Translator: ChibiGeneral Editor: ChibiGeneral
“Wu Ran, if we ask you to sacrifice your future for the clan, are you willing to do it?”
“I am willing!”
…
“Wu Ran, if we ask you to sacrifice your reputation for the clan, are you willing to do it?”
“I am willing!”
…
“Wu Ran, if we ask you to sacrifice your life for the clan, are you willing to do it?”
“I am willing!”
…
“I was right about you, Wu Ran. From your grandfather, father, and then you, you were all loyal Wu clan subjects! Now, the clan has a mission for you, this mission would need you to sacrifice your future, your reputation, and maybe even your life.”
“Lord clan leader, I am willing to do it for the clan!”
…
In the darkness, Wu Ran opened his eyes.
” Huff …” He breathed out slowly, sitting up from his bed, muttering: “I dreamed again.”
This dream was not fake, but originated from the deepest part of his memory.
‘Li Ran’ is his fake name, his real name is ‘Wu Ran’.
The surname Wu, bore great significance in southern border. It represented the number one overlord in the southern border, Wu clan!
Eleven years ago, Wu clan leader Empress Wu Ji gave an audience to Wu Ran, and assigned him a secret mission —
Making his way into Shang clan’s higher up level!
For this, he changed his name, and roamed the wilderness for three years before settling in Shang clan city.
He laid low for eight whole years.
“It has been eight years, an entire eight years. Wu clan’s clansmen have mostly forgotten me by now huh? Wu Ran is dead, in this world, only Li Ran remains.”
Li Ran sighed in his heart.
He had been lurking for too long. So long that he almost forgot his own name.
Here, he wore a mask, living for eight years, pretending to be a libertine, an ordinary Gu Master of the lowest social level. Even to his beloved wife, he did not say a thing.
During this period, he only left once every half a year to contact Wu clan. It had always been a one-sided contact, hiding all traces to the limit.
Until a year ago, the agent informed him that the clan was going to use him. His excitement then could not be expressed in words!
“After eight years, they have finally activated it, everything will be different now!” Li Ran exclaimed. He willed, and a Gu appeared from his storage.
This fossil was cube shaped, like a brick shining with star light on its surface.
This was a stellar stone.
If Fang Yuan was here, he would find that this rock was very similar to the rock used as a leg support in the gambling den.
Li Ran caressed this fossil gently, frowning slightly.
As a spy, he spent ten years lurking in the city, creating a perfect background for himself. It would definitely gain Shang clan’s trust.
But trust is not enough, he needed ability that surpasses the ordinary man, so that he can dominate the battle stage. Only then would Shang clan recruit him, and make him into an external clan elder like Wei Yang, thus gaining authority in Shang clan.
This ‘ability’ had to appear naturally, and it cannot be too abrupt.
Thus, Wu clan leader Empress Wu Ji chose a Gu worm for him personally.
This was a Gu that possessed a legendary tale.
Obtained from an ancient strength path inheritance, it is an almost extinct Gu in the current world, it was extremely rare!
With this Gu, Li Ran can emerge from his slumber and dominate the battle stage.
As to the method of ‘obtaining’ this Gu, to avoid suspicion, Wu clan had made preparations.
That is, gambling rocks.
Luck is unpredictable, and an ancient Gu being sealed within a fossil was completely normal.
The demonic Gu Master Wei Shen Jing was a subordinate of Empress Wu Ji. Creating a fake scrap grade fossil was as easy as pie, no one would be able to discern it.
Li Ran spent some effort too.
To make sure people believed this was a fossil from the gambling den, and not his own, he chose a gambling rock that was used as leg support in the gambling den.
This rock was there for many years, people walked about and never noticed it.
Li Ran had communicated with Wu clan, asking Wei Shen Jing to create a similar stellar stone.
Later in his plan, he would swap this rock with the stellar stone in his hand without anyone noticing. He was a Gu Master, after observing for half a year, he knew when was the perfect time to swap the stones without anyone realizing.
When he finally opens the stellar stone, the entire gambling den would testify for him, that it was completely due to luck.
After he obtains this Gu, he would turn over a new leaf, and start the story of a prodigal son. He would rise up, find his wife and child, and become an external clan elder of Shang clan. He would complete his mission, and bring his wife and child back to Wu clan, where they belong.
Thinking of his wife and son, Li Ran felt extremely guilty.
He loved his wife deeply, she is so kind, so strong willed.
At the same time, as a father, he would love to give everything good in this world to his son.
