Guan River, slender as a jade ribbon, was carved across the eastern reaches of the Central Continent.
The waters of Guan River always flowed with such languid grace, like a beautiful long song whose melody drifted and turned.
Ying Wuxie stood on the riverbank, waiting for Feng Chanzi to arrive.
Meanwhile, Hei Loulan, Shi Nu, Tai Bai Yunsheng, and the others lay hidden nearby, standing guard over Ying Wuxie.
The river babbled softly. One or two dragonflies hovered over the water's surface, sometimes pausing in midair, sometimes alighting on the tips of guan grass.
Guan grass grew in abundance within the river.
This plant rooted itself in the muddy riverbed, drawing nourishment from below. Its stem was long and supple, supporting the tip of the grass so it broke the surface of the water.
At the tip of each blade of guan grass hung a brown, earthen-colored fruit.
At present, the fruit was about the size of a fist and not yet ripe. It was hollow inside, not tightly sealed, with a wide open mouth at its crown.
Just then, a dragonfly, following the scent wafting from inside the fruit, blundered straight into it.
It struggled a few times, then was overwhelmed by the rich fragrance and lost consciousness, never to fly out again.
Ying Wuxie watched this scene in silence.
He knew: in a few more months, as the fruit grew larger still, it would attract even more flying insects, water bugs, even small fish and shrimp. During its growth process, the fruit's opening would gradually close. Once fully mature, the tip of the guan grass would look like a brown earthen jar hanging from a stalk, completely sealed shut.
Then Guan River would welcome its annual flood season.
During the flood, Guan River abandoned its gentle demeanor entirely. The current turned fierce and turbulent, scouring countless guan grass plants from the water. Brown jar-fruits were torn free from their stems by the rushing current and carried away on the waves.
On both banks of Guan River, Gu Masters would spring into action, fishing out the guan grass fruits.
Cracking them open, they could obtain fish and insects, as well as guan grass seeds. And with a certain probability, a Gu Insect would have formed inside.
These Gu Insects, dormant within the guan grass, could be easily refined by anyone.
The superpower among the Ten Great Ancient Sects—Fengyun Manor—controlled Guan River, and every year at this time they would organize a Guan River Festival. Countless Gu Masters of every age and gender would be drawn not only from Fengyun Manor's own disciples, but from all the surrounding factions large and small. The bustle was extraordinary.
Ying Wuxie gazed at the guan grass on the river's surface, but his eyes were distant and unfocused.
To obtain the Light of Antiquity, he had already lingered near Guan River for some time.
Outwardly he appeared calm and composed, still as water, but inside, anxiety had been building up for a long while. And as time passed, that unease only grew heavier.
"I carry the Spring Autumn Cicada, but it has been sealed and cannot be used. Until I re-refine it, Heavenly Will can keep its eyes on me at all times. Heavenly Will will not only subtly influence my thoughts without a trace, it will also lay schemes—manipulate other beings to hunt me down. I cannot give Heavenly Will the leisure to scheme by staying in one place. I absolutely cannot linger too long. If Feng Chanzi stands me up again this time, I'll have no choice but to abandon this lead."
Ying Wuxie steeled his resolve in silence.
At that very moment, a streak of cyan-green light skimmed low across the wide surface of Guan River, hurtling toward Ying Wuxie with startling speed.
"That Sixth Transformation Grass Head God!"
"Stay sharp. Watch for trouble."
The members of the Shadow Sect communicated secretly through mental transmission, all of them bracing themselves.
When the Grass Head God saw Ying Wuxie again, it adopted an arrogant air, raising its chin. "The Light of Antiquity is in my possession. But my master says that while a trade is possible, the previous price is no longer acceptable. You'll have to raise your offer by another thirty percent on top of that!"
"What? Another thirty percent increase?"
"That's daylight robbery. Does Feng Chanzi really have the nerve?"
"The price was already exorbitant. Raising it by thirty percent? That's far too much!"
Shi Nu and Tai Bai Yunsheng exchanged hushed words.
Ying Wuxie was inwardly furious as well, but there was nothing he could do. He desperately needed the Light of Antiquity. To refine the Immortal Journey Fixer, the Light of Antiquity was indispensable. There was no way around this hurdle.
After a moment of silence, Ying Wuxie nodded. "I agree."
The Grass Head God snorted coldly. "Then let's proceed with the trade."
Ying Wuxie had long since made thorough preparations. The two sides completed the exchange swiftly.
The Grass Head God counted everything carefully, and a hint of satisfaction crossed its expression.
Ying Wuxie had suffered heavy losses and paid a steep price, but he had yearned for this for so long, and now that the Light of Antiquity was finally in his hands, joy outweighed the pain.
He smiled at the Grass Head God. "This trade has been pleasant for both sides. If the opportunity arises, we can cooperate again in the future."
The Grass Head God replied, "Hmph, cooperate again? That will depend on my master's mood. In truth, my master had no intention of trading with you this time. It was only because he recently lost a bet to Langzi Qiu and wants to recoup his losses that he sent me here. You had better remember clearly: this Light of Antiquity was absolutely not given to you by my master!"
"Understood, understood. Your household is vast and prosperous, with stores as deep as the ocean. What is one small piece of the Light of Antiquity compared to all that? No one would ever notice it missing," Ying Wuxie flattered.
"Good. The matter is settled. Leave immediately. Don't linger here too long." The Grass Head God offered this final instruction, then turned and departed.
In truth, he did not need the reminder—Ying Wuxie had already decided to leave at once!
Using concealment techniques, he flew over ten thousand li before the Shadow Sect party finally touched down in an unnamed forest for a brief rest.
"Even though we've obtained the Light of Antiquity, Feng Chanzi drove an extremely hard bargain. We paid too much. To successfully refine the Immortal Journey Fixer, we'll still need to find other supplementary immortal materials," Shi Nu said.
"Fortunately, now that we have the Light of Antiquity in hand, things become much simpler. We can still rely on the Reverse Organization," Tai Bai Yunsheng suggested.