102. Let’s Get To Refining
“Welcome,” Jia Gui announced in a vigorous voice. Several elders stood behind with respectful attitudes as they hosted their guests. The leading Gu Master was a Rank 4 Initial Stage Gu Master. The female Gu Master tied her long black hair into a straight ponytail, donning dark battle robes that loosely fitted her athletic body. Her sharp gaze scrutinized everyone out of habit; those tawny pupils shimmered with cold and aloof intent. Meanwhile, the one who garnered the most respect was a unique-looking man with an elongated left year and a wooden ‘mask’ on the right side of his face, not exuding any Gu Master aura save for the multiple Rank 3, 4, and even 5 Gu Worms’ aura on his body!
Tie Ruo Nan and Gu Yue Fang Zheng.
The former maintained her silence, knowing the actual honored guest was her temporary ally. So, Fang Zheng smiled cordially and replied in a warm tone. “There is no need for formalities, Brother Jia. We exchanged several letters, and I deeply appreciate your talent alongside the love and responsibility you feel for Jia Clan.”
Jia Gui sighed softly as Fang Zheng continued.
“The Tie Clan fostered me, and I’m indebted to Young Master Tie Ruo Nan. I would not be alive if not for the Tie Clan. That said, Young Master Tie requested my services to deduce the matters about your Third Brother, Jia Jin Sheng. You must know I’m from Qing Mao Mountain and the prime suspect’s twin brother. Young Master and I reached the truth after several hours of deduction and came here to reveal it.”
The banquet instantly fell into a strange and awkward silence.
The elders glanced at each other. Meanwhile, Jia Gui nodded with a pleasant expression. “That is great, Brother Fang! I’m also grateful for Young Master Tie’s diligence. However, the Jia Clan would be a bad host if we didn’t let you rest after a grueling trip.”
Fang Zheng agreed as they ate and enjoyed the delicacies before being led to their quarters.
“What do we do, Elder Gui?” An old elder questioned with a troubled expression. Jia Gui’s expression had turned gloomy, too. Countless thoughts flickered in his mind before he narrowed his eyes.
“That was Gu Yue Fang Zheng. Although fate toyed with him, ruining his aperture, Heaven maintained its fairness and turned him into a mutated tree spirit! Heavens! He forced the Divine Thief without making a single move!”
“Did you sense the Rank 5 Gu Worm aura on him? The rumors were true. His body attracts Gu Worms! Too terrible… he’s like a Beast Emperor in human’s clothing!”
“To think he’s eying the Jia Clan…”
“What do we do?”
“Silence,” Jia Gui uttered after a few minutes, instantly suppressing other Elders’ panic.
“As we predicted, Eldest Brother Jia Fu might have nothing to do with Third Brother’s death. However, we all banded together because Eldest Brother’s policies did not suit us. The Clansmen will feel aligned with Eldest Brother if Fang Zheng and Tie Ruo Nan reveal the truth. From Fang Zheng’s words, he didn’t seem to refute his twin brother’s hand in my Third Brother’s murder. The culprit was most likely Gu Yue Fang Yuan.”
Jia Gui looked at everyone.
“But Fang Zheng sent me the letter instead of Eldest Brother.”
Everyone’s expression changed before the more witty Elders furrowed their brows.
“But… Tie Clan has the reputation of being unmoved by profits. If Elder Gui’s meaning is correct… why would Tie Ruo Nan join? She has the reputation of being just and unforgiving, even attacking her clansmen when she found evidence of corruption.”
Jia Gui’s expression flickered before he shook his head.
“Every Clan has internal conflicts. Why would the Tie Clan be any different? Whatever the rumors are, actions speak louder than words. Fang Zheng and Tie Ruo Nan contacted our side—likely to exploit a price to keep their lips sealed.”
Meanwhile, in Fang Zheng’s quarters—
“I thought you were better than blackmailing others,” Tie Ruo Nan narrowed her eyes. She knew she wasn’t. After all, she blackmailed Shen Cui to learn about Fang Yuan.
