Looking For The Liquor Worm (Part Two)

"Thank god we bagged Fang Zheng, and Fang Yuan's just a C-tier noob," Uncle sighs, hella relieved.

"But what if Fang Yuan goes rogue at 16?" Aunt's panicking about that bag. 

"He's being a brat, so it's his L," Uncle says, ice cold. "We just need to catch him in a major fail before he dips, and yeet him from the fam. Inheritance rights? Gone."

"But he's a genius, how's he gonna mess up?" Aunt's confused.

Uncle rolls his eyes like she's a toddler. "You're clueless! If he won't fail, we'll stage it! Shen Cui seduces him, screams assault, we catch him red-handed, say he was blackout drunk and wild. Easy W."

"You're a mastermind!" Aunt's hyped.

Night falls, dark clouds are blocking the stars. Village lights are flickering on.

Fang Zheng's escorted to his new digs.

"Young Master Fang Zheng, the old master had me set this up for you," Mother Shen says, bowing with a fake smile.

Fang Zheng's eyes are doing that anime sparkle thing. This room's double the size of his old one! Huge bed, fancy desk, boujee ink set, decorations, soft handmade carpet.

He's never lived this lavishly. "This is fire! Thanks, Mother Shen!"

Mother Shen, Aunt and Uncle's ride-or-die, is all smiles and fake niceties. "Don't thank me, it's my duty! Eat, sleep, vibe. Ring the bell, and we'll be there. The old master wants you to grind and cultivate, we'll handle the rest."

Fang Zheng's feeling all the feels. He's determined to get #1 and make his adoptive parents proud.

Clouds are getting thicker, night's getting darker. A few stars are peeking through, blinking in the void.

"Aunt and Uncle are definitely plotting my expulsion right now. Last life, they used servants to provoke me, then framed me. Wonder if they'll switch it up this time," Fang Yuan thinks, sneering.

He knows their true colors, but he gets it. People chase wealth, even at the cost of family. Kinship's a myth. They only took him and Fang Zheng in for the inheritance.

"Starting from scratch is hard," he muses. "No talent, no mentor. But I've got my parents' legacy, that's a huge leg up. Last life, they stole it, and I wasted two years getting to Rank 1 peak. Not happening again. Ultimately, it's all about that sigma male hustle."

He strolls out of the village, wine jars in hand.

Night's getting darker, clouds are blocking the stars, wind's picking up.

Mountain rain's coming. But he's gotta search. He needs his inheritance, but that's a year away. Flower Wine Monk's treasure is his only quick win.

Streets are empty, houses are dimly lit. Wind's blowing trash and leaves around.

Fang Yuan's thin clothes aren't cutting it. He takes a swig of wine, feeling a warm rush. First time he's actually drunk any of it.

He walks further out, houses get sparser, lights get dimmer. It's pitch black ahead. Wind's howling through the trees, sounding like wild beasts.

He doesn't slow down. He walks past the village entrance, into the darkness. Behind him, the village lights shine warm and bright.

Fang Zheng's at his desk, studying his notes. Bright lights, sturdy walls, no cold wind. Warm ginseng tea steams beside him.

"Young Master Fang Zheng, your bath's ready," Shen Cui's voice calls from outside.

Fang Zheng's heart skips a beat. "Bring it in."

Shen Cui enters, bowing, all smiles.

"Greetings, Young Master." She's giving him the bedroom eyes. Fang Yuan's C-grade, but Fang Zheng's A-grade! Snagging him is a major win! She definitely wants this Tier 3 sub. 

Scene Transmission!

Drip drip drip...

Huge raindrops are slapping the bamboo roof, making that ASMR tapping sound. The pond's surface is all ripply, fish are vibing, plants are swaying. Sky's gray, rain's blocking everything.

In the dim room, Fang Yuan's watching the downpour, heavy sigh.

"Three days and nights already."

Three nights ago, he dipped with wine, searching. Then the rain hit, a straight-up monsoon. He was drenched, and more importantly, his search was a bust.

Rain washes away the wine scent. Searching in this weather? Sus. He's playing the sad drunk card, but he ain't dumb.

So, he had to pause the mission.

And the rain's been non-stop. Sometimes heavy, sometimes light, always raining.

"Guess that Liquor worm's MIA for now. Gotta start refining this Moonlight Gu. If the worm shows up, sick. If not, it is what it is. Life's chaotic. Nobody gets a smooth ride."

Fang Yuan's chill AF. 500 years of experience has him unbothered.

He shuts the door and window, sits cross-legged on his bed, and meditates.

His mind's eye sees his primeval aperture. Inside, the green copper primeval sea, smooth like a mirror, fills 44% of the space. Every drop is his life force, condensed into liquid form.

Every drop of primeval essence is gold, the Gu Master's fuel, their power source. Gotta have it to use Gu.

Fang Yuan pulls his mind out of his primeval sea and grabs the Moonlight Gu. It's chilling in his palm, a tiny blue crescent moon, all sparkly.

He thinks, and his primeval sea starts churning. A stream of green copper essence shoots out, straight into the Moonlight Gu. The Gu starts glowing blue, shaking a little, resisting the essence.

Gu are like, nature's code, living beings with their own minds. Fang Yuan's trying to rewrite its code, erase its will. Naturally, it's throwing a fit.

Rizzing is a grind.

The green copper essence is creeping along the crescent's tips, turning them green. Slowly, it's spreading towards the middle.

Three minutes in, Fang Yuan's already pale. He's draining his essence like crazy, feeling weak.

1%, 2%, 3%... 8%, 9%, 10%.

Ten minutes later, he's down 10% of his essence. The green essence has barely spread on the Moonlight Gu.

The Gu's putting up a serious fight. His Rank 1 aura ain't enough to rizz up a Rank 1 Gu that easily. Fang Yuan expected this, so he keeps pushing.

1%, 2%, 3%...

Twenty more minutes, he's down to 14% essence. The green has spread a bit more, covering about 1/12th of the Gu. The rest is still blue.

"Rizzing this thing is a slog," Fang Yuan sighs, cutting off the essence flow. He stops the rizzment process.