Inside the house.
Zhou Sui's expression began to darken. Though unaware of the conversation taking place outdoors between Liu Dong and a middle-aged cultivator, he could certainly feel their malicious intentions, due perhaps to his transmigrated past which left his soul power unusually strong.
Even the slightest bit of malice couldn't escape his detection.
Therefore, he never trusted Liu Dong, not even in the slightest.
However, the malice from a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator was too terrifying, akin to a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
Although Misty Cloud City forbade cultivators from battling within its borders, reckless cultivators were no uncommon sight.
The saying goes, 'To harbor a weapon is to harbor murderous intent.'
If they couldn't contain their malice any longer, his life might be in danger.
Even in his past life, in countries with good public security, murders still happened frequently, right?!
Hence, he couldn't simply rely on the whims of others for his own safety.
"The materials are almost ready, it's time to cultivate a Gu worm."
At this moment, as Zhou Sui waved his hand, a dark golden bowl appeared in his palm, mysterious patterns etched all over its surface and it pulsed with an indiscernible aura.
This was his most guarded secret, the Supreme Gu Divine Bowl.
When he first transmigrated into this world, this bowl bonded with his soul. Perhaps his transmigration was enabled by this divine device.
The ability of this divine artifact is simple: it uses various materials to cultivate different types of Gu insects.
For instance, the Spring Autumn Gu which possesses the ability to grant eternal youth, the Golden Cicada Gu which can revive anyone from bare bones, the Dragon Elephant Gu which contains the power of the Dragon Elephant, and so on. Each of these heavenly earthly Gu insects possesses an incredible power of their own.
If he could cultivate these Gu insects, becoming an immortal would not be a far-fetched dream.
The problem was, he was currently penniless and could not afford these rare materials. Not to mention these top-tier Gu insects, he couldn't even cultivate a regular Gu insect.
More importantly, the current crisis of a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator threatening him could not be solved by ordinary Gu insects.
Therefore, after much thought, Zhou Sui found a solution from the Supreme Gu Divine Bowl—the Obsession Gu.
The cultivation method of this Gu was simple, requiring only Forget Love Grass, the Yin Yang Flower, and a hundred pieces of Lower-Grade Spiritual Stone. These materials would forge this Gu insect.
What's more, Forget Love Grass and Yin Yang Flower were common herbs in this world, not a rare spiritual medicine at all. He would only need tens of Lower-Grade Spiritual Stones to buy them from a herb shop in Misty Cloud City.
He had left his house earlier to purchase these two kinds of spiritual medicine.
However, even then, due to the tragic death of his parents, there wasn't much left in terms of spiritual stones at home. If he were to spend all of it, he would soon be living hand to mouth.
Thus, he could not afford any failure in this pitch.
"Let's start."
With this thought, Zhou Sui did not hesitate. He took out the prepared materials from his body and put them into the Gu Divine Bowl, along with a hundred pieces of Lower-Grade Spiritual Stone.
Swish~~
Instantly, a chaotic and mysterious aura arose, completely assimilating the materials and burning the spirit stones en masse.
Following that, countless energies fused together, and a black and white Gu insect appeared inside the Gu Divine Bowl.
Clearly, the Obsession Gu had been successfully cultivated.
The next second, the Gu worm entered his body, then into his heart, seemingly becoming one with his heart.
Meanwhile, a vast amount of information poured into the depths of Zhou Sui's sea of consciousness.
"Obsession Gu, one of the Heavenly Earthly Wondrous Insects, contains the power of Yin Yang within its body. It can breed many offspring-worms. These offspring-worms, if they were to enter a member of the opposite sex's body, would make that person become fond of you. The longer the time, the greater the affection, unwavering until death."
"Description: Love is the greatest power, capable of producing miracles. Revel in your great love for your Dao companion, and you'll find it can work wonders."
...
"I made it."
A rush of joy filled Zhou Sui's heart. Excitement burst through him as he could feel the Obsession Gu's power coursing within his heart, subtly altering his body.
Apparently, the consumption of all his spiritual stones had not been in vain. He had successfully cultivated the Obsession Gu.
This was his first step towards changing the dire situation at hand.
"With the Obsession Gu, I can find a Dao companion. Maybe I can try for Lady Hu, the manager of Hundred Flowers Tower, Lady Zhao of Treasure Pavilion, or perhaps Lady Chen of the Pill Medicine Pavilion, Lady Qian of the Hundred Seal Shop."
"Rumor has it that they are all older, unmarried women longing for a breathtaking love."
Zhou Sui strokes his chin.
He remembered these aging female cultivators, who were all around their forties or fifties. Their cultivation had even reached the ninth layer of Qi cultivation, just a step away from entering the Foundation Establishment Realm.
While they might be older, they age gracefully, looking as good as any seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls. Their charm was something young girls could not compete against.
It is said that a woman who is three years older is a gold brick; thirty years older offers lands and empires; three hundred years older gives an immortal pill; and three thousand years older ascends as immortals.
This is a true happening in the Cultivation World with plenty of strong female cultivators.
It's well known that a woman can elevate her status by attaching herself to a strong cultivator, turning over a new leaf in her fate.
The same could apply to men.
To deal with a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator, based on his current capability and aptitude, wouldn't be feasible in a short duration.
He also did not have much time to cultivate, and he couldn't depend on Liu Dong's benevolence for his survival.
So the more Zhou Sui thought about it, having a Dao companion who was a Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer cultivator seemed like a very feasible solution. This way, wouldn't he be able to take care of Liu Dong within minutes while ensuring his own safety too?
Frankly speaking, this was the only solution he could think of.
He wasn't strong enough to defeat Liu Dong himself, but there were plenty of cultivators stronger than Liu Dong everywhere.
Of course, if things were normal, these female cultivators, despite being older single women, would definitely not take a fancy to him. After all, he was merely a first layer cultivator of a Ninth Grade Spirit Root, a rookie among rookies.
Wanting the favor of these powerful female cultivators sounded like an unrealistic dream, right?
After all, there were plenty of pretty boys in the world, and they were used to seeing this all the time.
But things were different now. With the power of the Obsession Gu, he could pull off extraordinary feats and gain the affections of these formidable women. Then he would not only be able to live off them but may even control them.
"But at present, the Obsession Gu can only breed one offspring-worm, so I need to find an opportunity to get in touch with these older female cultivators. Otherwise, I won't get a chance to plant the Obsession Gu."
Zhou Sui pondered on his next steps.
Although his plan was somewhat despicable, his sole aim was survival, so he had to resort to such a tactic.