“People change,” Fang Zheng replied without any guilt. Yet, he wondered what would Shen Cui think of him if she could see him now. Organizing his thoughts, Fang Zheng looked at Tie Ruo Nan. “You will join the competition under Jia Fu’s name per our agreement. Jia Gui wants us to remain quiet and would be willing to pay a lot. However, the Tie Clan will send their experts after you should your reputation suffer such a disgrace. Instead, you will publicly oppose and rebuke me before joining Jia Fu.”
Tie Ruo Nan nodded, adding, “You will stay with Jia Gui. Helpless by the change, Jia Gui will ask for your support and try to use your Rank 5 prowess against Jia Fu’s Rank 5 Gu Master—Lord Desolate. But how does it assist our vengeance?”
Fang Zheng smiled. “I need a peculiar Gu Worm hidden by the Jia Clan. Meanwhile, you can rebuild your Gu Set from scratch under Jia Fu’s leadership without relying on the Tie Clan. Of course, scrambling for Rank 5 Gu doesn’t hold meaning when we will need to regather our Gu Worms after entering the Central Continent.”
Tie Ruo Nan’s gaze flickered before she nodded and left Fang Zheng’s room.
‘Shang Clan’s current generation has no talented Wood Path Gu Master. Hehe… they wouldn’t mind if I borrowed their Heavenly Aperture Transformation Gu, right?’
His gaze flickered. Nobody knew how he intended to steal from the Shang Clan. However, he started using several Gu Worms inside his room to prepare.
A Wisdom Path Gu Master needed information and clues for deductions and planning—and collecting information required preparations. Fang Zheng’s inheritance had a rich exploration of these aspects, making him one of the best mortal Wisdom Path Gu Masters.
“Sigh…” Jia Fu held the slip of paper in a different residence and sighed. “Please look at this, Lord Desolate.”
An old man calmly accepted the slip of paper before reading the information and focusing on the two names—Tie Ruo Nan and Gu Yue Fang Zheng.
Lord Desolate’s gaze flickered before he glanced at Jia Fu.
“Only the Divine Thief knows about Gu Yue Fang Zheng’s prowess, and he retreated from the Tie Clan without fighting. I need the Gu Worm I requested, Brother Jia Fu. Gu Yue Fang Zheng might become a troublesome opponent.”
Jia Fu felt aggrieved. After all, the Gu Worm Lord Desolate was talking about was too rare! It might only be a Rank 4 Time Path Gu, but it attracted intense attention from every Time Path Gu Master!
<<<>>>
Refining Rank 5 Frost Profound Zombie Gu required Rank 4 Frost Devil, Snow Monster Transformation, Ice Heart, Liquid Snow Blood, and Frost Burial Gu worms alongside ten other supplementary Rank 3 Gu Worms and hundreds of precious materials. Lo Jik’s Rank 5 Heaven and Earth Before My Eyes was several times more precious than the Zombie Gu because it required two Rank 4 Gu Worms. The Rank 4 Blood Flood Python Gu Worm was the same. It merely needed a Rank 4 Blood Qi Gu to advance into becoming Rank 5 Blood River Python Gu.
Through his Trait’s exploitation, Lo Jik didn’t have to claw for every little benefit when collecting the refinement materials. However, Bai Ning Bing wasn’t the same. A part of Lo Jik extinguished the thought of asking Bai Ning Bing to turn into a woman so they could make sweet, sweet love, possibly allowing Lo Jik to earn the materials he might need or even get a Gu Worm that solved his Extreme Physique.
There were two issues.
Lo Jik didn’t want to reveal his Trait. He was chased into a corner when his last life’s lover accidentally awakened her Trait, forcing the truth out of him. Lo Jik hadn’t forgotten that and didn’t intend to make the same mistakes despite it being an accident on both sides last time.
Secondly, Lo Jik was a Rank 5 Gu Master. He received Golden Achievements from Extreme Physique Gu Masters whether they had it ‘activated’ or not if he and his partner had the same cultivation realm. Bai Ning Bing was a Rank 4 Gu Master and would only allow Lo Jik Silver Achievements. Of course, these achievements would be precious because all of them would pick rewards from the pool of rare and nigh-extinct Rank 5 Gu Worms. He might even get more Rank 5 Purple Relic Gu.
