A Gu Really Came Out?

"Eh?"

"Could it be a stone within a stone again?"

"It looked like it should be. But something was strange. This yellow earth was wrapped inside hard Purple Gold Stone Skin; it should have been pressed smooth and round, so why was its surface uneven?" The surrounding Gu Masters were puzzled.

Looking at the yellow mud ball in his hand, Fang Yuan's expression did not change, but his heart stirred slightly.

He continued rubbing it. Blue radiance flowed like water, and the soil crumbled into powder. Mixed within the powdered earth were quite a few clumps of dirt, which fell one after another onto the pile of stone powder by his feet.

"Could there really be something inside?!" Some Gu Masters stared in astonishment, their eyes widened.

"Hard to say." Some people's tones were no longer so certain.

"I think there is. It really seems like there is." Someone cried out softly.

The yellow earthen ball gradually wore down. When it was nearly the size of a palm, someone suddenly barged into the tent. "Kid, take it easy. I, Jia Jin Sheng, am buying this dirt ball!"

Fang Yuan's movements came to an abrupt halt. For a moment, all the Gu Masters in the tent focused their gazes on this person.

He looked young, around twenty to twenty-five years old. He wore a golden robe, with a silk belt around his waist. In the center of the belt was an inlaid square jade piece, bearing a horizontal jade marking that formed the rare character "one."

Clearly, he was a Rank 1 Gu Master.

Already in his twenties and still only a Rank 1 Gu Master—his aptitude clearly was not much to speak of.

Yet this man's status was somewhat special. Upon seeing him, the Gu Masters in the tent all bowed and said in unison, "Greetings, Second Young Master."

"Second Young Master?"

"He just called himself Jia Jin Sheng. Could he be the half-brother of Jia Fu, the caravan leader..."

"Then this gambling stone den must be his. But interfering so rashly now seems to break the gambling hall's rules."

The Gu Masters began whispering among themselves.

"That's right, I am the shopkeeper of this establishment. Little brother, you're so young and already out gambling on stones. Aren't you afraid your family will hold you accountable and scold you? I'll offer forty Primeval Stones for the dirt ball in your hand. What do you say? Forty Primeval Stones is no small amount. There may not even be a Gu insect inside. It is only because I am in a good mood today, and because this is your first time gambling on stones and I do not want you to lose everything, that I am letting you recover a little capital." Jia Jin Sheng strode up before Fang Yuan as he spoke.

"Forty Primeval Stones?" Fang Yuan raised his brows slightly, casting Jia Jin Sheng a sidelong glance as he sneered. "So you want to forcibly buy my mud-ball fossil? Forced buying breaks the gambling hall's rules. And this is Qing Mao Mountain—you intend to bully me, a Gu Yue, before everyone's eyes?"

"Hm?" Hearing Fang Yuan's final words, the other Gu Masters present could no longer remain still. A shared hatred for the enemy rose in their hearts, and they crowded toward Fang Yuan one after another. Their gazes at Jia Jin Sheng also turned hostile.

Jia Jin Sheng had thought that a fifteen-year-old like Fang Yuan would be easy to handle, that a few words would be enough to pry open his heart. He had not expected Fang Yuan's methods to be so formidable. With a single sentence, light as a feather yet heavy as Mount Tai, Fang Yuan had thrown him into an unfavorable position!

Seeing the Gu Masters crowding forward, Jia Jin Sheng's expression changed at once. He changed his tune and hurriedly waved his hands. "Little brother, you misunderstand! I am the shopkeeper of this gambling stone den. How could I tear down my own platform and ruin my own rules? Would I still be able to do business afterward? Heh heh heh. I merely found your dirt ball interesting and wanted to buy it. If you do not want to sell, then forget it. But if there is nothing inside later, do not blame me for failing to warn you in advance."

Fang Yuan ignored him. Turning his head, he once again focused on rubbing the mud ball in his hand.

His movements were slow and meticulous. Often, only after some time would wisps and threads of dry mud powder drift down.

As he worked, a sleeping Gu insect gradually showcased itself before everyone's eyes.

"My heavens, there really is a Gu insect!"

"A Gu really came out!!"

"Are you kidding me? Gambling on stones like this can actually work?"

"This boy's luck is about to explode. He actually rammed into a Gu insect through sheer luck."

For a time, cries of amazement passed through the Gu Masters one after another.

The female Gu Master covered her mouth unconsciously, staring at the scene in disbelief.

Since becoming a clerk, she had traveled through many mountain villages and encountered all sorts of people, countless customers, yet she had never witnessed such a dramatic scene.

"There really is a Gu insect!" A hint of cold light flashed through Jia Jin Sheng's eyes, and he secretly hated it bitterly. Narrow-minded, jealous, and envious, he loved nothing more than taking advantage of others. What he hated most was being taken advantage of himself.

He had opened this gambling stone den and planted a tightly woven web of informants within it. Whenever a customer seemed likely to reveal a Gu insect, he would receive word and appear; usually, he would forcibly buy it.

Now, Fang Yuan had revealed a Gu insect in his gambling hall, right beneath his nose. Jia Jin Sheng felt as though his heart were bleeding.

What had come out was a Toad Gu.

