Around three hundred years ago, a genius emerged within the Gu Yue Clan.
He was extraordinarily gifted. While still a young man, he had already cultivated to the level of a Rank 5 Gu Master, with the possibility of advancing even further. His name resounded across Qing Mao Mountain; his glory was limitless, and his clansmen placed their hopes and heavy responsibilities upon him.
He was the Fourth Clan Leader, the most celebrated figure in Gu Yue Clan history.
Sadly, in order to protect his clansmen, the Fourth Clan Leader fought the demonic Flower Wine Wanderer, who was likewise a Rank 5 Gu Master. After a fierce battle, he defeated Flower Wine Wanderer and forced that demon to kneel and beg for mercy.
Yet in the end, the Fourth Clan Leader carelessly fell victim to Flower Wine Wanderer's treacherous sneak attack.
The Fourth Clan Leader furiously killed Flower Wine Wanderer, but his own injuries were beyond saving. He died young.
This tragic tale had been passed down to the present day and was widely recounted among the Gu Yue clansmen.
But Fang Yuan understood that this story could not be wholly trusted. There was a massive loophole within it.
A month later in his previous life, a Gu Master had gotten drunk after a heartbreak and lay outside the village, utterly drunk. The fragrance of wine drifting from him unexpectedly drew over a Wine Worm Gu.
Following the Wine Worm Gu, the Gu Master discovered Flower Wine Wanderer's remains in an underground hidden cave, along with the inheritance he had carried with him.
The Gu Master hurried back to the Lineage and reported this matter, causing an enormous uproar.
After the disturbance gradually settled, he benefited from it as well. He obtained the Wine Worm Gu, his cultivation rose, and the girlfriend who had abandoned him instead turned around and pursued him. This matter made him a prominent figure in the village for a time.
Stories changed shape as they passed from generation to generation; that was normal. Yet in Fang Yuan's memories, although the account of that Gu Master discovering the hidden inheritance was extremely realistic and credible, he still suspected that another truth might be concealed within it.
"Originally, I hadn't noticed it. But while exploring and analyzing over these past days, I found that this matter was far more suspicious than it appeared." As night deepened, Fang Yuan walked through the bamboo forest around the village, reviewing and assembling all the clues he knew in his heart.
"Put myself in his shoes. Suppose I were that Gu Master and discovered Flower Wine Wanderer's hidden inheritance. Why wouldn't I keep it all for myself, instead of reporting it to the Lineage? Don't bring up the Lineage's sense of honor—people all have greed. What made that Gu Master go against the desires in his heart, willingly abandon all those benefits, and report this discovery to the high-level members of the Lineage?"
Truth was always hidden within the fog of history. Fang Yuan racked his brains, yet found no answer.
After all, there were too few clues. The only two clues were themselves half true and half false, not to be fully trusted.
Fang Yuan could not help thinking of himself again. "No matter what, after buying this jar of Green Bamboo Wine, I only have two Primeval Stones left. If I still can't find the hidden inheritance, I'll be in trouble. What I'm doing today can be called staking everything on one throw!"
In any case, his Primeval Stones were already insufficient for refining Gu worms. It would be better to invest them in this wine and raise the odds of success for this trip.
If it were someone else, most would probably save their Primeval Stones step by step.
But to Fang Yuan, that method was far too inefficient. He would rather take a risk and gamble on it.
Those of the demonic path always liked taking risks.
At this moment.
Night deepened, and the spring moon curved like a bow.
Drifting clouds obscured the moonlight, as though veiling the crescent moon with a thin layer of gauze.
Because a torrential rain had just fallen continuously for three days and three nights, the foul air in the mountains had been washed completely clean, leaving behind only the purest freshness.
Such fresh air was as pure as a blank sheet of paper, making it even more conducive to the spread of wine fragrance. This was one reason Fang Yuan was so confident tonight.
"Only this area remains unexplored." Arriving at a bamboo grove, he stopped.
His explorations over the previous seven days had not been without gains. At the very least, they proved that Flower Wine Wanderer had not died in those places.
This was Fang Yuan's second reason for confidence.
Within the bamboo grove, fragrant grasses flourished, white flowers stretched far and wide, and green spear bamboo stood straight and tall like jade rods.
Fang Yuan broke open the clay seal on the small wine jar, and a rich fragrance of wine immediately rushed into his nostrils.
Green Bamboo Wine could be called the finest wine in Gu Yue village. This was Fang Yuan's third reason for being so confident tonight.
"With these three great reasons accumulated together, if I am to succeed, it must be tonight!" Fang Yuan quietly encouraged himself as he slowly tilted the wine jar and poured a small stream of Green Bamboo Wine onto a stone.
