Over the past few days, the temperature had been getting higher and higher.
At noon, the scorching sun shone high overhead, recklessly sprinkling down its passion.
The caravan had left, and the business in the inn had become deserted once again.
When Fang Yuan stepped into the dining hall, he immediately attracted the attention of the waiters.
A familiar face immediately ran over bootlicking, a flattering smile piled on his face: "Hey, young master, you're here! Please quickly take a seat inside."
"Give me a jar of wine, cut a catty of beef, and bring a few side dishes." Fang Yuan stepped into the dining hall and walked toward his old seat by the window.
A look of difficulty appeared on the waiter's face: "Young master, I'm sorry. When the caravan came last time, the shopkeeper sold off all the green bamboo wine. Right now, we really don't have this wine here anymore."
Fang Yuan nodded, not too surprised: "Then bring me a jar of rice wine. Furthermore, tell the shopkeeper to brew more green bamboo wine this year; I want to pre-order a hundred jars. As for how much deposit is needed, you guys calculate it first and then report to me."
Nowadays, the Liquor worm had been exposed and did not arouse any suspicion, so there was absolutely no need to have any scruples about buying wine anymore.
"Alrighty, this lowly one will definitely pass on the message! Young master, you can put your heart at absolute ease." The waiter patted his chest, his tone firm and certain.
Soon, the wine and food were brought up.
As Fang Yuan ate and drank, he looked out the window.
With the extremely hot weather, coupled with the fact that it was mealtime, there were very few pedestrians on the street.
The sunlight shone on the ground and on the green stilted bamboo buildings.
A few mortal farmers with bare feet stained with muddy water were walking in front, either carrying shovels on their shoulders or carrying shoulder poles. Clearly, they had just finished their farm work and were now rushing home.
Two little children were ahead, holding up small bamboo-framed windmills high, their little legs running rapidly. Following behind, one chased and cried loudly. It seemed the mischievous child in front had snatched the windmill away.
At this time, two young Gu Masters, wrapped with green belts around their waists, walked with brisk steps, seemingly in a hurry.
"Roll away, don't block the path!" One Gu Master violently pushed aside a farmer in front of him.
The farmers hastily dodged in panic.
"Hmph." The two young Gu Masters walked past with faces full of cold arrogance.
Fang Yuan watched this, a hint of absentmindedness in his eyes; a portion of his mind had already divided into his aperture.
In the aperture, the water membrane flowed soundlessly, and waves rose and fell on the surface of the green copper primeval sea.
The Liquor worm bobbed up and down in the primeval sea, sometimes rolling about comfortably, sometimes curling completely into a round dumpling.
The Spring Autumn Cicada had fallen into an deep slumber, hiding its figure.
The plump-bodied White Boar Gu flapped its wings and flew in the upper airspace, hovering around.
The White Boar Gu and the Black Boar Gu were equally famous; both were rare Gu worms among Rank one. Their selling price on the market was even higher than the Liquor worm.
However, although their functions were identical and their appearances similar, their future advancement routes were different.
The Black Boar Gu and the Green Silk Gu could be refined together into a Rank two Black Bristle Gu, and advancing again would yield the Rank three Steel Bristle Gu.
As for the White Boar Gu, its optimal advancement route was to be refined together with the Jade Skin Gu to form the Rank two White Jade Gu, which could then be upgraded to the Rank three Heavenly Canopy Gu.
The Steel Bristle Gu could make a Gu Master's hair as hard as steel needles, integrating both offense and defense. The Heavenly Canopy Gu made the Gu Master's whole body skin as hard as white jade, concurrently reducing the effectiveness of attacks similar to the moonblade.
Fang Yuan's heart was filled with a faint joy.
Obtaining the White Boar Gu was only one aspect; what truly made him happy was the strength inheritance of the Flower Wine Monk.
"The White Boar Gu can increase physical strength, and the Flower Wine Monk set up a giant rock to block the path. It seems he wants me to refine this White Boar Gu, so that in the future, when I have the strength, I can push aside the giant rock and continue advancing. This should be the first test."
"Following the intentions the Flower Wine Monk had in setting up this checkpoint, one can deduce that in the subsequent inheritance, there will definitely be a second and a third checkpoint. The most crucial point is that it can be confirmed that this strength inheritance he established is not a giant pit trap, but was done with great sincerity."
"Relying on this inheritance, I can reach Rank three much faster, leave this Qingmao Mountain, roam the outside world, and seize the initiative!"
In a Gu Master's cultivation, what was needed the most?
The answer was simply two words — Resources.
For Fang Yuan to cultivate, he needed resources. But the clan's resources were limited; to want resources, one had to fight for them.
Not only did one need to fight, but one must also emerge victorious in the struggle.
For him, the more he competed and the more victories he achieved, the more his trump cards would be exposed, and the more wary people would become of him.
When this wariness accumulated to a certain degree, it would form suppression, entirely blocking his advancing footsteps.
When Fang Yuan killed the family servant, why didn't the Mo branch investigate it? He robbed all his peers, so why didn't those elders hold him accountable? Fang Yuan resisted the clan and did not enter the system, so why did the clan head choose tolerance?
