009. Post-Battle Gains as Expected; Trying Rock Gambling at Youlan Stone Den
The battle raged for the better part of the night, and nearly half of the Jade Spider swarm was slain.
At this moment!
A Jade Spider thousand beast king let out another strange, eerie cry. The remaining Jade Spiders immediately retreated together, disappearing into the dense jungle.
It seemed the Blade Leg Jade Spiders realized this group was tough prey. After losing more than half their companions, they finally retreated.
Seeing the spider swarm retreat, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Qitian, however, gave a strange smile, unnoticed by the exhausted crowd.
Jade Spider swarms were warlike; once a battle began, they typically fought to the death and would not easily retreat.
The caravan suffered significant losses as a result. Although important goods weren't heavily damaged, a large number of servants, many Rank 1 and Rank 2 Gu Masters, and two Rank 3 Gu Masters perished. This pained Jia Fu greatly, especially the loss of the two Rank 3 Gu Masters he had worked hard to recruit.
Morning light illuminated the damaged campsite.
In a somber atmosphere, everyone cleaned the battlefield and tallied their gains and losses.
Although the losses were heavy this time, the Jade Spider corpses left on the battlefield represented considerable wealth, enough to basically cover most of the losses.
The Jade Spiders' jade eyes, jade legs, and the jade pearls in their abdomens were all important Gu refinement materials.
Additionally, there were several wild Gu worms parasitizing the Jade Spider kings, especially some Blade Path Gu worms which were quite valuable.
During the distribution of spoils, Qitian requested the Rank 3 Blade Qi Gu, the Rank 3 Blade Intent Gu, and a large quantity of precious materials.
Although Qitian contributed significantly in the battle, it wasn't nearly enough to warrant these items. To compensate, Qitian contributed most of his remaining trade goods and several Gu worms that weren't very suitable for him.
Of course, the biggest beneficiary this time was Xiao Qing, Qitian's Blue Bamboo Snake. Jade Spider swarms rarely left their territory to attack caravans proactively; this swarm's attack was lured by Xiao Qing.
Gu worms have relatively specific diets, but beasts have broader ones. Jade Spider eggs were one of the few food types beneficial to the Blue Bamboo Snake, capable of promoting its growth.
This time, Xiao Qing had selected a spider swarm of suitable size, lured it out, and then sneaked back to steal and eat the Jade Spider eggs.
Naturally, all this was done under Qitian's command; Xiao Qing wasn't that intelligent yet.
If the lured swarm had been too large, the caravan's strength would have been greatly reduced, possibly even leading to annihilation.
Although Qitian planned to use the caravan's strength to hunt Jade Spiders, he didn't want to see the caravan destroyed. The final retreat of the Jade Spider swarm was also because Xiao Qing sneaked back again to steal eggs; otherwise, if the bloody battle had continued, the caravan's losses would have been even greater.
Qitian planned to use this opportunity to exchange for some excellent Gu worms suitable for himself; he coveted the Jade Spider corpses and their parasitic Blade Path Gu worms.
Multiple Jade Spider swarms lived on White Jade Mountain. Within their territory, they had terrain advantage, their combat power surged, and wielding their eight blade-like jade legs like meat grinders, they were extremely dangerous. Thus, few people targeted them.
It wasn't until a hundred years later that a enslavement path Gu Master utilized the small and fast Jade Bee Hummingbirds to steal Jade Spider eggs, luring them out of their territory in small batches. Only then did large-scale hunting of Jade Spiders begin. Within the following ten years, the Jade Spider swarms on White Jade Mountain were completely exterminated.
Xiao Qing itself was small and agile, and hosted speed-type Gu worms, allowing it to safely lure the swarm; otherwise, it would have long been dismembered.
And now, Qitian was left with only the Rank 3 Gu worms: Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus, Empty Granary Gu, Swift Shadow Gu, Mist Sparrow Gu, Blade Qi Gu, Blade Intent Gu, and Concealed Essence Gu, along with a large amount of refinement materials and the remaining eight hundred thousand primeval stones.
Blade Qi Gu and Blade Intent Gu were both precious among Rank 3 Gu. Qitian had dabbled in Blade Path in his previous life. Although he didn't reach the Master level, he had considerable attainment.
Of course, Qitian's main goal was still that legendary Gu. With that legendary Gu, Qitian could commit to cultivating Qi path.
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In the White Head Mountain region, every village had a gambling den. Some large villages even had numerous large casinos.
