Stone

"I want to buy some stones," Fang Yuan said to the female Gu Master after choosing his targets.

"Newbie!" The female Gu Master immediately thought.

Even the worst gambler, before purchasing, would first carefully inspect the stones. They would observe them closely, then hold them in their hands, feeling the texture and weight of the stone's surface.

After examining a few times, if something felt off, the gamblers would give up. They wouldn't just outright say they wanted to buy.

However, Fang Yuan, who immediately said he wanted to buy, was undoubtedly a novice in stone gambling.

Although the female Gu Master thought this, her expression remained unchanged. She still smiled sweetly and softly asked Fang Yuan, "Which one would you like to choose?"

Fang Yuan pointed, "This one."

The female Gu Master immediately took it out.

Fang Yuan pointed again, "This one."

The female Gu Master was slightly surprised. She didn't expect this young man to buy two stones at once.

"It seems this young man has a strong gambling nature," she silently assessed.

But then Fang Yuan pointed again, "And this one, and that one, I'll buy them all."

The female Gu Master was stunned for a moment, greatly surprised. She couldn't help but take another look at Fang Yuan.

"It looks like this ordinary-looking young man must have a good family background. Otherwise, how could an average Gu Master have so much spare money?" Thinking this, the female Gu Master's smile became even more gentle and kind. She didn't expect the young man in front of her to be a real customer.

This was an unexpected surprise.

However, Fang Yuan surprised her once again by pointing to the farthest purple-gold stone, "And those two over there."

The female Gu Master couldn't help but be slightly shocked, "Which family's wealthy young master from Gu Yue Village is this? He seems to be an heir to a family branch. If I can get close to him, I might not have to work hard as a shop assistant here."

Thinking of this, the female Gu Master's smile became even more tender, and her gaze towards Fang Yuan added a touch of allure.

Six stones were placed in front of Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan immediately took out sixty pieces of primeval stones and handed them to the female Gu Master without hesitation.

His action of paying immediately attracted the attention of other Gu Masters in the tent.

"Huh? Someone is starting to gamble on stones."

"We've been watching for over an hour, and no one dared to make a move. Now someone is testing the waters, let's see how it goes."

"He's a student, huh? He actually took out sixty pieces of primeval stones at once, quite wealthy. Seems like a genuine greenhorn. Hmph, does he think stone gambling is so easy? He's going to hit a dead end today."

The Gu Masters stood in place, softly discussing, their eyes all turning to Fang Yuan.

"This young master, would you like to open the stones on the spot? Our casino offers free stone-opening services," the female Gu Master gently suggested, sending flirtatious glances.

Fang Yuan glanced around with his peripheral vision, a mysterious smile appearing on his lips. He waved his hand, rejecting the female Gu Master, "Purple-gold is my lucky color. This is my first time gambling on stones, it has a significant meaning. I want to open the stones myself!"

The female Gu Master's eyes brightened even more, thinking: Such boldness, he truly is a wealthy young master.

She would never have thought that in Gu Yue Village, Fang Yuan was practically alone, rootless and without any background support, relying solely on himself for everything.

"Tch, does having money make you amazing?"

"Another brat wasting his parents' hard-earned money!"

"This young man doesn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth. There's no such thing as choosing stones based on lucky colors. Sigh, this kind of behavior is just throwing primeval stones into the water and watching the splashes."

The Gu Masters in the tent couldn't help but lose interest in Fang Yuan, seeing him as a prodigal son. Their already low expectations for him plummeted further.

Some Gu Masters even looked away, turning their attention back to the stones on the counter.

The changes around didn't affect Fang Yuan's state of mind in the slightest. Expressionless, he silently mobilized the primeval essence in his sea of primeval essence, channeling it into the Moonlight Gu.

In the next moment, a crescent moon mark on his right palm emitted a faint blue light like water.

Fang Yuan used this right hand to pick up a purple-gold stone, holding it in his palm. Then, he slowly closed his fingers, rubbing and grinding the stone's surface.

The blue light flickered continuously, like rippling water. As the purple-gold stone grew smaller and smaller, a large amount of powdery stone fragments slipped through Fang Yuan's fingers and fell onto the carpet in the tent.

"Young master, what a skill!" The female Gu Master seized the opportunity to praise.

"This young man isn't completely worthless. He has some real skill." Seeing this, the Gu Masters' eyes flashed with a complex light, and they began to look at Fang Yuan with a bit more respect.

Fang Yuan using blue light to grind the stone's surface was a delicate use of the Moonlight Gu. Usually, only Gu Masters who had used the Moonlight Gu for two to three years could reach this level.

For someone of Fang Yuan's age and as a student, achieving this was rare.

"Look, he's using our Gu Yue Clan's unique Moonlight Gu." Some Gu Masters noticed this and felt a sense of pride, finding Fang Yuan more pleasing to the eye.

"But this technique is still too rough for opening stones," some experienced Gu Masters shook their heads.

The purple-gold stone grew smaller and smaller. Initially, it was too large for a hand to hold. After a while, it shrank to the size of a fist, wrapped tightly in Fang Yuan's fingers.

The blue light grew stronger, reducing the stone to the size of a marble. In the end, only a pile of stone powder was left, forming a small heap on the carpet.

It was a solid stone, with no Gu insect inside.

"Just as expected, unreliable," the Gu Masters shook their heads.

"You still have five purple-gold stones left," the female Gu Master encouraged warmly.

Fang Yuan's expression remained calm, unaffected. He picked up the second purple-gold stone and continued grinding.

But this one was also solid, with no Gu insect inside.

He moved on to the third stone, and it was the same.

Some Gu Masters became impatient, "No need to keep watching. Stones chosen by color have no potential."

"If he can actually find a good Gu insect, I'll eat the stone powder on the ground," someone teased with a light smile.

"Don't lose heart, young master. There are still three stones left; you've only opened half of them," the female Gu Master encouraged, her breath fragrant.

Fang Yuan picked up the fourth stone. When it was ground to the size of a palm, his movements suddenly paused.

"Hmm? There's something inside!"

"The stone's material has changed. It's not purple-gold anymore; it's showing a kind of black ink color."

"Could he actually be lucky enough to find something?"

A slight stir of surprise came from the surrounding Gu Masters.

"Young master, please be careful with the next steps. The sleeping Gu insects are very fragile. If you apply too much force, you could accidentally kill the insect inside," the female Gu Master cautioned, not expecting such a turn of events.

Fang Yuan's movements slowed significantly, and as he rubbed, the stone powder occasionally fell in a soft, rustling manner, intermittently rather than continuously as before.

The black stone powder fell, and the stone grew smaller. Fang Yuan's actions became even slower and gentler.

The pile of stone powder on the carpet grew higher, and the black ink stone core in Fang Yuan's hand was eventually worn down to nothing.

"Alas, just another stone inside a stone."

"A waste of emotions, I thought there might actually be a Gu insect."

"You're too gullible. Stone gambling is not that easy. Nine times out of ten, it's empty, otherwise, how would the shops make money?"

"Young master, your luck isn't bad. Getting a stone inside a stone on your first try is better than most," the female Gu Master comforted Fang Yuan, also preparing him for the potential results ahead.

It's common to get nothing in stone gambling, she thought. Fang Yuan seemed to be acting on a whim, and the chances of finding a Gu insect were slim.

Fang Yuan smiled slightly, not responding, and proceeded to pick up the fifth stone.

He ground it carefully, and within ten breaths, the purple-gold surface was removed, revealing a rough, yellow clay ball.