Hidden in the mountain crevice

The wine worm had a body like a silkworm, emitting a pearl-like white glow, a bit chubby, and very cute in appearance. 

It fed on wine and could fly through the air. When flying, it would curl its body into a ball, moving at a fast speed. Although it was only a first-grade Gu insect, its value was higher than some second-grade Gu insects. If used as a life Gu, it was much better than the moonlight Gu.

At this moment, a wine worm like this was stuck to a green spear bamboo only fifty or sixty steps away from Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan held his breath, not approaching rashly, but slowly retreating.

He knew that although the distance was close, it was extremely difficult, if not impossible, for him, a newly initiated Gu Master, to directly capture the wine worm successfully. 

Even though Fang Yuan couldn't clearly see the wine worm with his current eyesight, he could faintly sense its wariness towards him.

Fang Yuan retreated slowly and gently, trying not to alarm the wine worm. He knew that if the wine worm decided to fly away, he couldn't keep up with its speed. Only when it drank enough wine to get drunk and its flying speed slowed down would he have a chance to capture it.

Seeing Fang Yuan retreating farther and farther away, the wine worm on the bamboo pole began to stir restlessly. The strong aroma of wine ahead tempted and attracted it, making it long for it deeply. If it could drool, a large puddle would have formed by now.

But the wine worm's vigilance remained high. It wasn't until Fang Yuan had retreated two hundred steps that it shrank its body and leaped into the air.

When flying, it curled its body into a ball, looking like a plump, white dumpling. The dumpling drew a smooth arc in the air and landed on the grass where Fang Yuan had sprinkled green bamboo wine.

With the delicious food right in front of it, the wine worm lowered its guard significantly. It eagerly crawled to the flower bud containing the wine, sticking its head in, leaving its chubby tail outside.

It was extremely hungry, and the green bamboo wine was so delicious that it drank eagerly, soon getting lost in the taste and forgetting about Fang Yuan.

Only then did Fang Yuan begin to cautiously and quietly approach. He saw the wine worm's tail outside the flower bud. The tail, like a silkworm's, was chubby and round, emitting a pearly glow.

At first, the tail hung outside, motionless. After a while, it began to twitch, indicating that the wine worm was enjoying its drink. By the time Fang Yuan was only ten steps away, the tail was swaying rhythmically with happiness.

It was completely drunk!

Seeing this, Fang Yuan almost laughed out loud. He didn't continue forward but waited patiently. If he pounced now, he had a high chance of capturing the wine worm, but Fang Yuan wanted the wine worm to lead him to the remains of the Flower Wine Walker.

Before long, the wine worm retreated from the flower bud. Its body had grown plumper, and it swayed its head drunkenly, completely unaware of Fang Yuan's presence.

It then crawled onto another tender yellow wildflower, resting in the flower's core and enjoying more wine dew.

After drinking this time, it finally felt full. Its body curled up slowly on the flower petals, then it gently flew up, ascending to about one and a half meters above the ground before drifting towards the depths of the bamboo forest.

Fang Yuan immediately followed. 

The wine worm, now thoroughly drunk, flew at half its usual speed. Even so, Fang Yuan had to run with all his might to keep up with it.

The night was clear, and the boy darted through the bamboo forest, chasing a pearl-like dot ahead. 

The moonlight was gentle, the breeze soft. The bamboo forest was like a clear pool, with each green spear bamboo quickly appearing and then falling behind Fang Yuan.

The ground was covered with green grass, dotted with wildflowers. There were also small moss-covered stones and unripe yellow bamboo shoots.

Fang Yuan's faint shadow moved quickly on the ground, crossing the straight black lines cast by the green spear bamboo. He kept his eyes fixed on the snow-like dot ahead, breathing deeply the fresh mountain air and moving his legs to keep up.

Because of the rapid pursuit, the moonlight appeared fluid, shadows flickering, as if running through a water-filled world.

The wine worm flew out of the bamboo forest, and Fang Yuan burst out as well. A large patch of white flowers with yellow centers scattered their petals in the wind by his legs.

A group of dragon marbles cricket, like a flowing poem, happened to move ahead, and Fang Yuan charged through, scattering red stars like a burst of fireflies.

A quietly flowing mountain stream, covered with pebbles, reflected the spring moon in the night sky. As Fang Yuan splashed through, the water shattered into countless silver ripples.

Regrettably, the serene scenery was trampled and shattered. 

Fang Yuan pursued relentlessly, closely following the wine worm. 

