Chapter 5: The Liquor Worm (The Main Character Energy Is Real)

Chapter 5: The Liquor Worm (The Main Character Energy Is Real)

The Green Bamboo Wine Flex (It's Giving Drama)

Fang Yuan was in his feels, pacing around the village outskirts like, "Bro, where's the Flower Wine Monk's treasure? If I find it, I'm set. If I don't, my grind is cooked. I've been searching for over a week, but no sign of the Liquor Worm. What's the deal? This is giving me the ick."

Suddenly, a loud skrrt snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see six hunters in the inn's dining hall, absolutely zooted. They were shouting, "Brother Zhang, drink another cup!" "Old brother Feng, you're a legend! You took down a black-skinned wild boar solo! You gotta drink this, no cap!"

The vibes were fiery, but Feng waved them off. "I can't drink anymore, bros. I'm tapped."

One of the hunters slammed his cup down. "If you don't drink, you're disrespecting the squad! Waiter, bring us some premium drip!"

The waiter scurried over, looking sus. "Good sirs, we have green bamboo wine, but it's… kinda pricey."

The hunters froze. "Pricey? How pricey?"

The waiter hesitated. "Two primeval stones per jar."

The hunters went silent. Two primeval stones was a big L—enough to cover two months of expenses for an average family. Even for hunters, who made more than most, it was a certified scam.

"Is this wine even worth it?" one hunter muttered.

The waiter nodded eagerly. "It's green bamboo wine, the best in the village. Smell the rizz!"

He uncorked the jar, and a rich, mellow aroma filled the room. Even the old man by the window turned to look, like, "Damn, that's the good stuff."

Fang Yuan, sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow. "Green bamboo wine, huh? That's the drip."

The hunters hesitated, but one of them, caught up in the moment, slammed two primeval stones on the table. "Bring it over! I'll pay!"

The waiter scurried off and returned with the jar. The hunters stared at it, their mouths watering. But the one who paid looked like he was regretting his life choices. "This wine better be worth it…"

The Gu Master Flex (It's Giving Main Character Energy)

Just as the hunters were about to dig in, a voice called out from the shadows. "Hilarious. You guys can't even afford good wine, yet you're out here flexing? Cringe."

The hunters turned to see a young man stepping into the light. He was tall and thin, dressed in navy battle robes, with a green belt around his waist. On the belt was a shiny copper plate with the word "One" engraved on it.

The hunters froze. "A Rank One Gu Master?!"

The young Gu Master, Jiang Ya, smirked. "You wanted to fight me? Come on, hit me."

The hunters backed off, their bravado gone. "We wouldn't dare, my lord!"

Jiang Ya picked up the jar of green bamboo wine and sniffed it. "Smells good… but you think you can just buy this and act like you're better than me?" He dropped the jar, shattering it on the ground. "You mortals think you can flex on me?! L + ratio."

The hunters cowered, offering fragments of primeval stones as an apology. Jiang Ya sneered. "I don't want your scraps. Just remember your place."

Fang Yuan, watching from the sidelines, remained calm. He knew the power gap between Gu Masters and mortals was vibes-based. "With power, you can do anything," he thought. "This world is all about the sigma grindset."

The Final Gamble (It's Giving Sigma Energy)

After the drama, Fang Yuan stood up and placed two primeval stones on the table. "Waiter, give me a jar of green bamboo wine."

The room went silent. Jiang Ya turned to Fang Yuan, his eyes narrowing. "You dare?"

Fang Yuan met his gaze, unflinching. "I'm a Gu Master too, junior brother."

Jiang Ya's expression softened. "Ah, my bad. Enjoy your wine."

Fang Yuan took the jar and left the inn, heading into the bamboo forest. He had one last plan to find the Liquor Worm.

The Bamboo Forest Hunt (It's Giving Treasure Hunt Vibes)

The night was deep, and the moon hung like a crescent in the sky. Fang Yuan poured small amounts of green bamboo wine onto stones and grass, spreading the aroma through the forest. "If the Liquor Worm is out there, this will rizz it up," he thought.

He waited, but nothing happened. Disappointed, he poured the last of the wine onto a patch of grass. "This is it. My final YOLO."

As he turned to leave, a gust of wind blew, clearing the clouds and revealing the moon. The forest lit up with moonlight, and Fang Yuan saw it—a small, white bead of snow clinging to a bamboo pole.

His heart raced. "The Liquor Worm! LET'S GOOOOO!"

In the Mountain Crevice Hides a Profound Theory (It's Giving Sus Vibes)

The Liquor Worm was shaped like a silkworm, but it was glowing like a TikTok filter on max brightness. It was a little chonky, but in a squishmallow-core way, and it fed on wine like it was at a frat party. When it flew, it curled up into a ball and zoomed like it was late for a Fortnite event. Even though it was only a Rank one Gu, it was more valuable than some Rank two Gu, which is like saying a meme account has more clout than a verified celebrity.

Fang Yuan was like, "This Liquor Worm is my main character energy," but he knew catching it wasn't gonna be easy. He saw it vibing on a bamboo pole about 50-60 steps away, and he was like, "Nope, not gonna fumble this bag." He held his breath and started backing up slowly, like when you're trying to sneak out of a group chat without anyone noticing.

