fang Yuan sat at a seat by the window. A gust of wind blew, bringing with it a poetic atmosphere and the scent of flowers.

"The light rain from the sky is sleek and crisp, the color of grass is seen from afar but disappears when close." Fang Yuan looked outside through a window and quoted a poem lightly before he turned his sights back to the inn.

Before him was a table filled with good wine and dishes. The color, smell and taste were all top notch. Especially the green bamboo wine which oozed with the fragrance of alcohol along with a hint of freshness. The dark green colored liquor sat quietly in the bamboo cup. From his angle, it shone with an amber-like luster.

A grandfather and his grandson were sitting at the table nearest to him. Being mortal humans, they wore modest clothes.

The grandfather sipped his rice wine while looking enviously at Fang Yuan. He was evidently attracted to the green bamboo wine but could not afford it.

The grandson ate his braised beans, a crunching sound emitting from his mouth as he chewed. At the same time, he pestered his grandfather, shaking his arm. "Grandpa, grandpa, tell me about the story of Ren Zu. If you don't tell me, I'll report to grandma that you secretly came out to drink!"

"Sigh, I can't even drink in peace." The grandfather sighed but his face showed a doting expression towards the child. With his twig-like arm, he patted the boy's head, "Then let me tell you the story of Ren Zu who gave his heart to the HopeGu, escaping his predicament of being captured…"

Ren Zu's story was the most popular and widespread tale in this world, as well as the most ancient legend.

The old man's story was something like this.

The story mentioned that Ren Zu was able to escape his predicament because of hope. But eventually he grew old and without Strength and Wisdom, he could no longer continue to hunt. Even his teeth fell off, making him unable to chew many wild fruits and vegetables.

Ren Zu felt death slowly approaching.

At this time, the HopeGusaid to him, "Human, you must not die. If you die, your heart will be lost and I will lose my only place of residence."

Ren Zu was helpless. "Who wishes to die? But if the heavens and earth want me dead, I have no choice."

The HopeGusaid, "There's always hope in everything. As long as you can catch a LongevityGu, you will be able to increase your lifespan."

Ren Zu had heard of the existence of the LongevityGulong ago but he waved his hand helplessly. "When the LongevityGustays still, nobody can detect it and when it flies, it is faster than light. How can I possibly catch it? It's too hard!"

The HopeGuthen told Ren Zu a secret, "Human, don't give up hope no matter what. Let me tell you, on the northwest corner of this continent, there is a huge mountain. On the mountain, there is a cave and in that cave, there is a pair of round and squareGuworms. As long as you can subdue them, there is noGuin this world that you cannot catch, including the LongevityGu!"

Ren Zu had no choice, this was his last remaining hope.

He braved all difficulties and finally found the mountain. He then risked his life and ventured through countless dangers to ascend the mountain. On the mountain top, near the cave entrance, he used his last remaining strength to slowly make his way in.

The inside of the cave was completely dark and one would not be able to even see their own fingers. Ren Zu walked in the darkness. Sometimes, he would bump into things not knowing what they were. This caused himself to get injured and wounded all over. At times, he felt that this dark cave was huge beyond words as if this was a world of its own. He felt as if he was the only person in the area.

He spent a lot of time but he could not walk out of the darkness. Not to mention subduing the twoGuworms.

Just when he was at a loss about what to do, two voices spoke to him from the darkness.

One voice said, "Human, you're here to catch us? Go back, for even if you had the StrengthGu, it would be impossible."

The other said, "Human, go back, we will not take your life. Even if you had the WisdomGuto help you, you may not be able to find us.

Ren Zu laid exhausted on the ground, panting. "The Strength and WisdomGuhad left me long ago and I do not have much lifespan left so I'm at my wits end. But as long as there's hope in my heart, I will not give up!"

Hearing Ren Zu's words, the two voices went silent.

After a while, one of theGusaid, "I understand, human, you have already given your heart to the HopeGu. You will not give up no matter what."

The other continued, "In that case, we shall give you a chance. As long as you can say our name, we will allow you to use us."

Ren Zu was stunned. To find their names among all the words in the world, it was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Furthermore, he did not even know how many words were in their names.

Ren Zu quickly asked the HopeGu, but it did not know either.

Ren Zu had no alternatives and had no choice but to randomly guess their names. He said many many names and wasted a lot of time but the darkness did not respond to him so evidently he was wrong.

Eventually, Ren Zu's breath got weaker as he turned from an old man into a dying man. It was like the scene of the evening's setting sun. The sun that would slowly descending had already been lowered halfway across the horizon, becoming a sunset.

The food he had brought was gradually reduced, his brain becoming slower and he barely had any energy to speak anymore.

The voice in the darkness urged, "Human, you are almost dead, so we will let you go. Using your remaining time, you can climb out of the cave and take a final look at the world. But you have offended us, and as punishment, the HopeGushall stay here as our companion."

Ren Zu clenched his heart and rejected, "Even if I die, I will not give up hope!"

The HopeGuwas very touched and answered Ren Zu's call enthusiastically, emitting a bright light. At Ren Zu's chest area, a light began to shine. But this light was too weak, it could not illuminate the darkness. In fact, it could not even cover Ren Zu's entire body, but only engulfed his chest area.

Yet Ren Zu could feel a renewed surge of energy gushing into his body from the HopeGu.

He continued to speak, shouting out names. But he was already muddled. A lot of names had already been said but he could not remember that and repeated them, wasting a lot of effort in the process.

As time continued to flow, Ren Zu's lifespan was almost over.

Finally, when he was on his final day, he said out the word 'Regulation'.

A sigh came from the darkness as a voice spoke, "Human, I admire your perseverance. You have said my name, so from today onwards, I will obey your commands. But only with my brother can I aid you in capturing all theGuin the world. Otherwise, with my ability alone, it is impossible. Thus, you should give up. You're almost dead, you might as well use this chance to take a final look at the world."

Ren Zu was determined and shook his head, he made use of all his time to continue saying out names as he tried to guess the otherGuworm's name.

Seconds and minutes went by and soon he only had one hour left.

But at this time, he unknowingly said the word 'Rule'.

Immediately, the darkness dissipated.

The twoGus appeared before him. As the HopeGuhad said, one was cubic, called 'Regulations'. The other was spherical, called 'Rules'. Together, they made up 'Rules and Regulations'.

The twoGusaid together, "No matter who it is, as long as they know our names, we will listen to them. Human, since you know our names already, we will be at your service. But you must remember, it is important to not let others know of our names. The more people that know our names, the more people we have to obey them. Now that you are the first to subdue us, tell us your request."

Ren Zu was overjoyed. "Then I order you both, go and catch me a LongevityGu."

The Rules and RegulationsGuworked together and captured an eighty-year LongevityGu.

Ren Zu was already a hundred years old but after consuming thisGu, the wrinkles on his face vanished and his frail limbs became muscular again. A vibrant aura of youth oozed from him.

With a belly flop, he jumped up onto his feet.

He ecstatically looked at his body, knowing that he had regained the body of a twenty year old!

"That's all for today, let's go home, grandson." The old man, having completed the story, finished his wine as well.

"Grandpa, continue telling me, what happens to Ren Zu after?" The grandson was unyielding as he shook his grandfather's arm.

"Let's go, I'll tell you when there's another chance." The old man wore his straw hat and jacket, then gave his grandson another set that was a smaller size.

The two walked out of the inn, stepping into the rain and slowly vanishing from sight.

"Rules and Regulations…" Fang Yuan's gaze was dark as he twirled his wine cup, looking at the liquor in his cup. His heart was touched.

Ren Zu's legend was widespread throughout this world and there were almost no people who did not know of him. Fang Yuan had naturally heard of him too.

But no matter if it was a legend or a story, it was dependant on the knowledge of the reader. The grandfather and grandson earlier merely treated it as a story, but Fang Yuan could understand the deeper meaning.

Just like that Ren Zu.

When he did not know the rules and regulations, he explored in the dark. Sometimes he bumped into things, knocking into others, causing himself to get injured and look like a mess. And at times within a wider area, he got lost and confused, moving without a sense of direction or purpose.

This darkness was not purely black or the absence of light. Strength, wisdom and hope could not oppose it.

Only when Ren Zu knew of the rules and regulations and said their names did the darkness dissipate and invite light into Ren Zu's life.

The darkness was the darkness of the rules and regulations and the light was also the light of the rules and regulations.

Fang Yuan switched his gaze from his cup and looked outside through the window.

He saw that outside the window, the sky was still dark, the greenery abundant and the pelting rain flying by like mist. Close by, the bamboo tall-houses were lined up in a row, extending far out. On the road, several people walked, their feet stained with the mud from the rain. Some of them wore grayish green straw coats, while others carried yellow oiled cloth umbrellas.

Fang Yuan concluded, "This world's heaven and earth is like a huge chess board. All lifeforms are chess pieces, acting in accordance with their rules and regulations. The four seasons have their own rules and regulations, rotating between spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The flow of water has its own rules and regulations, flowing from high ground to low ground. Hot air has its own rules and regulations, floating upwards. Humans naturally also have their own rules and regulations."

"Everybody has their own standpoints, desires, and principles. For example, in the Gu Yu village, the servants lives are cheap while their master's lives are noble. This is a part of rules and regulations. Because of this, Shen Cui who wants to get close to the rich and affluent is doing her best to try and escape her servant status. Gao Wan tried all means and methods to please his master, using their authorities for himself."

"As for Uncle and Aunt, they gave in to greed, wanting to hoard my parent's inheritance. The Academy Elder wants to nurtureGumasters to maintain his position in the Academy."

"Everyone has their own rules and regulations, every profession has its own rules and regulations, and every society and group also have their own rules and regulations. Only by understanding the rules and regulations can we see the situation clearly from the side. Gone with the darkness and embrace the light, moving around the rules with much to spare."

Fang Yuan thought about his own situation, his heart already clear. "To the Mo family's head Gu Yue Mo Chen, it is to protect his family branch's prosperity and benefits. Mo Yan found trouble with me and that would be considered spoiling the rules, so for the sake of his family honor, he will not do anything to me. In fact, he might even compensate me."

"Actually the Mo family has great influence, so if they risk their reputation and are bent on punishing me, there is nothing I can do to resist them. However, Gu Yue Mo Chen is afraid. He is not afraid of himself breaking the rules, but he is afraid that others will follow in his footsteps. In a junior's scuffle, if the elders interfere, it would aggravate the situation. If it involved the higher ups, it'd pose a threat to the entire mountain village. Gu Yue Mo Chen's fear lied here. What if in future conflicts, others laid their hands on his grandson Gu Yue Mo Bei? In his entire family line there's only one male, so what would happen if he died? This kind of fear, maybe he doesn't realize it himself. He is only subconsciously protecting the rules."

Fang Yuan's eyes were clear as he had the perfect grasp and understanding of the matter from start till the end.

Gao Wan's surname was not Gu Yue. Instead, he was an outsider, a servant.

The master executing a servant was nothing to be alarmed about. In this world, it was normal.

In the case of Fang Yuan killing Gao Wan, Gao Wan's death was not crucial. The crucial part was his master, the Mo family behind him.

"However Gu Yue Mo Chen should be able to understand my intention of compromise and threat from the time I sent a box of a minced corpse to them. This is also what I want him to think. If I'm not wrong, the Mo family will not pursue Gao Wan's death. Of course, if I had better talent and was at least a B grade, the Mo family would feel threatened. Even with the loss of their reputation, they would want to suppress a future threat such as myself," Fang Yuan snickered in his heart.

Strength can be relied on but weakness can also be used as an advantage.

Although Fang Yuan was in the game of chess as a pawn, he was clear of the rules and regulations, thus he already had the mentality of a player.

An ordinary character would at most be like Gu Yue Mo Chen or the Academy Elder, also knowing their own rules and regulations but unsure of their non-expertise. Being like Fang Yuan, who had a clear view of the big picture and was clear of rules and regulations was extremely difficult!

To understand rules and regulations, one has to be like Ren Zu, stumbling around in the dark and wandering about aimlessly.

At this point, strength, wisdom, and hope would be useless. One must spend a lot of time going through it themselves and gaining the experience.

For Ren Zu to be able to say out the names of the Rules and RegulationsGu, this was after spending time. Under the threat of death, he had tried countless of times.

Fang Yuan was an expert in rules and regulations due to his five hundred years of experience in from past life.

After his rebirth, he believed that he could create a brilliant future. Not because of the Spring and Autumn Cicada, not because he knew many secret troves and treasures, not because he knew what the future held.

But because of the five hundred years of experience that he had gained as a person.

Just like how Ren Zu controlled the Rules and RegulationsGuand was able to easily capture all theGuin the world!

And Fang Yuan was so familiar with rules and regulations, thus he was able to look down upon the world and see through its truths and lies. Being meticulous and precise, or getting right to the heart of the matter. I proudly laugh as I stand on top of the world, coldly looking at the people in the world who behaved like pawns, obeying their respective rules and regulations, living their lives in a straightforward manner.

The rules and regulations of the darkness is darkness, and the rules and regulations of the light is light.

But the reborn demon had stepped foot under the path of light.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 39 – Toad Caravan Merchant

The month of May was a transition between spring and summer.

The fragrance of flowers filled the air, the huge mountains evergreen and the sunlight began to gradually release its ardent side.

Under the clear azure skies, the white clouds drifted like cotton.

On Qing Mao Mountain, the bamboo forest was straight like spears as always, pointing towards the blue sky. Weeds grew wildly everywhere, and unknown varieties of wild flowers dotted the grass thicket. As the light breeze blew, the wild grass moved to and fro, the heavy fragrance of flower pollen and the smell of green grass assailing visitors.

Halfway up the mountain was a huge number of terraced fields. Layer by layer, step by step, the soft green wheat sprouts were planted down. From afar, it looked like a verdant green sea.

On the terraced fields were numerous farmers busily working away. There were some farmers cleaning the canal for the channeling of water to irrigate the fields, while some farmers were rolling up their trousers, standing in the fields and planting sprouts.

These people were naturally all mortal outsiders as the Gu Yue clansmen would never have do these lowly jobs.

Ring, ring…

The sound of camel bells could be faintly heard in the spring breeze.

The farmers straightened their bodies as they headed down the mountain, only to see a caravan moving like a colorful worm from the mountain side, slowly showing its head.

"It's the merchant caravan!"

"Yes, it's already May, it is about time for the caravan to come."

The adults caught on the situation at once, and the children stopped playing with the water and clay in their hands. Together, they energetically approached the caravan.

The Southern Borders had a hundred thousand mountains – Qing Mao Mountain was just one of them. On every mountain, there were villages after villages, which were maintained by everyone through their blood relationships and kinships.

In between the mountains, the forests were deep and ominous, the cliffs steep and full of the dangerous falling rocks. Additionally, in the complex surroundings of the forest dwelled a large number of ferocious beasts and peculiarGuworms.

Mortals could not pass through at all. It was difficult to get past these obstacles alone, one had to at least be a Rank threeGuMaster.

Because of the poor economy, trading was difficult. Thus, the most important form of trading was through the caravan merchants. Only by organizing a merchant group in such a large scale couldGuMasters come together with the power to help each other, conquering the difficulties in the traveling routes and traversing from one mountain to another.

The merchant caravan's arrival was like a bowl of boiling water that poured into the peaceful and serene Qing Mao Mountain.

"All these past years they would come in April, but this year they only arrived in May. At least they're here now." The owner of the inn let out a deep breath upon hearing the news. The inn's business was poor in the other months, so only when the caravan came could he earn enough profit to last the year.

At the same time, there was some green bamboo wine within his storage that he could sell to the caravan merchants.

Besides the inn, the business at the tavern would also boom as a result.

The caravan merchants entered the Gu Yue mountain village one by one, lead by a Treasure Brass Toad. This toad was two and a half meters tall, its entire body orange-yellow in color. The back of the toad was thick and full of warts and knots. It was like the lumps of bronze nails on ancient city gates.

On the Treasure Brass Toad's back, thick ropes were tied around plenty of goods. At a glance, it seemed like the toad was carrying a giant backpack.

A middle-aged man with a circular face full of pockmarks sat cross-legged atop the toad. He was fat and had a large belly. Both of his eyes formed into slits when smiling. He cupped his fists as he greeted the surrounding Gu Yue villagers.

This man's name was Fu of the Jia clan. His cultivation was at Rank four and he was the leader of the merchant caravan this time.

The treasure toad hopped slightly as it moved forward but Jia Fu who was sitting on its head was stable and steady. When the toad hopped, his height would level with the windows on the second floor of a building. Even when he was back on the ground, he was at a height greater than the first level of the bamboo buildings.

The originally spacious streets were suddenly rather packed and narrow. The Treasure Brass Toad was like a beast that intruded into the midst of a great number of bamboo houses.

After the treasure toad was a huge fat worm. It had two eyes that were similar to multi-colored glass windows, the colors bright and gorgeous. The worm was fifteen meters long, its body shape resembling a silkworm. However, the surface of the worm was covered in a thick layer of black porcelain-like leather armor. On the armor was another abundant pile of goods and merchandise, a hemp rope tied around it. In between the gaps and intervals of the goods,GuMasters sat one by one, some old and some young.

There were also mortals who were robust and sturdy martial warriors, slowly moving forward on the ground following after a fat black beetle.

After the fat beetle, there were ostriches with brightly colored feathers, hairy mountain spiders, winged snakes with two pairs of feathered wings and so on. However, these were in small numbers, most of the creatures were toads.

These toads were all similar to the Treasure Brass Toad, but they were smaller in size and had the build of cows and horses. The toads were carrying merchandise and people, their bellies bulging as they hopped forward.

The merchant caravan wound deep into the village.

Children on the road would look on curiously with wide eyes, calling out in joy or exclaiming in surprise.

The windows on the second stories opened one after another, the mountain villagers observing the merchants from a short distance. Some had eyes that flashed with fear and some others waved their hands to express a warm welcome.

"Old brother Jia, you came a little late this year, you must have had a hard journey." Approaching with the identity of a clan head, Gu Yue Bo came out himself to greet the leader of this year's merchant caravan.

As Jia Fu had the status of a Rank fourGuMaster, if a Rank three elder were to be in charge of receiving him, it would be undoubtedly be seen as a kind of negligence and scorn.

Jia Fu cupped his fists and sighed, "This year's road was rather unfavorable. On the way we bumped into a group of Secluded Blood Bats and we lost quite a few good men. Then on Jue Bi Mountain we ran into a mountain fog, and we didn't dare to continue traveling at all. So we were delayed for quite a lot of time, and caused Brother Gu Yue to wait for quite awhile."

As they spoke, their tones were very polite.

The Gu Yue village needed the merchant caravans every year to come and trade, and the merchant caravan also needed business to make money.

"Heh heh heh, it's good enough that you are able to come. Please, the clan has prepared food and wine, let me host a welcoming dinner for you, old brother," Gu Yue Bo stretched out his hand and said invitingly.

"Clan head is polite, too polite." Jia Fu was flattered.

The merchant caravan arrived at the boundaries of the Qing Mao Mountain in the early morning, and by afternoon they were stationed in the Gu Yue Village. When it was dusk, the surroundings of the village had formed into a widespread area of temporary shops and stores. All kinds of red, blue, yellow and green lofty tents were built and every inch between the tents was squeezed with numerous little street stalls.

The night was descending, yet it was still brightly lit in the area.

An endless stream of pedestrians spilled into the area from the village. There were mortals as well asGuMasters. The little children hopped around in high spirits, and the adults showed an expression of joy akin to celebrating a festival.

Fang Yuan moved along with the crowd, walking alone.

The crowd was bustling with activity, groups of people either surrounding the stalls or endlessly pouring in and out of the entrance of the tents.

The surroundings were filled with the shouts of merchants hawking their wares.

"Come, come, take a look. Top notch Blue Sea Cloud tea brick, drinking this tea makes one as cheerful as a fairy! Even if it's not a person drinking, it can be used for feeding and raising teaGu, it is a cheaply priced item for its value. One piece only costs five primeval stones!"

"Brute Force Longhorn BeetleGu, aGuMaster who uses thisGuwill be able to burst out with the strength of a cow. You can walk away, but don't regret it!"

"Intimate Grass, high quality Intimate Grass. Everyone look at this quality, it's as fresh as if a newly picked one. One catty for two pieces of primeval stones, very cheap price…"

As Fang Yuan heard this, his footsteps paused slightly, then he followed the sound and walked over.

He saw an ostrich pulling a handcart with two wheels. On the handcart was a heap of pastel green herbs. Every blade of grass was a meter in length, slender and long. Their average width was around that of a fingernail. On some of the pointed tips of the grass grew red heart-shaped flower buds.

The Intimate Grass was one of aGuworm's supplementary food type, its worth was stemmed from the fact that it could be used to pair up with a few other foods to feed aGuworm.

For example, Fang Yuan needed to give two pieces of flower petals every meal to the MoonlightGuwhen feeding it. If he mixed in a blade of Intimate Grass, the MoonlightGuwould be full just from eating one petal.

The Intimate Grass only costs two pieces of primeval stones per catty, while the moon orchid petal cost a primeval stone for every ten pieces. With a simple calculation, one would know that mixing the Intimate Grass in to feed theGuwould be more cost-effective.

"Half a month ago, because I used the MoonlightGuin the academy to kill Gao Wan, I was fined thirty primeval stones. However the Mo family paid me thirty primeval stones later as compensation, so I didn't really take any losses. In recent days I have robbed twice, my total number of stones amounts to 118. However, recently I continuously spent essence to refine middle stage primeval essence and nurture the four walls of my aperture, and I would use up three pieces of stones every day. Adding on the costs of feedingGu, my own daily expenses and successively buying green bamboo wine, I have ninety-eight pieces at hand right now."

Ever since Fang Yuan killed a person, the cruel and callous image had deeply rooted itself into the hearts of the students and for a time no one dared to challenge him. This led to his plundering becoming much easier, as every time only a very small number would dare to resist.

Fang Yuan calculated in his heart, then he moved his line of sight and continued walking deeper into the heart of the setup of temporary stores.

The Intimate Grass stall was surrounded by a group of people. They were all eitherGuMasters or students, holding primeval stones in their hands as they shouted and rushed to buy it.

It was not that Fang Yuan lacked the money to buy Intimate Grass, but he had no time.

"If memory serves, that Mudskin Toad should be in that store. In my previous life there was aGuMaster who got it from gambling on the first night, hence he earned big time. I must hurry, I cannot lose a great deal through trying to save a little."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 40 – ToadGuSlumbering Within the Purple Gold Rock

The further one walked, the more flourishing and prosperous it was. Small street vendors lessened while large tents increased in number.

There were all sorts of large tents to be seen – red, blue, green, yellow, in different shapes and sizes, several being a cylindrical shape. Some erected two door pillars at the entrance of their tents, while others hung large red lanterns instead. Inside, some tents had vibrants lights, whereas others were dim and dark.

Fang Yuan observed his surroundings as he walked, finally stopping near a grey-coloured tent.

"It's here," he evaluated while looking at the tent; it had two pillars at the entrance, and there were carvings on the pillars, two lines of antithetical couplet(1).

The left side wrote, "Small display of courage, obtain good fortune during the four seasons."

The right side wrote, " Large display of skills, obtain good prosperity in all four directions."

In the middle there was still another line: "Luck changes with time."

That's right, this is a gambling den.

This gambling den took around one mu(2) of land; it was considered a large-sized tent.

Fang Yuan walked inside. Inside of the tent, there was three rows of counters on a side. On the counter were pieces of amber or fossils. Some were as big as a palm, others were as big as a face. There were also others which were even bigger; those were as tall as a person. It obviously could not fit on the counter, thus it was directly placed on the ground.

Different from the other tent shops, it was silent in here.

SeveralGumasters stood before the counters, some meticulously observing rocks on the display counter while others took the fossils and rubbed it in their hand to get a feel of it. There were some that were discussing quietly with their companions, and some were discussing the price with their shop clerks.

But no matter what they discussed, they spoke softly, doing their best not to disturb others.

This was a rock gambling den.

In theGuworld, there were all types ofGu, coming with different shapes and sizes and all sorts of effects.Guworms have their respective food to consume. Without food, they can only last a short amount of time before dying.

But nature, towards lifeforms, was both uncaring and benevolent.

If they lacked food, theGuworms still have a chance of survival. That was to hibernate, undergoing self-sealing.

For example, if the MoonlightGudid not have Moon Orchid petals to consume, it may undergo self-sealing. It will try to maximise the conservation of its strength, like winter hibernation, falling into a deep slumber. At this time, not only would the blue glow on its body dissipate, it would also turn from a transparent crystal state into a grey rock, covered in a layer of rock shell. Eventually, the rock crust will get thicker and turn into a boulder.

Or for example the Liquor Worm, if it underwent self-sealing, it would form a white cocoon around it, curling its body and falling into a deep sleep within the cocoon.

Of course this situation of sealing and hibernating may not happen to everyGuworm. It has a small chance of occurrence, and in most cases, theGuworm will not fall into hibernation but instead starve to death. Only a small number ofGuworms may, under specific situations, undergo self-sealing.

A fewGuMasters who accidentally obtain these sealedGuworms' rocks or cocoons would awaken theGuworms that were slumbering within. Thus they would have a stroke of fortune. Some of theGumasters became successful due to this, it being a turning point in their lives. These situations happen frequently in theGuMaster world, often being fake or real rumors, giving people hopes and dreams.

The source of the idea behind this rock gambling den originated from these rumours. Of course, these rocks all looked alike on the outside. Only after opening them can one determine if there really is aGuworm hidden inside.

"In a small-sized rock gambling den like this, nine out of ten rocks are solid core, having noGuworms inside. Even if there areGuworms inside the rock, they may not be living worms, most of them are deadGu. But once someone hits the jackpot of a liveGu, under most situations, one would be able to earn a huge fortune. If theGuworm is a rare species, they either become a successful person in life or get murdered and robbed of their fortune."

Fang Yuan was clear about this in his heart, being very familiar with the situation beyond these doors.

In his past life, he had participated in a merchant caravan before, being a clerk in the rock gambling den. Some time later, he even operated his own rock gambling den, even larger than this one; it was a medium-sized rock gambling den. He managed to con some gamblers, and also misjudged at times, allowing other gamblers to win a preciousGuworm.

Fang Yuan stood at the door for a while, taking a glance around him before slowly walking to the counter on the left side.

Behind the counter, there was a shop assistant every few metres, both males and females. On their waist hung a green coloured belt, showing that they were not ordinary people but Rank oneGumasters. Most were initial stages, while a selected few were middle stages.

Seeing Fang Yuan before a counter, a femaleGuMaster who was nearest by walked towards him and smiled, softly saying, "Young master, whatGuworm do you need? Every rock on this counter is sold at ten primeval stones each. If this is your first try, just for the sake of it, why don't you go to the right counter, the rocks there are sold at only five primeval stones. If you are seeking thrills, you can go to the high-end counter at the middle, the rocks sold there are at twenty primeval stones each."

This was an experienced femaleGuMaster, having worked at the rock gambling den for quite some time already.

She looked at Fang Yuan who entered, and determined that he was a student from his appearance, age and height etc.

Those that came to gamble were allGuMasters. Students were only considered second-rateGuMasters, just starting their cultivation. Because they're often tight on finance due to feeding theirGuworms, where would they find the money to come and gamble rocks?

Students like this, normally they just came to take a look and to get an eye-opening experience, satisfying their curiosity. Most were only window shoppers, though if some had well to do families, they might attempt to buy one to try. But most only bought the cheapest fossil.

Thus, the femaleGuMaster had no expectations towards how many rocks Fang Yuan could buy.

"Let me look around first." Fang Yuan nodded at her expressionlessly, then started to look seriously into the pile.

In his memory, it should be at this counter in this particular rock gambling den.

But it had been 500 years, it's been too long. Many things were vague to him already, especially when 500 years of memory was a huge capacity, so to be honest Fang Yuan could not remember distinctly.

He could only vaguely recall, that during this year on the first night the caravan arrived, a lucky bird spent ten primeval stones to buy a fossil with purple gold lustre.

After he opened it on the spot, he obtained a Mudskin Toad. Afterwards this toadGuwas bought by another person, thus causing him to earn a small fortune of primeval stones.

Fang Yuan frowned after observing for a while.

On this counter, fossils with a purple gold glow numbered up to twenty. In which rock was there a hidden Mudskin Toad?

Every rock here was sold at ten primeval stones each. Right now Fang Yuan had ninety-eight primeval stones with him, and he could buy up to a maximum of nine pieces.

But realistically, he could not count like this.

In any sort of risk and gamble, one had to consider the consequences.

Fang Yuan was no longer a greenhorn, like those gamblers who thought they were blessed by heaven. Those who thought they were blessed by fate were usually those who fell under the mischief of fate itself.

"I am alone, with no relatives or friends that can help me. I have to save some primeval stones to survive, as well as to buy food for myGuworms." He counted and under the most basic reservation, he could buy at most seven pieces of fossils.

"This rock, the purple gold is dotted like the stars, but it's flat as a pancake, there's definitely no mudskin toad inside."

"This piece has striking purple gold colour, but it is only fist sized. if there really is a mudskin toad inside, the rock should be at least 30% larger."

"This purple gold fossil, well it's big, but the surface is extremely smooth, while the mudskin toad's skin is supposed to be rough and uneven, this is evidently not the one……"

Fang Yuan continued to observe and evaluate, using the method of cancellation.

WhenGuworms hibernate after self sealing, they would form into a natural fossil, being undetectable from most of the world's detection methods. The remaining detecting methods were too rough, and once used, it would instantly kill theGuworm within that is barely alive.

Thus, whenGuMasters choose rocks, they could only rely on their guessing, experience and luck, sometimes relying on a little bit of instinct.

Otherwise, this would not be called gambling.

Of course, in this wide wide world, there are countless wonders, and one cannot exclude the fact that a detection method which is extremely gentle exists, allowing aGuMaster to know if the rock contains aGuworm.

Fang Yuan had heard of such rumors in his past life, but after experimenting, found that it was all lies.

Fang Yuan assumed privately, "If such a method really exists, it has to be a hidden legacy, controlled in the hands of a small number of mysterious people, having no impact on the gambling business."

It was still tame around the Qing Mao mountain region, but the more one moves east, the more prosperous gambling dens become. At the Bai Tou(3) mountain region, every family village had its own gambling den. In some large-sized forts, there were even large-sized gambling dens built. The three villages that were famous for their rock gambling were Pan Shi (4) Village, Gu Mu (5) Village and Cang Jing (6) Village, where there were even mega-sized gambling dens.

These three mega-sized gambling dens each had a thousand years of history. Currently, their business was still blooming, with an endless number of gamblers. There had never been a situation of clean sweep by anyone.

Currently, the tent that Fang Yuan was in can only be barely qualified as a small-sized gambling den.

If it was any other 15 year old who came, they would definitely be confused by all the different fossils, and even if they chose it, it would be by random guessing.

But Fang Yuan was different.

Firstly, he already knew a portion of the answer from the start, thus his search range shrunk to less than thirty pieces.

Of course, to find that one rock out of these twenty odd pieces was extremely difficult as well. But using his five hundred years of experience as backing, with such a rich pool of information he picked out six pieces of purple gold fossils that best fit the criteria after observing for a while.

He had an 80% chance of confidence that the mudskin toad was hibernating within one of these six fossils!

(1) Antithetical couplet:https/en./wiki/Antithetical_couplet

(2) Mu (亩): 1 Mu is 666 meters

(3) Bai Tou directly means White Head,(4)Pan Shi is Monolith, (5)Gu Mu means Ancient Grave and (6)Cang Jing is Pale Whale. To be honest most of these mountains will never appear again, so you don't have to remember them.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 41: Dissecting Rocks

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

"I want to purchase some rocks." Having picked his targets, Fang Yuan said to the female Gu Master.

"Newbie!" The female Gu Master immediately thought.

Even the shittiest gamblers would pay very close observation when they wanted to buy the rocks. First they would look carefully, then place the stones in their palms and rub to feel the surface and its weight. Even after such actions, if they find that the feeling is off, they would give up. No one would say 'purchase' at the start.

And for such a type like Fang Yuan, who said 'purchase' upfront, he is undeniably a newbie who is having his first rock gambling experience.

Although the female Gu Master thought this, she did not show any difference in her expression, but continued to smile like a flower, saying softly to Fang Yuan, "Then which piece are you choosing?"

Fang Yuan pointed and said, "This piece."

She immediately retrieved it.

Fang Yuan pointed again and said, "This piece."