Following the mountain stream upstream, he could faintly hear the sound of a waterfall. After passing through a sparse grove, he saw the wine worm flying into a crevice in a large boulder.

Fang Yuan's eyes lit up, and he stopped in his tracks. 

"So this is the place," he panted, his heart pounding. Stopping, he felt sweat covering his body, and a surge of heat flowed through him with his accelerated blood.

Looking around, he found a shallow riverbank. 

The ground was covered with pebbles, the water only an inch above them. There were also scattered grey-white boulders. 

The back mountain of Qing Mao Mountain had a large waterfall. The waterfall's flow varied with the weather, plunging down to create a deep pool. Beside the pool was the Bai family village, powerful and comparable to the Gu Yue village.

The waterfall had branches, and Fang Yuan faced one of these. 

This riverbank was usually dry, but recent heavy rain for three days and nights had caused a shallow stream to accumulate here. 

The source of the stream was the large boulder the wine worm had entered. 

The boulder leaned against a vertical cliff. A slender miniature waterfall, a branch of the main waterfall, fell like a silver snake against the cliff, carving a crevice in the boulder over time.

The waterfall's flow created a slight roar, like a white curtain completely covering the crevice. 

While observing, Fang Yuan's breathing steadied. His eyes flashed with determination as he walked to the boulder, took a deep breath, and plunged in.

The crevice was wide enough for two adults to walk side by side, so Fang Yuan, a fifteen-year-old boy, had no problem. 

Upon entering, the rushing water pressed down on him, soaking him instantly. 

Bearing the water pressure, he walked quickly, and after dozens of steps, the pressure eased.

However, as the gap narrowed, Fang Yuan had to walk sideways. The roaring sound of water filled his ears, a bright white light was above his head, and deeper into the giant rock lay a mass of darkness.

What lurked in the darkness? Perhaps a slick, venomous snake, maybe a poisonous gecko, possibly the booby traps of the demonic Flower Wine Walker, or maybe nothing at all.

Fang Yuan continued to squeeze into the darkness, moving slowly sideways. The water flow above his head had ceased. The stone walls, covered in moss, brushed against his skin, feeling extremely slippery.

Fang Yuan was completely engulfed by darkness, the gap becoming narrower and narrower, to the point where he couldn't even turn his head freely. Clenching his teeth, he pressed on.

After about twenty steps, he noticed what seemed like a red light in the darkness. At first, he thought it was an illusion, but after blinking and looking again, he confirmed that it was indeed a light!

This discovery invigorated him. Continuing for another fifty or sixty steps, the red light grew brighter, gradually expanding into a long, vertical slit in Fang Yuan's retina.

His outstretched left arm suddenly felt the wall in front of him give way, and his arm bent down. Fang Yuan was overjoyed, realizing that there was indeed space inside the giant rock. He hurried a few steps and finally squeezed into the slit of light.

Before him lay a suddenly open space, about eighty square meters in size. 

"I've walked such a long distance, I must be inside the mountain wall by now, past the giant rock," he thought, while stretching his limbs and observing the hidden space.

The entire area was suffused with a dim red glow, though its source was unclear. The surrounding stone walls were damp, covered in moss, but the air inside was surprisingly dry.

The stone walls were also entwined with dead vines, forming a web across most of the surfaces. On these vines grew withered and wilted flower stems.

Looking at these remnants, Fang Yuan found them familiar.

"These are Wine Sack Flower Gu and Rice Bag Grass Gu," he suddenly realized, recognizing the dead flower stems and vines. 

Gu worms come in many forms. Some resemble minerals, like the moonlight Gu shaped like blue crystals. Others are insect-like, such as the silkworm-like wine worm. And there are also plant forms, like the Wine Sack Flower Gu and Rice Bag Grass Gu before him.

Both are natural first-grade Gu worms. With an infusion of true essence, they grow. Once mature, the Wine Sack Flower Gu secretes floral nectar wine, and the Rice Bag Grass Gu produces fragrant rice.

Following the roots of the vines with his eyes, Fang Yuan found a bundle of dead roots in the corner, swollen and bulging. The wine worm was resting on this bundle of dead roots, snoring away, easily within his grasp.

Fang Yuan walked over, first securing the wine worm in his pocket. Then he crouched down and began to peel away the dead roots and vines, revealing a skeleton wrapped within.

"I've finally found you, Flower Wine Walker," he thought, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Just as he was about to remove all the dead vines, a voice filled with murderous intent suddenly sounded behind him, "Try moving, and see what happens?"