Somewhere in the outer periphery of the Ten Thousand Poison Forest.
The trees in the forest were tall, and the canopy of the Venom Forest was thick enough to block out the midday sun, covering the ground in darkness.
Even the air in the forest felt so heavy, and dense and it felt like it was filled with miasma that could seep through the skin and fill the muscles with pus.
But Gu Fan's Ancient Venom Physique seemed to thrive on it. Right now Gu fan was crouching on a mossy branch, and his chest was heaving heavily.
Beneath him lay the carcass of an Iron-Bristle Boar. The boar was a beast which was at the 3rd Stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
It wasn't much of a challenge for him, but it was already his fifth kill after entering the forest. And Gu Fan was starting t feel his legs trembling at this moment.
Looking at the thick, armour-like hide that had been torn completely open by a single, jagged strike. He then looked at his hands.
His hands were covered in red blood, and his fingernails had elongated slightly, turning black and hard like claws.
"The Ancient Venom Physique is terrifying," Gu Fan muttered, wiping the toxic, corrosive blood off his ragged servant pants.
He pulled out a pretty sharp dagger and with a swift thrust, he pierced the beast's thick skull and sliced out a blood-stained, thumb-sized beast core.
[System Notification]
[Acquired: Iron-Bristle Boar Beast Core]
"I am only 4th Stage Body Cultivator and this is already so easy for me," Gu Fan mused as he tossed the beast core and the massive dead body directly into the inventory, "That makes it the fifth beast today. Even on the outskirts, there are some nice beasts and herbs to be found."
"Let me take a look at the haul, "Gu Fan grinned as he rubbed his palms and opened his inventory to check his morning haul.
[Inventory Check]
[Beasts cores]
[Shadow-Macaques (Nimble 2nd Stage of Body Tempering beast, known for their stealth and tender meat) - x 2 ]
[Venom-Spitting Toad (3rd Stage of Body Tempering Stage. Its poison sacs are highly valued for low-level alchemy) - x 1]
[Blood-Eyed Panther (5th Stage of Body Tempering Stage beast. It is incredibly fast with fur prickly and hard) - x 1]
[Iron-Bristle Boar (3rd Stage of Body Tempering Stage beast, a heavy brute with a valuable earth-attribute core) - x 1]
[Herbs]
[Blood-Clotting Grass: Basic healing herb that speeds up wound closure x 3]
[Iron-Root Weed: A tough herb used to brew body-tempering decoctions x 4]
[Snake-Bite Lily: Contains a mild paralyzing agent, useful for coating blades x 3]
[Yin-Gathering Moss: (Grows in damp darkness, used to cool overheated meridians) x 2]
[Black-Veined Lotus: (A rare, highly toxic flower that blooms near poison swamps, perfect for brewing high level potions) x 1]
"Not a bad start at all," Gu Fan felt ecstatic as he closed the inventory screen. He had written so many scenes where Gu Fan would fight beasts stronger than him, dive into the deepest freezing lakes to get the Freezing-Frost lotus or sneak into the Bai Clan to steal the Seven Starfish poison.
But to do it himself felt like a rush that no mount of caffeine could ever give him.
Gu Fan quickly found a relatively safe spot against a massive tree trunk and sat down. He had fought 5 beasts in quick succession, he needed to rest. And while he did that, he still had unopened rewards from the system to process.
"System, open my 4 Random Spins and the 1 King-Tier Crate."
[Processing 4x Random Spins...]
[Rewards processed:]
[Reward 1: 'Tears of the Jade Mermaid' (Spirit-Tier Elixir) - A legendary potion that repairs damaged meridians and refines toxics.]
[Reward 2: 'Mind-Shattering Illusion Array' Talisman (Earth-Tier Formation) - An array that traps victims in a nightmare loop, breaking their will and maximizing their system subservience level.]
[Reward 3: 'Dragon-Tiger Vitality Pill' (Spirit-Grade Pill) - Instantly restores stamina and Yang energy, allowing the user to engage in prolonged dual cultivation sessions and violently extract Yin Essence without the partner suffering physical exhaustion.]
[Reward 4: 1000 Low-Grade Spirit Crystals.]
[Processing 1x King-Tier Crate...]
[Rewards processed:]
[Reward 1: 969 Medium-Grade Spirit Crystals.]
[Reward 2: 'Tortoise-Shell Lust Array' Talisman (Earth-Tier Formation) - A portable variation of the Gu Clan's Stone Turtle Barrier; anyone who strikes or is trapped inside of it is hit with a repulsive backlash of highly concentrated aphrodisiac mist.]
[Reward 3: 'Beast-Blood Frenzy Pill' (Spirit-Grade Pill) - Grants immense physical strength and stamina for a short bust of time, while simultaneously heavily increasing the user's carnal desires and Yang energy.]
"My! My! My!" Gu Fan's eyes gleamed with a wicked light, "Now this is something fitting for a villain. The arrays alone will make anyone who messes with me beg for death... or beg for something else entirely. Hehehehe!"
Gu Fan could not help but think of all the possible ways he could torment Gu Bao, Xiao Mei, Steward Wang and even Gu Chen if he dares mess with him again."
That bastard son actually dare try and hit him again today?
Gu leaned back against the tree trunk, his fatherly love for Gu Chen dropping sharply with every passing day.
"If he does not change his ways, I..." Gu Fan was about to think how he was going to handle Gu Chen, when suddenly, a sharp, piercing chime echoed in his mind.
[System Alert!]
[Critical Event Triggered: Bloodline Connection Fading.]
[Warning: Lin Shu (Biological Mother) is entering the final stages of terminal illness. Estimated time of death: 1 Hour.]
[Lin Shu is calling for her son in her final moments.]
Gu Fan's eyes snapped open.
"Lin Shu?"
Lin Shu. The original Gu Fan's biological mother. A lowly washerwoman who had caught the Clan Patriarch's eye during a drunken night twenty years ago. Though she was discarded the next morning, and left to rot in the servant quarters while raising a "crippled" bastard.
If you ask Gu fan, or more precisely Li Wei, the author, he had felt no emotional attachment to her. She was merely a background character designed to give the readers a chance to hate the Gu Clan and not shed tears on the patriarch's death.
But now that Gu Fan heard this news, he suddenly felt an prick in his heart, an ache that made his heart feel hollow.
"Mother!"
But before the pain in his heart could make him all teary eyed, the author him in suddenly realized something.
"Oh SHIT!" Gu Fan almost slapped himself, "How could I forget about it?"
In his haste to not die, which was actually a genuine reason, he had completely forgotten about her, and more importantly, the item she held.
"The Jade Pendant,"