May was the transition between spring and summer.
The fragrance of flowers filled the air, and the great mountains were green. The sunlight began to gradually bloom its passionate side.
Under the azure clear sky, white clouds floated like cotton wadding.
On Qingmao Mountain, the green spear bamboo forest was still as straight as a spear, pointing distantly at the firmament. Wild grass was growing crazily everywhere, dotted with unnamed wild flowers in the grass clumps. When the breeze blew, the wild grass undulated, and the rich scent of pollen and green grass assailed the face.
At the waist of the mountain were a large amount of terraced fields. Layer by layer, step by step, tender green wheat seedlings were planted down. Looking from afar, it was like a verdant and tender green sea.
Quite a few farmers were busy working in the terraced fields. Some were cleaning the ditches and water channels to guide water in, some rolled up their trouser legs, standing in the fields planting rice seedlings.
These people were naturally all mortals with foreign surnames; the Gu Yue clansmen did not manage such lowly professions.
Ding a ling…
The sound of camel bells faintly transmitted over in the spring breeze.
The farmers all straightened their bodies, turning their heads to look down towards the foot of the mountain.
Only to see a caravan slowly peeking its head out from that mountain path like a colorful long bug.
"It is a caravan!"
"That's right, it is already May now, the caravan should be arriving."
The adults understood clearly in their hearts. The naughty children, however, directly abandoned playing in the water and the mud in their hands, bouncing and skipping as they ran towards the caravan.
The Southern Border had a hundred thousand great mountains, and Qingmao Mountain was merely one of them. On every mountain rested mountain villages one after another, and the people maintained the villages through bloodline kinship.
Between mountain and mountain, the mountain forests were deep and secluded, with dangerous rocks and steep cliffs. The environment was complex, inhabited by a large number of fierce beasts or strange and bizarre Gu insects.
It was simply difficult for mortals to pass through. For an individual person wanting to charge through these difficult obstacles, they would need at least the cultivation of a Rank 3 Gu Master.
Therefore the economy was depressed and trade was difficult. The most primary form of trade was the caravan.
Only by forming a massive scale like a caravan could they gather groups and bands of Gu Masters, having the ability to help each other and overcome the difficult obstacles along the way, traveling from one mountain to another.
The arrival of the caravan was like a bowl of boiling water abruptly poured into the calm and peaceful Qingmao Mountain.
"In previous years it was always April, this year it reached May before this caravan finally came. But they came at last." Hearing this news, the tavern shopkeeper truly let out a sigh of relief. The tavern's business in other months was extremely light. They only counted on the arrival of the caravan to bring in earnings that could support them for a year.
At the same time, he still had some green bamboo wine in his inventory which could be peddled to the caravan.
Not just the tavern, the business of the wine shops would also become prosperous as a result.
The caravan successively drove into the Gu Yue mountain village. Taking the lead was a Treasure Brass Toad. This toad was as tall as two and a half meters, its whole body tangerine-yellow. Its toad back was broad and thick, covered with wart lumps, just like the massive copper rivets on ancient city gates.
On the Treasure Brass Toad's back, a huge pile of goods was secured with thick hemp ropes. At first glance, it looked like the treasure toad was carrying a massive bundle on its back.
A middle-aged man with a round flatbread pockmarked face and a rolling fat stomach sat cross-legged on the toad's head. His eyes squinted into a slit from smiling, cupping his fists to greet the surrounding Gu Yue village people.
This person was surnamed Jia and named Fu, possessing a Rank 4 cultivation. He was the leader of the caravan this time.
The treasure toad hopped forward slightly. Jia Fu sat on the toad's head, extremely steady. When jumping, his height was level with the windows on the second floor. Even when landing, he was taller than the first floor of the bamboo houses.
The originally spacious street suddenly appeared somewhat narrow at this moment. The Treasure Brass Toad was like a monster, barging into the closely packed bamboo houses.
Following the treasure toad was a large fat bug. Its eyes were like stained glass windows, brightly colored and gorgeous. It was as long as fifteen meters, its body shape similar to a silkworm. But its surface was covered with a thick layer of black glazed leather armor. Similarly, fluffy piles of goods were stacked on the leather armor, tied down circling around with hemp ropes. In the gaps between the goods sat Gu Masters individually, some old, and some young.
There were also mortals, all of them being robust martial artists, following the black-skinned fat armor bug and slowly moving forward on the ground.
After the fat armor bug, there were brilliantly colorful-feathered ostrich chickens, furry giant mountain spiders, winged snakes growing two wings, and so on. But these were only a minority; most were still primarily toads.
These toads were similar to the Treasure Brass Toad, only smaller in size, having body frames like oxen or horses. Carrying goods and people, bulging their stomachs, they walked hopping step by step.
The caravan meandered deep into the mountain village.
Along the way, the children widened their eyes, looking curiously, cheering joyfully, and exclaiming in admiration.
