"Finally!"
Elder Ya exhaled in relief. An orchid's fragrance filled the refinement chamber he'd occupied for weeks at this point within the refinement hall, its source being the floating soul path gu worm before the old elder.
Rank 4 Soul Orchid Bloom Gu.
He pursed his lips after the momentary relief, vividly aware of the bitterness he held against fate. After all, Elder Ya had been happy to stall the refinement of this gu worm and wait out Bai Shou to extort more human path research she apparently held back from contributing to the sect. She didn't know the recipe for Soul Orchid Bloom Gu, it being a rare soul path gu worm which was all the more challenging to refine. Eventually, the old elder hoped to tire the newcomer and obtain great benefits.
However, things did not go as planned. Not at all.
The time frame of obtaining Love Gu was longer for Bai Shou because she spent most of her time inside Hu Immortal Blessed Land, experiencing time five times quicker than others in Central Continent or those inside the sect's public blessed living at twice the pace compared to the mainland. So, Elder Ya tirelessly refined this rank 4 gu worm, failing several times and incurring injuries from backlash to quickly hold up his end of the bargain instead of lusting after more benefits or preparing for the refinement convention.
He didn't dare exploit Gu Yue Lo Jik.
Bai Shou was a newcomer and more helpless in certain matters, like influence and network. But these matters didn't limit Lo Jik.
Gosh! That man did not have one but two immortal gu worms!
'I finally succeeded. To think I would encounter a string of misfortune while refining this rank 4 gu worm. While more complicated compared to other rank 4 gu worms, refining this gu worm should not have taken me more than five tries.'
Elder Ya was confident and experienced. So, his inability to properly prepare for the convention by focusing all his effort on Soul Orchid Bloom Gu made him more bitter.
He failed eleven times.
That meant ruining eleven sets of materials.
More aggrieving was the fact that Elder Ya failed at the very final step of the refinement process, forcing him to use all the materials and then losing them abruptly.
Loss after loss!
'But it's finally done.' Elder Ya licked his dried lips. 'Not only should I quickly send this gu worm to Lo Jik, but I must also add a few things to appease him.'
He suppressed the darker thought of ignoring Gu Yue Lo Jik altogether. After all, Lo Jik didn't come to find trouble with him after being acknowledged by Love Gu.
But what if he did in the future?
What if Lo Jik suddenly set sight on him?
Elder Ya couldn't take the risk even if his greed made him wish otherwise.
'I'm not the only one in such a situation. Sect Leader Jirou and the two elders Le Tao and Di Qing also suffer from extreme suppression because of their open conflict with Gu Yue Lo Jik and Shu Zhe.'
'Jirou Na… she is the most surprising element. She hid too deeply. Who knew her relationship with her children was never bad and it was all an act to draw malicious third parties over the years and scheme against them? She might have already sent several gifts to Shu Zhe and smoothened things over.'
'That woman cannot be underestimated. She might be a strength path gu master, but she isn't short-tempered and can scheme patiently. As for Elder Le Tao and Di Qing…'
Elder Ya smiled.
'They tried pulling me along to approach that Legacy Disciple Black Moon after the latter defeated Feng Jin Huang in a fair duel. Hmph, they believe Black Moon will become the sect's current generation fairy. How can anyone compete with THE Feng Jin Huang?'
The old elder snorted derisively.
'I wonder what they sent to Black Moon. Could it be new strength path gu worms? Isn't Black Moon also a strength path gu master? Or… a new gu worm? It's an open secret Shu Zhe traded with the couple and they even gave her a rank 4 Nine Eyes Liquor Worm. If only… if only I could have gotten such a recipe from Bai Shou before Lo Jik came along.'
He shook his head.
<<<>>>
"A gu immortal? Hahahahaha!" Black Moon only briefly blanked out by the accusation before bursting into laughter. She leaned back on her seat while unable to contain herself as she blinked out some tears, too. Her performance… it was too real. Truly, even Lo Jik might have been fooled by her acting if not for one single fact—she kept a rank 4 Nine Eyes Liquor Worm Gu he refined. A gu worm he tampered using a refinement path investigative gu worm, Evil Intentions.
