Chapter 35 - Gu Territory

It has been 2 months since Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao left the Great Zhou for Saint Remains Domain.

In these 2 months, Zhou Yuan often fought with wild Grade 3 Beasts.

What Zhou Yuan was trying to improve was his attack power and increasing his lethality as his Defensive ability was more than enough due to the gold stage of magical python Scales and his natural resilience and durability.

To increase his actual combat experience and fight under pressure, Zhou Yuan also fought with Tuntun, by bribing the little beast with cooked Genesis Beast Meat.

His Fights with Tuntun often led to some Serious injuries which would cause Yaoyao to be rather distressed.

Normally Yaoyao should not have such Emotions for anyone in this world, but Zhou Yuan was an exception it seemed.

She grew closer to him day after day, and she did not dislike it.

Zhou Yuan also grew rather fond of Yaoyao and her presence, but he loved to tease and make her fluster even more.

He would sometimes ask her to apply the medicinal paste on his wounds.

In four years Zhou Yuan's body underwent huge changes.

No longer was his body that of a frail boy, now he had such defined abs and muscles that would make men jealous and women Lustful.

His gentle yet sharp draconic golden eyes which contain some hint of red in them were especially magnetic and could make people fall in reverie just by looking at them.

Let's not talk about other women, even a woman with a tough mental fortitude and indifference such as Yaoyao will get lost looking into his magnetic eyes.

He had a flawlessly handsome and delicate face that was currently in the making. If given some time, women would get lovestruck just by looking at his countenance.

Zhou Yuan was now standing at a height of around 177 cm or 5ft 10 inches.

Including all of this, Yaoyao was bound to get flustered.

Currently, they have stopped for a while to decide their next destination.

Deep in the mountains.

Beside the bonfire of a certain campsite.

Nearly an entire roasted Rushing Thunder Beast had already entered Tuntun's stomach.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao were immersed in their conversation about Some Genesis Runes.

On the topic of Genesis Rune, Zhou Yuan was confident that on the same level, no one had more in-depth knowledge about Genesis Runes than him other than Yaoyao.

As if remembering something, Yaoyao took out a map, verifying their route as she declared, "We should be out of these mountains in another three days."

"After leaving these mountains, we will be in an area known as the Gu Territory. It does not fall under the rule of any empire but is instead governed by an influential family called the Gu clan. In the Gu Territory, the Gu clan is akin to the local tyrant." Yaoyao elaborated. She had brought along a lot of material on the various regions and territories in the Cangmang Continent and was hence able to find out all kinds of information after some checking.

"The Gu Territory is already part of the central region and is relatively close to the Saint Remains Domain." Yaoyao smiled a little, a smile that appeared exceedingly dazzling under the illumination from the bonfire.

"As for the Gu clan, they seem to be a little interesting from what I've read." Yaoyao reached out a slender fair finger and lightly tapped on a certain area of the map.

"Please go on"

Yaoyao explained with some interest, "The members of the Gu clan have pretty strong Spirits. The Gu clan is, therefore, a clan proficient in Genesis Runes."

"This Gu clan also owns a Spirit Refining Tower where one's Spirit can be tempered."

Three days later.

Zhou Yuan was silently seated on a certain mountain. The surrounding Genesis Qi transformed into strands of white that ultimately entered his nose as he breathed.

As Genesis Qi flooded in, dark gold Genesis Qi rose in Zhou Yuan's Qi Dwelling, the silhouette of a dark gold python hissing faintly discernible within.

As the python silhouette breathed, the Genesis Qi that had flowed into the body was completely sucked away.

This training lasted for two hours before Zhou Yuan's eyes slowly opened.

His purification of Genesis Qi was reaching its limit even with Ancestral Dragon Scripture.

He had stayed in the advanced Qi Nourishing Stage for about 6 months. He predicted that he would break the limit by the time they reached the Saint Remains Domain.

After his practice was over he leaped to the ground where Yaoyao was with Tuntun in her hands.

"Let's go, it's time to leave these mountains."

Yaoyao leisurely turned around, her footsteps light as she slowly began to head out of the mountains.

Zhou Yuan lifted his head and peered into the distance. He had been cooped up in these mountains for two whole months, the outside world was likely already bustling with excitement by now, right?

...

It took Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao half a day to walk out of the mountains. Along the way, traces of humans grew more and more abundant. As they had anticipated, the majority were youngsters filled with youthful energy who were aiming for the Saint Remains Domain.

Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao also drew quite a bit of attention. Their appearance and aura set them apart from other people.

Men and women watched Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao in amazement. The two looked so good standing next to each other as if they were made for each other. Both had otherworldy facial features.

As they walked along the main road, it did not take long for them to see a huge city appear some distance to their front. The city looked simple and rustic, while two huge words were engraved above the city gates.

