15 Jia Fu
------------------------------------------
I apologize for the delay in posting the new chapter.
The reason is that I was playing Bioshock 1. And I will play until I can platinum all three games in the franchise, so I may be late to post from here on out.
And that, Good Reading, Everyone!
------------------------------------------
The supposed 'inheritance' that Xiang Yao would sell to Jia Fu was nothing more than the Liquor Worm Rank 2 and 3 recipes, which he knew from the book. These recipes might be important to others, but for Xiang Yao, it was a means to his goal.
"The inheritance is special even among Rank 3 ones." Xiang Yao said as he passed a paper with part of the Grade 2 Liquor Gu refining recipe to Jia Fu.
"That's it!" Jia Fu took the paper and started to read the recipe, and was shocked; this recipe could revolutionize part of a Gu Master's cultivation. If this became public, it would become a sensation across the Southern Frontier.
"Have you checked this yet?" Jia Fu wanted to know if Xiang Yao had tried to confirm these recipes.
"Not yet. I didn't have the time or resources for that, so I came to sell her to you." Xiang Yao spoke with a serious and dignified face.
Immediately afterward, Xiang Yao bought eight Liquor Gu Worms from the system and showed them to Jia Fu; "Along with the inheritance, I found these eight Liquor Worms, it is enough for two attempts to refine Rank 3 Liquor Worm."
"I plan to sell all of them, but the Liquor Worm price will increase exponentially. Since we are now talking about the possibility of nurturing a Tier 3 Gu master." The price of the Liquor Worm would increase if before it was already rare and in high demand; now, it would be impossible to find with so many Gu Masters trying to get them. That is, of course, whether Jia Fu decides to sell the heirloom or whether the person he sold it to shares the proceeds.
"Very well, I am willing to buy your inheritance, but before that, I wanted to test the recipe to confirm its veracity." Jia Fu wanted to buy the inheritance immediately, but he first wanted to confirm that the recipe was real. For that, Xiang Yao would have to show a Rank 2 Liquor Worm or hand over the Rank 2 Liquor Worm recipe so that Jia Fu could try to refine it.
"I can refine it right here, Mister Jia Fu. I need four flavors of Wine, and I will show you the Rank 2 Liquor Worm." Xiang Yao confidently said to Jia Fu.
"Hong Wei, Va, pick up four different wine flavors on the goods." Jia Fu immediately called a servant and ordered him to get the four flavors of Wine; "I will immediately go, Master Jia Fu."
A few minutes later, Hong Wei arrived with four large pots of Wine; he placed them in front of Jia Fu, then bowed and left the room.
"You can start Young Xiang Yao." Jia Fu said as he pointed to the wines. Then Xiang Yao got up and started with the refinement.
They were in front of Xiang Yao with the four pots of Wine. Sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy are four flavors of Wine. Xiang Yao then sat cross-legged on the ground. He then wished for two Liquor worms to fly near the wines.
The two Liquor Worms followed Xiang Yao's will and entered the Sour Wine Jar.
They started melting inside the red Wine. A white ball of light formed in the wine jar; its glorious light came out of it and shone on the wall.
Xiang Yao threw primitive stones into the wine jar; one piece, ten pieces, fifty pieces...
When he reached the hundredth piece, the ball of light shrunk to the size of a fist and floated into the wine jar.
The sour Wine was completely sold out. Fang Yuan poured the second jar of Wine – the sweet Wine – into the jar.
The white ball of light was immersed in the sweet Wine, suddenly swelling to its original size.
Xiang Yao's head was drenched in sweat; he was constantly maintaining the fusion of the consciousness of the two Liquor worms, and this multitasking was extremely taxing on the mind. Especially when it was the first time he tried to refine this Gu.
Meanwhile, Jia Fu was looking closely at Xiang Yao's refining; seeing that he needed more Primitive stones, he started delivering Primitive stones whenever Xiang Yao needed more.
Xiang Yao continued to throw primitive stones into the wine jar.
Each piece of primitive stone caused the ball of light to shrink until it condensed again to the size of a fist, reaching its limit.
Xiang Yao followed the pattern and successively poured the bitter and spicy wines.
When the four types of Wine were completely consumed, the light in the jar suddenly bloomed before completely disappearing.
"Success." Xiang Yao had managed to refine it on the first try with no problem; that was quite an achievement for a newcomer to the Refinement path like him.
He wished, and a Gu flew trembling out of the wine jar.
It was the 'Four Flavors Liquor Gu Worm.'
He also looked like a silkworm with a small pair of shiny black eyes.
The difference was that the Liquor Worm's body was completely white, but this Four Flavors Liquor Worm's body continuously flashed with four colors; red representing spicy, blue representing bitter, green representing sour, and yellow representing sweet.
"Luckily, I got it the first time; what do you think, Senior Jia Fu?" Xiang Yao turned around and showed the Gu to Jia Fu with satisfaction.
"This is amazing; who knew there would be a recipe for a Rank 2 and even Rank 3 Liquor Worm. of Rank 4 Liquor." Jia Fu spoke with a sigh as he thought how good it was to have a Rank 4 Liquor Worm to aid him in cultivation.