Lan Family Village was one such medium-sized village, possessing several gambling dens. Among them, the most famous Youlan Rock Gambling Den, although only medium-sized, had a reputation comparable to some large casinos, all because ten years ago, a lucky person opened a Rank 5 Gu there.
This lucky person was the current Lan Clan Leader, Lan Cang Shui, whose cultivation reached Rank 4 peak. Because he possessed a Rank 5 Gu, his combat strength surpassed typical Rank 4 peak experts. If he could advance further and break through to Rank 5, Lan Family Village would become a large-scale clan overnight.
After the caravan camped in Lan Family Village, Qitian went to this rather famous Youlan Rock Gambling Den.
"Esteemed guest, is this your first time trying rock gambling?" A female Gu Master from behind the counter walked over, a smile on her face, speaking softly.
Qitian rubbed his nose and said lightly, "More or less." If one didn't count his previous life's experiences, this was indeed his first time since rebirth.
"Esteemed guest, do you know how these stubborn stones are formed?" the female Gu Master walked ahead, explaining to Qitian.
Without waiting for Qitian's reply, she answered herself: "As the saying goes, humans are the spirit of all things, Gu are the true essence of heaven and earth... Heaven and earth leave a sliver of life; some Gu worms, when severely injured or lacking food, might fall into hibernation... eventually transforming into stubborn stones. These stubborn stones tightly envelop the Gu worms, and influenced by the law fragments within the Gu worms' bodies, gradually become distinct, very different from the surrounding earth and rock. People discover these stubborn stones and carefully collect them; these are the stubborn stones you see now."
Qitian nodded but didn't respond.
The female Gu Master continued, "Then please come inside, let me introduce them to the guest. Our shop mainly deals in Star Stones, Vast Sea Stones, Frozen Ice Stones, and Purple Gold Stones. Each type of stone is divided into four grades based on appearance, with different prices. Some cost upwards of ten thousand, while others are only a few primeval stones."
"The area the guest was just in is the cheapest miscellaneous grade area. Why don't I recommend buying there? Because the stubborn stones in the miscellaneous area have the worst appearance. These stubborn stones tightly enveloping the Gu worms, influenced by the law fragments within, gradually become unique, reflected in their shape and appearance. Esteemed guest, what you see now are the mid-grade stones. You'll find the appearance is undoubtedly better. Of course, the price here is also slightly higher."
The female Gu Master continued, "Our shop employs the best rock cutting masters, each with at least twenty years of rich experience. Among them is Master Fang, who specializes in acid dissolution cutting and has been cutting rocks for over fifty years. That Rank 5 Gu worm back then was opened by Master Fang."
"I recommend that after the guest selects a stubborn stone, you have it cut here in our shop. The rock cutting masters are more professional and have a specialized set of Gu worms for cutting rocks."
"If there is a Gu inside the stubborn stone, it will be extremely weak. Choosing an inappropriate cutting method can easily deal a fatal blow to the Gu. It will be too late for regrets then."
"Esteemed guest, if you select a stone in the high-grade area, our shop will cut it for you free of charge. If it's in the mid-grade or low-grade areas, you'll have to pay an additional cutting fee. As for the miscellaneous grade area, I wouldn't recommend the guest spend money hiring a rock cutting master. Usually, the cost of hiring a master is several times higher than the cost of the stone itself."
While explaining, the female Gu Master subtly flirted, intentionally or unintentionally making physical contact with Qitian.
Qitian remained unmoved, understanding inwardly that this female assistant saw his extraordinariness and wanted to latch onto this 'big tree', or at the very least, earn a commission from Qitian.
"It's my first time here, I'll just try my luck first." After saying this, Qitian began selecting stones himself, making the female Gu Master inwardly annoyed at his lack of responsiveness to her charms.
There were quite a few customers gambling on rocks here. They stood before the counters; some carefully examined the stones on display, some picked up stubborn stones to rub carefully in their palms, feeling their texture, some discussed quietly with companions, and some negotiated prices with the shop assistants.
After looking around, Qitian ended up in the low-grade area and seemingly randomly selected a few stones: Star Stone, Frozen Ice Stone, and Vast Sea Stone types were all included.
The female Gu Master couldn't help but feel disappointed, a flash of contempt crossing her eyes. Although Qitian noticed, he pretended not to; he didn't care about others' opinions. After all, he wasn't some naive young master or profligate scion who would fall for such a simple seduction attempt.