Chapter 405: The Little Monster Eats Metal, the Mole Cricket God Is the Root of Misfortune

"Sir, look what I found!"

Wang Yansheng ran over with an excited look on his face, holding something in his hand.

Gu Qingyuan took a look at it, then picked it up with two fingers. It turned out to be a mole cricket, no bigger than two finger joints, shiny black all over, with only three yellow marks on the tail.

"This is a mole cricket god, which is considered a spirit. At first, it was the size of a grain of rice, and it feeds on metal in the soil. At its largest, it is only slightly longer than a finger," he said, holding up the spirit and introducing it. "When it grows to the extreme of its life form, it will shed its shell."

"Every time it sheds its shell, it becomes increasingly shiny and dark, and leaves a yellow mark on its tail. Because this monster likes to eat metal, its armor is extremely hard, and ordinary magic weapons can only compete with it."

"This monster has another magical power. After it swallows the metal and excretes it, it turns into a piece of fecal gold stone. It can be considered as a refinement in the body. When refining magic weapons, adding a little bit of it can increase the toughness of the magic weapons."

"This Cricket God is quite old. There are three scars on its tail. I'm afraid it has lived for at least three hundred years. If it were to get out, it would attract countless Taoist weapon refiners to snatch it."

After saying this, Gu Qingyuan sighed. One really cannot underestimate the fortune of Tianmingzi. With his means, it is easy for him to get a mole cricket god. But if it were someone else, he might not be able to encounter a single-scarred mole cricket god even after digging in the ground for a hundred years. However, Wang Yansheng just pounced in the bushes and caught a three-scarred one.

But his adventures did not end there. Wang Yansheng had come across all kinds of magical fruits and hard-to-find medicines in the world, and they were all rushed into his mouth.

Three months had passed, and Wang Yansheng had many adventures on the road. His cultivation had also improved rapidly. Looking at him, Gu Qingyuan frowned slightly. It seemed that fate was trying to force the boy to improve his cultivation, and even seemed to be recklessly trying to increase his strength. He could see clearly that many of those elixirs and fruits would destroy his future foundation in exchange for current combat power.

Fortunately, Gu Qingyuan has some knowledge of alchemy. If it were Wang Yansheng himself, his cultivation would probably be at a higher level than it is now, but it would be hard to say whether he could break through in the future.

"From the current situation, if I hadn't intervened, Tianmingzi's combat power would have soared to the level of a Loose Immortal, but it would be extremely difficult to break through to the Celestial Immortal and ascend to the sky, or even hopeless for the rest of his life. Is it because Tianming Demon Lord is only at the level of a Loose Immortal?"

"Sir, I don't know how to refine weapons, so why don't you accept this Cricket God?" Wang Yansheng interrupted Gu Qingyuan's thoughts.

"No need. This is your blessing. Just keep it. I forgot to say just now that having this Cricket God by your side can help regulate the five elements and increase the wind of Gengjin. It will be of great use to a beginner like you." Gu Qingyuan casually took apart the grass and folded a palm-sized grass box, and motioned Wang Yansheng to put the Cricket God in it.

Wang Yansheng tapped the cricket god's head and seeing that it did not fly away, he put it into a straw box and hung it around his waist.

"There is a teahouse ahead. Let's go and have a rest. It's not the time for you to fast yet, so you must be hungry. Have some snacks before you continue on your journey."

Gu Qingyuan raised his head and looked straight ahead, and said, and Wang Yansheng naturally obeyed obediently.

The teahouse was run by an old man and a girl, who, judging by their ages, should be father and daughter. The stall was not big, with five tables in total, two of which had guests. At one table sat a young man in a moon-white robe, with two maids following behind him, one holding a sword and the other serving the young man some snacks.

At the other table was a lone man, with his face covered in broad daylight, only his mouth uncovered, eating snacks. There was a big knife on the table, with blood stains on the blade and a faint fishy smell. There were large tattoos on his exposed arms, and he looked fierce and not someone who was easy to deal with.

Gu Qingyuan led Wang Yansheng to a seat leisurely and said, "Shopkeeper, please bring a pot of tea and some snacks. The young man is hungry, please hurry up."

The old man in the teahouse responded, "Sir, please wait a moment. The tea will be served soon. The snacks are also ready." Then he said to the girl, "Xiu Xiu, serve the guests tea."

The girl was not very old, about eighteen years old. She came over staggeringly, holding a big teapot in one hand and a tea tray in the other.

There was a pot of baby's breath, a plate of dried fruits, a plate of crispy candies, and a plate of elm seed slices. Xiuxiu put them down and gestured to the two of them. It turned out that she was mute.

