Chapter 20 — Caravan, Part 2.
Fang Ming's gaze moved across the counters slowly.
Liquor Worm.
Jade Skin Gu.
Whirlwind Gu.
Scar Stone Gu.
There were also several Gu compatible with Moonlight Gu.
Compared with last year, the first floor of the Three Star Cave Gu House had far more variety. It was clear that Jia Fu had invested heavily this time. Even the Rank 1 Gu displayed on the first floor were not casually chosen. Many of them were useful, rare, or suitable for Gu Yue clan Gu Masters.
The Liquor Worm attracted the most attention.
A group of Gu Masters gathered near the central counter, their eyes showing interest and desire. Even though it was only a Rank 1 Gu, its ability to refine primeval essence by 1 small stage made it extremely valuable to new Gu Masters.
If this had been last year, Fang Ming would have cared.
Back then, Liquor Worm had been one of the most suitable Gu for him. It helped him break through faster, improved his cultivation speed, and gave him the foundation to reach Rank 2 before graduation.
But now, an ordinary Liquor Worm no longer mattered much.
Fang Ming was already Rank 2.
Unless he could refine it further along a higher path, it had little direct value to him. At most, it could be bought and resold, but this caravan was already filled with merchants. Trying to earn a small difference from such a famous Gu was not worth his attention.
While Fang Ming was looking around, a young girl's excited voice sounded from nearby.
"Grandma, this Liquor Worm is only 500 primeval stones!"
Fang Ming turned his gaze slightly.
An old woman walked over with a young girl beside her.
The old woman had a white belt around her waist, and on the belt was a square silver piece marked with the number 3. She held a walking cane, her back slightly bent, but no one around her dared to underestimate her.
Gu Yue Yao Ji.
Medicine hall elder.
The young girl beside her should be Gu Yue Yao Le.
The surrounding Gu Masters quickly quieted down. Some who had originally been interested in the Liquor Worm immediately showed hesitation.
Gu Yue Yao Ji's status was not ordinary.
She was the number 1 healing Gu Master in Gu Yue clan and had saved many elders before. Her network in the clan was deep, and ordinary Gu Masters were unwilling to offend her over a Rank 1 Gu, even one as precious as Liquor Worm.
Yao Le pulled Gu Yue Yao Ji's arm and looked at the Liquor Worm with bright eyes.
"Grandma, didn't you say you would give me a gift for the Awakening Ceremony? I want this Liquor Worm."
Gu Yue Yao Ji smiled helplessly.
"Alright, alright. If my obedient granddaughter wants it, grandma will try to buy it for you."
The young girl immediately became happy.
"Grandma is the best!"
Gu Yue Yao Ji pointed toward the counter and explained softly, "The Gu worms here are not bought directly. You write down the price you are willing to pay, add your name, fold the paper, and place it into the hole in the counter. When the selling time ends, the highest bidder obtains the Gu."
Yao Le looked curious.
"So if I write a high price, it becomes mine?"
"If no one writes a higher price, then yes."
Gu Yue Yao Ji took the bamboo paper and wrote down a price herself. Then she folded it and had Yao Le place it into the counter.
After seeing this, many Gu Masters around the Liquor Worm silently stepped away.
Fang Ming watched calmly.
This was the Three Star Cave Gu House's secret bidding method.
The displayed price was only a base price.
It was bait.
The real price depended on the bids hidden inside the counter. Customers did not know how much others had offered, and the caravan did not reveal the winning price or the winner's identity. This preserved confidentiality and allowed Gu Masters to compete without directly offending each other.
It was a clever method.
If the sale was open, many clan Gu Masters would hesitate because of face, seniority, relationships, and faction pressure. But with secret bids, those concerns became weaker. Everyone could quietly write a higher price and pretend nothing had happened afterward.
The stock also rotated.
Rank 1 Gu were usually displayed for half a day once there was a bid.
Rank 2 Gu were displayed for 1 day.
Rank 3 Gu were displayed for 2 days.
If no one showed interest, the Gu might remain longer. If someone placed a bid, the countdown began. Once the time ended, the highest bidder obtained the Gu, and a new Gu would replace it on the counter.
As for customer information, the caravan kept it secret.
This was both a rule and a business method.
Only with secrecy would people dare to bid freely.
Fang Ming looked away from the Liquor Worm.
Gu Yue Yao Ji could scare off many competitors, but that had nothing to do with him. Whether she obtained the Liquor Worm or someone else took it by bidding slightly higher was not important.
His attention moved to the other counters.
Jade Skin Gu was useful, but Fang Ming already had Solid Rock Skin Gu.
Whirlwind Gu caught his eye for a moment. Fang Ming still lacked a proper movement Gu, and a movement-type Gu was exactly one of his weaknesses. However, Whirlwind Gu was only Rank 1. It could be useful, but it was not enough to make him act immediately.
Scar Stone Gu was also displayed nearby.
Several Gu Masters were discussing it quietly, mentioning how it could cooperate with certain defensive or earth-path methods. Fang Ming listened for a moment before walking away.
He was not here to buy whatever looked useful.
He needed to compare.
The caravan would stay for several days, and the stock would keep changing. Acting too early might cause him to miss better options later.
Fang Ming continued moving through the first floor.
As he passed another row of counters, Advanced Copy Gu quietly transmitted information to him.
One Gu name after another appeared in Fang Ming's perception.
Some were carried by Gu Masters around him.
Some were sealed or displayed inside the counters.
Fang Ming separated them carefully.
Most Gu were not important.
But soon, 2 names made his pace slow slightly.
Grey Wolf Strength Gu.
