9 Post-War Gains, and the Bet on the Jade Spider Stones

The battle had raged for most of the night, and nearly half of the Jade Spider swarms had been slaughtered.

Just then, a Jade Spider King made an eerie shriek. The remaining Jade Spiders all flew back and retreated into the dense forest.

It seemed that the Bladefoot Jade Spiders had realized this group of people was not easy to handle. After losing many of their comrades, they finally decided to retreat.

Seeing the spiders retreat, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Qi Tian, however, gave a strange smile, but everyone was so exhausted that no one noticed.

The Jade Spiders were aggressive, and once a battle started, they would fight to the death and never retreat easily.

The merchant caravan suffered a significant loss. Although important goods were mostly unharmed, a large number of servants and several one-turn and two-turn Gu Masters had perished, along with two three-turn Gu Masters. This pained Jia Fu greatly, especially since the two three-turn Gu Masters had been painstakingly recruited.

The morning light illuminated the damaged camp.

In the somber atmosphere, everyone began to clean the battlefield and tally the losses.

Although the losses were heavy, the bodies of the Jade Spiders left behind a considerable fortune that could nearly make up for the damage.

The Jade Spider's jade eyes, jade feet, and the jade beads in their abdomen were all valuable materials for refining Gu. In addition, there were several wild Gu insects parasitic on the Jade Spider Kings, particularly some Blade Dao Gu insects that were worth a lot.

When distributing the spoils, Qi Tian took the three-turn Blade Qi Gu, three-turn Blade Intent Gu, and a large amount of precious materials.

Although Qi Tian didn't contribute much during the battle, these items were far beyond his current capabilities to obtain. To make up for it, Qi Tian contributed almost all his remaining goods and a few Gu insects that weren't suited to him.

Of course, the biggest beneficiary of this battle was Qing, Qi Tian's Green Bamboo Snake. The Jade Spider swarm rarely left their territory to attack merchant caravans, and this attack was prompted by Qing.

Gu insects have a rather specific diet, but beasts have a much broader range. Jade Spider eggs were one of the few beneficial food sources for the Green Bamboo Snake, promoting its growth.

This time, Qing had carefully lured a suitable swarm of Jade Spiders to the area, then snuck back to devour the Jade Spider eggs.

Of course, all of this was done under Qi Tian's command; Qing did not have such intelligence. Had the swarm been too large, the caravan would have been significantly weakened or even destroyed.

Although Qi Tian planned to use the caravan to help him hunt the Jade Spiders, he didn't want to see the caravan perish. In the end, the retreat of the Jade Spider swarm was also because Qing had snuck back to consume the Jade Spider eggs again. If the battle had continued, the caravan would have suffered even greater losses.

Qi Tian intended to use this opportunity to acquire some high-quality Gu insects that suited him. He had his eyes set on the Jade Spider corpses and the Blade Dao Gu insects they carried.

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Jade Mountain Region - Every mountain stronghold has a casino. Some larger strongholds even have entire districts dedicated to casinos.

Lan Family Stronghold was one of the mid-sized ones, with several casinos. Its most famous casino was the Yōu Lán Shí Fāng (Ghost Blue Stone Square), which, although a mid-sized casino, had a reputation rivaling even some larger ones. This was because, ten years ago, a lucky gambler won a five-turn Gu insect.

This lucky individual was none other than the current head of the Lan family, Lan Cang Shui, who was at the peak of the fourth turn. With the five-turn Gu, his combat strength far surpassed the average fourth-turn peak cultivator. If he were to break through to the fifth turn, the Lan Family would instantly become a major force.

After the merchant caravan settled in Lan Family Stronghold, Qi Tian decided to visit the well-known Ghost Blue Stone Square.

"Is this your first time gambling with stones, sir?" A female Gu Master behind the counter walked over, her face showing a smile.

Qi Tian rubbed his nose and replied indifferently, "Something like that." If not counting his past life, this was indeed his first time.

"Do you know how stubborn stones are formed, sir?" The female Gu Master led the way, explaining.

Before Qi Tian could respond, she answered herself: "As the saying goes, 'Man is the spirit of all things, and Gu is the essence of heaven and earth.' ... When a Gu insect is severely wounded or lacks food, it can fall into a deep slumber. Eventually, it turns into a stubborn stone. These stones tightly encase the Gu insect, and the fragments of the insect's body affect the stone's appearance, making it distinct from ordinary rocks. These are the stubborn stones you see now."

Qi Tian nodded without responding.

The female Gu Master continued, "Our shop mainly sells Star Stones, Sea Stones, Ice Stones, and Purple Gold Stones. Each type is graded into four levels, with varying prices. Some can cost tens of thousands, while others are only worth a few Yuan Stones."

"You've been in the cheap section so far. We don't recommend buying from there because the stones are of the lowest quality. These stubborn stones, which tightly encase the Gu insect, are heavily influenced by the insect's body, so they look and feel different from other stones. What you see now are stones from the mid-tier section. Their appearance is noticeably better, though the price is slightly higher."

The female Gu Master continued, "Our store employs the best stone breakers, all with at least 20 years of experience. One of our masters, Master Fang, is particularly skilled in using acidic liquids to break stones. It was Master Fang who broke open the five-turn Gu insect years ago."

"I suggest you choose your stubborn stone carefully and let our master break it open here. Our stone-breakers are more professional, with specialized Gu insects to aid in the process."

"If you choose a stone from the high-tier section, the stone-breaking service is free. For the mid-tier and low-tier, there will be an additional fee. The cheap section doesn't recommend paying for a stone-breaker, as their fees are often more than the cost of the stone itself."

The female Gu Master explained while giving Qi Tian meaningful glances, occasionally brushing against him.

Qi Tian remained indifferent, understanding that she was trying to take advantage of him. But he was not a fool, not easily swayed by such obvious flirtation.

"I'll just test my luck today," Qi Tian said, dismissing her attempts, and started selecting stones on his own, much to the woman's frustration.

Many customers were present, some carefully inspecting the stones on display, others rubbing the stubborn stones in their hands, feeling their texture. Some were in deep discussion with their companions, while others bargained with the shop attendants.

After browsing, Qi Tian eventually picked several stones from the low-tier section, including Star Stones, Ice Stones, and Sea Stones.

The female Gu Master couldn't hide her disappointment, and a look of disdain flashed in her eyes. Qi Tian noticed but pretended not to care. He wasn't like those naive young men or wealthy fools who would fall for such an obvious ploy.