Ning Zu emerged from the cultivation room, his eyes dark and weary, betraying the many hours he'd spent focusing on his cultivation.
His body had transformed over the last week, he was no longer the slender boy who just awakened his aperture.
Now, he became taller and well-built, his muscles rounded and defined. His body seemed to be undergoing a metamorphosis, as it was trying to match the image of his soul.
Even his mother had noticed the change. "You've grown," she remarked just the other day, a mixture of pride and curiosity in her voice. She had observed his sudden height increase and the emerging muscles. His skin, once marred by the small imperfections of youth, had smoothed out and now looked almost ethereal, his once boyish face taking on a more mature and sharp appearance.
After leaving the room, Ning Zu headed straight for the bath to clean himself.
In the bath, Ning Zu reflected on this transformation. His soul didn't change to match his body, and neither did his body since it was two weak, but now, affected by his aperture awaking, what made him strong, had caused his body to change.
Still, he mused, it would take more time before his physical form truly mirrored the form of his soul, but the more his cultivation level got higher, his body would match his soul more and more.
After his bath, he began to dress, pulling on his robes when a servant entered the room. She stopped short, her face paling with shock. "Young Master, I didn't think you were here. I-I should've prepared the bath for you and laid out your clothes," she stammered.
Ning Zu waved her concern away. "It's not important," he said casually, pulling on the last layer of his robe. "As long as I'm clean, that's all that matters."
As he dressed, Ning Zu's gaze lingered on the servant. She was young—around twenty, and held a rank 2 cultivation.
Despite her grade, instead of doing clan missions, she had been relegated to serving his household, a fate she didn't deserve. She was the head of the servants, and normally, someone of her abilities would have held a more prestigious position. But Ning Zu knew why she was here, why she hadn't risen higher. An injury to her soul had kept her from progressing. The injury was severe, and none of the clans on the mountain had the knowledge or skill to heal it.
As she was trying to head out, Ning Zu opened his mouth.
"Do you want to heal your injury?" Ning Zu asked suddenly, his voice cutting through the quiet room.
The servant woman blinked in surprise, her shock evident. She hesitated, not knowing what to say. "I... of course, I do, Young Master," she replied cautiously, not sure whether he was serious or teasing.
Ning Zu met her gaze steadily. "I can heal you. But it comes with a price."
She stared at him, disbelief creeping into her expression. The idea that he, a mere rank 1 Gu Master, could heal something so complicated was absurd. She giggled nervously, but the look in Ning Zu's eyes made her stop. He wasn't joking.
"You're serious?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. He nodded.
She swallowed hard, but after thinking about it, since he was the son of two elders, he must have a way.
"What's the price?"
Ning Zu's voice was calm and measured as he replied, "I want your Liquor Worm Gu, along with 3,000 primeval stones. You'll also need to gather the necessary materials yourself, which will cost around 4,100 primeval stones. Not including the Liquor Worm Gu, of course."
The woman's breath caught in her throat. She had not expected him to know about the Liquor Worm Gu. It was something she had found during a mission when she was still an upper stage rank 1 Gu Master. She had kept it a secret from everyone, even going so far as to refuse healing that would've revealed its presence.
Her injury had worsened because of her refusal, but she had deemed the gu more valuable than her recovery at that time, a decision she deeply regrets.
"How... how do you know about that?" she asked, not bothering to deny its existence. Her voice was filled with both fear and wonder.
Ning Zu simply smiled, giving no explanation. No matter how many times she asked, he remained silent on the matter. After a few moments of contemplation, she sighed and nodded.
"Fine," she said. "I'll gather the materials."
Ning Zu handed her a list of everything she needed and instructed her to meet him in the cultivation room that night. With that settled, he left to check on Bai Ning Bing, who was playing outside with his sister.
As Ning Zu approached, he noticed Bai Ning Bing's black hair—a result of the dye they had applied to conceal his origins. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Enjoying the new look?" he joked, ruffling the boy's dark locks.
Bai Ning Bing grinned up at him, playful but still a little confused by the changes in his life. Ning Zu exchanged a few more teasing remarks with him before heading off to find his father.