Gu City.

The city of the Gu clan.

Gu City was considerably grand. People came and went, making it a hub of activity, evidence that it was an extremely popular place.

Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao entered the city, only to find it filled with numerous tall towers, a rather different style in contrast to Great Zhou City.

The two walked into the city, eventually coming to a stop before a large store. When they lifted their heads, the three words 'Precious Treasures Pavillion' came into view. A steady stream of people passed in and out of the entrance, a sign that it was pretty popular.

Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao exchanged a look and entered.

Zhou Yuan's daily Genesis Rune practice required jade tablets, various types of beast blood, and other supplementary materials. They also needed to restock the daily necessities that they had used up during their two months in the mountains.

Precious Treasures Pavilion was able to meet Zhou Yuan's needs.

When they entered the building, the first thing to greet them was the gorgeous decor. Everything was practically glittering under the illumination of the crystal lamps.

Both Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao's attention was instead on some worn out and damaged texts that had been placed in one of the displays. Badly damaged ancient Genesis Runes could be seen in the texts that were very worth researching.

"Yaoyao how about you choose which one of these is worth researching while I take Tuntun with me and buy us some Food?"

"Hmm alright but do be quick."

With that said Zhou Yuan took Tuntun from Yaoyao's hands once again reassuring her with a nod of his head before turning around and heading to another area to resupply.

In the resupply district, Zhou Yuan found an attendant girl and gave her a list of everything he required. The latter invited him to have a seat first, before proceeding to prepare the goods.

Thus, Zhou Yuan sat there, Tuntun on his lap as he waited.

While they waited, however, Zhou Yuan suddenly felt a strange gaze directed at him. He turned his head and gave the one glancing at him a glare.

The one subjected to Zhou Yuan's glare was a pretty girl with long green hair standing some distance behind him, her eyeballs practically popping out of their sockets as she stared at him while a string of sparkling saliva dripped down from one corner of her tiny mouth.

Sensing Zhou Yuan's glare she shivered for a moment before she wiped away the sparkling strand of saliva at the corner of her mouth. Her face also turned red as she realized how good-looking the boy in front of her looked.

"How Disgusting", Zhou Yuan muttered his face full of Disdain.

Tuntun on his also nodded as if agreeing with him.

Hearing them mutter the girl started walking towards them. Black and white distinctly separate in her large eyes that seemed to be bursting with scorching desire as she stared at Zhou Yuan, and said in a voice so sickeningly sweet that it would make one involuntarily shiver.

"Little bro, sell this small creature to me!"

"I'm willing to pay any price!"

"Buy Tuntun?"

"Daga Kotawaru"

"Huh", the girl seemed confused by his response.

"It means I refuse, you small-headed moron", Zhou Yuan said with some amusement. Tuntun was his friend and a close one at that, he won't sell Tuntun at any rate or condition.

Tuntun likewise understood the green-haired girl's intentions and stared at her as if it was looking at a fool before it got even closer to Zhou Yuan as if expressing his disagreements.

The green-haired girl became a little anxious due to Zhou Yuan's answer and hastily said, "Sell it to me, little bro! I, I offer five million Genesis crystals!"

"Do you not understand what the meaning of a refusal is beast heart communicator?", Zhou Yuan said with his words layered with a hint of coldness, he knew that she could be his ally in the future did not mean he would allow his words to be disregarded.

He had his pride and refused to allow anyone to cross it.

Hearing his words the girl's face finally changed slightly, now somewhat on guard as she stared at him. It was the first time someone had seen right through her in a single glance.

"This is the last time I am repeating myself, Tuntun is not a commodity, it is an independent creature and it is my friend so I will in no way sell him. You better take your eyes off him."

The repeated rejections caused the green-haired girl to stamp her feet in agitation as sweat appeared on her fair forehead. She lowered her head and looked at the back of her unblemished little hand where a glowing pattern could be seen. The pattern was currently giving off extremely intense heat.

This glowing pattern could detect the bloodline of a Genesis Beast. The stronger the bloodline, the hotter it would become.

As for the intense heat it was currently giving off, she had never felt it reach such a degree even when she had obtained Little Frost.

In other words, the bloodline of the little creature before her eyes was even stronger than Little Frost which possesses a tiny portion of the ice phoenix bloodline.

For her, this possesses an almost fatal attraction.

The green-haired girl ground her teeth, the slight impulse to do things by force rising in her head. Why not snatch the little creature, leave behind Genesis crystals, and run?

As if sensing the green-haired girl's intentions, her clothes shuffled for a moment and a little ice-blue bird emerged from her collar, its eyes suffused with extreme cold Qi as it looked towards Zhou Yuan.

Frost began to emerge in the surrounding air.

