At noon the next day, taking advantage of lunch time, Fang Yuan once again came to the shop area outside the mountain village.
Because they needed to work during the day, there were not too many mountain villagers among the tents and street stalls at this time.
Following his memory, Fang Yuan walked to the place where the Heart-knowing grass was sold last night. But he saw an empty wooden cart parked in the original spot. Pulling the cart was an ostrich-chicken.
It stood proudly in place, its body size as large as an ostrich and its shape like a chicken, but its back was raised, forming an arc.
A pair of broad wings were folded at its sides, its multicolored feathers bright and gorgeous.
The chicken head was held high, and the large red cockscomb was like an agate crown, flashing with a lustrous sheen under the illumination of the sunlight.
"It seems I was still a step late in the end, the Heart-knowing grass has already been completely sold out. A pity, if I could buy a few catties of Heart-knowing grass, it would save quite a lot of primeval stones." Fang Yuan paused his steps for a moment, then left this place, continuing to walk further inside.
"Come on, come and taste the fine wines of the various mountain villages. There are over a hundred kinds of fine wines here: there is top-grade Rushgrass wine, Nine-bend wine with a lingering aftereffect, the quiet and elegant Ancient Dragon Well, the sweet and sour Flowing Stone Daqu, the Hundred-spring Old Cellar that makes your mouth water, the Three Autumns Drunk with rich wine aroma…" In front of a blue, cylindrical tent, a shop assistant was shouting vigorously.
A glint flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes, and he immediately became interested. Changing direction, he entered this wine shop.
The facilities inside the wine shop were very distinctive.
At the innermost part of the tent was a long counter. A Gu Master stood guard there, and behind him, dozens of crystal ladybugs the size of wicker baskets clung to the fabric walls of the tent.
The ground of the tent was not covered with a carpet, but directly exposed the mountain rock and soil. A cluster of vibrantly colored mushrooms grew out of the soil.
These mushrooms were multicolored, round and smooth, looking somewhat cute. Some were as large as a table top, while others were as small as a low stool. Often, around a table-sized mushroom, a few small, stool-like mushrooms grew in a circle.
"These are Innocent mushrooms, intentionally catalyzed to grow by a Gu Master. They have the effect of absorbing dust and turbid air, purifying the air, and are a type of Grass Gu." Fang Yuan recognized the origin of these mushrooms at a glance.
He chose a small mushroom and sat down. The surface of the mushroom immediately depressed slightly, giving Fang Yuan the illusion of sitting on a sofa on Earth.
"Young Master, this is the wine list. Please take a look, what kind of wine would you like?" A shop assistant walked over.
Fang Yuan looked at the wine list and found that the wines here were even more expensive than green bamboo wine.
"Just bring a cup of Monkey wine." Fang Yuan put down the wine list and said.
"One cup of Monkey wine!" The shop assistant turned his head and shouted loudly.
At the counter, that Rank one Gu Master heard it, then immediately bent down and took out a bamboo tube wine cup from inside 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 massive crystal ladybugs, heads pointing down and tails pointing up, clung silently. They looked just like hanging decorations on the tent's fabric wall.
These crystal ladybugs were also a type of Gu, hollow inside their bellies, often used by Gu Masters to hold precious liquid water.
Their entire bodies were transparent, as if made of crystal. From the outside, one could see exactly what kind of wine liquid was held within the ladybugs' round bellies.
The Gu Master quickly searched among them and found the crystal ladybug containing the Monkey wine.
He placed the bamboo tube wine cup under the ladybug's mouthparts, then gently stroked the ladybug's crystal carapace with his other hand.
A minuscule trace of primeval essence surged into the crystal ladybug's body. Subsequently, the ladybug opened its mouth, and a stream of wine flowed down, pouring into the bamboo tube wine cup.
The wine splashed for a while, then abruptly stopped.
The Gu Master placed the bamboo tube wine cup full of Monkey wine on the counter. The shop assistant outside the counter had been waiting for a long time; he hurriedly and carefully picked it up, took a few quick steps, and presented it to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan only took a gentle sip. Monkey wine belonged to the category of fruit wine; its aroma was purely mellow and sweet, and it tasted soft and smooth in the mouth.
He didn't drink any more, but with a shift in his thoughts, summoned the Liquor worm.
The plump and white Liquor worm turned into a ray of white light, drawing half an arc in the air, and with a plop, dived into the wine cup.
Wine splashed everywhere, spilling onto the mushroom table top.
The Liquor worm happily rolled around in the wine cup, and the Monkey wine rapidly decreased at a visible rate. In the span of a few breaths, the wine cup was drained to the bottom, not a single drop remaining.
"It's a Liquor worm!" The Gu Master at the counter exclaimed, his eyes suddenly brightening. He was a Rank one Gu Master with only D grade aptitude, following the caravan and working in this wine tavern. He just wanted to travel around while searching for an opportunity.
A Liquor worm could refine primeval essence, raising it by a minor realm. To a Rank one Gu Master, it could be said to be an extremely precious Gu worm. Wasn't this exactly the opportunity he was bitterly seeking?
"Young Master, I wonder if you would be willing to part with your Liquor worm?" He walked over excitedly, asking with a face full of sincerity.
Fang Yuan shook his head, resolutely refusing his request, and then got up and left.
His purpose in coming here was just to proactively expose the Liquor worm; he had never thought of selling 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 entrance of the tent, but Fang Yuan did not give any response.
Ultimately, he could only stand fixed in place, watching with extreme regret as Fang Yuan's back turned the corner and disappeared from his line of sight.
…
Before he knew it, the sun gradually set, and the crescent moon soared into the sky.