Naturally, he wouldn't have been able to use the effects of Evil Intentions if Black Moon suppressed Nine Eyes Liquor Worm. Every gu immortal could do that and make any mortal thoroughly helpless. But she didn't.
Lo Jik saw her blessed land. He knew many things because of that, and she did not even suspect a gu worm from Le Tao and Di Qing.
He started investigating Black Moon after she defeated Feng Jin Huang. It's also why he started scheming against the gu immortal by seeking another gu immortal's assistance—Feng Jiu Ge.
So, he watched her performance with a soft smile. He grew to admire her more.
Talented. Exceptionally talented.
'Is she a recently advanced gu immortal? Who wouldn't check the gu worms refined by others at their stage? The gu worm from auction also landed in the hands of other gu immortals but the effects of Evil Intentions vanished mysteriously. Clearly, it's a trick most experienced gu immortals are already wary of. Even if they didn't know about Evil Intentions, they obviously suppressed the gu worm and observed it or even reverse-refined it and caused the effects of Evil Intentions Gu to break apart.'
'Isn't she a great refinement path talent?' Lo Jik needed to jot down everything he could deduce about Black Moon. 'How come she can easily breeze past the second round and obtain top three ranking in both the rounds but not perform something as basic as this? Or did she already observe Nine Eyes Liquor Worm and failed to realize it was tampered by me?'
"I hope your jokes become a reality, Brother Lo Jik." Black Moon heaved and wiped away a tear from the corner of her right eye. She instantly appeared more approachable and regarded Lo Jik with subtle warmth.
"Jokes… I see you like my jokes, Fairy Black Moon. I have another one. It's a longer joke this time around. Please also inspect this gu worm, it adds a hilarious context to my next joke."
He shared a Bookworm Gu with Black Moon while stating confidently.
"I will soon inform every sect disciple that you are a gu immortal. You see, a gu immortal from outside cannot join the sect to become that generation's fairy. No. The sect's fairy must be firstly appointed by the majority of the sect disciples—they must appoint a mortal. A sect fairy is nurtured within the sect. They have the disciples' trust and confidence because of this very condition."
Black Moon squinted as she multi-tasked by listening to Lo Jik and inspecting the contents of the gu worm.
"The only way to challenge my accusations… well, you already know the contents of the gu worm, right? My words are no longer an accusation. They are claims backed by evidence, for instance the appearance of a small section of your blessed land. Of course, you say you don't possess a blessed land."
Lo Jik leaned back comfortably.
"Ah, right. I was informing a good method of challenging my claim. Isn't the best method to record your ascension?" He smiled. "Every sect fairy's ascension process is recorded by the supreme elders. I can attest to this fact because I can already access most of these recordings with my contribution points."
Black Moon was no longer laughing or smiling. Her gaze flashed sharply as their surroundings grew frigid.
"So, Fairy Black Moon? Do you like this joke?"
"Who told you?" Black Moon demanded curtly.
Lo Jik merely shook his head before calmly diverting the entire blame on someone else.
"You should not have bullied Lord Feng Jiu Ge's daughter, Fairy Black Moon."
Black Moon's pupils contracted at Feng Jiu Ge's mention.
"Him?" She questioned Lo Jik mockingly. "He did not even dare deal with me personally. Do you have any idea what you're doing, Junior Lo Jik? Can you fathom the consequences of exposing me?"
Lo Jik's cold smile and colder words cut through the thickening tension.
"Can you fathom the consequences of opposing me, Black Moon?"
The woman blinked.
"Think." Lo Jik encouraged. "Truly, think. I am here. Not Lord Feng Jiu Ge, Bai La, Shu Ye, Xu Hao, Fairy Yi, or anyone else. The rules that bind you gu immortals…"
He enjoyed a sip from his gourd.