The issue was that extreme physiques have plagued the Gu Masters since the Human Race’s formation! Lo Jik didn’t believe a reward from Silver Achievement could cure Bai Ning Bing. Heck, several Platinum Achievements’ Rewards from Chen Jiu didn’t offer a method to resolve an Extreme Physique!
There were two possibilities.
First, there wasn’t any method in the mortal ranks, forcing beings like Bai Ning Bing to adopt a Zombie’s body or invent something new to solve the age-old issue.
Second, there existed yet another realm of achievements beyond Platinum…
The first speculation sent the Gu Masters into the age of exploration and discoveries. Meanwhile, the second speculation had Lo Jik’s cock firmly pressed against his trousers.
“—are you listening?” A cold snort snapped Lo Jik out of his thoughts as he and Bai Ning Bing hid behind a few bushes.
“You want the Rank 3 Ice Vein Gu from Ni Ki,” Lo Jik nodded. Killing the Rank 3 Gu Master was easy. However, Bai Ning Bing couldn’t ensure he would get the Rank 3 Ice Vein Gu. Bai Ning Bing narrowed his eyes before scoffing. He had barely escaped King Quan’s inheritance with his life. However, the experience was fruitful since Bai Ning Bing realized the risks weren’t proportionate to the reward and decided to wholeheartedly invest in collecting the materials necessary to refine the Rank 5 Zombie Gu.
“What ideas do you have?” Lo Jik inquired. Bai Ning Bing was capable and wouldn’t request Lo Jik’s assistance unless needed.
Bai Ning Bing grew somber before he uttered.
“I want you to fuck Hu Mei Er.”
Lo Jik blanked out, staring at the handsome white-haired devil.
‘Pfft!’ Chen Jiu’s snicker echoed in his mind.
“Hu Mei Er’s obviously after your ass. Who cares about the reason? You can send her to other men’s dens and let her collect the Gu Worms I need without engaging in any fights.”
Lo Jik kept staring at Bai Ning Bing.
Truly capable…
Even though worlds apart from Lo Jik’s homeworld, Bai Ning Bing somehow gained inspiration to become a pimp of the highest order!
“I will eventually pay your stud fees,” Bai Ning Bing patted Lo Jik’s shoulder. “I would have fucked Hu Mei Er if she showed interest. Alas, she has eyes for dung when encountered with the lotus growing above it.”
Lo Jik thinned his lips, unaffected by the verbal jab.
“You owe me more than 100000 Primeval Stones already,” Lo Jik scoffed.
“Just add it to the debt,” Bai Ning Bing smiled. His cold features melted into a spring-like, welcoming smile. “I consider you my most reliable brother—”
“You just called me a dung, you piece of fruity shit,” Lo Jik retorted as Bai Ning Bing bristled.
“Look,” Bai Ning Bing frowned. “Do you want me to blow up? Because I will.”
“Suicidal threats aren’t intimidating, you dolt,” Lo Jik sneered. “But you’re more valuable alive than dead.”
“Exactly,” Bai Ning Bing nodded. “Now you’re understanding what I’m trying to explain.”
Lo Jik sighed. Bai Ning Bing had gotten increasingly shameless, and Lo Jik felt it was his fault.
It was.
‘I hadn’t thought of using Hu Mei Er that way. That’s obvious. I don’t pimp out whomever I fancy. But I have a better option—’
“Eventually, we’ll loot that Li Xian,” Bai Ning Bing licked his pretty pink lips. “Who says only the Inheritance site is the most valuable thing on the mountain? The aspiring Gu Masters are also great sources of wealth!”
Exactly.
Unable to acquire profits from the Inheritance, Bai Ning Bing intended to exploit other Gu Masters thoroughly.
However, Li Xian was Lo Jik’s slave.
“I will help you gather the materials. But you have to kill three people for me,” Lo Jik’s gaze brightened with another scheme.
“Hmm? Who?”
