The Wine Gu was shaped like a silkworm baby, emitting a pearly white glow all over its body. It was a bit chubby and looked quite adorable.

It fed on wine and could fly through the air. When flying, it would curl its body into a ball and move at a swift pace.

Although it was a Rank One Gu, its value surpassed that of some Rank Two Gu.

If used as a Life-Bound Gu, it would be far superior to the Moonlight Gu.

At this moment, such a Wine Gu was perched on a Green Spear Bamboo, merely fifty to sixty steps away from Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan held his breath, not daring to approach rashly, instead slowly retreating.

He knew that although the distance was close, capturing the Wine Gu directly was nearly impossible for a newly initiated Gu Master like himself, or rather, there was no hope of success at all.

Even though Fang Yuan's eyesight wasn't sharp enough to clearly see the Wine Gu, he could sense its wariness towards him.

Fang Yuan retreated slowly and gently, trying not to startle the Wine Gu.

He knew that if the Wine Gu decided to fly away, he wouldn't be able to catch up with it. He had to wait until it was drunk on wine and its flying speed slowed down to have a chance of capturing it.

Seeing Fang Yuan retreat further and further, the Wine Gu on the bamboo stalk couldn't help but stir.

The strong aroma of wine ahead tempted it, drawing it in, making it yearn for more. If it had saliva, it would have drooled a large puddle by now.

But the Wine Gu remained highly alert. Only when Fang Yuan had retreated two hundred steps did it spring into the air.

As it floated through the air, it curled into a small dumpling-like shape, resembling a white, fluffy rice ball.

The rice ball traced a smooth arc through the air, landing in the grass where Fang Yuan had sprinkled Green Bamboo Wine.

With the delicacy right in front of it, the Wine Gu lowered its guard significantly. It eagerly crawled to the flower bud filled with wine, sticking its head in, leaving only its chubby tail outside.

It was starving, and the Green Bamboo Wine was so delicious that it quickly became engrossed in the food, forgetting all about Fang Yuan.

Only then did Fang Yuan cautiously and quietly approach.

He saw the Wine Gu's tail outside the flower bud. The tail was like that of a silkworm baby, chubby and round, emitting a pearly glow.

At first, the tail hung motionless outside.

Then, after a while, it began to twitch, clearly showing the Wine Gu's enjoyment of the wine.

By the time Fang Yuan was within ten steps, the tail was swaying back and forth, moving with a joyful rhythm.

It was completely drunk!

Seeing this, Fang Yuan almost laughed out loud.

He didn't advance further but patiently waited. If he pounced now, he would have a good chance of capturing the Wine Gu, but Fang Yuan wanted it to lead him to the Wine-loving Wanderer's remains.

After a while, the Wine Gu withdrew from the flower bud. Its body had grown plumper, and its head wobbled like a drunkard, completely oblivious to Fang Yuan's presence.

It crawled onto another tender yellow wildflower, nestled in the flower's heart, and feasted on the wine dew.

After this meal, it finally felt full. Its body slowly curled up on the flower petals, then gently rose, floating leisurely towards the depths of the bamboo forest at a height of about one and a half meters above the ground.

Fang Yuan quickly followed.

The Wine Gu, now drunk, flew at half its usual speed. Even so, Fang Yuan had to run at full speed to keep up with it.

The night was clear, and the young man darted through the bamboo forest, chasing the small speck of snowy white ahead.

The moonlight was gentle, and a soft breeze blew. The bamboo forest was as clear as a pool of water, with each green Green Spear Bamboo flashing before Fang Yuan's eyes, then falling behind him.

On the ground were lush green grasses, dotted with wildflowers.

There were also small moss-covered stones and tender yellow bamboo shoots yet to mature.

Fang Yuan's faint shadow swiftly traversed the ground, crossing the straight black lines cast by the Green Spear Bamboo.

He kept his eyes fixed on that snowy shadow, breathing in the fresh mountain air scented with wine, and moved his legs to keep up.

Due to the rapid movement, the moonlight seemed to flow like water beneath his eyes, the light and shadow shifting as if he were running through a water-filled landscape.

The Wine Gu flew out of the bamboo forest, and Fang Yuan followed. A large expanse of white flowers with yellow centers scattered their petals in the wind at his feet.

A group of Dragon-Pill Crickets seemed like a flowing poem, just happening to flow ahead. Fang Yuan charged through, and with a whoosh, a burst of red mist scattered, dispersing into a shower of red stars.

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A quietly flowing mountain stream, paved with pebbles, reflected the spring moon in the night sky. With a few splashes, Fang Yuan waded through, breaking the surface into countless silver ripples.

Alas, a stream of moonlit beauty was trampled into fragments.

