Chapter 7: Stone Gu

"You don't believe me?" Long Xuan glanced at him sideways and smiled. "Whether I'm exaggerating or not, just try it and you'll know."

"My Cockroach Gu has the ability to regenerate severed limbs; just chop off a hand right here on the spot, and see if I can reattach it for you."

Of course, Li Laodao would never agree to chopping off his hand; what if the Cockroach Gu lacked the ability to regenerate severed limbs? Then wouldn't he have chopped off his hand for nothing and become a fool?

"Why chop off a hand to verify the Cockroach Gu's abilities? I can verify it immediately."

Successfully provoked, Li Laodao decided to trade for it regardless of whether the claims were true or false and verify its abilities on the spot.

If the claims were false, he would settle the score right there; could the man possibly escape under his very eyes?

Li Laodao walked straight to Long Xuan's stall, casually grabbed a Gu jar, opened it without even glancing inside, and immediately formed a Blood Contract with the Cockroach Gu within.

Once a Blood Contract connection is established with a Gu Worm, the master can clearly perceive its abilities.

From the information transmitted through his soul, Li Laodao's expression quickly froze; his face changed repeatedly, gradually revealing an look of disbelief.

"How is this possible? It is clearly a very weak Yinghuochong; how could it possess such terrifying abilities?" Li Laodao murmured softly.

"Alright, since you've already formed the Blood Contract, hurry up and hand over the Spirit Stones; considering we are neighbors, I'll only charge you two hundred and ninety-nine Spirit Stones," Long Xuan said, yawning and urging him repeatedly.

Li Laodao looked at Long Xuan, and this time his gaze was entirely different; a person capable of creating such a Gu Formula was certainly no ordinary figure, and he had already conceived the idea of befriending him.

"Hehe, I admit my eyesight is poor; I never expected that a weak cockroach could be used for Gu Refining. I have truly had my eyes opened; indeed, one must never underestimate any Yinghuochong in the world."

"However, fortunately I did not follow your advice and chop off my hand just now; while this Cockroach Gu truly possesses the ability to regenerate severed limbs, it is not so exaggerated as to restore them instantly."

"Regenerating a severed limb is an extremely slow process that might take several years; if I had really listened to you and chopped off my hand, my troubles would have been immense. In the Gu World, one is not master of oneself; who doesn't have enemies?"

Li Laodao likewise tossed three Medium Grade Spirit Stones onto Long Xuan's stall and said with a smile.

Having made another sale so quickly, a joyful smile appeared on Long Xuan's face.

Seeing that Long Xuan did not continue speaking, Li Laodao, who had conceived the idea of befriending him, continued the conversation: "I have done business with you; courtesy demands reciprocity, so shouldn't you also patronize my business?"

"Although my Gu Worms are not Solo Gu, they are absolutely the most ferocious Gu Worms in this Market; I guarantee your satisfaction."

Hearing this, Long Xuan also became interested and turned his head to look at his stall.

Compared to the meager single-digit items for sale at his own stall, the goods on Li Laodao's stall were far too abundant, nearly filling the space, all consisting of jars and bottles containing various insects.

However, his jars and bottles were smaller and smaller, and the insects inside were also smaller and smaller; surprisingly, they were all Inner Gu used for parasitism.

Moreover, his Inner Gu offered no benefit to the host; they were entirely meant to be parasitized into an enemy's body to harm people.

Precisely because they were not for personal use, they did not occupy slots, allowing one to raise as many as desired; they belonged to the category of consumables.

It is worth mentioning that the number of Gu Worms a Gu Cultivator can use is subject to slot limits; each Gu Cultivator's slot count varies and is related to soul talent, but Gu Cultivators at the Spirit Gathering Stage average around four slots.

Of course, having lived two lives, Long Xuan might be able to form Blood Contracts with more Gu Worms simultaneously than ordinary people, perhaps even more than double the amount.

Most Gu Cultivators have a very limited number of Gu Worms they can form Blood Contracts with and must plan carefully, whereas Inner Gu used to harm people are the only type of Gu that does not occupy slots, so almost all Gu Cultivators raise some.

This Li Laodao actually enjoys refining this kind of Gu Worm; he is definitely an old schemer, and one should be cautious of him; Long Xuan immediately became wary of this man.

Looking again at the descriptions of the Gu Worms inside the bottles written on the jars themselves, Long Xuan instantly felt his scalp go numb.

Stone Gu: Resembles a stone grain; often placed on paths full of gravel; when pedestrians pass by, the Stone Gu jumps into their bodies. Those infected develop a lower abdomen hard as a rock, suffer from severe constipation, become increasingly emaciated, and will inevitably die within half a year.

Rice Grain Gu: Resembles a grain of rice; often placed in an enemy's rice; those infected experience a surge in appetite, are constantly unable to feel full, suffer mental disorders, and will inevitably die within a month if there is no method to resolve the Gu.

Wart Big Gu: Often hides in the gaps of fingernails; upon close contact with a target, whether by patting the shoulder or shaking hands, it is planted into the target's body; after the Gu infects the blood, it eats all the target's internal organs, and those infected often cannot survive more than a day.

Gazing at these methods of death, each more cruel than the last, Long Xuan's face changed slightly.

This was his first time understanding the degree of viciousness of Gu in this world; for instance, this Stone Gu looks exactly like a grain of stone and is utterly indistinguishable.

Furthermore, the path back to his village was covered in stone grains; if someone placed a few Stone Gu on his way home, the consequences would be dire.

Thinking of this possible scenario, Long Xuan involuntarily shivered.

He fundamentally could not distinguish which was a stone grain and which was a Stone Gu; no matter how careful he was, it would be useless.

This was merely the most common Stone Gu; there were countless Gu Worms even more concealed than the Stone Gu, and the various methods of planting Gu were so diverse that they were simply impossible to guard against; how could he possibly defend himself?

One must know that he currently could not see the Progress for bacteria or viruses, meaning his Golden Finger was ineffective against things that were too small.

For many insects only a few millimeters in size, he fundamentally could not see the Progress from a distance; only when very close would he see the Progress.

Even his Golden Finger could not help him guard against methods of planting Gu.

At this moment, Long Xuan was truly afraid; these were things capable of taking his life, yet he currently possessed no means of countermeasure; if anyone secretly planted Gu on him, he truly lacked the confidence to escape disaster.

No, the research on the Microscope Gu must be put on the agenda; no, the second Gu Worm he refines should be the Microscope Gu.

Without the Microscope Gu, those small insects used to scheme against people were fundamentally impossible to guard against; once the Microscope Gu emerges, no one will ever be able to plant Gu on him again.

At this moment, Long Xuan had already made up his mind; his second research topic would focus exclusively on the Microscope Gu.

Having lived a second life, he was truly afraid of death; any factor that could threaten his personal safety, he must take seriously.

After casting another wary glance at those Gu Worms, Long Xuan said to Li Laodao: "No thanks, I have no interest in this type of Gu Worm."

His current funds had other uses, and he did not intend to waste them on unimportant matters.

Moreover, even if he wanted this type of Gu Worm, he intended to obtain them through self-creation.

Once the Microscope Gu emerges, he can research Microbial Gu; Microbial Gu are so small they are fundamentally invisible to the naked eye, allowing them to fly directly into an enemy's mouth openly without being detected; at that time, he could harm whomever he wished, and who could counter it?

In terms of concealment, what Gu Worm in the world could be more impossible to guard against than Microbial Gu? The Stone Gu is merely a junior compared to Microbial Gu.

(End of Chapter)