Chapter 40
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.
Several Gu masters 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 the Gu world, there were all types of Gu, 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, the Gu worms still have a chance of survival. That was to hibernate, undergoing self-sealing.
For example, if the Moonlight Gu did 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 every Gu worm. It has a small chance of occurrence, and in most cases, the Gu worm will not fall into hibernation but instead starve to death. Only a small number of Gu worms may, under specific situations, undergo self-sealing.
A few Gu Masters who accidentally obtain these sealed Gu worms' rocks or cocoons would awaken the Guworms that were slumbering within. Thus they would have a stroke of fortune. Some of the Gu masters became successful due to this, it being a turning point in their lives. These situations happen frequently in the GuMaster 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 a Gu worm hidden inside.
"In a small-sized rock gambling den like this, nine out of ten rocks are solid core, having no Gu worms inside. Even if there are Gu worms inside the rock, they may not be living worms, most of them are dead Gu. But once someone hits the jackpot of a live Gu, under most situations, one would be able to earn a huge fortune. If the Guworm 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 precious Gu worm.
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 one Gu masters. Most were initial stages, while a selected few were middle stages.
Seeing Fang Yuan before a counter, a female Gu Master who was nearest by walked towards him and smiled, softly saying, "Young master, what Gu worm 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 female Gu Master, 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 all Gu Masters. Students were only considered second-rate Gu Masters, just starting their cultivation. Because they're often tight on finance due to feeding their Gu worms, 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 female Gu Master 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 toad Gu was 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 my Gu worms." 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.
When Gu worms 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 the Gu worm within that is barely alive.
Thus, when Gu Masters 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 a Gu Master to know if the rock contains a Guworm.
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!
Chapter 41
Translator: Skyfarrow Editor: 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.
Chapter 42
Translator: Skyfarrow Editor: 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.
Chapter 43
Translator: Skyfarrow Editor: 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.
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.