74. Irrational?
Lo Jik identifies Bai Ning Bing, Xin Ci, Xiao Die, and Xiao Lan. There is another dark-haired woman in a white shirt and long skirt. Lo Jik cannot see her face beyond the veil which curtains her features. However, the woman’s clothes reveal her slim and hourglass figure. But he doesn’t let his gaze get too bold the second he notices her aura.
Rank 5!
His expression is also weird. Lo Jik looks down and sees several empty soup bowls. The three women sit on benches in the open courtyard while the Rank 5 Expert’s servants, alongside Xiao Die and Lan, stand beside them. His arrival attracts everyone’s attention.
“It is my honor to host you, Senior Su,” Lo Jik bows slightly, identifying the woman. Whoever lives in the Shang Clan knows one of the great four doctors of the Southern Border—Su Shou. Her prestige is not lower than Shang Yan Fei’s and other Clan Leaders of the Super Clans. Su Shou’s feats include healing her patients from a near-death state without a fall in Gu Cultivation Rank. However, no one has seen Su Shou’s face.
There are also rumors about Shang Yan Fei and Su Shou. Some speak about their love, and others sigh about their tales of hatred. Shang Yan Fei and Su Shou share a complicated past.
“Hmph,” Su Shou snorts. “So, you’re Gu Yue Lo Jik?”
Lo Jik straightens his back, smiling politely. His bald appearance and loose clothes make him look less than stellar. “Indeed, Senior Su.”
He glances at Xin Ci, who offers a strained smile. While Bai Ning Bing drinks a clear soup from the bowl the great expert offers.
Su Shou’s gaze sharpens from behind the veil as she mutters. “Hmm, no pressing damages. His hair will regrow in time. Organs have no lasting trauma, too. There is no need for me to heal him. Huff. Three days wasted.”
She scoffs again before looking at Ning Bing and Xin Ci. Her mood takes a 180-degree turn. Her tone becomes soft and pleasant.
“See, Junior Xin Ci? You should not have wasted three days. Come. Senior Sister has much to teach. Junior Ning Bing, don’t feel shy. Senior Sister will treat you to soups from other Super Clans the next time we meet.”
‘So, this is Su Shou’s eccentric nature everyone talks about.’ Lo Jik wordlessly smiles. Su Shou chases after beauty. Whenever someone enters her clinic, she will appraise their appearance. She will even treat beautiful individuals for free while charging exorbitant fees for the ugly ones. Sometimes, Su Shou would publicly humiliate them and refuse to treat her ugly patients even if they had the money!
A patient asked for her help once when Su Shou refused him, arguing righteously—
“The fact you ugly beings live stains the beauty of life! You should all die and save us some trouble. As for the beautiful beings, of course, we should protect and cherish them.”—sincerely, Su Shou.
These outrageous claims caused an uproar in the Shang Clan, with many trying to label Su Shou a Demonic Gu Master. However, Shang Yan Fei appeared and suppressed the situation.
‘But I ain’t that bad looking, right?’ Lo Jik doesn’t speak. He focuses on Su Shou. ‘Does she have a beauty complex? Why else would she hide her face? Can I use it?’ That’s how Lo Jik’s mind is. His first thoughts are often about how to manipulate others’ weaknesses. After all, Su Shou is at the peak of the mortal realm. Her status is also nothing to scoff at. Almost every Clan Leader will give her face, allowing her to roam the entire Southern Border!
Healers are often more valued than the combatants.
So, Lo Jik’s subsequent thoughts would always be—
‘What kind of rewards can I get from her?’
“Brother Monkey…” Xin Ci looks at Lo Jik, lowering her head.
Lo Jik instantly understands her thoughts. He smiles, “Don’t worry, Xin Ci. I’m not so narrow-minded to not understand your concerns.”
Su Shou secretly frowns as she observes the interaction. She gazes at Lo Jik again, inspecting him a bit more.