"Do you see those rules shackling me?"
Black Moon sank into silence after hearing his words, her mind overworking to process everything she'd witnessed until now. Her gaze suddenly widened and a gu worm appeared in her hands. It was a plump and round silkworm exuding a rank 4 gu worm's aura.
*Pcht*
She pinched the gu worm to death!
"A shame. I spent a lot of time refining that Nine Eyes Liquor Worm." Lo Jik sighed.
"Do you really think others will believe you? Forget about the disciples, but would other supreme elders look at you kindly?" Black Moon challenged with a squinted gaze.
Lo Jik considered all that. He might not be able to predict Black Moon, but he deduced several things occurring behind the curtains. For instance, Fairy Black Moon represented a great benefit for the sect, something she could not have handled alone or gu immortals like Fairy Yi and Feng Jiu Ge might have already suppressed her.
There was no world where Black Moon became the sect's next fairy if she didn't have a great background, one enough to restrain Feng Jiu Ge despite his daughter's position as the current generation's fairy being threatened… no, it was already gone. Feng Jin Huang will not become the sect's fairy. Why else did other supreme elders play along and let Black Moon masquerade as a mortal?
Currently, both the parties—sect's supreme elders and Black Moon's background—restricted each other. They tolerated one another for a greater benefit.
Only that made sense.
So, extorting Black Moon and putting her cooperation at risk meant infringing upon every gu immortals' benefits in the sect. What if this act affected the two rank 8 gu immortals? Could Lo Jik truly shoulder the consequences of knowingly ruining their plans?
That's what ordinary individuals might focus on and consequently back off.
There was another doubt in this string of questions.
Could Black Moon afford to risk losing an ancient sect's cooperation?
She would have joined another ancient sect if that was possible. Black Moon chose Spirit Affinity House because it suited her goals the best.
Why?
The sect fairy's position!
It was clear that becoming the current generation's fairy was part of a mysterious deal, allowing Black Moon to represent Spirit Affinity House and acquire all the accompanying benefits and opportunities.
It also implied that the benefits the two parties joined hands for easily surpassed the wealth accumulated by a sect fairy for the duration they maintained this status.
Could Black Moon afford to lose those mysterious benefits?
Of course, he might be wrong. However, that was the best deduction Lo Jik came up with after considering everything.
He planned to risk it because he was confident in his judgement and conclusion.
Lo Jik met Black Moon's cold gaze and ignored her question. Why did he need to go all Detective Cocaine on her ass and explain his reasoning with a bow-tie that changed the pitch of his voice?
He held the momentum.
"One immortal gu worm." Lo Jik held Love Gu on his lap and closed his eyes. His index finger rubbed Nina's head.
"What?" Black Moon's eyes widened.
"I will release the information in thirty minutes. Contact whomever you like. Call any sect elder of your choice. It doesn't matter to me. I won't reconsider my actions unless you hand over an immortal gu worm."
"You are also free to try attacking me. I'm already drunk enough… and I just hope Love Gu remains defensive instead of counterattacking." Lo Jik explained patiently. "Who knows what kind of miracle this rank 9 gu might display."
Black Moon kept staring at Lo Jik furiously.
This… unscrupulous bastard! Her mask shifted ever so slightly as she clenched her jaw and fists.
Of course, Lo Jik wanted a strength path immortal gu worm. But revealing that specification meant leaving a hint for others to unexpectedly deduce the state of his body. Instead, he could try and exchange one immortal gu worm for a strength path immortal gu worm from the sect itself!
Oh? What is that? Doesn't Lo Jik already possess a rank 6 Divine Travel Immortal Gu to initiate such a trade, you say?
Well, isn't it always better to have more?
"You're out of your mind, Lo Jik!" Black Moon suddenly struck as the bald man remained unmoved. A wave of power pinned him in place while a phantom of a fist zoomed at Lo Jik's face.
