The month of May
The air was fragrant with flowers, the mountains stood evergreen, and the sun began to shine with a growing intensity. The sky was a clear blue, dotted with soft, drifting clouds.
On Qing Mao Mountain, the bamboo forest stood tall like spears, and wildflowers dotted the thick grass. A gentle breeze rustled the grass, filling the air with the scent of pollen and fresh greenery.
Midway up the mountain, terraced fields spread out in layers, the young green wheat sprouts forming a lush sea. Farmers were busy working—some cleaning canals to irrigate the fields, while others knee-deep in the earth, planting the crops. These were mortal outsiders, as the Gu Yue clansmen would never engage in such tasks.
Amidst the work, the faint sound of camel bells rang through the air. The farmers paused, standing upright, as they watched a caravan slowly winding its way down the mountain like a colorful serpent.
"It's the merchant caravan!"
"Yes, it's already May, it is about time for the caravan to come."
The adults immediately sensed the shift, and the children stopped their play, eagerly rushing toward the caravan.
Qing Mao Mountain was just one of the many peaks in the Southern Borders, each surrounded by villages connected by bloodlines. Between the mountains lay dense, foreboding forests, steep cliffs, and dangerous wildlife, making the region nearly impassable for mortals. Only a Rank Three Gu Master could hope to navigate these treacherous paths.
"All these past years they would come in April, but this year they only arrived in May. At least they're here now." The owner of the inn let out a deep breath upon hearing the news. The inn's business was poor in the other months, so only when the caravan came could he earn enough profit to last the year.
At the same time, there was some green bamboo wine within his storage that he could sell to the caravan merchants.
Besides the inn, the business at the tavern would also boom as a result.
Due to the region's poor economy, trade was scarce, and caravans were the primary means of exchanging goods. A merchant group, formed with the aid of powerful Gu Masters, was necessary to overcome the dangers of travel and connect the isolated mountains.
The arrival of the caravan was a sudden disruption, like a splash of boiling water breaking the calm of Qing Mao Mountain.
The merchant caravan entered the Gu Yue mountain village, led by a massive Treasure Brass Toad. This toad, standing two and a half meters tall, had an orange-yellow body covered in thick, wart-like lumps, resembling bronze nails on ancient gates. On its back, goods were securely tied with thick ropes, making it appear as though the toad was carrying a giant backpack.
Sitting cross-legged atop the toad was Jia Fu, a middle-aged man with a round face, pockmarked skin, and a large belly. His eyes squinted into slits when he smiled, and he greeted the villagers with a respectful clasp of his hands. Jia Fu, a Rank Four cultivator, was the leader of the caravan.
As the toad hopped forward, Jia Fu's height brought him level with the second-story windows of the buildings. Even when it landed, his stature still towered over the first floor. The streets, once spacious, now felt cramped as the caravan of creatures moved through the village.
Behind the Treasure Brass Toad, a huge fat worm followed. It was adorned with colorful, glass-like eyes and covered in black porcelain-like armor, carrying goods and Gu Masters. Among them were robust martial warriors, trailing behind a large black beetle. Other creatures, like ostriches with bright feathers, mountain spiders, and winged snakes, followed closely behind, but most of the animals were smaller toads, similar to the lead toad, only smaller in size and bulkier, carrying merchandise and passengers.
As the caravan slowly made its way deeper into the village, children lined the roads, calling out in excitement or surprise. Villagers in the second-story windows watched in curiosity, some with fear in their eyes, others waving in greeting.
"Old brother Jia, you came a little late this year, you must have had a hard journey." Approaching with the identity of a clan head, Gu Yue Bo came out himself to greet the leader of this year's merchant caravan.
As Jia Fu had the status of a Rank four Gu Master, if a Rank three elder were to be in charge of receiving him, it would be undoubtedly be seen as a kind of negligence and scorn.
Jia Fu cupped his fists and sighed, "This year's road was rather unfavorable. On the way we bumped into a group of Secluded Blood Bats and we lost quite a few good men. Then on Jue Bi Mountain we ran into a mountain fog, and we didn't dare to continue traveling at all. So we were delayed for quite a lot of time, and caused Brother Gu Yue to wait for quite awhile."
As they spoke, their tones were very polite.
The Gu Yue village needed the merchant caravans every year to come and trade, and the merchant caravan also needed business to make money.
"Heh heh heh, it's good enough that you are able to come. Please, the clan has prepared food and wine, let me host a welcoming dinner for you, old brother," Gu Yue Bo stretched out his hand and said invitingly.
"Clan head is polite, too polite." Jia Fu was flattered.
The merchant caravan reached the outskirts of Qing Mao Mountain early in the morning and set up camp in Gu Yue Village by afternoon. By dusk, the village was transformed, with rows of colorful tents—red, blue, yellow, and green—lining the area. Between the tents, narrow streets were packed with countless small stalls.
Despite the nightfall, the area remained brightly lit.
Pedestrians streamed into the market from the village—both mortals and Gu Masters. Children played joyfully, while adults exchanged smiles, as if celebrating a festival.
Fang Yuan walked alone through the lively crowd, moving with the flow of people. The air was filled with the sounds of merchants calling out, trying to attract customers to their stalls.
"Come, come, take a look. Top notch Blue Sea Cloud tea brick, drinking this tea makes one as cheerful as a fairy! Even if it's not a person drinking, it can be used for feeding and raising tea Gu, it is a cheaply priced item for its value. One piece only costs five primeval stones!"
"Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, a Gu Master who uses this Gu will be able to burst out with the strength of a cow. You can walk away, but don't regret it!"
"Intimate Grass, high quality Intimate Grass. Everyone look at this quality, it's as fresh as if a newly picked one. One catty for two pieces of primeval stones, very cheap price…"
Fang Yuan continue on walking even though he knew that buying the Intimate Grass can be helpful in feeding the Moonlight Gu, basically is much more cost-effective.
"It has already been half a month since Gao Wan's death, I wasn't fined anything at all because I killed him purely with strength and not the Moonlight Gu. The Mo family paid me 30 primeval stones as compensation, the same as before. In recent days I have robbed twice and have about 150 primeval stones. I have already fully obtain the boar strength from White Boar Gu, but now is not the time to be exploring the Flower Wine Monk inheritance yet.
Ever since Fang Yuan killed a person, the cruel and callous image had deeply rooted itself into the hearts of the students and for a time no one dared to challenge him. This led to his plundering becoming much easier, as every time only a very small number would dare to resist.
Fang Yuan calculated in his heart, then he moved his line of sight and continued walking deeper into the heart of the setup of temporary stores.
"Now I will just have to reenact my previous life action to obtain the Rank 2 Mudskin Toad." Fang Yuan calmly thought as he pass through the busy crowd.
The further one walked, the more flourishing and prosperous it was. Small street vendors lessened while large tents increased in number.
There were all sorts of large tents to be seen – red, blue, green, yellow, in different shapes and sizes, several being a cylindrical shape. Some erected two door pillars at the entrance of their tents, while others hung large red lanterns instead. Inside, some tents had vibrants lights, whereas others were dim and dark.
Fang Yuan observed his surroundings as he walked, finally stopping near a grey-coloured tent.
"It's here," he evaluated while looking at the tent; it had two pillars at the entrance, and there were carvings on the pillars, two lines of antithetical couplet.
The left side wrote, "Small display of courage, obtain good fortune during the four seasons."
The right side wrote, "Large display of skills, obtain good prosperity in all four directions."
In the middle there was still another line: "Luck changes with time."
That's right, this is a gambling den.