The night was as still as stagnant water. The silence was oppressive.
Inside the academy dormitory, snoring rose and fell in a rhythmic chorus.
The youths, exhausted from the day's turmoil, had long since fallen into deep slumber. Even the usual troublemakers were sleeping like the dead.
Lin Mu sat cross-legged in the corner of his bed.
The heavy cotton quilt once again served as his barrier against the world.
Borrowing the faint spiritual light emitting from his aperture, he carefully arranged today's spoils of war.
Two items sat before him:
A jar of Spring Morning Dew, emitting the crisp, cold fragrance of vegetation.
And a jar of Green Bamboo Wine, tightly sealed, which he had just exchanged for at the logistics hall.
Lin Mu had shown no stinginess with his twenty Primeval Stone reward. He immediately spent five stones to buy this jar of Green Bamboo Wine.
To onlookers, this was a young victor indulging in "greedy celebration." Some even mocked him as a "villain intoxicated by success."
But only Lin Mu knew the truth.
This wine wasn't for drinking. It was for feeding his life.
"Come out."
With a thought, a white, plump—but currently shriveled and listless—Liquor Worm slowly crawled out of his aperture.
Over the past two days, to refine Lin Mu's Primeval Essence to the dark green Middle Stage, this little creature had exhausted nearly every wisp of energy in its body.
Its once-round form was wrinkled, and its antennae drooped weakly, transmitting emotions of extreme hunger and anxiety to Lin Mu's mind.
"You've worked hard."
Lin Mu slapped open the clay seal of the Green Bamboo Wine.
A scent of alcohol, not particularly strong but carrying the fresh aroma of bamboo, wafted out.
The dying Liquor Worm smelled the aroma and its antennae instantly shot up.
It let out a cheerful hiss only Lin Mu could hear, bounced its body, and dove impatiently into the wine jar.
Gulp, gulp...
Faint swallowing sounds echoed in the silent night.
Lin Mu watched quietly.
He could feel that as the wine level dropped, the Liquor Worm's shriveled body was rounding out at a visible rate, regaining its crystalline luster. A sense of satisfaction and comfort flowed through their connection back to his heart.
Meanwhile, Lin Mu did not sit idle.
He opened the jar of Spring Morning Dew.
This dew was collected from the "Iron Bone Grass," a spiritual plant unique to the depths of Broken Soul Mountain. Every drop contained faint traces of Wood Path and Metal Path qi.
"Iron Leaf Gu, it's time for you to eat too."
Lin Mu activated his aperture, and the deep azure Iron Leaf Gu flew out.
Unlike the spirited Liquor Worm, it appeared rigid and cold, like a true piece of iron.
But upon touching the Spring Morning Dew, the serrations on its surface trembled slightly, greedily absorbing the essence within the liquid.
As it fed, the Iron Leaf Gu's dull color gradually turned deep and oily. The serrated edges began to gleam with a chilling, forest-cold light.
Fifteen minutes later.
The Liquor Worm was full. Drunk and satisfied, it rolled over and turned into a streak of light, drilling back into the aperture to sleep soundly.
The Iron Leaf Gu finished absorbing as well. Its leaf blade was now tougher and sharper, hovering silently above the sea of green Primeval Essence.
"This is my foundation."
Feeling the abundant power within his body, Lin Mu exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
Internal worries resolved.
Next came the inventory and review.
It had only been a few days since his transmigration, yet the dangers he experienced far exceeded twenty years of his previous life.
"Killing Gao Xiong was to save my life, and also to seize treasure. Although the process was thrilling and cost me a precious scouting Gu, I exchanged it for a Liquor Worm and Middle Stage Primeval Essence. Overall, I made a profit."
"Winning against Zhao Hu in the minor exam... I used lime and a groin kick. My methods were dirty, and my reputation is ruined, but I won my first pot of gold and the resources to develop."
Lin Mu leaned against the cold wall, his eyes terrifyingly calm.
Today in the martial arts arena, he had seen the disdainful looks and heard the whispered mockery of his classmates.
"Despicable villain." "Shameless scoundrel." "Disgrace to the Lin family."
These labels were now firmly attached to him. For a long time, he would be the object of isolation and exclusion in the academy.
"But this is exactly what I want."
A cold, self-mocking sneer curled Lin Mu's lips.
"The tree that stands taller than the forest gets broken by the wind. If I acted like a peerless genius and defeated Zhao Hu openly, that would be the path to death."
"A genius with B-grade aptitude, deep schemes, and superior combat power would immediately incite the fear of the clan elders. I would be dragged into internal factional struggles and used as a spear."
"But a 'despicable villain' with passable aptitude who only wins by using dirty tricks? People will look down on me, but they won't guard against me."
In this cruel world, being underestimated often meant being safe.
And...
Lin Mu turned over and fished out a heavy cloth bundle from the secret compartment in his bed board.
He poured the Primeval Stones onto the bed and counted them one by one.
