Take Everything for Himself

"Try moving, if you dare."

"You've already been poisoned by my unique poison Gu. Without my corresponding antidote Gu, seven days from now, you'll certainly turn into pus and blood and die."

"Compared to Lord Flower Wine, this junior is nothing but shit! This junior was muddleheaded, failing to recognize Mount Tai despite having eyes, and offended Lord Flower Wine. Lord Flower Wine, please, for the sake of my clan's heartfelt hospitality before, spare my life!"

The image on the wall began replaying for the second time.

Fang Yuan remained silent. Only when the image began replaying for the third time did he let out a faint sigh and say, "So that's how it was."

The method that had preserved images and sounds upon the stone wall had likely been set up by Flower Wine Wanderer using the Sound and Image Gu. This Gu could imprint images and project them.

The Sound and Image Gu survived by feeding on light and sound. For some unknown reason, this hidden cave within the mountain wall constantly emitted a red glow. At the same time, cracks in the stone connected to the outside world, allowing external sounds to pass through. Here, Fang Yuan's ears were filled with the thunderous roar of the small waterfall.

Thus, the Sound and Image Gu had survived within this hidden cave in the mountain wall.

When Fang Yuan had pushed aside the dead vines earlier, he must have disturbed the Sound and Image Gu hidden within the stone wall.

As long as one was not stupid, a little deduction would reveal that this image was probably real.

Back then, the fourth generation clan leader had failed to plot against Flower Wine Wanderer. After losing the battle, he launched a sneak attack. Though he drove the latter away, he also died as a result. This piece of history was far too disgraceful, so the few surviving elders covered up and altered the truth.

They had reversed the roles of the fourth generation clan leader and Flower Wine Wanderer.

Flower Wine Wanderer became the demon who, after losing, launched a sneak attack and was killed on the spot. The fourth generation, meanwhile, became an upright and honorable hero.

But this story itself had a glaring hole.

Flower Wine Wanderer had clearly been killed on the spot, and his corpse should have been in the hands of the Gu Yue Clan. So why had another set of remains been discovered?

In his previous life, the Gu Master who discovered this place must have felt fear upon seeing this image.

Those surviving elders had long since returned to dust, but to prevent Flower Wine Wanderer from returning, this truth must have been secretly passed down among the Lineage's high-level members.

That Gu Master realized that if he swallowed the inheritance whole, he would be taking an enormous risk. If others later discovered that he had any connection to Flower Wine Wanderer, the Lineage's high-level members would naturally purge him.

So, after weighing the options, he did not dare conceal this inheritance and chose to report it to the higher-ups.

Such conduct further proved his loyalty to the Lineage. His later circumstances also showed that he had made a wise choice.

But his choice did not mean Fang Yuan would make the same one.

"An inheritance obtained after such difficulty should be swallowed by one person alone. Why should I share it with anyone else? So what if I'm discovered? Without risking danger, where would profit come from? That Gu Master was truly timid." Fang Yuan gave a cold smile, no longer paying attention to the endlessly replaying image on the stone wall. He turned, reached out, and forcefully pulled away the dead roots of the withered vines.

Flower Wine Wanderer's corpse had also suffered in the process. It had originally been quite intact, but now it had been broken into several pieces.

Fang Yuan did not care in the least. He kicked aside an obstructive leg bone near his feet, squatted down again, and searched for the inheritance.

First, he found a bag of Primeval Stones. Opening it, he found only fifteen pieces.

"Poor bastard." Fang Yuan muttered. Flower Wine Wanderer had looked so glamorous, yet his savings were so meager.

But he quickly understood the reason. After Flower Wine Wanderer's fierce battle, he had also been struck by the Moon Shadow Gu. He had surely used Primeval Stones to heal his injuries. Being able to leave behind fifteen was already quite decent.

Then Fang Yuan discovered the remains of several Death Gu. Most were flower- and grass-type Gu, all of which had completely withered away.

Gu were living creatures as well and required food to be raised. Moreover, most were extremely picky. Though grass Gu and flower Gu had relatively few dietary requirements, this hidden cave did not possess even a trace of sunlight.

Then...

Then there was nothing else.