Xiong Zi, Ning Zu's father, sat in his study, reviewing clan documents. When Ning Zu entered, his father barely glanced up. "Let me guess, you're here for more primeval stones," Xiong Zi said with a hint of exasperation.
He planned to not give him any, since all his son was doing was cultivating this past week, witch made him worried.
Ning Zu shook his head. "Not this time, Father," he replied. "I just wanted to show you something." With that, he released his aura, revealing the strength of a middle stage rank 1 Gu Master.
Xiong Zi's eyes widened in surprise, and a rare smile broke across his face. "You've advanced," he said, clearly pleased. "Good. Very good."
Xiong Zi knew his son talent was very high, but he didn't think that he would advance this fast.
"You're truly a talent only seen once a century. You've earned a reward, as long as it not another gu."
Ning Zu thought for a moment before making his request. "I'd like a Dragon's Scale, a black scale if possible."
His father nodded. "Done."
Ning Zu bowed to his father, showing his respect, then left.
'Truly impressive' Though Xiong Zi ' The academy elder will be esthetic.'
...…..
Later that evening, after spending the rest of the day with his siblings, Ning Zu prepared for his meeting with the servant, whose name was Xiong Su Lan. The two met in the dimly lit cultivation room. Before they began, they both activated the rank 2 gu: Poisonous Deal Gu. The poisonous Gu established a life-binding contract—if either of them failed to uphold their end of the agreement, death would be immediate and unavoidable.
Su Lan handed over the Liquor Worm Gu and the agreed-upon primeval stones. Ning Zu then instructed her to lie down. He fed her a sleeping pill, explaining that the process would be painful. But as she drifted off, Ning Zu started with his real plan.
Ning Zu wasn't just healing her injury. He was refining a Gu.
Using the materials she had gathered, Ning Zu began his delicate work. The first step was to cleanse her wound, an injury located just to the right of her aperture. The wound had frozen part of her soul, leaving her weak and unable to cultivate properly. He applied a mixture of fire weed gu and some black seeds and fed her soul nourishing material, that would gradually heal the damaged soul, although not healing it completely, which will also make the injury worse later on.
Ning Zu then got out of his aperture the Moonlight gu, which he intended to use as the core ingredient in the process. While the herbs and Gu did their work on the wound, Ning Zu carefully positioned the Moonlight Gu near the frozen part of her soul. He channeled his own energy, manipulating the forces within her body to refine the Gu directly from the injury.
As the Moonlight Gu absorbed the energy of the frozen soul, it began to glow with a soft, ethereal light. Ning Zu focused intensely, guiding the process with precision. The other materials Su Lan had provided, blind fish tale, volcanic ore, and some cloud powder.
They were either fed to her or placed on the wound itself, each item playing a crucial role in the refinement process.
The energy in the room shifted, growing denser as the Gu took shape. The frozen part of Su Lan's soul started to get absorbed by the gu, forming the new gu.
Ning Zu worked methodically, feeding energy into the Moonlight Gu while simultaneously repairing the damaged soul. It was a delicate balance, but Ning Zu's skill and determination prevailed.
After almost an hour of careful refinement, a new Gu emerged he Blue moon gu, a rank 1 gu that pulsed with the gentle glow of moonlight, its energy linked to the frozen remnants of Su Lan's once-injured soul.
While Su Lan was still deep in sleep, Ning Zu studied the new Gu he had just refined. It shimmered in his palm, similar in appearance to the Moonlight Gu but with an icy cold aura that radiated from its core. The subtle chill in the air around it was almost palpable, as if it could freeze a soul with its mere presence.
"This will be the core Gu of the inheritance I'm preparing for Bai Ning Bing," Ning Zu murmured to himself, his eyes narrowing with determination. "Now, I need to move on to the next phase of my plan."
He turned his attention to Su Lan, still unconscious and unaware of the monumental shift in her fate. Ning Zu examined her talent once more. She was a B-grade talent—not exceptional, but good enough for what he had in mind. She was capable, disciplined, and, more importantly, she was now vulnerable.
