66 Ch 6

After refining the earth communication ear grass gu, I went back to the academy dormitory and thought about things.

Earth Communication Ear Grass Gu had a great advantage, it could scout up to three hundred steps which would be about three hundred metres. This range was among the best of Rank two investigative Gu Worms.

There are three main aspects to a Gu namely nurturing, using, and refining.

A Gu Master refines Gu, uses Gu, feeds Gu and tends to the needs of their Gu and for that, the Gu Master needs knowledge on how to raise them, this knowledge is extensive and profound because there are all kinds of Gu there are all kinds of needs that need to be tended to.

First of all, nurturing is feeding. Rank 1 and 2 Gu need to be fed every few days, rank 3s need to be fed every month, rank 4's need to be fed once every few months, and rank 5's need only to be fed every one or two years, Immortal Gu need to be at least fed every 5 to 6 years and each time they eat, it would be extremely expensive.

The higher the rank of a Gu, the higher the costs to feed and raise it, but the interval between each feeding session would increase greatly as well. It often gave a Gu Master too many difficulties to cope with, making them have unceasing headaches over it.

I had currently two moonlight gu, little light gu, liquor worm, jade skin gu, white boar gu, second rank earth communication ear grass gu and rank six spring autumn cicada.

The second is to use, if you know the Gu worm, and you know it's effect, then it is easy to get started.

To use Earth communication ear grass gu, one needs to pay a price, that is, to cut off one ear.

I have struggled for a long time on whether to use earth communication ear grass gu, and finally I decided not to use it. I would actually feel pain in this world unlike the game and I am not strong willed enough to be able to handle this pain at the moment.

But this was not a major issue. In the game, there were mentions of lots of good investigation gu in the caravan. I could use those to solve the issue. I should check out the caravan which arrives tomorrow.

Also, finding the Golden Centipede Cave was not an issue either. I already knew the route thanks to the game and my cheat helped me perfectly remember each and every details of the game. I had overwhelming advantage and did not need to resort to self-mutilation.

Next day I went around the Gu Yue Village. The Jia Family caravan had come and many vendors were selling unique items.

I went to the only place I could take the biggest advantage of.

I moved my line of sight and continued walking deeper into the heart of the setup of temporary stores.

The further I 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.

I observed the surroundings as I walked, finally stopping near a grey-coloured tent.

"It's here," I 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.

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 the gambling den.

"It's time."

I had a relaxed expression on my face as I entered the gambling den. This was just the start of my big plan. If everything went as I had planned, my future journey would be quite smooth.

Inside the tent, there were 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.

'The same scene!'

I had seen this exact scene in the game. In the game, players had managed to find five rocks which contained gu worms. I knew the exact location of each of these five gu worms. One was rank 2 Mud Skin Toad which was mentioned in the novel and there were three rank 1 gu and one rank 3 gu.

The Rank 3 gu was the Self Reliance Gu. It was quite important to some of my future plans.

Self-Reliance Gu was a healing type gu. It relies on the Gu Masters strength. The larger the Gu Masters strength the more it is able to stimulate the the Gu Masters metabolism, thus recovering injuries faster. Self-Reliance Gu, relying on oneself, it meant obtaining the ability to regenerate and heal using one's own strength.

There was also a super rare rank one Detection gu which could help me detect any living objects within a hundred metre radius. It was a investigation type gu. The only downside was that it could be used only for 2 hours after which it would need rest for the whole day. Continuous usage would also increase it's food requirements.

I would sell the other three gu worm to the caravan and earn some primeval essence stones to carry out my next plan.

I looked around and saw several Gu masters standing 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.

A few Gu Masters who accidentally obtain these sealed Gu worms' rocks or cocoons would awaken the Gu worms 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 Gu Master 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.

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.

A female Gu Master who was nearest by walked towards me 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 cost twenty primeval stones each."

I took out my pouch which contained a total of hundred and fifty primeval essence stones.

This was an experienced female Gu Master, having worked at the rock gambling den for quite some time already. Seeing the huge quantity of primeval essence stones placed in front of her, she knew this young master was quite wealthy. She even had thoughts of marrying him at the moment.

"Bring me your manager."

"Young master, the manager is busy right now. Please tell me if you need any help."

However, I was adamant. "Bring him now or I leave."

The gambling den was usually quite. Since my voice was a bit loud, quite a few gazes attracted towards me and at the pile of primeval essence stones I placed in front of me.

Seeing the pile of primeval essence stones, even the lady clerk was unwilling to let me go. She quickly responded and went off to see the manager.

After a few minutes, Jia Jin Sheng came out from the back

"Young lad, what do want to see me for?"

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 around 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, "Your subordinate greets you, Second Young Master."

"Second Young Master?"

"That's right, I am this shop's shopkeeper. Little brother, coming out to gamble at such a young age, aren't you afraid of your family's scolding?"

