The dazzling morning sun illuminated Qing Mao Mountain.
Inside the Academy, the Elder was explaining the key points in detail: "Tomorrow, we will be choosing our second Gu Insect for refinement. Everyone already has experience successfully refining a Gu Insect, so this time you can consolidate what you've learned. For the choice of your second Gu Insect, think carefully. Combine your cultivation insights from these past days with an understanding of yourselves, and consider everything together. Generally speaking, it's best to pick one that synergizes with your Life Gu."
A Gu Master's first Gu Insect was called the Life Gu. Once chosen, it undeniably established the foundation for one's future development. The subsequent second, third, and so on, all built upon that foundation to determine the specific direction of a Gu Master's cultivation.
After hearing the Academy Elder's words, the youths fell into deep thought. All of them, that was, except Fang Yuan, who lay slumped across his desk, sound asleep.
He had worked hard the previous night and, after returning to the dormitory, continued his Gu Master cultivation, nourishing his Empty Orifice. It was only after dawn that he had finally fallen asleep.
The Academy Elder swept a glance over Fang Yuan, furrowed his brow slightly, but said nothing more.
Ever since Patriarch Gu Yue Bo had spoken to him about that matter, he had adopted an attitude of non-interference toward Fang Yuan — letting things be, leaving him to his own devices.
"What Gu Insect should I choose?" Many students found their eyes drifting involuntarily toward Fang Yuan as they pondered.
"Come to think of it, Fang Yuan already has a second Gu Insect."
"Yeah, it's the Wine Worm! To uncover a Wine Worm through stone uncovering — his luck is just absurd!"
"If I had a Wine Worm, could I have reached Middle Stage ahead of everyone too?"
Thoughts churned through the students' minds — some envious, others even more jealous.
Ever since that day, following the interrogation, Fang Yuan's Wine Worm had been exposed to everyone. The origin of the Wine Worm aroused no suspicion. The clansmen felt relieved, yet they couldn't help marveling at Fang Yuan's luck.
"Why can't I have luck like that? Sigh!" Gu Yue Chicheng, who shared the same Grade C Aptitude, lamented in his heart.
Long ago, his grandfather had been pulling strings everywhere, trying to procure a Wine Worm for him. Never did he imagine that he, the inheritor of a branch lineage, wouldn't get one, while Gu Yue Fang Yuan received one first.
Compared to Chicheng's sorrow and jealousy, Fang Zheng — who served as Deputy Class Leader alongside him — was brimming with vigor.
"Brother, I will definitely surpass you." He glanced at Fang Yuan, whispered that to himself, and then withdrew his gaze.
Over these past days, his eyes had been shining with light, his life filled with a surging passion. His cheeks were flushed with color, his forehead glowed, and even his stride had become light and buoyant.
The Academy Elder took all of this in and immediately understood that Patriarch Gu Yue Bo had already begun privately mentoring Fang Zheng.
Such preferential treatment, of course, could not be spoken of openly.
The Academy Elder turned a blind eye to it.
Night fell once more.
Fang Yuan squeezed his way into the Secret Stone Crevice Cave again.
*Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling...*
In his hands, a wild rabbit struggled violently. A small bell was tied around its neck.
It was a wild rabbit he had caught on the mountain, and naturally, he had been the one to tie the bell on.
After an entire day, the stale air inside the crevice cave had fully dissipated, and the air within was now fresh and clean.
The passage's entrance stood open, its interior silent and still. Fang Yuan crouched halfway to the ground and carefully inspected the floor first. The previous night, he had sprinkled stone powder at two spots. The thin layer of dust was inconspicuous and drew no attention.
"The stone powder at the passage entrance is undisturbed. It seems nothing untoward crawled out while I was away. At the crevice cave's entrance, there is a footprint — but that's the one I just stepped in myself. So no outsiders have been here." After a moment of observation, Fang Yuan felt reassured.
He stood up, reached out, and tore a handful of dead, withered vines from the wall.
Then he sat on the ground, pinned the wild rabbit in place with the crook of his leg, and set both palms to twisting the vines into rope.
This was a task most Gu Masters wouldn't know how to do, but Fang Yuan possessed a wealth of life experience. In his previous life, there had been several occasions when he was destitute — so poor he couldn't even feed his Gu Insects, and they all starved to death.
There had been a stretch of time when he had True Essence but not a single Gu Insect, making him no different from an ordinary mortal, struggling just to get by. Left with no other choice, he had learned to twist grass into rope and weave straw sandals, straw hats, and the like to sell for a few scraps of Yuan Stone, just enough to eke out a living.
As he began twisting the straw rope, the memories from those times resurfaced in his mind.
The bitterness and suffering of those days transformed into a quiet, silent smile at the corner of his lips. Beneath the crook of his leg, the wild rabbit struggled intermittently, the bell jingling with each movement.
Two paired together, entwined long and tenderly; A thousand turns, ten thousand folds, bound up in deep affection.
Fine threads, twisted slowly, gathering years upon years together — with twists and turns, with rubbing and folding, with entanglement and binding.
Twisting straw rope — wasn't that the same as living a life?
Inside the crevice cave, the crimson glow was dim and faint. Youth and world-weariness flickered across Fang Yuan's face.