Looking For the Liquor Worm (Part Nine)

This wall-movie with sound effects? Flower Wine Monk's flex, using a Photo-audio Gu. This Gu records and replays visuals and audio, like a retro projector.

Photo-audio Gu needs light and sound to vibe. This cave had that red glow, and the crevice let in outside sounds (like the waterfall ASMR). So, the Gu was just chilling.

When Fang Yuan ripped those vines, he probably woke up the Photo-audio Gu, like, "yo, what's up?" Anyone with two brain cells could tell the recording was legit.

Back then, fourth clan head tried to pull a sneaky on Flower Wine Monk, but got ratioed. Then, he tried a backstab, which kinda worked, but he still got deleted. That was a major L for the clan, so the surviving elders hit the "edit history" button. They swapped the roles, giving off major "gaslighting" vibes.

Flower Wine Monk got turned into the villain, the one who tried a backstab and got clapped. Fourth clan leader? The pure, innocent hero, the main character.

But the story had a major plot hole: if Flower Wine Monk died there, his body should be in the Gu Yue Clan museum. So, why were random bones found?

In his past life, the Gu Master who found this was probably freaked by the recording. The elders were gone, but the clan was still gatekeeping the truth.

That Gu Master knew keeping the treasure was a major red flag. If they linked him to Flower Wine Monk, he was getting canceled. So, he snitched to the clan, proving he was a loyal simp. Big brain move.

But Fang Yuan? He wasn't playing by those rules.

"I grinded for this loot. Why share? And so what if I get caught? No risk, no drip. That Gu Master was a whole scaredy cat," Fang Yuan smirked, ignoring the repeating movie. He ripped apart the dead vines and roots, like he was opening a loot box.

Flower Wine Monk's remains got Thanos snapped. Fang Yuan didn't care, giving off major "zero chill" vibes. He yeeted a leg bone and searched the remains, like he was speedrunning a treasure hunt.

First, he found a bag of skibidi stones. Only fifteen.

"Broke AF," Fang Yuan scoffed. Flower Wine Monk was flexing that rich vibe, but he only had like, pocket change.

Then it clicked: Flower Wine Monk just threw hands with the clan leader, then got hit with the Moonshadow debuff. He definitely spent all his stones on healing. Fifteen was actually kinda clutch.

Next up, a bunch of dead Gu. Mostly plant Gu, all giving off major "I'm wilting" energy. Gu's are living things, they need snacks, and they're picky eaters. Plant Gu's are low maintenance, but this cave was a no-sun zone.

And then... absolute nada.

Flower Wine Monk was a Rank 5, same level as the clan leader. After a boss fight, he had to 1v10 the elders. He used up all his skills. Then, to heal, he grew Wine Sack Flower Gu and Rice Pouch Grass Gu, like a mini farm. But the Moonshadow Gu hit him with the permadeath.

Three hundred years later, his Gu's were all ghosted. Only the Photo-audio Gu (the recording device) and the Liquor worm were still sending signals.

The Liquor worm probably survived on the Wine Sack Flower Gu, like a wine-fueled influencer. But as they died, it was running on fumes, giving off major "about to log off" vibes.

That explains why the Liquor worm went on a quest outside, hunting for wild Wine Sack Flowers. Then, it got baited by Fang Yuan's green bamboo wine drip.

"The Photo-audio Gu is a one-and-done deal. The Liquor worm is the real W here. No wonder that Gu Master snitched to the clan. The loot was mid for the risk," Fang Yuan realized, like a lightbulb just went off.

In his past life, that Gu Master was already Rank 2, while the Liquor worm was just a Rank 1 noob. To Fang Yuan, it was a rare drop, but to the Gu Master, it was a common item.

But snitching got him a fat reward.

"Should I also tell the clan, tho?" Fang Yuan thought, then instantly hit the "decline" button.

The "treasure" looked like just the worm and some stones, but the real hidden gem was the Photo-audio Gu, the endless replay.

He could sell that recording to other villages, like a leaked sex tape. The other clans on Qing Mao Mountain would pay top dollar for some Gooner Yue Clan tea.

Clan loyalty and honor? That's a whole lotta cap.

"Clan loyalty? Nah, Fang Yuan's on that 'me first' grind."

This recording ain't a nuke, it's just some spicy tea. The clan ain't gonna give him a VIP pass. He needs to hustle, find his own loot. In the early game, you gotta leverage every cheat code.

"Rely on the clan? LOL, as if." Fang Yuan internally rolled his eyes, giving off major "I'm not falling for that again" energy. "I ain't that gullible anymore."

This world's a free-for-all, it's a solo queue.

After looting every pixel of the cave, Fang Yuan dipped.

Fighting the water pressure and squeezing through the boulder, he respawned outside. Looking at the boulder, he had a flashback to his past life. They said the bones were in a secret underground cave. But this was literally a wall-cave.

No wonder he spent a week searching and found nothing. The clan probably deleted the recording wall, then dropped a fake lore bomb to gaslight everyone.

Finding this spot tonight? It was a chaotic mix of pure luck, that grind, and that green bamboo wine bussin'.

That wine was straight-up elite, the best on Qing Mao Mountain, no cap. Maybe in his past life, that heartbroken Gu Master was drowning his sorrows in it too, giving off major "sad boi hours" energy.

But that's old news. Fang Yuan looted the treasure, even if it was a bit of a letdown. He got the real W: the Liquor worm and those primeval stones.

"Now, it's time to lock in and refine this Gu at the inn. With a vital Gu, I can speedrun back to the academy dorms and farm clan resources. Can't stay at the inn too long, though, it's draining my wallet." Fang Yuan thought, speedwalking back to the village, giving off major "gotta min-max" vibes.