Monkey Wine, Wine Bug's Opportunity Not Yielded

The next day at noon, during lunchtime, Fang Yuan returned to the shop area outside the mountain stronghold.

Because of the daytime work, there weren't many mountain folk among the tent stalls at this time.

Fang Yuan followed his memory to the place where Heart-Knowing Grass was sold last night. He found an empty cart parked in its spot. Pulling the cart was a Camel Chicken.

It stood proudly in place, its body as large as an ostrich, shaped like a chicken, but with a raised back forming an arc.

A pair of wide wings were folded at its sides, its colorful feathers vibrant and brilliant.

Its chicken head was held high, the bright red comb like an agate crown, shining with a lustrous light under the sun.

"It seems I was too late after all. The Heart-Knowing Grass has already been sold out. What a shame, if I had bought a few pounds of Heart-Knowing Grass, I could have saved a lot of primeval stones." Fang Yuan paused his steps and then left the spot, continuing further inside.

"Come, come, taste the fine wines from various mountain villages. There are over a hundred types of exquisite wines here, including the fine Grass Lamp Wine, the lingering Nine Bend Wine, the serene and elegant Ancient Dragon Well, the sweet and sour Flower Stone Daqu, the mouth-watering Hundred Springs Old Cellar, and the fragrant Drunken Three Autumns..." In front of a blue, barrel-shaped tent, a shop assistant was enthusiastically shouting.

Fang Yuan's eyes flickered, and he immediately became interested. He changed direction and entered the wine shop.

The facilities inside the wine shop were quite distinctive.

At the very back of the tent was a long counter. A Gu Master stood guard, and behind him, dozens of Crystal Water gourds, the size of woven bamboo baskets, clung to the tent's fabric walls.

The ground of the tent was not carpeted but exposed mountain stones and soil. A cluster of vibrantly colored mushrooms grew from the earth.

These mushrooms were colorful and round, some looking quite cute. Some were as large as tabletops, while others were as small as stools. Often, a mushroom as large as a tabletop would be surrounded by several smaller, stool-sized mushrooms.

"These are Innocent Mushrooms, intentionally cultivated by Gu Masters. They absorb dust and turbid air, purifying the atmosphere, and are a type of grass Gu," Fang Yuan recognized the origin of these mushrooms at a glance.

He chose a small mushroom to sit on. The surface of the mushroom immediately sank slightly, giving Fang Yuan the illusion of sitting on a sofa back on Earth.

"Young Master, here is the wine list. What would you like to drink?" a shop assistant approached.

Fang Yuan looked at the wine list and found that the wines here were even more expensive than Green Bamboo Wine.

"Just a cup of Monkey Wine," Fang Yuan said, putting down the wine list.

"A cup of Monkey Wine!" the shop assistant turned and shouted loudly.

At the counter, the Rank 1 Gu Master heard this and immediately bent down, taking a bamboo wine cup from behind the counter.

Then, holding the wine cup, he turned around to face the tent behind him. On the blue canvas of the tent, dozens of large Crystal Water ladybugs were clinging, heads down and tails up, motionless. They looked like decorations on the tent's fabric walls.

These Crystal Water Ladybugs were also a type of Gu, hollow in the belly, often used by Gu Masters to store precious liquids.

They were completely transparent, as if made of crystal. From the outside, one could see what kind of wine was stored in the plump bellies of the ladybugs.

The Gu Master quickly found the Crystal Water ladybug containing the Monkey Wine.

He placed the bamboo wine cup beneath the ladybug's mouthparts and then gently stroked the ladybug's crystal carapace with his other hand.

A very small amount of true essence flowed into the Crystal Water ladybug's body. Subsequently, the ladybug opened its mouth, and a stream of wine flowed down, pouring into the bamboo wine cup.

The wine gurgled for a moment before suddenly stopping.

The Gu Master placed the filled bamboo wine cup on the counter. The shop assistant waiting outside had been anticipating this and quickly and carefully took it, hurried a few steps, and brought it to Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan took only a gentle sip. Monkey Wine was a type of fruit wine, with a clear, sweet aroma and a smooth, mellow taste.

He didn't drink any more. Instead, with a thought, he summoned the Wine Bug.

The plump, white Wine Bug transformed into a white light, drawing a semicircle in the air, and with a splash, it dove into the wine cup.

Wine splashed out, scattering onto the mushroom tabletop.

The Wine Bug rolled happily in the wine cup, and the Monkey Wine rapidly decreased at a visible rate. Within a few breaths, the cup was completely dry, not a drop remaining.

"It's a Wine Bug!" the Gu Master at the counter exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly. He was a Rank 1 Gu Master with only D-grade aptitude. He followed the merchant caravan and worked in this wine shop, hoping to find opportunities while traveling.

A Wine Bug could refine true essence and improve one's cultivation by a small realm. For a Rank 1 Gu Master, it was an extremely precious Gu worm. Wasn't this the very opportunity he had been desperately seeking?

"Young Master, I wonder if you would be willing to part with your Wine Bug?" he asked, walking over excitedly with a sincere expression.

Fang Yuan shook his head, resolutely refusing him, and then got up to leave.

His purpose for coming here was to intentionally expose the Wine Bug; he had never intended to sell it.

"Young Master, Young Master, please wait. I am very sincere, perhaps we can sit down and discuss it slowly." The Gu Master reluctantly followed Fang Yuan to the tent entrance, but Fang Yuan showed no response.

