Do Not Fall onto the Evil Path

With the money settled, Jiang Yiming could finally set his mind at ease.

Several hundred of his Primordial Gu had died this time. If he didn't get paid, he would have suffered a huge loss.

The two left the villa. It was still dark outside.

There wasn't a single car on the side road, so they had no choice but to walk.

Jiang Yiming didn't mind. Walking was healthier anyway. Yulan, however, had used up too much Gu Essence and struggled to walk.

It seemed there was a price to pay for using Gu above one's rank.

"Can't walk anymore? Want me to carry you?" He had just earned over a million from Yulan, so it was only right to show a little consideration.

"No need." Yulan was somewhat resistant. "The situation was critical just now, so it's understandable that you held me. But now that I can walk, you absolutely mustn't bring up what happened again!"

"Why?" Jiang Yiming was utterly oblivious.

"Because Fallen Flower Village has a rule: an unmarried girl can't let a man touch so much as one of her fingers. If my people find out what happened just now, they'll kill you," Yulan explained, looking into the distance.

"I see!" Jiang Yiming said with a smile after hearing her out. "That's easy to deal with."

With that, he summoned the Single-Horned Wandering Snake.

"Then I won't touch you. Climb onto its back yourself and hold on to its horn, and you won't fall off." He pointed at the snake's neck.

Yulan hesitated briefly, but in the end, she climbed on.

Jiang Yiming then jumped on as well, standing a meter behind her.

"Hold on tight!"

After he called out the warning, the Single-Horned Wandering Snake twisted its body and slithered swiftly forward.

The wind rushing toward them sent Yulan's hair flying. "Hey, can you make it slow down?"

"No problem!" Jiang Yiming called out, and the snake slowed down.

"In all my life, this is the first time I've seen someone ride their Gu Worm like a horse!" Yulan said with a smile, looking back at him as she hugged the horn.

When Jiang Yiming saw her eyes, it was as if an electric shock had passed through him. His foot slipped, and he stumbled.

Just as he was about to fall flat on his face, a thick tail suddenly wrapped around him and helped him upright.

Seeing that the Single-Horned Wandering Snake had saved him from embarrassment, Jiang Yiming praised it inwardly. Horn, nice work! I'll give you an extra chicken leg when we get back!

To Jiang Yiming, it was perfectly normal for a Gu Worm to protect its master, but Yulan looked astonished.

"Why do I feel like you're different from other Gu masters...?" she asked.

"How am I different?"

"Other Gu masters' Gu Worms only act on orders. They don't act on their own like yours. For example, when you fell, it took the initiative to save you."

Jiang Yiming didn't want to seem too unusual, so he smiled and said, "I ordered it to save me just now."

"No! I could feel it," Yulan said. "Besides, there's one thing you can't deny. When we fought before, I used Soul Capture on you too. What's so powerful about Soul Capture is that it makes a Gu master lose focus, causing them to lose control of their Gu Worms. Lu Yan was stronger than you, but even he couldn't control his Gu Worms after being hit by Soul Capture. You were different. When you were hit by my Soul Capture, your Gu Worms actually took the initiative to protect you!"

"Gu Worms automatically protecting their master is a rarity in the entire Gu world. Even when evil Gu develop an independent consciousness, they won't protect their masters. They'll only harm them."

"I really don't understand. How do you refine your Gu? You can actually make them protect you on their own!"

After hearing all this, Jiang Yiming felt helpless. He couldn't very well tell Yulan that his Gu Worms were all refined using a system treasure, so it was normal for them to protect their master automatically, could he?

So, after thinking for a moment, he said with a solemn expression, "Uh... I think the most important thing between a Gu master and a Gu Worm is trust. I trust my Gu Worms, and they trust me. That's why they protect me on their own."

Yulan, however, nodded repeatedly at this nonsense. She looked delighted, as if she had grasped something.

That was because every Gu master she had seen remained on guard while raising Gu. They raised Gu, but also guarded against them.

In their eyes, Gu Worms were synonymous with ferocity and deadly poison. They raised Gu only to control them and increase their own strength. Trust didn't enter into it!

"Thank you! I think I understand something now!"

Yulan thanked him sincerely, but Jiang Yiming was utterly bewildered.

Before long, the Single-Horned Wandering Snake carried them to the main road.

The sky was beginning to brighten, so Jiang Yiming put it back in the Yellow Gu Lotus Platform and waited with Yulan for a ride by the roadside.

Seeing a taxi approaching, Yulan suddenly said, "I already know who you are. Can you take off your mask?"

Jiang Yiming smiled and pulled off his mask. "I'd never met a Gu master before, so I didn't know whether you were good or bad. I took some precautions. Don't mind it."

"Then what do you think now? Am I good or bad?" Yulan asked.

"Hmm... a good person, of course. Otherwise, why would I take off my mask?"

"You're wrong. Every Gu master can turn evil. If you turn evil one day, you'll find out just how bad I am."

Just as Yulan finished speaking, the taxi pulled up. She got in and said through the window, "I can tell your potential is greater than that of many geniuses I've met. I truly hope you can remain true to yourself and never fall onto the evil path like Lu Yan."

"You too," Jiang Yiming replied.

Watching the taxi's taillights recede, he couldn't help asking himself, Is my will really firm enough? With the system, I shouldn't possibly fall onto the evil path, right?

Who could say for sure what the future held?

Jiang Yiming stopped dwelling on it. When the next taxi came along, he waved it down.

After returning home, he first fed his remaining two hundred-odd Primordial Gu until they reached level five, then refined them all.

Although he didn't succeed even once, he at least obtained over two hundred Gu Refining Points and some Gu Essential Essence.

Afterward, he cleared his mind of distractions and focused on cultivating the Essence Absorption and Qi Intake Art.

While he was cultivating, the Three-Legged Golden Toad, which had the greatest talent, unexpectedly broke through to the Yellow Rank Middle Stage.

Once it reached the Yellow Rank Late Stage, he could begin refining Gu to reach the next rank.

However, he first needed to gather five Yellow Rank Late Stage Gu Worms.

That looked a little difficult...

Primordial Gu only needed to keep eating to reach level five, so it took very little time for them to level up.

Yellow-Rank Gu Worms were different. They could only reach the late stage through slow cultivation, which took a long time.

These Yellow-Rank Gu Worms need a great deal of time to reach the late stage. But the success rate of Gu refinement is so low. Once they finally reach the late stage and enter the Gu Refining Plate, there's a ninety percent chance they'll fail and die.

Refining Gu will only get harder from here. At this rate, won't refining a Mystic-Tier Gu Worm be a distant prospect?

No, I really need to think of something...

With that in mind, Jiang Yiming browsed the System Store again.

He hadn't visited in a few days, and some new things had appeared in the System Store.

Several new potions had appeared on the first floor.

A new pill had appeared on the second floor: the Gu Strengthening Pill. It could increase a Gu Worm's cultivation and cost 200 Gu Refining Points.

A pair of gauntlets and a flexible sword had appeared on the third floor. Each cost 500 Gu Refining Points.

Two manuals had appeared on the fourth floor: the Moon-Treading Footwork and the Spirit Snake Sword Technique. Each cost more than the last, at 1,000 and 2,000 Gu Refining Points respectively.

The fifth floor was still completely empty.

I want to buy all these new things! Too bad I don't have enough Gu Refining Points!