"Tea and snacks are charged, but the elm seed cakes are free," the tea shop owner said while busying himself, looking at the girl with pity, "My daughter cannot speak, please forgive me, sir."

"Thank you, young lady. There aren't many merchants passing by here, and the boss even wants to give you some snacks. Don't lose money." Gu Qingyuan said.

The tea shop owner touched his head and said, "It's not our turn to get a good place. Don't worry, sir. It's just some hard-earned money. It won't be lost. The elm seeds are fresh and in season. They are available for every customer. It's free. If you earn less, you can't lose your pants. If you earn more, you can't get rich. Just consider it as doing good deeds for my daughter."

After a few pleasantries, Gu Qingyuan and Wang Yansheng shared some snacks and drank some tea to moisten their throats. The young man next to them, after eating and drinking his fill, yawned out of boredom, his eyes rolling around, sometimes on the girl in the teahouse, sometimes on the masked man.

The masked man seemed to have noticed something and glanced at the young man. The young man looked straight at him and muttered something in a neither loud nor soft voice. Wang Yansheng could hear it clearly and it was clearly about evil.

In the end, it was the masked man who looked away first. The young man supported his chin with his hand and lowered his head slightly. He happened to see the straw box on Wang Yansheng's waist not far away. He was stunned, blinked, looked carefully a few times, pulled the maid beside him over, and whispered to her.

Wang Yansheng was eating happily when he heard a gentle voice in his ear: "May you be blessed and safe, sir. I am entrusted by the master to ask you something."

He was stunned for a moment, then looked at the pretty maid beside him, wiped his mouth, and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it."

"My young master is the direct descendant of the Dugu family in Xieyang City. He usually likes to go to the garden to fight insects and carry bird cages. Today, I have the pleasure of meeting you, and I am very fond of the crickets in your straw box. I wonder if you would like to give them up?" said the maid.

Wang Yansheng's gaze fell on the straw box. The cricket god did not make any noise, but just lay there quietly. However, the straw box was somewhat eye-catching and had many hollow parts. Anyone with a discerning eye could naturally see the insects in the box.

"He is the son of the Dugu family, and he is indeed a handsome man. However, this mole cricket is also my favorite, and I cannot let him go. I hope my sister will give me some feedback and tell me the reason."

He finished his words haltingly. If it weren't for Gu Qingyuan's explanation, he would have just given it away as a bug. However, this cricket god was no ordinary creature, and his master had personally folded a straw box to store it, so Wang Yansheng would naturally not let it go.

The maid reported that the young man looked a little disappointed. He just fiddled with the tea bowl, looking at Wang Yansheng's waist from time to time, and finally couldn't help but come over.

"Brother, I was immediately attracted by your majestic appearance. How about I offer you three hundred taels of silver and you will reluctantly give it up?" The young master said, "It is said that a gentleman helps others to achieve their goals. If you agree, I, Dugu Bo, will recognize you as a righteous man and invite you to the city to listen to operas. I will pay for your food, drink and accommodation. How do you think?"

Wang Yansheng waved his hands quickly, "No need, absolutely no need." Seeing Dugu Bo's happy face, he refused again, "I also like this mole cricket very much. I will never hand it over. Please forgive me, brother Dugu."

Dugu Bo's face froze, his expression uncertain. He winked and the maid holding the sword stepped forward. He whispered, "To tell you the truth, I am a true disciple of the authentic Wanfa Sect. Your mole cricket is of great use to me. If you are smart, take this 1,000 taels of silver and give me the mole cricket. Otherwise, I will make you pay for it."

When they go out, Gu Qingyuan and the other person don't dress up. They wear coarse cloth and look a little poor. It is true that one should respect others before they respect others.

A thick stack of silver bills was placed in front of Wang Yansheng. The young man from the mountain village didn't even look at it and said loudly: "I have clearly refused. If Master Dugu really wants to use his power to coerce me, this is not justice." He was just short of pointing at his nose and scolding him for being rude.

"you!"

Dugu Bo was about to explode when he glanced at the tea stall. The owner and his daughter were standing aside, not daring to approach, looking a little timid. The masked man remained silent. He swallowed the rest of the sentence and stood up.

"You don't know what's good for you. Let's go!"

After saying that, Dugu Bo led the two maids to get up and leave. After they had been gone for a while, the tea shop owner came forward tremblingly and said, "Sir, I'm sorry to have disturbed your mood. I will give you no tea. I beg you to leave quickly."

Wang Yansheng immediately understood that the tea shop owner did not want to get into trouble, for fear that Dugu Bo would come again. If a fight broke out, the whole stall would be overturned.