"Fifteen left from the exam reward. Plus the thirty the original owner saved by living frugally for years. And the twenty-five I looted from Gao Xiong's corpse that night..."
Lin Mu's fingers brushed over the pile of faintly glowing stones, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Total: seventy Primeval Stones."
For an ordinary student, this was an astronomical sum.
But Lin Mu knew clearly that on the true path of cultivation, this amount wouldn't even make a splash.
"Face? Let the dogs eat it. Benefits are what you put in your pocket."
Now, he possessed the explosive power of Rank 1 Middle Stage Primeval Essence, a well-fed natal Gu, and a bit of startup capital.
Although it was far from enough to walk unhindered in this world, he at least had the capital to survive.
In the coming days, the pace could slow down slightly.
He had been too high-profile recently. He needed to hibernate.
During the day, attend class and be a silent, transparent person. At night, cultivate and use the Liquor Worm to quietly accumulate foundation.
Wait for the next opportunity, then bite off another chunk of meat.
...
Time flew. In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Black Blood Stockade seemed to return to its former calm.
The ripples of Gao Xiong's death gradually subsided. Although the Punishment Hall was still conducting symbolic searches, everyone knew that the so-called "Demonic Path monster" had likely fled long ago.
Lin Mu's life became regular and dull.
He went to the academy on time every day, enduring the rolled eyes and alienation of his classmates, silently sitting in the corner to listen.
After class, he returned to the dormitory to cultivate or went to a corner of the martial arts field to practice controlling the Iron Leaf Gu alone.
This boredom, to Lin Mu, was a rare luxury.
The only one suffering was the Liquor Worm.
For the past half month, to maintain his persona of a cash-strapped student who loved to drink, Lin Mu could only occasionally go to the logistics hall to buy two ounces of the cheapest, most sour cloudy wine to feed it.
Drinking that swill, the Liquor Worm rolled its eyes, barely maintaining its life force. It had no energy to perform high-intensity essence refinement.
Until this day.
Early in the morning, Lin Mu was heading to the academy as usual when he found the stockade exceptionally lively.
The usually deserted streets were swept clean. Every household hung red lanterns.
Even the clan elders, rarely seen on normal days, had changed into brand-new robes and gathered at the stockade gates with faces full of joy.
A mood of restlessness and excitement spread throughout Black Blood Stockade.
"Did you hear? The caravan is coming!"
"Really? Counting the days, they should be here!"
"Wonderful! I've been saving Primeval Stones for a year, just waiting to buy a suitable defensive Gu!"
Discussions from the roadside drifted into Lin Mu's ears.
Lin Mu's footsteps paused abruptly. His pupils contracted slightly.
"Caravan?"
A plot setting from the original Reverend Insanity flashed through his mind instantly.
In the hundred thousand mountains of the Southern Border, although various clans held dangerous terrain for defense, they were relatively isolated.
Aside from occasional clan markets, they were largely self-sufficient.
The circulation of supplies, the exchange of Gu worms, and even the acquisition of outside intelligence relied heavily on large merchant caravans with robust strength that traversed the deep mountains and old forests.
And the most famous, the strongest among them, was none other than—the Jia Clan Caravan.
"The Jia Clan..."
Lin Mu chewed on the name in his heart.
This was a massive commercial clan with influence spreading across the Southern Border. They didn't fight for territory; they only did business.
Every Jia Clan Caravan had several Rank 3 experts guarding it, and perhaps even Rank 4 experts protecting it in secret. The goods they carried were all-encompassing.
From common Rank 1 Gu worms to rare Rank 2 and Rank 3 Gu; from regional specialty ingredients to precious refinement materials, secret recipes, and intelligence... they had everything.
For the closed-off Black Blood Stockade, the arrival of the caravan was an annual carnival.
"Opportunity."
Lin Mu took a deep breath. The ambition he had suppressed for half a month began to beat again.
Although his strength had improved significantly, his methods were still singular.
Aside from the Iron Leaf Gu for attack and the Liquor Worm for support, he severely lacked defensive and movement methods.
In this world, only with all-around defense could one live longer.
And the Jia Clan Caravan was the best supply station.
"Furthermore, what the Jia Clan Caravan is most famous for isn't just their goods, but the activity that has made countless people rich overnight, and countless others bankrupt—Stone Gambling."
It was a game of luck, identifying fossils that encased dormant Gu worms.
"I have knowledge of the plot. Although this isn't the Gu Yue Village and the specific contents of the Stone Gambling will change, the Jia Clan Caravan's style of operation, the rules for 'picking up leaks,' and the signs of certain specific rare Gu worms appearing... I know them."
Lin Mu touched the dozens of Primeval Stones in his chest pocket, but his brow furrowed slightly.
Too little capital.
Perhaps it was enough to buy a few ordinary Rank 1 Gu worms, but to gamble for great opportunities in the rock den? This amount wasn't even enough for the entry fee.
"There are still a few days before the caravan arrives. I must acquire more money within this time."