Fang Cheng was baffled by the stunningly beautiful female cultivator in the black dress staring at him. He asked,
"Is there… something I can help you with?"
The moment he spoke, a surging, boundless Spiritual Pressure emanated from the woman in black. It felt as if he'd been plunged into a maelstrom, suffocating him.
'So strong!'
Fang Cheng's expression flickered. Sensing the immense disparity in their strength, he subconsciously activated the Love Gu.
'This is the only tool I have to rely on right now!'
'Good thing she's a female cultivator…'
"I am Feng Ling of Flame Demon Island. I chanced upon you, Fellow Daoist, and thought you were an old acquaintance, which is why I approached. My apologies for being so abrupt; please forgive me."
The woman in black's eyes shifted, a faint, apologetic smile gracing her lips. The pressure from a moment ago vanished completely.
Fang Cheng was suspicious, but he didn't press the matter. He simply said, "It's no trouble."
The Feng Family of Flame Demon Island was one of the four major families under the Yinluo Sect. The family was presided over by a cultivator at the Peak of the Life Talisman Realm, making them a formidable aristocratic family even within the entire Yun Country.
The woman before him didn't look very old, but her level of power was far beyond Fang Cheng's reach.
Feng Ling smiled. "And how should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"I am Fang Cheng," he replied, cupping his hands in salute.
Feng Ling's beautiful eyes scanned his tall, upright frame before settling on his face. A look of realization dawned on her. "Oh, now I remember. You're the one who inherited the legacy of the Gu Daoist, Fangrushan, aren't you?"
Fang Cheng couldn't detect the slightest hint of acting. He actually thought the woman had truly heard of his master's "famous name."
After all, with the Feng Family's influence, gathering intelligence on a Loose Cultivator who had spent years in the Abyssal Marsh wouldn't be difficult.
The fact that he had entered the Yinluo Sect as a Servant Disciple by relying on his "specialty" in Gu Dao was, in itself, something of a novelty.
He nodded. "Fangrushan was indeed my master."
Feng Ling chuckled, covering her mouth. Her lovely eyes sparkled as she asked, "In that case, do you happen to have a Wine Gu on you?"
Fang Cheng was intimidated by her level of cultivation. Despite her sweet smiles and gentle words, he remained guarded. He chose his words carefully. "I don't have a Wine Gu on me right now, but it wouldn't be difficult to refine one."
Feng Ling's eyes brightened. "My Feng Family is in need of a Spirit Wine Master. Would you be willing to become an Honored Guest Elder for us?"
She had made a deal with Fang Hen previously, partly because she was interested in his unique constitution, but also because she coveted the Wine Gu from Fangrushan's Gu Dao legacy.
The Gu held significant commercial value for the Feng Family.
If they could foster a Tier Two Poison Refiner for the long term, the profits for the Feng Family would be even greater!
"This…" A troubled look crossed Fang Cheng's face. He politely declined, "I have already joined the Yinluo Sect. Though my cultivation is low, my desire to pursue the Dao remains strong…"
Feng Ling nodded gracefully. "To each their own," she said warmly. "I won't force you, Fellow Daoist. However, I still hope you'll consider cooperating with my Feng Family. What if you were to become the exclusive supplier of Spirit Wine for our Jade Banquet Tower in the Sect Marketplace? As for payment, I certainly won't let you come out short."
Fang Cheng knew he couldn't refuse again. "Very well," he said. "It would be my honor to work with the Feng Family."
Feng Ling gave a captivating smile. "Excellent. I have a few wine recipes in my Cave Mansion. I'll have someone deliver them to you later."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Feng," Fang Cheng said with sincere gratitude.
"No need for thanks. Consider it a gift to apologize for my rudeness earlier," Feng Ling replied.
With that, Feng Ling asked for the specific location of his residence before gracefully departing.
The woman soared into the air, transforming into a streak of fiery light that shot toward the heavens and vanished in an instant.
'A classic rich beauty from the Cultivation Realm… I wonder if the Love Gu even works on female cultivators with cultivation levels so far beyond my own? Still, judging by Feng Ling's attitude, it doesn't seem to be completely useless. The Yinluo Sect is filled with Demon Cultivators. For her to speak to me so politely… there has to be something fishy going on! Her offer to make me an Honored Guest Elder was probably just a line. Rejecting her to her face was careless… Without the Love Gu, she might have killed me on the spot!'
At this thought, he suddenly lost all interest in hunting more Demon Beasts. He casually left the barren island and headed back to the Sect Marketplace.
...
「Yinluo Sect Marketplace.」
「Spirit Wind Lane, Jia Shen No. 19 Courtyard.」
Fang Cheng went back inside his house and took out the Spirit Rice, Spirit Wine, and various poisons he had purchased at the marketplace, sorting and storing them.
He had sold the Tier One Middle Grade Demon Ape, along with all the Spirit Fruits and herbs, to a shop in the marketplace.
All told, he made over one hundred thirty Lower-Grade Spirit Stones.
He was running low on Spirit Rice at home, so he restocked his supply. The rest of the money went toward materials for refining his Wine Gu and Poison Gu.
A portion of the Demon Beast meat from his hunt was for his own meals.
And another portion was to feed his Vajra Gu.
With his current skill in the Gu arts, raising another Tier One Middle Grade Vajra Gu shouldn't be difficult.
As he replayed the day's events in his mind, he cooked a pot of Spirit Rice for himself. He also stewed about ten pounds of Demon Beast Spiritual Flesh using seven or eight different spices and herbs unique to this world.
The aroma of rice and meat soon filled the small courtyard.
After dinner.
He returned to his room, sat cross-legged on his jade mat, and took out the mysterious Jade Talisman he had found in the Demon Ape's lair, beginning to examine it.
When he channeled a stream of Magical Power into it, the Jade Talisman emitted a profound, mystical tone and suddenly flared with a brilliant light.
A mysterious awareness flowed out from the Jade Talisman and into Fang Cheng's sea of consciousness, impressively forming a map!
'It seems to be a treasure map, but the time to open the treasure has not yet come…'
Fang Cheng "read" a great deal of information from this mysterious perception.
The map that had flooded his mind seemed to point to a location in the waters near the eastern shore of the Abyssal Marsh!
'A beautiful woman and a lucky encounter… I, Fang Cheng, haven't disgraced my fellow transmigrators after all…!'
Fang Cheng put away the Jade Talisman, making a self-deprecating joke with mixed feelings.
In his past life, he had a whole group of friends and brothers, but after crossing over, he didn't have a single person he could truly talk to.
'In the early days after transmigration, the hardest thing to get used to has to be the loneliness.'
Thinking of this, Fang Cheng once again felt the irresistible urge to go to Miaoxiang Tower and refine some Gu.
Fortunately, his willpower was ironclad. He forcibly suppressed the impulse and started digging pits in his own small courtyard.
In addition to the pit for the Vajra Gu, he needed to dig two more Gu Pits.
One Gu Pit for the Wine Gu, and another for the Poison Gu.
Soon, the two new Gu Pits were prepared. He placed a large urn in the Wine Gu pit and poured nine different types of Spirit Wine into it.
These nine types of Spirit Wine were enough to get the Wine Gu started.
But to raise its grade, he would need to keep adding even more Spirit Wine.
However, once the Wine Gu was successfully refined, it could, in turn, help him brew Spirit Wine, improving his success rate.
The relationship was symbiotic.
In the Poison Gu pit, he placed a total of thirteen potent toxins. However, they were all Tier One Lower Grade, only effective against cultivators at the Early Sensing Stage.
To refine a Tier One Middle Grade Poison Gu, he would need a large quantity of toxins of the corresponding grade.