Shu Zhe and Qin Juan could not qualify for the fourth round of the convention just as Lo Jik predicted but this experience was not in vain. Not only they were fortunate enough to interact and compete against few of the best refinement path experts of this era but the event inspired them to introduce more changes in their cultivation. Truthfully, Lo Jik was envious of the last fact. Meanwhile, Disciple Black Moon's performance surprised everyone as she achieved first place in third round of her region before qualifying for the fourth one.
'It's one thing after another ever since I left Qing Mao Mountain…' Lo Jik sighed and recalled fond memories of wolf tides and countless deaths. You know, the good old days.
Though, he couldn't complain about his current peace. He spent days refining, deducing recipes, and quietly scheming several things. Ju Lin also enjoyed his teachings and challenged battle stages every day. But the constant battle was getting to her and even more skilled experts began targeting her due to her association with Lo Jik.
Just because Lo Jik managed to slay a desolate beast did not deprive him of enemies, it only meant his enemies were even more dangerous than a simple desolate beast. However, it was Ju Lin's headache on how to deal with her troubles. Nobody had gone overboards at the moment so he couldn't be bothered to alleviate her burden.
Lo Jik exhaled sharply before opening his eyes.
'It's good.' He observed. Several rank 1 dream gu worms moved in his mind at this moment. 'Using rank 5 Wealth Gu to turn them into rank 5 dream path materials before using these to mass refine several rank 1 dream path gu worms would have been wasteful for others but not me.'
He kept earning his contribution points steadily and improving his relationship with Elder Yi using these dream path gu worms. Showing any other improvements, such as improvisation of the dream gu recipe or 'innovating' a new recipe would be too conspicuous right now so he was limited to rank 1 Recurring Dream Gu. Still, his consistent supply of dream gu was not in vain.
He finally exchanged most of his contribution points for the sect's dream path research. It wasn't much but Fairy Yi's exploration of dream path contrasted Lo Jik's fortuitous encounter with Dreamer Gu in the way that she bitterly cultivated her gains and explained the source of most phenomena related to dream paths, including self dream realms.
'Fairy Yi's explanation is concise and cuts to the chase. It even sheds some light on why the dream realms causes one's soul's foundation to degrade. But what about the dreams formed by Dreamer Gu? What kind of dreams are those? How do they improve a gu master's attainment?'
'Perhaps Fairy Yi also encountered this mystical aspect but didn't wish to share this knowledge. After all, any nugget of information on dream path is invaluable.'
'Becoming a dream path gu immortal certainly sounds great. I will remain one step ahead of other pioneers in this aspect and gain immense advantage. But that doesn't require me to sacrifice my strength and human path foundation. The basic foundation for another path would be one more aperture… isn't that already doable?'
Lo Jik recalled the Second Aperture Immortal Gu Worm's recipe before shaking his head.
'I don't have enough wealth to support or even refine another immortal gu worm. My current objective remains becoming a strength and human path gu immortal.'
He walked out from his cultivation chamber after stretching for a few minutes. The scent of Shu Zhe's cooking tickled his nostrils as he smiled widely.
"What's the occasion, Zhe'er? You rarely get time to cook." He approached his deceptively warm-hearted wife before embracing her from behind with a relieved sigh. The corner of Shu Zhe's lips couldn't help but curl slightly as she kept sprinkling some spices in the meat stew.
"No special occasion," she answered. "It would be such a waste to dive right into cultivation after dealing with the convention for so long."
"Hmm." Lo Jik pecked her cheek. He squeezed her slightly tighter as Shu Zhe's shoulders relaxed. "I've prepared a gift for you, Zhe'er."
"Why?" She asked. "What's special about today?"
"Days don't need to be special when you're up and about with your hair let down like this," Lo Jik cooed in her ear as he let go of her waist and held her hands.
"Now, now. I rarely cook for you. At least let me finish." Shu Zhe looked over her shoulder with those piercing blue eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I can't wait to show you this surprise." Lo Jik smirked in response as the corner of Shu Zhe's eyes twitched. She pulled back from Lo Jik's touch before tasting the stew.
"This… I followed a simple recipe." Shu Zhe frowned and inspected all the ingredients until Lo Jik moved from behind her and leaned against the counter. He sniffed before shrugging. "It smells good."
"Not as good as your meals." Shu Zhe sighed.
