"Patriarch, is there something you needed to see me about?" The clan elder of the academy stood respectfully to the side.
"It's nothing much, have a seat. I have a story I'd like to tell you." Gu Yue Bo squinted, his tone relaxed.
"Your subordinate is all ears!" The clan elder chose the seat closest to the patriarch and sat down.
Patriarch Gu Yue Bo then began to tell the story of the Human Ancestor.
The story goes—
Ever since the Human Ancestor spoke the correct names, he had subdued the two Gu of Rules and Regulations. His first command was for them to capture a Longevity Gu for him.
The Rule Gu and the Regulation Gu, one square and one circle, working together, could capture any Gu under heaven, so a single Longevity Gu was naturally no trouble at all.
The Human Ancestor used the Longevity Gu and instantly regained his youth, returning to the age of twenty.
Chapter 58: There's More to a Family than Rules. But at this time, the Rule Gu spoke to him: "Human, although you have subdued us, every time you command us, we must add a new rule."
The Regulation Gu also followed up: "We captured the Longevity Gu for you. That was the first command. Our new rule is that we will not capture a duplicate Gu for you again."
In other words, if the Human Ancestor wished to capture another Longevity Gu in the future, the two Gu of Rules and Regulations would not act.
The Human Ancestor nodded, having no choice but to agree.
He opened his mouth and gave a second command: "Then, aside from the Longevity Gu, I ask you to capture all the Gu under heaven for me."
Upon receiving this command, the Rule Gu transformed into an infinitely large circle, encompassing space and time. The Regulation Gu transformed into an infinitely large square, covering the great world.
The square and the circle formed a giant net, enveloping the entire heavens and earth.
When they shrank back down and returned to the Human Ancestor's palm, all the Gu under heaven except for the Longevity Gu had been captured by them.
The Human Ancestor was overjoyed; with this, all the Gu under heaven belonged to him, and from then on, he would be the master of the world!
However, when he opened the silk net of the square and circle, with a crash, a massive torrent of insects surged out. The Gu that the Gu of Rules and Regulations had painstakingly captured all flew away, scrambling to be first.
When the Human Ancestor hurriedly closed the net, only five Gu remained inside.
"Why is this?" The Human Ancestor was astonished.
The Gu of Rules and Regulations answered him: "Human, the tens of thousands of Gu under heaven come in all shapes and sizes. You have neither strength nor wisdom. How can you subdue them? We can only capture Gu for you. You must rely on yourself to subdue them if you want them to serve you."
Then they continued: "This is your second command, so we must add a second rule—from now on, we can only capture one Gu for you at a time."
The Human Ancestor had no choice but to nod. He carefully lifted the silk net, revealing only a small gap.
Among the five remaining Gu were the Strength Gu and the Wisdom Gu. Seeing this, the Human Ancestor was delighted.
He said to the Strength Gu: "Strength Gu, you left me back then. Do you regret it now? If you submit to me now, I can return your freedom to you."
However, the Strength Gu said: "Human, you are wrong. The reason I didn't fly away is not that I had no chance, but that I wanted to stay. It is impossible for you to subdue me. I only submit to an existence with strength greater than mine, and you are not that. However, we can make another deal. Give me your youth, and I will temporarily obey your commands."
Hearing this, the Human Ancestor was reluctant. He had just obtained youth; was he really about to lose it now?
But he desperately craved strength. He knew that once he possessed strength, he would become powerful and his life would become easier.
Besides, only by possessing strength could he subdue more Gu.
Thus, the Human Ancestor agreed to the Strength Gu once more, making a second deal with it.
The Human Ancestor instantly entered middle age. The Strength Gu flew out of the net of rules and regulations and landed on the Human Ancestor's shoulder.
With strength, the Human Ancestor's confidence immediately swelled.
He then said to the Wisdom Gu: "Wisdom Gu, you left me back then. Do you regret it now? If you submit to me now, I can return your freedom to you."
However, the Wisdom Gu replied: "Human, you are wrong. The reason I didn't fly away is not that I had no chance, but that I wanted to stay. It is impossible for you to subdue me. I only submit to an existence more wise than I, and you are not that. However, we can make another deal. Give me your middle age, and I will temporarily obey your commands."