Love Gu instantly let out a bright aurora, forcing Black Moon to stop and abruptly end the effects of her gu worms. Such an act forced her to suffer a backlash—a minor one, thankfully. However, the light around Love Gu also vanished.
"Y-you…" Black Moon swallowed a nervous lump. She broke out in a cold sweat. "You can control Love Gu?"
Lo Jik extended his other arm and snapped his fingers. A bright aurora instantly escaped Love Gu. Another wave of his hand stopped it all at once.
And Black Moon confirmed the aura of a rank 9 gu worm in that action. It was no illusion.
"Still wondering if other supreme elders will think little of me, Little Sister Black Moon?" Lo Jik smiled and inquired warmly. He opened his eyes by a slit and met her shocked gaze.
'Disguise Gu is getting hungry. It's in a critical state.'
Lo Jik stopped with his antics. Of course, he could not control Love Gu. But he would rather have Black Moon remain passive the entire time!
Go ahead! Try fucking around with a legendary rank 9 gu worm!
Black Moon's sharpened instincts pricked with danger. She could no longer assess Lo Jik with common sense as the mere act of controlling Love Gu defied all known records and legends!
<<<>>>
'What is going on?'
Feng Jin Huang paced around restlessly. Lo Jik didn't show up to use his killer move on new batches of rockmen. Of course, she could use the killer move now but the point was to make Lo Jik work for free and save her effort.
'Why is he with that Black Moon or whatever that slut likes calling herself today?' She felt a little confused and ominous. Lo Jik could have easily had this meeting after completing the day's quota. Was he doing this to annoy her, she wondered. It would certainly fit his infuriating brand of decision-making.
'And Black Moon even has a formation that wards off Little Hu Immortal's senses. Are they fighting? Black Moon did want to challenge Lo Jik for a long time.'
Black Moon's appearance alerted Feng Jin Huang. The former displayed a surprising skill in refinement path. She even reminded others of Gu Yue Lo Jik, a strength and refinement paths dual expert.
'I should start reigning him a little. I can dangle the hope of helping him with his immortal ascension once I'm appointed as the sect's current generation fairy.' Feng Jin Huang planned. 'Or agreeing to his moronic… strip refinement duel. Well, that isn't much. Our combined influence can easily suppress Black Moon.'
She stopped pacing in her room and lowered her head.
'Still, I should… keep that from father and mother. Most disciples already believe both of us spend more time behind sheets.'
Feng Jin Huang worked her jaw. It was hard for her to suppress these thoughts after a while, especially when Qin Juan and Shu Zhe would be away for the third round for the convention. It left her alone with Lo Jik in the blessed land. It was also Lo Jik's fault.
'He's constantly advertising himself as a poster boy for being a shared consort. And… I'm not getting any younger unless I use my lifespan gu worm.'
She might be a grown woman but recalling Lo Jik with Shu Zhe and Qin Juan made her breath hitch. Maybe…
'I should put Sun Yao up for it and just tire the bastard out before putting a collar around his neck. That's right. Doesn't Little Sun keep touching herself in lonesome using Lo Jik's portrait? She isn't half as innocent she pretends to be around Lo Jik.'
Feng Jin Huang's gaze shone coldly.
'It's truly your fault, Lo Jik. I'm going to make you—'
<<<>>>
"—my consort."
Lo Jik almost fell into a daze as Black Moon spoke candidly.
"Well?" she asked. "I'll fulfill your demands if you agree to become my consort. How about it?"
He could have never predicted this reaction from Black Moon. But he didn't always need to rehearse several other scenarios to act properly as he nodded calmly and pondered on her proposal.
'Becoming her consort almost solidifies her reputation with the sect disciples. She wants to use my connections and even smooth things over with Feng Jiu Ge at once. Still, we just reached the negotiating stage. How can I let her blatantly use me—'
"Do not misunderstand me, Gu Yue Lo Jik." Black Moon added. "You will become my consort and receive an immortal gu worm or you release the fiction you claim as your evidence." Her words were resolute and left no room for negotiations. "At worst, we both burn and lose."
