Gu Xuanming took a deep breath.
Alone in his dorm room, he had begun cultivating.
He reached beside him, grabbing another one of the Qi pills that he used last time to break through into the 1st stars easily.
In fact, he had broken through so easily that it didn’t even feel like an achievement.
Of course, because he was from 0th stars to his first stars, there was no divine tribulation, but from this point forward, he would be dealing with them.
But that didn’t matter to Gu Xuanming.
The only thing he cared about was that he broke through, nothing else.
Gu Xuanming consumed the Qi pill and immediately felt energized!
His meridians began opening, but something was wrong.
‘…strange.
It seems I can’t use these pills to fully open my meridians.
How unfortunate.’
‘I had hoped with this qi pill, I would be able to easily enter my second or even third constellation, but I guess not.’
‘There’s also the fact I still need to find the Liquor Poison Monk’s inheritance.
Maybe what he left behind could help with my cultivation.’
After 2 more hours of sitting by himself in his room, he decided that the next course of action was to get intel.
Searching by himself was getting him nowhere, especially with no leads.
He figured if he knew a bit more about Gue Ming village, he could find some leads, and he knew the perfect spot to do it.
Gu Xuanming stood up, opened the door, and walked outside.
The wind brushed against his face, lifting his hair.
“A gentle breeze to continue the day…” He said softly.
“I do wonder though…”
Gu Xuanming turned to see his servant walking away from the door, intent on following him.
Lin Suwen smiled brightly, trying to keep up appearances, even though deep down, she was sneering at Gu Xuanming, feeling she just had to push a little to win him over.
“Where will we be going, Young Master Xuanming?”
Gu Xuanming was silent for a few seconds before saying, “The Dao Beauty Sect.”
Silence!
Lin Suwen was stunned to hear that was where he wanted to go.
The Dao Beauty Sect, while called a sect, was more of a strip club.
It was a place where mostly women worked, wearing provocative robes and clothing, exposing their treasures to men.
This sect was mainly founded by a woman who wanted to help other women try to become concubines if they were tired of being servants and trying to aimlessly seduce men.
This place was made for rich and lonely men, allowing women to seduce them using their charms and being bought out as concubines if they accepted.
It was also Gu Xuanming’s attempt at getting Lin Suwen off his back.
After all, his brother showed remarkable skill, so even if he was C-grade, she should try to leech for someone strong enough.
As he walked, Lin Suwen tried to hide her anger.
‘What the hell is he doing!?
Am I not enough!’
‘I spent years serving your ass, and this is how you repay me!?
Going to watch whores strip!?
He should be fully aware they’re loose-robed women.’
Gu Xuanming couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.
Just then, as he was about to leave the grounds, he noticed a servant with the Zhao clan symbol standing by the door.
Noticing her, the woman bowed her head, “Excuse me, are you Young Master Xuanming?”
He looked at her with a cold expression.
“Yes, I am.
What do you want?”
“I apologize for interrupting your day.
Lord Zhao Cheng’an wishes to borrow your servant so he can deliver a message to Lord Gu Chenyin.”
‘My father?’
He immediately assumed there was more at play.
There was no way that was all to it.
After all, they are both rivals.
He was sure that his father would have no problem with Zhao Cheng’an entering his home uninvited.
After all, he’s done it many times before when he was a child.
No reason to change now, unless there was more to it.
‘It seems he’s not done.
I guess my lunch box wasn’t enough to scare him off.
Then again, I can’t say I’m too surprised.
He’s at his 4th stars after all.
He’s much stronger and has faced far worse than I could ever be.’
‘At least at the moment.’
‘Fine, I’ll play along.’
“Go ahead.
I’m on my way to see better bodies anyway.”
He threw one last comment at Lin Suwen before departing, leaving her furious deep down despite the smile on her face.
The other servant noticed this, aware of Zhao Cheng’an’s plan.
He smirked, feeling she was the perfect candidate. Get faster updates on g.com.
…
Gu Xuanming was once again back in Gue Ming village, finding himself in front of the Dao Beauty Sect.