Its whole body was a muddy yellow, its belly pale yellow and its back brownish yellow, covered in bumps and the wart-like lumps unique to toads. At first glance, it looked somewhat creepy.

It was not large, only the size of a palm. Resting in a hand, it was like holding two or three eggs.

Amid all the astonished, envious, and jealous gazes, Fang Yuan's expression remained calm. He carefully mobilized his primeval essence and injected it into the toad's body.

At once, the toad was refined by him.

Gu insects extracted from fossils were all extremely weak. Not only did they have little strength remaining, but their wills were muddled and chaotic as well. They had no ability to resist and could be easily refined by a Gu Master.

Fang Yuan awakened the Toad Gu from its slumber. It slowly opened its eyes, its belly swelling slightly as it gave a faint croak.

Though the sound was light and weak, it caused the expressions on everyone else's faces to suddenly become exceedingly colorful.

The difference in value between a living Gu and a Death Gu was enormous.

"It's a living Gu—it revealed a living Gu!!" Someone rubbed their eyes, unable to believe it.

"This is a Warty Earth Toad! Damn it, it really is a Warty Earth Toad!" Someone recognized the Toad Gu's identity and shouted excitedly.

"This boy struck it rich. Why don't I have that kind of luck!" Someone sighed, their emotions tangled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Young master, congratulations, truly! This... this... this is the most precious Gu insect I have ever seen!" The female Gu Master was so excited that her words came out in a jumble, her eyes shining brightly.

"It's actually a Warty Earth Toad! This is a rare Rank 2 Gu, worth a full five hundred Primeval Stones. Damn it, damn it! Such a Gu insect was revealed in my own shop. I have suffered a huge loss, a huge loss!" Jia Jin Sheng's face turned pale as he stared fixedly at the toad. A fierce impulse surged within him, urging him to snatch it away.

But he knew he could not. If he truly did so, he would be courting death.

This was not his family's village, but foreign territory—the land of the Gu Yue Clan.

"Perhaps if I had offered several dozen more Primeval Stones, I might have persuaded him to transfer it to me. Right, he is only an academy student. If I offered one hundred Primeval Stones, I need not fear that he would not be tempted. Why did I not do that?" Jia Jin Sheng's chest was filled with regret.

"No, perhaps this kid does not know its value. Although he revealed this Warty Earth Toad, I should still be able to suppress the price and buy it!" A trace of new hope appeared in Jia Jin Sheng's heart.

But the next moment, Fang Yuan's words mercilessly shattered that trace of hope.

Fang Yuan calmly gazed at the Warty Earth Toad resting in his palm, regardless of how the others cried out in astonishment and envy.

In an even tone, he said to Jia Jin Sheng, "Warty Earth Toad, a Rank 2 Gu. It eats one jin of yellow mud per meal; the more fertile the yellow mud, the better. It is rare, and the indispensable main Gu for refining the Treasure Qi Brass Toad. Its market price is five hundred Primeval Stones. Jia Jin Sheng, do you wish to buy it?"

"You... you know it so clearly..." Jia Jin Sheng's lips trembled. Struck by this blow, he nearly could not speak for a moment.

Fang Yuan gave a light laugh and continued, "If you are unwilling, then forget it. I will sell it to someone else. I believe someone will buy it.

"Wait, wait. I'll buy it, I'll buy it. But can the price be a little cheaper?" A bitter smile appeared on Jia Jin Sheng's face.

Fang Yuan turned and left.

Jia Jin Sheng hurriedly chased after him. "Don't! Don't go! I'll buy it, I'll buy it!"

Fang Yuan had never planned to raise this Warty Earth Toad.

It was a Rank 2 Gu, while Fang Yuan was currently only at the initial stage of Rank 1. Though it ate yellow mud, Qing Mao Mountain was covered everywhere in green soil, making food difficult to obtain.

Furthermore, if he did not sell this Toad Gu, Fang Yuan would have to feed three Gu insects on his own. Not only would the consumption of Primeval Stones increase, the Primeval Stones he currently possessed were simply insufficient to feed them.

Thus, Fang Yuan's goal had always been to sell the Warty Earth Toad, obtain five hundred Primeval Stones, and make a tidy profit.

Five hundred Primeval Stones was already a substantial sum for a Rank 1 Gu Master at Fang Yuan's level.

The transaction was completed quickly. Before everyone's eyes, Fang Yuan transferred the Warty Earth Toad to Jia Jin Sheng and accepted five heavy money bags in return. Each bag contained exactly one hundred Primeval Stones.

Fang Yuan originally had ninety-eight Primeval Stones. He had consumed sixty in gambling on stones, leaving thirty-eight. With this, his wealth multiplied several times over in an instant, reaching five hundred and thirty-eight Primeval Stones!

Many Gu Masters watched this happen with their own eyes, and their eyes turned red.

Fang Yuan tucked all five money bags into his clothes, picked up the final Purple Gold fossil, and leisurely walked out of the tent.

"Young master, aren't you going to open this Primeval Stone?" The female Gu Master blinked repeatedly, calling loudly at Fang Yuan's retreating back.

Fang Yuan turned a deaf ear and left the gambling stone den without looking back.

He left behind a group of stunned Gu Masters, staring at one another in silent dismay.