"It's just practice and experience." Lo Jik chuckled.
"Should you be boasting about your practice before me?" Shu Zhe countered with a smirk. "What would others think once they find out my dear consort is an insatiable and promiscuous force of nature?"
"Find out for yourself, Elder Shu." Lo Jik started preparing the table as Shu Zhe brought over the lavish spread she prepared for the morning. "I suspect I'll be forced to cook for a lot more."
"Like Black Moon?" Shu Zhe inquired.
"Hopefully." Lo Jik shrugged. Of course, he did not inform Shu Zhe and others about Black Moon's true rank due to an information path gu worm's restriction. "Maybe you girls could put in a good word for your sister. Our relationship is already in a ditch. Did you know we didn't even consummate our marriage?" He pouted as Shu Zhe rolled her eyes and ate peacefully.
"I doubt that will stay the same for long."
Lo Jik couldn't help but chuckle at her words. Black Moon was weird enough to make Lo Jik want to keep his distance from the woman. He was more than happy selling his ass to Bai La for platinum achievements. Furthermore, Lo Jik extorted an immortal gu worm from Black Moon. He might not get away with just a sore ass if they do consummate anything about their interaction.
"Enough about her. Here. This is for you." Lo Jik handed her a Bookworm Gu before returning to his meal as her gasp rang shortly after. He didn't look up and continued stuffing his stomach.
"Lo Jik… what? How?" Shu Zhe questioned softly as she quickly refined the Bookworm Gu in her hand. While composed and rigid most of the time, she found her limits tested around Lo Jik more often than her grandmother. "I can't…" She hesitated briefly before sinking in silence.
"Keep it safe. I was preparing this while you participated in the convention." Lo Jik remarked vaguely. "I hope it helps you."
Shu Zhe bit her bottom lip as warmth threatened to overwhelm her core and chest alike.
"It is too valuable…" she insisted, experiencing a rare moment of speechlessness. Of course, she did not want to return it to Lo Jik. This gift was not only valuable, but it was also necessary for her growth—a proper guideline she could work into her cultivation and gu set before taking that step!
An inheritance.
No, a complete wisdom path inheritance.
It had to be known that Shu Zhe reached her position through putting together several incomplete wisdom path inheritances. She spent decades building her foundation and experience and still could not come close to creating something as complete as an inheritance.
The inheritances in the sect's Inheritance Hall only possessed incomplete wisdom path inheritances. They were too fragmented to be useful. Wisdom path has always been more secretive than other paths and its information was not shared so easily. Even if someone obtained a good understanding of wisdom path gu worms did not entail they comprehended the connection between varied thoughts, wills, and emotions.
A complete wisdom path inheritance not only contained gu worm recipes and killer moves, it also offered a wealth of pointers related to the use of one's mind, thoughts, wills, and emotions.
"It doesn't have any recipe for immortal gu worms," Lo Jik spoke between his bites. "Sorry about that. But I didn't mind adding a few things I already knew about advancing to rank 6 from my true inheritance."
Shu Zhe's eyes widened as she pinned Lo Jik with an incredulous look.
"Don't." Lo Jik warned softly. "Don't mistake all this for selflessness, Zhe'er. You should know why I'm doing this."
Lo Jik always planned on helping Shu Zhe advance as a gu immortal. But he needed to be mindful of how he assisted her. A complete mortal wisdom path inheritance was the best thing he could do for her, and truthfully, that was all she needed to make a qualitative breakthrough. While the inheritance did not possess any recipe for immortal gu worms, it was a treasure trove of knowledge and pointers regarding the use of different types of thoughts, wills, and emotions altering gu worms compiled from Lo Jik's own understanding as a wisdom path grandmaster alongside going through several such inheritances, most notable of which happened to be Nine-Headed Schemer's true inheritance.
"I understand," Shu Zhe replied softly. Silence blanketed the couple as they returned to their meal. However, the broth of her stew and chunks of vegetables and meat felt all the more tasteless to Shu Zhe. She could not focus on anything but the wave of emotions she struggled regulating without using her vital gu worm. Sniffing, she tried eating again, only to feel overpowered by the darkest of her emotions. Her eyes turned red and watery, her vision blurred by unstoppable tears as she dropped her spoon and started wiping her eyes.
"Thank you," she choked on her words. "Thank—" she tried repeating unsuccessfully.
"Hey."