Unlike the Scarlet Bone sect, it was much smaller and housed in a rather large building rather than a whole campus.
‘Unfortunately, I couldn’t make her feel unwanted by coming here with her, but I guess knowing I’m here and being unable to stop me is even better.
It’ll leave her guessing what I’m doing.’
Gu Xuanming entered the establishment, the first thing being the fragrance of flowers and herbs entering his nose.
Glancing around, the purple lighting was nothing short of beautiful, with decorations of flowers, portraits, and fake bottles.
Many women were sitting by men with protective robes, their hips and cleavages exposed, and decorated in glamorous makeup.
Gu Xuanming stepped forward, hoping to find someone who might know something about the village, when someone caught his eye.
Someone familiar.
It was…Feng Qingwu!
‘What the hell is she doing here!’
He was a little shocked to see her here, musically, since he offered to make her his concubine, and he still wanted to.
She did what he said, and it was a start, but he wanted to continue building her up to be loyal.
He saw her bringing drinks to a table, wearing a robe with hip cutouts and an exposed cleavage, her hair now down and with eyeshadow and red lipstick.
Immediately, he walked over to her, having no intention of letting her go.
“Here is your liquor; I hope you enjoy it.”
The man chuckled while looking at her behind.
“Sit with us.
I have good grip strength,” he smirked, showing off his gripping skills with his hand.
“I’m okay.
This is just a job.”
She turned around, not entertaining the man anymore, when she bumped into Gu Xuanming.
“Young Master!
W-what are you doing here!?”
She immediately began to feel nervous, especially since he offered to make her his concubine.
But now that she was here, she knew he would assume she was selling her body, making her unwanted!
“Young Master Xuanming!
This isn’t what it looks like!
I haven’t been touched by any men!
I’m still pure!”
He looked at her silently, wondering if that was true.
“Then why are you here?” Gu Xuanming said sternly.
His gaze may have been cold, but his tone of voice had a different vibe.
“I need the money, Young Master.
My father is in debt, and I am involved too.
I wish to pay off my father’s debt before I leave him.”
Gu Xuanming thought for a moment.
“So, if I pay off your father’s debt, you will not come here again.
Is that what I’m hearing?”
“Y-yes.”
Gu Xuanming thought to himself about the situation.
He found her to be suitable to be his dao companion in the future.
It’s the only reason he even chose her.
Had she not shown small hints of obedience, he would have discarded her.
But even then, he still needed to check how high her Yin affinity was.
If it was low, he could still help her make it greater since she was young, just like him.
He already knew he had a high affinity for Yang, so it all relied on her to get her affinity to his level, thus making them compatible.
“From this point forward, you will not come here, and I will make you my concubine, understand?”
Feng Qingwu tried to remain calm, but deep down, her excitement leaked out!
A little squeal came out of her mouth, finally reaching her goal of becoming a concubine.
She would finally be able to pay off the debt of her father and live a nicer life.
She could finally wear even nicer clothes, decorate herself in 100% safe makeup, and spoil herself with jewelry.
Her dreams were endless and coming true!
Gu Xuanming could tell she was excited, and that was exactly what he wanted.
It made it much easier to drag her along.
It also meant Lin Suwen might finally leave him alone, but he doubted it.
After all, she was a persistent cockroach who would do anything to get what she wanted.
He’s heard from her father that she was stubborn even as a child.
Regardless, he’s now secured one piece of what he wanted, although he still has many more pieces to collect.
He pulled her along towards a sitting spot, holding her close to act out some sort of affection just to sell the idea that he wanted her.
Feng Qingwu leaned against Gu Xuanming, smiling brightly at her achievement, he decided to ask her something.
“Feng Qingwu, do you know anything about the Liquor Poison Monk?” He asked.
Feng Qingwu looked at Gu Xuanming, pondering for a moment.
She tried to answer this question, but nothing came to mind.
She was ignorant of the past since she was still young and way too focused on trying to clear the debt, so she wasn’t aware of the village’s history beyond what the loose mouths had said about it.
“No, but I do know someone who might.” She said.