Fang Yuan pursued relentlessly, staying close behind the Wine Gu.

Following the mountain stream upward, he could vaguely hear the sound of a waterfall. After passing through a sparse forest, he saw the Wine Gu fly into a crevice in a large rock.

Fang Yuan's eyes brightened, and he stopped.

"So, it's here." He panted heavily, his heart pounding. As he stopped, he felt drenched in sweat, a surge of heat coursing through his body with the accelerated flow of blood.

Looking around, he found himself on a shallow riverbank.

The ground was covered with pebbles of various sizes, and the river water barely rose above the pebbles. There were also scattered gray-white boulders here and there.

Behind Green Reed Mountain was a great waterfall.

The waterfall's flow changed with the weather, cascading down a thousand feet to form a deep pool. Beside the deep pool was the Bai Clan Stronghold, a formidable force, no weaker than Gu Yue Village.

The waterfall had branches, and Fang Yuan was facing one of these branches.

This riverbank was usually dry, but a recent heavy rain lasting three days and nights had left a shallow stream of water here.

The source of the stream was the large rock the Wine Gu had entered.

The rock leaned against a vertical mountain wall. A slender, miniature waterfall, branching from the main waterfall, fell like a silver python against the mountain wall, striking the rock and gradually carving a crevice in its center over time.

The waterfall roared softly as it cascaded down, like a white curtain completely concealing the rock's crevice.

Taking advantage of the observation, Fang Yuan's breathing steadied. A determined look flashed in his eyes as he approached the rock, took a deep breath, and plunged inside.

The rock crevice was quite large, wide enough for two adults to walk side by side, let alone Fang Yuan, a fifteen-year-old boy.

Once inside, the rushing water pressed down on Fang Yuan's body, and the cold water drenched him from head to toe.

Bearing the water pressure, Fang Yuan moved swiftly forward. After dozens of steps, the pressure gradually lessened.

But the gap also narrowed, forcing Fang Yuan to turn sideways.

The sound of rushing water filled his ears, a bright white light shone above, while deeper within the rock lay darkness.

What was hidden in the darkness?

Perhaps a slippery venomous snake, perhaps a poisonous gecko, perhaps the traps of the demonic Wine-loving Wanderer, or perhaps nothing at all.

Fang Yuan edged sideways, slowly squeezing into the darkness.

The water above had ceased. The stone walls were covered in moss, brushing against Fang Yuan's skin, feeling extremely slippery.

Fang Yuan was completely engulfed by darkness, the crevice narrowing further, restricting even the movement of his head.

Gritting his teeth, Fang Yuan pressed on.

After more than twenty steps, he noticed a faint red glow in the darkness.

At first, he thought it was an illusion, but after blinking and focusing, he confirmed it was indeed light!

This discovery invigorated him.

Continuing for another fifty or sixty steps, the red light grew brighter, gradually expanding into a long, narrow vertical slit on Fang Yuan's retina.

His outstretched left arm suddenly felt the stone wall ahead open up, bending downward.

Fang Yuan was overjoyed, realizing there was indeed space within the rock. He hurried a few steps and finally squeezed into the slit of light.

Before him opened up a space of about eighty square meters.

"I've traveled such a distance, I must be inside the mountain wall now, beyond the rock," he thought, stretching his limbs and surveying the hidden space.

The entire space was suffused with a dim red light, its source unknown.

The surrounding stone walls were damp, covered in moss, yet the air here was dry.

On these stone walls clung withered vines, intertwining and weaving across most of the walls. Some wilted and withered flowers and stems grew on them.

Fang Yuan found these remnants familiar.

"They're Wine Pouch Flower Gu and Rice Pouch Grass Gu," he suddenly realized, recognizing the dead flower stems and vines.

Gu came in many forms. Some resembled minerals, like the blue crystal-like Moonlight Gu. Others were insect-like, such as the silkworm-like Wine Gu. There were also plant forms, like the Wine Pouch Flower Gu and Rice Pouch Grass Gu before Fang Yuan.

These two were Rank One Natural Gu. With the infusion of True Essence, they could grow. Once matured, the flower hearts would secrete honey wine, and the grass pouches would produce fragrant rice.

Following the vine roots with his gaze, Fang Yuan indeed found a bundle of dead roots in the corner, bulging into a mass.

The Wine Gu was resting on this mass of dead roots, sound asleep, within easy reach.

Fang Yuan approached, first tucking the Wine Gu into his bosom, then squatted down, peeling away the dead roots and vines, revealing a skeleton wrapped within.

"I've finally found you, Wine-loving Wanderer." Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Just as he was about to remove all the vines, suddenly—

"Try moving and see what happens?" A voice filled with murderous intent suddenly sounded behind Fang Yuan.