Back in his room, Gu Changhuan did not begin binding the serpent egg right away.
He sat on the bed gazing at it, his eyes gradually losing focus as he thought over the events of the day.
He had given nothing away on West Street.
But then he had carelessly shown off in front of Gu Wanhao, revealing that he could sense the grade of spirit objects.
A mistake like that could cost him his life!
Fortunately, Gu Wanhao was his own grandfather.
Had someone outside the family discovered his secret, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
He fell back onto the bed as if drained of all strength.
“That was far too careless!
I must be even more cautious from now on!” He muttered softly to himself.
Still, some good could come of this.
At least he would no longer have to buy such items himself or find excuses to explain where they came from.
He could locate them and have clan members make the purchases, reducing the risk to himself somewhat.
At this thought, Gu Changhuan let out a breath, picked up the serpent egg, and prepared to perform the binding ritual.
His Divine Sense probed into the jade slip.
It recorded the method for binding a spirit beast, which required a cultivator’s blood as a medium to set a Master-Servant Contract.
This contract was entirely one-sided; as long as the spirit beast’s cultivation did not far surpass its master’s, it could never break free from that control.
Gu Changhuan set the serpent egg on the table, took out some cinnabar, and mixed it with his own blood.
He slowly traced a small Formation diagram, then checked it three times.
Only when he was sure it was correct did he place the egg inside.
As soon as the serpent egg entered the diagram, it began absorbing the Spiritual Power within.
The lines faded so slowly that the change was imperceptible.
Once the egg had absorbed all the power, the bond would be complete.
Now, all that remained was to wait.
Elsewhere, Gu Wanhao sent a message to Gu Wanchang letting him know that Gu Changhuan had acquired Spirit-Concealing Flower seeds, omitting all other details.
Upon receiving the Communication Talisman, Gu Wanchang went straight to the Scripture Pavilion to retrieve the formula for the Spirit-Concealing Pill, deciding he must reward the boy handsomely.
He hurried personally to Nine Perches Market and showered Gu Changhuan with praise, leaving even someone as thick-skinned as Gu Changhuan feeling rather overwhelmed.
Naturally, the reward was not merely verbal.
According to clan rules, Gu Wanchang granted him two thousand Spirit Stones and a five percent profit share from all future sales of Spirit-Concealing Pills.
It was a remarkably generous reward.
Gu Wanhao also handed over the five second-tier items Gu Changde had purchased earlier.
All were artifact refining materials, none exceeding the second-tier middle grade.
Gu Wanchang was a second-tier low grade artifact refiner.
With these materials to practice on, he might advance to the middle grade, which would go some way toward remedying the clan’s weakness in artifact refining.
“Have your fortunes suddenly turned?
Where did you unearth so many second-tier materials?” Examining a piece of second-tier middle grade ore as though it were a priceless treasure, Gu Wanchang could not help asking.
Gu Wanhao activated a surrounding Formation to ensure privacy before replying.
“Changhuan’s spiritual body seems capable of sensing the grade of nearby spirit objects.
He spotted these on West Street, and I had Changde buy them up.” Gu Wanchang nodded thoughtfully.
“To detect the grade of surrounding spirit objects…
I have never heard of such a thing.
Our clan’s foundation is shallow, but discovering the nature of his spiritual body early on is a blessing.
“The Spirit-Concealing Flower has a short growth cycle, and the auxiliary herbs are already cultivated within the clan.
In three years, we can begin selling Spirit-Concealing Pills.
By the time the Cloudheaven Auction arrives in a decade, our chances of securing a Foundation Establishment Pill will be much higher.
If a third-tier high grade earth-attribute spirit object appears there, the clan will exhaust its reserves to win it!” “Naturally,” Gu Wanhao agreed heartily.
With Gu Xuanzhan having less than forty years remaining, the younger generation had to push themselves to the absolute limit.
“I must return to guard the clan for the next year or two to prevent excessive losses from the Demon Beasts.
I leave the market here to you, Twelfth Brother!” Gu Wanchang said with a heavy heart.
Gu Wanhao understood that the clan needed its patriarch at home.
Being stationed at the market meant putting up with many constraints, but he was used to them by now.
“Changhuan performed a great service this time, but the clan has little else to spare right now.
Shall we record the rest as contribution points?
What do you think?” “That is fine.
Changhuan is still young, and he already has plenty of good things.
Giving him more might do him harm.
I would like him to face a few more challenges, too.” Gu Wanhao was not particularly concerned about the rewards.
After discussing a few more clan matters and confirming that the clan’s shops at the market were running smoothly, Gu Wanchang returned home with his mind at ease.
He came and went in haste.
Apart from the market guards, few people noticed his visit.
Meanwhile, Gu Changhuan sat in his room practicing his cultivation.
The market enjoyed abundant Spiritual Qi, and a Spirit-Gathering Formation had been laid out in the courtyard.
Over the past few days, he had brushed against the threshold of the third layer of Qi Condensation.
After completing another Grand Circulation, Gu Changhuan slowly drew back his power.
He opened his eyes with a pleased smile; in less than seven days, he would surely step into the third layer of Qi Condensation.
At that exact moment, the serpent egg upon the table gave a sudden twitch.
Gu Changhuan hurried over to find that the Spiritual Power within the Formation diagram had been entirely consumed, leaving the pitch-black shell bathed in a faint spiritual glow.
He had drawn the diagram with second-tier low grade cinnabar, and the egg had been nourished by third-tier middle grade Spiritual Qi.
Surely it would hatch soon?
Lifting the egg, he felt a faint vibration from within.
“Crack.” A tiny sound issued from the shell.
A slender fracture marred its smooth surface.
Gu Changhuan held his breath, fixing his gaze upon it.
Another few minutes passed before the little snake finally pushed the top of the shell open.
A small, dark head poked out.
Catching sight of Gu Changhuan watching, it wriggled free from the shell and wound itself around his wrist like a dark bracelet.
Suppressing the urge to flick the creature away, Gu Changhuan tried to send a thought through their connection.
But the little beast lacked intelligence so far, returning only a vague sense of affection.
The little black snake nuzzled the back of his hand, clearly already attached to him.
Lifting his arm, Gu Changhuan inspected it closely.
The little serpent was black all over and about as thick as his little finger, with golden eyes.
“Should I find a name for you?” The little snake looked at him with its golden eyes wide open, the tip of its tail trembling slightly.
“Let’s call you Mo Lin.” He tapped its tiny head with a fingertip and smiled.
Mo Lin understood nothing of the name.
It simply crawled back into his palm and began to nibble away the remaining eggshells, piece by piece.
Gu Changhuan chuckled at the sight of its slightly rounded belly.
Letting the snake coil back around his wrist, he picked up a volume detailing various serpentine Demon Beasts.
The years slipped by.
Before he knew it, ten years had passed.
Nine Perches Market.
Inside a back courtyard room of the Gu Clan’s Wanbao Pill Pavilion, Gu Changhuan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.
“At last, the late stage of Qi Condensation.
This month of secluded cultivation was well worth it.” He stepped into the courtyard, a slender, spirited young man with sharp brows and bright eyes, handsome enough to recall the famed Pan An and Song Yu.
Even a plain dark Daoist robe looked especially fine on him.
Mo Lin appeared from nowhere, spotting him and immediately winding around his arm.
Gu Changhuan raised his arm.
“What delicious morsels has Grandpa been feeding you?
You’ve grown quite a bit.” By now, Mo Lin was over half a meter in length.
It stared up at him for a moment before striking his Storage Bag lightly with its tail.
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