‘His smile is similar,’ Su Shou’s expression turns frosty as she cuts in. “That All-Out Effort Gu. I wish to buy it. You don’t have to express your gratitude. I will offer 130000 Primeval Stones. That should be more than enough for a Rank 3 Gu Worm.”
The courtyard descends into silence as Lo Jik secretly frowns. However, his expression doesn’t change.
“I’m afraid the All-Out Effort Gu isn’t for sale.”
“All-Out Effort Gu is priceless for Brother Monkey, Teacher Su,” Xin Ci claims quickly, deeply shocked by Su Shou’s sudden demand. “I think—”
“Hmph! So, you’re denying me? Good. I won’t forget it.” Su Shou suddenly stands and commands. “We’re leaving, Junior Xin Ci. Come.”
Her words leave no room for refusal as Xin Ci and Xiao Die look slightly miffed. Meanwhile, Xiao Lan also reveals a surprised expression.
The group leaves the courtyard without giving Lo Jik time to appease her anger.
“I think she wanted to pick a fight,” Bai Ning Bing blows against the soup. She only speaks once others leave.
Lo Jik exhales, his thoughts moving quickly. He exited to rest his mind, not to get caught in another jumbled mess.
“Fill me in,” Lo Jik sits across Bai Ning Bing, picking one of the soup bowls and drinking directly from the bowl.
“Nothing much,” Bai Ning Bing musters with a bored expression. “Su Shou suddenly arrived three days ago. Xin Ci was worried about your injuries and couldn’t focus on her studies. Su Shou is one of Xin Ci’s many teachers and took it upon herself to heal you. But you were inside the secret chamber. You’re quite unlucky. Su Shou would have left in an hour.”
Lo Jik frowns.
Why would Su Shou suddenly want to find problems with him?
He kept to himself most of the time. Heck. He only met with individuals like Xin Ci with ‘witnesses’ like Wei Yang.
He’s done everything in a manner that doesn’t attract attention from the higher-ups. Lo Jik also doesn’t believe Su Shou wants the All-Out Effort Gu for a Gu Refinement. Why did she not contact Li Ran? Taking the Gu from Li Ran would have been simpler since he did not have the Purple Thorn Token.
No. Su Shou took one look at him and decided that his bald ass head was an offense to her existence.
“Hehehe,” Bai Ning Bing snickers. “You must look peculiarly ugly to Su Shou.”
“Maybe,” Lo Jik sighs. Attracting the wrong attention from a Rank 5 expert like Su Shou is not his dream goal. Unlike the Tie Clan, Su Shou can be a problem for him inside the Shang Clan.
“Fuck it,” he exhales. “I’m going out to look at some Gambling Rocks.”
“Gambling Rocks?” Bai Ning Bing blinks. “Why?”
“Didn’t Li Ran get All-Out Effort Gu from Gambling? Li Hao’s Position Swap Gu was the same. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“Gambling, eh?” Bai Ning Bing muses as her gaze brightens. “I’ll come with you. I haven’t been in those establishments, too.”
Lo Jik shrugs as the duo leaves for the Gambling Dens. His destination is the Lan Chao Gambling Den. It’s the one where Li Ran opened his All-Out Effort Gu.
Lo Jik’s and Bai Ning Bing’s arrival in the Lan Chao Gambling Den quickly spread. It must be known that Lo Jik winning the All-Out Effort and Explosive Strength Gu rose his status to the peak within the Battle Zone. Other experienced Gu Masters from the Third Inner City’s Battle Stage are already focusing on ways to tackle the Strength Path beast a madman like Lo Jik can be. After all, the spectators saw how Lo Jik could disregard injuries and heal himself WHILE fighting!
“Welcome, Esteemed Guests,” the owner of the Gambling Den quickly welcomes Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing, knowing the duo owns the Purple Thorn Token. The middle-aged owner smiles. “Is it the Guests’ first time visiting a Gambling Den? Allow me to show you around.”
The trio walks as the owner introduces the various Gambling Rocks.
“We have Stellar, Old Man, Pushing Carts, and many other types of stones. Do you know how the Gambling Rocks are formed, Esteemed Guests?” The question is rhetorical as the Owner drones.