At the appearance of the ice-blue bird, Zhou Yuan just glared at it while spirit undulations started oozing off his body.

How dare this bird with just a little phoenix bloodline direct hostility at him?

In Zhou Yuan's arms, Tuntun almost fully closed eyes opened a little as its gaze swept towards the little bird. Its mouth opened slightly, faint black light dancing within as a growl emerged from its throat.

Tuntun had sensed the faint hostility the little bird had directed at Zhou Yuan.

In response to this, the little bird trembled a little as it gazed at Zhou Yuan's eyes which were a mix of Golden and Red.

It seemed to sense endless Maliciousness and hostility and an aura that screamed of bloodlust and destruction, and Tuntun's Growl seemed to make it even more fearful.

It shivered before it quickly retreated into the girl's clothes.

The girl's face also stiffened as she felt hostility from Zhou Yuan, and her last hope also crumbled upon seeing her strongest Little Frost intimidated. Looks like the forceful route was not going to work.

"Think again before even trying to be forceful with me do you understand", Zhou Yuan said coldly.

As he finished speaking, the attendant from earlier finally returned and notified him that everything was ready. He paid for the Genesis crystals, kept the items in his Universe bag, and turned around to leave.

The green-haired girl gazed at Zhou Yuan's back in a crestfallen manner. It had not been easy for her to encounter a Genesis Beast that possessed such a powerful bloodline, but it already had a master who was unwilling to sell it.

"No, no. I can't give up!"

But the green-haired girl soon began to stamp her feet. Obtaining that mysterious little beast would be far too helpful to her cultivation. Therefore, she could not give up so easily.

"If you don't want to sell it to me, I'll keep following you!"

The green-haired girl's eyes rotated in thought before quickly catching up to Zhou Yuan.

But this time she did not pester him by speaking but just followed him silently.

It seemed that she had learned her lesson and was intimidated by Zhou Yuan.

Sensing this Zhou Yuan nodded sastisfiedly. 

Hence, he paid no further attention to the girl and quickened his footsteps, walking towards the place Yaoyao was.

Upon seeing this, the green-haired girl doggedly followed.

The duo passed by one last hall as Zhou Yuan turned to look toward the place Yaoyao had originally been. His eyes instantly widened.

At the display nearby, Yaoyao was still focused on the damaged ancient texts within. However, there was now a young man in white at her side.

The youth was rather handsome and gave off a cultured and refined aura. He smiled warmly as he stood beside Yaoyao as if continuously trying to say something.

Several servant girls followed behind him. Wherever Yaoyao's footsteps stopped, he would wave his hand and buy all of the damaged texts her gaze had paused on.

Thus, in a brief few minutes, the servant girls' arms were already bursting to the brim, drawing many gazes from the surroundings.

Zhou Yuan's eyes turned cold as he watched this dog licker.

He knew that this Dog licker did not have any good intentions.

...

Gu Lang's mood was pretty good today. Especially when he saw an incomparably breathtaking girl in Precious Treasures Pavillion who was now in front of him. This made his already good mood grow even more perfect.

As the young master of the Gu clan, Gu Lang's status in the Gu Territory was very high.

Moreover, his looks, identity, background, and cultivation talent naturally made him one of the most outstanding individuals amongst his generation in the area. Over the years, Gu Lang had encountered countless beauties and was confident of maintaining his cool in front of any of them.

Till today, when he saw this girl in green.

A single look had instantly shattered his cool. Gu Lang swore that he had never seen a girl like this who could captivate him so deeply after a single glance. Her aloofness, as if no one else existed in the same world as herself, her mysteriousness, her ungraspable air aura. All of these traits made intense desire rise within the heart of Gu Lang, who had not had much interest in girls for a long time.

Thus, he very naturally approached to hit on her.

Unfortunately for him, the girl in green was completely unresponsive towards the young master of the Gu clan. So much so that she did not even lift her gaze and instead continued to be glued to the damaged Genesis Runes in the display.

This rare failure only managed to flame the interest in Gu Lang's heart.

Gu Lang was after all a veteran player, and very quickly found an entry point. "Miss, are you interested in these damaged Genesis Runes? Heh heh, I just so happen to be a manager of the Precious Treasures Pavillion. If you'd like, I can gift you everything you've taken a fancy to."

Gu Lang gently waved the silver fan in his hand, a slight smile on his face. His confident and gentle expression, plus his generous attitude was indeed enough to stir the hearts of many girls.

The eyes of the girl in green seemed to ripple a little. She finally raised her head and looked at him. "Gift everything to me?"

The silver fan in Gu Lang's land gently tapped his palm as a pleased feeling rose in his heart. On the surface however, he continued to smile as he gave a light nod and said in a gentle voice, "They are merely collecting dust here, if miss has taken a fancy to them, it could be said to have given them value."