“Those three remaining Tie Clan Elders,” Lo Jik explained. “You kill three of them, and I will write off the previous debts alongside helping you gather the materials. But it won’t include the price of Refining the Rank 5 Gu whether I fail or succeed.”
Bai Ning Bing grew quiet and carefully considered the offer.
“Why the Tie Clan?”
“Because killing them doesn’t worsen our circumstances,” Lo Jik smiled. “They already have our bounty posters.”
Bai Ning Bing realized Lo Jik was ignoring the obvious intent behind his question. Still, it was a lucrative offer.
“I won’t be able to kill them at once,” he replied. “But killing them after separating them won’t be an issue.”
“Great!” Lo Jik grinned.
The duo eventually returned to their cave. However, Lo Jik soon left the cave after using the Invisibility Gu, beelining to San Cha’s peak. The news of Yi Chong’s demise spread the previous week, causing a minor commotion before things grew relatively calm. Of course, that wasn’t enough for Lo Jik.
The current circumstances favored the Demonic Faction. How could the righteous Lo Jik bear to see that? He desired equal disadvantages for everyone!
So, he soon appeared near the peak’s eastern valley and located several Investigation Gu Worms planted in the surroundings. Being a Rank 4 Peak Stage Demonic Expert, Long Qing Tian accumulated several incredible Gu over the years. Lo Jik also knew more about Long Qing Tian from Li Xian.
Long Qing Tian was born a mortal slave in the Ourang Clan, a large clan that shared its resources with another Bixia Clan. He was thin and sickly, bullied by his peers. Long Qing Tian experienced the world’s cruelty when a demonic Gu Master infiltrated the village and killed the guarding Gu Master, taking his place instead. How was that Gu Master’s death a cruel experience for Long Qing Tian?
Said Gu Master was Long Qing Tian’s illegitimate father. Since an Impostor replaced that man, the impostor struck him and his mother, tossing their bodies into the river, where a poisonous snake bit their corpses. Due to Long Qing Tian’s unique constitution, the poison revived him, leaving his body sickly green.
However, Long Qing Tian’s life did not get better as he struggled to swim through the raging river stream as he struck against a few boulders, instantly experiencing his bones crushing and stabbing into his flesh.
A gigantic Hundred Spots Serpent Emperor—a Rank 5 existence the size of modern skyscrapers—swallowed the young Long Qing Tian when he was near his death…
Again!
But fate was fickle, and not every impossible situation led to one’s end. Long Qing Tian encountered a hut inside the serpent’s stomach, which didn’t experience any corrosion. Instead, the acid and foul poisonous gas seemed to extend the hut’s life.
Long Qing Tian barely crawled into the small hut atop a desolate mound, surrounded by corroded bones and pools of flesh liquid.
In this hut, Long Qing Tian awakened his aperture, healed his body using several poisonous Gu, and eventually cleared the inheritance to refine the Rank 5 Jade Sky Gu!
As for the Ourang and Bixia Clan?
They fought each other to death, cruelly manipulated and schemed against by a Gu Master now famous in the Southern Border, barely bothered by other Super Clans—The Divine Thief Lu Zuan Feng!
Lo Jik quietly evaded all the traps around the valley, sneaking into Long Qing Tian’s residence. The Rank 5 Invisibility Gu hid Lo Jik from several forms of probe except the kind that directly peered past the Dao Marks. It even suppressed his and Chen Jiu’s soul fluctuations.
Long Qing Tian was cultivating inside his residence. He was a Rank 4 Peak Stage Gu Master but had a B-rank aptitude, unable to advance to Rank 5 without special Gu Worms, like Lo Jik’s Half Effort Gu. Still, it was a discipline Long Qing Tian mastered during his earlier years, and constantly cleansing his Aperture Walls soothed his mind.
‘Do you plan to advance your attainment in Poison Path? Why else would you target Long Qing Tian?’
Lo Jik didn’t reply to Chen Jiu. He already claimed a master-level attainment in Poison Path. However, he desired the Jade Sky Gu. It was a thoroughly extinct Gu Worm, and Lo Jik wished to master its recipe. All these plans of forming recipes were his preparations for the Immortal realm. Sure, he might fail to ascend as an immortal. However, the risks wouldn’t stop him from making ample preparations.
