Living Steel Gu is a Rank two Gu, resembling a black charcoal briquette with numerous holes on its surface.
When Fang Yuan injected primeval essence, the Gu floated, rotating as black smoke poured from the holes.
The Chainsaw Golden Centipede, coiled around Fang Yuan's leg, had dark-gold armor full of wounds, its razors torn and damaged.
But as the steel smoke enveloped it, the wounds gradually healed.
The black smoke steadily worked, causing the razors to regrow at an observable pace.
Healing Gu came in different types: some for Gu Masters, some for specific injuries, and others for Gu worms.
For the Chainsaw Golden Centipede, the Living Steel Gu was its healing Gu worm.
An hour later, the Living Steel Gu shrank from a fist-sized charcoal to a pearl before vanishing.
It was an expendable Gu, but its sacrifice healed the Chainsaw Golden Centipede.
The centipede was now fully recovered, with its razors sharp and its dark gold exoskeleton almost pristine, only light scars remaining.
Without the Living Steel Gu, it would have taken at least half a year for the razors to fully regrow.
The Chainsaw Golden Centipede was powerful but lacked healing ability.
All beings, even Rank six or seven Gu, have strengths and weaknesses—no Gu is all-rounded.
"This way, the Chainsaw Golden Centipede's battle strength is completely recovered…" Fang Yuan stretched out his hand, touching the cold exoskeleton of the Chainsaw Golden Centipede
"Six purple gold stones, each fist-sized. With Fang Yuan's cultivation, he actually opened five on the spot. How could he have so much primeval essence at that time?" Tie Ruo Nan stared at the information on the letter, laughing smugly.
Tie Xue Leng nodded, "You finally found this suspicious point. Indeed, only when you are meticulous can you discover what normal people cannot see. But what can you derive from this suspicious point?"
Tie Ruo Nan closed her eyes, activating the Intuition Gu secretly.
In the darkness, she felt an enlightenment in her mind, and she opened her eyes abruptly. "Instinct tells me, Fang Yuan must have had the Liquor worm from long ago!"
"But instincts are sometimes wrong, they cannot represent truth," Tie Xue Leng reminded.
"Isn't it easy to get evidence? Hehe, as long as he has the Liquor worm, he has to feed it. If he feeds it, there has to be evidence." Tie Ruo Nan's mouth curled into an arc, "Let's go! We'll find Gu Yue Fang Zheng, Fang Yuan's brother once again. As the little brother, he has to be the most familiar with Fang Yuan."
"You're asking about big brother's actions back then?" Fang Zheng showed a complicated expression.
He sighed, recalling, "Back then, big brother was a very outstanding individual. Since young he constantly displayed his talent, making many poems, causing the entire village to put their attention on him. Back then, I admired him and held him in awe. In my heart, he was like a tall mountain that I couldn't climb. Maybe because he was at such a high point, when he tumbled down, the despair was greater. Afterwards during the awakening ceremony, he was tested to have only C-grade talent, thus he became discouraged for a long time, sleeping in class and not returning to the hostel at night, buying wine and getting drunk all the time. From that moment on, I realized, big brother was also human…"
"Wait you said, buy wine?" Tie Ruo Nan heard this crucial phrase and caught on to it, squinting.
"Yes, for a period of time, he was dead drunk. Sigh, maybe reality was too harsh. He only had C-grade talent, but his brother turned out to be A-grade, and he could not accept the truth. Actually, if I was in his shoes, I would understand his feelings and emotions as well," Fang Zheng said.
"Wait let me ask you, from that moment on, Fang Yuan would buy wine to drink every few days?" Tie Ruo Nan asked again.
"Yes, from that moment on, brother fell in love with alcohol, spending a lot of money for wine. For a time, he was in love with the bamboo wine, which is our clan's speciality, a very expensive wine. He snatched primeval stones from his classmates in order to buy wine to drink. This is an overbearing act, thus not a single student liked him. Why, is there a problem?" Finally, Fang Zheng asked in confusion.