Bear Strength Gu.
Fang Ming's gaze shifted toward the counters.
The Grey Wolf Strength Gu was a Rank 1 strength-path Gu. Unlike boar strength, wolf strength was not purely about heavy impact. It had more to do with explosive force, waist movement, and sudden pouncing power. It was inferior to a true movement Gu, but for close combat, it could improve the way strength was released.
Bear Strength Gu was different.
Its strength was heavier and more direct. The power it granted leaned toward crushing, grappling, and enduring force. If Fang Ming used it together with his current boar strength foundation, his close-combat advantage would grow even more frightening.
Fang Ming was interested.
But only interested.
He did not immediately bid.
He already had nearly 8 boars' worth of strength, and his body was already far stronger than most Rank 2 Gu Masters. More strength was naturally good, but it was not his most urgent need right now.
His true weaknesses were still clear.
Movement.
Investigation.
Healing.
Storage.
Gu Master combat did not only depend on how hard one could strike. If he could not catch the enemy, strength was wasted. If he could not detect danger, strength could arrive too late. If his primeval essence ran out during a long fight or mission, strength alone could not solve everything.
Fang Ming stayed on the first floor a while longer, memorizing several Gu that might be useful later.
Then he walked toward the stairs.
The second floor sold Rank 2 Gu.
Compared with the first floor, there were fewer people here.
The Gu Masters who could afford Rank 2 Gu were naturally fewer, and those who came to this floor were much more cautious. Each Gu placed here could cost thousands of primeval stones. A wrong choice could consume years of savings.
Fang Ming stepped onto the second floor.
The space here was quieter.
The counters were more widely spaced, and each displayed Gu attracted small groups of Gu Masters standing at a distance, observing silently.
Fang Ming moved slowly.
Advanced Copy Gu continued sensing the Gu around him.
Several names passed through his perception.
Some were attack Gu.
Some were defensive Gu.
Some were support Gu.
Then Fang Ming's eyes paused.
Essence Storage Gu.
His gaze landed on one of the counters.
Inside, a Gu worm rested quietly. Its body was round and translucent, like a small hollow pearl filled with faint red mist. The mist inside pulsed gently, giving off the feeling of contained primeval essence.
Fang Ming walked closer.
The description written beside the counter was simple.
Rank 2 Essence Storage Gu.
It could store a portion of the Gu Master's primeval essence separately inside the Gu. When needed, the Gu Master could draw the stored primeval essence back and use it in battle or cultivation.
The maximum storage amount was equivalent to 100% of the Gu Master's own primeval essence reserve.
Fang Ming's eyes sharpened slightly.
This Gu was useful.
Extremely useful.
For ordinary Gu Masters, Essence Storage Gu was already valuable. It was like carrying an extra reserve of primeval essence. During long battles or dangerous missions, this could become the difference between survival and death.
For Fang Ming, its value was even greater.
He often took missions alone.
Without teammates to cover his weakness, once his primeval essence dropped too low, danger would increase sharply. Previously, Fang Ming adapted by relying more on his nearly 8 boars' worth of strength, using physical combat to reduce primeval essence consumption as much as possible.
But strength had limits.
Against groups, distance, traps, or Gu Masters with strange methods, primeval essence was still the foundation.
With Essence Storage Gu, it would be like having 2 reserves.
And Fang Ming was an A-grade aptitude Gu Master.
His primeval sea was already almost full compared with ordinary Gu Masters. If Essence Storage Gu stored an amount equivalent to his full reserve, then the benefit he gained would be greater than what most Gu Masters could obtain from it.
In battle, he could fight far longer.
During missions, he could endure more unexpected situations.
Even during breakthrough attempts, this Gu had use. With double the primeval essence reserve, attacking the next stage would become much easier. A Gu Master could continue striking the aperture wall for longer without stopping, increasing the chance of breaking through in 1 attempt.
Fang Ming looked at the price.
Base price: 2,000 primeval stones.
He smiled faintly.
This was naturally bait.
The real price would certainly be much higher.
Essence Storage Gu was rare, practical, and useful for both battle and cultivation. Any Rank 2 Gu Master with ambition would be tempted. Fang Ming estimated that the final price might rise to around 4,000 primeval stones.
Perhaps even higher.
To Fang Ming, this Gu was important enough to overpay for.
He was willing to bid 5,040 primeval stones.
This was somewhat excessive, but Fang Ming did not care.
Some things were worth being safe over.
Essence Storage Gu suited him too well. It directly solved one of his greatest weaknesses as a lone Gu Master and strengthened his future breakthrough attempts. Missing it over a few hundred primeval stones would be foolish.
As for copying it with Advanced Copy Gu, Fang Ming dismissed the thought almost immediately.
He already knew a Red Steel Relic Gu would appear in the following days.
Compared with Essence Storage Gu, Red Steel Relic Gu was even more precious.
It could directly raise a Rank 2 Gu Master's cultivation by 1 small realm. For Fang Ming, whose goal was to reach Rank 3 as soon as possible, that Gu was more important than anything else currently displayed.
His copy chance had to be reserved for that.
Essence Storage Gu could only be bought.
Fang Ming took a piece of bamboo paper from the side.
He picked up the pen and wrote down his bid.
5,040 primeval stones.
Then he wrote his name.
Gu Yue Fang Ming.
He folded the bamboo paper and pushed it into the bidding hole of the counter.
After that, he did not stay too long.
The bidding would last until the next day.
Fang Ming gave the Essence Storage Gu one last glance.
Then he turned and continued walking through the second floor.
The caravan had only just arrived, there were still many things to see.