Shu Zhe slowly looked up, wondering how she currently appeared to Lo Jik. It was hard keeping her lips from wobbling uncontrollably while tears poured down endlessly. Shit, her nose might've gotten runny, too.
But… she could not squeeze out all these emotions in the simplest of words. She wanted to convey everything at once.
"I love you, too." Lo Jik responded to all that with a bright smile.
Shu Zhe simply clutched her chest and cried into her other hand.
"Let it all out." Lo Jik scooted over to her before pulling her into a tight hug. "I don't know how dangerous that step is going to be for both of us, Zhe'er. But I want you as prepared as possible."
"Yes." Shu Zhe sobbed. "I… I can't be without you, too."
"Well, you asked for it." He chuckled. "We'll be together till we get all dry and wrinkled. Say, Zhe'er. Promise me one thing."
"Hmm…" Shu Zhe buried her head into his chest and felt nothing but loved and protected.
"Please don't scheme against me if I keep bringing women to our fold after you become a wisdom path gu immortal."
"Pfft." Shu Zhe found herself losing composure for the umpteenth time as she giggled in his chest. "Fine. You will remain safe, my wayward consort. I'll just scheme against other women."
"Huh. I suppose I will need to butter you up more to keep that from happening, too."
"You could try." Shu Zhe hugged him tightly. "But you could always keep me busy with… raising and disciplining our future. Of course, only after we become gu immortals."
"You got it." Lo Jik grinned.
<<<>>>
"Fairy." Lo Jik greeted respectfully as she sat across Black Moon. It had been a while since they communicated after their first proper confrontation. He ignored the tea before him and drank from his gourd once again as Black Moon did not bother preparing a cup for herself.
"I need you to clarify a few things, Lo Jik." Black Moon began. "There was one gu worm you were commanded to remove from the auction you and your first wife prepared, correct?"
He blinked before recalling Feng Jiu Ge making him remove Human Adaptive Qi Gu from the auction. While a weird order, Lo Jik merely noted the strange event in the back of his head and ignored it because there had been too many things going around him.
First, he never knew about the elders being aware of his status as an otherworldly demon or their possession of a Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's true inheritance. Furthermore, there were many strange events created by Love Gu. All this made Feng Jiu Ge's command of keeping Human Adaptive Qi Gu from being leaked… less strange. All it could have been was the sect's attempt of preventing their competition from advancing in human path.
Pondering briefly, Lo Jik nodded.
"Yes. But I won't be mentioning the gu worm. You must inquire about it with other supreme elders yourself."
"Still trying to balance your allegiance with Feng Jiu Ge's faction?" Black Moon inquired with what Lo Jik imagined to be a cold sneer behind her mask. Of course, Lo Jik would do just that. There was no reason to turn things sour with Feng Jin Huang's family now that he was balls deep in her and her grandmother. No, there was an even greater need to balance things or that entire family might try killing him without resorting covert methods.
"Did you summon me for just this question?" Lo Jik sighed softly before encouraging suggestively. "I can be very useful, Fairy Black Moon."
She snorted coldly.
"I know about your Human Adaptive Qi Gu Worm. And you will keep from sharing any further advancement of that gu worm to others."
"And share everything with you instead?" Lo Jik inquired after reading between her words.
"That will be ideal, yes."
Lo Jik furrowed his brows. "Why?" He demanded coolly.
"Did you ask your precious Lord Feng Jiu Ge the same once he ordered you to remove it from your auction?" Black Moon retorted.
"Did you see him offering me his hand for marriage?" Lo Jik replied with a cold sneer. "Married couples aren't supposed to keep secrets, right?"
"Is that how it was in your world?" Black Moon's gaze sharpened.
Lo Jik grew silent before shaking his head. "I hope not, else I forced too many husbands into some awkward discussions with their wives."
"So, you were always a scum?" Black Moon narrowed her eyes.
"And you reached your position without being one?" Lo Jik shot back with a chuckle. "At least, I have something to prove my redemption."
Her gaze flicked down to Love Gu.
"Inspect this gu recipe."
Lo Jik nodded and accepted the gu recipe before diving into the good stuff.
'Eh? Human Skin Gu?' His expression froze as he examined the recipe before understanding its use. Human Skin Gu allowed a gu master to take over a corpse's appearance, including the target's hair color, scars, and bone structure. It was a harsh transformation path gu worm that forced gu masters to slowly cut all of their skin and let it be replaced by the gu worm's effects.
