The next day, Zhou Ming woke up in a Mushroom House Gu.
Last night's banquet, the Chang Family members were too enthusiastic, constantly urging him to drink. Zhou Ming could only continuously clink glasses, drinking as if it were water.
When people from Northern Plains host guests, if the host toasts and the guests drink it all, it signifies the guests respect the host. If they only take a small sip or don't drink at all, they will be seen as looking down on the host.
After three rounds of drinks, the Chang Family members occasionally tried to fish for information from the seemingly tipsy Zhou Ming.
Fortunately, Zhou Ming had good alcohol tolerance and pretended to be drunk in time, preventing him from actually getting drunk and revealing any secrets he shouldn't.
By now, he had slept for a night, and the effects of the alcohol had completely dissipated. He felt refreshed and his mind was sharp.
The after-effects caused by the Soul Devouring Refining Scripture in recent days had also been somewhat alleviated.
The temperament of a wild beast, after all, is not human. As time slowly wears it away, the influence on Zhou Ming continuously diminishes, and his mixed Soul will gradually return to purity.
However, this process is quite long. If he doesn't use other methods and relies solely on self-recovery before performing Soul Devour again, then the advantage of this Cultivation Technique would not be apparent at all.
Stepping out of the Mushroom House Gu, Zhou Ming, led by a Chang Family member, quickly found Chang Shan Yin.
The latter was about to command his wolf pack to go hunting. Seeing Zhou Ming approach, he warmly invited him to come along.
Zhou Ming had something to ask him and did not decline. He mounted his own camel wolf and followed Chang Shan Yin's mighty wolf pack as they left the Chang Family.
Enslavement Path is very resource-intensive. Just like Chang Shan Yin's wolf pack, it needs to be fed daily. The feeding amount for tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of wolves is not a small sum.
Besides the Family's sustenance, Chang Shan Yin also needs to command his wolf pack to hunt daily, firstly to reduce expenses, and secondly to maintain the vitality and combat power of the wolf pack.
On the way, the two chatted for a while. Chang Shan Yin smiled, "Brother Zhou, I know you want to buy Rank Four Gu to quickly recover your strength. In three days, several tribes near us will open a Market. At that time, Brother Zhou can choose suitable Gu in the Market. Why not rest well at my Chang Family for these three days? It won't be too late to set off then."
Zhou Ming also didn't want to miss this opportunity. He nodded and said, "Then I respectfully accept."
Markets are generally only found operating permanently near large Families like the Zhou Family.
For medium-sized Families like the Chang Family, several Families agree on a specific time to start. They do not have the capital to maintain a Market for long-term operation.
On this hunting trip, Zhou Ming once again witnessed Chang Shan Yin's exquisite wolf-controlling methods and profound Enslavement Path Realm, which greatly benefited him.
Zhou Ming himself had led a zombie army in the zombie world, but that was merely a simple accumulation of numbers, piling the numbers up to his Soul's limit of a hundred people.
Just bearing the zombie army already exhausted his Soul, making him unable to use any other methods.
As for controlling the zombie army, it could only be described as a mess, only capable of fighting brainless zombies.
Against humans who could flee, hide, outmaneuver, and decapitate, his zombie army lost much of its power. If he encountered an Enslavement Path Gu Master of the same level, he would likely lose even with a two or three-fold numerical advantage.
After a hunting trip, the wolf pack was full and returned home. Zhou Ming organized his gains from this trip, finding them quite useful.
That evening, another grand banquet was held.
What Zhou Ming didn't expect was that after three rounds of drinks at the banquet, Chang Sheng Chun actually presented him with a grand gift.
A Rank Four Wood Path Gu!
Gu that reached Rank Four were even rarer and more valuable, usually selling for around fifty to sixty thousand primeval stones. They were rarely sold in ordinary Markets, and most Gu Masters obtained them through refinement, incurring a considerable cost.
Zhou Ming didn't lack primeval stones; what he lacked were channels to purchase Gu. That's why he planned to go to Eastern Sea after Lang Ya Blessed Land.
Among the Five Regions of the Gu World, Eastern Sea is the most resource-rich and commercially prosperous region. Eastern Sea Gu Masters are generally wealthy, conducting business across all Five Regions.
He had originally planned to gather a set of Gu through Markets on his way to Lang Ya Blessed Land, but he didn't expect his first Gu to come from the Chang Family.
Late at night, Zhou Ming returned to his residence, seemingly drunk.
After the Chang Family members who escorted him left, he got up and drank a cup of tea, his eyes clear. Where was the drunken appearance from before?
With a thought, a Gu flew out from his Aperture. It was precisely the Rank Four Gu, Every Plant a Soldier Gu, that Chang Sheng Chun had given him at the banquet tonight.
Every Plant a Soldier Gu could transform the flowers, grass, and trees within a certain range around the Gu Master into offensive means.
This Gu was most suitable for use in Southern Border, where mountains abound and trees are lush. Once activated, it would create killing intent everywhere.
In the vast grasslands of Northern Plains, the power of this Gu was not weak either, and its applicability was wide.
However, in Eastern Sea, with its endless blue seas, and Western Desert, with its vast yellow sands, this Gu would not be as effective.
"No reward without merit," Zhou Ming mused, toying with the Gu, his eyes slightly narrowed and deep, lost in thought.
The next day, Zhou Ming still went hunting with Chang Shan Yin. Chang Shan Yin did not hold back and taught him many beast-taming techniques.
