Teacher and Disciple

Gu Guangzhi was visibly confused when he was brought back from the edge of death. He remembered the sensation of his heart being crushed when he violated the contract. Now, with the help of a Rank 2 Roaming Zombie Gu, he was turned into a zombie, thereby allowing him to live without a working heart. The zombie state also improved one's healing capabilities, so his heart was soon healed. By controlling the use of Roaming Zombie Gu again, the demonic gu master reverted him back to normal state fully healed.

The demonic gu master revealed himself as the fire path gu master from Xiong Village and told him that the entire ordeal had been a test for him. Gu Guangzhi couldn't wrap his head around it till he saw the fire path gu master finish off the blood path gu master. The villagers were terrified of the battle between the gu masters but the fire path gu master did his best to pull away the villagers from harm. Gu Guangzhi wanted to join in but the battle ended as quickly as it started. The blood path gu master was quite weakened by his Bamboo sword Gu strike.

Once the dust settled, Gu Guangzhi asked the fire path gu master, "Who are you?" The fire path gu master smiled and replied, "Right. Didn't I promise to tell you my name after the deal. My name is Yu Wen Zi. I wanted to make you my disciple so I performed a small test to know your character. You sacrificed your life for the freedom of people you barely knew about. So you passed. But you could've done better."

"What else could I do?" Gu Guangzhi knew his limitations as a Rank 2 initial stage gu master with D grade aptitude. He was not a battle maniac. Facing the blood path gu master while laying down his life was the best he could do. Gu Guangzhi raised his concerns to Yu Wen Zi.

"Yes. I don't disagree about your strength. Nor would I complain about you conviction. But what was the result? If I was really a demonic gu master do you think those villagers' lives would've been saved? What use is your sacrifice, if it can't uphold your justice? Besides, you had one month for preparation. You gave up in the very beginning. If you had prepared for this battle from the start, you could've killed Mao Jian and even myself. Hehe, not that I would let you do it to me but at least you could've saved the villagers on your own and you'd be alive doing so.", Yu Wen Zi explained.

"But I was bound by the Seize Gu. I couldn't use any gu insects to violate the terms of the contract. I didn't know that you could counter Seize Gu by becoming a zombie.", Gu Guangzhi tried to argue.

Yu Wen Zi retorted, "And whose fault is that? You spent the entire month honing your mastery with your new gu insects but you never moved out of your cave to find out if there was any other way to counter the Seize Gu. I specifically chose Seize Gu for the contract because it was one of the easiest ones to break free from. Depending on others around you is also part of your strength. You might've been expelled from your clan but you could always make new allies, like you made with your water wolf. If I was serious about the contract, I might've used a Poison Vow Gu. But even then, it is not impossible to break free from the restrictions if you search hard enough."

Gu Guangzhi held his head down as he was being lectured. Yu Wen Zi noticed it and said to him, "It's alright. I will not put the weight of the world on your shoulders. You have a good heart and now you need the strength to protect it. I will take you as my disciple and train you."

As they were speaking, Gu Guangzhi noticed the confusion in the villagers' faces. They looked helpless and scared. Gu Guangzhi asked Yu Wen Zi what was going to happen to the villagers now. Yu Wen Zi asked Gu Guangzhi the same question in return, "What do YOU think should happen to these villagers?"

Gu Guangzhi was initially of the idea to set these villagers free as they were slaves of the Xiong clan. But now he paused for a while. He had seen the dangers of living in wilderness. They would need a gu master to keep them safe from wild beasts and other gu masters. However, wasn't the Xiong clan doing the same? These villagers had given up their freedom to gain the protection of the Xiong clan. He made up his mind and answered to Yu Wen Zi, "They should be returned to their village in Qing Mao mountain. They are not strong enough to live on their own and would only be abused by the next gu master that finds them."

Yu Wen Zi smiled and used the Soul scramble Gu on the villagers and erased their memories. He put them back to sleep and loaded them on the Green slug house Gu. They made their way to Qing Mao mountain. It was almost noon. He released them near the village and the harsh sunlight hit them on their faces.

"Does the Xiong clan know about your plan? Why haven't more gu masters come to investigate?", asked Gu Guangzhi.

"No. The Xiong clan doesn't know. They wouldn't risk an entire village to bait one blood path gu master. I knocked the overseeing gu master yesterday before I came here. Come on. Let's go before anyone sees us. The paralyzing poison from my Poison Needle Gu must be fading away. The patrolling gu master may soon wake up. Go rest for now. We'll begin our training formally in a few days."

Gu Guangzhi was happy that he now had a pillar of support but he said gloomily, "No matter how much you train me, I will still be a gu master with D grade aptitude. I may be a kid but even I know what kind of prospects I have with my aptitude."

"Hahaha. About that… a gu master's aptitude is not a fixed thing. Just like breaking the restrictions of the Seize Gu, there are many ways to improve one's aptitude. Some ways are expensive, while some ways are cruel or dangerous. I happen to have received one such method as an inheritance a long time ago and I have kept it as a secret ever since. The whole reason I wanted to test your character was to make sure I passed on the inheritance to the right person."

Gu Guangzhi was shocked as he heard this but before he could enquire further, Yu Wen Zi disappeared. Gu Guangzhi went to his hideout in excitement.

The villagers woke up in confusion and wondered why they were outside the village. They went into the village to find a gu master lying unconscious. They sent some messengers to the Xiong clan to ask for help. The Xiong clan investigated for a few days but couldn't find anything. They concluded it was a failed attempt from a demonic gu master and increased the patrolling gu masters but it didn't yield any results. After a while, they put the whole matter to rest.