Vulnerable in a way that made her ideal for his purposes.
With cold precision, Ning Zu pulled out a jar from his robe. Inside, a dark, squirming mass of shadow pulsed faintly—the Despair Gu.
It was a sinister Gu, one capable of devouring the hope and light in a person's soul, leaving them hollow, empty, and malleable.
Holding the jar in his hand, Ning Zu carefully manipulated his energy, reaching inside the jar to retrieve the Despair Gu.
He left his vessel, as this step will couldn't be done by his physical body.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the Gu, he felt its insidious nature, the weight of hopelessness it carried. He took a deep breath, steadying his mind. Then, with a swift and deliberate motion, he placed the Despair Gu into Su Lan's soul.
If left alone, her soul would have healed fully in just a few more hours of sleep. The frozen injury would has disappeared, so she could have regained her strength. But Ning Zu didn't want that. No, for his plan to work, her soul needed to remain weak. The weaker her soul, the easier it would be to control her.
He guided the Despair Gu, manipulating her soul with expert precision. He ensured that the Despair Gu wouldn't destroy her completely, nor would it touch her aperture. The goal was to twist her will, not obliterate it. Her soul resisted instinctively at first, but Ning Zu was relentless. He suppressed the natural defenses of her being, forcing her to submit to the Gu's influence.
Su Lan stirred in her sleep, her body twitching as her soul fought the invasion. But soon, the fight drained out of her. Her eyes fluttered open, but they were not the same. They had turned pitch black, devoid of light or life, reflecting only an empty void. She stared blankly for a moment, then her eyes cleared, returning to normal
But she was no longer the same woman.
Su Lan's will had been shattered, her loyalty now firmly in his grasp. She was his servant in both body and soul.
"Su Lan," Ning Zu spoke calmly, testing her obedience.
She blinked, turning her gaze toward him, her face expressionless but attentive. "Yes, Young Master?"
"You will quit your job as the head servant," Ning Zu ordered. "Leave the clan for good. I have two tasks for you."
Su Lan listened, her posture rigid, awaiting his commands.
"First, you will ensure that the inheritance I am preparing for Bai Ning Bing is completed before he awakens his aperture, how to do it and what gu that needs refinement is in this paper." He hands her a paper which he wrote before coming here. "This is your primary mission," Ning Zu explained. "Gather the necessary materials, make the arrangements, and see to it that everything is in place. He must receive it before his aperture is awakened."
She nodded without hesitation. "Understood."
"Second," Ning Zu continued, "you will form a secret squad outside the clan. You will select and train individuals capable of carrying out covert missions, and you will lead them. This squad will remain hidden from the anyone's knowledge except mine, answering only to me. From this day forward, you are the first hidden elder of the Blue Lotus Sect."
Su Lan's eyes widened slightly at the title, but her expression remained passive. The Despair Gu had suppressed any emotion she might have once felt about her new role. "I will do as you command."
"Good," Ning Zu said, satisfied. "Now go. Begin your work immediately."
Su Lan stood, bowing deeply before she left the cultivation room. Ning Zu watched her go, knowing that she would carry out his instructions to the letter. She was now bound to him, not just by loyalty but by the very essence of her being. She was the first piece in a larger game he was playing, one that would stretch far beyond the walls of this clan.
Once Su Lan was gone, Ning Zu sat back, his mind racing with plans. The Blue Lotus Clan was only in its infancy, but with each step, he was laying the foundation for something much greater. Bai Ning Bing, Su Lan, and the future hidden squad were all parts of the intricate web he was weaving.
The inheritance will be perfect for Bai Ning Bing—suited to the cold, ruthless nature that would one day awaken fully within the boy. The inheritance Ning Zu was preparing for him would be more than just a tool; it would be a legacy, one that would shape Bai Ning Bing into a force to be reckoned with.
"Everything is falling into place," Ning Zu thought to himself as he stood and exited the cultivation room. His ambitions were far-reaching, but he had the patience and the power to see them through.