After feeding the wolf pack, the two rushed back to the Chang Family. After settling the wolf pack, they had just returned to the Mushroom House Gu area when Chang Shan Yin, who had been in high spirits discussing, suddenly fell silent, his expression turning ugly.
Zhou Ming followed Chang Shan Yin's gaze and saw a man and a woman. The man resembled Chang Shan Yin by six or seven parts and looked a few years older than him. The woman had a beautiful appearance, and every gesture and smile exuded a delicate vulnerability that made one want to embrace her and dote on her.
At this moment, the man was holding the woman's hand, and their eyes met. Anyone could see the deep affection between them.
They were so engrossed that they didn't even notice Chang Shan Yin approaching.
And Chang Shan Yin, despite his face turning dark with displeasure, remained silent. He stood there for a few seconds, then turned and left.
He was so distraught that he even forgot to greet Zhou Ming, who was with him.
Zhou Ming also did not call out to Chang Shan Yin. He watched Chang Shan Yin's hurried, heavy footsteps as he walked away, then glanced back at the two still engrossed in their affection, completely oblivious to what was happening on this side. A strange smile appeared on his lips.
"These two people must be Chang Biao and Ni Xuetong, right?"
Zhou Ming carefully observed the two for a few more glances, then quietly turned and left as well.
Chang Shan Yin and Ha Tu Gu were originally brothers who grew up together, but later became sworn enemies for some reason.
The world believed that the reason was they both fell in love with the same woman, and that woman ultimately chose Chang Shan Yin. Ha Tu Gu, out of love and hatred, became enemies with Chang Shan Yin, and later their grievances intertwined, gradually escalating into a blood feud.
But what the world didn't know was that the woman named Ni Xuetong didn't like Ha Tu Gu, nor did she like Chang Shan Yin. Instead, she liked another man.
That brother was named Chang Biao. He and Ni Xuetong were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love. However, because of his low Aptitude and slow Cultivation Realm progress, he was overshadowed by the brilliance of Chang Shan Yin and Ha Tu Gu, and did not attract much attention.
Yet, Chang Biao and Ni Xuetong were truly in love. Neither the Genius Chang Shan Yin nor the powerful Ha Tu Gu could win Ni Xuetong's heart.
However, love can drive people mad, and jealousy and possessiveness can make people do anything.
On the day Chang Biao and Ni Xuetong were to be married, Chang Shan Yin finally could no longer endure it. He forcibly seized Ni Xuetong and compelled her to marry him.
Chang Biao was unable to resist Chang Shan Yin. Although his heart was filled with hatred, he was helpless and could only endure.
He outwardly feigned closeness with Chang Shan Yin, earning his trust, but secretly carried on an affair with Ni Xuetong until she became pregnant with his child.
Chang Biao knew that if this child were born, it would surely not pass the Bloodline test. At that time, neither he nor Ni Xuetong, including the child, would escape death. So he devised a poisonous scheme, secretly contacting Ha Tu Gu, setting a trap to assassinate Chang Shan Yin.
What he didn't expect was Chang Shan Yin's strength to be so formidable, fighting a Rank Five with Rank Four, and even slaughtering all of Ha Tu Gu's bandits.
But this actually helped Chang Biao. All those in the know, except him, died, and this secret was thus permanently buried by him!
This was the truth of the matter!
At the time, when Zhou Ming read this part of the plot, he had a feeling of watching Nie Feng, Bu Jingyun, and Qin Shuang fighting over Kong Ci in "Feng Yun," leaving a very deep impression.
However, these were all plots from the original work, and only Zhou Ming knew them here, because nothing had happened yet.
"Indeed, history always has an unknown side. The great hero who would later be famous in Northern Plains, Wolf King Chang Shan Yin, also had a side of forceful appropriation. In this world, who is perfect?"
That evening, the Chang Family still held a lively banquet for him, believing that a Rank Four expert was entirely worth the Chang Family's three-day grand banquet to show goodwill.
At this dinner, Chang Family Clan Chief Chang Sheng Chun once again presented him with a Rank Four Wood Path Gu, Doushuai Grass Gu. This Gu was an advanced form of the Doulong Grass Gu, and it was a storage Gu.
Zhou Ming still accepted it without declining.
These two Gu combined were worth about three hundred thousand primeval stones, which was quite valuable for a newcomer like Zhou Ming, whose background was not yet clear.
Whether it was to win him over or for some other purpose, Zhou Ming was waiting for the Chang Family's true objective.
After staying with the Chang Family for two more days, the Market that Chang Shan Yin had mentioned finally opened.
Zhou Ming had his own matters to attend to, so he declined Chang Shan Yin's invitation to go to the Market together and entered the Market alone.
Compared to the Markets near the Zhou Family, this Market was even larger in scale.
After all, their natures were different. One operated long-term, with a relatively even flow of people; the other was temporary, existing only for these ten-odd days, naturally densely populated and large in scale.
Zhou Ming skillfully navigated through the hawking crowd, passed the outer perimeter of the Market, and entered the central area directly into a shop.
A Rank Four Cultivation Realm always commanded a considerable degree of deterrence among Gu Masters. Along the way, Zhou Ming received much awe and respect, and it was the same in the shop.
The shopkeeper personally greeted him, enthusiastically introducing the Gu in the shop to Zhou Ming. Soon, Zhou Ming saw several Gu suitable for him.