The girl in green seemed to smile. Without further ado, she began to walk forward.

Gu Lang did not hesitate to display his magnanimity. With a wave of his hand, servant girls came forward to retrieve all of the damaged texts the girl in green had been looking at previously.

As they continued to walk, the load in the servant girls' arms grew larger and larger.

This scene drew the attention of quite several people. However, practically everyone here knew Gu Lang's identity and inwardly shook their heads as they cast pitying gazes at the girl in green.

Every girl that the young master of the Gu clan had set his sights on had ultimately been unable to escape his hands.

It was at this time that Zhou Yuan arrived and coincidentally caught sight of this scene.

Zhou Yuan pinched Tuntun's ear as he helplessly remarked, "*Sigh*. "Both of you are troublemakers."

But even though he said this he still moved towards Yaoyao.

Yaoyao seemed to sense Zhou Yuan's arrival, immediately lifting her gorgeous face to look at Zhou Yuan, she smiled slightly as she asked, "Have you bought everything?"

Zhou Yuan nodded as he took her hand into his.

Gu Lang's eyes narrowed when he saw this. These intimate actions between them indicated that the relationship between them was not ordinary.

However, Gu Lang maintained a kind smile on his face as he cupped his hands together towards Zhou Yuan and greeted, "I am Gu Lang, a member of the Gu clan."

"The Gu clan huh…"

Zhou Yuan's expression was unchanged. "Zhou Yuan."

Gu Lang sized up Zhou Yuan, a kind smile on the surface while an almost undetectable trace of contempt flitted across the depths of his eyes. He had already discovered that Zhou Yuan was only at the Qi Nourishing stage.

Such strength could only be considered trivially ordinary in the central region where geniuses were now plenty.

At the same time, it also showed that Zhou Yuan did not have any overly powerful backers or he would not be limited to such progress.

Gu Lang no longer looked at Zhou Yuan, his gaze turning towards Yaoyao as he smiled. "I still haven't asked for your name miss."

Yaoyao pointed at the damaged texts in the arms of the servant girls behind him and inquired, "Are they all for me?"

Gu Lang grinned. "Of course."

"Keep them." Yaoyao looked toward Zhou Yuan.

The corners of Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched for a moment, before he walked forward, received the damaged texts from the servant girls, and kept them all in his Universe bag.

The smile on Gu Lang's face grew even wider when he saw Yaoyao accept his gifts. It seemed that he had already accomplished the first step. The girl in green would soon become his plaything.

"Hehe, miss, you're quite an unfamiliar face and I'm guessing that you just arrived here. How about I be your host and show you around." Gu Lang beamed.

"Let's go."

However, almost immediately after he finished speaking, Yaoyao nonchalantly said to Zhou Yuan, before turning around to leave.

The expression on Gu Lang's face could not help but turn rigid, a little dazed by this turn of events. That's not how the script should be… shouldn't the other party proceed to the next step after accepting his gift?

What was this? Leaving right away after eating?

Zhou Yuan cast a sideways glance at Gu Lang. Did this fellow believe that Yaoyao was someone who would succumb so easily to sweet words and gifts? In her eyes, it was your honor for her to take your things…

Zhou Yuan gave Gu Ling a last stare before he turned his head and caught up to Yaoyao.

Gu Lang quickly came back to his senses. How could he allow the meat that was almost at his lips to escape? He swiftly walked forward and cut in front of Yaoyao.

"Is there anything else?" Yaoyao frowned, indifference in her eyes as she looked towards him.

Gu Lang froze momentarily. Soon after, his eyes seemed to flicker in thought as he revealed a warm smile and said, "The fact that the two of you have arrived here can be said to be fate of sorts. How about this, my clan's Spirit Refining Tower will be opening tomorrow, and numerous geniuses hope to enter to train their Spirits. There is, however, a limited amount of places. If the two of you are interested, I can gift two spots to you as a token to the start of our friendship."

Gu Lang fished out two bronze tokens from his sleeves. The Gu clan insignia and a black tower had been engraved on the tokens.

Zhou Yuan stared at Gu Lang and said, "Then I'll have to thank you."

He reached out and received the bronze tokens.

Yaoyao still did not say a single word to Gu Lang, merely sweeping an indifferent gaze at him, before her long legs began to walk towards Precious Treasures Pavillion's exit.

Gu Lang watched Yaoyao's and Zhou Yuan's leaving figures as the kind smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a chilling coldness.

"Go find out where they are staying, and make sure they don't sneak away. My gifts aren't so easily accepted."

The silver fan in Gu Lang's hand gently smacked his palm as a strange smile grew from the corners of his lips.

"No one can reject a spot to enter the Spirit Refining Tower."

"However… there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world…"

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END

3856 Words