“There are several Gu in nature. However, they also need food to exist even if they can use their ability by using the Primeval Energy in their surroundings. When they are unable to find food, they starve. But Heaven leaves a path for every living being. Gu Worms are not different. Some Gu tend to hibernate and reserve their energy. Staying in one spot, these Gu collect dust and dirt. Eventually, they have varying layers of rocks and soil cacked around them.”
“Gu carries the secret of the Dao. We all know how the Dao can resonate with other fragments of the Great Dao. When covered by the rocks and soil, the fragments of the Great Dao inside the Gu resonate with its surroundings, forming peculiar fossils!”
“Stellar Rocks are said to possess Star Path Gu because these rocks are commonly formed by the fragments of Star Dao. However, it’s a general statement. Exceptions always exist!”
The owner puffs his chest with pride.
“For instance, Stellar Rocks from our Gambling Den produced the All-Out Effort Gu! Esteemed Guest is the one fated for it. Hehe. That Li Ran didn’t deserve such rewards.”
The loser has nothing, while the winner gets everything.
The Shop Owner once fawned over Li Ran after he got the All-Out Effort Gu. But things change. Li Ran died.
“Gambling Rocks are divided into five grades—Scrap, Low, Mid, High, and Super! Scrap Grade Stones are the cheapest. However, I would not recommend this grade, Lords. The Demon Wei Shen Jing, the Counterfeit Master, saturated the market with fake Scrap-Grade Fossils! Hmph! His acts caused several losses to the Gambling Den Market.”
“Didn’t the All-Out Effort Gu come from a scrap-grade Stellar Stone?” Bai Ning Bing suddenly stops as she looks at a peculiar table. The unbalanced table has a Gambling Rock placed under one of its legs to balance it.
Li Ran’s story about getting an All-Out Effort Gu from the stellar stone under the table’s leg is widespread. He accidentally stubbed his toe against the Stellar Stone and decided to open it in vengeance. Who knew he would open a Legendary Gu? Lan Chao Gambling Den now has this table as an attraction. Most patrons would buy the scrap-grade stone set under this table.
“Sigh,” Lo Jik shakes his head. “It’s all about the luck.”
It’s not. It’s all about the skill. Even if there are scouting Gu capable of seeing through the Gambling Rocks, nobody will reveal them. Gambling Rocks represent a deep market and interests of the Super Clans. Didn’t Wei Shen Jing get chased by other Super Forces before he hid inside the Wu Clan?
‘The Ruined Brothers used the Earth Piercing Eye Gu to manipulate the market.’
“Thank you,” Lo Jik smiles at the owner. “But we would like to experience it ourselves. Don’t let us keep you from your other duties.”
“Yes, Esteemed Guests.”
The owner leaves. However, he notifies other employees to prioritize the duo’s needs.
“Are you picking that one?” Lo Jik smirks as Bai Ning Bing picks the stellar stone from under the table before depositing it inside one of the temporary bags.
“Why not?” Bai Ning Bing smiles. “I could get lucky. Maybe I will open an ancient Ice Path Gu tailored to my needs.”
“Not all extinct Gu are better,” he laughs. “The Ice Path thrives more in the current era. So, the present Gu is better. However, the Strength Path is declining. The Gu from its Golden Era are better.”
Bai Ning Bing tosses him a sidelong glance before walking away. Her gaze was the universal—Shut up, Nerd—look.
Lo Jik works his jaw before looking over to one of the benches with Old Man stones. These stones are grey and often bent like an aged man’s back. The employee in charge of the bench quickly introduces the Old Man Stones.
“These fossils appear due to the hibernation of Wisdom Path Gu, Esteemed Lord. Usually, we look for marks like spider legs or slight protrusions around the curve to predict the Gu Worm inside it. Of course, Wisdom Path Gu is rare. The Old Man Stones only have a relatively higher chance of getting an adequate Gu.”