Imaginative Strength Immortal wasn’t merely trying to connect the past with the present for pure research purposes!
Such a path signified untold riches!
However, dealing with Long Qing Tian required some consideration. He gained a poison path inheritance related to the Immemorial Era. So, there must be an Information Path Gu on his body that detailed the inheritance.
Did Long Qing Tian gain the recipe for more extinct Gu Worms?
The possibilities were high.
After carefully thinking, Lo Jik speculated attacking Long Qing Tian’s brain was the best option. It wouldn’t allow him to detonate his Gu, and the possibility of a Bookworm existing in his head was low because a Bookworm didn’t exist during the immemorial era.
Assassinating Long Qing Tian was an effortless task as his headless body crumbled on the ground before Lo Jik inspected the man’s aperture and exhaled in disappointment.
Aside from the Jade Sky Gu, there were a few Rank 3 and 4 Gu Worms but no East Window Gu. Lo Jik also checked out Long Qing Tian’s splattered head and didn’t discover a Bookworm’s corpse.
‘So, he didn’t get anything else from his inheritance? A shame…’
Lo Jik sighed.
His fortune infected his vision. How could every inheritance leave behind immortal hints and rich battle experience alongside hundreds of recipes and several killer moves?
The Rank 5 Jade Sky Gu resembled a palm-sized, dark-green bamboo stem that was hollow in the middle and produced a jade-like texture when touched. His other surprising gain was the Rank 4 Poison Palm Gu. It was a necessary material for refining the Rank 5 Violently Beat Poison Gu. With no intentions of following the poison path, Lo Jik decided to sell these Gu through Li Xian only after the news of Long Qing Tian’s demise spread.
However, he didn’t intend to leave the body behind. That would allow others to discover clues of Lo Jik’s involvement.
Nobody knew about Long Qing Tian’s death. After all, the experts remained reclusive only until the Inheritance opened. The sudden Kong-Long alliance also allowed the duo to earn a tidy sum, so many believed Long Qing Tian was digesting his earnings and increasing his battle power.
Meanwhile, the calm did not last for Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing as Hu Mei Er soon knocked on their doorstep.
<<<>>>
Inside a Blue Archaic Hall…
An ordinary-looking woman with a fit form steadily approached a giant tortoise the size of a house with four limbs similar to an elephant and two dragon whiskers floating from its face. Despite her plain features, the woman had a fierce reputation, well-known by several experts on San Cha Mountain.
She was Sky Tiger Xue San Si, a Rank 4 Middle Stage Strength Path Gu Master!
Nervousness and wild ambition flickered in her gaze as she gulped the lump in her throat before speaking clearly.
“I’m ready, Land Spirit!” She asserted. “Allow me to refine that Legendary Gu!”
***
Alternate Title: Blackmailing Jia Clan; No Right or Wrong, Only Demons and Heroes; The Grayed Ruo Nan; Schemes; Plans; The Jia Clan’s Undercurrents; External Threats; Scheming Against Shang Clan From Jia Clan and San Cha Mountain; Bai Ning Bing’s Objective; The Age-Old Problem; Survival of Extreme Physique; The Envious Heaven; Bai ‘Pimp’ Ning Bing; Bai Really Growing Shameless By The Day; The Lo Jik Effect—Slutification +10, Shamelessness +7, and Demonification +8; Shang Xin Ci Would Still Look AT Lo Jik And Be Like: I Can Fix Him; Bounty On Tie Clan; Plunging San Cha Into Utter Chaos; Long Qing Tian’s Origin Story; Long Qing Tian: You Took Everything From Me (Lu Zuan Feng: Insert Thanos Meme); A Lucrative Offer; Bai Ning Bing in the Future: Look, I Likes Ya. Now, We Can Do This Da Easy Way Or Da Hard Way; Hu Mei Er Returns; Nervous Sky Tiger; Let’s Get Smithing— Oops, Wrong IP; The Legendary Gu?; Chen Jiu Was Like: Absolute Cinema
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