About three hundred years ago, a genius figure emerged in the Gu Yue clan.
Overflowing with talent, while still a youth, he had already cultivated to the stage of a Rank 5 Gu Master, and still possessed the possibility of advancing further. Renowned across Qingmao Mountain, his glory was boundless, and the clansmen pinned their hopes and heavy responsibilities on him.
He was exactly the most widely praised Fourth Generation Clan Head in the history of the Gu Yue clan.
Unfortunately, to protect his clansmen, the Fourth Generation Clan Head fought against the demonic path's Flower Wine Monk, who was similarly a Rank 5 Gu Master. Even though he defeated the Flower Wine Monk after a grand, intense battle and made this demon kneel and beg for mercy.
In the end, however, the Fourth Generation Clan Head was careless and suffered a sinister sneak attack from the Flower Wine Monk.
The Fourth Generation furiously struck the Flower Wine Monk dead, but he himself was too heavily injured to recover, passing away at an early age.
This tragedy-filled story had been passed down to the present day, widely praised by the Gu Yue clansmen.
But Fang Yuan understood that this story could not be entirely believed. Because it inherently possessed a massive loophole.
A month later in his past life, a Gu Master who had gotten drunk due to a broken heart lay dead drunk outside the mountain village. As a result, the overflowing fragrance of wine unexpectedly attracted a Liquor worm.
Chasing this Liquor worm, the Gu Master discovered the remains of the Flower Wine Monk in a secret underground cave, and simultaneously found the legacy left behind by the Flower Wine Monk.
The Gu Master hurriedly returned to the clan and reported this matter, causing a massive sensation.
After the disturbance gradually subsided, he also benefited from this, obtaining the Liquor worm. His cultivation increased, and the girlfriend who had abandoned him even turned around and pursued him. This matter made him a prominent figure in the village for a time.
As a story is passed down from generation to generation, it is normal for it to lose its original shape. But Fang Yuan remembered that while the account of that Gu Master discovering the legacy was extremely authentic and credible, he also suspected that other truths might be hidden within it.
"I had not noticed it originally, but these past few days as I explored while analyzing, I discovered that there is something strange about this incident." As the night grew thicker, Fang Yuan walked in the bamboo forest on the outskirts of the mountain village, mentally reviewing and integrating all his known clues.
"Putting myself in his shoes, assuming I was that Gu Master and discovered the Flower Wine Monk's legacy, why not monopolize it alone instead of reporting it to the clan? Do not bring up any sense of clan honor; all humans have greed. What compelled that Gu Master to go against his inner desires, willingly forfeit all the benefits, and report this discovery to the clan's higher-ups?"
The truth is always hidden in the fog of history. Fang Yuan pondered bitterly but found no result.
After all, there were too few clues. The only two clues themselves were a mix of truth and falsehood, and could not be completely believed.
Fang Yuan could not help but think of himself again: "No matter what, after buying this jar of Green Bamboo wine, I only have two primeval stones left on me right now. If I still cannot find the legacy, things will be troublesome. My actions today can be considered a desperate gamble!"
However, he inherently did not have enough primeval stones to refine a Gu worm anyway. It was better to invest them in this wine to increase the success rate of this endeavor.
If it were someone else, most would probably methodically save up primeval stones.
But to Fang Yuan, this method was too inefficient in efficiency. He would rather risk the danger to make a gamble.
People of the demonic path, after all, always love to take risks.
At this moment.
The night deepened, and the spring moon was like a bow.
Drifting clouds obscured the moonlight, as if draping a thin layer of gauze over the crescent moon.
Because a heavy rain had just fallen continuously for three days and three nights, the foul air in the mountains had been completely washed away, leaving only the purest freshness.
This kind of fresh air, as pure as a blank sheet of paper, was more conducive to the spread of the wine fragrance. This was one of the reasons Fang Yuan was fully confident tonight.
"Only this area is left unexplored." Reaching a certain spot in the bamboo forest, he stopped his footsteps.
The explorations of the previous seven days were not without harvest. At the very least, they proved that the Flower Wine Monk did not die in those places.
This was the second reason for Fang Yuan's confidence.
In the bamboo forest, fragrant grass was lush, white flowers bloomed endlessly, and the green spear bamboos stood perfectly straight, like stalks of jade poles.
Fang Yuan slapped open the clay seal of the small wine jar, and instantly a rich wine fragrance assailed his nose.
Green Bamboo wine could be said to be the number one finest wine in Gu Yue Village. This was the third reason for Fang Yuan's confidence tonight.
"With these three major reasons piled together, if it is to succeed, it must be tonight!" While silently cheering himself on in his heart, Fang Yuan slowly tilted the wine jar, pouring down a small stream of Green Bamboo wine that dripped onto a rock.