It was all because he was weak; he was a C grade aptitude.
They relied on their own strength and disdained to beat or kill the weak. Under the clan's system, bickering and fussing over the weak Fang Yuan was not only a loss of face, but it would also make people feel that they were ruthless and heartless, damaging their own social networks.
Being weak was currently a layer of a protective umbrella for Fang Yuan.
But as he continuously fought for and snatched resources, Fang Yuan would appear more and more powerful. This would make the crowd notice him, become wary of him, and consequently try to rope him in. No matter which faction Fang Yuan chose to side with, he would encounter suppression and constraint from the other factions.
And constraint and suppression would drag down the speed of his growth.
Fang Yuan was very clear about his current situation. His present circumstances were very profound and subtle; he seemed to have offended everyone, but in reality, he hadn't offended anyone at all.
But as time passed and his cultivation level increased, this contradiction would arise and intensify.
Fang Yuan knew that this contradiction would intensify sooner or later, but the later it intensified, the more beneficial it would be for his growth.
Thus, the appearance of this Flower Wine Monk's strength inheritance was truly too wonderful!
With this strength inheritance, he would have invisible resources. Relying on these resources, he could drift outside the system, take an independent route, cultivate unhurriedly, and secretly accumulate strength.
Once one entered the system, they had to pick a side; no matter how uncontentious one might be, they would absolutely be implicated by politics and factional strife.
People who entered the system were chess pieces. You first had to become a qualified chess piece before others could use you with peace of mind. Only when they used you with peace of mind could you have the opportunity to climb up; and while climbing, you still had to be careful not to be treated as an abandoned piece.
Fang Yuan knew about this process far too clearly. Even if one had a myriad of wisdom, one could do nothing against this type of structure. This was the rule!
The most crucial factor was that he only had a C grade aptitude; to the clan, there was simply no desire to invest in him. It would frequently be possible for him to be treated as an abandoned piece.
Therefore, the optimal development route was to develop independently. Doing it this way, the majority of the competition could also be avoided. The image he had previously meticulously built up in the minds of the village higher-ups could also be maintained.
"In this world, covert affairs are easy to do, while overt affairs are hard to accomplish. By properly utilizing the Flower Wine Monk's strength inheritance, I can cultivate secretly, accumulate strength, without attracting people's attention or drawing suppression. However, the robbing and extorting must still continue; suddenly stopping will arouse suspicion, and at the same time, I also need primeval stones." Fang Yuan pondered his future plans.
He indeed needed primeval stones.
The other peers were just beginning to refine and feed their second Gu worm. He, on the other hand, had refined the Little Light Gu and obtained the White Boar Gu. He had a full four Gu worms.
Previously, feeding the Moonlight Gu and the Liquor worm cost him close to one primeval stone a day. Now, when calculating the feeding of his Gu worms, the daily primeval stone consumption would be a little more than two pieces!
Counting his cultivation needs and his living expenses, in a single day, he would need at least five primeval stones!
Five primeval stones were enough for a mortal family of three's living expenses for five months.
Even though he had several hundred primeval stones on hand, they could not withstand such long-term expenditure.
More crucially, the further into the late stages, the greater a Gu Master's expenses would be. Especially after advancing to Rank two, every time Gu worms were refined together, it would cost a hefty sum.
Thinking of this, Fang Yuan was laden with anxiety.
Primeval stones were a problem. Relying solely on robbing and extorting schoolmates alongside his savings on hand could only delay the eruption of this problem.
Other than this, he had another trouble, which was feeding the White Boar Gu.
The food of the White Boar Gu was pork.
The character 'Boar' simply meant pig. The food for the Boar Gu series was all pork.
Both the Black and White Boar Gu had huge appetites; every five days was a meal, and for every meal, they had to eat the meat of an entire adult pig.
The price of pork in this world was not cheap; mortals would only slaughter a pig and get a taste of meat during the New Year. Without large-scale breeding techniques like on Earth, the prices of pork, beef, and so on were all things mortals could not afford to eat. At the same time, the terrain of Qingmao Mountain was steep and the living areas were narrow; how much space could there be to raise livestock?
Relying on the mountains to eat from the mountains, relying on the water to eat from the water. The pork that the mountain dwellers could occasionally eat mainly came from wild mountain boars caught and killed by hunters.
"It seems that from now on, I will have to hunt personally, killing pigs to collect meat." A glimmer of light flashed past Fang Yuan's eyes.
Just purchasing pork in the village would firstly consume primeval stones, and secondly, it would attract suspicious gazes; even if you alone loved eating pork, you wouldn't eat this frequently, or eat this much, right?
If he went hunting personally, not only would this trouble be smoothly resolved, but at the same time, it could also alleviate his financial pressure to a greater extent.
"Waiter, the bill!" Thinking of this, Fang Yuan hesitated no longer; after paying the bill, he walked out of the inn.
For these past few days, the academy had given a holiday, the purpose of which was to let the students properly refine their second Gu worm. Fang Yuan decided that he would righteously use this time to go outside the village, figure out the situation, and then kill pigs to collect meat.