"There's a huge problem. I suspect that your brother's Liquor worm wasn't obtained from the gambling rocks, but he had it long ago. Your brother's drunkard act was merely a performance. His real motive was to conceal the fact that he had the Liquor worm, and was feeding it," Tie Ruo Nan replied solemnly.
"WHAT?!" Fang Zheng hearing so, jumped from his seat in shock.
"What you just said made me even more suspicious. Where did your brother buy wine normally? I need to investigate." Tie Ruo Nan stood up as well. she was racing against time, moving quickly to solve the case.
"In our entire village, there is only one place selling Bamboo wine, it is that sole inn."
"Then I'll take my leave." Tie Ruo Nan turned around and left.
"Wait, I… I'll go with your guys!" Fang Zheng hesitated, chasing after them.
Tie Ruo Nan walked on the stone pavement, concluding, "Earlier the innkeeper already told me everything, and the situation is clear as day. Fang Yuan buying so much wine, his true motive is to feed the Liquor worm. After that, he purposely went to gamble rocks, and that is to expose the Liquor worm logically in front of everyone. All this, is according to his plans."
Fang Zheng appeared distraught, his face pale and lifeless.
He never expected the truth to be like this.
Once, he had looked down on Fang Yuan, thinking him a failure who had given up. That made the mountain seem less daunting.
But everything was a facade, a scheme from Fang Yuan.
Everyone around him had been played for fools, believing his lies.
Even Fang Zheng had fallen for it.
Now, looking back, his disdain for his brother seemed like a cruel joke.
"Big brother… in your heart, what place do I hold? In those eyes of yours that pretended to be drunk, was I a huge joke? Big brother! You are such a scheming fox, in your heart, was I childish enough for you to sneer at?!" Fang Zheng screamed in his heart.
He was humiliated, he was furious.
He felt that he was played by Fang Yuan. From the start, he was a clown putting on a childish and laughable act.
He felt the disdain Fang Yuan felt towards him.
"Big brother, how can you treat me like this?!"
"If not for lady Tie, I would still be in the dark. How long do you intend to lie to me, and to the clan? You killed the innocent, taking lives as you wish. Deception and lies, indifferent and inhumane, is that the real you?"
"Big brother, exactly what kind of person are you?"
Fang Zheng realized at this moment that he knew nothing about this blood related brother of his.
"Lady Tie, thanks for letting me find out the truth and seeing my brother's true side. Helping you is akin to helping myself, so just ask away, I will tell you everything I know," Fang Zheng said earnestly.
Tie Ruo Nan nodded, but then shook her head quickly, "What I need to know, I already understand now. The problem now is, where did Fang Yuan get that Liquor worm from?"
"You are right, this matter is suspicious. During big brother's situation back then, he had not inherited our parent's assets, and at the same time was only a C-grade, beginning his cultivation. Where did he get the Liquor worm from?" Fang Zheng frowned.
"In this situation, there's only two causes. One is outside help, and the other is an inheritance legacy. But who would invest in a C-grade talent? If it is an inheritance, which is it?" Thinking of this, Tie Ruo Nan stopped in her footsteps.
Inheritance legacy… inheritance legacy…
In her mind, this phrase kept appearing.
She fell into deep thought.
"If it was an inheritance legacy, everything would fall into place. Firstly, the Liquor worm's origin can be explained. Secondly, the reason for killing Jia Jin Sheng is also established!" Tie Ruo Nan thought excitedly.
What puzzled her was the killer's motive.
There had to be a reason for the murder.
Fang Yuan showed the Liquor worm, and Jia Jin Sheng wanted to buy it, but its value was too low to justify the killing.
But what if Jia Jin Sheng, unwilling to give up, followed Fang Yuan to discover an inheritance site?
What would Fang Yuan do then?
"Hehehehehe." Tie Ruo Nan laughed.
Fang Zheng showed a perplexed gaze.
Tie Ruo Nan looked back, "I want to inspect the Gu Yue clan's history records!"