In the night scenery, the moonlight spilled out like water, yet it was evaporated by the thoroughly bright lights of countless shops.
The shops tonight were surging with crowds, and business was as booming as ever. Fang Yuan moved forward, sandwiched within the crowd, and various discussions inevitably entered his ears.
"The shops are usually open for three days and three nights. Tonight is already the second night, and by the morning of the day after tomorrow, the caravan will set off again. So if we want to buy anything, we have to hurry."
"Yesterday I had my eye on a Golden Bell Gu, sigh, too expensive. I haggled with the manager for ages, but it didn't get much cheaper. I'll go take another look tonight."
"Did you guys hear? Just last night, a young lad actually opened out a Mud Skin Toad in the rock gambling casino and earned a full five hundred primeval stones!"
…
Fang Yuan listened attentively, inevitably feeling somewhat disappointed in his heart as he heard no news regarding the Liquor worm.
"The Liquor worm is only a Rank one Gu worm; it has immense significance for Rank one Gu Masters, but for Rank two or Rank three Gu Masters, it cannot refine their primeval essence. Therefore, it's normal that no one is paying attention to it. However, deliberately exposing the Liquor worm shouldn't be rushed. If it's too contrived, it will instead expose the truth." As Fang Yuan walked, he secretly pondered in his mind.
Right at this moment, the crowd ahead rapidly surged.
Immediately following, Fang Yuan heard someone shouting loudly: "Come look quickly, there's actually a black-hearted shop selling fake Gu to our clansmen!"
In the crowd, someone instantly filled with righteous indignation.
"Hmm? Such a thing actually happened."
"Let's go look quickly, which shop dares to deceive our clansmen!"
Fang Yuan also followed along with the flow of the crowd.
He saw a group of people surrounding the entrance of a large red tent, blocked three layers deep inside and outside. Some were watching curiously, some had their arms crossed watching coldly, but most people's faces were covered with a thin layer of anger.
Two people stood at the entrance of the tent.
One was a young Rank two Gu Master; looking at his attire, he was obviously a Gu Yue clansman.
The other was an acquaintance, precisely the manager and owner of the rock gambling casino, Jia Jinsheng.
The young Gu Master pinched a pitch-black Gu worm in his hand, holding it high up, and shouted loudly at the surrounding people: "Clansmen, it's this exact person in front of me who sold me a fake Gu yesterday. He coaxed and deceived me, saying it was a Black Boar Gu, and sold it to me for two hundred and fifty primeval stones. I didn't expect that after buying it back and refining it, I would discover that night that this is no Black Boar Gu at all, but clearly the most ordinary Stink Fart Fat Worm!"
Jia Jinsheng sneered repeatedly: "Don't spit blood to falsely accuse people. When did I say this Gu was a Black Boar Gu? What evidence do you have?"
Seeing Jia Jinsheng flat-out deny it, the young Gu Master flew into a rage, grabbing Jia Jinsheng's arm with one hand: "You unscrupulous merchant, you still dare to deny it! Actually daring to deceive your Gu Yue grandpa on Qing Mao Mountain, are you looking for death?!"
"Let go!" Jia Jinsheng was also angry, flicking his sleeve and swatting the young Gu Master's hand away, "If you want to cause trouble and extort money, you don't even distinguish your target clearly. I'm not afraid of you! My brother is Jia Fu, a Rank four Gu Master, what can you do to me?"
"You!" The young Gu Master glared with round eyes, but did not dare to make a move again. The title of a Rank four Gu Master had frightened him down.
"Bah!" Jia Jinsheng spat on the ground. He raised his head, looked at the young Gu Master, and let out a disdainful sneer, "It was you who wanted to greedily take a small advantage. Don't you use your brain to think about it; the Black Boar Gu can fundamentally increase a Gu Master's strength. Such a rare Rank one Gu worm has a market price more expensive than a Liquor worm, usually selling for up to six hundred primeval stones. You thought you could buy a Black Boar Gu for two hundred and fifty? Keep dreaming!"
"Bastard…" The young Gu Master ground his steel teeth until they creaked, his face thoroughly flushed red, his whole body trembling with anger, his chest filled with the raging fire of humiliation.
The crowd buzzed, restless and full of discussion. Yet not a single person dared to stand out; the title of Jia Fu being a Rank four Gu Master was like an invisible mountain, suppressing the scene.
"This guy is too detestable, truly an unscrupulous merchant!"
"No wonder he dares to be so arrogant on Qing Mao Mountain, so he's Jia Fu's younger brother."
"I heard they have the same father but different mothers. He himself only has Rank one cultivation, but relying on this relationship, he's used to throwing his weight around in the caravan."
…
"Just what happened here?" Right at this moment, a resonant voice sounded out.
"It's Jia Fu!"
"The leader has come to handle the dispute, everyone make way."
The sounds of discussion instantly halted, and the crowd hastily dispersed, forming a narrow aisle.
A short and stout middle-aged Gu Master with a fat belly walked in along the aisle. He was wearing a long-sleeved yellow robe, and it was indeed the leader of this caravan, Jia Fu.
"Lord Jia Fu, my respects." Even though the young Gu Master had a chest full of rage, he didn't dare to act out, forcefully holding it down and taking the initiative to cup his fists in greeting to Jia Fu.
Jia Jinsheng, however, stood frozen in place. He seemed not to have expected his brother's arrival, his face suddenly turning pale, a trace of shock and anger flashing through his eyes.
This minute change in expression was caught in the eyes of Fang Yuan, who had been secretly observing from a distance all along, and he instantly became thoughtful.