If those few hunters had seen this scene, their hearts would definitely ache to death. This wine was worth a full two primeval stones…
But Fang Yuan remained completely indifferent.
The mellow scent of wine quickly spread. In the night, the clear breeze blew gently, and the hidden fragrance drifted, saturating a patch of the bamboo forest.
Fang Yuan stood in place, smelling the wine fragrance, waiting for a moment, but did not see any movement.
There was only a nightingale-like bird singing not far away, its voice like a string of silver bells.
His gaze was calm, completely unsurprised. Taking a step, he turned and went to the next spot several hundred meters away.
At this spot, he followed the same method, pouring out another stream of wine, and stood in place to wait for a moment.
Doing this repeatedly, moving to several locations and pouring wine several times, there was very little Green Bamboo wine left in the jar.
"This is the last time." Fang Yuan sighed in his heart. He completely inverted the wine jar in his hand, its bottom facing the sky, and poured out the only remaining stream of wine entirely.
The wine water sprinkled into the grass. The green grass swayed, and the wild flowers, moistened by the wine dew, slightly lowered their heads.
Fang Yuan stood in place, holding onto his final hope, gazing closely at the surroundings.
The night was already deep.
A dense patch of dark clouds veiled the moonlight here.
Shadow and darkness were like a curtain covering this bamboo forest.
The surroundings were completely silent. The green spear bamboos stood solitarily one by one, leaving vertical silhouettes in Fang Yuan's eyes.
He quietly stood in place, listening to his extremely clear breathing, and then feeling that bit of residual hope within his chest continuously draining, flowing empty.
"Has it still failed." He muttered in his heart. "Tonight, with the three great advantages combined, it still did not succeed, failing to find a trace of the Liquor worm. This means the success rate will be even lower in the future. I only have two primeval stones left on me right now, and I still have to refine the Moonlight Gu. I cannot take risks anymore."
The results of taking risks are often not ideal. But once it is an ideal result, the returns are bound to be considerable.
Fang Yuan liked taking risks, but he was not addicted to gambling. He was not the type of gambler who would see red and single-mindedly want to win back his capital.
He had his own bottom line; he knew his own capital.
Now, five hundred years of life experience told him it was time to fold his hands.
Sometimes, life is just like this. There is often that one goal; it is so beautiful, full of allure. It seems close at hand, but after expending great effort, it can never be reached. It makes one toss and turn, thinking of it waking and sleeping.
"This is the helplessness of life, and also the charm of life." Fang Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile, turning around to leave.
Just at this moment.
A gust of wind blew over, like a gentle arm, lightly brushing away the drifting clouds in the night sky.
The drifting clouds floated past casually, revealing the obscured crescent moon.
The crescent moon curved, hanging in the sky, like a white jade cup pouring down clear, water-like moonlight.
The moonlight showered down upon the green spear bamboo forest, upon the mountain rocks, upon the streams and ravines, and upon Fang Yuan's body.
Fang Yuan wore relatively plain clothes, and his young face appeared even whiter under the gentle touch of the moonlight.
The darkness seemed to fade away in an instant, replaced by a ground full of snow-like frost radiance.
Seemingly infected by the moonlight, the quieted nightingales began to sing again. This time it was not just one, but several, scattered throughout this bamboo forest, echoing each other in succession.
At the same time, a type of Dragon Pill Cricket that lived in the deep mountains and was active under the moonlight also sang a rustling song of life.
They were insects that only came out to roam at night, their bodies emitting red light. At this moment, they leaped out in swarms, every single one flashing with an agate-like brilliance on their bodies.
At first glance, Fang Yuan perceived this swarm of Dragon Pill Crickets as a stream of leaping crimson water, treading on the green grass and wildflowers, bounding forward in the moonlit bamboo forest.
The bamboo forest was as clear as accumulated water, and the jade-green spear bamboos flashed with a lustrous, jade-like radiance under the moonlight.
The view opened up beautifully; nature, at this moment, displayed her beautiful and bright radiance to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan unconsciously stopped his footsteps, feeling as if he had been placed in a fairyland.
He was originally about to turn and leave, but at this moment, he vaguely turned back for another look out of subconscious habit.
That patch of wild flowers and grass where the Green Bamboo wine had been poured trembled slightly in the wind, still empty of anything.
Fang Yuan laughed in self-mockery and withdrew his gaze.
However.
Unexpectedly, during the process of raising his eyes, he saw a speck of white snowy shadow.
This snowy shadow clung to a green spear bamboo pole not far away. Under the moonlight, it looked exactly like a perfectly round, hanging pearl.
Fang Yuan's pupils violently dilated, his body trembled slightly, and his heart pounded, soon beating faster and faster.
It was the Liquor worm!