In the end, he could only stand rooted in place, watching Fang Yuan's retreating figure turn a corner and disappear from view with immense regret.

Unknowingly, the sun gradually set, and the crescent moon spun upwards.

In the night, moonlight poured down like water, but it was evaporated by the bright lights of countless shops.

The shops tonight were crowded, and business was still booming. Fang Yuan was carried forward by the crowd, and various discussions inevitably reached his ears.

"The shops usually open for three days and three nights. Tonight is already the second night, and the caravan will depart the morning after tomorrow. So, if we want to buy something, we need to hurry."

"Yesterday I saw a Golden Bell Gu, alas, it was too expensive. I haggled with the shopkeeper for a long time, but the price didn't come down much. I'll go take another look tonight."

"Did you guys hear? Just last night, a young man actually unearthed a Warty Earth Toad at the gambling stones arena, earning a full five hundred primeval stones!"

Fang Yuan listened carefully, feeling a bit disappointed. He hadn't heard any news about the Wine Bug.

"The Wine Bug is just a Rank 1 Gu worm. It's very significant for Rank 1 Gu Masters, but for Rank 2 or Rank 3 Gu Masters, it can no longer refine true essence. So, it's normal that no one is paying attention. However, intentionally exposing the Wine Bug can't be rushed. If it's too deliberate, it will backfire," Fang Yuan mused inwardly as he walked.

Just then, there was a rapid surge in the crowd ahead.

Immediately after, Fang Yuan heard someone shout: "Come quickly and see, there's a black-hearted shop selling fake Gu to our tribesmen!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd was filled with righteous indignation.

"Huh? What's going on here?"

"Quick, go see which shop dares to cheat our clansmen!"

Fang Yuan followed the crowd and went over.

He saw a group of people surrounding the entrance of a bright red tent, packed three layers deep, outside and inside. Some were watching with curiosity, some stood with their arms crossed, looking on coldly, but most of their faces were clouded with a thin layer of anger.

Two people stood at the entrance of the tent.

One was a young Rank 2 Gu Master, and judging by his attire, he was clearly a Gu Yue clansman.

The other was an acquaintance, the shopkeeper of the gambling stones stall, Jia Jin Sheng.

The young Gu Master held a dark Gu worm in his hand, raising it high, and shouted to the surrounding people, "Clansmen, this man before me sold me a fake Gu yesterday. He tricked me, saying it was a Black Pig Gu, and sold it to me for two hundred and fifty primeval stones. Little did I know, after refining it, I discovered that night it wasn't a Black Pig Gu at all, but the most common Stinky Fart Fat Worm!"

Jia Jin Sheng sneered repeatedly, "Don't spew slander. When did I ever say this Gu was a Black Pig Gu? What proof do you have?"

Seeing Jia Jin Sheng deny it outright, the young Gu Master became furious. He grabbed Jia Jin Sheng's arm, "You scoundrel, you still dare to deny it! You dare to cheat your Gu Yue elder on Qing Mao Mountain, are you looking to die?!"

"Let go!" Jia Jin Sheng was also enraged. He flicked his sleeve, swatting away the young Gu Master's hand, "You want to cause trouble and extort money, but you don't even know who you're messing with. I'm not afraid of you! My brother is Jia Fu, a Rank 4 Gu Master, what can you do to me?"

"You!" The young Gu Master glared with wide eyes, but he no longer dared to make a move. The reputation of a Rank 4 Gu Master had intimidated him.

"Pah!" Jia Jin Sheng spat on the ground. He raised his head, looked at the young Gu Master, and let out a disdainful scoff, "You were greedy for a bargain, you didn't even use your brain to think. The Black Pig Gu can fundamentally increase a Gu Master's strength. It's such a rare Rank 1 Gu worm, its market price is even more expensive than the Wine Bug, usually selling for six hundred primeval stones. You thought you could buy a Black Pig Gu for two hundred and fifty? Dream on!"

"Bastard..." The young Gu Master gritted his teeth so hard they creaked, his face flushed red, his whole body trembling with anger. His chest was filled with the fire of humiliated rage.

The crowd buzzed and stirred restlessly, chattering amongst themselves. However, no one dared to step forward. Jia Fu's reputation as a Rank 4 Gu Master was like an invisible mountain, suppressing the scene.

"This kid is too detestable, truly a scoundrel!"

"No wonder he dares to be so arrogant on Qing Mao Mountain, turns out he's Jia Fu's brother."

"I heard they are half-brothers. He himself only has Rank 1 cultivation, but he's used this connection to act arrogantly in the merchant caravan."

"What exactly happened here?" Just then, a loud voice rang out.

"It's Jia Fu!"

"The leader is here to handle the dispute, everyone make way."

The murmuring immediately ceased, and the crowd quickly parted, forming a narrow passage.

A short, stout middle-aged Gu Master with a fat belly walked in along the passage. He wore a yellow robe with long sleeves, and he was the leader of this merchant caravan, Jia Fu.

"Lord Jia Fu, greetings." Despite his overwhelming anger, the young Gu Master dared not act out. He forcibly suppressed himself and took the initiative to cup his fists and salute Jia Fu.

Jia Jin Sheng, however, stood frozen on the spot. He seemed to have not expected his brother's arrival, his face suddenly turned pale, and a flicker of shock and anger flashed in his eyes.

This slight change in expression was noticed by Fang Yuan, who had been observing from afar, and he immediately became thoughtful.