"Haha don't worry about my family. I want to make a deal with you. Here are one hundred and fifty primeval essence stones. I have a method which can identify whether a rock contains a gu or not with 60% accuracy and I want to try it out."

"Unbelievable"

"The kid must be bluffing."

Jia Jin Sheng cast a suspicious glance towards me.

"Interesting. Are you here to sell that method?"

"No. Rather I will open five rocks today and will get three gu worms out of it. If I don't get three gu worms, you can keep this one hundred and fifty primeval essence stones and any gu worm I get out of these stones. However, if I do find atleast three gu worms, you will have to buy these three gu worms at double the price of it's market value. Do you dare to make the deal?"

Hearing this, the Gu masters and even Jia Jin Sheng felt ridiculous. This was just simply throwing away money. Indeed, young masters these days are too arrogant and feel they can conquer the world.

"Why would I not agree? I vow on my Jia Family that if you do find three gu worms, I would purchase it at double the price of their market value."

"Okay great. I will pick my first rock then."

I went to a corner and picked up one rock holding it for five minutes moving it gently in my hand.

This is the first rock I choose. I already knew it contained the mud skin gu. I was anticipating the surprise in the eyes of these gu masters.

The rock was slowly opened by the Gu Master lady near me.

After the outer layer was removed, shadow of a gu worm appeared in front of everyone. The rock layer was removed and live Mud Skin Gu was revealed in front of everyone.

"Woah"

"I can't believe this kid's luck. He opened a gu worm.

Jia Jin Sheng also squint his eyes while he frowned. He knew that there was no possibility of cheating. This was either pure luck or some skill of the kid.

Everything was within my expectations. Just Mud Skin Toad would sell for six hundred primeval stones in the market, that was four times the amount I had. But I was aiming for much more than that.

Without minding the incredulous look given by people around me, I went to the next place.

Everyone in the gambling den were now looking at my each and every action. Some were jealous of my luck while others were trying to figure out my tricks by seeing me act. Even those who weren't interested at first were drawn towards me when the Mud Skin Toad was revealed.

Well, they won't get anything since I don't have any real skill. I was relying on the looks and size of the rocks along with their location in the game.

I went towards a random location and picked up a random rock. I moved it around in my hands for a few minutes but put back the rock and moved to another place

Behind me, Jia Jin Sheng was giving off a weird look.

'That is a rock arranged by us which contains live Rank 1 gu worm. It was kept there such that we can please VIP customers and make them spend much more. It seems this kid's skill doesn't have anything to do with artificial tempering or knowing if there is some object within the rock. It might have something to do with knowing natural sealing process of the gu or the kid is jut relying on pure luck.'

Meanwhile, I picked up another rock and sent it for opening. The result was that there wasn't any Gu worm inside. Most of the Gu master felt this was natural.

I went around the place and tested 5-6 rocks before giving another one to open.

The same thing happened. There was nothing inside. I squinted my eyes and showed a worried expression. I had used up three out of five chances and was only able to find one gu worm. If I opened another empty rock, I would not only lose the primeval essence stones but even the Rank two Mud Skin Toad Gu that I found.

However, I was smiling on the inside. The two wrong choices were made deliberately by me.

Jia Jin Sheng was smiling. It was the face of someone who had already won.

"Haha junior brother. Why don't you give up? I will be generous and give you back your one hundred and fifty primeval stones. But I will keep the Mud Skin Toad Gu. Don't say later that Jia Family bullied youngsters."

The Gu masters who listened to this smirked. The Mud Skin Toad had a market price of six hundred and this fellow wanted to purchase it for just hundred and fifty primeval essence stones. Wasn't this bullying? However, they didn't say anything.

"Thanks for the concern senior brother. However, I would like to continue. If I lost, then so be it."

Saying so, I went to the pre-decided location and picked up a rock. It had the rank one Jump Skin Gu. It was a mediocre movement type gu with a market value of one hundred and fifty primeval essence stones.

I handed over the rock to the Gu Master saying, "Please don't open this rock for now."

Saying so, I went towards another location. I tried another 3-4 rocks in between before reaching my location.

I found the greyish-blue rock I was looking for. It contained the rank one Tiny Hands Gu. It's usage was to shrink the hands which would recover back to normal within an hour. It's market price was a hundred primeval essence stones.

Neither of these two gu were of use to me.

I picked the rock, acted like I was examining it carefully and after some time, finally chose the same.

"Please open these both rocks simultaneously. I have used my ability to the fullest and can say with certainty that there exist atleast one Gu worm within them."

The Gu masters furrowed their brows. This was quite a big claim.

Jia Jin Sheng was not impressed. "The results will be clear when they are opened. Open these rocks."

Two Gu masters simultaneously started opening the rocks in front of everyone.

Minutes passed by one of the rocks was slightly opened.

"Gasp"

"There really is a gu worm within it."

It was opened and it revealed the Tiny Hands Gu.