The Liquor Worm was giving him major side-eye, like, "I see you, bro." Fang Yuan knew if he spooked it, it would zoom away faster than a kid running from broccoli. So he played it cool, backing up like he was in a TikTok slow-mo trend. He had to wait for the Liquor Worm to get absolutely wasted on the green bamboo wine before he could make his move.

The Liquor Worm's Glow-Up Moment (It's Giving Wasted Vibes)

Fang Yuan backed up like 200 steps, and the Liquor Worm was like, "Okay, he's not sus." It finally let its guard down and bounced into the air, curling up into a little white dumpling. It floated down to the grass where Fang Yuan had spilled the wine, and it was like, "OMG, this is the good stuff." The worm popped its head into a flower bud filled with wine, leaving its chubby little tail sticking out like a glow-in-the-dark gummy worm.

Fang Yuan was like, "This is my moment," and started creeping closer. The Liquor Worm's tail was wagging like a happy puppy, which meant it was absolutely sloshed. Fang Yuan was lowkey laughing inside, like, "Bro, you're too easy."

When the Liquor Worm finally pulled its head out of the flower, it was wobbling like it had just done the "Orange Justice" dance. It climbed onto another flower and started chugging more wine, like it was at a frat party. Once it was full, it curled up into a ball and started floating away, but it was moving slower than a buffering YouTube video.

The Chase (It's Giving Main Character Energy)

Fang Yuan was like, "LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!" and started sprinting after the Liquor Worm. The little dude was flying through the bamboo forest, and Fang Yuan was running like he was in a Fortnite match trying to avoid the storm. The moonlight was hitting the bamboo stalks, and it was giving aesthetic vibes, like one of those ASMR videos with nature sounds.

The Liquor Worm flew out of the bamboo forest, and Fang Yuan followed, kicking up a sea of white flowers that scattered like confetti. A group of Dragonpill crickets jumped out of the way, and it looked like a red cloud exploding into a bunch of fireflies. Fang Yuan was like, "This is so cinematic," as he splashed through a mountain stream, creating ripples that looked like liquid silver.

The Hidden Cave (It's Giving Secret Rizz)

The Liquor Worm flew into a crevice in a huge boulder, and Fang Yuan was like, "BET." He stopped to catch his breath, sweating like he just did a 10-minute plank challenge. The boulder was leaning against a mountain wall, and a small waterfall was pouring down like a nature screensaver. The crevice was big enough for two adults to walk through, but Fang Yuan was like, "I'm built different," and squeezed in.

The water pressure was hitting him like a tidal wave, but he pushed through, walking sideways like a crab. The space got narrower, and he was like, "What in the claustrophobia," but he kept going. Finally, he saw a red light in the darkness, and he was like, "POGGERS, WE'RE IN."

The Flower Wine Monk's Remains (It's Giving Dark Academia Vibes)

Fang Yuan stepped into an 80-meter² cave that was glowing with dim red light. The walls were covered in moss and withering vines, and it was giving abandoned-core aesthetic. He recognized the vines as Wine Sack Flower Gu and Rice Pouch Grass Gu, which were like the OG snack dispensers for Gu Masters. But they were all dead now, which was a major L.

In the corner, he found the Liquor Worm sleeping on a clump of dead roots. Fang Yuan was like, "YOU'RE MINE NOW," and scooped it up. Underneath the roots, he found the Flower Wine Monk's skeleton, and he was like, "FINALLY, THE RIZZ IS REAL."

The Plot Twist (It's Giving Jump Scare Vibes)

Just as Fang Yuan was about to strip away the vines, a voice behind him was like, "Try touching it?" Fang Yuan froze, his scalp tingling like he just got jumpscared in a horror game. The voice was full of murderous intent, and it was like, "You've been poisoned by my Single Gate Poison Gu. Without the antidote, you'll turn into goo in seven days. SKILL ISSUE."

Fang Yuan was like, "Bro, I'll give you the Liquor Worm, just chill." But then he realized the voice was coming from a moving image on the wall, like a hologram. It was the Flower Wine Monk's memory, replaying his battle with the Gu Yue clan. The fourth-generation clan leader was groveling like, "I'm just a fart compared to you, Sir Flower Wine. Please spare me!" but the Flower Wine Monk wasn't having it.

The Big Reveal (It's Giving Drama)

The moving image showed the Flower Wine Monk clapping back at the clan leader, who tried to poison him. The Flower Wine Monk was like, "YOU THOUGHT," and killed him with a single punch. The surviving elders tried to jump him, but he was like, "I'M BUILT DIFFERENT," and took them out too. Before he left, he was like, "I'LL BE BACK," but he never returned.

Fang Yuan watched the replay like it was a Netflix series, and he was like, "THIS IS MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY." He realized the Gu Yue clan had lied about the Flower Wine Monk's death to save face, and the moving image was the real tea.

Fang Yuan's Sigma Grindset (It's Giving Hustle Vibes)

Fang Yuan decided to keep the discovery to himself, like a true sigma. He found 15 primeval stones and some dead Gu, but the real treasure was the moving image. He was like, "I could sell this to other villages and start some drama, but nah, I'm keeping it for the rizz."

He left the cave with the Liquor Worm and the primeval stones, ready to grind. As he walked back to the village, he was like, "THIS WORLD IS ALL ABOUT THE HUSTLE. NO CAP."