"What on earth are you thinking about, Missy? This is a heaven-sent opportunity! With this, you might have an actual hope, once we get to Shang Clan City, of being able to make a living. Otherwise, you'll be treated like nothing, like bugs on the ground waiting for someone to squash us." It was a bit of a crude analogy, but it was true nonetheless.
"That's right," she said. "But it somehow feels wrong, taking advantage of this..."
"Missy, you've already done so much for everyone else. Let someone do something for you for once. And who knows?" The icing on top of her argument was, "Maybe he wants you to become a Gu Master so that you can become his actual wife? That could also be a possibility..."
Zhang Xin Ci had a small chuckle. "I doubt it, but all right."
The next day, she went up to Fang Yuan and told him that she indeed did want to become a Gu Master. "It's good that you want to become a Gu Master," Fang Yuan said. "However, I need you to remember one thing: the life of a Gu Master is not as easy or rosy as it might seem to mortals. Gu Masters have more power, but they also have more demand on resources as well. If, as a Gu Master, you're out of Gu worms, for example, you'll be left as nothing better than a mortal. Also, remember that there are hierarchies even within the Gu Master world. You might be able to become a rank one Gu Master, but you'd still be at the bottom of the totem pole. If you want to be able to defend yourself, you may still need to rely upon someone else."
"I know, and I understand that," Zhang Xin Ci said.
Fang Yuan took out a gu worm. "If you are ready for this, then let's go ahead." While this gu worm was useless to him, it could be sold for a high price in Shang Clan City. However, there were some things that superseded his need for primeval stones.
For best results, it was ideal that they should to be near a large amount of Hope Gu. He led her down to the underground cavern using his authority as clan leader, before activating the gu worm. As he did so, multiple Hope Gu began pouring into the space, just between her umbilicus and the tip of her sternum. There was a tiny explosion that only Zhang Xin Ci could feel, after which her aperture began filling with primeval essence.
"With your permission, I'd like to check your aperture just to make sure that things are okay," Fang Yuan said. Normally, one could not do so to any Gu Master. However, the academy eldery had done so at the beginning of his own career. Zhang Xin Ci was also unfamiliar with this custom, and figured that there was no problem in letting Fang Yuan examine her to make sure that nothing had gone wrong.
Fang Yuan took a look. Zhang Xin Ci had 40% aptitude, but that was to be expected. A forcibly opened aperture like this could only be C-grade at best. That would not matter for her prospects in the long term, because the Shang Clan family had access to several talent-raising gu worms. When she went back to Shang Clan City, no doubt she'd be doted upon as the next Shang Clan head and would soon reach great talent.
Fang Yuan spent about an hour telling her about the basics of her aperture and primeval essence. He could have sent her to the academy, but they were midway through their lessons and as such, she wouldn't have understood much of that either. "For now, though, what's most important is your vital gu worm," Fang Yuan said. "I think I have one that suits you very well." He took out the Rank One Accumulate Virtue Gu.
"What does that Gu worm do?" Zhang Xin Ci asked.
"It allows a person who is virtuous to accumulate strength within it. As per the inheritance I found, once it accumulates enough virtue, it will morph and then have an effect as per what I was told. I'd already chosen my Vital Gu up to that point so I could not change it easily. However, I think this will suit you very well."
Accumulate Virtue Gu would accumulate virtue, advancing along with the Gu Master who had it from ranks 1 to 5. Once they had accumulated enough, it would grant them the Righteous Virtue Physique. This was the primary path of obtaining it, though this was not appropriate for him. Fang Yuan instead was using a modified recipe by Paradise Earth, which is why he had to jump through so many hoops to obtain it.
"Take it. I've already refined it and I think it will be an excellent Vital Gu for you. It feeds upon virtuous acts, so I think you will have no problem in dealing with it," Fang Yuan explained. "And spend some time meditating and moving the primeval essence in your aperture." He handed her two primeval stones, a fortune for a mortal, but not considerably so for a Rank One Gu Master. "Maybe during our journey, I will be able to give you some more pointers."
"Alright, I'll see what I can do," Zhang Xin Ci said. She felt very excited - she had been quite disappointed when she had failed during her own awakening ceremony. It had been her one chance to actually make something of herself, but that had failed.
Now, however, she had hope - hope that she would be able to make something of herself. She refused the two primeval stones until Fang Yuan practically forced them into her hands, his light fingers brushing against hers.
She knew there was still a major gap in status between the two of them, but that gap had lessened by a small bit. Maybe Xiao Die was right - and there was hope.
Hope...
She repeated that word in her mind. In The Legends of Ren Zu it had been hope that carried Ren Zu through his predicaments.
As she walked back to where she was staying, others gave her strange looks. Although the mortals did not feel it, those who were Gu Masters could no doubt detect her Rank One Initial Stage aura - something that she hadn't had before.
Seeing her emerge from the clan's primeval spring, some began to doubt her and wondered if she had rushed in, until they saw Fang Yuan behind her.
Fang Yuan separated from her after that, going about his usual work, Zhang Xin Ci spending far too much time looking at his retreating form.
"Missy! Did it- are you really?" Xiao Die asked her as she returned.
"Take a look!" Zhang Xin Ci said, waving her hand, but nothing happened.
Xiao Die cast her eyes around the room. "Take a look at what...?"
"Um... nothing, I mean, yes, it worked," Zhang Xin Ci said. She had seen some Gu Masters let out their primeval essence to show that they were powerful, and had tried doing the same onto her hand. However, when she did so, nothing really happened other than ripples moving across the surface of her primeval essence. "I guess I need more practice... ahaha... before I can do something like that..."
Zhang Xin Ci spent the afternoon experimenting with her primeval essence - trying to move it and examining her vital gu as well as the walls of her aperture. She still couldn't bring her primeval essence out onto her hand, but could send short bursts of it out of her aperture.
This experimentation continued until the next morning, when Fang Yuan had another gift for her.