"Very well, Young Xiang Yao, I will buy your heirloom for 60,000 Primitive Stones, the 6 Liquor Worms for 900 Primitive Stones each, and the Four Flavors Liquor Worm for 2,600 Primitive Stones; what do you think?" Jia Fu asked
'Hum... 68k is already a lot, but if he wanted, he could sell it for 80k or even 100k; in a large clan, these revenues would be extremely valuable. Even more so if it's a small clan, as almost everyone in power is Level 3.' Xiang Yao pondered for a while, he could try to haggle with Jia Fu and get more primitive stones, but if he accepted the offer now, he might gain Jia Fu's favor.
"I accept, but on the condition that you get me a Copper Green and a Red Steel Relic." Xiang Yao spoke his conditions to Jia Fu; with the relics, he could immensely accelerate his cultivation.
"Okay, I agree. But I can only deliver the Green Copper Relic now; as for the Red Steel Relic, you must wait until the next time the caravan comes to Qing Mao Mountain." Jia Fu easily agreed and closed the deal with Xiang Yao.
Before handing over the Four Flavors Liquor Worm, he placed it inside his aperture, sold it inside, bought a new one, and gave it to Jia Fu. Soon after, he took the Green Copper Relic and sold it to the system; then, he left the room with a Jia Fu full of smiles.
"If you need anything else, just let me know, young Xiang Yao, and don't worry about your primordial stones; they will be delivered to your home discreetly." Jia Fu said as he bid farewell to Xiang Yao.
Xiang Yao left and went to the Gambling Rocks to test his theory; he wanted to know if the price of Gambling Rocks would change if there were a Gu inside or not. If not, he could figure out which ones have a live Gu Worm inside and sell and buy from the system; it would be much cheaper than buying the Gu directly.
Xiang Yao walked a little and soon found a gray tent; it was the gambling den.
Inside the tent, there were three rows of balconies on each side. On the counter were pieces of amber or fossils. Some were the size of a palm; others were the size of a face. There were also still larger ones, as tall as a person. It didn't fit on the counter, so it was placed directly on the floor.
Several Gu Masters stood in front of the counters, some meticulously observing the rocks on the display counter, while others picked up the fossils and rubbed them in their hands to get an idea. Some were quietly discussing the price with their companions, and some were with their clerks.
Xiang Yao ignored many people inside and went to the counter on the right, and started to touch the rocks and see their prices on the system.
[Sell - Gambling Rocks – for 2 Points?]
[Sell - Gambling Rocks – for 2 Points?]
[Sell - Gambling Rocks – for 2 Points?]
[Sell - Gambling Rocks – for 2 Points?]
[Sell - Gambling Rocks – for 100 Points?]
"Finally, a change has come." Xiang Yao was all smiles, so he discreetly took the rock, sold it, and bought another one in the system; the movement was so fast that no one could notice. System movements are instantaneous, so it looked like the rock didn't move. Even if Xiang Yao did that before a Gu Master, he wouldn't notice any movement.
Xiang Yao discovered this when he sold the Four Flavors Liquor Worm to the system in front of Jia Fu, he placed it in the aperture and sold it there, but he noticed that the movement was instantaneous. He hadn't noticed this before because he always sold, and after a while, he bought back.
Xiang Yao kept doing this for a while throughout the game room, and when he finally finished checking all the rocks, he had already sold twelve Gambling Rocks with Gu inside the system, and every rock cost 50 points to buy.
Just as Xiang Yao was about to leave the playroom, he saw Fang Yuan entering. With some more thought, Xiang Yao decided to wait and see if Fang Yuan would get the Gu MudSkin Toad like in the original.
"I want to buy some rocks." Fang Yuan told the female Gu Master that she was close.
Smiling like a flower, Master Gu softly said to Fang Yuan, "So which piece are you choosing?"
Fang Yuan pointed and said, "This piece."
She immediately recovered.
Fang Yuan pointed again and said, "This piece."
then Fang Yuan pointed again: "And this piece, that piece, I am buying them all. Oh yeah, and those two pieces too."
Six rocks were placed in front of Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan took out sixty primeval stones and passed them to the female Gu Master.
His payment act attracted the attention of all the other Gu Masters in the tent.
"Oh? Someone is going to bet on the Gambling Rocks."
"We've been watching for over an hour but still haven't acted. Now that someone is trying, we can watch."
"It's a student; he took out sixty primeval stones at once; his family must be rich. He looks like a rookie; hmph, Gambling Rocks is more challenging. He's going to get hurt."
The Gu Masters stood in place, arguing softly, directing their gaze towards Fang Yuan. Xiang Yao also started to pay more attention.
"Young master, do you want to open the rocks on time? Our gambling den offers free service to open the rocks. The female Gu Master gently advised, sending seductive glances with her eyes.
"Ugh! I had forgotten how sad the people of this world are, to the point of seducing a stranger to have a minimally dignified life. Well, it's not that different from my old world." Xiang Yao sighed and watched from afar.
The next moment, the crescent mark on Fang Yuan's right palm emitted a faint water-like blue light.