Flower Wine Wanderer had first fought a fierce battle against the fourth generation clan leader, who was of the same rank, and then battled nearly ten elders. He had already expended many of his Gu worms. After arriving here, he needed to heal his injuries, so he stimulated the growth of the Wine Pouch Flower Gu and the Rice Bag Grass Gu. But in the end, he was dragged to his death by the Moon Shadow Gu.

After three hundred years of time, even the remaining Gu on him had all died.

The only things left were the Sound and Image Gu within the stone wall and the Wine Worm Gu.

This Wine Worm Gu had likely survived with great difficulty by relying on the Wine Pouch Flower Gu. But as the Wine Pouch Flower Gu withered one by one, it lost its source of food as well.

This forced it to venture out in search of wild Wine Pouch Flowers.

Then, on this night, it had been drawn by the rich fragrance of Green Bamboo Wine and arrived in front of Fang Yuan.

"The Sound and Image Gu can only record once. It is a consumable Gu worm. It seems the Wine Worm Gu was the greatest harvest of this trip. No wonder that Gu Master reported it to the Lineage. The gains must have been too small to be worth taking such a great risk." A flash of understanding rose in Fang Yuan's heart.

In his memories, that Gu Master had already been Rank Three, while the Wine Worm Gu was merely a Rank 1 Gu worm. It was rather precious to Fang Yuan, but to that Gu Master, it was dispensable.

Yet clearly, because that Gu Master had reported it, the Lineage had given him a considerable reward as well.

"Should I report this to the Lineage too?" Fang Yuan considered it, then cut off the thought.

Flower Wine Wanderer's inheritance appeared to contain only the Wine Worm Gu and Primeval Stones, but that was not actually the case.

What truly held value was this mountain wall containing the Sound and Image Gu.

Or rather, the image endlessly replaying upon the mountain wall.

This image could be sold entirely to the other villages. Fang Yuan believed that the high-level members of the other two villages on Qing Mao Mountain would certainly be very interested in this irrefutable evidence that struck at the Lineage's faith. The price they offered would surely exceed the Lineage's reward.

What?

You say the Lineage's honor and sense of belonging?

Well, sorry, but Fang Yuan did not have even a shred of either.

Besides, this image was not some powerful force capable of destroying a clan and exterminating its people. It could not cause much tangible harm.

And the cold Lineage would not value Fang Yuan either. He needed to strive on his own, carve out cultivation resources for himself, and especially in the early stages of cultivation, borrow strength from all directions.

"Rely on the Lineage? Heh heh." Fang Yuan sneered inwardly. "How could I be as naive as I was in my previous life?"

Do not rely on anyone. Everything in this world had to be earned by oneself.

After confirming that this hidden cave had been thoroughly stripped clean, Fang Yuan returned Along the original route.

Bracing against the water pressure, he squeezed out through the giant boulder and returned outside the mountain. Looking back at the boulder, Fang Yuan suddenly recalled that, in the memories of his previous life, the remains were said to have been discovered in an underground hidden cave. But where was this underground? It was clearly inside the mountain wall.

No wonder he had gone through such trouble and still failed to find it for seven consecutive days.

It seemed that after the Lineage discovered this place in his previous life, they had certainly destroyed the image wall at once, then released a mixture of truth and falsehood to mislead the clansmen.

Being able to discover this place tonight was partly luck and partly accumulated experience, but the greatest factor was probably the Green Bamboo Wine.

Its fragrance was truly rich; it could be called the finest on Qing Mao Mountain.

Perhaps in his previous life, the wine that Gu Master drank after his heartbreak had been this very wine.

But none of that was important anymore. Flower Wine Wanderer's inheritance had been completely unearthed by Fang Yuan. Though the result was somewhat disappointing, it was still understandable. Most importantly, Fang Yuan's original target, the Wine Worm Gu, was already in hand, and he had also obtained what he needed most: Primeval Stones.

"Next, I'll hole up in the inn and refine Gu worms with a single-minded focus. As long as I have my Destined Gu, I can return to the academy, qualify to live in the student dormitories, and cultivate with the Lineage's resources. Staying at this inn once or twice is fine, but staying too long costs far too much." Fang Yuan pondered as his footsteps never slowed, heading toward the village.

He had originally had two Primeval Stones left and had gained another fifteen, for a total of seventeen. But to a Gu Master, what did such a small number of Primeval Stones amount to?