Had those hunters seen this scene, they would surely have been heartbroken. This wine was worth a full two Primeval Stones...
But Fang Yuan remained unmoved.
The mellow wine fragrance quickly spread. In the night, a gentle breeze blew, hidden fragrance drifted, and the entire bamboo grove was steeped in its scent.
Fang Yuan stood where he was, smelling the wine and waiting for a while, but there was no movement at all.
He only heard a bird like a nightingale chirping nearby, its cry like a string of silver bells.
His gaze was calm, and he was not surprised. He moved his feet and turned toward the next location several hundred meters away.
There, he repeated the same procedure, pouring out another stream of wine and waiting in place for a moment.
Again and again, he changed locations and poured wine several times. There was already very little Green Bamboo Wine left in the jar.
"This is the last time." Fang Yuan sighed inwardly, completely overturning the wine jar in his hand, its bottom facing the sky, and pouring out every last drop of wine.
The wine spilled into the grass. The green blades swayed, and the wildflowers, dampened by wine dew, slightly lowered their heads.
Fang Yuan stood in place, holding onto his last hope as he stared around him.
By now, the night was profound.
A thick mass of dark clouds blocked the moonlight here.
The shadowy darkness was like a curtain, covering this bamboo grove.
The surroundings were silent. Each green spear bamboo stood alone, leaving straight, vertical silhouettes in Fang Yuan's eyes.
He stood quietly where he was, heard his own exceptionally clear breathing, then felt the last trace of hope in his chest constantly draining away until it was empty.
"So it still failed." He then muttered in his heart, "Even with tonight's three advantages gathered together, I failed and could not find even a trace of the Wine Worm Gu. That means my chances of success in the future will be even lower. I only have two Primeval Stones left, and I still need to refine the Moonlight Gu. I can't take risks anymore."
The results of taking risks were often less than ideal. But once the result was ideal, the returns would certainly be considerable.
Fang Yuan liked taking risks, but he was not addicted to gambling. He was not the sort of gambler who, after losing until his eyes turned red, only wanted to win it all back.
He had his own bottom line, and he knew exactly what capital he possessed.
Now, five hundred years of life experience told him that it was time to stop.
Sometimes, life was like this. There was often a goal so wonderful, so full of temptation. It seemed close enough to reach, yet after exhausting every twist and turn, one could never attain it. It made people toss and turn, thinking of it while awake and longing for it in dreams.
"This is life's helplessness, and also where life's charm lies." Fang Yuan bitterly shook his head, then turned to leave.
Just then.
A gust of wind blew in, like a gentle arm softly brushing aside the drifting clouds in the night sky.
The clouds drifted leisurely past, revealing the crescent moon they had concealed.
The crescent moon hung curved in the sky like a white jade cup, pouring down moonlight as clear as water.
Moonlight spilled over the Qing Mao bamboo grove, over the mountain rocks, over the streams and ravines, and over Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan wore plain clothes, and beneath the moonlight's gentle touch, his youthful face appeared even fairer.
The darkness seemed to recede in an instant, replaced by a ground full of snowy frost-like radiance.
Perhaps stirred by the moonlight, the silent nightingales began singing again. This time, there was more than one; several called out from throughout the bamboo grove, answering one another in rising and falling succession.
At the same time, Dragon Pill Crickets, which lived in the mountains and moved beneath moonlight, also began singing their rustling songs of life.
They were insects that only emerged at night, all emitting a red glow. At this moment, they leaped out in groups, each one flashing with a radiance like red agate.
At first glance, Fang Yuan saw this swarm of Dragon Pill Crickets as a jumping current of crimson water, bounding over grass and wildflowers through the moonlit bamboo grove.
The bamboo grove was like a pool of clear, empty water. The jade-green spear bamboo flashed with a lustrous glow like polished jade beneath the moonlight.
When the willows grew dark, flowers bloomed bright; in this moment, nature showcased her beautiful and radiant splendor to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan unconsciously stopped walking, feeling as though he had stepped into an immortal realm.
He had already intended to turn and leave, yet at this moment, he instinctively turned back for another look.
The patch of wildflowers and grass where he had poured out the Green Bamboo Wine trembled slightly in the wind, still completely empty.
Fang Yuan smiled at himself and withdrew his gaze.
However.
As he raised his eyes, he caught sight of a speck of white, snow-like shadow.
This snowy shadow clung to a green spear bamboo stalk not far away. Under the moonlight, it was like a perfectly round pearl hanging there.
Fang Yuan's pupils abruptly widened. His body trembled slightly, his heart thumped, then began beating faster and faster.
It was the Wine Worm Gu!
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