Like Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng, Gu Yue Qingshu was also an orphan.
His parents had both sacrificed their lives in the tides when he was still a child.
He was personally raised by Patriarch Gu Yue Bo. After his aptitude was measured as Grade B, he received further personal instruction from Gu Yue Bo. His talent was outstanding even among Grade B cultivators — one could practically call him a "pseudo-Grade A." Gu Yue Bo had continuously groomed him as a candidate for patriarch.
Gu Yue Qingshu had a gentle temperament and was highly approachable, earning the praise and affection of the surrounding clansmen. He was fiercely loyal to the clan. Fang Zheng's appearance had dashed his hopes of inheriting the position of patriarch, but rather than resentment, he felt only joy, devoting himself wholeheartedly to looking after Fang Zheng.
A figure like this, placed on Earth, would be of the caliber of Yue Fei, Wei Zheng, or Bao Zheng.
Tragically, during the wolf tide a year later, the northern gate fell. To plug the breach and protect the clansmen from harm, he volunteered himself. In the end, with only Second Transformation cultivation, he forced a Third Transformation Gu Insect into activation — holding the pass alone against ten thousand — and successfully defended the stockade.
But the effort destroyed his Empty Orifice, and he ultimately perished, transformed into a treant.
It was for this reason that Gu Yue Qingshu had left a deep impression on Fang Yuan.
When Gu Yue Qingshu saw Fang Yuan sighing, he naturally couldn't have guessed that Fang Yuan was recalling his own death. He assumed Fang Yuan was also troubled about the Wine Worm.
He smiled faintly: "I imagine you already understand the Wine Worm's limitations, Fang Yuan. That's right — the Wine Worm is only a First Transformation Gu Insect. It can only refine First Transformation Bronze True Essence. You were once a Second Transformation Gu Master, and the Wine Worm is incapable of refining Red Iron True Essence. Although you now have the tavern, making it more convenient to raise the Wine Worm, what's the point of keeping something useless?"
Then he shifted his tone: "However, though the Wine Worm is useless to you, it could benefit other First Transformation Gu Masters. Especially after next spring's Opening Orifice Ceremony, when the clan will see a new batch of students — the Wine Worm would be of great help to them. So why not sell the Wine Worm to the clan and contribute your part?"
Fang Yuan remained silent.
Qingshu pondered for a moment, then divined Fang Yuan's thoughts: "I understand. You can't bear to part with the Wine Worm because you still want to combine-refine it. If I'm not mistaken, you must be thinking of going down the Second Transformation White Worm Cocoon path, and then the Third Transformation Stupor Butterfly refinement route."
"That secret recipe is the most widely circulated and most practical one. The Stupor Butterfly is also a relatively decent Gu Insect. But the White Worm Cocoon is completely useless. For you, this refinement path holds little value. Your aptitude is Grade C. You're currently at Second Transformation cultivation. The White Worm Cocoon has no abilities whatsoever — it only consumes food to sustain itself. It offers you no help."
"How great are your chances of advancing to Third Transformation? Even if you succeed, you'll probably already be middle-aged. Are you going to keep feeding a useless White Worm Cocoon for decades? The resources spent raising a White Worm Cocoon would be far better used on other Gu Insects — more practical and more helpful to you, wouldn't you agree?"
"The Wine Worm's true value lies in refining True Essence and raising a minor realm. If you combine-refine it this way, you'd just be using the Wine Worm as mere raw material. Don't you find that wasteful?"
Every Gu Insect possessed only a single ability.
Take the Spring Autumn Cicada, for instance — though it was a Sixth Transformation Gu Insect, it possessed only the ability of rebirth.
A newly refined Gu Insect from combination refinement typically retained only one ability from the component Gu Insects, while amplifying it. For example, the White Jade Gu preserved and strengthened the defensive ability of the Jade Skin Gu, while losing the White Pig Gu's strength-enhancing effect.
This meant that whoever obtained the White Jade Gu would receive only defensive benefits, not any increase in strength.
Qingshu was right. The Wine Worm's greatest value lay in its ability to refine True Essence and raise a minor realm.
For a Gu Master, this was equivalent to increasing True Essence reserves through another avenue. At the same time, it was enormously helpful for nurturing the Empty Orifice and advancing one's cultivation.
If one followed the "White Worm Cocoon, Stupor Butterfly" path, the resulting Gu Insect would have no ability to refine True Essence. It truly would be a waste.
In fact, Hua Jiu Xing Zhe had used precisely this path. After upgrading the Wine Worm to a Stupor Butterfly, he carried it with him, repeatedly using it to render women unconscious and commit his evil deeds. Only later, after his death, did the Stupor Butterfly — deprived of a sufficient food source — continuously regress until it reverted back into a Wine Worm.
Seeing that Fang Yuan remained silent, Qingshu's eyes flickered and he continued: "Actually, our clan has archived another secret recipe. Following this formula, the Wine Worm can be upgraded to the Second Transformation Moon-Inviting Gu, and then to the Third Transformation Seven Fragrance Wine Worm. The Seven Fragrance Wine Worm also possesses the ability to refine True Essence."
"Fang Yuan, if you don't wish to sell the Wine Worm, then perhaps we could arrange a different transaction. You sell the Wine Worm to the clan, and if the clan successfully refines the Seven Fragrance Wine Worm, you'll receive five years of usage rights. If the refinement fails, the clan will provide you with a separate compensation. What do you think?"
Under this arrangement, all the risks of refinement would be completely transferred to the clan. Such favorable terms would likely make anyone's heart race with temptation.
But Fang Yuan merely sneered inwardly.
He knew himself well.
With his forty-four percent Grade C aptitude, advancing to Third Transformation was practically impossible. In his previous life, Fang Yuan had been stuck at this threshold for over a century before a fortunate coincidence granted him an aptitude-enhancing Gu Insect, finally allowing him to become a Third Transformation Gu Master.
Five years of usage rights sounded wonderful, but for Fang Yuan, they were as insubstantial as flowers in fog or reflections of the moon in water.
Gu Yue Qingshu's offer was motivated by his observation of Fang Yuan's ambition to reach Third Transformation — he was deliberately dangling this bait to hook him.
But from the very beginning, he had miscalculated!
In Fang Yuan's memories, there already existed the optimal secret recipe for combine-refining the Wine Worm.
First, upgrade it to the Second Transformation Four Flavor Wine Worm, then further refine it into the Third Transformation Seven Fragrance Wine Worm. Whether the Four Flavor Wine Worm or the Seven Fragrance Wine Worm, both possessed the ability to refine True Essence.
But refining the Four Flavor Wine Worm was no simple matter.
First, its refinement required two Wine Worms, and Fang Yuan currently had only one. Second, the process demanded four varieties of fine wine, each carrying one of the four flavors: sorrow, joy, parting, and reunion.
Let alone the fact that Wine Worms were priceless and virtually impossible to purchase.