Chu Xuan pushed open the door of the Tea Appreciation Pavilion and strode into the He family estate. The beautiful woman was waiting, with He Zha standing respectfully to the side.
Upon seeing Chu Xuan, the woman immediately broke into a wide smile and stepped forward. She handed him a small insect-rearing bag and respectfully said, "Senior, these are the three types of Gu insects you requested. If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me directly. I will do my best to fulfill your request."
Chu Xuan smiled faintly. "It's just some minor matters. There's no need to trouble the He family's cultivators."
"Let's go," he said, turning to look at He Zha.
"Understood."
Chu Xuan and He Zha walked side by side out of the He family residence, moving quickly.
The beautiful woman stood still, speechless.
A He family cultivator nearby murmured, "This Senior He, it seems he is not fond of women. Even with such a beautiful lady like you, he remains unaffected."
The woman, with a melancholic expression, sighed. "He hasn't even asked for my name... Alas..."
The nearby cultivator thought she was about to give up. But the woman's resolve firmed again. "A Nascent Soul guest elder, every family would want one. This Senior He is new here, and has not yet aligned himself with any faction. We must pull him into our He family's camp."
...
Elsewhere, Chu Xuan and He Zha had arrived at Neon Garment Square on Neon Garment Island. This was the largest market on the island, managed by the He family.
Though Gu insects were often associated with the dark arts, not all Gu insects consumed flesh and blood. Many of them fed on rare and precious materials instead. Thus, Neon Garment Square also had a place for these insects.
Before long, He Zha led Chu Xuan to a group of Gu Masters. The first eight types of Gu insects were acquired smoothly, as these Gu Masters were all in the Golden Core stage and didn't dare haggle with a Nascent Soul cultivator like Chu Xuan.
In no time at all, Chu Xuan and He Zha arrived at the last location. This was a shop called "Little Insect Pavilion", located in the central area of Neon Garment Square. This part of the market had the best location and the highest prices.
Compared to the surrounding stores, the Little Insect Pavilion was unusually small, delicate, and elegantly ancient. It looked as if a pearl had been embedded in the ground. The shop was impeccably clean, with only a pleasant fragrance lingering in the air, but not a hint of the usual Gu insect odor. Those unfamiliar with it might easily mistake the shop for a place selling spiritual plants rather than Gu insects.
...
Behind the counter stood an old Gu Master in his Nascent Soul stage. The Gu Master was dressed in gray robes, his body hunched with age. He looked extremely frail, his eyelids drooping, his face gaunt and lined with deep wrinkles. Each crevice on his face seemed to tell the story of countless years of life experience.
Beside him, in a wooden box, lay a palm-sized, shimmering golden insect. This insect was the Dragon-shaped Bug. It had two horns growing from its head and scales covering its body. Aside from lacking claws and a tail, it resembled a miniature dragon, more so than any other creature.
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In Chu Xuan's design, the Dragon-shaped Bug was the core of his plan. Only an insect that had the shape of a dragon, but lacked the dragon's aura—an insect with abundant vital essence, thick skin, and resilient flesh—could bear the powerful organs of other Gu insects.
The old Gu Master looked at Chu Xuan and shook his head with a sigh. "I'm afraid I can't sell it for now. Here's your deposit back." He took out three large spirit stones and handed them over.
The Dragon-shaped Bug was priced at six large spirit stones, and Chu Xuan had previously asked He Zha to pay a deposit of three large spirit stones.
Hearing the old Gu Master's words, Chu Xuan frowned. Everything had been fine before—why the sudden change?
The old Gu Master seemed to hesitate, his face showing some difficulty. After a long pause, he spoke again. "If you truly want it, I can sell it to you, but the price has gone up to twenty large spirit stones."
Chu Xuan's frown deepened.
The Dragon-shaped Bug was merely slow to mature—it had no real combat ability. Its only value was in its shed skin, which could be used in medicinal preparations.
However, this Gu insect shed its skin only once every fifty years, which made it unbearably slow in growth. There were many other Gu insects whose shed skins could be used as a replacement.
The price of six large spirit stones was reasonable. But twenty large spirit stones could buy two high-quality magic treasures. While Chu Xuan had some wealth, he wasn't willing to throw it away without a good reason.
Though he could see that the old Gu Master seemed troubled, it didn't appear to be a deliberate attempt to raise the price.
He Zha quickly pulled Chu Xuan aside and whispered, "Senior, when I came here before, the price wasn't this high… don't know why, but as soon as you showed up, he raised the price."
He Zha was nervous, fearing that Chu Xuan might take his displeasure out on him.
Chu Xuan patted his shoulder reassuringly. "It's fine, this isn't your fault."
He Zha immediately felt relieved. This was a long-time ally—he definitely didn't want to fall out of favor now.
...
The old Gu Master sighed deeply. "You might want to try another Gu Master. That Gu Master Ma has also raised a Dragon-shaped Bug for over a hundred years. If you need the shed skin for medicinal purposes, it should be enough."
Chu Xuan smiled. "Senior, why the sudden price increase? If you don't mind, I'd like to hear the reason."
At a glance, he could tell that the Dragon-shaped Bug in the old Gu Master's hands was at least three hundred years old. The older the Dragon-shaped Bug, the better. A hundred-year-old one would likely be unable to bear the powerful organs of other Gu insects.
The old Gu Master froze when he heard Chu Xuan's words. He sighed heavily, his voice tinged with weariness. "Young man, at my age, I have no hope of reaching Deity Transformation. In this life, I have only two wishes—first, to leave behind a name, and second, to see my descendants grow up safely."
He chuckled bitterly. "I, Ning Tai, have spent most of my life here in the Eastern Third Ring. If it weren't for circumstances beyond my control, I would never ruin my reputation."
Chu Xuan listened quietly, piecing together the old Gu Master's story. The price increase must have something to do with his descendants.
Ning Tai sighed again. "I have no true family—only a few grandchildren. Not even a full hand's worth. But in this Shattered Star Sea, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, I cannot even protect them."
He continued with a hint of sorrow. "Over the years, some have died, some have gone missing. Now, I only have one remaining descendant. Not long ago, he offended a senior from the Divine Sword Sect, a Deity Transformation cultivator. Not only was he captured, but the shop he ran was sealed as well."
Ning Tai paused for a moment before adding, "I heard that the Deity Transformation senior is fond of collecting rare and unique Gu insects. My Dragon-shaped Bug has been raised for three hundred years. Perhaps he might be interested in it, so I thought to offer it to him."
"Of course," he smiled bitterly, "if the Dragon-shaped Bug can sell for twenty large spirit stones, that would be a good thing. I could buy a few more Gu insects and send them to him. That would be even better."
At this point, Ning Tai chuckled faintly, "That's when I decided to raise the price. I see that you are a kind-hearted person, fellow daoist, so I thought I'd explain myself. I hope you won't hold it against me."
Chu Xuan pondered for a moment. It made sense. Such things were not unusual. The Divine Sword Sect ruled with an iron fist. Anyone who offended them would suffer a dreadful fate.
However, Chu Xuan didn't want to give up on the Dragon-shaped Bug just yet. After thinking for a while, he suddenly spoke. "Since that Deity Transformation senior likes to collect unique Gu insects, I have one here that he will certainly be interested in."
With that, Chu Xuan flipped his palm, and a jade box appeared in his hand. Inside it lay a quiet fire bee.
...