The windows on the second floor opened one after another in succession as the mountain people observed from close range. Some had eyes flashing with wary light, some were waving their hands showing a warm welcome.
"Little brother Jia, you came a bit late this year, it has been a hard journey for you." In his identity as clan leader, Gu Yue Bo personally welcomed the leader of the caravan this time.
Jia Fu held the identity of a Rank 4 Gu Master. If a Rank 3 elder was left in charge of receiving him, it would undoubtedly be a kind of slight and contempt.
Jia Fu cupped his hands and sighed: "The journey was not very smooth this year. We ran into a flock of ghost blood bats on the road and lost quite a few good hands. Then at Cliff Mountain, we encountered a mountain fog, and truly did not dare to walk. Thus we delayed a lot of time. Making brother Gu Yue wait long."
Between their words, they were extremely polite.
The Gu Yue mountain village needed the caravan to come trade every year, and the caravan also needed amiability to generate wealth.
"Hehehe, as long as you can come it is good. Please, the clan has already prepared wine and dishes, let me host a welcoming banquet to wash off the dust for little brother." Gu Yue Bo reached out his hand to invite.
"Clan leader is too polite, too polite." Jia Fu acted flattered and overwhelmed by the favor.
The caravan arrived at the boundary of Qingmao Mountain in the morning, and stationed into the Gu Yue mountain village at noon. By evening time, a vastly expansive temporary market of stalls had formed at the periphery of the mountain village. Various tall tents of red, blue, yellow, and green were set up, and between the tents, countess small ground stalls squeezed in wherever they found a gap.
Night fell, but here it was brightly lit with lights.
An endless stream of pedestrians poured into here from the village. There were mortals, and there were also Gu Masters. Little children skipped and bounded joyfully, and the faces of the adults also emerged with a festival-like joyous expression.
Following the flow of people, Fang Yuan walked in here alone.
The crowd bustled and bustled, gathering in piles around the ground stalls, or continuously entering and exiting the tent entrances.
The sounds of peddling rose and fell around him.
"Come inside, come and take a look ah. Top grade Blue Sea Cloud Tea bricks, drinking this mouthful of tea makes you as happy as an immortal hey! Even if people do not drink it, feeding it to tea Gu is also cheap and high quality. One piece only costs five primeval stones!"
"Brute Force Horned Beetle Gu, urged by a Gu Master, it can explosively increase the strength of one ox. Passing by, walking by, you cannot miss it!"
"Intimate Heart Grass, top grade Intimate Heart Grass, everybody look at this quality, so fresh it's like it was just picked. One jin for two primeval stones, what a cheap price ah…"
Hearing this, Fang Yuan's footsteps paused slightly, and he followed the sound to look over.
Only to see an ostrich chicken pulling a two-wheeled wooden cart. Piled on the cart was a heap of pastel green grass. Every blade of grass was as long as one meter, very thin and long, averaging only the width of a fingernail. The tips of some grass even grew red heart-shaped flower buds.
Intimate Heart Grass was one of the supplementary foods for Gu insects. Its value lay in the fact that it could be paired with some foods to feed Gu insects.
For example, when Fang Yuan fed the Moonlight Gu, he needed to feed it two petals for every meal. If mixed with a blade of Intimate Heart Grass, the Moonlight Gu would be full eating just one moon orchid petal.
One jin of Intimate Heart Grass only cost two primeval stones, while every ten moon orchid petals cost one primeval stone. With a slight calculation, one knew that mixing in Intimate Heart Grass to feed the Gu insect was much more cost-effective.
"Half a month ago, I killed Gao Wan, and because I used the Moonlight Gu in the academy, I was fined thirty primeval stones. However later the Mo family compensated me thirty pieces, so it cannot be considered a loss. These days, I robbed twice, acquiring a total of one hundred and eighteen primeval stones. But recently I continuously consumed the refined middle stage primeval essence to continuously nourish my four aperture walls, consuming three primeval stones every day. Adding on the feeding expenses for the Gu insects, my own living expenses, and the primeval stones continuously invested to buy green bamboo wine. Right now I still have ninety-eight pieces in hand."
Ever since Fang Yuan killed someone, his cruel and cold-blooded image had deeply penetrated the students' hearts, and for a time no one dared to challenge him anymore. Leading to his robberies becoming greatly easier. Every time, only an extremely small number of people dared to confront him.
Fang Yuan calculated secretly in his heart, shifted his line of sight, and continued walking towards the depths of this temporary stall area.
At the Intimate Heart Grass stall, a crowd of people gathered. All were Gu Masters or students, holding primeval stones in their hands as they caused a commotion rushing to buy.
It wasn't that Fang Yuan did not have the money to buy this Intimate Heart Grass, but rather that he did not have the time.
"If I remember correctly, that Mudskin Toad is in that shop, right. In my previous life, a Gu Master gambled it out on the very first night, thus making a huge profit. I must hurry, I cannot lose a great deal to save a little."