She felt perplexed, not expecting this youngster to buy two pieces.

"It seems like this youngster is the type to gamble heavily," she evaluated mentally.

But next, Fang Yuan pointed yet again, "And this piece, that piece, I'm buying them all."

The female Gu Master was stunned, feeling extremely surprised, she could not help but assess Fang Yuan again.

"It seems like this ordinary looking youngster has a really good family background. Otherwise, how would any ordinary Gu Master have the spare cash to spend like this?" Thinking of it, the female Gu Master's smile became more gentle and friendly. To think that the youngster in front of her was a real customer.

This was an unexpected joy!

However, Fang Yuan surprised her once again as he pointed to the furthest purple gold rock, "Oh yeah, and those two pieces as well."

The female Gu Master could not help but feel shocked internally, "Which young master is this from the Gu Yue Village? It looks like he's the main family branch's inheritor. If I can hook up with him, I may not need to stay here and slog as a shop clerk anymore."

With this thought, the female Gu Master's smile became even more gentle and she even looked towards Fang Yuan seductively.

Six rocks were placed in front of Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan took out sixty primeval stones and passed it to the female Gu Master.

His act of payment attracted the attention of all the other Gu Masters in the tent.

"Oh? Someone is going to rock gamble."

"We've been watching for over an hour, but we haven't acted yet. Now that someone is giving it a try, we might as well watch."

"It's a student, he actually took out sixty primeval rocks at once, his family must be affluent. He looks like a greenhorn, hmph, gambling rocks isn't so easy. He's gonna get hurt real bad."

The Gu Masters stood on the spot, discussing softly, all directing their gaze towards Fang Yuan.

"Young master, do you want to open the rocks on the spot? Our gambling den provides free service to open the rocks." The female Gu Master gently advised, sending seductive glances with her eyes.

Fang Yuan used the corner of his eye to take a look at the crowd, his lips curling into a mysterious smile. He waved his hand, rejecting the female Gu Master. "Purple gold is my lucky color, and this is my first time betting, it is very meaningful. I'll open the rocks myself!"

The female Gu Master's eyes shone brighter, thinking, this heroic demeanour, as expected of a rich young master.

Never in her dreams would she be able to imagine that Fang Yuan could be said to be kinless in Gu Yue village, a drifter with no backing, having to rely on himself for everything.

"Tsk, so what if you have money."

"I wonder which rich kid this is, coming here to waste his parent's hard earned money!"

"Ignorant young lad, how can one choose the rocks based on lucky color, sigh, this act is simply akin to throw primeval stones into the water, and waiting to see the ripples for fun."

The Gu Masters in the tent lost their excitement at once. After thinking that Fang Yuan was a prodigal son, their already low expectations vanished into thin air.

Some Gu Masters even retracted their gaze and turn around to continue inspecting the fossils on the counter.

The changes to his surroundings did not affect Fang Yuan's state of mind at all. He expressionlessly activated the primeval essence within his primeval sea, pouring it into the Moonlight Gu.

The next moment, the crescent mark on his right palm emitted a faint water-like blue light.

Fang Yuan used this right hand to grab a purple gold rock, holding it in his palm. Next he closed his fingers and slowly rubbed against the surface of the fossil.

The blue light continued to shine, the waves of light rippling like water as the purple gold rock shrunk in size, large amounts of powder from rock shavings falling out from the gaps of Fang Yuan's fingers, landing on the carpet of the tent.

"Young master has good handiwork!" The female Gu Master took the chance and immediately praised.

"This youngster, he isn't a good-for-nothing. What great skills." Seeing this sight, the Gu Masters' eyes shone across with a complicated glint. They had started to see Fang Yuan in a new light.

Fang Yuan used the blue light to rub against the surface of the rock; this was a form of meticulous usage of the Moonlight Gu. Normally, one would have to use the Moonlight Gu for two to three years to be able to reach this level.

With Fang Yuan's age and student identity, being able to do this is really remarkable.

"See, he's using our Gu Yue clan's specialty, the Moonlight Gu." Some of the Gu Masters found this and instantly felt proud, gaining affection for Fang Yuan.

"But opening the rocks with this method, it's still too rough." Some of the older and more experienced Gu Masters shook their heads.

The purple gold rock got smaller and smaller, from being slightly larger than a palm into the size of a fist, being gripped tightly by Fang Yuan's fingers.

The blue light intensified as the fossil became pearl-sized. Until finally, what was left was a pile of rock powder, falling on the carpet to form a small hill.

This was a solid rock, there was no Gu worm inside.

"As expected, he's unreliable." The Gu Masters shook their heads.

"Young master, there's still five pieces left," the female Gu Master encouraged.

Fang Yuan's expression was calm, being completely unaffected. He grabbed the second piece of purple gold rock and continued to grind. But the result of this piece was still a solid rock; there was no Gu worm inside.

The third piece was still the same.

The Gu Masters grew impatient. "Stop looking. By relying on color to pick the rocks, there's no point in this gamble."

"If he can get a good Gu from this, I'll eat the pile of rock powder on the floor!" Someone laughed insultingly.

"Don't lose heart young master, isn't there 3 pieces left, you're only halfway through," the female Gu Master continued to edge Fang Yuan on.

Fang Yuan grabbed the fourth piece, and when he got it to palm size, he suddenly stopped all action.

"Oh? There's something!"

"The rock composition changed, it's not purple gold sediments, but a kind of ink-black colour."

"Don't tell me he really got super lucky from blinding guessing?"

The surrounding Gu Masters exclaimed lightly.

"Young master, you have to be careful from here onwards. Don't make sudden movements, hibernating Gu worms are very fragile. If you use too much strength, you'll kill the Gu worm inside." The female Gu Master did not expect such a situation to occur. After getting stunned for a moment, she immediately advised carefully.

Fang Yuan's movements slowed, his fingers slowly rubbing as small powder slowly fell. Continuously repeating the action with many intervals, he was no longer as fluid as earlier.

The black coloured rock powder slowly fell off, and as the rock got smaller, Fang Yuan's movements became slower and gentler.

On the carpet, the rock powder continued to gather as Fang Yuan's black colored rock was finally scrapped clean.

"Sigh, what a pity, it's a rock in a rock."

"What a waste of my emotions, I really thought there was a Gu worm inside."

"You are all too easy to fool, is rock betting so easy? Nine out of ten are all empty, how else is the shop going to make money?"

"Young master, your luck is already not bad. Getting a rock in rock the first time, normal people cannot do it." The female Gu Master tried another way to console Fang Yuan, similarly it was to pave way for the result that awaited him.

Getting nothing out of gambling rocks was very common, a nine out of ten occurrence. In her opinion, Fang Yuan was choosing at random, the chance of getting a Gu fossil was close to zero.

Fang Yuan smiled but did not reply, and he continued to take out the fifth rock.

He carefully grinded, and in ten breath's time, the surface of purple gold coloured rock were all rubbed away, revealing a rough-surfaced yellow mud ball.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 42: It really is a Gu?!

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

"Eh?"

"Don't tell me it's another rock in the rock."

"By the looks of it, probably. But it's a little strange, this mudball is enclosed by a purple gold rock surface. The mudball surface should be compressed smoothly, so why is the surface still uneven?" The surrounding Gu Masters were perplexed.

Looking at the mudball in his hands, Fang Yuan's expression did not change, but in his heart he was slightly moved.

He continued to grind. Under the blue watery light, the powdery sand fell off. Among the powder, there were some soil crumbs mixed in it, falling onto the pile of rock powder beside his leg.

"Don't tell me there's really something?!" Upon seeing this, some of the Gu Masters stared with their eyes wide-opened.

"It's hard to say," someone spoke with an uncertain tone.

"I feel like there is, there's really something." Another spoke softly.

The yellow mudball gradually decreased in size due to the friction, and when it was palm-sized, someone barged into the tent. "Young lad, hold up. I, Jia Jin Sheng, will be buying it!"

Fang Yuan's movement came to a halt, at once , the Gu Masters in the tent all focused their attention on this person.

He looked young on the outside, his appearance around twenty to twenty-five years old. He wore a golden-coloured robe with a lace belt on his waist, and on the belt there was a square shaped jade piece. There was a word across the piece of jade, showing the letter "One".

Evidently, this was a Rank one Gu Master.

To still be a Rank one Gu Master at twenty years old, it seems that his talent isn't good.

But the status of this person was rather unique. Seeing him, the Gu Masters in the tent all bowed and greeted him, saying together, "Your subordinate greets you, second young master."

"Second young master?"

"He called himself Jia Jin Sheng earlier, is he the half-brother of the Merchant Caravan Leader, Jia Fu……"

"This means to say, this rock gambling den is opened by him. But now that he appeared to interfere, it seems that he's breaking the gambling den's rules," the Gu Masters softly conversed.

"That's right, I am this shop's shopkeeper. Little brother(1), coming out to gamble at such a young age, aren't you afraid of your family's scolding? I will offer forty primeval stones now to buy that mudball in your hand. What do you think? Forty primeval stones is a lot already and there may not be a Gu inside, but today I am in a good mood. Thus seeing that this is your first time gambling, I don't want you to lose everything, so I'll give you a portion of your capital back." Jia Jin Sheng quickly walked in front of Fang Yuan and said.

"Forty primeval stones?" Fang Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly and took a look at Jia Jin Sheng with the corner of his eye, coldly laughing, "It seems you want to forcefully buy the mudball fossil in my possession? Forceful purchase is spoiling the gambling den's rules. Furthermore you're now on Qing Mao Mountain, you want to bully a Gu Yue clansman like me in front of everyone? "

"Oh?" On hearing Fang Yuan's last sentence, all the other Gu Masters could not take it and animosity grew uncontrollably in them as they looked towards Fang Yuan's direction. Their expression towards Jia Jin Sheng also became unfriendly.

Jia Jin Sheng had thought a fifteen year old like Fang Yuan would be easy to deal with, easily persuaded with a few words. But to think this Fang Yuan had such capabilities, and with a single sentence, he caused Jia Jin Sheng to be in such a predicament.

Seeing the Gu Masters getting ready to interfere, Jia Jin Sheng's expression changed immediately as he changed his tone, quickly waving his hands, "Little brother, you're mistaken! I am the shopkeeper of this gambling den, how could I ruin my own reputation by breaking my own rules? How would I be able to conduct business in the future? Hehehe. I just found your mudball a little interesting, thus I wanted to buy it. If you do not wish to sell it, that's fine. But if there's nothing inside later, don't blame me for not reminding you."

Fang Yuan paid no more attention to him. He turned around and continued to focus on grinding the mudball in his hands.

His movements were very slow and very meticulous. Often, there was only a hint of dry soil powder falling off after a moment or so. Following his movement, a hibernating Gu worm

gradually appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

"My god, there really is a Gu worm!"

"He really opened a Gu!"

"What the hell, this sort of method of gambling can also work?"

"This young man's luck is off the charts, he actually managed to forcefully luck out on getting a Gu."

Immediately, the Gu Masters' exasperation filled the tent.

The female Gu Master subconsciously covered her mouth, being unable to believe the scene before her.

As shop clerk, along the way she had been to many mountain villages, seen all sorts of people and all kinds of customers, but she had never seen such a comedic scene.

"There is really a Gu!" Cold light flashed across Jia Jin Sheng's eyes as he hated and regretted in his heart. The thing he hated most, was to be taken advantage of.

This gambling den that he opened, he had placed many surveillance methods. Once a customer was about to open a Gu, he'd receive the news and would normally forcefully buy it.

But now Fang Yuan was inside his gambling den, getting a Gu under his very eyes. Jia Jin Sheng could feel his heart bleeding.

What he obtained, was a toad Gu.

Its entire body was yellow from head to foot. The belly was light yellow, and its back was brownish yellow, covered with many pimply boils, full of nodules and warts which were a distinctive characteristic of the toad species. At one glance, it looked slightly horrifying.

It was not big, being only palm-sized. Holding it in the palm was akin to holding two to three eggs.

Fang Yuan's expression was calm under all sorts of admiration, envy and exasperation, carefully deploying his primeval essence and injecting it into the toad's body.

At this moment, the Gu was being refined by Fang Yuan.

Gu worms obtained from within fossils are normally extremely weak. Not only do they have little to no strength left, their consciousness is also lazy, leaving them defenseless and unable to resist. Thus, they can be easily refined by the Gu masters.

Upon being awakened by Fang Yuan, the toad Gu opened its eyes slowly, and its belly slightly vibrated, softly calling out.

Croak.

Its voice was soft but it made everyone's expression very interesting.

The difference in value between a Gu that was alive against one that was dead was huge.

"It's a live Gu, he really opened a live Gu!!" Someone rubbed his eyes, unable to believe this.

"This is the Mudskin Toad, damn it, it really is the Mudskin Toad!" Someone recognised the toad Gu's identity and screamed agitatedly.

"This young man really has got luck, why don't I have such luck on my side!" Someone sighed, filled with complicated emotions such as envy, jealousy and hatred.

"Young master, congratulations! This, this, this is to date, my first time seeing such a precious Gu worm!" The female Gu Master was shocked beyond words, her eyes glistening with life.

"It's actually the Mudskin Toad! This is a rare Rank two Gu worm, its value worth five hundred primeval stones. Damn it, damn. Someone actually managed to open such a Gu worm in my shop. I've lost big time, big time!" Jia Jin Sheng's face was pale as he stared daggers at the toad, his heart having a strong urge to just snatch the Gu away.

But he knew he couldn't, for if he really did that, it would be asking for trouble.

This was not his family's village, but the Gu Yue clan's territory.

"Maybe I should've paid a bit more primeval stones, maybe he might have given it to me. That's right, he's just a student. If I offered a hundred primeval stones, there's no way he'd not be moved. Why didn't I do that?" Jia Jin Sheng was full of regret.

"No, maybe this young lad does not know his stuff. Even though he opened a Mudskin Toad, I should be able to suppress the price and buy it!" Jia Jin Sheng's heart had renewed hope.

But at the next moment, this hint of hope was mercilessly smashed by Fang Yuan's words.

Fang Yuan plainly looked at the Mudskin Toad in his hands, ignoring the surrounding people's praises and shock.

He used an extremely calm tone and said to Jia Jin Sheng, "Mudskin Toad, Rank two Gu worm, requires five hundred grams of yellow soil every meal, the more fertile the soil the better. Its species is few in number and it is the necessary main Gu in refining the Treasure Brass Toad. The market price is five hundred primeval stones. Jia Jin Sheng, do you want to buy this?"

"You, actually know so clearly……" Jia Jin Sheng mumbled. After such a shock, he could not say a word.

Fang Yuan laughed lightly and continued, "If you're unwilling, that's fine. I'll sell it to someone else, I'm sure someone will be interested."

"Hold it, wait, I'll buy it, I'll buy it. But can't this price be cheaper?" Jia Jin Sheng's smile turned bitter.

Fang Yuan turned around and walked away.

Jia Jin Sheng hurriedly chased after him. "Don't! Don't go! I'll buy, I'll buy it!"

Fang Yuan had no plans to nurture this Mudskin Toad.

It was a Rank two Gu, but Fang Yuan was still a Rank one initial stage. Although it ate yellow soil, Qing Mao Mountain was full of green soil, hence finding food for it would be troublesome.

Moreover, if he does not sell this Gu worm, Fang Yuan would have to feed three Gu worms himself. Putting aside the increased primeval stone expenditure, even the current amount of primeval stones in his possession would not be enough to feed them.

Thus, Fang Yuan's plan was to immediately sell away the Mudskin Toad, get the five hundred primeval stones and earn a fortune.

To a Rank one initial stage like Fang Yuan, five hundred primeval stones was considered a large amount already.

The transaction was quickly completed and Fang Yuan transferred the Mudskin Toad to Jia Jin Sheng in front of the crowd, at the same time accepting five heavy money bags. Each bag had a hundred primeval stones.

Fang Yuan originally had ninety-eight primeval stones, and after spending sixty on gambling rocks, he had thirty-eight left. Now, his fortune multiplied many times, and he owned five hundred and thirty-eight primeval stones.

Upon seeing this, many Gu masters turned green with envy.

Fang Yuan put the five bags in his bosom before taking the last piece of purple gold fossil and walked out of the tent.

"Young master, you're not opening that fossil?" The female Gu Master blinked rapidly and stared at Fang Yuan's back, loudly reminding him.

Fang Yuan paid no heed and left the gambling den without turning back.

He left behind a gang of stunned Gu Masters, staring at each other silently.

Jin Jia Sheng calling Fang Yuan little brother is a way of greeting; they are not related in any way.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 43: The final sixth purple gold rock

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The green copper primeval sea had tides rising and falling, ebbing and flowing.

Above the sea level, the Liquor worm curled into a ball, emitting the wine vapour that gradually developed into white mist.

A surge of primeval essence with a "swoosh", rushed up against the tide and into the wine mist. When the tide receded, there was already half left, and the colour was even darker. From initial stage jade green(1), it had converted into middle stage pale green.

Middle stage primeval essence fell into the sea, but it did not mix with the initial stage primeval essence. As if it was denser, it sank to the bottom.

Thus, the situation became that the upper layer of the primeval sea was filled with initial stage primeval essence, while the lower half was middle stage primeval essence.

As time flowed, the wine mist circulated within the aperture. Under the refinement of the Liquor worm, eventually, the initial stage primeval essence continued to decrease, while the middle stage primeval essence gradually increased.

It could be seen with the naked eye where the lower layer middle stage primeval essence gradually rose, while the upper layer initial stage primeval essence continued to decrease, but also rose in sea level.

As Fang Yuan refined his primeval essence, he extracted the natural essence from the primeval stones at the same time, quickly replenishing the dwindling primeval essence in his aperture.

Finally, the 45% primeval sea in his aperture was fully refined into middle stage primeval essence.

"Much thanks to the middle stage primeval essence, or else I would not have been able to open the rocks five times in the gambling den." Sitting in a lotus position on his bed, Fang Yuan gradually opened his eyes.

It was currently late at night.

After he walked out of the gambling den, he did not tour around any of the other shops, but instead headed back to the academy.

Although it was at the fringe of the Gu Yue Mountain Village, as a Rank one initial stage Gu master, owning five hundred and thirty eight primeval stones is still too much.

This is not only because the primeval stones were heavy and a hassle to bring around. It also attracts other people's coveting; in another sense, it would endanger his life.

If there was a Rank one upper stage, or even a Rank two who coveted his assets, with Fang Yuan's current ability he would not be able to contend.

"Wealth comes and goes, but humans die because of wealth, it's pathetic. What's laughable is that many people in this world cannot comprehend that. The boat of benefits carries many people, but has also sunk many others." Fang Yuan's lips curled into a cold smirk as he looked at the grey white primeval stones in his hands.

A complete primeval stone was around the size of a duck egg. But the stone in his hand, as it had been extracted of half of its essence, was an entire circle smaller.

Fang Yuan did not regret it.

Everything has its gains and losses. Fang Yuan was only a C grade talent, yet he was using the Liquor Gu to refine his primeval essence, and his primeval stones expenditure was multiple times of the people of his age. Yet it was because of this that he was able to overcome the lack of his talent. If the real cultivation pace could be counted, he would be able to rank first three.

Fang Yuan put the primeval stones back into his money bag and took out that final purple gold fossil.

He bought a total of six fossils at the gambling den and opened five on the spot, bringing the last one back with him.

His eyes shone as he activated the Moonlight Gu, grinding with five fingers, slowly dissecting the rock.

The purple gold fossil gradually shrunk under the blue ripples, and finally was grinded to nothingness, leaving behind a pile of powder on the ground.

Fang Yuan was not surprised, because in rock gambling, you lose nine out of ten times.

Even with his five hundred years of experience, he could only manage eight losses out of ten times. And in the remaining two times, it depended on whether it was a live Gu or a dead Gu.

Dead Gu had basically no value. As for live Gu, they might not be a rare type of Gu worm, and even if it was a tremendously precious Gu, one might attract a life-threatening crisis because of it.

Fang Yuan's current cultivation level was still very low, it was at the bottom tier of the Gu Masters. The Mudskin Toad that he obtained earlier, if it weren't for the fact that this was the Gu Yue Mountain Village, it might have been forcefully snatched away by that Jia Jin Sheng.

Gambling was never the way for developing family wealth, and in fact it was a bigger cause of bankruptcy and debt. This was not the development path that Fang Yuan wanted to take.

Although the final purple gold fossil did not have a Gu worm, Fang Yuan was not disappointed. In fact he looked at the pile of rock powder and gradually broke into a smile.

Indeed, his ultimate motive in entering the gambling den was all for this pile of rock powder. That Mudskin Toad was only something he had gotten out of convenience.

He privately opened the fossil, and other than him, nobody knew the truth of this result.

From that day forth, he could claim that the Liquor worm was awakened and subdued from the purple gold fossil.

This idea was fabulous.

Firstly, nobody could confirm what Gu worm really exists in the fossils. Who would dare say that the Liquor worm could not hibernate within the purple gold fossil? That's completely possible!

Secondly, he had several eyewitnesses. He opened the Mudskin Toad, which would've left a strong impression on the Gu Masters in the gambling den.

Thirdly, even if someone relentlessly questioned him, he could push everything onto his luck. Luck was something unfathomable. Even if someone suspected that this was the Flower Wine Monk's Liquor worm, against an excuse like 'luck' they'd have no idea how to argue against Fang Yuan.

Within the dark room, Fang Yuan's expression was ominous.

One-sided covering up was akin to covering fire with paper. There would be a day where he would be exposed.

To get rid of a hidden threat like the Liquor worm, he'd have to strike first. This is Fang Yuan's style.

Moreover, he had thought about it carefully, and in the cultivation process that was to follow, he would need to expose the Liquor worm.

"For a Rank one Gu like the Liquor worm, it is extremely precious to Rank one Gu Masters. But for Rank two Gu Masters, it is no longer compatible for them. Thus even if this was exposed, all I would get is some attention, but it would not affect the overall situation, thus becoming nothing to be concerned over. It is not like the Spring and Autumn Cicada. If the Spring and Autumn Cicada is exposed, I might die a horrible death at the very next moment."

Five hundred years of experience in handling problems had already made Fang Yuan extremely familiar with human mentality, with their every thought clear as day to him.

"The Flower Wine Traveler's legacy and the Mudskin Toad, among my memories these are the only two treasures here, and now that they have been obtained by me, what I can do next is only gradual and steadfast cultivation."

Fang Yuan sighed a deep breath and relaxed his body, feeling a strong sense of fatigue engulfing him.

A Gu Master's primeval sea cultivation could not replace sleep.

Fang Yuan pulled his blanket and lay down on his bed, his eyes still half open.

Although there were five hundred primeval stones hidden under the bed, as well as many pots of Green Bamboo Wine, he still felt a sense of urgency and danger.

These five hundred over primeval stones were already a form of limit. From flourish to decline, Fang Yuan was clear that henceforth his primeval stone expenditure would only get bigger.

But his income was mostly from extorting his classmates.

He had been increasingly feeling the growth and improvement of his classmates. Especially in the recent few extortions, Gu Yue Mo Chen, Chi Chen, and his brother Gu Yue Fang Zheng, had greatly improved in their kicks and punches. Previously he only needed one or two strikes to take them down, but now he needed five or six.

"Another three to four plunders, and their punches and kicks would've been polished fully. If they challenge me one by one, with my current stamina, I cannot endure that kind of round robin battle. Five hundred primeval stones might seem a lot, but with my current expenditure of four stones a day, it is actually not that much."

"Qing Mao Mountain already has no treasures left, but nearby on the Bai Gu(2) Mountain, there is a secretly built strength inheritance of a Rank four Gu Master of the righteous path.

"Sigh, it still boils down to the Flower Wine Monk's treasure being too little, only giving me a Liquor worm. Hmm… there is still that film image wall, maybe I can sell it to a certain merchant in the caravan…"

Fang Yuan thought as his eyelids grew heavier until he finally fell asleep.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 44: Monkey Wine, not yielding the opportunity of the Liquor worm

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

On the second day in the afternoon during lunch break, Fang Yuan went to the shopping district outside the mountain village again.

As many of them had to work in the day, there was not many villagers at the tentage area.

Fang Yuan walked to the area where the vendor was selling Intimate Grass last night, according to his memory. He reached only to see an empty cart, still on the spot. An ostrich was dragging the cart along.

It stood on the spot proudly, its body size as large as an ostrich while having the appearance of a chicken, the back of the creature bulged into a curved angle. A pair of wide wings were collected on the side of its body, the feathers splendidly bright in seven colours. The chicken head was raised tall, its huge red cockscomb like an agate crown, flashing with the luster of a gem under the sunlight.

"It seems I was still too late, the Intimate Grass was sold out. What a pity, if I were able to buy a few catty of Intimate Grass, I'd be able to save quite a bit of primeval stones." Fang Yuan's footsteps came to a halt as he walked away and continued to venture deeper into the area.

"Come, have a taste of the delicious wine from all the different villages. There are more than a hundred types of wine here, like the Lantern Grass Wine, the Nine Tune Wine with a strong aftertaste, the light and elegant Ancient Dragon Well, the sweet and sour Flower Rock Tune, the mouth-watering Hundred Spring Old Cellar, the rich and heavy fragrant Intoxication of Three Autumns……" In front of a blue round bucket before the tent, a shop assistant was hawking with gusto.

A light flashed through Fang Yuan's gaze as he immediately grew interested. With a turn, he entered the wine shop.

The decor in the wine shop was very unique.

At the most inner part of the tent, there was a long counter. A Gu Master was stationed there, with tens of crystal ladybugs around the size of wicker-baskets behind him, sticking onto the tent's cloth walls.

On the floor there was no carpet, but rather the uncovered mountain rocks and soil. Among the soil, vibrant coloured mushrooms grew.

These mushrooms had all sorts of colours, looking round and slightly cute. Some were as large as tables, while others were short like benches. They were often distributed where a large table mushroom was surrounded by a few shorter bench mushrooms.

"This is the Innocent Mushroom, purposely grown by a Gu Master. It has the ability to absorb dust and particles in the air to purify it, and it's a type of grass Gu." Fang Yuan could recognise the mushroom's origins immediately upon seeing them.

He chose one of the short mushrooms and sat down. The mushroom's surface immediately sank down a little, making Fang Yuan feel like he was sitting on a sofa like those on Earth.

"Young master, this is the wine catalogue, would you like to take a look?" A shop assistant walked over.

Fang Yuan glanced at the wine catalogue and realised that the wine here was more expensive than the green bamboo wine.

"I'll have a cup of monkey wine." Fang Yuan put down the catalogue.

"A cup of monkey wine!" The shop assistant turned around and shouted.

At the counter, the Rank one Gu Master heard and immediately bent down to take out a bamboo wine cup.

Next he took the wine cup and turned around, facing the tentage. On the blue tent walls were the tens of crystal ladybugs, head facing downwards and tail facing upwards, quietly latched onto the walls as if they were merely decorations for the tent.

These crystal ladybugs were also a type of Gu. Its stomach was empty, as they were often used by Gu Masters to carry precious liquids.

Their bodies were transparent, as if they were made of crystals. From the outside, one could see that within the ladybug's stomach, different kinds of liquor could be found.

The Gu Master quickly found the crystal ladybug that contained the monkey wine among them.

He placed the bamboo wine cup at the mouthpiece of the ladybug, and gently stroked the exoskeleton of the ladybug with his other hand.

A small amount of primeval essence entered the crystal ladybug's body, and afterwards it opened its mouth and a gush of liquor flowed into the bamboo wine cup.

The liquor splattered around in the cup until it was full.

The Gu Master placed the bamboo wine cup which was filled with monkey wine on the counter. The shop assistant who had already been waiting for a while quickly held up the cup meticulously and walked a few steps to deliver it to Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan only took a tiny sip, the monkey wine was indeed a fruit liquor, being sweet and refreshing and delicate on the palate.

He stopped drinking, but instead with a thought, Fang Yuan summoned the Liquor worm.

The white and fat liquor worm turned into a flash of white light and curved an arc in the air. With a 'plop', it landed in the wine cup.

The wine splattered everywhere, sprinkling onto the mushroom table.

The Liquor worm joyfully beat about in the wine cup, and the monkey wine could be seen decreasing with the naked eye. In a few breaths time, the cup had dried out, with not a single drop left.

"It's the Liquor worm!" The Gu Master at the counter shouted, his eyes sparkling. He was a Rank one Gu Master with Grade D talent, only able to follow the merchant caravan and work in this wine shop. His objective was to sightsee while finding his chances.

The Liquor worm can refine primeval essence and raise it by an entire realm. To a Rank one Gu Master, it can be said to be an extremely precious Gu worm. Isn't this the chance he's been painstakingly searching for?

"This young master, do you have any plans to sell this Liquor worm?" He excitedly approached, a look of sincerity in his eyes.

Fang Yuan shook his head, rejecting him with a determined attitude, getting up to leave after that.

His motive this time was to reveal the Liquor worm in his possession; he had never thought of selling it.

"Young master, young master, please hold on. I am really sincere about this, maybe we can sit down and have a discussion." The Gu master reluctantly followed Fang Yuan to the tentage entrance but Fang Yuan did not show any response to him.

In the end he could only stand on the spot, his expression extremely regretful as he watched Fang Yuan's rear view turn around a corner and disappear into the midst of the horizon.

Unconsciously, the sun gradually set as the crescent moon took its place.

In the night, the moonlight shone brightly but was overpowered by the numerous street lights in the merchant shops.

The merchant shop tonight was swarming with business. Fang Yuan was squeezed left and right as he entered, hearing all sorts of conversations inadvertently.

"The stores normally open for three days and three nights. Tonight is already the second night, by the morning of the day after, the merchant caravan would have left on their journey already. Thus, we have to hurry if we want to buy anything."

"I saw a Golden Bell Gu yesterday, sigh, too bad it was too expensive. After haggling with the shopkeeper for a long time, it did not get any cheaper. I'll go and take a look tonight."

"Did you guys hear? Last night, a young man opened a Mudskin Toad and earned a profit of five hundred primeval stones!"

Fang Yuan listened attentively, feeling disappointment in his heart as he did not hear anything about the Liquor worm.

"The Liquor worm is only a Rank one Gu worm but it is extremely meaningful to a rank 1 Gu Master, yet it's useless to a Rank two or Rank three Gu Master as they are unable to refine their primeval essence any further with it. Thus it is normal that no one paid attention to this. However taking the initiative to expose the matter of the Liquor worm cannot be rushed for a period of time. If I overdo it, it might end up letting the cat out of the bag." As Fang Yuan walked, he pondered silently in his heart.

At this point, there was a hustle in front of him.

Next, Fang Yuan heard someone shout, "Quickly come and see, there's a dishonest merchant here selling fake Gu to our clansmen!"

Anger stirred among the crowd.

"Oh? There's something like that happening."

"Go and see quickly, which shop dares to cheat our clansmen!"

Fang Yuan followed the crowd and moved towards the commotion as well.

What met his eyes were a group of people surrounding the mouth of a large red tent, the massive crowd swarming it. Some were curiously watching while others stared coldly, but most of the people were enshrouded with a sense of anger.

Outside the tent stood two people.

One of them was a young Rank two Gu Master, whose attire showed that he was obviously from the Gu Yue clan.

The other person had a familiar face – it was the owner of the gambling den, Jia Jin Sheng.

The young Gu Master held a black Gu worm in his hands, raising it up and shouting to the crowd, "My clansmen, this person in front of me sold me a fake Gu yesterday. Lying to me that it was a Black Boar Gu, and sold it to me for two hundred and fifty primeval stones. To think that when I got home to refine it, I realized that it was not a Black Boar Gu but simply an ordinary stinky fat worm!"

Jia Jin Sheng laughed coldly, "Don't accuse me falsely. Since when did I tell you it was a Black Boar Gu? What proof do you have?"

The young Gu Master on seeing Jia Jin Sheng's denial, fell into a rage and grabbed Jia Jin Sheng's wrist, "You cunning merchant, you dare to deny it! You actually dare to lie to me of the Gu Yue clan on Qing Mao Mountain itself, are you trying to look for death?!"

"Let go of me!" Jia Jin Sheng was also furious as he flicked his wrist, slapping away the young Gu Master's hand, "If you want to find trouble and extort money, you should find a better target. I am not afraid of you! My brother is Jia Fu, a Rank four Gu Master, what can you do to me?"

"You!" The young Gu Master stared with his eyes wide, but did not dare to take action. The name of a Rank four Gu Master was enough to intimidate him.