He was only making use of her at the start, but as time went on, their relationship deepened, and he could not stop loving her. After their son was born, his love for them only grew. But eventually, because of his mission and secret identity, he had to temporarily leave them.
“You must hate me now, I’ve disappointed you too much. But it is alright, soon, soon. I have been deployed, I can bring you happiness!”
Li Ran gripped his fists, his eyes shining with determination.
Tomorrow, he would go to the battle stage, and engage in a battle. The day after, he would bring this stellar stone to the gambling den, and perform his life changing show.
“I had planned to use that stone as a cover, but life is hard to predict, someone actually chose it. Heh, that idiot, choosing a scrap grade stellar stone. But… tomorrow, I will have to be an idiot too.”
Li Ran laughed, keeping the stellar stone back into his storage Gu.
Although there was some changes to his plans, it was still fine. He had planned for such a small accident anyway.
He laid down once more, and soon, fell into deep sleep.
This time, he did not have any dreams.
On the second day, he felt great, energetic and full of hope.
He felt that he was like a tourist walking in a dark cavern. After a long journey, he finally saw the light ahead, the exit of the cavern!
Eight years of enduring, everything would become so wonderful!
Everything would definitely become perfect!
With such a belief, he arrived at the battle stage.
He had gotten information of the opponent this time, a rank two peak stage Gu Master often seen in fifth inner city’s battle stage, he was a familiar face.
Even the weakest Gu Master, if they can roam in the battle stage without giving up, they have the ability to hold their own.
Li Ran did not look down on his opponent, the Gu Li Ran currently had were quite weak and not considered high quality. He had to conceal himself as well, unable to fight fiercely, thus, this battle could go either way.
Indeed, as they fought, it was as Li Ran predicted.
From probing to fighting, the two were evenly matched, at a stalemate.
The battlefield was ravaged, and the few spectators gasped at the scene.
Suddenly, Li Ran’s eyes shone brightly.
A chance!
He found a weak point of his opponent, and was about to attack.
Suddenly, his heart hurt, and his body stiffened; the counter attack from his opponent sent him flying.
Li Ran was heavily injured, groaning in pain. His body flew more than ten steps back, until he stopped himself.
A trace of blood fell from his mouth.
However, the severity of his injuries was on par with the shock and fear in his heart right now!
“My flowerbud Gu, my flowerbud Gu! How did it lose connection with me? The stellar stone is inside it!!”
At the same time, at Li Ran’s residence.
The bed was flipped over, showing a secret compartment.
Fang Yuan stood beside it, holding a flowerbud Gu in his hand.
This Gu was rank two, used to store items. It was shaped like a flower, light blue in color but was crystal in material, shining clearly under sunlight.
Although it was Li Ran’s Gu, with the Spring Autumn Cicada’s aura, Fang Yuan instantly refined it.
Fang Yuan’s mind went into the Gu, and saw many things inside. A large sack of rice, some daily necessities, a poor quality block of compressed tea, thirty to forty primeval stones and a few fossils.
“This is it!” Fang Yuan’s heart trembled, as he activated his primeval essence, and a black light flew out of the flowerbud Gu.
The black light landed in Fang Yuan’s palm, turning into a stellar stone.
It looked extremely ugly, squarish and resembled a brick, almost the same as the leg support rock.
The moment the stellar stone appeared, the entire world seemed to have went silent.
Fang Yuan’s pupils expanded.
Thump thump… thump thump…
His heartbeat accelerated, he could clearly hear it.
Including this shabby house and the people walking outside, the surroundings faded away; only Fang Yuan and the stellar stone were left.
He held the heavy stellar stone, and he could feel the cold surface of the rock.
Fang Yuan stared at it passionately, at the same time, his lips curled up as he smiled.
His smile widened, until he opened his mouth and laughed silently!
The legendary Gu, is finally in my hands!!!
He screamed in his heart: “Just as I guessed, this Li Ran is a spy from another clan! When I was at Qing Mao mountain, I used the gambling rock to conceal my liquor worm, he is doing the same thing. No wonder the stellar stone was empty, my previous life’s rumor was all part of his act.”
“Today, he is going to the battle stage to fight. Whether he concealed his strength or not, according to his previous records, the opponent is around the same level as him, it would be a tough fight. The legendary Gu’s stellar stone is so important, it will be tough to fight if he brings it around. With his vigilant nature, he would not hide the stellar stone in the storage Gu and bring it around.”
Because if he lost the battle, his opponent would get to take one of his Gu worms.
He knew there was a legendary Gu within the stellar stone, if his opponent took his storage Gu, he would lose the stellar stone!
