"Competition is really fierce — I wonder who the final winner will be."
"I've been standing here for a quarter of an hour, and more than ten Gu Masters have already dropped slips of paper into the counter."
"Sigh, this is all a rich man's game. We don't even have the qualifications to compete."
On the second floor of the tree house, Gu Masters crowded around the central counter, chattering and sighing.
As evening approached, the contest for the Red Iron She Li Gu reached its peak. Many Second Transformation Gu Masters who had been quietly watching from the shadows seized this final window to place their bids.
Some Gu Masters even bid several times in succession.
"The final winner of this battle should be either Mo Yan or Chi Shan," someone speculated.
"Very likely. Mo Yan and Chi Shan are both Second Transformation High Stage. After using this She Li Gu, they'd advance to the peak and be on par with Qing Shu."
"For the past few years, Gu Yue Qing Shu has been suppressing them both. I don't believe the two of them haven't harbored any ambitions."
"That's hard to say. Actually, it's not just us Second Transformation Gu Masters who are bidding. Some Third Transformation Elders have placed bids as well. I heard someone saw Elder Yao Ji drop in a slip this morning."
"That's right, I heard the same. Elder Yao Ji's granddaughter, Gu Yue Yao Le, is going to attend the Opening Orifice Ceremony this year. It seems Elder Yao Ji is planning ahead — she wants to pave the way for her granddaughter."
"Sigh, if only I had an elder who doted on me like that!"
...Fang Yuan stood among the crowd, listening to their conversations with a calm gaze.
No one mentioned his name. In the crowd's eyes, Fang Yuan was merely a lucky lad who had just inherited a fortune. In their impression, he was not yet comparable to the likes of Chi Shan, Mo Yan, or Qing Shu.
"Good. The less attention on me, the smoother it will be to obtain this Red Iron She Li Gu. However, my recent string of Gu Insect acquisitions should have drawn his notice by now."
Fang Yuan's confidence in securing this She Li Gu had already reached ninety-nine percent. He began pondering another question.
If what followed unfolded according to his expectations, then his efforts over the past few days would yield a perfect outcome.
Time was up.
The branches and leaves on the counter suddenly grew, wrapping the She Li Gu tightly. The green leaves blocked everyone's view, and when they unfurled again, the Red Iron She Li Gu was gone. In its place sat a Fan Ran Gu.
The Fan Ran Gu resembled a flat, oval-shaped stone, roughly palm-sized. Its surface was slightly raised, smooth and rounded, forming the pattern of an eye. The bottom was flat and rough to the touch.
The stone was black, and the eye pattern was composed of white lines.
Roughly every two seconds, the eye on the stone's surface would blink, and the eyeball drawn in white lines would shift. It gave the impression that the stone was rolling its eyes.
The Fan Ran Gu had a very unique function.
It targeted Gu Insects, capable of decomposing a Second Transformation Gu Insect into a First Transformation one.
For example, if Fang Yuan's White Jade Gu were decomposed by a Fan Ran Gu, it would revert into a White Pig Gu and a Jade Skin Gu.
This process was known as reverse refinement.
Fang Yuan glanced at it and lost interest. He had no need for the Fan Ran Gu.
The surrounding Gu Masters also started making noise — the Fan Ran Gu could not replace the Red Iron She Li Gu as the focal point of everyone's attention.
People were curious about the final destination of the Red Iron She Li Gu.
Some sought out the caravan Gu Masters on this floor, while others headed specifically to the main counter to wait.
The crowd gradually dispersed, but Fang Yuan remained standing in place, unmoving.
"Young Master Fang Yuan, please come up to the third floor. Our caravan's Lord Jia Fu would like to have a word with you." A voice suddenly reached Fang Yuan's ears.
Fang Yuan was not surprised. In this world, there were many types of Gu Insects capable of secret voice transmission.
Following the voice's continuous guidance, he arrived at the third floor of the tree house and stopped before a wall.
The wooden wall was covered in green leaves, layered into a lush, verdant expanse.
Rustle, rustle, rustle... the branches and leaves parted to both sides on their own, revealing a hidden door within.
Fang Yuan pushed open the hidden door and found a compact spiral staircase leading upward.
He climbed the stairs and arrived in a study that was not particularly spacious.
In the study, Jia Fu was buried in processing some accounts, his brush flying across the paper.
Hearing Fang Yuan's footsteps, he looked up, revealing a fresh scar on his face. He offered a kindly smile. "Young brother Fang Yuan, we meet again."
"Greetings, Lord Jia Fu." Fang Yuan cupped his fists in salute.
"Come, please have a seat." Jia Fu gestured to the seat closest to the desk.