"Bah!" Jia Jin Sheng spat on the ground, raising his head and looked at the young Gu Master, laughing in disdain, "It was you who wanted to take advantage of the cheap Gu. Didn't you use your brain to think, why a Black Boar Gu which can raise a Gu master's strength, being such a rare Gu worm, was sold even more cheaply than a Liquor worm? It is normally sold at six hundred primeval stones. Did you think that you could buy one for just two hundred and fifty primeval stones? Dream on!"

"Bastard……" The young Gu Master gritted his teeth, his face flushing red as he trembled out of anger, his chest burning with the rage of humiliation.

There were chatters among the people as they got restless, discussing furiously. But no one dared to step up, for the Rank four Gu Master status of Jia Fu was like a giant hill in front of them, stabilizing the crowd.

"This lad is too vicious, what a cunning merchant!"

"No wonder he dared to be so arrogant on Qing Mao Mountain, he is actually Jia Fu's little brother."

"I heard that they are just half-brothers, but even with that Rank one cultivation, he is able to use this relationship to act unrestrained in the caravan."

"What happened here exactly?" At this moment, a loud voice spoke out.

"Jia Fu is here!"

"The leader is here to settle the dispute, everyone give way."

The discussion came to a halt as everyone separated and formed a narrow path between them.

A middle-aged Gu Master having a muscular short body coupled with a giant belly, walked in. He wore a long-sleeved yellow robe, being the leader of the merchant caravan, Jia Fu.

"Sir Jia Fu, my regards." The young Gu Master was furious but did not dare to say anything. He forced himself to endure the anger and paid respects to Jia Fu.

Jia Jin Sheng was frozen on the spot, not expecting his brother to arrive, his face suddenly pale as anger flashed across his eyes.

This peculiar expression was captured by Fang Yuan who was observing from afar as he pondered about the situation.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 45: Clear of the schemes, unknowingly trapped in the urn

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

"Hello, young Gu Master, what is the problem here?" Jia Fu walked to the middle of the crowd and asked amicably.

The young Gu Master was flattered and he cupped his fists again. Looking at the surrounding clansmen, he bucked up his courage and explained the entire situation.

"So that's what happened!" Jia Fu nodded while listening. Next, he asked Jia Jin Sheng, "Little brother, is this true?"

Jia Jin Sheng turned his head away and snorted coldly, not looking at his brother.

Jia Fu pondered solemnly.

The surrounding people were silent, not daring to interrupt his thoughts. All awaited in anticipation of his verdict.

This matter was in fact, due to Jia Jin Sheng's scam, but the young Gu Master was also at fault for being greedy and not being vigilant himself, otherwise he would not have gotten cheated.

If Jia Fu wanted to defend his brother, with his Rank four cultivation, even the Gu Yue clan leader could not do anything.

Jia Fu thought for a while before finally speaking. "I've understood the situation, my brother is at fault for this matter, causing this young man to suffer a loss and buy fake products, I am really sorry!" Saying so, he cupped his fists towards the young Gu Master.

"Sir Jia Fu!" The young Gu Master was largely surprised, and quickly said modestly, "You are a Rank four Gu Master, I am merely a Rank two, this is too much for me, too much!"

Jia Fu waved his hand: "Hehe, this has nothing to do with cultivation levels, I act impartially regardless of ability. A wrong is a wrong, I apologise to you on behalf of the merchant caravan. As for compensation, how about this, you lost two hundred and fifty primeval stones, so I will compensate double that amount to you on behalf of the Jia family."

He executed his promise immediately, as a follower took out five money bags and handed it to the young Gu Master in public.

Every money bag was filled to the brim, each containing a hundred primeval stones.

The young Gu Master took over the money bag, so overwhelmed that he could not say anything.

"However, I have a word of advice to you." Jia Fu continued and reminded, "A Black Boar Gu is very rare, for it is able to raise a Gu Master's strength permanently. Although it is only Rank one, it is very hard to find on the market. Every time one appears in the market, it would be bought immediately. The pricing is around six hundred primeval stones. Trying to get one with two hundred and fifty primeval stones is impractical."

"Junior has learnt his lesson!" The young Gu Master bowed deeply to Jia Fu in gratitude.

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Sir Jia Fu is brilliant!"

"Magnificent, as expected of Sir Jia Fu!"

"As a Rank four Gu Master, he did not make use of his status to bully the weaker party, Sir Jia Fu really is the role model of the righteous path."

"No, no." Jia Fu smiled, cupping his fists towards the crowd, modestly saying, "Our Jia family business bases our principles on trust and honesty. Everyone, my brother is young and foolish, liking to play pranks on others. He is actually very kind, I hope everyone can be more bearing of him, don't take it to heart."

The crowd's cheers became even louder.

"Hmph!" Jia Jin Sheng's expression was ugly as he stomped on the ground and walked into the tent. Next he walked out from the back of the tent.

Fang Yuan looked at this silently, thinking in his heart, "It seems that the image wall at the Flower Wine Monk's place can be sold."

The Flower Wine Monk had used a Photo-audio Gu to record the ugly acts of the 4th generation Gu Yue clan leader. Before he died, with indignance in his heart, used the Photo-audio Gu and slapped it on the wall, creating an image wall. The image wall's images continued to loop, showing the truth to the people.

With the intention of maximizing his profits, Fang Yuan had wanted to sell this image wall long ago. He believed that the other two clan families on Qing Mao Mountain, the Bai family and Xiong family would be very interested in this image wall.

But to sell this personally would be very inappropriate. His cultivation was too weak and if he brought this image wall to the other villages, he could easily be silenced.

Even if the transaction was successful and he managed to return safely, there was no secret that would stay a secret forever, and once it was revealed to the Gu Yue's higher-ups, he would be kicked out of the clan family at best.

In accordance to Fang Yuan's plans, he still needed to make use of the Gu Yue clan. Thus, the safest way was to sell it to a certain merchant in the caravan. All of them were outsiders, and were not involved in the disputes among the villages, thus it was the best choice for him.

In just one day, this caravan would leave the Gu Yue mountain village and lead towards either the Xiong family or the Bai family.

Fang Yuan could reduce his risks to the minimum by selling to them; it was the safest method.

"One more cup!"

"Wine, where's the wine?"

"Quickly get me the wine, are you afraid that I'm unable to pay?"

Jia Jin Sheng slammed the mushroom table as he howled.

"Young master Jia, here's your wine!" The clerk quickly brought him his wine.

Jia Jin Sheng grabbed the bamboo cup and tilted his head and gulped the liquor.

"Good wine!" He laughed loudly, sounding coarse and bleak.

With a bang, he placed the cup on the table and howled again. "Get me another glass, I want as many as you can supply!"

The clerks did not dare to offend him and could only do as he said.

Luckily, this wine house was already full of people. Not only were the mushroom tables packed with people, even the surrounding streets were packed with people. Jia Jin Sheng's drunkard temperament was not very peculiar in this bustling street.

Jia Jin Sheng drank cup by cup, wanting to drown his sorrows. With his back facing the crowd, no one observed that as he drank, two clear lines of tears flowed down his cheeks.

Who would know of his pain, his sorrow?

A hateful person has to have his pitiful side, conversely. Everybody had their own stories.

Amongst his brothers, he was the youngest, being the most handsome and resembling his father the most, thus being the most doted by his father. But heaven made fun of him by giving him only D grade talent.

As he grew up, he lived under the pressure of his brothers. He was indignant and wanted to resist, but with that talent, there was nothing he could do.

His father felt death approaching and wanted to split his assets. Two people were to lead a merchant caravan. They pledged to break up the family property in accordance to the results.

Jia Jin Sheng wanted to rely on his own method to acquire the family assets and the recognition of his clan. But to think that he became his brother's stepping stone once again.

When Jia Fu appeared, he knew he fell into a trap. This was a scheme right from the beginning. But what could he do? Once he entered this caravan, he was doomed to be Jia Fu's fodder. Rank four and Rank one was such a huge gap that he was powerless to fight again.

"Jia Fu!" He forced this name out of his mouth, his eyes burning with the flames of hatred, he was unable to take it lying down!

"Do you wish to deal with your brother? I can help you." At this time, he heard a voice.

Jia Jin Sheng was stunned but when he turned around, he saw that for quite a while, there was someone sitting beside him.

He shook his head and blinked a few times, finally seeing who it was.

Who else if not for Fang Yuan?

"It's you!" He stared at Fang Yuan, slightly angry, "I remember you! Lucky lad, getting a Mudskin Toad from my gambling den! You're here to mock me?"

Fang Yuan looked at Jia Jin Sheng, his eyes cold as water. "I have a huge business, so if you wish to acquire better results and get more assets, why not listen to me?"

Jia Jin Sheng was suspicious. His back straightened and he sat up, "How do you know about the matter of the assets?"

This secret was not easily known to outsiders, but Fang Yuan was easily able to guess it.

"The Jia family's business is not top secret, how can it evade people who wish to know?" Fang Yuan laughed coldly and thought of a memory from his previous life.

The Jia family head was a legendary figure who started from scratch. He made his fortune through the merchant caravans and revived the Jia family's village. He gradually got old, and when he could feel that his time was up, he got his children to form a caravan in twos and according to their results, split the assets. The better they did, the more family assets they get.

But his eldest son Jia Fu and second son Jia Gui were extremely talented. After competing for six to seven years, they still could not come to a conclusion, and even after the family head died, there was no clear victor.

After the Jia family head died, there was an enormous amount of assets. While competing for the assets, the two brothers' conflict escalated and both called in external help, causing a large scale Gu competition. Finally, the both of them died. The Jia family that had prospered quickly also failed quickly, causing people to talk about it in amazement.

Jia Jin Sheng squinted his eyes, for Fang Yuan's explanation was irrefutable. He thought, from the time his father declared the asset distribution, it had already been two years. There are no impenetrable walls in the world, so even if someone found out about it, it's nothing strange.

His real worry was whether this was another trap by Jia Fu. But no matter what, there was no harm listening.

Fang Yuan did not speak immediately. He surveyed the surroundings. This was the same wine cellar he came into in the afternoon. The shopkeeper operated independently, and at night, the shop was bustling with business.

Discussing here was a far safer place than a quiet environment, as it could avoid the eavesdropping of certain Gu worms.

He hooked his fingers at Jia Jin Sheng. "Lend me your ear."

Jia Jin Sheng unhappily snorted, but still slanted his head forward.

After hearing Fang Yuan's description, he frowned and looked at Fang Yuan coldly. "This business involves the three families on Qing Mao Mountain, and we merchants detest getting involved in other people's disputes. Hmph, you were sent here by Jia Fu to harm me right?"

Fang Yuan had long expected for him to be suspicious. He did not bother to explain, but got up and left. "Hehe, in that case, I'll go talk to your brother."

Jia Jin Sheng squinted his eyes, staring at Fang Yuan. Only until Fang Yuan had left the wine shop did he lose his patience. He chased out of the tent and caught up to Fang Yuan, "Don't go, we can have a talk."

Fang Yuan placed both hands behind his back, staring at him from the side, coldly saying, "I know you are suspicious of me, but now that your brother has you firmly caught, you're almost close to finished. If you choose to believe in me, there's still hope, if not you're doomed. Are you daring enough to take this bet?"

Jia Jin Sheng's expression changed as he corrected and said, "Jia Fu is but only a little older, I have never acknowledged him as my brother! But you're right, I'm taking this bet."

Fang Yuan said solemnly, "Two thousand primeval stones, no haggling."

Jia Jin Sheng laughed bitterly, "Too expensive, this trade involves high risk."

"The greater the risk, the greater the rewards." Fang Yuan shook his head, his attitude firm, "If you sell it to those two families, you will only earn much more."

Jia Jin Sheng nodded, showing a hint of seriousness, "This I believe, for these years the Bai family has been growing fast, and an A grade talent called Bai Ning Bing has appeared recently, he has a great future ahead. Qing Mao Mountain's situation is gradually changing. Your Gu Yue family's dominance is wavering, and if I sell this to the Bai family, I can at least earn twice as much!"

Hearing Jia Jin Sheng's understanding of the Qing Mao Mountain's situation, Fang Yuan could not help but evaluate him again, thinking: 'This Jia Jin Sheng, he is still a merchant family member after all, not those useless second generations."

Jia Jin Sheng sighed, "Regardless of whether this is a trap, I'm jumping in. I promise you, two thousand primeval stones it is! However, I want to see the merchandise first."

"Of course, come with me." Fang Yuan laughed as he led the way. Jia Jin Sheng was already trapped in the urn, and the situation was fully in Fang Yuan's grasp.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 46: Don't think too much when killing people

Translator:SigmaEditor:Sigma

Following his memories, Fang Yuan brought Jia Jin Sheng to the cavern in the mountain.

The two entered the crack in the stone, and the path became more narrow as their vision was dyed in darkness. Jia Jin Sheng grew more vigilant as he was in an unfamiliar environment.

Finally, he could not hold it in any further, "I have a question, Jia Fu always treats people with honesty and is amicable with a good reputation. On the other hand, I lied and cheated, forcing transactions through coercion. Why did you choose to deal with me and not him?"

Fang Yuan's voice travelled through the stone crack. "Because his cultivation is too high, so if he sees the image wall, he can choose to deal with me, or abandon the deal and just give the image wall to the Gu Yue clan head. I do not like giving the decision-making to others, furthermore I do not believe in integrity. The so-called prestigious reputation is just because the profits are small and are unable to incur his greed."

More importantly, it was because Jia Jin Sheng's position was special, for his cultivation was weak and he was easy to manipulate. Fang Yuan was naturally not going to mention this, of course.

"Hehe." Jia Jin Sheng laughed dryly, his suspicions mostly gone immediately. "That last sentence really resonated within me."

The two finally got into the secret cave.

Jia Jin Sheng saw the image wall at once, and could not help but laugh loudly, "Haha, I guessed right, you didn't lie to me!"

Fang Yuan stood behind him, laughing lightly, not saying anything.

Jia Jin Sheng looked at the wall, seeing the changing images and the animosity between the Flower Wine Monk and the 4th generation clan leader.

He looked at it once and retracted his gaze, looking at Fang Yuan, mocking, "Your 4th generation ancestor doesn't look that strong huh."

Fang Yuan replied, "This is nothing. The Gu Yue clan needed a hero, thus the 4th generation became a hero. Not long after, the Bai family needs a despicable scum, so the 4th generation will become a degenerate. Hero, scum, all these are just people's opinions."

"Well said!" Jia Jin Sheng laughed as he surveyed the cave.

His sight was set on the corpse of the Flower Wine Monk, and he stopped for a while before saying, "What a pity, a Rank five powerhouse. You've gotten much benefits from him huh?"

A Rank five Gu Master's inheritance was significant. Jia Jin Sheng's heart beat faster upon thinking of this, and he could not help but ask.

Fang Yuan shook his head. "It's been so long, most of the Gu are dead, I only got a Liquor worm."

Jia Jin Sheng did not believe him. "Don't lie to me brother, as long as this deal goes through, we are accomplices, I won't reveal any information. Tell me honestly, what did you gain from this?"

Fang Yuan laughed coldly and did not bother replying him.

Jia Jin Sheng's response was anticipated, and this was also why Fang Yuan chose him over Jia Fu.

Jia Jin Sheng continued to say: "At the very least, I know the Flower Wine Monk has a Thousand Li Earthwolf spider(1). That is a Rank five steed-type Gu, with a large body and is proficient in burrowing underground. The Flower Wine Monk was a demonic cultivator, and his ability to get about freely was mostly due to this Thousand Li Earthwolf spider, allowing him to escape from the righteous cultivators."

"Oh, there's something like that?" Fang Yuan frowned. Regarding the Flower Wine Monk, he did not have much information.

Jia Jin Sheng smugly said, "I came to your village last year and heard this legend, and I found it interesting so I went home and researched about it. The Thousand Li Earthwolf spider and Flower Wine Monk were inseparable, and in my opinion, this cave should have been dug out by the spider. Otherwise, with the Qing Mao Mountain's rich and heavy soil, how can a cave like this form? Brother, you don't have to conceal it anymore. The Flower Wine Monk died here so there's definitely his Thousand Li Earthwolf spider here!"

Fang Yuan frowned even more deeply, feeling a sense of discomfort, his gaze grim, "Yes, there are no other exits here. The Thousand Li Earthwolf spider is massive, he would not have been able to squeeze out from the crack we just walked through. However, there is a possibility that the Thousand Li Earthwolf was plotted against and killed by the 4th generation. Seeing that image wall, even when the Flower Wine Monk was fighting he did not summon the Thousand Li Earthwolf spider."

"That makes the situation even more peculiar. This cave is not formed naturally, thus it has to be created by the Flower Wine Monk. Without the Thousand Li Earthwolf spider, could there be any other methods?" Jia Jin Sheng looked at Fang Yuan suspiciously.

Fang Yuan's frown swelled into a knot as he felt more and more uncertain. From Jia Jin Sheng's information, he found out something: it appears as if there was a crucial point that he had missed out.

He could not help but fall into deep thoughts.

Jia Jin Sheng was thinking too, the image wall was no longer enough for him. Once he confirmed that the situation was real, he wanted to dig out the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance from Fang Yuan.

But at this time, something unexpected to the two of them happened!

The image wall which was playing endlessly, suddenly changed its image.

A gravely injured, pale bald Gu Master replaced the original video and appeared on the wall.

He weakly sprawled on the ground, his back facing the wall. His chest and limbs were deeply cut, but the strange thing was that his wounds did not bleed, as if his entire body's blood had been drained out.

"I am the Flower Wine Monk." The bald Gu Master laughed, his expression distorted with madness, "Future person, no matter who you are, to endure this video and let it play for nearly one hundred days, it proves that you have no good will towards the Gu Yue family. Very well, you shall be my successor! My entire inheritance is yours, but I have a condition. You must exterminate the Gu Yue clan for me. Murder the entire clan and leave no one alive!"

Jia Jin Sheng was stunned on the spot, his face frozen with shock.

"A Rank five powerhouse, the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance!"

He was stunned, and for a moment his brains were churning and thinking.

"My god! A Rank five powerhouse, what does that mean? Rank three is a family elder, Rank four is a village lord, and a Rank five is a mountain lord, able to rule over a mountain and do as he pleases! To think that in this tiny place, there is a Rank five Gu Master's power inheritance."

"Wait, Flower Wine Monk is a demonic cultivator, so if I inherit his powers, is it inappropriate? No, strength has nothing to do with good or evil. The Flower Wine Monk wants his successor to destroy the Gu Yue clan, but do I really have to? He's already dead, I just have to take his inheritance and ignore those issues."

"This is a godsend opportunity. Even with my D grade talent, if I inherit the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, I might be able to improve my talent. Those rare talent-raising Gu worms, they might be part of the inheritance. If I inherit this fortune and become a Rank four or five Gu Master, I'd be able to contest with Jia Fu!"

"Wait! I almost forgot, there's an outsider, what should I do?"

"Should I split the inheritance with him? No, kill him! Only by killing him can I protect this secret. Yes, I should calm him down first, and lie that we're going to split the treasure. Getting rid of his guard, then assaulting him and killing him here. This place is so hidden, it's great. Even if I kill him, nobody would know."

Although he thought of all these, it was merely a moment in real life.

Having a plan, he squinted and revealed a fake smile.

He slowly turned around and faced Fang Yuan but just as he was about to speak, he saw two blue moonblades flying towards him.

His pupils dilated into the size of a pin; the distance was too small, he could not respond in time!

"You……" His voice came to a halt.

The moonblade aimed accurately for his neck, and in an instant, his skull flew into the air, fresh blood pouring out like a fountain.

After two seconds, his corpse plopped on the ground.

The scalding blood poured on the mountain walls, dyeing the withering vines red.

"Don't think so much when killing people." Fang Yuan looked at the corpse plainly and then shifted his gaze towards the image wall.

"To think there was such a twist here. How interesting," He muttered as his eyes emitted an eerie glow.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 47: Jia Jin Sheng, I actually did not want to kill you

Translator:SigmaEditor:Sigma

The rain crashed down heavily.

Grey clouds covered the sky, and the continuous mountains far away blended into a mass of black ink.

The rain curtain interwove the heavens and earth together.

Crack!

The sky flashed bright abruptly, and a bolt of lightning cut across the sky like a silver snake, then in an instant it was gone.

Summer was approaching, and the end of spring's heavy rain seemed to bring about a trace of the warmth of summer.

On Qing Mao Mountain, huge expanses of jade green spear bamboo stood tall and straight, resisting the winds and rain, the bodies of the bamboo straight like a spear as ever, the tips of the bamboo pointing towards the blue sky dome.

In the Gu Yue village, row upon row of innumerable tall-pillared houses endured against the great rain's washing. Outside the village, the caravan had already set out on their journey once again.

"The rain is heavy, take note of the pavement."

"Don't fall behind, Gu Masters better pull your Gu properly, especially the fat beetle, don't block the mountain road anymore!"

"You bunch of mortal martial fighters, better open your eyes wide and pay careful attention. Lose a single thing and you'll be paying for that!"

There was an endless stream of shouts rising and falling in succession from the merchant caravans.

After stopping over at the Gu Yue village for three days, it was time for this merchant caravan to leave the place and follow the mountain path through Qing Mao Mountain and head for their next destination.

The heavy rain cleansed the heaven and earth, and the roads surrounding the village were paved with cobblestone, this was still alright. However after around five hundred meters the roads would turn into a muddy and narrow mountain path.

The head of the proud ostrich chicken was drooping, its colourful rainbow feathers soaking wet under the rain, sticking into clumps, becoming the example of a drenched and bedraggled chicken.

The fat beetle worm moved its fat huge body, walking extremely slow forward. The rainwater beat upon its black armor, forming streams of water flow, sliding down both sides of its body onto the earth.

The shaggy mountain spider was also drenched, and its green-black coloured fur were adhered together.

On the contrary, the toad Gu were happily calling out, carrying out the load and Gu Masters, hopping forward on the mountain. And the winged snake had already put away its wings, the thick snake's body cheerfully travelling on the muddy water.

To protect the goods and prevent them from getting drenched wet by the rainwater, the Gu Masters were showing their magical abilities at the moment.

On a few enormous fat beetles stood Gu Masters in the middle. Their two hands were raised high, each of them having a One-stretch Golden Light Worm floating in midair one inch away from their palms.

The green copper primeval essence was like stream evaporating as it concentrated into the One-stretch Golden Light Worm's bodies. The entire Gu flashed like a golden bean, acting as the heart, supporting a tremendous faint gold coloured bubble dome.

The hemisphere-shaped bubble dome had a rather huge scope. It was able to completely cover one fat beetle worm and still have some leftover space.

As the rain smashed upon the bubble dome, it would bounce away, just like hitting on an umbrella. However this sort of One-stretch Golden Light Worm continuously consumed primeval essence, and in the long run the Rank one Gu Masters would not be able to take it anymore.

As expected, after a while, a Gu Master shouted: "No more, my primeval essence is almost exhausted, who can take over?"

"I can!" Almost simultaneously, a Gu Master rushed forward and replaced his position.

A few Gu Masters pulling the carriages or riding the mountain spiders activated the Green Silk Gu in their bodies.

Under its influence, their hair started to grow furiously.

A normal person's hair had at least one hundred thousand strands. A hundred thousand strands of hair, each being five to six metres, intertwining and covering the Gu Master's body along with the steed, formed an impenetrable hair raincoat.

The Green Silk Gu was a Rank one Gu worm, often used for defense. It uses 30% of green copper primeval essence to activate, and was not a continuous expenditure type like the One-stretch Golden Light Worm.

This Green Silk Gu can be combined with the Rank one Black Boar Gu to become the Rank two Black Mane Gu.

The Black Mane Gu when activated would not only involve hair on the head, but also hair on all the pores. Within a few seconds, the Gu Master's body would gain a black mane protective armor.

The Black Mane Gu's advancement path was the Rank three famous Gu, Steel Mane Gu.

Other than the One-stretch Golden Light Worm and Green Silk Gu, many of the caravan Gu Masters also chose the Water Spider Gu. It can be seen that there was a thin layer of blue raincoat on their bodies.

On the raincoat's surface, the water circulated randomly. As the raindrops hit onto the raincoat, it would immediately become part of the raincoat.

Since the Gu Masters were continuously soaking under the rain, the raincoat on their bodies would grow thicker. Every now and then the Gu Masters would have to urge the Water Spider Gu and discharge away the excess water. At this moment the thick raincoats would be reduced to the original thin layer.

As for those mortal warriors, they were constantly on the move, watching over the goods on the muddy road. Most of them wore raincoats made of straw, but in their rush and confusion the straw raincoats had limited effect from avoiding the rain, so they were already drenched wet by the rainwater.

"This accursed weather!" The warriors cursed in their hearts.

In the rainy weather, the mountain trail becomes even harder to walk on.

Under this weather, martial artists might be strong physically but they are still mortals. Once their bodies are drenched by rain and coupled with intensive labour, they would easily catch a cold. Getting a serious illness was the lightest consequence, perhaps they might catch repercussions, and if they catch a certain tough disease, it might cause them to get gravely ill and abandoned on the trip itself.

If they encounter slippery roads on the mountain trails, or encounter wild beasts and Gu worms' attacks, they might lose their lives.

The caravan may be big, and have many Gu Masters. But every time they went on a journey, there would always be a great decrease in numbers. Mortal martial artists die the most, while Gu Masters also have injuries and casualties.

If the caravan was unlucky enough to encounter large-scale migrating beasts, they might even get wiped out completely.

Other than natural disasters, there were also human-caused problems. Among the villages, there might be those who do not welcome the caravan. Some villages like to rob the outsiders.

"We're leaving, see you next year!" Some of the Gu Masters sat on the Gu worms and turned their bodies to bid farewell.

At the entrance of the village, many people gathered as they sent the caravan off with their gazes.

"You must come again next year!" Reluctant to see them depart, the children shouted loudly.

The adults had more complicated expressions.

"The road ahead is unforeseen. In these hard times, for those who are able to come to the village next year, how many would still be familiar faces?"

"Be it at the merchant caravan or in the village, it is not easy to earn a living."

As the caravan left further and further, as the crowd dispersed.

The cheerful and lighthearted market atmosphere had also subsequently disappeared. The original spot that had erected tents and shops was left now with a huge mess. The grass turf had been walked upon continuously by the crowd, grassroots and mud soil trampled out. The rainwater hit on its surface, immediately forming mud and numerous little pot-holes that collected muddy water. In addition to that, there was a lot of garbage left over.

Fang Yuan stood on a secluded hillside, watching the merchant caravan from far away alone. The merchant caravan was like a fat and colourful flower python, snaking through the narrow mountain road under the grey heavy rain, slowly entering the dense mountain forest.

"Ah, the heavens are sending their blessings…" Fang Yuan sighed lightly.

He held a butter yellow paper umbrella, quietly standing in the rain.

Fang Yuan wore the most plain flax cloth garment, his body slim, his skin bringing about the pale whiteness of a fifteen year old teenager, a settled clump of clean and short black hair atop his head. The ends of his hair trembled slightly in the wind under his umbrella.

While others curse the weather, he was lamenting the timely appearance of the rain.

He killed Jia Jin Sheng last night and cleaned up the scene, but because it happened so unexpectedly, there was bound to be areas of neglect. Especially with the bloody smell, because the cave is not ventilated, the smell could not disperse easily.

With this rain, it cleaned up the air and environment, greatly reducing the chances of getting exposed by smell tracking methods. The crack was bound to have a small cascade of water flowing down, and once the fresh water vapour diluted the air, he would not be exposed for the short time being.

Of course, once time passes, the chance of getting exposed increases.

In this world there were all sorts of Gu worms, and investigative methods were abundant, even Fang Yuan only knew a portion of them.

The rain produced pitter patter sounds as it hit on the yellow umbrella. Then following the shape of the umbrella, streams of water flowed down onto the limestones beneath Fang Yuan's feet, hitting and creating splashes.

Seeing the caravan curve into a corner, completely disappearing into the forests, Fang Yuan did not show a sign of relief, but instead looked grim.

"Although Jia Jin Sheng's cultivation was weak and had little talent, he had a special status. The caravan's people are all busy with business, thus no one found out that he's missing. But once some time passes, it'd definitely be found out. By then, Jia Fu would return to investigate, and the real challenge would be then."

"The Jia family head intentionally arranged Jia Jin Sheng and Jia Fu to be on the same caravan, he had deep intentions. In terms of cultivation, they are worlds apart. In terms of cunningness, they're also incomparable. Such an arrangement is to inflict a blow to Jia Jin Sheng and let him be clear of reality, and live life peacefully. At the same time he is testing Jia Fu's nature, for if he is too overbearing on Jia Jin Sheng, how can he hand the position of clan head to him?"

"Jia Jin Sheng never truly understood his father's intentions. Although he had some intelligence, he only managed to scratch the surface of a merchant's wits, what a pity. A pity of such a good pawn piece."

Fang Yuan felt regrettable in his heart. With five hundred years of experience, he could easily see past the surface and understand the true nature of the situation.

When he saw the dispute between the two that night, he could tell the complicated relationship between Jia Jin Sheng and Jia Fu, and thus he had a vague plan formed in his heart from then on.

In his plan, Jia Jin Sheng was a very suitable pawn. His cultivation was weak but he held a high position in the caravan, and although he had some wits, he had little experience, thus Fang Yuan could easily manipulate him.

Once controlled, this pawn would be extremely useful.

For one, he could build a strong network of smuggling through his relationship, preparing up for usurping treasures from future killings.

Secondly, Fang Yuan could hide in the background and use the image wall to stir up conflict among the Qing Mao mountain's three families, causing a civil war and enabling him to be able to reap the rewards.

Thirdly, Fang Yuan could rely on him to make his way into the Jia family interior. The future Jia family dispute caused a large scale Gu fighting competition, it will be a huge affair with lots of benefits to gain. Fang Yuan could make use of this to acquire the greatest reward for himself.

"My cultivation is still too low, restraining me greatly in doing things. If there was a pawn for me to use, I can do some things that I cannot attempt myself, it is not only convenient but also lowers the risk of doing so. If I get exposed, I can simply discard the pawn and stay safe myself."

"The surrounding people know the situation well and are loyal to the family, thus they aren't good to manipulate. Only an outsider like Jia Jin Sheng can be used more efficiently to execute my plans. Unfortunately, I did not expect the Flower Wine Monk to leave behind his power inheritance."

The Flower Wine Monk is a Rank five Gu Master, his inheritance is definitely more valuable than this pawn.

Of course, it'd be good if he could get the best of both worlds, but in face of such treasure, Jia Jin Sheng could not longer be controlled, thus he had to be discarded.

"Nothing will go smoothly forever in this world." Fang Yuan sighed and shook his head.

The Flower Wine Monk's inheritance appeared and disrupted Fang Yuan's original plans. In addition, after the changes to the image wall, the videos and images were all gone, only showing a line written in blood, telling Fang Yuan to destroy the image wall and reveal a cavern entrance. Following the trail, he would be able to get the inheritance.

The blood writing only appeared for a few breaths before vanishing, and the image wall also turned back into the most ordinary mountain wall.

Fang Yuan spent the entire night cleaning up the murder scene, and had no time to break the wall.

"Killing Jia Jin Sheng in a hurry, this would leave many problems for me in the future, and I am but only temporarily safe. Although I succeeded in getting rid of the evidence, there is bound to be trouble coming for me in the future. In this case, I would have to change my way of exposing the Liquor worm. I cannot go to the secret cave behind the wall crack either. I have to stay in the mountain village for some time to anticipate investigation in the near future."

Fang Yuan turned around and held his umbrella, walking in the rain towards the village.

"But this is fine too. I can spend a large amount of primeval stones during this period to refine to middle stage primeval essence. Using it, I can nurture my aperture and break through into the middle stage. Once I reached the middle stage, my power will double, allowing me to get the inheritance more easily and with greater confidence."

A demonic cultivator's inheritance was not as mild and gentle as a righteous cultivator's, for there was often dangerous tests and tasks, and if one cannot get through, they'd have to pay the price with their life.

"The world is hard to predict, but it is precisely this that makes it interesting." Fang Yuan smiled coldly.

The green mountain beneath the heavy rain extended continuously and unending, its green mixed with grey, appearing stifling and heavy.

A gust of wind blew, and the raindrops inclined a little, hitting onto Fang Yuan's shoulder and attacking him with a burst of chilliness.

He thought about Jia Jin Sheng again.

Sighing in his heart, he thought, "Jia Jin Sheng, actually I… did not want to kill you."