Lo Jik nods as he picks one of the stones. Only after the stone covers his palm does Lo Jik allow the Earth Piercing Eye Gu to appear in his left palm. He can instantly ‘see’ inside the Stone. Closing his eyes would allow a much better view since he could focus on the information from the Eye Gu. However, he cannot reveal such hints.
‘Empty.’ Lo Jik places the stone on the bench.
The owner was right. The fossils are formed after the resonance of the Great Dao. So, shouldn’t his Earth Piercing Eye Gu fail? For instance, the Old Man Stones must be the product of the Wisdom Dao.
But Lo Jik knows that this resonance has two classifications.
Resonance between the Gu and the Earth.
And Resonance between different components of Earth!
Things can be understood using a basic example.
A Rank 1 Flame Wick Gu produces a peal of flames. A candle can do the same.
But the Rank 1 Gu contains the fragment of the dao. What about the candle? Why can a candle mimic a Gu?
Or is the Gu mimicking the candle?
The Great Dao doesn’t express itself through the Gu alone. It is present everywhere!
In more modern terms, the Great Dao can be considered a counterpart of molecules and atoms.
So, Earth has many dao marks that sometimes interact with each other and form fossils. However, these are still simple rocks, allowing the Earth Piercing Eye to look through them. But the fossils formed from the Gu have its presence. The Earth Piercing Eye Gu cannot look through it.
This allows Lo Jik to know whether a fossil has a Gu!
Instead of purchasing anything, Lo Jik looks around. His interest primarily rests on the Super Gambling Rocks. These rocks have different shapes and sizes even amongst their category.
‘Oh? This shape? It must be the Rank 4 Star Thoughts Gu.’
‘Hmm?’ Lo Jik looks at the brown pushing cart stone. These are formed from Earth Path Gu. So, these stones grant Lo Jik’s Eye Gu full view. Super-grade rocks have varying sizes. This Pushing Cart Sone is a hemisphere the size of five adults! Inside this stone is a curled Gu. It has six furry legs and a face similar to a Wolf!
A Rank 5 Thousand Li Earthwolf!
Lo Jik’s heart shudders. However, he calmly looks at the price tag ‘38000’ for the stone and moves on to other Super-grade rocks. There are tens of such rocks. However, Lo Jik only discovered four Gu. Among them, the Thousand Li Earthwolf is the best.
‘But there are several Gambling Stores. What else can I find?’
It will be awesome if he can find more useful Gu like the Thousand Li Earthwolf that are easy to feed.
Bai Ning Bing chose four Gambling Rocks before the owner called for the five masters to open her rocks.
They used outstanding and tailored methods to open these rocks.
Bai Ning Bing got nothing.
“Gambling is a fool’s hope.”
Bai Ning Bing lost her interest in the Gambling Rocks.
<<<>>>
The next few days, Lo Jik invited Wei Yang and Xin Ci to check out the Gambling Dens. He also went into the Battle Zone to collect the victories.
He half-expected Xin Ci to refuse his invitation due to Su Shou’s strange issues. However, Xin Ci was more than happy to accept the invitation and reconcile. The duo was intelligent and understanding, not needing apologies as they spent their time appraising Gambling Rocks or tasting food. Xin Ci revealed how Su Shou tried to stop her from having more contact with Lo Jik. However, Shang Yan Fei flatly refused these actions. It stressed Shang Yan Fei’s and Su Shou’s relationship further.
Lo Jik kept everything in his mind. He understands why Shang Yan Fei wants Xin Ci to build contact with him.
After all, Shang Yan Fei is the Shang Clan’s Leader and wants Xin Ci to develop her force. Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing can be Xin Ci’s generals. However, Su Shou’s anger against Lo Jik is…
Irrational.
‘No. Not irrational.’
He realizes the truth. ‘I may have triggered something. So, it must be connected to Su Shou’s past. Now that is something I can use.’
Lo Jik was more intrigued by Su Shou than Xin Ci. Xin Ci will need years to develop. But Su Shou? She’s an established expert.
A Golden Opportunity!
If Immortals didn’t exist, she may have been a Platinum Opportunity!