"I recognize it. This is the Tiny Hands Gu. I am seeing it for the first time."

Suddenly, the layer of another rock also fell apart and within it, another live gu worm was revealed.

Jia Jin Sheng was shocked. He inspected it and found that it was the Jump Skin Gu. He was quite knowledgeable and easily figured out the gu.

...!

Everyone in the room was speechless. Jia Jin Sheng was not able to say a word. He knew that there was no way the kid in front of him could have cheated but he hated to make a big loss.

"You cheated...!"

Jia Jin Sheng looked at me with hostility and with the intention of taking away the gu worms without paying any price. The matter concerned more than thousand primeval essence stones. Even Rank 2 gu masters would be moved by such an amount.

"Are you trying to bully Gu Yue Clan members on Qing Mao Mountain. It seems that this is all the Jia Family amounts to. Trying to renege on the deal in front of everyone."

The Gu Yue clan members all gave look of hostility towards Jia Jing Sheng. Afterall, everything happened in public and the deal was made in front of them. If he does not go through with the deal, that would affect the reputation of Jia Family.

Suddenly, Rank 4 aura came from behind the tent.

"Brother, what happened?"

Seeing him, Jia Jing Sheng's face paled. It was his elder brother, Rank 4 Gu master Jia Fu. Earlier, one of the staff of the Gambling den secretly went out and called Jia Fu.

The whole situation was explained to Jia Fu. He scold Jia Jin Sheng but agreed to go ahead with the deal.

"Young Lad, you are quite skillful. Finding three gu worms out of five rocks is not a matter of luck. Here's your 1,700 primeval essence stones as agreed upon."

Saying so, he tossed out a Gu.

This Gu was like a ball, as exquisite as a crystal, half transparent and palm-sized. There was a cloudy figure in the ball, as if it has sealed numerous clouds.

This white cloud figure looked like a hunchback old man carrying a walking stick.

The old man had long white hair, having an immortal feeling as the wrinkles on his face looked extremely realistic, and he was smiling.

This is the rank one primeval elder Gu.

A Gu specifically used to store primeval stones.

As the saying goes, professionals have their domain of expertise, this primeval elder Gu is only a rank one, but it can seal up to a ten thousand primeval stones.

"Also, as a token of my goodwill, you can keep your original hundred and fifty primeval essence stones. Here's also a card of mine. We are here for another three days. You can come to meet me once using this card within these three days. I shall take my leave then."

Wow, this is much better than I expected! I was expecting this offer from Jia Jin Sheng but who knew I would directly meet with Jia Fu and get this opportunity.

My primeval essence stones collection directly skyrocketed to eighteen hundred and fifty stones!

This was much higher than what original Fang Yuan was able to gather. While my deal with Jia Jin Sheng seemed ridiculous on the surface, one should know that even the original Fang Yuan wouldn't have confidence of getting three gu worms out of five stones. While showing off here can put me in danger, I already had a thorough plan on my future direction.

After Jia Fu left, I went towards Jia Jin Sheng who was looking pale.

"Senior Brother, I would like to choose another two rocks."

"No, I am not making any other deal with you."

"That's fine. I want to thank you."

Saying so, I whispered in his ears. His complexion got much better after that and he looked incredulously at me.

Others were curious as to what I said but I didn't give anyone the opportunity to have a chat with me. I left from the backdoor after picking up the two rocks which contained Rank 3 Self Reliance gu and Rank 1 Detective Gu and then came back to the academy preparing myself for my next course of action.

...

Southern Border

Iron Tooth Mountain,

"Disciple greets master", an old man was kneeling with his forehead on the ground. If someone saw this scene, they would be shocked because the person who was kneeling was radiating Rank 8 aura. However, he didn't even have a least bit of reservation while kneeling. He felt truly respect towards the person in front of him.

"Stand up, child"

"Master, this disciple is not worthy. I haven't even comprehend one percent of your path. Please forgive this useless disciple."

"Child, I already knew it would take you long time to understand the profundities of this path. That's why I suggested you to cultivate Wisdom path on the side to speed up your progress. However, as long as fate exist, you won't be able to cross the 1% barrier. Don't underestimate yourself. I have a task for you."

"Disciple will follow the master's task with the best of my ability. Please say."

"Child, my 2nd disciple has come to this world. I need you to take care of him. He is a crucial person who will help me merge the ancient paths. Take care of him if he encounters any trouble."

The image of Fang Yuan was transmitted to the old man.

"Disciple understands."

There was a gust of wind and the master had already disappeared. There were few words left behind.

"Between light of the sun and the moon,

The moon is soothing while sun is seething.

The master's way is of the moon, cool and benign,

Wisdom and guidance genuine, most intimate and purest.

The disciple's way is of the sun, radiating the light,

Followers of master's will, creating a path to Remembrance.

The full moon slowly dispels, taking away the darkness,

and the light of sun (eternity) illuminates the whole world."