She stood up and walked off for a brief moment. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Gu Xuanming waited for a while, his legs crossed and hands up front.
The music filled his ears as the men were playing on the stage.
This place truly was lively and lustful.
Gu Xuanming even found it funny.
People often try to distract themselves with temporary pleasures.
They drown in ecstasy until death, and the cycle repeats.
Gu Xuanming found them pitiful.
He would never allow himself to be distracted by such things.
His freedom was far more important than anything else!
Just then, Feng Qingwu had returned with someone else by her side.
It was Yue Linglong.
She was a glamorous youth with brown hair tied into a bun, her blue robes themed with octopus tentacles.
She sat next to Gu Xuanming on the other side of the seat, sparking a little jealousy from Feng Qingwu, who pulled Gu Xuanming closer to her.
“Come on, I’m not like those other wicked women.
I won’t steal your man.
But anyway, my friend said you want to know more about the Liquor Poison Monk?” She teased with a rather flirty voice.
“I do.
I wish to know the circumstances around his death and the possible location.”
Yue Linglong smiled, finding it amusing that he wanted to know more about a dead person.
Usually, people asked her about people actually alive, weaknesses, vulnerabilities to exploit, and selling that information at a fair price.
“I know quite a lot, but it will cost you.”
Gu Xuanming looked at her silently.
Normally, someone would just sell the information, but clearly, she had the balls to stand up to someone who could kill her in mere seconds.
In fact, just this act alone earned a little respect from Gu Xuanming.
He pulled out 15 primordial stones, throwing them on the table and looking her straight in the eyes.
“Tell me everything…”
Yue Linglong chuckled, pulling all the stones towards her.
“Where to start.” She tapped his lips, thinking of a good starting point to convey the information.
After some thought, she began to speak.
“Before you were born, the Liquor Poison Monk had come to this village very often.”
“He was a part of a cult known as the Liquor Poison Cult.
They were a cult that lived in the central continent and had always been here.
They live very far away, however, somewhere around the mountains.”
“The Liquor Poison Monk had supplied Gue Ming Village with a lot of materials.
Since mortals cannot really survive outside of Gue Ming village for the most part because of all the spirits and demonic beasts that roam, the monk offered to bring them materials in exchange for delicacies.
”
“You see, he had quite the appetite, so every month, they would cook him food and feed him, and in exchange, they were given the materials.
It was a fair deal that lasted for over 200 years.”
“As I’m sure you can tell by now, those in the cult are cultivators.
The liquor monk was apparently at his 3rd stars, so he had a lifespan of about 500 years.”
“Although very recently, more than 16 years ago, Lord Zhao Cheng’an had offered a quiet deal.
From what is known, if the liquor monk managed to find the Gu Worm in the rotten caves, he would have been given our famed Bamboo Wine, Gue Ming village’s greatest treasure.”
“I’m sure you can guess where this is going.”
Gu Xuanming listened silently, ready for the meat of the situation.
“He was unable to capture the Gu Worm, and instead, he encountered something on those mountains.
Some say it was a demonic beast; others say it was demonic cultivators from the Southern Wastelands.”
“No one really knows.
But what people do know is that he died shortly after this event.”
“That’s everything.”
Yue Linglong set down the wine she was sipping on as she told the story.
Feng Qingwu was also quite invested, sipping wine as well.
Only Gu Xuanming remained clean, refusing to drink any at the moment.
He would rather remember every detail than get drunk, especially since he isn’t able to handle the taste of alcohol too well.
Gu Xuanming blinked, “That’s quite a lot.
Although there are still some vague clues.”
“Is it said where he died?”
Yue Linglong shook her head.
“Not exactly, but it is said he died somewhere around one of the many great waterfalls near the village.
That’s about it.”
Gu Xuanming was disappointed.
He hoped for clearer-cut answers, but it seemed he was only less lost.
“If that is all, then I will be leaving.
Follow me, Feng Qingwu.”
“Yes, Young Master!” She replied happily.
They then both left the sect, Gu Xuanming with more knowledge that would bring him closer to the inheritance, and Feng Qingwu with her coming of status as a concubine.