What a waste of a good pawn.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 48: A little cute

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

It rained for four days before stopping.

The sun rose high into the sky, tearing away the rain curtain, seemingly like it was unveiling summer itself.

The breath of summer had faintly started to come around.

The weather became increasingly sunny and cloudless, sweeping away the sentimental breath of spring, and the temperatures slowly rose.

In the night of spring, the lively Dragonpill crickets had retreated, cowering away into the deep ground to lay eggs. The green spear bamboo specially found on Qing Mao Mountain had started to grow wildly, and nearly everyday it would show an obvious increase in height.

The grass and the trees began to change from emerald green into a dark green colour. The neverending green mountains started to look even more verdant and lush.

The weather was clear for thousands of miles, blue like a crystal.

Bang, bang, bang.

At the training grounds in the academy, sounds of punches and kicks could be heard.

After exchanging over ten blows, Gu Yue Mo Bei was kicked in the abdomen by Fang Yuan, taking five to six steps backwards, leaving the designated circle drawn in the arena.

The martial arts instructor stood before the stage and evaluated the situation. Seeing this, he immediately declared, "Gu Yue Mo Bei has exited the stage, Gu Yue Fang Yuan wins for the 33rd consecutive time!"

"Hmph, I lost to you again." Gu Yue Mo Bei gritted his teeth, his eyes staring right at Fang Yuan, "But don't be arrogant. One day, I will defeat you. I can already feel it, that day is nearing!"

Fang Yuan looked at him expressionlessly, and then his eyelids drooped downwards. "That kick earlier caused you to have internal bleeding. I'd advise you to treat that injury first."

"This small injury is nothing!" Gu Yue Mo Bei was retorting halfway, when suddenly his expression changed and his throat gulped, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

His face was pale, this was the first time he suffered this level of injury! His eyes could not help but show signs of fear.

The martial arts instructor hurried over and pacified him. "Don't worry about this level of injury, you just need to rest for a few days. Just stop practising your punches and do not do vigorous exercises during this period."

The moment he finished saying so, two healing Gu Masters who were waiting outside rushed over and meticulously helped Gu Yue Mo Bei out.

Gu Yue Mo Bei did not dare to say anything else, but he looked at Fang Yuan deeply in his eyes, filled with anger, hatred, regret and indignance.

"Mo Bei has good martial techniques, but he couldn't beat Fang Yuan."

"Fang Yuan is too good, basically no one can beat him!"

"Mo Bei actually vomited blood, how scary. I don't want to fight a guy like this."

"Sigh, but the instructor said today is practice combat, up on the arena! Each of us needs to go up and fight once."

The students stood outside the arena, some looking towards Fang Yuan in fear, some sighing non-stop, some were pale while others felt trepidation.

Among them, some were injured. A few held their bruised faces, some held their limbs, gasping for breath. Others laid on the ground, rubbing their thigh.

"Next!" Seeing that there were no challengers coming up, the instructor yelled.

However, no one answered. Usually those who were courageous to challenge Fang Yuan were only Gu Yue Mo Bei, Gu Yue Chi Chen and Gu Yue Fang Zheng. But these three were already beaten.

Silence swept across the students as others even retracted their steps slightly. The instructor frowned on seeing their fearful expression.

He could not help but think of the academy elder's words: "These days, Fang Yuan has gotten too dominant, we have to suppress him. The other students cannot even raise their heads under his pressure, and if this goes on, the courage in their hearts will be simmered. Our academy nurtures courageous tigers and wolves to fight enemies, not fearful sheeps and lambs."

"What's wrong with all of you? No matter how strong he is, Fang Yuan is only fifteen years old, he's one of your peers! He has the same age as you, eats the same food as you and drinks the same water. He does not have three heads or six arms, he's not a monster! Pluck up your courage and show me the pride of the Gu Yue clan within you!" The instructor yelled, trying his best to motivate the students.

"But he is too strong, we cannot beat him."

"The classmates who fought him are in such a pitiful state. Mo Bei got beaten until he vomited blood."

"Fang Yuan is getting more ruthless with his strikes, instructor, we do not dare to fight him."

The students spoke softly, weakly retorting.

The instructor was stomping with anger. These ignorant youngsters!

He was clear as a bystander. Fang Yuan had gone through thirty-three consecutive fights without any rest in the middle. Although he was constantly adjusting his breathing, his stamina had already depleted.

Fang Yuan's attacks getting merciless proves this fact even further: He could no longer take it easy like before, he is losing control of his strength and the situation.

If someone tries harder, his fatigue will be revealed. With just a few more people, he could be defeated on the stage!

Once Fang Yuan is beaten, his dominating presence will be reduced sharply, the students courage ignited and the motive to suppress Fang Yuan achieved.

But now, the students were deterred by Fang Yuan's tough front.

At times, what defeats a person is not a strong enemy but one's own heart.

The instructor was anxious in his thoughts, and continued to motivate them.

But he was not good with his words. In the beginning he said these same words to ignite the hot-bloodedness in the youngsters and stirred up some challengers. But now that he had said this so many times, the youngsters are all numb already.

Fang Yuan folded his arms and stared at this coldly. Although he was standing in the center of the stage, he was acting like a complete bystander.

The instructor encouraged for ages but the students were still looking at each others, not one had moved.

The martial instructor could not help but be angry and helpless. He turned to Fang Yuan, unhappily chiding, "Fang Yuan, you're also at fault. Your blows are getting more vicious among classmates, you should be more gentle and friendly, how can you deal such vicious blows? Be careful from now on and attack carefully. If you cause another classmate to vomit blood, I will declare your loss and evict you from the stage!"

"Instructor, you are wrong."

Fang Yuan snorted, his gaze not showing any weakness, looking right at the instructor, "Practising and fighting, we naturally have to give it our all, otherwise how can it achieve the aim of training? Don't tell me that when we are in battle, we also have to request our enemies to be more gentle and friendly?"

The instructor flew into a rage, "Hmph, your attacks are vicious, you are harming your classmates and you dare to use twisted logic!"

"Instructor, you're wrong again."

Fang Yuan laughed coldly, "You arranged this practice match and raised the winning prize to twenty primeval stones. Without your encouragement, would these people have gotten hurt?"

"Bastard!" The martial arts instructor was not good with words, and he pointed at Fang Yuan and scowled, "Do you still want the prize or not? If you argue any further, even if you get first place, I will declare you a loser! You are so uncooperative and antisocial, and you dare to argue with your teachers, you have no rights to claim the twenty primeval stones as reward!"

Fang Yuan laughed heartily. "It is but a competition that merely gives twenty primeval stones, do you think I give a damn?"

Saying so, he turned around and left. Under the class' distraught gaze, he walked out of the center of arena.

Although he did not manage to sell the image wall, Fang Yuan still had several hundreds of primeval stones in his possession. Furthermore, his aim this time was not primeval stones.

"You!" Seeing Fang Yuan really walking down the stage, the instructor was stunned without words, showing an expression of shock and confusion.

A fifteen year old teenager, shouldn't he be competitive and full of vigor?

Fang Yuan having such fighting talents, shouldn't his character be even more so? How could he just back out of the competition like this?

Furthermore, Fang Yuan has no background, he should be tight on primeval stones. Why was the twenty primeval stones unable to attract him?

At this point, the martial arts instructor stood on the spot, unsure of what to do.

Fang Yuan did not step into the trap, but left the stage immediately.

The instructor suddenly realized: There was nothing he could do to Fang Yuan. With his status, he could not find problems with Fang Yuan directly, and force him onto the stage right?

The surrounding students retreated, maintaining a distance away from Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan stood on the grounds, with no one around him. With him as the center, the radius of five steps around him became a vacuum.

What a pity.

If they were beside Fang Yuan, they would hear Fang Yuan's panting sound.

"My stamina is depleted," Fang Yuan sighed. Although he showed an energetic outward appearance, under his clothes, his body was slightly shivering.

After all, he was only fifteen years old and had no relevant Gu worm as support. After thirty-three matches, he was close to his limits.

Although he had his rich fighting experience from his past life, during this time, the other youngsters' combat abilities had improved significantly. From them, Fang Yuan could already feel a strengthening sense of pressure.

This kind of pressure reflected in Fang Yuan's attacks. His attacks got tougher as he gradually lost control of his strength. Compared to the past, when they were still too weak and he could defeat them easily, the youngsters would only end up in minor injuries. But now, his control over the arena was getting weaker, thus he had to strike harder to maintain his image.

"Experience is, after all, not omnipotent. Any thoughts or technique require a body with sufficient foundation before the value can be apparent." Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes. In actuality he had long seen through the martial instructor's thoughts.

Fang Yuan was not surprised, as if he had expected this from the start, the academy elder's pressure on him.

After he killed Gao Wan, the people who dared to challenge him diminished. When he extorted them, even more people oppressed by Fang Yuan's dominance did not dare resist, and they obediently handed over their primeval stones.

After a long period, Fang Yuan's unbeatable image would be formed. This would leave some psychological trauma in the youngsters and make them unconfident in their martial arts techniques. This was what the academy elder did not want to see. He needed Fang Yuan to motivate and force the students to improve, not to completely extinguish their passion for battle.

He wanted to see Fang Yuan's defeat.

Once Fang Yuan was defeated, the image of invincibility that he had erected would be instantly destroyed.

At the same time, it would awaken the students' fighting spirit. After some setbacks, it would mould their wills to be indomitable.

But to Fang Yuan, he needed this form of pressure so that he could extort primeval stones with greater ease.

If he was defeated, the youngsters would realize his weakness and attack together at once. Although Fang Yuan had ample of primeval stones in his hands, extortion was his main source of income. Without this source, he would be digging into his reserves.

Thus, Fang Yuan's appearance in the arena and thirty-three consecutive victories was merely to maintain his deterrence towards the students, and not for the twenty primeval stones reward.

If he avoided combat from the start, it would show his weakness, and if it raged on, he would expose his weakness.

"What are you all waiting for, why is nobody getting up on the stage, go on! The first prize is twenty primeval stones, you all don't want it anymore?" The instructor yelled after snapping out of his thoughts.

The rest of the students began to get motivated.

Fang Yuan had already left the stage, and to them, it was a huge rock off their minds.

"I'll go!"

"I'll come!"

Two youngsters squeezed their way up the stage and began to spar.

"Sigh, if I had known this, I would have waited and not rushed up the stage. Then I would not have been throw off the stage by Fang Yuan."

"What a pity, to think Fang Yuan left."

"He's really daring, see even the instructor is at a lost for what to do with him."

Hearing their whispers, the instructor felt his reputation crumbling. He was extremely agitated in his heart and wanted to punish Fang Yuan thoroughly. However, Fang Yuan had done nothing wrong, and leaving the stage on his own accord was allowed.

The instructor was both helpless and moody. Finally he looked at Fang Yuan and stared angrily at the latter.

Fang Yuan's lips slightly curled up into an angle as he thought, "Such boorish methods, this instructor is a little cute."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 49: Not afraid of Fang Yuan breaking out of their grasp

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

A pair of solemn eyes were staring at the faraway training grounds.

The academy elder stood at the window of the third storey, looking at everything that had transpired at the arena.

He frowned deeply.

The instant Fang Yuan left the stage, he felt a sense of peculiarity in his heart, not expecting Fang Yuan to do this.

"This lad, he is rather hard to catch. He is proficient in the academy's rules, and normally will not commit any wrongdoings. Although he sleeps in class, once he is asked a question he can answer properly, leaving others with no flaws to pick on. Trying to get ahold of a weakness of his to suppress his dominance is going to be difficult."

The academy elder could not help but develop a faint sense of loathing towards Fang Yuan.

As a teacher, he naturally liked obedient and smart students, and hated those naughty students who did not obey the rules.

But being the academy elder for so many years, his experience was extremely rich, he had seen many different types of students. Among them he had seen extremely obedient ones who followed orders without question. There were also those who caused problems day and night, constantly breaking the rules.

His heart had already become still as water, impartial to all. At the same time, he carved the phrase "as a teacher, one must treat all students fairly" onto the right corner of his desk, treating it as his motto.

He had never felt such disgust for a student.

Feeling that sense of detest in his heart, the academy elder was also slightly shocked.

In previous years, even towards the most naughty students, he was able to handle it with a big heart, tolerating their actions. But when it came to Fang Yuan, why did he lose this sense of impartialness?

He thought about it again and again, and finally realized the reason.

This lad called Fang Yuan, he had a form of arrogance in his blood!

It seemed from the fundamentals that Fang Yuan did not respect his teachers for their status. Towards the martial arts instructor earlier, he not only disobeyed him, but even rebuked him in public.

Actually, such cases of retorting against teachers were commonly seen in previous years. However, those kids always had an agitated state of mind. They were either rebellious, furious or stubborn, etc.

The academy elder was clear that the more agitated the youngsters were, the more it implied that they were fearful in their hearts.

But Fang Yuan was not.

He had no fear in his heart at all, as if he had seen through the tricks of the academy.

His expression was aloof, and even after he left the stage, his expression showed no signs of changing, as if he had done something insignificant.

Yes, he treated the matter of disobeying his teachers as a trivial matter that was insignificant!

In simple terms ——-

He was not afraid.

It was just this point that caused the academy elder to already feel unhappy, developing a sense of disgust for him.

The academy elder could endure a student more rebellious than Fang Yuan, or a teenager ten times naughtier than him. That was because these students knew fear and were moving based on their agitated emotions.

As long as they were fearful, as long as they were impulsive, they would be easily manipulated and will not go out of control.

But Fang Yuan was not.

He was calm and uncaring, not treating his teachers with reverence.

He was not respectful!

Someone who has no reverence for the clan, even if they are nurtured, how can they be useful for the clan?

"Once they appear, this sort of person, they have to be suppressed, they must be suppressed! Otherwise, his existence will create a sense of irresistibility in the students. In the long run, it will affect the others, causing them to lose their reverence for their teachers, and as the academy, how else are we going to manage the students?"

The academy elder squinted his eyes, making up the decision in his mind.

But then, his face showed a troubled expression very quickly.

How was he going to suppress Fang Yuan?

Fang Yuan had done nothing wrong, there was no weakness that he could exploit.

Fang Yuan's cunning demeanour gave him a sense of helplessness. He had never met a student like this, one who was so familiar with the academy's rules and regulations.

As the academy elder, he was always impartial to all students. He could not be like a slum gangster and purposely find trouble with a youngster like Fang Yuan.

He had placed his hopes on the martial arts instructor, but now he was deeply disappointed.

"It seems that to suppress Fang Yuan's domination, we can only wait until all the other students advance to Rank one middle stage."

A Gu Master's advancement is mostly influenced by their talents.

With his rich experience as the academy elder, he had calculated before in his heart: the ones who had the greatest chance to advance first are Gu Yue Fang Zheng, Chi Chen and Mo Bei.

They were an A rank and two B grades respectively, and with their elders' help behind them, they had no lack of primeval stones. No matter which one of the three, they were mostly likely to be the first to advance to Rank one middle stage cultivation.

"Gu Yue Fang Zheng, Chi Chen and Mo Bei, these three are our hopeful seeds this season." The academy elder looked at the arena and sighed.

With his experienced gaze, he could tell: in the arena, although the students seem to be standing casually, they had subtly already split into three factions.

In one circle was Gu Yue Chi Chen and a bunch of similarly-aged clansmen, all crowding around him.

The second circle's core was Gu Yue Fang Zheng, and the clan leader's faction's younger generation were subtly supporting this A grade talent genius.

The third circle was led by Gu Yue Mo Bei. He had already been treated of his internal injury and stood on the arena with a pale face. The classmates beside him were asking him about his condition.

"This is the meaning of letting them compete with each other." Seeing the three factions, the academy elder was overjoyed and laughed.

Allowing the students free reign to compete, this was not just to nurture their battle senses, but also to prematurely choose the leader-type characters.

In past seasons, they had to wait until the end of the year to have the capacity to develop their own circles. But in this year, because of Fang Yuan's appearance, his extortion had brought forth the divergence much faster.

Against Fang Yuan, the only ones who dared to compete against him were Fang Zheng, Mo Bei and Chi Chen.

After a long time under imperceptible influence, the other youngsters would automatically regard these three as the leaders.

As long as there were no mishaps, these three social circles would be the layout of the future family's higher-ups.

"But these factions are still not stable. Within them, there are still students moving around. Once the three take the lead and advance to the middle stage first, I will give them the positions of class chairman and vice chairman. With that differentiation, they would gain authority, and this will strengthen their social circles," the academy elder thought.

Of course, there was someone not within either factions.

Just one person, and that was Fang Yuan.

Getting close to stronger people is human nature. In fact, although Fang Yuan extorted the students and acted against the students, there were a number of youngsters who wanted to attach themselves to him.

However, they were rejected by Fang Yuan. To him, only those who were useful were pawns, and these youngsters had too little value.

This was also another reason the academy elder hated Fang Yuan. He was too antisocial, not willing to integrate into the team. To such people like him, the clan's control over them was not as much as the other youngsters.

The academy elder's gaze once again shot towards Fang Yuan in the arena.

Fang Yuan stood alone at one corner with his hands behind his back, his eyelids slightly closed, allowing the students to fight for their prize. Even with the heated competition, his expression did not change the slightest.

His surrounding was vacant, no youngster was willing to stand with him.

Very evidently, he also did not wish for these people to be near him.

Fang Yuan stood there alone, enshrouded in loneliness.

He floated outside the factions.

"But I don't have to be too worried. This Fang Yuan is still young and can be changed slowly." The academy elder's gaze shone and he thought deeply.

"Next up will be the establishment of the class chairman and vice chairman. A year later, we will split into groups, creating team leaders and assistant leaders. Every academic year also has all sorts of honor and rewards, like the Small Redflower Award, Blue Neckcloth Prize and Five Outstanding Student Prize. He wants to cultivate so he needs resources, thus he has to compete for these positions and prizes. As time passes, with interaction among the students, he is bound to have kinship, friendship and love as his restraints. I don't have to worry about him going beyond the clan's control."

These years, the academy elder had gradually understood something.

When a new clan member is born, they would be brainwashed by the clan.

First, they would be taught the clan's utmost value system. Next they would go into moral education and learn about the beauty and importance of kinship, friendship, love.

After that, they would be taught honor, and in the process of growing up, many resources such as prizes would be used to attract them. Using the family's assigned roles, they would choose and recruit the most loyal clansmen into their factions.

Do not look down on the small roles like chairman or vice chairman, for once they become one of these roles, they would be part of the clan's administration.

Under such a system with constant influence, on one hand it brings about the benefits of having authority and the sweetness of power, while on the other hand, it brings the problem of detaching from the system. A carrot in hand and a stick in the other, who can break away from this system?

Even the wildest of people or the most lonesome ones would gradually become a part of the family. One without loyalty would also be nurtured into one with loyalty. Without kinship, friendship or love, they would still be developed.

This is the power of the system.

This is the power of rules.

This is the clan's way of survival!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 50: Middle Stage!

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

Nightfall arrived. The moon was like a silver plate, appearing among the clouds. The thinly spread stars decorated the surroundings.

Gu Yue Mo Bei stood in the courtyard, raising his head up, his eyes glistening under the reflection of the moon.

"Little brother, I heard you got injured today." Behind him, his sister Gu Yue Mo Yan's voice resounded.

"Sister, you are worried that after being beaten till I vomited blood today, I would have long lasting trauma?" Mo bei turned around and curled his lips.

Seeing her brother laughing, Mo Yan's heart felt at ease. Although she had truly worried, she said instead, "No way, big sis here understands you best. Good brother, you have an indomitable will, the future head of our Mo family. How can you be frightened off by such a small injury?"

"Hehehe, I knew sister doted on me the most," Mo Bei scratched the back of his head as he laughed sheepishly.

"You know what, sister?" Under the glow of the moonlight, this fifteen year old teenager's eyes radiated brightly. "Although I failed this time, I heard Fang Yuan panting during the match. Back then he easily beaten me in two or three strikes with an calm and composed manner. But his gasping already revealed his weakness. He is definitely not as strong as everyone else thinks. One day, I will defeat him fair and square."

"Good, as expected of a good man from my Mo bloodline!" Mo Yan laughed, patting her brother's head, showing concern on her face, "However, you suffered internal injuries, so please don't practise your martial arts these few days."

"Don't touch my head sister, I am already old enough." Mo Bei shrugged his head, using an unhappy tone, "I understand what you are saying, I have a plan. These few days, I'm going to nurture my aperture walls. To completely breakthrough from initial stage to middle stage and obtain the position of class chairman, and suppress Fang Yuan's dominance. I'll let him know that, what truly matters to a Gu Master's cultivation is still talent!"

"I'm glad you can think this way. I was only a vice chairman last time. If you manage to become chairman, it will fulfill my regrets too."

"Don't worry sister. The position of chairman, I certainly must obtain it!"

At the same time, in the Chi family.

Inside the secret room, there was only one torch, attached to an opening in the limestone walls.

The flame burned on, illuminating this small room.

One of the two elders in power, Gu Yue Chi Lian, was sitting facing his grandson, Gu Yue Chi Cheng. The two sat on a praying mat with their shadows projected on the ground, wavering with the flickering of the flame.

Gu Yue Chi Lian stretched out his hand, using his palm to touch Chi Cheng's abdomen area.

Gu Yue Chi Chen's face was full of anxiety, his mind entering his aperture, suppressing the ripples in his primeval sea with all his concentration.

In this world, there are no two identical tree leaves. Similarly to Gu Masters, there is no identical primeval essence as well.

Once primeval essence from an external source enters the aperture, it will result in the natural resistance of the original primeval essence in the aperture.

If Gu Yue Chi Cheng does not suppress it, and instead allows the his primeval essence to resist, it will result in a clash between the essences. Such intensive reaction can cause great damage to the aperture.

The aperture's primeval sea is the foundation and roots of a Gu Master's cultivation, and is of utmost importance.

Once the aperture is damaged, at the very least one's cultivation may lower, but if it is severe, their latent talent may be lowered as well. Once the aperture is completely shattered, the Gu Master would die immediately.

After a while, Gu Yue Chi Lian gradually stopped transmitting his primeval essence, slowly taking back his hand.

Gu Yue Chi Cheng took a deep breath of relief, his tense body relaxing. "Thank you Grandfather, for nurturing my aperture and transfusing primeval essence to me every three days. It has been hard on you!"

Gu Yue Chi Lian's forehead was full of sweat, and he sighed and said, "This is inevitable. Your talent is only C grade, so if we rely on your ability alone to rise to middle stage, it'll take a long time. The time will usually be twice of a B grade, and four times of an A grade. In such a situation, your talent will be exposed. Thus, even if this method is dangerous, we have to use it."

"Grandson understands grandfather's intentions."

"As long as you understand." The old man sighed, "This method also has another sequela. After your aperture has been nurtured by my silver primeval essence, although the silver primeval essence has a greater effect, it is still an external source of primeval essence to you. Henceforth, even if your aperture walls change from a light wall to a water wall, it would still be mixed with my energy. The more external energy there is, the more impure your aperture will be, and this will stifle your talent, limiting your development in the future."

Gu Yue Chi Cheng bit his lips, "Grandfather, for the future of the Chi family, I am willing to sacrifice my future prospects!"

Gu Yue Chi Lian was pleased, stroking his beard. "It is good that you have such thoughts. But the heavens always leave a glimmer of hope for you, for you are not hopeless yet. If we can find the Cleansing Water Gu, it will be able to cleanse your aperture walls and flush out all the external energies in your aperture sea, removing this sequela."

"In addition, I have also used my relationships to search for a Liquor worm for you. This worm is able to help a Rank one Gu Master refine their primeval essence and raise it by one small realm. In this way the primeval essence that is refined will be your body's own primeval essence and not an external one. Using this way to nurture your aperture leaves no repercussions and risks, it is a much better nurturing effect!"

Gu Yue Chi Lian was overjoyed. "Thank you grandfather!"

"However, the Liquor worm is hard to find. Among the Rank one Gu worms, the Liquor worm, boar Gu, and Bookworm etc, are all extremely rare Gu. Once they appear in the market they would be snatched up immediately. Of course, there are also some Gu in this world that are rumored to change a Gu Master's talent. But at this age, grandfather has never seen one, only hearing occasional rumors about them." The old man explained.

The night winds blew in gently from the windows and into the room.

Gu Yue Fang Zheng sat on his bed with his eyes shut, holding a primeval stone in both hands.

The green copper primeval sea was raging without any winds, the waves crashing towards the white aperture walls.

He has A grade rank talent, and his primeval essence occupied 80% of the aperture. His natural rate of recovery was twice of Fang Yuan!

With such godblessed advantage, he is already close to Rank one middle stage.

Phew.

A while later, Gu Yue Fang Zheng puffed out a breath of air and opened his eyes.

The moon was bright and stars sparse outside the window, the bluish green bamboo houses arranged in a line.

A scene of peace and harmony.

"Time always flies when cultivating. In the blink of an eye, it is already late into the night," Fang Zheng muttered softly. He slowly opened his hands, and two piles of rock powder fell onto the floor in front of his bed.

After a primeval stone's essence had been fully retrieved, it would turn into a pile of powder.

Looking at the powder pile, Fang Zheng frowned.

He took out his money bag; it was already close to empty.

Opening it, he saw three primeval stones left inside.

Fang Zheng would retrieve three pieces every seven days from the academy as resources, but since Fang Yuan would snatch a piece from him, he only had two left every week.

Uncle and Aunt would also give him living expenses, but it was also three stones every seven days.

Just with these primeval stones, how is it enough?

Fang Zheng was determined to surpass his brother Fang Yuan, thus he took the initiative to approach his uncle and aunt multiple times to beg for some primeval stones.

After many times, his aunt would look for him to have a heart-to-heart chat, telling him about how poor the family was, and how they had cash flow difficulties, having no spare money left. Since then, Fang Zheng did not have the desire to continue asking.

"Father and mother are already doing all they can to support my cultivation. I cannot make things difficult for them and ask for more primeval stones. I only have three left. I can only be more thrifty. If I use one piece a day, I'll have enough for three days."

"I have a feeling that in three or four days, I will definitely advance to middle stage! The only thing is, what is big brother's progress now?" Thinking so, Fang Zheng subconsciously looked towards to academy living quarters.

"I have A grade talent, while big brother only has C grade talent. His speed is definitely slower than me. Big brother is not my match this time! Big brother, I will let you know the true power of an A grade talent!"

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng clenched his fists.

Academy dormitory.

Fang Yuan's door was shut tight.

In the darkness, he was not asleep, but sitting on his bed.

A Gu Master's cultivation cannot replace sleep. Normally at this time, Fang Yuan would already have fallen asleep.

But in cultivating earlier today, he already felt that he was just one step away from middle stage.

"I might as well not sleep tonight, I'll rush straight for middle stage!" His eyes shone with determination.

Soon after, he shut his eyes and his mind went into the aperture.

44% of green copper primeval sea. Just a moment ago, they were all refined into pale green coloured middle stage primeval essence by the liquor worm.

"Rise." With a thought, the peaceful green copper primeval sea began to stir.

The commotion got larger and larger, until waves were formed.

Splash, splash, splash…

The tides raced against each other, rushing towards the surrounding aperture walls.

Like crashing on a reef, most of the primeval essence would break into emerald ripples and fuse back into the sea.

A small amount of primeval essence was expended, turning into a small hint of invisible energy, penetrating into the white coloured light aperture wall.

"Rise again," Fang Yuan thought as the emerald ripples became larger in scale. The waves earlier were like rabbits and dogs, but now they were like troops of horses, marching towards the aperture walls.

A horse-like dragon, the waves like the heavens!

The primeval essence was expended quickly, and the water level fell sharply.

Splash, splash, splash…

The waves struck relentlessly, finally resulting in a change. The white coloured wall shook suddenly, the originally mild white colour radiating an eye-piercing brilliance.

Seeing this scene, Fang Yuan was overjoyed as he knew that the crucial part had arrived, and he quickly activated all of his primeval essence to rush at the walls.

The white light grew brighter, the light rays distorted and tangling together, giving people a feeling of thickness. After more than ten breaths, white strips of light bands appeared on the light wall, and the strips collided with each other like water flowing nonstop. In the process of collision, they continued to combine and merge, forming a white flowing light.

Finally, the flowing light gathered into one piece and completely covered the light wall.

The white light dimmed, and the original white light wall of the aperture was gone, replaced by a layer of spherical shaped white water wall. The light wall's surface was smooth with no impurities. The water wall however, was thicker than the light wall, the ripples of light flowing and flickering on it.

The primeval sea regained its peace, the aperture still having 20% primeval essence left.

"I advanced to middle stage!" Fang Yuan laughed heartily, opening his eyes.

The bright sunlight creeped in through the openings in the curtains.

Unknowingly, the night had passed, and it was already morning.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 51: Let's see how you are going to explain this

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

"Fang Yuan didn't come to class today. Look guys, his seat is empty."

"He's so bold! Today's lesson is taught by the academy elder, yet he dared to not show up."

"This is bad, the elder's expression is ugly, it seems that Fang Yuan is in trouble. Hehehe."

In the academy, the youngsters discussed softly. A few glanced towards Fang Yuan's empty seat, as well as the academy elder's darkening expression. Ever since he started the extortion, Fang Yuan stood against everyone in the class. Seeing him in trouble, all the students were excited for what was to come.

The academy elder's expression was stiff as he explained the crux of nurturing the aperture while secretly staring at Fang Yuan's seat.

He laughed coldly in his heart, "Fang Yuan, oh Fang Yuan. I was still worried about not being able to catch your weak point yesterday, and here you give it to me today. You are after all a fifteen year old teenager, I have overestimated you."

His ugly expression was mostly fake. His motive was to use this opportunity to find trouble with Fang Yuan and punish him, eliminating his increasing dominance in class. Undeniably, as time passed, Fang Yuan's dominating presence was getting stronger, causing the other students to be barely catching their breaths.

A one-sided dominance was not what the academy elder wanted to see. He wanted to see the entire class shining.

"Men!" The academy elder raised a finger and knocked lightly on the table.

"Elder, your subjects are here." The two guards standing outside at the door entered.

The academy elder snorted in public, "This Fang Yuan is getting out of hand, being so lazy and skipping classes right under my nose. Go to the hostel and bring him here for me."

"Yes, elder." The guards went on their way. Seeing the guards disappear outside the door, the academy burst into discussion noises.

Numerous students joined in the conversation.

"Fang Yuan is in deep shit now," someone said with his eyes shining brightly.

"Hehe, we have a show to watch later." Another laughed in pleasure towards Fang Yuan's misery.

"Big brother, you are too arrogant. This is challenging the elder's authority. No matter what punishment it is, you had it coming." Gu Yue Fang Zheng looked at the empty seat, sighing internally.

Bam, bam, bam!

The academy elder with a strict expression, slammed the desk thrice, "Silence, no talking in class!"

His aura at this moment was like a volcano about to erupt, causing fear in others.

Immediately, the academy fell into pin-drop silence. The students fearfully shut up, quickly getting into position. Except, although their expression was so, their thoughts were already deep into this matter.

The class continued, the youngsters not concentrating at all.

A few students by the window looked out constantly.

As time passed, after a while, footsteps could be heard at the door. Instantly the students' ears twitched, tens of eyes showing bright expressions.

"Arriving…" The academy elder heard the footsteps too and narrowed his eyes as a result.

He had already thought of how to deal with Fang Yuan. He'll punish him to stand outside for three hours.

Although the punishment was not heavy, it was enough for him to be humiliated.

Throughout lessons, students entering and leaving would see Fang Yuan standing there.

This way, it would ruin Fang Yuan's image of invincibility. When the students realize that Fang Yuan was nothing special, the impact he has on them would be greatly reduced. This would result in them gaining courage and stir their competitive spirit.

The great part was, since Fang Yuan's punishment came from the academy, this would improve the academy's reputation.

Only with reverence will they obey.

Thus, while the method is simple, it has deep intentions underneath.

The footsteps got closer, and finally someone stood outside the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Knocking sounds could be heard.

"Hehe, I will open it!" The student near the door volunteered and enthusiastically went to open the door.

The academy quietened down, numerous eyes staring at the door.

Crack.

The door was easily opened by the student, exposing a gap.

Sunlight infiltrated from the gap. The student opening the door suddenly froze, shuddering suddenly.

"AHH!!!" He was stunned for a second before suddenly screaming, subconsciously taking a large step backwards. His body knocked onto the desk and he instantly lost his balance, falling with the table onto the ground.

The boy's face was pale, his expression horrified, limbs trembling and unable to exert strength. Lying on the floor, he frantically tried to get up, but fell back down again and again.