He took out a few copper coins from his pocket and said, "This matter is all my fault. I will go and argue with him. Boss, you have worked hard. I will pay for the tea." Wang Yansheng looked at Gu Qingyuan and saw him nod. He continued, "Let's leave now."

After they finished speaking, the two men stood up, and another voice came: "The crickets in your grass box are magical, and it is inevitable that they will bring disaster. You should cover it up. When you are in the world, how can you not understand the principle of not showing off your wealth."

"Dugu Bo has an arrogant personality. Although the Wanfa Sect is authentic, it is not a good person. You'd better leave quickly!" The words were blunt and harsh, but they contained a subtle admonition.

Wang Yansheng looked at Gu Qingyuan. With his current cultivation, he naturally knew the art of observing breath and intention. He had long seen that Dugu Bo was a Taoist with restrained sword energy. He also saw a barely perceptible trace of turbid air from the masked man. Even if he was not a demon, he was definitely an evil cultivator.

Now the orthodox ones are using their power to suppress others, while the outsiders are giving instructions. It's as if the world has been turned upside down, and the heaven and earth have been turned upside down. It's really interesting.

"Let's go, don't delay."

Gu Qingyuan said that Wang Yansheng bowed to the masked man and hurried out. The man sighed, and seeing the timid look of the two people in the teahouse, he no longer had the heart to have tea and snacks. He threw down a few copper coins, got up and left.

After leaving the teahouse, Gu Qingyuan and the other person headed south. At first, it was a main road, but after a while, the main road turned into a small road and entered the woods. There were fewer people and it was quiet all around. It was a good place to kill and rob.

"You two, long time no see. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

As they were walking, a man came out from behind a big tree in front of them. It was Dugu Bo. Now he had a sword in his hand and looked very happy. Not far behind Gu Qingyuan and the others, two maids also came out, forming a siege.

"Tsk, what's this? I'm paying you and you're delivering the goods. It's a fair trade," Dugu Bo said with regret, then turned gloomy. "It's a pity that you don't know how to behave and ask me to kill someone!"

"Just now there were people here, and I had to consider the reputation of the Dugu family and the Wanfa Sect. Now this place is deserted, so there is no need to put on a show!"

He didn't take these two mortals who came out of nowhere seriously at all. He just happened to be lucky enough to get a cricket god. No, it was God's will that these two people should deliver their cricket bodies to this young master!
"Kill him and deal with him cleanly, so that the news won't leak out and become disadvantageous to me. Oh, and be careful, my Cricket God. If a hair falls off, I will hold you accountable!"

At the command, the two maids came forward together. The one who had just questioned her did not look gentle and lovely, but had a frosty face and approached her step by step with a sword in hand.

呲——

Two sword lights flashed, and Gu Qingyuan and Wang Yansheng fell to the ground, their faces covered in blood, and they were silent. Dugu Bo sneered and hurriedly took the straw box from Wang Yansheng's waist.

"It's true. It's the Cricket God, and he has three hundred years of cultivation. If I offer this treasure to him, maybe I can make further progress in the Wanfa Sect. Hahahaha, double happiness."

After saying this, he turned around and left, overjoyed, leaving only two maids to clean up for him.

After they destroyed the corpse on the ground, burned it all with fire, and covered the ashes with soil, they looked at each other and then left.

After a while, the forest became quiet. A man fell down from a big tree nearby. It was the masked man. He looked at the pile of earth in front of him, which was clearly new and old, and sighed: "I told you to leave quickly, but you insisted on taking the small road. You can't blame others for your death." After saying that, he shook his head and left in the opposite direction of Dugu Bo.

At this time, Gu Qingyuan and the other two reappeared, and what they saw just now was just a trick.

"How does it feel?" Gu Qingyuan asked.

Wang Yansheng had a cold expression on his face. It was better to say that this was his true self: "Not bad, I have some understanding of the cultivation world."

"I have taught you how to identify people and their nature. Let's use this game to infer something. Let's start with Dugu Bo."

"Dugu Bo, the Dugu family should be a big family in Xieyang City. He is also the eldest son, so he has an arrogant character. But he entered the Wanfa Sect, so the so-called orthodox one should be stronger than the big families in the city."

Wang Yansheng's eyes were cold, as if he was merciless: "No, it should be said that one is heaven and the other is earth. If the Dugu family was a practicing immortal clan, Dugu Bo would not be the person he is now."

"Dugu Bo is well cared for by his clan, but not valued by the Wanfa Sect. That's why he has the opportunity to snatch the Fengbao in order to get promoted. The gap between the two environments has made him thick-skinned but weak-spoken, like a disguise that can be broken with a single poke."

"continue."

(End of this chapter)