So, Lo Jik spent some days opening a few Gambling Rocks. He even took an interest in some empty Super-grade rocks.
He had cataloged several Gu from the Gambling Dens.
Among the many Gu, Lo Jik found three desirable Gu—
Rank 5 Thousand Li Earthwolf
Rank 4 Slavery Gu
And Rank 5 Djinn’s Egg Gu
There were other Rank 3 and 4 Gu, but Lo Jik could not open them all. He can buy them and open them privately. But he will need the Gu specific for rock opening.
He can open the Thousand Li Earthwolf in public. However, he will take his chances with the Rank 4 Slavery and Rank 5 Djinn’s Egg Gu.
The former can allow Lo Jik to enslave a Rank 4 Gu Master.
The latter is an extinct Refinement Path Gu!
But Lo Jik did not find any suitable Strength Gu.
Days fly by as Lo Jik wins 30 consecutive matches by the end of May. However, the day of his ascension to the Fourth Inner City’s Battle Zone is littered with challenges as news spreads from Su Shou’s public clinic in the Third Inner City.
Whoever defeats Lo Jik will get the Rank 4 Essence Cloud Elephant King Gu!
Several Experts of the Fourth Inner City instantly challenged Lo Jik!
<<<>>>
“But why?” Shang Yan Fei taps his desk. He knows from Wei Yang and Xin Ci that Lo Jik did nothing. The Clan Leader also isn’t blind. Lo Jik isn’t ugly enough to earn such an ire from Su Shou. So, why would she go to such an extent?
‘Lo Jik has a Blood Torrent Python. I also have a Blood River Python. Its speed in water is outstanding. It only consumes beast blood every few years. Who wouldn’t want such a Steed Gu? The Rank 4 Essence Cloud Elephant King Gu has the same status as the Rank 4 Blood Flood Python and Hundred Li Earthwolf. It only consumes clouds and has an unmatched speed in the air.’
‘Although Su Shou has years of savings. She wouldn’t unnecessarily squander them. She’s closer to achieving the peak in Mortal Cultivation since she has no paperwork or other duties. So, her goal is the Immortal Path. Then why would she do this?’
Shang Yan Fei narrows his eyes before he smiles bitterly.
‘She can’t be venting on Lo Jik, right? We’re not that similar…’
His lips twitch.
‘Right?’
Yan Fei shakes his head and muses.
‘There’s also Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing’s relationship. Hmm. They invited Wei Yang to host a match for themselves.’
Yan Fei would go watch it if he didn’t have his Cultivation to worry about.
‘Although the Supreme Elders have Talent Rising Gu like the Polishes Series, they want me to work for it. Hmph. These are the chains of the Righteous Path. I must expend several contribution points for the Rank 2 Polished Steel Gu. That will be most suitable for Xin Ci once she advances to Rank 2. This is the suppression from the Supreme Elders. They want me to hand over the Immortal Recipes for Rank 6 Blood Shadow and Blood Handprint. How laughable!’
He snorts.
***
Alternate Title: Simping Su Shou; Wild Origins; The Woman At the Top of Mortal Realm… and Hopefully Me—Sincerely, Lo Jik; Familiar Smile; Su Shou’s Suspect Motives; Stuffed Bai Ning Bing; The Bald Menace; Lan Chao Gambling Den; The Formation of Fossils; It’s All About The Dao; Gravity Path is Waiting For an Apple To Drop on Niu Tan; E=MC^2 Path?; First Law of Xian Xia—You Have Eyes But Fail to See Mt. Tai; The Use of Earth Piercing Eye; Plan To Earn Big Bucks; Bai Ning Bing’s Loss; Days of Gambling; Su Shou’s and Yan Fei’s Complex Past; Fucboi Always Defends Another of his Kind; A Relieved Xin Ci; Set Sights; Lo Jik Loves Trouble; Scouting Gambling Dens; Advancing to Fourth Inner City Battle Stage; Hit List; The Three Great Steeds; Python, Wolf Spider, and the Elephant; The Battle Between Strength and Ice
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