"What's wrong?!" In a moment everyone was astonished, all of them frowning deeply.

Numerous gazes curiously looked towards the door.

The door was slowly pushed opened by the person outside.

The academy elder stopped his lecture out of reflex.

What everyone saw first, was a hand on the door.

A teenager's left hand.

A left hand with dripping blood.

A bloody hand!

Seeing this bloody hand, many of the female students covered their mouths and screamed in terror.

The door slowly opened fully.

The brightness of the sunlight pricked everyone's eyes, causing them to squint. With the bright sunlight as his background, a dark shadow attached to a thin teenager appeared before everyone.

He didn't know why, but the academy elder felt a strong feeling of unease in his heart.

"It's Fang Yuan!" Someone screamed out loudly.

Everyone who had gotten used to the sunlight could clearly see who the person was.

What met their eyes was Fang Yuan, bathed in blood, standing outside the door as if he had gone through an intense battle.

His left hand slowly retracted, his right hand grabbing onto some hair, dragging along a person. The person's left arm was entirely detached from the base. He was lying there motionless, evidently unconscious. Blood on his left shoulder gushed out.

"It's one of the guards who went to look for Fang Yuan!" Someone recognised the person's identity.

"What exactly happened?" Someone was going berserk.

"He murdered again, this time he killed the guards!" Someone pointed at Fang Yuan, screaming in horror, getting louder and louder, as if it would purge the terror and fear in his heart.

At once, the academy was rowdy.

Many students forgot the rules at this time, and stood up from their seats. They looked towards Fang Yuan with fear, shock, and nervous expressions.

In their imaginations, Fang Yuan would be dragged here by the guards left and right.

But the truth was —— Fang Yuan bathed in blood, his expression cool like a devil approaching. The two guards, one missing while the other lying motionless, blood oozing from his body quickly forming a puddle.

A thick scent of blood permeated the academy.

The academy elder was stunned, he did not anticipate such a scene!

After his shock, came intense rage.

The two guards were merely external martial artists. So what if they died? The academy elder did not really care.

But the crucial point was their identity. They were the academy's guards, representing the academy's prestige. Representing the academy elder's face.

This Fang Yuan was simply too bold. Not only did he kill Gao Wan, now he even went and murdered the academy's guards!

No, this isn't just being bold. He was practically provoking, challenging the clan academy's prestige.

The academy elder flew into a rage, pointing at Fang Yuan, screaming, "Fang Yuan! What is this? You have to give me an explanation, a good reason to spare you. If not, with the crime of murdering the guards, you will be thrown in jail, awaiting the clan verdict!"

The students all shuddered.

Even the windows trembled, the entire academy reverbing with the academy elder's screams.

Only Fang Yuan was calm-looking, his eyes dyed a deep miasma, behaving like usual, unable to see any change in his emotions.

After looking around, Fang Yuan let go of his right arm, and with a plop, the guard's head fell into the puddle of blood, splashing onto Fang Yuan's pants.

He cupped his fists towards the academy elder, his calm voice echoing throughout the silent academy, "Academy Elder, I truly have something to report."

"Speak." The academy elder spoke with both arms behind his back, arching his head as he looked at Fang Yuan, his expression ice cold.

Laughing coldly in his heart, he thought, "Fang Yuan, you're making more and more mistakes, increasing the severity. I'll see how you're going to explain yourself!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 52: You have no choice but to accept my explanation

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

Inside the academy, everyone's attention was on Fang Yuan.

Their expressions showed shock, fear, mockery and callousness.

Fang Yuan paid no attention to these people. He looked at the academy elder with a stern expression, with his finger pointing towards the fainted guard.

"Reporting to elder, these two guards had impure motives, devious intentions! They broke into my room when I was at the crucial moment of breaking through into the middle stage. As everyone knows, a Gu Master cultivating cannot be interrupted. Especially so when one is trying to break through into higher realms. A moment of distraction would not only cause the breakthrough to fail, but their aperture would also get damaged. Thankfully my luck was good, because at the moment where they barged in, I had already stepped into the middle stage."

"However!" Before the masses had reacted, Fang Yuan continued, "These two did not admit their mistakes earlier. To my surprise, they boasted shamelessly about wanting to get rough with me, even scolding our clan's ancestors, lying that the act of disturbing my cultivation was the esteemed elder's decision. Your student did not believe so, and resisted furiously. These two had strong martial arts, and I had to fight for life before finally defeating these two people."

"But seeing as they were the academy guards, your student did not kill them immediately. I merely cut off one of his arms, and the leg of the other person. Although there was quite some blood loss, they are still alive. That is my report for this matter, please uphold justice for me, esteemed elder!" Having said so, he cupped his fists towards the academy elder.

His tone was urgent, saying a ton of information, and leaving no room for others to interrupt.

After he had finished, the surrounding people slowly started to react.

"What did Fang Yuan say earlier, I did not catch it."

"I think he said he advanced to the middle stage!"

"How is that possible, he is just a C grade trash, to think that he actually advanced to the middle stage first."

"He definitely lied, he is afraid of the academy's punishment, thus he lied!"

The students discussed loudly.

When compared to Fang Yuan's advancement to the middle stage, the two guards' lives no longer mattered.

They were not Gu Yue clan members, who cares if they're dead or alive?

"You said you advanced to Rank one middle stage?" The academy elder's voice was ice cold, his expression unforgiving. "Fang Yuan, this is not a laughing matter. If you admit your wrongdoing now, I can still take into account that this is your first mistake and deal with you leniently. If you want to continue lying and attempting to cover up your mistakes, then I can tell you now, lies are easily seen through."

Fang Yuan did not explain himself further, he laughed lightly and said to the academy elder, "Please inspect, elder."

Even without his words, the academy elder had already moved forward.

He placed his hand on Fang Yuan's abdomen, placing a trace of his spirit into it. Immediately he saw the inside of Fang Yuan's aperture.

Within the aperture, there was no Gu.

The Spring Autumn Cicada had already hidden itself. A Rank six Gu is way superior than a Rank three academy elder, so if it wanted to hide, it would not be found easily.

As for the Liquor worm, Fang Yuan had placed it into the dormitory's wine reserves, and did not bring it along.

The academy elder with his eyes shut, could see a green copper primeval sea, calm as still water.

Drops of primeval essence inside were all emerald green colours of middle stage primeval essence.

Seeing the aperture walls, the white coloured aperture walls were glowing with reflected light as if they were all made of water. Gushes of water flow rapidly moved along the wall.

Water wall!

"He really advanced to the middle stage, how is this possible?!" The academy elder shouted in his heart, a sign of shock under his calm expression. But he tried to hide it to the best of his ability, his face still expressionless.

A moment later, after he had digested this fact, he drew back his hand, speaking in a solemn voice, "It is indeed middle stage."

The students had been holding their breaths, awaiting the results.

The academy elder's verdict caused a huge commotion in the academy.

The students were full of bewilderment and shock, each of their faces showing immense disbelief.

Fang Yuan was only a C grade, but yet he was the first to breakthrough into the middle stage, this was against common sense!

For a Gu Master's cultivation and breaking through realms, the most important aspect should be talent. How is this possible, a C grade was the first to advance? How would this make those A grade, B grades feel!

"This!" Gu Yue Fang Zheng's face was pale. He was still confident last night, but now that reality sat in front of him, he was unable to accept such a fact and fell to the ground.

Gu Yue Mo Bei clenched his fists, and Gu Yue Chi Chen hatefully gritted his teeth.

The academy elder could not be easily fooled, so how did Fang Yuan manage to do it?

At once, all the youngsters stared at Fang Yuan, having one question in their hearts —— with that C grade talent, how did he advance?

The academy elder's heart was similarly full of doubt.

Under such great empuzzlement, he ignored the idea of suppressing Fang Yuan and asked directly, "Fang Yuan, I hope you can explain this, how did you manage to advance to middle stage."

Fang Yuan laughed silently, "Heaven rewards the hard-working, and as a result of student's persistent training, I managed to advance smoothly."

"Lies!"

"Tsk, if heaven rewarded the hard-working, I'd be first long ago!"

"Diligently studying and training? Some time ago, I still saw him strolling around the shop district."

The students were evidently not satisfied with such an answer.

"Is that so?" The academy elder replied neutrally, his gaze staring at Fang Yuan, emitting pressure.

Fang Yuan's expression was candid, making eye contact with the elder without fear.

His body was bathed in blood, his linen shirt messy, as if he had gone through an intense battle.

A pair of black abyss-like eyes, showing a kind of peacefulness, indifference, and even hiding a hint of amusement.

Seeing such a gaze, the academy elder's heart wavered.

"This Fang Yuan, he is not afraid, not fearful, not threatened, and not shocked, how can he be interrogated by me right here? With his C grade talent, being the first to advance to middle stage, there has to be a secret. But since he does not want to say it, as the academy elder, I cannot forcefully interrogate him. It seems I can only investigate this privately."

Thinking of this, the academy elder retracted his gaze and his cold expression became milder.

Fang Yuan however did not let the matter go, "Your student is frightened, esteemed elder. How are you going to deal with these two guards? They have lost a lot of blood, if they are not treated soon, they might die."

"Frightened? You?" The academy elder retorted in his mind. His brows frowned deeply.

At this point, as the person in charge of the academy, he had to step forward and settle this.

"But how should I resolve this?" The academy elder could not help but feel troubled.

He silently began to think.

Fang Yuan took all of the academy elder's change in expressions into consideration. He laughed internally; the academy elder must be really troubled now.

These two guards, they were merely outsiders, their lives cheap as grass. In normal times, no one would care if they died.

But now the situation was different, they were sent out by the academy elder. If they really died, the academy elder would lose his reputation!

Thus, the guards could not die, the academy elder is going to save them.

The part that truly troubles the academy elder is Fang Yuan's verdict.

In his original plan, Fang Yuan first played truant, and then killed the guards. This could be said to be defying his teachers, being arrogant and self-centered. According to the clan rules, he'd be thrown into the clan jail, reflecting upon his mistakes inside.

But when adding in the matter of Fang Yuan's advancement to middle stage, these wrongdoings became very different.

Fang Yuan played truant and killed the guards because he was cultivating. This was reasonable.

The crucial part was, he was successful in advancing to the middle stage, and became the first in this class. This allowed him to be on the side of reason.

Just what did Fang Yuan rely on to advance to middle stage, this secret would be discussed later.

Winners win all, losers lose all, the world only cares about result. No one would reprimand such an outstanding junior.

The academy elder could not execute any punishments on him.

What is the academy for? It is to nurture outstanding Gu Masters, and inject fresh blood into the clan.

Now that we have such an aspiring young man, you as the academy elder still wants to find trouble with him? That would be neglecting your role!

Just like a student who got good results, as a teacher he should be encouraging and praising him, instead of punishing and criticizing. A teacher who punishes and scolds a student for his good results is not one that would ever be recognised.

Perhaps the other elders would secretly cause problems for Fang Yuan because they fear Fang Yuan's future prospects, or because of grudges and past grievances. But him alone, the esteemed academy elder, cannot do such a thing!

Because he is in charge of the academy, he has to be impartial, at least on the surface.

These are the rules!

"Do I just let him go like this? It was not easy finding a weakness of his." The academy elder was indignant. He knew in his heart that all the youngsters in the academy were merely spectators of this matter.

They can only look at the matter as entertainment, but are unable to see the crucial point in this, they are unable to experience the excitement in this battle!

The truth is, this is the one time where he as the academy elder, was battling against Fang Yuan the student.

First he grabbed hold of the rules, and was bent on punishing Fang Yuan, removing his strong image in front of the other students.

Next, Fang Yuan retaliated! His actions may seem rash, but it hit the matter on the point, and with the excuse of advancing to the middle stage, he got back his argument.

As for those two unlucky guards, they were merely sacrificial pawns who were implicated by the two's battle of wits.

"This Fang Yuan, he is too cunning! If he had really killed the two guards, I can still retaliate against him with this reason. Although his talent is lackluster, with such a meticulous and experienced method, it is hard to believe that he is just a fifteen year old. The worst part is, I cannot retaliate. No wonder back in those days, the clan had rumors about his early awakened intelligence!" The academy elder suddenly realised, he had lost.

His loss was due to his status, he was the elder in charge of the academy.

This was both his strength and weakness.

One's strength is also one's weakness.

Fang Yuan had understood this logic long ago!

The academy elder was both helpless and frustrated.

He had asked Fang Yuan to explain, and in actuality Fang Yuan's explanation was full of loopholes and easily exposable.

These guards were chosen by the academy elder himself, they would not be so rash and retarded to scold the Gu Yue ancestors.

Fang Yuan's words were on purpose, it was blatant accusation, framing and laying a trap in front of the other party!

The academy elder was clear of this, but he knew that he could not pursue the matter.

This was a trap.

Once he looked into it, the truth would be revealed, and how would he handle this matter?

If he did not punish Fang Yuan, the two guards would be pitifully framed, and as the academy elder, if he does not handle things impartially, how can anyone trust him?

If he punished Fang Yuan, that would be suppressing and displaying jealousy of the talented! To suppress a junior of the clan for two servants who were not part of the clan, this matter would trigger the unhappiness of the clansmen.

Thus, the best way to resolve this was to pretend to not see anything, and treat these two guards as discarded pieces. Admitting that they had performed a huge mistake, as well as praising Fang Yuan.

This way, the clansmen would be satisfied, and the deceived guards, without additional information, would think of this as being impartial.

If he handled the matter like this, it would give the academy elder the largest benefit.

Logic told the academy elder that this is the way to handle it. But emotionally, he could not take it lying down.

This Fang Yuan was too devious!

The academy elder not only failed to suppress Fang Yuan, but he himself became the stepping stone for Fang Yuan, getting humiliated in public!

Fang Yuan did not show the slightest respect for him and dared to oppose him like this in public, causing this esteemed academy elder to suffer such humiliation and frustration.

The point was, in future if these two guards felt indignant and wanted to reveal the truth, as the academy elder, if he wanted to maintain his image and position, he would have to be the first to step up and suppress them.

But this was all caused by Fang Yuan!

What sort of feeling is this?

For example, it would be like Fang Yuan pooping on the academy elder's face, but the elder himself still has to praise him and at the same time, clean his butt for him. If anyone wanted to point out that there was poop on his face, he has to be the first to shut that person up.

This feeling of grievance, it was almost unbearable for the academy elder.

There was a growing urge in his heart to give Fang Yuan a few tight slaps!

But finally, the academy elder stretched out his arm and patted Fang Yuan's shoulder.

"Good lad." The academy elder's face was dim like stillwater, forcing the words out of his mouth.

"It is all thanks to the academy's nurturing," Fang Yuan replied plainly.

The corner of the academy elder's eye twitched.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 53: Fang Yuan, you are appointed as class chairman

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

Everything was going according to Fang Yuan's calculations.

Thereafter, the academy elder ordered the healing Gu Master to save the two guards.

The guards were saved, but they had suffered heavy injuries and were almost crippled, ending up getting fired from the academy by the elder.

Fang Yuan did not receive any punishments, on the contrary he received compliments thoroughly.

This result caused much fear in the other youngsters.

But this issue was far from over. As time flowed, the commotion spread to the rest of the clan.

Fang Yuan being the first to advance to the middle stage with his C grade talent became the after-meal gossip of the entire clan.

After meals and tea breaks, everyone was discussing this matter.

Subsequent to the initial peculiarity, everyone started to guess the secret behind Fang Yuan's quick advancement.

"Actually, with a C grade talent, surpassing A grade and B grade to advance first into middle stage is not something that strange."

"True, there are many methods in this world that can achieve such a thing."

"Take the Relic Gu for example. Once this Gu is used, the aperture walls would be enhanced and it will assist the cultivation to rise by a small realm, being the easiest method of breaking through."

At once, the crowd's discussion evolved into all sorts of possible answers and methods.

As for theories about Liquor worms and external sources of primeval essence, these ideas were also naturally brought up by by many people.

If Fang Yuan revealed the existence of the Liquor worm at the start, there would not have been such a commotion. But because he hid it, this resulted in the curiosity of many people being raised.

Although it appeared peaceful, Gu Yue village had an undercurrent brewing.

Numerous eyes were watching the academy elder, all waiting for his explanation.

As the academy elder, if he did not know how a student that he had taught himself had advanced, that would be negligence of his role.

Thus, the academy elder had to give an explanation.

Days passed by.

The second youngster to breakthrough the initial stage and advance to middle stage appeared.

It was Gu Yue Mo Bei.

Soon after, with just a three hour difference, Gu Yue Fang Zheng advanced too.

He was after all, dragged down by the lack of primeval stones. Of course, there was also the reason of him being traumatised by Fang Yuan.

The third was Gu Yue Chi Chen.

Even if he had Gu Yue Chi Lian's infused primeval essence, the method's effectiveness was not very high and could only be performed once every three days, adding to the fact that it was very risky. But with his C grade talent, getting third position was already a success.

On the fifth day, the academy elder once again handed out subsidies.

"Gu Yue Fang Yuan." He stood at the front, calling out Fang Yuan's name first.

Fang Yuan stood up and walked towards him with a plain expression.

The youngsters' attention was on him as he moved, revealing all sorts of envy, jealousy, inspection, and hatred, not one was the same.

"Today, the elder is not only handing out resources, he is also appointing the chairman and vice chairman positions!"

"As expected, the first to be called up was Fang Yuan."

"He is the first to advance, the title of chairman belongs to him."

"It is hard to imagine that this would be the result. Before this, I thought it would be Fang Zheng who would come first."

"He was the first to advance to middle stage, it is so peculiar, there has to be a huge secret, but he refuses to tell us!"

"Hehe, if it was me I wouldn't tell anyone either. Keep quiet and prosper."

As the students conversed, Fang Yuan arrived in front of the academy elder.

"Gu Yue Fang Yuan, you are the first Gu Master to reach Rank one middle stage in this class, so this is your reward." Saying so, he handed him a white and blue money bag.

Fang Yuan received the money bag and opened it in public, peeking inside.

"Be rest assured, there's a total of thirty primeval stones inside, the academy would not shortchange you." The academy elder smiled.

Frankly speaking, he would never have expected that the first youngster to advance to middle stage would be Fang Yuan.

However, Fang Yuan did not listen to the academy elder. He rarely trusted others, and only believed in himself. He checked carefully and found that it was indeed thirty primeval stones, not one less. He then placed the money bag into his bosom pocket.

The academy elder upon seeing this action, thought that his finances were tight, and could not help but smile even more brightly.

"I guessed so, he is after all a C grade talent. Rushing to the middle stage, his primeval stone expenditure had to be huge. He has no funding from anyone as well, thus he has to be tight on primeval stones. As long as he has a need for primeval stones, we'll not be afraid of him leaving the control of the clan. Once he enters the clan's system, he would not be able to keep that secret, so even if we can't investigate it, one day, he will tell us." Towards this, the academy elder was full of confidence.

The truth is, after that day, he had sent people to investigate Fang Yuan in secret. Almost everyday there would be progress in the search.

But evidently, those people had not found out that Fang Yuan has a few hundred primeval stones in his possession, and was actually rather rich.

The academy elder continued and said, "Fang Yuan, you are the first to step into Rank one middle stage, and according to the academy rules, you not only will receive thirty primeval stones as reward, but you will also gain priority in choosing your second Gu soon after. Right now, I shall appoint you as class chairman!"

"Fang Yuan was appointed as chairman after all!" Upon hearing this, a few students sighed.

"Damn it." Gu Yue Mo Bei gritted his teeth, feeling indignant.

"Hmph!" Gu Yue Chi Chen crossed his limbs, staring at the scene coldly.

The one that was affected the most was Fang Yuan's brother, Gu Yue Fang Zheng.

His face was pale, and his expression looked uncertain, a dark cloud looming over his head. "Ordinary students, upon seeing the chairman and vice chairmen, have to bow and pay respects. With my results, I will definitely be a vice chairman. But from now on when I see big brother, I'll have to pay my respects to him."

"Hold on."

But at this moment, Fang Yuan spoke.

He smiled faintly to the academy elder and said slowly, "Esteemed elder, your student here is not gifted and does not have high wisdom, hence being unable to properly take on the role of chairman. This role, should be given to talented people."

"What? You mean you do not want to be chairman? As the chairman, you'll get ten primeval stones every time. Are you sure you want to reject it?" The academy elder frowned deeply as he spoke. For the last tens of years of teaching, he had not seen anyone reject this position!

Actually he had already given much thought about this matter, and letting Fang Yuan be class chairman had its merits.

Once he was the chairman, he would be inside the clan system. Fang Yuan will have to carry out his duties at the same time while enjoying his treatment.

No matter what the chairman's role was, the least he had to do was to stop extorting his classmates.

This was definitely not something a class chairman can do.

This is like before, even though the academy elder was humiliated by Fang Yuan, he still had to praise him for his excellent cultivation results.

As someone bound by the system, he would not be able to do as he pleases when handling matters, and many times he'd be left with no choice.

Of course, this was not because the academy elder was displeased with Fang Yuan extorting so many primeval stones every time.

He was thinking for the entire board of students. Once Fang Yuan becomes chairman and stops extorting, this would allow the other teenagers to have a breather under Fang Yuan's pressure.

Next, with some push of a hand, it would result in a multiway competition among the families. As long as he can nurture the clan's hopeful seeds – Fang Zheng, Mo Bei and Chi Chen, what is the cost of sacrificing a small role of a chairman?

And yet, although he had a good plan, the truth was very different from what he expected.

Fang Yuan rejected it!

He actually rejected it!!

Although this position is small, it is the first representation of honor among these hot-blooded youngsters.

Besides honor, as the chairman, they get ten primeval stones as resources each time!

This temptation, no youngster has ever resisted it before.

But Fang Yuan actually rejected.

Fang Yuan looked at the stunned elder, and asked him back, "Did the academy rules state that the first has to be chairman? The position of chairman, is it irrefusable?"

The academy elder replied with a cold expression, "Of course there are no such heartless rules."

Fang Yuan laughed, "Thank you elder for your understanding."

Saying so, he cupped his fists and walked back to his seat.

The students who saw this scene with their own eyes all flew into a commotion.

At once, the academy was lively!

"Fang Yuan actually rejected it? Are you kidding me?!"

"Is he sick in the head?"

"Not sure why he's acting crazy, but hehe, he's gonna regret this later."

"Fang Yuan gave up on being chairman, this means I am the chairman?!" Happiness came too quickly, and the second place Mo Bei could not react in time.

Chi Chen showed a look of disbelief, he was unable to comprehend that someone actually gave up the spot of chairman, he has to be beyond stupid!

"Big brother…" Fang Zheng stared with huge eyes as he looked at Fang Yuan disappointedly.

According to his results, Fang Zheng was assured to be vice chairman.

But when Fang Yuan gave up the position, Fang Zheng felt that this position no longer had any meaning.

The academy elder's face was dark this time, really really dark.

The last time when Fang Yuan skipped class, although he looked angry, it was just an act for the others to see.

But this time, he was in a bad mood, worse than before.

Fang Yuan gave up the position of chairman. This means he is rejecting the clan system. The elder had governed the academy for tens of years, but this was the first time he saw such a student, rejecting this huge temptation!

He wanted to invite Fang Yuan into the trap, but since he wouldn't enter, the academy elder was helpless.

The giving out of subsidies ended.

Mo Bei claimed the position of chairman with his result of being second. Fang Zheng and Chi Chen each became vice chairman.

The class chairman was given ten primeval stones. The vice chairmen got five.

A few students who were not from well-to-do families were so envious that they almost drooled when seeing the three students' primeval stones.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 54: But I am the class chairman!

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The wheel of red fire, the sun slowly sank down on the west side of the mountain range.

Its light was not eye-piercing, but it was a sort of bright and gentle ray.

The west sky was dyed a shade of blushful red, the sunset glow continuously spreading out. It was just like an imperial concubine who had just been rewarded, happily crowding around the emperor, wanting to sleep together with him. (1)

Qing Mao Mountain was engulfed entirely in a sea of rose red colour. Each of the tall-pillared buildings and houses were also draped over with a layer of golden yarn.

The surrounding forest planted around the academy seemed like it was wiped with a faint stratum of oil. The wind blew slowly, and as the students walked out of the classroom with their bosoms carrying the primeval stones that were just passed out, they were in a relaxed and calm state of mind.

"I really don't know what Fang Yuan is thinking, to actually give up on the role of class chairman!"

"Heh heh heh, his brain is fried. I bet he thinks of killing people all day, let's not concern ourselves with this kind of crazy guy."

"Come to think of it, that day when he burst into the academy I was really freaked out. It was just so terrifying, I had a nightmare on the day itself after I went home."

The students were in groups of twos and threes as they walked.

"Good day class chairman."

"Mmm."

"Greetings class chairman."

"Mhmm."

Gu Yue Mo Bei swaggered around as he walked, and wherever he went the students would bow and greet him without exception.

His face was unable to stifle the expressions of excitement and infatuation.

This was the fascination of authority itself.

Even if it was just a tiny bit of difference in status, it could also make a person even more confident in his own self worth.

Right now as the dying sun looked as red as blood, Mo Bei watched it while his heart sang, "How is it that I have never realised before, this sunset's rosiness sure is adorable…"

"Hmph, going head over heels just because of becoming a chairman, as if it's so amazing." Gu Yue Chi Cheng purposely walked behind, since he just didn't want to greet Gu Yue Mo Bei at all.

"I really have no idea what Fang Yuan is thinking about, to think he actually let go of the position of chairman. However it's also a good thing, or else me as the third, how could I have been able to obtain the role of vice chairman?" Gu Yue Chi Cheng was confused in his heart, but he also felt happiness and relief.

"Good day vice chairman." At this moment a normal student walked past him and immediately bowed to greet him.

"Heh heh, good day to you too." Gu Yue Chi Cheng instantly nodded, his face full of smiles.

Once the student was gone, Chi Cheng naturally thought, "The taste of vice chairman is rather pleasant. I'm sure the feeling of being the class chairman is even better. If only I was not the vice chairman, but the chairman himself, how good that would be!"

The Chi Cheng who had just been rejoicing earlier was now already filled with insatiable greed, starting to amass expectations for the role of class chairman.

Under the system of the clan, each rank that was higher than the last was just like a carrot getting bigger than the previous one, deeply enticing him.

"Although I am only a C grade talent, but I believe that everything will get better and better." Gu Yue Chi Cheng was full of hope for his future.

However right now, the other vice chairman Gu Yue Fang Zheng was feeling very much terrible in his heart, his face expression also quite unsightly.

"Big brother, you!" He looked wide-eyed with disbelief at the academy's gate entrance, where a lone figure stood.

"Old rules as usual, every person one piece of primeval stone." Fang Yuan stood while hugging his arms, his tone dull.

Fang Zheng's mouth opened and closed a few times, then after some moments of effort he finally said, "Big brother, but I am the vice chairman now!"

"That's true." Fang Yuan was expressionless as he nodded, giving Fang Zheng an indifferent look, "The vice chairman receives an allowance of five pieces each time. So you should give up three pieces instead."

Fang Zheng was flabbergasted, and for a moment he was unable to say a word.

A group of teenagers were crowding around Gu Yue Mo Bei as they walked over.

When they saw Fang Yuan blocking the school gate entrance, Gu Yue Mo Bei flew into a rage, his finger pointing towards Fang Yuan. "Fang Yuan! You sure have the guts to actually still dare hold us back?! Right now I am the chairman, and as a normal student when you see me, you should first bow and greet me!"

What answered him next was Fang Yuan's fist.

Gu Yue Mo Bei was caught unexpected. After being hit by the fist, he could not refrain from retreating a few big steps backwards, his face full of disbelief. "You hit me, you actually dared to hit me? I am but the chairman!"

What answered him again was still Fang Yuan's fists.

Bang, bang, bang.

After a few rounds of exchanging offensive and defensive blows, Gu Yue Mo Bei was knocked down to the floor by Fang Yuan, and he fell unconscious.

The surrounding youths were all wide-eyed as they watched, all of them unsure of how to react for a moment.

This was totally different from their imaginations!

The guards at the gate entrance had also been watching everything that happened under their eyelids. They could not help but whisper among themselves.

"Fang Yuan just knocked down the new class chairman, what do we do?"

"Salad dressing!" (2)

"What do you mean?"

"It means just watch them, then call some other guys and tidy up the place."

"But…"

"Hey hey, you want to provoke a person like Fang Yuan? I hope you remember what happened to Wang Da and Wu Er!"

The questioning guard immediately quivered and stopped saying anymore.

The two guards at the huge gate entrance stood perfectly straight and upright. To let an incident happen right beside them, it was as if they were deaf and blind, unable to hear or see anything.

After Fang Yuan sorted out Gu Yue Mo Bei, he also dealt with Fang Zheng and Chi Cheng.

It was then that the other teenagers realised that nothing had changed. Fang Yuan was still the same old Fang Yuan, and the extortion would still continue as always.

"Each of you hand over one piece of primeval stone, vice chairmen three pieces, class chairman eight pieces." Fang Yuan announced the new rules.

The youths could only sigh and obediently fish out their primeval stones.

When they walked out of the school gates, suddenly someone slapped his head and exclaimed loudly, "I've thought of it, no wonder Fang Yuan did not want the position of class chairman. He wanted to continue extorting us!"

"That's right. Everytime he does it he would get about fifty-nine piece of primeval stones, and right now it's gone up to about sixty-eight pieces. If he was the class chairman, he'd only get ten pieces." Quite a few of them were enlightened.

"He's too treacherous, too cunning, too savage!" Some of them were slapping their thighs, full of hatred and resentment.

"Sigh, this way it means that there's nothing extraordinary about the position of class and vice chairman. They'll also be extorted and be left with two pieces, just like the rest of us."

It was unknown who just spoke, but when the youngsters heard it, they all could not help but turn silent.

Bang!

The academy elder slapped the table fiercely, feeling extremely furious.

"This Fang Yuan is just too absurd, what is he trying to do? To go as far as to continue extorting, taking eight pieces from the class chairman and three pieces from the vice chairman. With this, what is the difference of being a class and vice chairman in comparison with the other normal students?!" The academy elder tried his best to suppress his voice, but his tone was filled with fury.

When Fang Yuan rejected the position of class chairman, it meant rejecting his own integration into the clan's system. In strict terms, this was a sort of betrayal towards the clan itself. This was enough to make the academy elder very angry.

Immediately after that Fang Yuan had gone to extort his fellow classmates. His handreach was getting further, and this had already gone beyond the academy elder's bottom line. After the extortion this time, the influence of class chairman and vice chairman would be completely weakened.

Over time, the normal students would lose their respect and interest for these two positions.

While Fang Yuan's actions this time seemed small, the meaning behind it was rather heavy.

It was pretty much using oneself's own strength to challenge the clan's system!

This was something the academy elder totally did not wish to see. He was raising the clan's fresh new hopes, not the clan's traitors. Yet despite knowing Fang Yuan had gone and challenge his baseline, he knew that he was unable to do anything to handle the matter.

If he really did, the first one who would not let him go would be the clan head. The second and third person to have opinions against him would be Gu Yue Chi Lian and Gu Yue Mo Chen.

The clan head put in all his hopes onto Gu Yue Fang Zheng, for Fang Zheng was the only A grade talent in three years. The clan leader needed a tenacious and independant genius, not a fragile and delicate flower who was cared for.

At the same time for Chi Lian and Mo Chen, they also had placed their hopes onto their own respective grandsons, hoping that their grandchildren would grow in the midst of setbacks and frustrations.

If the academy elder acted and replaced the students in punishing Fang yuan, once word got out then there would be the sayings of "Mo and Chi family's future successors could not beat Fang Yuan and could only let the elders help them out."

How unpleasant that would be.

This would inevitably be a huge blow towards the fame and honor of the Mo and Chi family.

Of course the academy elder was not afraid of a small little Fang Yuan, but he was instead worried that his intervention would attract pressure from the three sides – the clan head, Mo and Chi bloodline. They pretty much made up of almost the entire Gu Yue high authorities. As a lowly elder, how could he possibly endure?

"The root of this matter still goes back to Fang Yuan's secret. What in the world did he rely on to break through to the middle stage?" The academy elder restrained the fire in his heart and shot his gaze at the three investigation reports on his table.

The first report showed extensive info about Fang Yuan's family background.

Fang Yuan was born into a good family; there was nothing strange about his identity and his life experience was perfectly clean and spotless. Both his parents had passed away and he was taken in by his uncle and aunt. However they did not get along, and ever since he attended the academy Fang Yuan had always stayed in the academy hostel.