But Lo Jik did not focus on the gu worm's severe use condition.
"This gu worm… did you deduce this recipe?" Lo Jik swallowed audibly.
Black Moon leaned back comfortably. "No. It's a recipe shared among all the ten sects. Us gu immortals are already reviewing several prospective gu masters to use this gu worm."
"Right when… we have the convention going on…" Lo Jik found his words suggesting too much as he met Black Moon's knowing gaze.
"Yes," she answered.
"Did the sect share the recipe for Human Adaptive Qi Gu with others?" Lo Jik continued as Black Moon's gaze shimmered with appreciation. It was rare to find an individual who asked the right questions.
"No. Human Skin Gu was developed by the ten sects together. But you alone deduced Human Adaptive Qi Gu Worm, something that will remain within Spirit Affinity House for… a considerable period of time."
"Why?" Lo Jik's softened his tone. He was mere decibels from whispering as he uncovered a grand conspiracy. "Why would the ten sects… no, why would they do that?"
"You mean the Heavenly Court?" Black Moon hummed aloud, presenting a drastic contrast to Lo Jik's caution. Well, Lo Jik was happy not fucking around with Heavenly Court just yet. It wasn't the ten ancient sect's BIG BROTHER for no reason.
"I can tell you the 'why' if you like. But aren't you more interested in the 'how?'" Black Moon smiled behind her mask.
"How…" Lo Jik's words contradicted his reserved look. "How do we maximize our benefits?"
"You understand things quickly, Lo Jik." Black Moon chuckled.
"Why would I not just maintain my relationship with Lord Feng Jiu Ge using this?" Lo Jik narrowed his eyes. "I already got an immortal gu worm from you. What else do you have to offer?"
Black Moon silently regarded Lo Jik like a predator, her gaze sharp and ruthless. Her words, however, were chilling and scratched the itch others hadn't even gotten close to touching.
"Autonomy."
Lo Jik's lips slowly pressed together before curling into gentlest of smiles.
"Do you enjoy taking such risks, Fairy Black Moon? I'm not even a gu immortal yet."
"Yet." She caught the word. "And time waits for no man. The quicker we hash things out, the quicker we get to work in developing this business."
"Business?" Lo Jik poked. "It sounds like you're aiming for something else entirely, Fairy. An autonomy not only for myself but yourself, too. Do you think Elder Xu Hao and Lord Feng Jiu Ge will remain quiet?"
Black Moon quietly beckoned Lo Jik forward with an index finger as she pushed the table between them aside.
Smiling, Lo Jik stood from his chair and stepped forward. Their heights were nearly even when standing together, making Black Moon somewhat a giant compared to other women. Her hand firmly grasped his jaw with her warm hand as she warned grimly.
"You should learn quitting while you're ahead, Gu Yue Lo Jik."
Lo Jik's smile turned slightest bit more sincere as he slowly peeled her fingers away from his face without looking away from her gaze.
"That," he insisted, "will require a firmer hand, dear wife."
"Rip his clothes up~!" Fairy Mo cooed in Black Moon's mind.
"Do not be so crass, Lan'er," cautioned her mother. "Gently peel them away layer by layer instead."
***
Alternate Title: The many faces of Lo Jik; Honest husband during the day and a horny consort in a moonlit night; Disqualified; Ju Lin struggling in background to survive *Meanwhile her master: Trying his best to pull more baddies*; Ju Lin getting that anime master teaching; Lu Zuan Feng watching Ju Lin get the anime training montage: First time?; A good husband; Helping wherever he can; A mortal inheritance; A grandmaster's wisdom; Shu Zhe's emotions; Black Moon's proposition; Business plan; Autonomy; Lo Jik's concerns; The Feng Family sharpening their knives to butcher Lo Jik AF; Lo Jik bum rushing to the hottest waifu position *Meanwhile Bai Shou being depressed cause of Love Gu despite having boobas*; Fairy Mo and Black Moon's mother being more interested in hot smut; The devil on Black Moon's shoulder: RIP HIS CLOTHES *The equally horny angel: Umm… just be gentle*; Black Moon: Cool and mysterious *Black Moon's mind: Smutified in AU*; Black Moon trying to work out a deal *Fairy Mo chanting mating press position in the background*; What the lack of Bo Qing's sword does to an inkman
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