Lo Jik crossed his arms and mulled quietly.
The situation changed drastically. Yet, he didn't wish to take a step back. Seeing Black Moon agree to his condition already revealed her great wealth! She could spare an immortal gu worm. What else did it mean but great wealth?
'But becoming her consort…' Lo Jik pursed his lips before informing. "Shu Zhe remains my first wife."
"Impossible." Black Moon rejected at once. "Do you really think you can delegate my position to second seat—"
"Third." Lo Jik corrected instantly as Black Moon's gaze turned chilling.
"Have you lost your mind?" She snarled. "How will that consolidate my position among the sect's masses by being your third consort."
He blinked in reply.
"I'm the consort, remember?" Lo Jik clarified. "And you're the wives. It's easier that way. None of you lose any face or reputation. Either way, this aspect is non-negotiable. I met Shu Zhe first, and I fell for her. Qin Juan's my little sweetheart, too."
"Do you dare risk lose an immortal gu worm for those two?" Black Moon demanded scornfully.
"Do you dare risk losing your future as the sect's fairy?" Lo Jik retorted peacefully.
The woman frowned and regarded Lo Jik seriously.
'Does he truly love them? Or is it a scam?' Her gaze unconsciously flicked down to Love Gu on his lap before repressing a tired sigh.
Lo Jik was also wary of Black Moon. She didn't need Lo Jik as her consort to become the sect's fairy because other supreme elders would obviously help her ascend as one in due time. It wasn't the case of Black Moon's vow with Spirit Affinity House being half-assed, allowing them to leave the woman in plight for decades before helping her. No. Feng Jiu Ge would not have remained still until now if that were the case.
So, why the condition of him becoming her consort?
Personal curiosity?
A need for a boy toy?
Or was it something else?
He needed to be on his guard around this woman because he still couldn't pierce through the mystery veiling the masked woman.
"First, show me the immortal gu worm I'm selling myself for, or I won't agree to anything." Lo Jik demanded candidly.
Black Moon chuckled in return and retrieved a rank 6 immortal gu worm.
Yes, this chick was loaded.
Better still, it was a strength path gu immortal.
"Do you agree?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Lo Jik instantly broke into a sweet smile and trilled.
"Of course, dear~! Oh, look at you. You look so spent. Hurry, hurry. Let's clear up your doubts by setting up a contract. Of course, I say let us not bring such matters to a passionate relationship. I can serve my dearest wife faithfully without any vow forcing me to do so."
Black Moon snorted and pointed at Lo Jik.
"Lick my toes if you wish to prove your sincerity."
His jovial reply left her speechless.
"How many and for how long~?"
***
Alternate Title: Anything for benefits mean anything for benefits!; Greedy and scared Elder Ya; Lo Jik's blossoming luck fucking around with others; Unlucky Elder Ya; Whoring out for an immortal gu worm; Inflation in consort prices; Peak stud fees; Tampered gu worm; Lo Jik's Evil Intentions; Poor Liquor Worm; Threatening Black Moon; Feng Jin Huang's fears; Black Moon truly stole everything from Feng Jin Huang; Feng Jin Huang: You turned her against me! *Black Moon: You have done that yourself*; The Kenobi to Feng Jin Huang's Skywalker; Slutty schemes; A new sugar mommy… hopefully she lives; Controlling love gu; Detective Cocaine *A crackhead Detective Conan*; Surprisingly quick negotiations; Black Moon's toes; Every gu immortal: Trying to out-pervert Lo Jik *Lo Jik: Don't threaten me with a good time*; Lo Jik advertising himself as the best consort *Giant Sun: Straight to jail. Women are clothes, mate. Not men*; Giant Sun: Has millions of consorts *Meanwhile, Lo Jik laughing in wives*; Feng Jin Huang's too late; Black Moon to Feng Jin Huang: Once you go black—; Cucked dream venerable; Maybe reverend insanity was the hentai we made along the way
***
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