The second report was about Fang Yuan's life records.

He had showed early intelligence during junior age, and was seen optimistically by the clansmen, predicted to be a possible A grade talent. Yet after the Awakening Ceremony, he was tested to be a C grade, greatly disappointing the clan.

The third report was on Fang Yuan's recent trail.

His everyday life patterns were very simple, and he had a rigid schedule. During the day he would always be attending lessons in the academy, and in the night he would always sleep in the dormitories. He was extremely hardworking in his cultivation, and would always enter a Gu Master's cultivation every night, nurturing his aperture. There were times he would go out to the village's only inn to have better meals and buy wine to drink.

He had a special affection towards wine, and loved to drink the green bamboo wine. Under his hostel bed, he kept tens of pots of green bamboo wine.

The academy elder looked carefully again at the three reports, his heart forming a deeper impression of Fang Yuan again.

"Both his parents died early, and he was unable to get along with his uncle and aunt… No wonder this brat Fang Yuan does not have a sense of belonging towards the clan. He was personally crowned as a genius among all by the clansmen, yet they also personally plucked him out of the sky and threw him down to the earth… No wonder he is so wild and unruly, and so peculiarly cold and detached. His life is so simple and he is assiduous towards cultivation. This is him holding back his breath, unwilling to concede, he wants to prove his ability to the clan! Thus that is why when I suppressed him, he retaliated so fiercely…"

Once the academy elder carefully thought until this point, he could not help but heave a sigh.

The more he learnt about Fang Yuan, the more he understood Fang Yuan.

Of course, understanding does not mean forgiving. Fang Yuan went against him, offending his dignity, rejecting to be class chairman, and even extorting his classmates. These were things he could not tolerate.

Shaking the information in his hands, the academy elder frowned again. "Although these reports are detailed, they have nothing to do with Fang Yuan's advancement secret. It has already been a few days, these people are atrocious!"

Boom, boom, boom.

At this time, knocking sounds were heard on the door.

"Come inside," the academy elder said.

The door opened.

It was the clan head, Gu Yue Bo's personal guard. "The clan leader has orders, esteemed elder, please hurry to the main family pavilion, there is a matter to discuss."

"Oh, what's the matter?" The academy elder stood up from his seat, he had felt the severity of the issue from the guard's tone and expression.

"The Rank four Gu Master Sir Jia Fu has come back, his brother Jia Jin Sheng has gone missing!" The guard answered.

"Hiss…" The academy elder instantly drew a mouthful of cold air.

(1) This analogy is unique to the author. I translated as closely as possible, yeah… Something about how basically two colors in the sky blend together like an emperor 'sleeping' with his concubine.

(2) Salad dressing is a chinese wordplay that is very hard to contextualise. (怎么办 Zen Me Ban and 凉拌 Liang Ban, are homophones with the character 'Ban' so it is a phrase commonly used when people don't know how to reply to the "How?" question.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 55: Exactly the words I wanted to hear!

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The moon, round like a wheel, was faintly discernable among the floating clouds.

The academy elder hurriedly walked on the road, his face barely visible under the flickering moonlight.

It was hard to survive in this world, and Gu Masters going missing was a common thing. With his extensive life experience, the academy elder knew that under normal circumstances, these sort of sudden disappearances often spelled death.

Anyone can die, but Jia Jin Sheng cannot! Especially not dying in the Gu Yue Village.

His identity was special, his father being the Jia family head, his brother being the Rank four Gu Master Jia Fu.

A Rank four Gu Master has yellow gold primeval essence, and they have absurd fighting power. Within the Gu Yue clan, only the clan leader is Rank four and can match up to him, while the other clan elders were all Rank three.

The Jia family head was at an even higher cultivation level. He was a Rank five, and under his lead the Jia family rose to prosperity, becoming a large sized clan and possessing the resources of an entire mountain, with a large number of clansmen. Compared to them, Gu Yue clan was just a middle sized one.

If the two clans fought, Gu Yue village would definitely have the disadvantage.

The most crucial part was, if this matter was spread, the Gu Yue clan's reputation would be tarnished. Many merchants are vigilant in choosing their routes. Without the interaction with merchants, the Gu Yue clan's surplus local resources would not have an avenue to sell, and the external resources they required would not be purchasable. As time passes, they would definitely weaken.

"This matter is severe, if we do not handle it well, it would be a disaster!" The academy elder worriedly rushed towards the clan head's pavilion.

Once he stepped into the conference hall in the clan head's pavilion, the academy elder felt the solemn and serious atmosphere.

The main seat was occupied by the current clan leader Gu Yue Bo. The fat and short Jia Fu brought along five to six followers with him and stood at the center of the hall, adopting an accusative stance.

Under the bright light of the lamp, the solemn faces of the elders who were standing at side of their chairs were evident.

Jia Fu was a Rank four Gu Master, and since he was not sitting, these Rank three clan elders naturally did not dare to sit.

This was the deterrent force of a Rank four Gu Master.

It was also a form of respect for power.

"Greetings…." The clan elders were about to pay their respects, but they were stopped by the clan leader Gu Yue Bo's hands.

Gu Yue Bo who had grizzled white hair was using his finger to rub his temple, a look of distress on his face, "I'm not going to say more about the matter, the clan academy is always under your supervision. Let me ask you, where is Gu Yue Fang Yuan?"

The academy elder was shocked. Internally he thought, how does this have to do with that brat Fang Yuan?

He answered politely, "At this timing, he should be cultivating in the academy hostel."

The clan leader sighed, "Brother Jia is very suspicious now, he thinks that his brother Jia Jin Sheng's disappearance has something to do with Fang Yuan. I order you to go and bring him here immediately."

The academy elder shuddered in his heart. "Yes!"

He understood the severity of this issue, and hurriedly paid his respects before he turned around and left.

"Brother Jia, that Fang Yuan will be brought here immediately, have a seat." Gu Yue Bo pointed at a seat near him and said to Jia Fu.

Jia Fu laughed bitterly, cupping his fists at Gu Yue Bo. "I apologise to Brother Gu Yue! I was really anxious then, it has already been days since I've seen my brother, I fear for the worst. I really cannot afford to wait."

There are some things that, only after losing them can they be understood.

Jia Fu only realised it in these few days, the reason why his father paired him up with the burden Jia Jin Sheng for the caravan.

It was to test his nature. Seeing if he could, while suppressing his brother, remember their kinship, and at the same time take care of this little brother.

If Jia Jin Sheng was dead now, how would his father view him?

When he realized this point, he immediately held investigations in the caravan, and quickly set his target on the Gu Yue village.

He rushed back without a single break.

Now that he was standing, reluctant to sit, it was to create the impression that he was determined to get the culprit. This was both emitting pressure on the Gu Yue clan as well as giving his father a form of assurance when he return to the Jia family.

"Reporting to clan leader sir, Fang Yuan has been brought here." Quickly, the academy elder brought Fang Yuan to the hall.

"Gu Yue Fang Yuan pays his respects to clan elder, Sir Jia Fu, and the various clan elders," Fang Yuan said with an expressionless face.

"It's him?" Jia Fu coldly observed Fang Yuan, at the same time, asked a female Gu Master.

This female Gu Master was the one who Fang Yuan bought the purple gold rock from at the gambling den.

"Yes, it's him! There is no mistake," The female Gu Master stared at Fang Yuan, saying confidently.

Jia Fu nodded. Immediately his gaze was like two steel blades, slashing at Fang Yuan. But he did not interrogate openly, for this was the Gu Yue village, thus he had to give the Gu Yue clan leader some respect.

Thus he looked towards the Gu Yue clan leader.

The Gu Yue clan leader had a serious expression. He knew that Jia Fu purposely conversed with the female Gu Master loudly; it was not only to confirm Fang Yuan's identity, but also to assert his motive.

He was implying to the Gu Yue clan head that he had the evidence in his hands, "I have sufficient confidence, so you better not overly defend your own clansman."

This caused some displeasure in the Gu Yue clan leader's heart, thinking, "You Jia Fu lost your brother, it was your mistake to begin with. Now you come here to our Gu Yue village with an accusative stance, do you think my Gu Yue clan can be easily bullied? My Gu Yue clan is impartial and works around based on logic, but don't be mistaken that this is a weakness!'

Thinking of this, he did not interrogate Fang Yuan immediately, but fiercely said to the female Gu Master, "Did you see clearly? I'm not afraid to tell you this, but Fang Yuan has a twin brother who looks extremely identical to him, are you really sure it's him?"

The female Gu Master was just a Rank one, and under Gu Yue Bo's pressure, she instantly showed a hesitant and nervous expression.

Jia Fu frowned and took a step forward, blocking her from Gu Yue Bo's sight. Cupping his fists, he said, "Brother Gu Yue, I've always respected the Gu Yue clan. Especially the Gu Yue clan's first and fourth clan leader, these two were Rank five powerhouses. One built the clan from scratch, where he went through tough times and created the Gu Yue family's hundred year foundation. Another was a benevolent hero, for to protect his clan he sacrificed himself, and is worth respecting. Brother Gu Yue, as the clan leader, I believe you will act impartial, please interrogate this Fang Yuan."

Hearing that his tone had softened, Gu Yue Bo nodded, but his heart had already decided.

If this Fang Yuan was the culprit, then he would hand him over. After all he was just a C grade, there is no loss in losing him. As long as it is able to settle this dispute.

If Fang Zheng was the one who did it, Fang Yuan also has to take the blame. Fang Zheng is an A grade genius, the only one in three years. The clan higher-ups still expect to nurture him greatly to go against that Bai Ning Bing from the Bai clan village.

"Fang Yuan, don't be nervous." Gu Yue clan leader smiled benevolently, using a gentle tone towards Fang Yuan, "Let me ask you, do you know any information about that Jia Jin Sheng?"

"Who is Jia Jin Sheng?" Fang Yuan looked up and said calmly.

"He's lying!" The female Gu Master from the gambling den shrieked right as Fang Yuan finished his question.

The people in the discussion hall, upon hearing this shrieking, frowned and all looked towards her.

The female Gu Master pointed at Fang Yuan, showing an agitated expression, "It's him, it's him! At our gambling den, he bought six purple gold rocks, and the fifth was a mudskin toad. Young master Jia saw it and tried to use five hundred primeval stones to purchase it. This left a huge impression on me, even if a year or two passes I will not forget. Not only me, but the other Gu Masters at the gambling den saw it too."

"Is that so…" The Gu Yue clan leader's smiled disappeared, showing a stiff expression and dragging his question towards Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan only nodded now, showing a hint of nervousness, and pretended to suddenly realize, "Oh it's him. Alright, if he's Jia Jin Sheng, then I do know him. But after the gambling den incident, I did not see him ever again."

"He's lying again!" This time, it was not the female Gu Master, but a male Gu Master who called out in public.

Fang Yuan looked towards him, and as if he had recognised him, showed an expression of shock, but quickly tried to hide it.

His expression changes were reflected in everyone's eyes.

Everyone started to ponder.

"Esteemed sirs, I am an employee at the wine shop." The male Gu Master first cupped his fists to everyone, and then vigorously pointed at Fang Yuan, "That night, I saw clearly at the wine shop, he was sitting with young master Jia Jin Sheng, and the two secretly conversed for a long time!"

Once he said so, the hall erupted into a clammer of soft discussions.

The academy elder used a cold gaze and looked at Fang Yuan.

The Gu Yue clan master moved backwards slightly, slowly leaning on the large chair.

"How can that be!" Fang Yuan showed an obviously frantic expression, hurriedly saying, "The wine shop had so many people, how can you recognise me just like that? You might be mistaken yourself!"

"Haha, I am definitely not wrong." The male Gu Master smiled, his gaze staring at Fang Yuan, at this moment he felt extremely confident.

"Not to mention it was young master Jia Jin Sheng who coming to our wine shop, we have to take care of him carefully. Even if it was not him, I would still have had recognised you, as you had given me a strong impression!"

Saying so, he raised his eyebrows, saying smugly, "Do you still remember? That day you came to our shop, wanting a cup of monkey wine. But you only drank a mouthful. After that you released the Liquor worm and fed the remaining monkey wine to it. I saw the Liquor worm and was very agitated, wanting to purchase it from you but you refused to sell it and walked away immediately!"

"Good, exactly what I wanted to hear." Fang Yuan laughed coldly in his heart, but showed an expression of shock on his face, subconsciously taking a step backwards.

"Liquor worm!" The eyes of the academy elder behind Fang Yuan shone.

But quickly he frowned again, and could not help but ask, "Fang Yuan, where did you get that Liquor worm?"

Fang Yuan clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, but refusing to answer.

The surrounding clan elders flew into a rage, starting to scowl.

"Fang Yuan, do you know the trouble you've caused!"

"Talk, exactly what happened?"

"Tell us of what you know, own up. This Liquor worm, is it Jia Jin Sheng's?"

"How can it be his? The Liquor worm is obviously obtained by myself! I opened it!" Fang Yuan raised his head suddenly, his expression worked up, as if he could not stand such a slander, and shouted loudly with an indignant emotion.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"You opened it?" Gu Yue Bo frowned deeply.

"That's right, at this point, I shall not hide it any further!" Fang Yuan acted as if he was risking everything, speaking urgently, "I bought six pieces of purple gold rock at the gambling den, but because I did not have enough primeval essence, I only opened five on the spot. The last one, I brought back to the hostel and after opening it, I found a Liquor worm inside. I was overjoyed as I had searched up information on it before, and knew that the Liquor worm is a rare Gu worm that could supplement my lack of talent, thus I refined it on the spot."

"Wait, you said that you bought six gambling rocks and opened a mudskin toad as well as another Liquor worm?" The clan elders upon hearing this, could not help but ask in an unbelievable tone.

"So what?" Fang Yuan answered as a matter of fact, then pointed at the female Gu Master, shouting, "She can be my witness!"

Everyone on the scene were momentarily stunned before turning to look at the female Gu Master.

The female Gu Master felt the pressure from all the gaze and did not dare to lie, so she honestly said, "It is indeed true, Fang Yuan bought six rocks and opened the mudskin toad on the fifth. He brought the sixth piece away, but I do not know what he opened inside."

"Buying six purple gold rocks and getting two Gu worms consecutively, isn't this luck way too good?" The clan elders mumbled.

"What's so hard to understand? It's luck, who knows, heh, back in the days when I gambled rocks I also…"

"Wait, Gu worms are hard to refine, why did it sound like Fang Yuan easily refined it?" Some of the family elders asked suspiciously.

"You're muddled. Don't you know that when a Gu is extracted from a fossil, they're extremely weak, tittering on the brink of death? Even refining then from a lower Rank is possible. What's so peculiar about him refining the Liquor worm?" Someone immediately answered.

Fang Yuan continued, "I refined the Liquor worm and went to the stores on the second day, I indeed went to a wine shop in the afternoon and bought a cup of monkey wine. At night, I went again and witnessed a scamming scene, Jia Jin Sheng was selling a smelly fart fat worm as a Black Boar Gu to someone in my clan. Next, Sir Jia Fu appeared and resolved the dispute."

"I went to the wine shop again, but I did not expect to see Jia Jin Sheng drinking wine in a poor mood. I had just obtained the Liquor worm and was extremely happy, so I asked him how many primeval stones I could sell it for. Who knew that Jia Jin Sheng upon hearing my Liquor worm, wanted to forcefully buy it. I obviously rejected him, I had no intentions to sell it, only wanting to know its value. Even if I wanted to sell it, that would have to be after I am Rank two, thus I left on the spot."

Fang Yuan's words had brought out the matter of Jia Jin Sheng and Jia Fu's conflict, causing the clan elders to see Jia Fu in a different light.

Under these pressuring gazes, Jia Fu coughed and asked Fang Yuan with shining eyes, "Then did my brother chase after you?"

Fang Yuan nodded, half lying, "He not only chased me, but also added an extra fifty primeval stones. But I did not want to sell it, so he was furious, claiming that the Gu Yue clan was no big deal, asking me to watch out. After saying that, he walked away. I never saw him again."

Jia Fu nodded internally. With his understanding of Jia Jin Sheng, he definitely would have chased after Fang Yuan and gave threats as that was his style.

If Fang Yuan said he did not chase after him, that would be a lie.

But since Fang Yuan said so, this led Jia Fu to a predicament. His investigations led up only to this clue. Did Jia Jin Sheng really not search for Fang Yuan after that? Maybe he found Fang Yuan again afterwards, and as the two could not agree on the matter, he was killed by Fang Yuan —— This is entirely possible.

'Speak, was Jia Jin Sheng killed by you!" Thinking of this, Jia Fu interrogated fiercely, attempting to pressurize Fang Yuan with his aura.

Fang Yuan denied once again, claiming that he did not see Jia Jin Sheng anymore.

Jia Fu had no other evidence, and while one side questioned intensely, the other denied. At this point, it had become a stalemate.

As Gu Yue Bo listened to their conversation, he turned displeased. That Jia Jin Sheng actually dared to threaten the Gu Yue clan on Qing Mao mountain, this was not giving the Gu Yue clan any respect! Now this Jia Fu dared to interrogate a Gu Yue clan member so intensely in front of all the Gu Yue clan higher-ups. Nevermind if he had evidence, but now that he has no evidence or proof, if this matter spread out, what would happen to the Gu Yue clan's honour?

"Brother Jia, it's not that I want to speak out of turn." The clan leader interrupted his interrogation and continued, " Jia Jin Sheng has gone missing for so many days, hope is bleak. The culprit who caused this crime definitely left behind some traces. Did brother find anything yet?"

Jia Fu stared fiercely at Fang Yuan before raising his head and sighed, "I understand brother's words! If there were any traces, I would not have come here to find the culprit. That criminal is obviously experienced with vile methods and meticulous handling. To speak the truth, all the clues are at a dead end, and on the day we left, there was a huge rain that could have washed away all the possible blood traces."

Gu Yue Bo smiled faintly. "Brother Jia, I heard that your Jia family has a tracing Gu worm called the Underworld Path Butterfly. It can emit soul fragrance and be implanted on Gu worms. The scent is colourless and odourless, and never fades. Your Jia family member's Gu worms all have this scent. As long as you use the Underworld Path Butterfly, following the fragrance, you'll be able to find the Gu worms and thus your brother."

Jia Fu solemnly said, "I used the Underworld Path Butterfly long ago, but there was no effect. I'm sure you've heard that once the Gu worm dies, the fragrance dissipates. Evidently the murderer killed all of the Gu worms in my brother's possession.

Gu Yue Bo's words turned, "That's strange. The murderer harmed your brother, but he did not go for the Gu worms, or for extortion to get primeval stones. The murderer killed this tiny Rank one Gu Master, what was the motive?"

Indeed, what was the motive?

Regardless of whether Jia Jin Sheng was dead, there had to be a motive, right?

If not for Gu worms nor primeval stones, then was it for love?

But if it was a crime of passion, it had to be a long term process, and Jia Fu would not have come to the Gu Yue clan. The caravan members and clansmen would fall under greater suspicion as they have a long relationship with him.

At once, the hall fell into silence.

Fang Yuan followed everyone's gazes, and suddenly said to Jia Fu, "Maybe Jia Jin Sheng was killed by you. I heard before that your family is splitting assets, now that one brother is dead, wouldn't you get more inheritance?"

"Shut up!"

"Baseless accusation, do not slander Sir Jia Fu."

Immediately the family elders erupted.

Fang Yuan kept quiet immediately, his gaze shining obscurely, but his objective had been reached.

His earlier words were like a pebble that was thrown into the elders' sea of thoughts, causing waves of ripples.

The clan elders followed this train of thought, and started to think, "Jia Fu cannot kill Jia Jin Sheng, this causes more harm to him than reward. Wait, even if he won't do it, that does not mean others won't…"

"The Jia family's internal dispute!" A certain elder had a flash of inspiration and lightly muttered.

His volume was not high, but in the silent hall it could be heard clearly.

At once, the elders' gaze shone.

"Finally, they have thought of this." Fang Yuan's mouth twitched, his eyelids drooping, hiding away his cold gaze.

The Jia family's clan leader wants to split the assets and impart the role of clan leader, and because of this his children underwent intense competition, especially Jia Fu and Jia Gui, both being Rank four Gu Masters and having their own supporters.

In these few years, the Jia family situation is somewhat known by many of the mountain villages.

Jia Jin Sheng's misfortune was too strange. Currently there was no evidence showing that Fang Yuan was the killer. It was obvious that the motivation for murder was not enough just based on the theory of killing just because of a Liquor worm. At the same time, the murderer's actions and methods would not be so meticulous and secretive.

But if Jia Gui was the one acting in the shadows, then it could be explained.

Everyone present was a higher-up, and as someone in a position of power, there had to be something capable about them. At least for political schemes, they had great intuition and perception.

The Jia family dispute, this gave everyone's imaginations a pair of wings.

The Jia family clan leader had arranged Jia Jin Sheng to join the caravan. One reason was to test Jia Fu's nature, to see if he was a good brother, and only suppressed but not bully his brother.

Now that Jia Jin Sheng was in trouble, Jia Fu would be implicated, and who is the true winner?

Obviously Jia Fu's greatest competitor — Jia Gui!

The criminal's actions were so fluid, causing all clues to come to a dead end, this showed how experienced the criminal was. How could this be done by a fifteen year old like Fang Yuan?

All the answers were revealed at once!

The discussion hall was still silent, but the elders exchanged gazes full of meaning.

"To make someone believe in something wholeheartedly, it is not through convincing, but directing." Fang Yuan's keen observation allowed him to see these glances, and he laughed coldly in his heart, but his face still showed an expression of indignance and stubbornness.

Jia Fu's face was so dark and gloomy it could drip water.

The matter of the Jia family internal dispute caused him to think of Jia Gui.

At that moment, his soul shook!

Who else had a greater motivation than Jia Gui?

No one!

"I understand now, I understand everything." The academy elder stood behind Fang Yuan, looking at him. His eyes shone, "Fang Yuan is both lucky and unfortunate, meeting Jia Jin Sheng at the last moment. With his age of just starting to attend school, how can he get rid of all the evidence? If he had such scheming abilities, how can he show this expression of indomitability. He denied it earlier just to hide the existence of the Liquor worm."

At this point, everyone had dispelled their suspicious towards Fang Yuan!

"Getting rid of the suspicions on me is just the first step, what happens next is crucial." Fang Yuan was in grasp of the situation, and at this point, everything was going according to plan. He sighed internally and looked at Jia Fu.

Jia Fu looked at him too, the unfriendliness in his eyes growing obviously more intense.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 57: A gentleman's lie

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

Jia Fu was conflicted.

He had dispelled his suspicions of Fang Yuan and was certain that Jia Gui was the mastermind.

"But yet, so what if I know the truth?" Jia Fu felt anger and sadness surging, "I have no evidence at hand, so if I accused Jia Gui in front of father without any proof, father might even think I am trying to frame him!"

Jia Fu was smart, and he looked at Fang Yuan, a light flashing in his eyes.

Jia Jin Sheng had journeyed with him together, and now that he was missing, it was Jia Fu's fault for not taking care of him! Since he could not accuse Jia Gui, he had to give his father some answer.

And this answer was in front of him!

"That's right, if Fang Yuan is the scapegoat, it would at least help me get through this crisis. Once I get over it, I can get back at Jia Gui with twice the payback." Jia Fu thought deviously.

He raised his pitch, interrogating Fang Yuan, "Fang Yuan, how do you prove that you did not harm Jia Jin Sheng?"

The clan elders were stunned. This is obviously your internal dispute, why are you still grabbing onto my clansman?

Only the Gu Yue clan leader looked grim, his expression turning sharp as he stared at Jia Fu.

"Fang Yuan, what proof do you have to show that you were not present at the time and did not harm Jia Jin Sheng? If you can't prove it, you are the murderer!" Jia Fu pointed at Fang Yuan, his gaze furious as he threatened with his aura.

"He's trying to push our clan's Fang Yuan into being the scapegoat. How atrocious!" At this point, the clan elders had reacted and their expressions all turned unkind.

They had been fighting and scheming against each other for a long time, so if they thought about it, they would know easily about Jia Fu's standpoint and intentions.

"Witness? Of course I do! I prepared it long ago." Fang Yuan smiled internally, but showed an expression of shock, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.

"No need for others, just tell me if you do or not!" Jia Fu raised his voice again, forcing Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan showed an indignant expression, but finally gritted his teeth and said helplessly, "No."

"Haha. Then you are —"" Jia Fu was about to declare his verdict but at that point.

"Halt!" The academy elder took a step forward and stood in front of Fang Yuan with a solemn expression, "Of course he has a witness, that would be me!"

"You?" Jia Fu asked in shock.

"That's right, me." The academy elder, facing Rank four Jia Fu, was slightly overpowered. But seeing Gu Yue Bo's encouraging gaze, he gathered his courage and raised his head, "These days when Fang Yuan unexpectedly became the first to break through the middle stage, I sent my men to investigate him. His everyday activities and actions are recorded down, there was no time for him to harm Jia Jin Sheng."

"Yes, this is it…" Fang Yuan hid behind the academy elder's back, where no one could see his curled lips, revealing a smile.

Jia Fu's expression was dim, he did not expect the academy elder to stand out and protect Fang Yuan.

The crucial point was, the Gu Yue clan leader did not object. This had a great meaning, for it meant the Gu Yue clan was going to protect Fang Yuan.

"I get it! I wanted to get Fang Yuan to become the scapegoat, but that was from my perspective, and I did not consider their perspective. Indeed, once Fang Yuan is criminalized, the Gu Yue clan has to bear the evil name of harming a Jia family member. From then on they will have to face the Jia family's retribution as well as losing their own reputation. Furthermore, future caravans would not dare to come here and trade anymore, the loss is too great!"

Thinking of this, Jia Fu was anguished and wanted to slap his own head.

The Gu Yue higher-ups did have such considerations.

Fang Yuan was a C grade, so if he really harmed Jia Jin Sheng, handing him over was nothing. But the point was, now that his suspicion had been cleared, if he was handed over, wouldn't the Gu Yue clan suffer a great injustice and lose out greatly?

Knowing that this conflict could not be resolved, Jia Fu gritted his teeth, determined to get his way. He said, "If so, why don't you let me use the Footprint Gu. Once this Gu is used, it will show us his last 30,000 footprints on the floor."

The academy elder scoffed in displeasure.

Jia Fu's words meant he did not trust them. But he has no reason to stop him, thus he let Jia Fu through.

"Come and test!" Fang Yuan laughed coldly at Jia Fu, walking towards him with his head lowered.

He was confident, having predicted this. Thus, these few days he kept his activities within the village and did not go to the secret cave.

Under the Gu Yue higher-ups supervision, Jia Fu did not play any tricks.

The Footprint Gu was very peculiar, it was shaped like a person's foot. Its material was like a translucent yogurt, giving others a feeling of smoothness, and the surface had a yellow-green luster.

Its size was small, being only palm size.

Jia Fu held it in his hands, sending primeval essence into the Footprint Gu.

The Footprint Gu became brighter, and then suddenly with a "bam" sound, exploded into a cloud of yellow green powder.

The powdery cloud enveloped Fang Yuan and spun around him before flying out of the discussion hall.

Where the powder cloud passed through, the floor would show a series of footprints.

These footprints glowed in a yellow green light around the same size as Fang Yuan's foot. They were Fang Yuan's footprints when he entered the discussion hall.

The footprints extended from the family head pavilion into the academy hostel and then to the academy and circulated. Other than that, it reached the mountain village's inn.

The powder cloud became smaller as it flew, and finally at the 30,000th step, it vanished.

The results were clear, everyone had checked and knew that Fang Yuan was innocent, there were no suspicious points.

Jia Fu sighed, taking out a small jade box.

He opened the jade box, where there was only a jade piece inside.

The jade piece was a translucent emerald colour, and there was a Gu sealed inside.

This was a phasmids(1), its body long and slim, with the colour of jade, its entire body looking like a bamboo tube.

The phasmids was normally longer than a palm, but this one wasn't, being only the size of a fingernail. On its surface, it emitted a white glow.

"Green jade as its body, white light enveloping its form, this is the Bamboo Gentleman!" At once, some of the elders recognised this Gu worm and exclaimed.

Even Gu Yue Bo was moved. He could not refrain from advising, "Brother Jia, this Bamboo Gentleman is a Rank four Gu, it is not easily refined. Why waste it here?"

Jia Fu shook his head, looking at Fang Yuan: "This Bamboo Gentleman was obtained through gambling rocks when I was young. The rock was only opened halfway before it could no longer be extracted. As everyone knows, this Gu worm is fed honesty as food, being able to detect lies from birth. Only an honest gentleman who has never lied can refine and feed this Gu."

"Fang Yuan, you just have to open this rock and keep the Bamboo Gentleman in your aperture. Whatever I ask you, you will answer. Next, we will take out this Gu and let everyone see if it changed colour. If the Gu changes colour, you're lying!"

"No problem." Fang Yuan did not hesitate. He immediately opened the jade piece and did as Jia Fu instructed.

The Bamboo Gentleman appeared in his aperture and emitted a faint green glow, covering the primeval sea.

Fang Yuan felt that if he said a single lie, the Bamboo Gentleman could detect it and turn its body from green into another color.

But he only accepted it because he had his trump card.

"Spring Autumn Cicada!" With a thought, the Spring Autumn Cicada awakened and let out a trace of its aura.

This aura was overpowering, and it immediately suppressed the Bamboo Gentleman.

The Bamboo Gentleman emitted a green glow and immediately shrunk its body. Its entire body was curled up, trembling in fear. How could it have the excessive spirit to detect lies?

Jia Fu begin interrogating, with his first question hitting home, "Fang Yuan, did you harm my brother Jia Jin Sheng?"

"No!" Fang Yuan affirmed.

Jia Fu asked, "Do you have any other information about him?"

Fang Yuan shook his head, "No idea."

Jia Fu asked again, "Did you say anything dishonest to us earlier?"

Fang Yuan shook his head again, "No."

"Alright, you can take out the Bamboo Gentleman now." After finishing with three questions, Jia Fu instructed Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan took out the Bamboo Gentleman, and everyone saw that it was still an emerald green colour with no changes.

The clan elders heaved a sigh of relief.

Jia Fu's expression became milder as he kept the Bamboo Gentleman, cupping his fists towards Gu Yue Bo, "Much offense this time, brother Gu Yue."

"No matter, the truth is what we wanted to see as well." Gu Yue Bo waved his hand, then sighed, "But what a pity for this Bamboo Gentleman."

The Bamboo Gentleman had the ability to detect lies and was a Rank four Gu, thus it was very valuable. But feeding and refining it was not easy. It had to be refined by an honest gentleman. If any other Gu Master had said a single lie, the refinement would fail and the Bamboo Gentleman would die on the spot.

Its food was honesty. It would reside in the aperture of an honest gentleman and consuming the gentleman's honesty as food to survive.

Now that the Bamboo Gentleman had been opened, it was extremely weak, but it had no food to restore its strength. After being treated so harshly by Fang Yuan, its death was set in stone.

Jia Fu shook his head, looking at the Bamboo Gentleman in his head, not feeling any pity.

He said solemnly, "I have already done my best to investigate, but I received no results. This time, when I get back to the family, I will employ the divine investigator Tie Xue Leng(2), it would definitely get this matter cleared up! Goodbye."

Saying so, he cupped his fists towards Gu Yue Bo and left, crisp and quick, with a certain elegance to it.

Seeing Jia Fu and the rest leaving, Gu Yue Bo heaved a sigh of relief and said, "You can all leave now."

He waved at the clan elders, but suddenly thought of something and said, "Academy elder please stay back."

Without losing a single drop of sweat, Fang Yuan walked out of the family head's pavilion safe and sound.

(1) Phasmids: Stick-bugs. https/en./wiki/Phasmatodea

(2) 铁血冷 – Tie Xue Leng, Tie means Metal and is the name of the Tie clan. Xue Leng means cold blood. This name will be important.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 58: The clan does not only have rules and regulations

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

"Clan leader, what is the matter?" The academy elder respectfully stood at a corner.

"It's nothing much, take a seat, I have a story to share with you." Gu Yue Bo squinted his eyes and said slowly.

"Your subordinate shall listen with full attention!" Academy elder chose to sit at the seat closest to the clan leader.

Clan leader Gu Yue Bo began his story on Ren Zu.

Some say ——

Ever since Ren Zu was able to get their names and subdued the Rules and Regulation Gu, his first order was for them to capture a longevity Gu.