Fang Yuan used his right hand to grab a purple gold rock, holding it in his palm. Then he closed his fingers and slowly rubbed the surface of the fossil.
The blue light continued to shine, the waves of light rippling like water as the purple-gold rock shrank in size, large amounts of rock chip dust falling from Fang Yuan's finger openings, landing on the tent's mat.
Fang Yuan used blue light to rub against the surface of the rock; this was a form of meticulous use of Moonlight Gu. It would take two to three years to use Moonlight Gu to reach this level.
"See, he uses our Gu Yue clan's specialty, the Moonlight Gu." Some Gu Masters discovered this and instantly felt proud, gaining affection for Fang Yuan.
The purple-gold rock grew smaller and smaller, from a little larger than a palm to the size of a fist, being gripped tightly by Fang Yuan's fingers.
The blue light intensified as the fossil became the size of a pearl. Until finally, what was left was a pile of rock dust falling on the carpet, forming a small hill.
This was a solid rock; there was no Gu worm inside.
Fang Yuan's expression was calm, completely indifferent. He grabbed the second piece of purple-gold rock and continued to grind. But the result of that piece was still rock solid; there was no Gu worm inside.
The third piece was still the same.
Fang Yuan grabbed the fourth piece, and when it reached the size of his palm, he suddenly stopped all action.
"Oh? There's something!"
"The composition of the rock has changed; it is not purple gold sediments, but a kind of black ink."
"Don't tell me he got lucky for blindly guessing?"
The surrounding Gu Masters lightly exclaimed.
"Young master, you have to be careful from here on out. Do not make sudden movements; hibernating Gu worms are very fragile. If you use too much force, you will kill the Gu worm from the inside." The female Gu Master did not expect such a situation to occur. After being stunned for a moment, she immediately advised carefully.
Fang Yuan's movements slowed, his fingers rubbing slowly as a small powder slowly fell. Continuously repeating the action with many intervals, he was no longer as fluid as before.
The black-colored rock dust slowly fell, and Fang Yuan's movements became slower and smoother as the rock subsided.
On the carpet, dust accumulated as Fang Yuan's black rock was finally undone, showing a 'Black Boar Gu.'
"That is impossible; this young man managed to take a Gu alive."
"My God, there is a Gu worm!"
"He opened a Gu!"
"This young man's luck is off the charts; he managed to push his luck in getting a Gu."
Immediately, the Gu Masters' exasperation filled the tent.
Even Xiang Yao was surprised by this; he didn't expect the will of heaven to help Fang Yuan like this.
"That's…" Xiang Yao chuckled as he thought, "Hahaha! This will of heaven knows how to impress others.
Fang Yuan smiled but did not respond and continued to pull out the fifth rock.
He ground it carefully, and in ten breaths, the surface of the golden purple rock was rubbed away, revealing a rough-surfaced ball of yellow mud.
Right after that, everything went on as in the original; Jia Jin Sheng arrived and wanted to buy Fang Yuan's Mudskin Toad Gu and Black Boar Gu, of which he only sold one, which was Mudskin Toad.
After that, Xiang Yao left the tent and returned home; he intended to break through to the Intermediate Stage today.
The moon was already overhead like a giant firefly illuminating the darkness of the night, radiating its pale light to all living things below.
In a simple and humble three-room house, a handsome young man with long white hair and neat features with a body that looked as if it had been sculpted by hand sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
But if you looked closer, you would see that he had some milky White Stones the size of a duck's egg in his hands. And it was noticeable that the stone was constantly decreasing in size.
That young man was Xiang Yao, who was now trying to make a breakthrough in his cultivation. In its primeval Sea, wave after wave crashed against the walls of the aperture. The commotion grew louder and louder until the waves formed.
Splash, Splash, Splash.
The tides raced against each other, rushing toward the walls of the surrounding aperture. Most primeval essence would break into emerald ripples and merge back into the Sea. A small amount of primal essence was spent, turning into a tiny hint of invisible energy, seeping through the aperture wall of white-colored light.
Splash, Splash, Splash.
The waves crashed relentlessly, finally resulting in a shift. The white-colored wall suddenly trembled, the originally soft white color radiating a piercing glow. He quickly activated all of his primal essences to rush into the walls.
The white light grew brighter, and the rays distorted and tangled, giving people a feeling of thickness. After a few more seconds, white streaks of light streaks appeared on the wall of light, and the streaks collided with each other like endlessly flowing water. They continued to combine and merge in the collision, forming flowing white light.
Finally, the flowing light gathered into one piece and completely covered the wall of light.
The white light faded, and the aperture's original white light wall disappeared, replaced by a layer of spherical-shaped white water wall. The surface of the wall of light was smooth, without impurities. The wall of water, however, was thicker than the wall of light, the ripples of light flowing and flickering in it.
"I have advanced to the intermediate stage!" Xiang Yao laughed heartily, opening his eyes.
Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the half-open window; the birds began to wake up and sing their little morning melody.
Without even realizing it, Xiang Yao had spent all night cultivating to break through to the Intermediate stage, and now it was dawn; it was almost morning.
Xiang Yao got up, took a shower, changed his clothes, and got ready to go to the gym with a smile on his face of pure happiness.