Rules and Regulation Gu, one round and other other square, worked together and could capture all the Gu in the world, a longevity Gu was nothing difficult.

Ren Zu used the longevity Gu and got back his youth, becoming 20 years old again.

But now the rules Gu said, "Human, although you subdued us, every time you command us, it will add a rule and regulation."

Regulation Gu continued, "We can catch the longevity Gu for you, this is the first order. Our new rule and regulation is, we will not repeatedly catch the same Gu for you."

That means, if Ren Zu wanted to catch a longevity Gu again, the two Rules and Regulation Gu would not help.

Ren Zu nodded, having no choice but to accept.

He gave his second command, "Then, other than the longevity Gu, please capture all the other ten thousand Gu in the world for me."

Rules and regulation Gu got this command and Rules Gu turned into a giant circle, encompassing the universe. Regulation Gu turned into a giant square, covering the large world.

One square and one round formed a giant net together, enveloping the entire world.

When they shrunk again and returned to Ren Zu, all the Gu in the world other than longevity Gu were captured.

Ren Zu was overjoyed, with this all the Gu belonged to him, from now on he was the ruler of the world!

But once he opened the net, with a swoosh, a large number of worms flew outside and the Gu that Rules and Regulation Gu worked hard to catch, all escaped fervently.

When Ren Zu closed the net, only five Gu were left.

"Why is this?" Ren Zu was astonished.

Rules and Regulation answered him, "Human, the world has over ten thousand Gu with all sorts of abilities. You have no strength or knowledge, how can you subdue them? We can only capture Gu for you, to subdue them, you have to rely on yourself to get them to work for you."

Next they added, "This is your second order, so we'll add a second rule and regulation — From now on, we can only catch one Gu for you at a time."

Ren Zu could only nod, and carefully opened the net, only showing a small gap.

The remaining five Gu contained the Strength and Wisdom Gu. Seeing this, Ren Zu was overjoyed.

He said to Strength Gu, "Strength Gu, you left me back then, do you have any regrets? If you succumb to me now, I will return you your freedom."

Strength Gu said, "Human, you are wrong. I didn't leave not because I couldn't, but because I wanted to stay. You want to subdue me but that's impossible. I only succumb to those stronger than me, but you are out of the question. However we can deal again, give me your youth and I will temporarily obey you."

Ren Zu was reluctant upon hearing this, he had just gotten back his youth, was he about to lose it again?

But he desired strength, he knew that with strength, he would get stronger and life would get easier.

Moreover, with strength, he could subdue more Gu.

Thus, Ren Zu accepted, and formed a second deal with it.

Ren Zu became middle-aged at once, and the strength Gu flew out of the web and landed on Ren Zu's shoulder.

Ren Zu had strength, and was full of confidence.

He said to Wisdom Gu: "Wisdom Gu, you left me back then, do you have any regrets? If you succumb to me now, I will return you your freedom."

Wisdom Gu said, "Human, you are wrong. I did not leave not because I couldn't, but because I wanted to stay. You want to subdue me but that's impossible. I only succumb to those smarter than me, yet you are not smarter than me. But we can deal again, give me your middle age and I will temporarily obey you."

Ren Zu upon hearing this, refused to do the same deal again.

He treasured his life more, and he also knew that once he sold his middle age, he would be left with old age. Before long, the Strength and Wisdom Gu would leave him again, just like last time.

Ren Zu refused to deal, but did not want to let go of the Wisdom Gu.

Wisdom Gu was anxious, reluctantly giving in, "Alright, Human, you win. I lost to you this time. As long as you tell me what method you used to capture me, I will admit defeat and not take anything from you, being at your disposal."

Upon hearing this, Ren Zu was overjoyed and before the Rules and Regulation Gu could stop him, he said, "I used the Rules and Regulation Gu to capture you."

Wisdom Gu laughed upon hearing, "I remembered it, so these Gu are called Rules and Regulation. Haha, now that I know your names, you can no longer capture me."

Saying so, it turned into a flash of light and flew away, vanishing into thin air.

Rules and Regulation Gu begin to complain, "Human, we told u long ago that our name should be known by you alone, and not others. Otherwise, we would be used by others. Look what happened, now that Wisdom Gu knows our names, it spells trouble."

Only then did Ren Zu realise that he was tricked by Wisdom Gu. He was anguished, for he knew he lost the only chance he had of capturing the Wisdom Gu using Rules and Regulation.

Saying so, Gu Yue Bo's story came to an end. He looked at the academy elder with a meaningful gaze.

Academy elder jumped from his seat. He had heard of Ren Zu's story long ago, but from Gu Yue Bo's mouth, it had a greater meaning.

His gaze shone and his heart understood. He bowed slightly at Gu Yue Bo, respectfully saying, "Clan leader, you are using this story as an analogy? Fang Yuan as the Wisdom Gu and the clan as Ren Zu. Although Ren Zu used the Rules and Regulation Gu to capture Wisdom Gu and managed to trap it, the Wisdom Gu eventually escaped."

Saying so, the academy elder paused and thought about it for a while, before looking at Gu Yue Bo. "Sir clan leader, you want me to let go of Fang Yuan and stop pressuring him? But he's getting more and more overboard…"

Gu Yue Bo stopped the academy elder's words, holding out his hand, indicating for him to sit and speak.

The academy elder sat and heard Gu Yue Bo sigh, "You, your comprehension is still superb, being an intelligent person, easily getting my point. Unfortunately your grasp of the situation is still too small, you can only see that tiny plot of land in front of you. Let me tell you, the academy is a small matter, and the clan is really the important one."

"I know what you are worried about, afraid that the other students are heavily suppressed by Fang Yuan, eventually losing the fire in their heart. Hehehe." Gu Yue Bo shook his head, pointing at academy elder, "You're overthinking it."

"What do you think the clan is doing? Just relying on your academy to nurture new people? Of course not, behind every student, there's their parents, elders, and friends. Only with these people's support, encouragement, expectations, our Gu Yue clan's new generation can have the confidence and motivation in their hearts."

"Fang Yuan has indeed repeatedly exceeded my expectations, he has a hint of outstanding excellence. I have been observing Fang Zheng secretly and I have long known about Fang Yuan's extortions, just let him continue. Use him to train Fang Zheng, Mo Bei and Chi Cheng, these rough jades. There are many advantages in this matter, at the very least this round of students have the best fighting skills among all the previous seasons."

Academy elder was worried, "But clan leader, excessive hurdles isn't a good thing either, it will crush the jade. Especially that Fang Yuan has the Liquor worm now, this worm provides great help to a Rank one Gu Master. I'm worried that at the Rank one stage, under Fang Yuan's suppression, no one can overturn the situation."

"Then let them be unable to turn over the situation!" Gu Yue Bo snorted, showing the grace and callousness of a person in power, "This tiny setback, what does it matter? Is it scarier than death? With their family elder's support, if they still lacked motivation, then they are not even jade to begin with and have no value to nurture. The clan has tons of new students into the academy each year, so if this season doesn't succeed, there's always the next. As for Gu Yue Fang Zheng, starting tomorrow night, I will teach him in secret."

"With the clan leader's personal teaching, that is really Gu Yue Fang Zheng's fortune." Academy elder licked his boots at the appropriate timing(1).

Gu Yue Bo's expression softened as he looked at academy elder, instructing, "Do you know the reason why after so many decades, you are still the academy elder? Have greater tolerance, I know Fang Yuan infringed your dignity and made you humiliated, but do you really have to be so calculative with a junior from a younger generation?"

"I know that Fang Yuan has some earlier wisdom, but he is still a youngster and tends to be rash. If not, he would not have hurt the guards in public and caused you to be in a predicament. He was furious internally back then and that is understandable. From being hailed as genius to a commoner, it is normal to be angry at the clan."

"He is actually very childish, you can tell from him trying to hide the Liquor worm. How can the Liquor worm be hid? He is not mature yet and is still innocent, don't think of him as a scary being. Comparing him to the Wisdom Gu, I am thinking too highly of him. At most, he has some small intelligence, but lacks true wisdom and knowledge. If he hid the fact that he rose to middle stage silently, or accepted the class chairman position without any displeasure, that would truly be deep scheming."

"Clan leader, your meaning is?" Academy elder raised his eyebrows.

"What I'm trying to say is, Fang Yuan is discontented with the clan, thus let him go vent his anger. An ant spitting at an elephant, will the elephant care? Emotions are meant to be let out and not bottled inside, so once he's done venting, he will naturally fuse into the clan. Our Gu Yue clan has been around for nearly a thousand years ever since the first generation founded it. There has been countless of people who were discontented with the clan, but eventually did any of them manage to overturn the clan?"

"A clan is not just about rules and regulations, there's also blood relation and kinship. Ren Zu wanted to use the rules and regulations to capture wisdom. Yet not only did he lose, but he also informed wisdom of the rules and regulations. There is profound meaning in this story – the rules are dead, but people are alive, and relationships are deep. If you only know how to use rules and regulations to catch people, it will only increase resentment and cause Fang Yuan to be more dissociated with the clan. Fang Yuan is only a C grade, if he's lucky, after tens of years he'd still be a low-ranking clan elder. But he is still Gu Yue Fang Zheng's twin brother, do you understand now?"

"Understood!" Hearing Gu Yue Bo's final sentence, the academy elder realized at once.

"Mmm, if a family only has rules and regulations, then the family is a pile of dead objects. But if you add in blood relationship, it'll be alive." Gu Yue Bo nodded, "and one more sentence, I want you to remember."

"Please admonish me, sir clan elder."

Gu Yue Bo, with a distant gaze, looked out of the window towards the moon, "The sea can hold the water from thousands of rivers, it's big because of its capacity. A person is great when he can be tolerant and forgiving to many other people. Remember this, and leave."

"Yes clan leader sir, your subordinate takes his leave," said the academy elder as he left the hall.

(1) Boot-licking basically.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 59: Regardless of Rank Three or Four, you're all monkeys

Translator:Skyfarrow

Editor:Skyfarrow

Tonight's moon was especially round.

The moonlight shone splendid and like muslin, draping over the Qing Mao Mountain.

The Treasure Brass Toad would travel a hundred meters with every hop. Due to its leaping method to move forward, the precipitous and narrow mountain path was unable to serve as a limitation or hindrance to it.

Jia Fu and his crew sat on the back of the Treasure Brass Toad. After exiting the Gu Yue Village, they once again headed towards the merchant caravan's direction.

The wind blew past their ears, and their view followed the Treasure Brass Toad as it moved up and down.

The moonlight shone on everyone's faces and they all looked solemn, while Jia Fu's face was cold as ice.

After a while, a close subordinate could not stand this atmosphere and asked Jia Fu, "Master, what are we going to do now? Jia Jin Sheng's death, once master returns, how will you answer to old master? Should we find a scapegoat first..."

Jia Fu shook his head, but avoided the question, "Do you know the story of Ren Zu?"

The subordinate was stunned, not expecting this answer. At once he did not know how to reply.

Jia Fu continued, "Ren Zu had the Rules and Regulation Gu, and could capture all the ten thousand Gu in the world, obtaining strength but losing wisdom. At that point his net still contained three Gu. He opened and saw that they were the Attitude Gu, Belief Gu and Suspicion Gu respectively. Ren Zu was unwilling to let them go, thus the three Gu could only bet with him. Once Ren Zu opens the net, they would run out in three different directions, and whoever is captured by Ren Zu would be subdued. Guess, who did Ren Zu capture in the end?"

The trusted aide thought, and answered, "It's the Attitude Gu!"

"Do you know why?" Jia Fu asked. The loyal subordinate shook his head.

Jia Fu laughed, "Because attitude means everything. No matter if father 'believes' or 'suspects', I have already displayed my 'attitude'. Jia Jin Sheng went missing, and I immediately conducted investigations in the caravan. Once I had a clue, I rushed towards the Gu Yue clan without stop. At the village, I risked the danger of being attacked by them and interrogated them on the spot. I did not even sit down, and to prove Fang Yuan's words, I went as far as to use the Rank four Bamboo Gentleman."

"Once I get back, I will even spend a ton of money to employ the divine investigator, inviting Tie Leng Xue to investigate this matter. Regardless of whether Jia Jin Sheng is dead or alive, as his brother I have already done all that I should, my attitude shows everything! I have thought it through earlier, we do not need a scapegoat. We shall go back in this honest state, because I was not at fault for this matter! Finding a scapegoat, that might just be a trap by Jia Gui. If I can find a scapegoat, he can also find someone to overturn the case."

His subordinate was shocked and said, "Master, you really suspect that young master Jia Gui was behind this?"

"Hmph, who else but him can do something so perfectly?" Saying so, Jia Fu's face distorted, anger bursting from his eyes, "Before this, I was thinking about our blood relationship and did not do such a thing to him. But since he is so devious, I will have to pay him back an eye for an eye, don't blame me for being unscrupulous!"

He did not know that far away in a distant place, there were a pair of eyes sending him off.

Fang Yuan stood on the hillside as he silently watched.

The view tonight was truly spectacular.

The golden yellow, round moon was high up in the night sky, shining so brightly that the entire earth was lit bright.

The nearby green mountains were verdant and lush, all kinds of flora growing about. The Man Mountain's pine and cypress trees, as well as the Qing Mao Mountain's distinctive green spear bamboo grew in continuous clumps, cluster after cluster. A wide expanse of dark green colour poured down in torrents from the mountaintop and flowed down to the foot of the mountain.

Faraway mountains ranged endlessly, forming a muddled heavy black shadow under the moonlight.

The tortuous and entwined mountain road resembled goat intestines as it meandered into the distance, occasionally sheltered away by the forest, stretching out all the way.

Jia Fu and his group sat atop the Treasure Brass Toad, following the mountain road as they moved forward. As they continued on the leaping toad, their figures were finally covered away by the trees.

Although the mountain terrain could not affect the Treasure Brass Toad's speed, Jia Fu did not dare to recklessly cut through Qing Mao mountain, for if he barges into a monster horde, even with his Rank four cultivation he would still not come out unscathed. Hence following the mountain trail and moving forward is the best path.

Not long ago, Fang Yuan was standing on the hill holding an umbrella, sending the caravan off. But now he was here again, watching Jia Fu leave.

"The trouble from killing Jia Jin Sheng is finally settled." He eyes were dark and remote while his heart was calm, a bout of peacefulness.

Even since he killed Jia Jin Sheng that night, he had been considering how to tie the loose ends.

He was clear that without base or support, if the truth was revealed, the Gu Yue clan would definitely sacrifice him. But if he just hid it blindly, the truth was bound to get exposed one day.

A smart way to lie, is to have truth and lies, some truth in his lies, and some lies in his truth.

He had to direct the trouble elsewhere!

This incident was like a chess game with two sides against each other. One side is Jia Fu's caravan, while the other is the Gu Yue clan. In this incident, be it Gu Yue Bo, the academy elder or Jia fu, they were all pawns, heck even Fang Yuan himself was just a pawn.

To protect the pawn that represents himself, he had to use the two opposing sides and find a chance in between.

Few days ago, Fang Yuan had already started plotting.

He first made use of those two guards to come up with a good show with the academy elder at the academy. Next he hid the existence of the Liquor worm and stirred the curiosity of the clansman, gaining great attention, attracting the higher-ups. Simultaneously, he allowed the academy elder to hold private investigations.

Next, he extorted his classmates and expressed his rashness, wildness and displeasure towards the clan, "showing weakness" to the Gu Yue higher-ups.

Then he counted the days and waited for Jia Fu.

During the interrogation he displayed his immaturity and fear, which allowed him to lead the other's thoughts by the nose. Letting them find out the "truth".

Lastly he made use of the Gu Yue clan and Jia Fu's opposing interests, and turned the academy elder who was suspicious of him and held investigations, into his eye witness.

The Bamboo Gentleman was a small unexpected accident, but it was still a Rank four Gu and under the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura, the Bamboo Gentleman ironically became Fang Yuan's greatest evidence.

Finally, Fang Yuan not only explained perfectly where he got the Liquor worm, but also pushed the blame to the innocent Jia Gui, while he himself got out of this incident without losing a hair.

"Academy elder was asked to stay behind, it seems that Gu Yue Bo is going to interfere in the academy's matters and get rid of the plan to pressurize me. With his nature, he does have this tolerance. But his real motive isn't me, it should probably be Fang Zheng. One of my motives for blowing up the matter was to stir a commotion and make the higher-ups notice. If Gu Yue Bo doesn't show up, there will still be Gu Yue Mo Chen and Chi Lian who would come out to defend their reputation."

"As for Jia Fu, he should be certain that Jia Gui is the culprit now. With the flames of revenge burning in his chest, hehe, I am looking forward to it. With my interference, their sibling conflict would be elevated. I wonder if that Gu Master competition would be brought forward?"

"Oh yes, there is still that divine investigator Tie Leng Xue. Tie Leng Xue... hmph." Fang Yuan repeated this name, and after half a beat, lightly smiled, "Among the righteous path, this is indeed a character. Unfortunately he is riddled with official business and has a tight schedule. For this matter, it is not easy to get him to come. Jia Fu wants to show his attitude thus he has to invite him, but the time is hard to gauge, at the very least it should be arranged in two to three year's time."

In two to three years, he would have Rank two or three cultivation. By then, life would be in a completely different sight.

The night wind blew over with the fresh cool air of the mountains, penetrating with a kind of fragrance.

Fang Yuan breathed in, feeling more refreshed.

He looked into the distance, his field of view wide. The unrestrained mountains were picturesque, looking tranquil and auspicious under the moon.

"The bright moon illuminates among pines, the clear spring flows upon stone." Fang Yuan lightly recited, he could not help but think of a verse from a fable from Earth.

There were a group of monkeys that pursued the moon. They saw the moon in the well, and they wanted to fish it up. The monkey from behind grabbed hold of the tail of the monkey before it, and the monkey before it grabbed ahold of the monkey in front of him. Thus this went on repeatedly until the first monkey was able to touch the water surface of the well.

Once it stretched out its hand, the water rippled and the moon disappeared.

People in this world were like this. They would see the reflection of the moon, and think that it is the real thing.

Not knowing it was just the moon in the well, the moon in their eyes, or simply the moon in their hearts.

"In this life I hope to become the real moon, rising above the mountains and heavens, toying with the clouds and seas, following the ancient times and walk in the darkness above the various heavens." Fang Yuan's eyes were crystal clear, and the beautiful green mountains were reflected on his pupils.

On the hill, the thin body of a teenager stood silently.

A golden moon wheel shaped like a disk suspended high in the night sky.

It has existed since ancient times, travelling through the night sky, casting the small shadow of the teenager faintly onto the limestones.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 60: Passage behind the broken wall, how can the legacy be easily obtained?

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The night sky of early summer is beautiful.

There was not a single cloud floating in the sky, and the stars flickered like crystals, shining with emotionally moving radiance.

Sandalwood crickets appeared on stage to take over the place of the dragonpill crickets, and they sang their emotional songs in the grassy bushes, creeks and tree branches.

The Gu Yue Village was radiantly lit, as if it was reflecting the bright starry sky.

One by one the dark green bamboo houses stood in the night wind, and beneath the star dome it had a tranquil and peaceful ambience.

Fang Yuan was not in the village now, but he had snuck into the secret cave among the rock cracks.

He half-kneeled on the ground, his hand caressing the image wall, his palm emitting a lump of blue-coloured moonlight.

On the image wall, the original scene was already gone, and it was now no different from the other surrounding stone walls. If Fang Yuan did not remember this position, who else would know that hidden under this image wall was Flower Wine Monk's strength inheritance?

On a night over a month ago, the image wall transformed and the Flower Wine Monk's secret hideout appeared. The image wall first showed a video of Flower Wine Monk bathed in blood, but proclaimed he was leaving his inheritance. Next was a line of bloody words, hinting for the discoverer to break the image wall and the cave opening would appear. Then the words vanished, and the image wall's Photo-audio Gu's strength was depleted, and the image wall went back to being an ordinary wall.

Although he knew about the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, Fang Yuan did not have the time to explore it.

As it was an unexpected occurrence, he had to kill Jia Jin Sheng on the spot and was busy that night getting rid of the evidence. Towards the impending interrogation, he had to plot carefully and had restricted his activities inside the village.

Until when Jia Fu left and after the academy elder stopped his investigations, about ten days later, the attention had waded and Fang Yuan could finally sneak back into the cave.

In the aperture, the green copper sea was reducing as Fang Yuan deployed his primeval essence into the Moonlight Gu on his right palm.

The Moonlight Gu emitted a gentle moonlight and flickered continuously. Under its effect, the rock wall was shaved off slowly, and large amounts of rock powder fell on the ground.

This was Fang Yuan's extensive control of the Moonlight Gu, the same method he used to open the gambling rocks.

Compared to opening rocks, this method was more coarse, but in breaking this thick rock wall, this method seemed a little too gentle.

This was the sixth day that Fang Yuan was using the Moonlight Gu to shave the rock wall.

On the floor was a thick pile of dark red coloured rock powder.

Logically speaking, Qing Mao Mountain's soil was all green-coloured. But here, the soil were strangely bright red and emitted a dark glow.

But fortunately so, because of this source of light, Fang Yuan did not need to prepare a torch.

In order to avoid being suspected, Fang Yuan did not use any tools. Steel hammers and pickaxe were undoubtedly better for breaking the rock wall, but if he did, the sound of the wall breaking would reverb all over the area.

Regardless of whether the outside world would hear a faint or loud noise, Fang Yuan wanted to eliminate all such possible suspicious points.

Fine details often decided in one's victory or defeat.

To Fang Yuan, being cautious is not just his good point, it was more like a habit to him.

In his past life he had been careless and carefree, but he quickly paid a hefty price. There is a saying that goes, 'people get more cowardly when they age'. Yet actually this is not cowardness, but patient cautiousness. 500 years of experience ingrained the word caution into his soul.

"Puff…" Taking in a deep breath, Fang Yuan slowly stopped the transmission of his primeval essence.

He plopped onto the ground, extremely exhausted.

He had dug around three inches of thickness out of the entire slab of image wall that was the height of half a man.

Fang Yuan wiped the sweat off his forehead while exercising his shoulders and stretching his legs. Due to long hours of squatting, a sense of numbness was felt from his legs.

'Knock, knock, knock'.

Fang Yuan bent his fingers and knocked on the rock wall.

Hearing the sound, he was slightly happy in his heart, as he could tell the wall was getting thinner.

Closing his eyes to meditate, he checked the situation inside his aperture once again.

The green copper primeval essence had less than 20% left.

"Continue working hard!" Fang Yuan grit his teeth and stretched out his right hand again on the rock wall.

The water-blue coloured moonlight sustained a glow for around fifteen minutes, then Fang Yuan suddenly halted his actions. He took out his right arm and found out that the rock wall had a small hole in it already.

He immediately stood up and kicked.

With a thunderous noise, the hole expanded and became as big as a bamboo basket.

Fang Yuan cautiously took a few steps backwards. He felt a sense of staleness emitting from the hole and permeating into this secret cave.

The secret cave's ventilation was not good. Fang Yuan thought about it for a moment and decided to leave the rock crack, returning to the outside world.

Only after a while did he return.

The stale feeling in the cave was slightly better than earlier, and Fang Yuan continued to expand the size of the hole, sometimes using the Moonlight Gu, and at other times using his hands to dig, or his legs to kick. After a while, he finally expanded the hole into a size that he could fit into.

Looking from the hole, there was a diagonal path downwards.

The path was initially narrow, but the deeper it was, the wider it got. A person must lower their head when entering at first, but towards the latter half of the path, they are able to take large strides with straightened backs.

The cave's walls were a weird red soil colour, emitting a faint red glow. This caused the passage's interior to be visible.

But the path was very long and extended beyond what the eye could see. Due to the angle, Fang Yuan could not see what was at the end of the path.

He stood at the cave entrance and did not immediately step in, instead squinting and standing on the spot.

A strength inheritance was not like a legacy inheritance.

Legacy was when a Gu Master died and left behind his belongings. Those who find this legacy can find the items on the corpse.

A strength inheritance is when a Gu Master who is on the verge of death and reluctant to let his legacy go extinct, or to benefit the future generations, or wants to leave behind his last trace of existence in the world, purposely set hurdles to test the people who arrive.

Taking the Flower Wine Monk for example, he set up this inheritance with a clear objective – it is to nurture an avenger, to take revenge on the Gu Yue clan!

If the person who comes along is able to pass these trials he(she) would obtain all sorts of benefits. The person who gets through the final test would obtain the entire strength inheritance.

According to the two factions, strength inheritance is split into the righteous inheritance and the demonic inheritance.

Righteous inheritances often had exquisite design, to test the nature and character of the person. Those who fail midway, would not be in any mortal danger.

Demonic inheritance was more complex.

Those demonic cultivators were often insane and persistent, cold-blooded, or a mass murderer, unable to be assessed by normal standards.

Some demonic inheritances had trials that tested the mind. With lots of mind-boggling decisions to make, a lot of people would fall into deep and painful thoughts without getting a single result.

Some demonic inheritances were extremely simple, being a secret room with Gu worms and primeval stones inside.

Some demonic inheritances were extremely cruel, and failure midway often spelled death.

Some were more extreme – a few demonic cultivator's inheritances were a huge lie, being a giant trap itself. They followed the rules of 'bringing someone down with them', and even right before dying, they would set up this trial and trick others.

"Which type does Flower Wine Monk's inheritance belong to?" Fang Yuan thought deeply.

With his previous life's memories, he was clear of any future famous demonic inheritances. But this one in particular, no one discovered it in his lifetime, and Fang Yuan was left unaware of the details.

"By right, the chances of a trap isn't high. Otherwise the Flower Wine Monk would not design this image wall. But is there a hidden mechanism?"

Fang Yuan picked up a rock and threw it into the cave.

The rock rolled in the path and quickly rolled out of Fang Yuan's sight; he could hear a series of colliding sounds echoing in the cave.

Fang Yuan fell into deep thought. The rock testing results showed that it was safe.

But he did not enter the path yet, and instead took out some rock powder and spread it around the entrance of the secret cave. At the same time, he spread a layer on the rock crack entrance.

Next, he squeezed out of the narrow rock crack and left the place.

Around a few hundred meters from the river in a hidden bush, he found the green bamboo wine that he had brought along this time. Opening the seal, he drank a huge mouthful and purposely spilled some of the liquor, getting it on his clothes and making him smell of alcohol.

Carrying the wine, he went back to the village, and upon reaching the school hostel, it was exactly midnight.

If he did not return at night often, people would get suspicious. This was better, going out early at night and returning late at night.

When finding the Liquor worm, Fang Yuan already did this, and with that background, such behaviour was not peculiar.

The stars fade and the sun appears, a night of silence.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 61: Life hanging on a grass rope

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The bright morning sun shone on Qing Mao Mountain.

In the academy, the elder spoke about important details. "Tomorrow, we are choosing the second Gu worm for refinement. Everyone here has experience in successfully refining Gu worms, and this time you can solidify your experiences. For the selection of the second Gu worm, consider it carefully. With the experience of cultivating these few days and understanding of your own body, consider it as a whole. Normally, it is best if you pair the second Gu well with your vital Gu."

A Gu Master's first Gu was known as the vital Gu, and once it was chosen it would be the footing stone of their development. After that, the second and third Gu worm would be nurtured upon this footing stone and decide the Gu Master's cultivating direction.

After hearing the academy elder's words, the youngsters began to ponder, and only Fang Yuan was sleeping soundly on the table.

He had worked hard for half the night yesterday, and after returning to the hostel, he still continued in his Gu Master cultivation, nurturing his aperture. When the sun had risen, only then did he sleep.

The academy elder looked at Fang Yuan and frowned, but did not say anything.

Ever since the clan leader spoke to him, he had adopted a 'let Fang Yuan do as he wishes, I am not going to give a care' attitude.

"Which Gu worm should I choose?" As the students thought about it, they subconsciously looked towards Fang Yuan.

"Speaking of which, Fang Yuan already has his second Gu worm."

"Yeah, that is but a Liquor worm; to actually get a Liquor worm out of gambling rocks, his luck is off the charts!"

"If I had the Liquor worm, I would advance to middle stage first too huh?"

The students' thoughts varied, having admirers and jealous people among them.

Ever since that day after the interrogation, Fang Yuan's Liquor worm was successfully exposed. The origins of the liquor worm did not raise suspicion. The clansmen were both enlightened and also exasperated at Fang Yuan's luck.

"Why don't I have such luck, sigh!" Gu Yue Chi Cheng who was also a C grade talent sighed deeply in his heart.

Quite a while ago, his grandfather had asked around and tried to procure a Liquor worm for him. To think that even as a family branch's inheritor, he was not able to have one; to think Fang Yuan managed to get the Liquor worm before him.

Compared to Chi Cheng's envy and depression, vice chairman Fang Zheng was full of spirit.

"Brother, I will definitely surpass you." He looked at Fang Yuan and said in his heart before looking away.

These days his eyes were shining with light, and he felt a sort of excitement towards life. His face was flushing red and his forehead was glowing, even his steps were quicker and lighter.

The academy elder saw all of it, and immediately understood that the Gu Yue clan leader had started secretly teaching Fang Zheng.

These underhand methods were obviously not for the public to know.

The academy elder turned a blind eye to this.

Soon it was night once more.

Fang Yuan entered the secret cave again.

Ring ring ring……

In his hand, a wild rabbit was struggling, and there was a bell was on its neck.

This was a wild rabbit that Fang Yuan caught on the mountain, the bell was naturally attached by him.

After a day, the stuffy smell in the secret cave has dissipated, and the air was fresh.

The cave's passage entrance was open; it was silent inside. Fang Yuan half-kneeled on the floor as he inspected the floor. Yesterday he had sprayed rock powder all over the area, and this thin layer of powder was inconspicuous.

"The passage entrance's rock powder is intact, thus it seems that during my absence, nothing strange has crawled out of it. The rock crack entrance does have a footprint, but that's mine, so evidently no one else had come here." Fang Yuan felt at ease after his inspection.

He stood up, using his hands to pull the dead vines from the wall. Next he sat on the ground and his leg was used to hold the wild rabbit in place, leaving his two hands free to weave the vines.

This was work that normal Gu Masters wouldn't know, but Fang Yuan had too much life experience. In his past life, many a time was he so poor that he couldn't afford to feed his Gu worms, leaving them to starve to death one by one.

For a time, he had primeval essence but no Gu worms; he became just like a mortal person, even living was difficult. Having no choice, he learned to weave the grass ropes into straw sandals, hats etc. and sold them in exchange for primeval stone fragments to feed himself.

While twisting the grass ropes in his hands, Fang Yuan's memories resurfaced.

The anguish and suffering from back then had transformed into his soundless laughter now. The rabbit underneath his foot continued to struggle, the bell ringing nonstop.

A pair of two strings touch for long, ten thousands of twists and thousands of returns make their inseparable love numerous. (1)

Delicately and slowly, with the passing of years, letting them converge. Complications, entanglements and turns present.

Weaving the grass ropes, isn't it just like experiencing life?

In the secret cave, the red light shone onto Fang Yuan's face, showing his youthfulness and experience intertwining together on his face.

Time seemed to have stopped too, silently appreciating the young man weaving his ropes.

Ring ring ring…

An hour later, the wild rabbit rapidly entered the passageway, the bell on its neck ringing continuously. In a few breaths it left Fang Yuan's field of vision.

Fang Yuan held onto the improvised grass rope that he wove temporarily, and on one end the rope was attached to the rabbit's hind leg, dragging into the tunnel with it.

After a while, the rope stopped all movement.

But this did not mean the rabbit had reached the end of the tunnel. It could have been killed by a trap or just decided to take a rest midway.

Fang Yuan began to pull at the rope, retrieving it. The rope gradually tightened as he tugged.

On the other end, a force of strength suddenly tugged back as the rope started to move towards the cave again.

Evidently the rabbit on the other side had felt the tugging force and in its fluster, started to move deeper into the cave.

After many attempts, the rabbit finally reached the end of the path, and no matter how Fang Yuan tugged at the rope, it only tightened and relaxed.

Maybe the rabbit had reached the end of the tunnel, or maybe it had fallen into a trap and got stuck.

It was simple to test and find out the answer.

Fang Yuan started to retrieve the rope. His strength surpassed the rabbit by a mile, and eventually he dragged the rabbit out by force.

The rabbit struggled at the other end, but the rope was made from materials acquired from the Wine Sack Flower Gu and Rice Pouch Grass Gu. Although it had been dead for years, it remained sturdy unlike normal grass.

The wild rabbit was once again in Fang Yuan's hands jumping about. Fang Yuan inspected the wild rabbit and saw that it had no injuries, then he finally breathed out in relief.

"For now, it seems that this segment of the passageway is safe."

With this result, the rabbit thus lost its value and Fang Yuan killed it instantly, throwing the corpse on the ground.

He could not let the rabbit go, for animals also had memories. If it came back again, and like the Liquor worm, attracted outsiders, that would be very bad.

He breathed in deeply. After several tries and probes, he finally stepped into the passageway carefully.

Even with the wild rabbit exploring, there were many traps and mechanisms that specially targeted only humans. A small animal like the wild rabbit would be unable to trigger it. Thus, Fang Yuan still had to be careful.

The tunnel was straight, diagonally slanting towards the bottom. The deeper it was, the wider and taller the passage became.

Fang Yuan had to lower his head when entering at first, but after more than fifty steps, he was able to take large strides with a straightened back, and after a hundred steps, he could walk while lifting his upper arms and brandishing them left and right.

The tunnel was not that long, it was only around 300 meters. But Fang Yuan spent around two hours venturing before he finally reached the end of the path.

On the way, he was vigilant and explored step by step. At the end of the path, he was already sweating profusely.

"It is so troublesome without a detection Gu worm." Fang Yuan wiped the sweat off his forehead and after confirming his safety, calmed down and inspected the area.

This time at one glance, he was stunned.

At the end of the tunnel, there was a huge rock. The rock's surface was smooth and protruded towards Fang Yuan's direction, resembling Jia Fu's belly.

This rock alone halted Fang Yuan's progression.

Other than this huge rock, there was nothing around Fang Yuan.

"Is it because of an accident that the tunnel path was blocked, causing this?" Fang Yuan squinted as he thought about the possibilities.

Before the Flower Wine Monk died, he was eager to set up the inheritance. He used the Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider and created a tunnel path. The path led deep within the mountains and to guide the inheritor in.

After hundreds of years, the passage was unable to withstand the corrosion of time and at one point, one of the areas collapsed due to lack of maintenance.

All sorts of accidents often happen in life.

"If this is the case, won't I be stuck at this point?" He went forward and touched the rock. This rock was halting his progression, its size was like a door, one could only imagine its overall thickness.

Fang Yuan could use the Moonlight Gu to carve away at the rock wall, but if he wanted to grind off this huge rock, it would take at least a year or two.

"It seems like I'm forced to use tools, I'll need to use spades and pickaxes to break the rock. Except if I do this, I might reveal some traces. The construction sounds might also travel out." Thinking of this, Fang Yuan frowned deeply. He was weighing the pros and cons.

If the risk was too huge, he would rather give up this strength inheritance.

After all, if others found out this secret, all the plotting and acting that Fang Yuan had done would go to waste, and his life would even be in danger!

(1) Seems to be a line from a poem.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 62: Choosing Gu again in the Gu storage room

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The sun rises, signifying the arrival of another day.

The students lined up properly, faces flushed with excitement as they stood before the academy Gu storage room.

Today was the day where they would pick their second Gu!

As the first to advance to middle stage, Fang Yuan had the priority in choosing, thus he stood at the front of the queue.

Behind him was Gu Yue Mo Chen, Gu Yue Fang Zheng and Gu Yue Chi Cheng.

Creak.

The Gu storage room's door was opened by the guards, and Fang Yuan was the first to set foot into it.

The Gu room was not big, but was a sight to behold. The surrounding walls had square holes in them, some were big but others were small, holding all sorts of containers in them.

There was rock pots, jade pots, cages made of weaved grass, and some porcelain ware.

All sorts of Gu worms, being all Rank one, were stored in these containers. The academy probably spent more than 1000 primeval stones every day just to feed these Gu worms.

Fang Yuan glanced through and found that in many containers, they were already empty, having no Gu worms inside.

The Gu worms in the storage room were replenished once a year. Previously when they were choosing their vital Gu, most of the youngsters chose the Moonlight Gu, thus the storage room had no moonlight Gu left at the moment.

The storage room had no windows, there was only a small skylight at the rooftop.

The sunlight shone in from the skylight and formed a rectangular golden image on the ground.

The first time when he entered the Gu room, Fang Yuan already had an objective and chose the Moonlight Gu immediately. But now, he had several possible targets in his mind.

Yet these targets also depended on whether there was stock in the storage room.

Fang Yuan moved along the left wall and strolled inside slowly while examining the catalogue.

Five steps later, he paused.

A square box frame near his shoulder had a bronze bowl inside, and within it was a Gu worm.

This Gu worm was like a bedbug, flat and wide with a small head, having an oval body. It was yellow-orange throughout, and emitted a faint bronze-like glow.

This was the Bronze Skin Gu, the choice for most close-combat Gu Masters. The academy's martial arts instructor raised such a Gu, and once activated, causes the body to glow yellow, greatly raising defense.

Fang Yuan's knowledge was deep and broad, so of course he did not have any urge for this Gu. He continued forward and saw a Stone Skin Gu.

The Stone Skin Gu and Bronze Skin Gu were similar in appearance, but the Stone Skin Gu's body was grey instead, like an art piece made of rock.

After six Stone Skin Gu, there was the Iron Skin Gu.

Iron Skin Gu and Bronze Skin Gu were outwardly similar but with only a tiny difference. It was silently staying in a iron bowl, unmoving. It emitted a black iron-like glow around its body.

As humans have clans, so do Gu.

The three Gu that Fang Yuan saw simultaneously were all from the same series. They were similar in appearance and had similar effects.

"Iron Skin, Bronze Skin, Rock Skin, Jade Skin Gu….. if there is a Jade Skin Gu, I might as well choose it." Fang Yuan mumbled as his heart felt a tiny flicker of expectation rising, and he continued walking.

However he was destined to be disappointed, for after the Iron Skin Gu, he saw the Beast Skin Gu.

The Jade Skin Gu and Beast Skin Gu belonged to the same series as the Bronze Skin Gu etc. But they had great difference in value – the Beast Skin Gu was the most common, even cheaper than the Rock Skin Gu, but it had more evolutionary lines and could fuse with more varieties of Gu.

The Jade Skin Gu was the most rare Gu in this series. Its market value was only second to the Liquor worm, and at times the price would fluctuate and rival with the Liquor worm itself.

Fang Yuan took a look, but he did not find a Jade Skin Gu. He was not disappointed, but laughed in relief, "Gu Yue village is just a middle-sized clan, the academy Gu storage room is only of middle tier quality. To have a Jade Skin Gu, that is rather impossible."

The left side of the wall had already been inspected, so Fang Yuan swapped to another wall and continued strolling.

On this wall, there was mostly the Longhorn Beetle Gu.

Similar to the Skin Gu series, Longhorn Beetle Gu was a large clan among the Rank one Gu worms.

Their outer appearances were similar – they had long and circular cylinder figures, the back area having many outlines. A large part of the body was a black colour, giving out a metallic luster. It had a pair of feelers that were long and exceeded the body size; its chin was strong and it gave out screeching noises, like the sound of timber being sawed. With this, a few Gu Masters from some places would call them as the 'sawing tree bunch'.

What first entered Fang Yuan's vision was a Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu.

Its entire body was a red metallic colour, and it had a pair of antennae that was coarser than the usual Longhorn Beetle ones. On the top surface of the antenna there was a bamboo joint-like growth with every small interval.

This Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu was highly sought after in the market; earlier the caravan that came to the Gu Yue village had people who sold large numbers of this Gu.

The Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu gave Gu Masters temporary super strength. It had the reputation of the strength of one bull, and could sustain for five breaths.

But it had two weaknesses.

One was that every activation consumed too much primeval essence. Rank one middle stage required 10% primeval essence, but if converted to initial stage, it would consume 20%.

Another was sequela. If the Gu Master had a weak constitution, using this Gu a lot would cause their muscles to get injured, even experiencing muscle tearing. Only Gu Masters with a strong body would choose to use this Gu. A small-sized person like Fang Yuan was unsuitable for it.

Fang Yuan knew this too, and walked past the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, continuing to look around.

"Oh? This is not bad." He halted his steps.

It was a Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu.

The beetle's figure was a tiny bit thinner and longer than the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, the entire body coated in dark yellow colour. Its pair of long feelers did not have bamboo joints, and the roots were yellow in colour, slowly fading into black at the tip.

The Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu could grant a Gu Master temporary strength, and this type of strength was immediate, only lasting for five breaths. But the Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu could grant the Gu Master durability and allow their stamina expenditure to be greatly reduced, however it could only sustain for fifteen minutes. At the same time it had no repercussions.

Among the Rank one Gu worms, the Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle had high market value, comparable to the Moonlight Gu and only losing to the Jade Skin Gu and Liquor worm.

Fang Yuan inspected the surroundings and found that there was only one Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle.

"The Gu is not bad, but it is not compatible with me." Fang Yuan shook his head, giving up this Gu.

Very quickly he walked and reached the corner of the wall, having finished looking at the second wall, but he was not satisfied.

The Gu in the storage room were only of this quality, and if he wanted to get lucky or get a surprise Gu, the chances were slim.

Fang Yuan turned to the third wall and continued inspecting.

On this wall, the Boar Gu were dominant.

Boar Gu was a series among the Gu worm.

There's the Flower Boar Gu, Pink Boar Gu, Black Boar Gu and White Boar Gu.

Pink Boar Gu had the least value, almost no Gu Masters chose them. It only had one ability, and that is to gain weight. After a Gu Master injects their primeval essence, the Pink Boar Gu would change their constitution and cause them to get fat. No matter how skinny they were, they would be able to become a big fat person.

There was only two to three Pink Boar Gu in the storage room, obviously of no nurturing value.

The Flower Boar Gu was the most abundant, having a dozen at least lining into a row. These Gu worms had flower patterns on the surface, either white and black, black and pink, or white and pink. There were even some that had all three colours.

The Flower Boar Gu's use was similar to the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, temporarily adding strength to the Gu master.

The Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu gave one bull's strength, and the Flower Boar Gu gave one boar's strength. The Flower Boar Gu spent the same amount of primeval essence as the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu but could sustain for ten breaths, twice of the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu.

This was because the Gu Master gained lesser strength, thus lesser side effects.

"The Flower Boar Gu is the most common Gu worm, and it is sold most abundantly in the market. It's price is half of the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, truly value for money. But among the Boar Gu clan, only those two last Gu has greater value, being even more expensive than the Jade Skin Gu and Liquor worm!" Fang Yuan's eyes showed a light of deep thoughts.

A Black Boar Gu or a White Boar Gu could sell for 600 primeval stones in the market. Once it appeared, it was often sold immediately.

The Black and White Boar Gu's ability was to change the Gu Master's body constitution and raise their strength permanently.

Although the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle could grant a bull's strength, it could only last five breaths, uses too much energy to sustain and had strong after-effects.

The Black and White Boar's strength increment, although little at a time, would be accumulative over time and once obtained, the strength would belong to the Gu Master wholly. Even if the Gu dies, this strength will still remain on the Gu Master's body.

This is the reason why the Black and White Boar Gu's value is higher than the Liquor

Worm.

The public recognises that the Liquor worm's value should be slightly inferior to the Black or White Boar Gu.

The Liquor worm can only refine primeval essence, and after an intense battle, a Gu Master's primeval essence is easily depleted. For the remainder of the battle, they can only rely on their martial arts and their physical strength. This is when the White and Black Gu show their worth; they are more reliable than the Liquor worm.

"If I can refine a Black Boar Gu or White Boar Gu, that would be good." Fang Yuan was just imagining the scenario, but with this type of Gu storage room which only has one Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle, how can there be White or Black Boar Gu which are so rare?

He walked another round and saw all the Gu worms the room had to offer. As expected, there was nothing that truly captivated him.

At last, he retrieved a Little Light Gu at a corner of the wall.

There were five Little Light Gu in the storage room.

This Gu was oddly shaped, looking like a pentagram, and only half as large as a fingernail.

The Little Light Gu was mainly paired with the Moonlight Gu, a common assistance-type Gu worm for the Moonlight Gu. To Fang Yuan had chosen this Gu, it was merely an average option, but at least it suited his development path.

"Fang Yuan is out."

"Geez, finally out after so long."

"I wonder what Gu he chose?"

"He already has the Liquor worm, this is his third Gu, maybe he won't be able to raise them properly. Hehe."

Fang Yuan leisurely walked out of the storage room. The students were outside for such a long time and had started to become restless.

"It's my turn! I wonder what Gu has Fang Yuan chosen?" Once Gu Yue Mo Chen saw Fang Yuan stepping out he hurriedly took big steps and entered the storage room.

He checked and found that the sole Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle was still there. Mo Chen could not refrain from becoming overjoyed, immediately taking it away.

Afterwards, Fang Zheng went in.

"I have the Moonlight Gu for offense, but I lack a defensive-type Gu worm." Gu Yue Fang Zheng after long consideration, decided to choose a Bronze Skin Gu.

Gu Yue Chi Cheng was the fourth to enter.

"I need an evasion ability, so in future battles I will be able to hit others, but others cannot hit me. I'll be virtually unbeatable." He looked left and right, and finally chose a Dragonpill cricket Gu.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 63: Gifting the jade skin under the moon; white boar hidden in the ground flower

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The sun lowers and the moon rises, the signal of the arrival of nightfall.

This was one of the concealed courtyards in the Gu Yue Village.

A locust tree that stood with complicated branches and luxuriant leaves, its robust and spacious treetop that was like a jasper imperial canopy, enveloped the entire courtyard.

The moonlight was gentle like water, travelling through the leaves and branches of the locust tree, spilling into the courtyard.

A gust of wind blew over, sending the tree leaves rustling, the shadows of the tree swaying slightly.

It was under this tree that two people stood.

Gu Yue Bo used a gentle gaze and looked at Fang Zheng. "Fang Zheng, today you chose your second Gu, I wonder what it is?"

"Reporting to clan leader sir, today I chose a Bronze Skin Gu." Gu Yue Fang Zheng stood rigid, saying with a look of admiration.

Gu Yue Bo nodded, and after pondering he replied, "Not bad, it is a good choice."

Gu Yue Fang Zheng stood before Gu Yue Bo, his body tensed and tightened. Hearing Gu Yue Bo's praise, he did not know how to reply for a while, so in the end he only laughed, "Clan leader, I chose randomly."

"You think I'm not serious in praising you? No." Gu Yue Bo stared at Fang Zheng, a smile on his face, "Do you know? From choosing a Gu, it shows a person's disposition."

"You chose the Bronze Skin Gu for defense. Paired with the Moonlight Gu, it is both offense and defense. This shows your pure nature. In this world, offense and defense are like frontal and ambush, yin and yang, soft and hard, this is the king's path."

"Gu Yue Mo Bei chose the Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle, this Gu grants stamina and allows him to sustain battle. This shows his stubborn and strong attitude."

"As for Gu Yue Chi Cheng, he chose the Dragonpill cricket Gu, allowing him to increase his dodging ability. This shows he does not like frontal attacks, being a witty person, good at tactics, but also showed the weakness in his character."

Gu Yue Fang Zheng was stunned after listening, for he did not expect that such a simple matter could reveal that much information and logic.

Consequently, his attitude towards Gu Yue Bo became even more respectful.

"Clan leader, what did my brother choose?" Fang Zheng thought of Fang Yuan and immediately asked.

Gu Yue Bo laughed, "He chose the Little Light Gu, this Gu is used to assist the Moonlight Gu and can make the moonblade attack stronger. This shows his extreme, active and invasive personality."

"Indeed, big brother seems to be like that." Fang Zheng muttered.

Gu Yue Bo took Fang Zheng's expression into consideration and etched it into his mind.

Those who were rulers had their unique ability. Although Gu Yue Bo and Fang Zheng did not interact for long, Gu Yue Bo's experienced gaze had already seen through Fang Zheng.

Him telling Fang Zheng about Mo Bei and Chi Cheng's decisions had deeper meaning.

It was to help Fang Zheng analyze these two people, for he anticipated him defeating the two of them and establishing the role of clan leader with his A grade talent.

But Gu Yue Bo would not say it out loud, and would not instigate Fang Zheng's actions.

As the clan leader, his every word and action had political implications. If he directly controlled Fang Zheng and dealt with Chi Cheng and Mo Bei, if words spread it might be misunderstood as the clan leader's political assault. If that's the case, the implication would be huge and it might even cause a clan dispute, harming the entire village.

There was another point – Gu Yue Bo was waiting for Fang Zheng to understand his intentions. He spent time and effort to nurture Fang Zheng, but it was not to nurture a Rank four or five fighter. A fighter without political knowledge was like a double edged sword. He needed the future leader for the clan!

"I analyzed Mo Bei and Chi Cheng's personality for Fang Zheng, but he did not notice my intention, instead asking about Fang Yuan's situation. It seems that he has great trauma regarding Fang Yuan, but he is also at his rebellious stage. He wants to beat Fang Yuan, that's understandable. Sigh, if only Fang Zheng had Fang Yuan's intelligence, I've seen many youngsters these years, but when it comes to political wits, Fang Yuan tops them all. It is a pity he only has C grade talent."]

Gu Yue Bo sighed internally but his smile got even more gentle.

He took out a Gu worm from his pocket.

"This is —– Jade Skin Gu?" Fang Zheng on seeing this Gu worm, said lightly with his eyes wide open.

Gu Yue Bo said, "Compared to the Bronze Skin Gu, this Jade Skin Gu is much better, not only using less primeval essence but also gives greater defense. Fang Zheng, do you want it?"

"Clan leader!" Fang Zheng was shocked and he looked at Gu Yue Bo, stuttering, "I… of course I want it."

"I can give it to you." Gu Yue Bo laughed even more amicably, "But as the clan leader, I have to be impartial and cannot give it to you for no reason, thus I have a condition."

Fang Zheng nodded repeatedly, staring widely, "What condition?"

Gu Yue Bo's smile vanished, showing a stern expression, "I want you to be the first to breakthrough Rank one into Rank two, be the first place in terms of cultivation! And this Jade Skin Gu is your advancement reward."

"Ah, advance to Rank two?" Gu Yue Fang Zheng hesitated for a moment. He had just become Rank one middle stage; after middle stage was upper stage, and after that there was still peak stage.

But now Gu Yue Bo wanted to him to be the first person to advance to Rank two.

"What's wrong, are you afraid? Then I can only give this Gu to others." Gu Yue Bo pretended to keep the Jade Skin Gu.

Fang Zheng was incited by this sentence, immediately his brain heated up as he shouted, "No, I promise you! I will defeat everyone and be the first Rank two cultivator!"

"That's the way." Gu Yue Bo showed his gentle smile again, placing the Jade Skin Gu on Fang Zheng's hand.

He thought in his heart, "Fang Zheng, I know you feel inferior, but this inferiority complex is too harmful to your growth. The best way to dispel your inferiority is success. You have A grade talent, so advancing to Rank two first is your greatest advantage, and also the easiest success you can achieve. You must succeed, for if you fail even this, I would be too disappointed."

At the same time, Fang Yuan stepped into the secret cave behind the rock crack again, getting into the end of the tunnel.

This time, he did not bring any steel spade, pickaxe or hammer, but carefully observed the surroundings. He was discouraged by this setback the previous night, and on the way back to the village he felt something amiss.

Only today in the dormitory where he used the Spring Autumn Cicada to refine the Little Light Gu did he suddenly understand the weird part of this situation.

"This huge rock blocking my path is too round and smooth, this is definitely man made. That is to say, the Flower Wine Monk purposely set this to block to path, but why did he set this hurdle at such a place?" Fang Yuan pondered.

He looked at the surroundings again.

The ground of the path was smooth and the top was curved; the walls on both sides were red soil, emitting a red light.

"Eh?" When he looked at the ground again, he found a point of suspicion.

The ground near the giant rock was slightly darker in colour. This colour difference was not very obvious and not easily found under such a dimly lit environment.

Fang Yuan knelt down, touching the ground, feeling a sense of wetness.

No wonder the colour was darker, it was wet.

But this path was so dry, where was the water coming from?

Fang Yuan grinded the soil with his fingers, finding out that the soil on this patch of earth had issues. It was very soft and loose, not lumpy like the dry red soil.

Fang Yuan's gaze shone. Experience and intuition told him that this area had the 'key' that the Flower Wine Monk had hidden.

And this 'key' was the clue that would allow him to continue moving forward.

Fang Yuan began to dig the soil. It was loose so he did not spend much effort.

After digging for around an inch deeper, there was a peculiar fragrance rushing into Fang Yuan's nostrils.

"This fragrance is thick and luxurious yet not common, it seems delicate and elegant, could it be…" Fang Yuan's heart moved as he thought of a possibility, his hands moving even faster.

While digging, the area under the soil suddenly emitted a faint dark gold light.

"It really is what I'm thinking of!" Fang Yuan's eyes shone, his hand movement becoming more delicate, carefully digging the surrounding soil away, expanding this hole.

After a while, a dark gold-coloured flower bud that was buried under the ground appeared in front of him.

It was two inches deep in the ground, around the size of a stone mill, the bud's surface delicate and with the dark gold colour, it appeared to be mysterious and elegant.

"It really is the Earth Treasury Flower Gu!" Seeing this, Fang Yuan breathed out deeply.

He was not eager in peeling away the flower petals, but took a rest on the ground instead, wiping the soil off his hands. Then he slowly stretched his hand and pried open the dark gold-coloured petals.

The Earth Treasury Flower Gu was like the combination of a lotus and kale. Its petals were tightly knitted together with numerous thick pieces, slippery when felt. As Fang Yuan opened the petals one by one, it was like revealing thick layers of silk.

Once it left the main body, the huge dark gold-coloured petals would disperse quickly. It was like snowflakes that melted into the air.

After uncovering around fifty to sixty pieces of petals, the bud had shrunk in half, revealing the flower core.

The core's petals were smaller and thinner, its texture becoming more smooth and fine. It was no longer like silk, but more like thin pieces of paper. .

Fang Yuan's movements became gentler and slower, only opening a piece of petal in a few breaths.

The petals became increasingly transparent, and after a while, when Fang Yuan had opened the pieces of thin paper-like petals, he stopped his movements.

The Earth Treasury Flower Gu at this moment only had a last layer of petals left.

These petals overlapped each other, forming a fist-sized ball.

The petals were translucent, thin as paper. Inside these petals contained a golden liquid and in the middle of this liquid, a Gu worm was sleeping inside.

Fang Yuan looked intently, but he could only see a blurry shadow of the Gu worm, and he could not tell which Gu it was.

He was close to it, and his breath was blown on the flower core. The spherical flower core began to shake, the golden liquid also moving gently inside the petals.

Gu worms would die without food, and only a few Gu worms could seal themselves. To protect and conserve Gu worms, Gu Masters have had thought of many methods.

The Earth Treasury Flower Gu was one of them.

It was a one-time use type Gu, and once implanted on the ground, it could not be moved.

Its food was simple, which was earth energy. As long as it was planted on the ground, it would be able to survive with sufficient earth energy.

It only had one use, and that is to contain a Gu within the flower heart and immerse the Gu in the golden liquid.

This golden nectar could to an extent, imitate the sealing state and let Gu worms fall into hibernation.

"The Flower Wine Monk planted this Earth Treasury Flower Gu, so the Gu within has to be for the inheritor." Fang Yuan stretched out a finger and peeled the remaining petals carefully, revealing an opening.

The golden liquid flowed out along his finger, feeling like soybean oil.

The flower core began to soften with the loss of the golden liquid. Fang Yuan moved his finger and the petals were split, allowing him to retrieve the slumbering Gu worm.

It was a cute ladybug. Only the size of the thumb's fingernail.

Its body was a milky white colour, and if overlooked from the back, it was like a circle.

Its head only occupied a small area, while the rest of the body was its large fat stomach and bright shiny exoskeleton.

Its six tiny limbs were also cream coloured, hidden under its stomach.

"White Boar Gu!" Fang Yuan showed an expression of joy on his face.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 64: Easy to do secretly, difficult to do openly

Translator:SkyfarrowEditor:Skyfarrow

The temperature these few days had gotten higher.

The sun shone intensely in the afternoon, hanging right over everyone's head.

The caravan left and the inn's business fell again.

Fang Yuan stepped into the cafeteria, immediately attracting the attention of the shop assistants.

A familiar face rushed over and gave him a flattering smile. "Oh, young master, you're here! Please take a seat!"

"Give me a jar of wine and cut me 600g of beef, and serve a few side dishes." Fang Yuan strode through the cafeteria and approached the window seat that he always sat at.

The shop assistant showed a difficult expression, "Young master, my apologies but during the last time the caravan came, the innkeeper sold all of the green bamboo wine. We do not have this wine here anymore."

Fang Yuan nodded, not feeling surprised, "Then give me a jar of rice wine and tell the innkeeper, brew more green bamboo wine this year, I am pre-ordering a hundred jars. As for how much the advance payment will be, you can count first and report to me."

Now that the Liquor worm was exposed and did not gather any suspicion, Fang Yuan did not have to be restrained in buying wine anymore.

"Alright, I will definitely convey your words! Please be at ease young master." The shop assistant patted his chest, sounding confident.

Soon, the dishes were served.

Fang Yuan drank and ate while staring out of the window.

In such hot weather, especially during meal times, there were few people on the streets.

The sunlight shone on the ground and the green coloured bamboo tall-houses.

A few barefooted mortal farmers carrying cement, steel spades or shoulder poles walked in front. They had just finished their farm work, and were heading home.

Two children held the bamboo frame of their windmill toy and ran about. The one behind chased while crying and shouting; it seems that the boy in front had stolen his windmill toy.

At this moment, two young Gu Masters wearing green belts walked hurriedly on the street.

"Get lost, don't block the way!" A Gu Master pushed the farmer in front of him.

The farmers frantically gave way.

"Hmph." The two young Gu Masters walked through arrogantly.

Fang Yuan looked with a distracted gaze in his eyes, as part of his mind was already focused on his aperture.

Within the aperture, the water wall continued to flow as his green copper primeval sea rose with raging waves.

The Liquor worm was playing around in his primeval sea, at times comfortably rolling around, and at times curling into a ball.

The Spring Autumn Cicada was in deep slumber, hiding its appearance.

The round body of the White Boar Gu spread its wings and drew circles in the sky.

The White and Black Boar Gu were equally well-known, both being precious and rare Rank one Gu worms. Their market value was even greater than the Liquor worm.

Although they had the same usage and similar appearance, their future advancement routes were greatly different.

The Black Boar Gu and the Green Silk Gu would combine into the Rank two Black Mane Gu, and then into the Rank 3 Steel Mane Gu.

But the White Boar Gu was most compatible with the Jade Skin Gu, where it would turn into Rank two White Jade Gu, and later into the Rank three Heavenly Mugwort Gu(1).

The Steel Mane Gu could let the Gu Master's hair become tough as steel, raising both offense and defense. The Heavenly Mugwort Gu allowed the Gu Master's body to become tough as white jade while at the same time reducing the damage from attacks such as the moonblade.

Fang Yuan was slightly happy over this.

Getting the White Boar Gu was just one aspect of it, but what made him truly happy was the Flower Wine Monk's strength inheritance.

"The White Boar Gu can increase strength. The Flower Wine Monk set a giant rock to block the way, so it seems I need to refine this Gu and with enough strength, push the giant rock away and continue forward. This must be the first test."

"With the Flower Wine Monk's meticulous setup, I can infer that there has to be future inheritance trials, a second or third hurdle. Most importantly, I can confirm that he set this strength inheritance not as a trap, but with true sincerity."

"With this inheritance, I can reach Rank three faster and leave this Qing Mao Mountain, and venture outside, gaining greater opportunities!"

What does a Gu Master need most in cultivating?

The answer is but one word — Resources.

Fang Yuan needs to cultivate, thus he needs resources. But the clan's resources are limited, so if he wants more, he needs to fight for it.

Not only fighting for resources, he also has to be victorious.

To him, the more he fights and the more victories he obtained, the more he would reveal more of his trump cards and make others more wary.

Wariness when accumulated to an extent, would turn into suppression and hurdles blocking his path.

Fang Yuan killed a family servant, but why did the Mo family stay indifferent? Robbing the classmates, why did their family not pursue it? Fang Yuan resisted the clan and refused to be part of the system, but why did the clan leader choose to be lenient?

It is all because he is weak, because he is C grade.

They feel strong and do not feel like bullying the weak. Under the family's system, being petty with the weak Fang Yuan not only causes them to face humiliation, it also makes others feel that the person is cold and unfeeling, ruining one's social relationships.

Weakness was a safety umbrella that Fang Yuan had for now.

But with his continued competition for resources, Fang Yuan would appear stronger. This would make everyone start being wary of him, and begin to try recruiting him. No matter which side he chooses, he would face suppression and troubles from the other factions.

Suppression and restrictions would drag down his growing speed.

Fang Yuan was aware of his predicament, he was in a delicate position. He seemed to have offended everyone, but he had not violated any law in reality.

Yet with time, his cultivation level will rise, and conflicts will arise and worsen.

Fang Yuan knowns that this conflict would escalate, but the later it escalated, the greater benefit he would gain.

Thus, the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance was perfectly timed!

With this strength inheritance, he would have hidden resources. Using this, he could be free of the system's control and walk his own path, cultivating at his own speed and secretly accumulate strength.

Once he was adopted into the system, he would need to side with a faction. Even if he did not want to compete, he would definitely be dragged into the political strife.

Inside the system, one is a pawn. You first have to be a proper pawn for others to use you willingly. After they trust and use you, you have the chance to climb upwards, and even during that process, you have to be careful not to become a discarded pawn.

Fang Yuan was clear of this procedure, he knew it too well. Even with his vast knowledge, there was nothing he could do to this situation. These were the rules!

The more crucial part was his C grade talent. To the clan, there was no desire in investing in him. Often he would be treated as a discarded pawn.

The most optimum progress route was to work alone. This way, he could avoid most competition. Towards the higher-ups in the village, the image he had created earlier would be sustained.

"This world's matters, it is always easily done secretly, but difficult to do openly. Using the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, I can cultivate and gather strength secretly without gaining attention and suppression. But the extortion has to continue, for if it stopped abruptly, it would invite suspicion, and I also need primeval stones." Fang Yuan considered his future plans.

He really needed primeval stones.

Other teenagers of his age had only started refining and feeding a second Gu worm. He however, had also refined the Little Light Gu and recently acquired the White Boar Gu, thus having a total of four Gu worms.

Previously, he needed around one primeval stone a day just to feed the Moonlight Gu and Liquor worm. Now after calculating, he needed more than two pieces everyday just as expenditure!

If including his cultivating needs and living expenditures, he would need to use around five primeval stones a day!

Five primeval stones was enough to feed a family of three mortals for five months.

On hand at the moment, he had several hundred primeval stones, but it was not enough to sustain such an expenditure in the long run.

More importantly, the further he got, the greater his expenditure would be. Especially after advancing to Rank two, every time he tried combining Gu worms, it would be cost a huge sum.

Thinking of this, Fang Yuan felt troubled.

The matter of primeval stones was a problem, and by relying on just extortion and the resources on hand, he could only delay this problem from erupting.

Moreover, he had another problem, and that was the White Boar Gu's feeding.

The White Boar Gu's food was pork.

Boar, obviously referred to pigs. The Boar Gu series' food, was all pork.

Black and White Boar Gu had huge appetites. Every five days they would need to eat around one fully grown pig's amount of meat.

Pork in this world was not cheap, and mortals could only afford to slaughter one during the New Year celebration, and enjoy themselves. Without the large scale cultivation technique of Earth, the price of pork and beef was not something mortals could eat often. At the same time the topography of the Qing Mao Mountain was precipitous, the area of residence narrow, how much space could be allocated just for rearing livestock?

You eat what you can procure at where you live, the villagers were able to eat pork occasionally because of the hunters hunting wild boars in the mountains.

"It seems that I have to go hunting myself from now on, for pork." Fang Yuan's eyes shone with a glint.

Relying on the village to purchase pork, first was the expenditure of primeval stones, second was that it would attract attention. Even if you loved eating pork, how could a person eat so much in such a short period?

If he hunted himself, it would not only resolve this problem, but also alleviate his current financial stress.

"Shop assistant, bill!" Thinking of this, Fang Yuan hesitated no more, and after footing the bill, he left the inn.

These few days the academy was on break so that the students could refine their second Gu worm. Fang Yuan decided that he could use this time well. He would leave the village and scout the mountains, and then kill some wild boars and get himself some pork.

(1) Mugwort – A kind of plant. https/en./wiki/Artemisia_princeps

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter