72 Silent conspiracy

Gu Yue Chao was quite happy with the answer his grandson gave. "Your ideal is quite worthy. I hope your justice will be strong enough to achieve it." Saying so, he gave Gu Guangzhi a gu insect. Gu Guangzhi was shocked because this was his grandfather's signature gu insect, Rank 4 Justice Gu.

"Grandpa! This is too much for me!"

"Haha. I'm only allowing you to borrow this Justice Gu. Your Rank 3 cultivation may not enough on this expedition. Use this as the last resort. Also, don't spread this information to anyone. Justice Gu is not like other gu insects and cannot be refined easily. So take care not to reveal it lest you become a target!"

Gu Guangzhi was moved by his grandfather's care for him.

"But Grandpa, I'm not alone. I have my water wolf… I mean, my nether river wolf with me. It is a mutated beast with cultivation rivaling a Rank 4 gu master. I am also gradually about to breakthrough from Rank 3 middle stage to Rank 3 peak stage. You don't have to give such a precious gu insect to me."

Gu Yue Chao sighed, "You do not know the full extent of dangers on Qing Mao mountain. The Gu Yue clan is not as righteous as you think. It is also the reason I left he clan."

"You mean…", Gu Guangzhi suddenly remembered the encounter he had with a blood path gu master when he was young. He nodded and said, "I won't speak of this to anyone, not even Tie Xue Leng. This can put you in danger from your competitors in the clan as well."

"Haha. Forget about Tie Xue Leng and the rest of the clan. If my wife finds out I lent Justice Gu to you, I'm done for.", Gu Yue Chao said half jokingly. He continued, "There is still some time before the expedition, acclimate yourself to Justice Gu. I'll help you train using it from tomorrow."

"Uh grandpa, I only have Rank 3 primeval essence. How can I use this Rank 4 Justice Gu?", asked Gu Guangzhi awkwardly.

"I can lend you some of my primeval essence using a Primal storage Gu. It will allow you to use my true gold primeval essence.", said Gu Yue Chao.

"However, even those reserves may not be enough if you have to face what's hiding in those mountains." These words weren't spoken by Gu Yue Chao but Yu Wen Zi who appeared out of nowhere.

"Teacher! When did you arrive?" Gu Guangzhi was startled. He didn't want anyone to hear about the dark secrets of Gu Yue clan.

Yu Wen Zi smiled and replied, "Don't worry. Your grandfather and I are really good friends. I'm not a stranger to Qing Mao Mountain."

Gu Guangzhi was a frankly bit disappointed after hearing it. He thought he and his grandfather had now a shared secret but it turned out that his Teacher had known about it all along. As he calmed down and saw his teacher he was shocked to see Yu Wen Zi. His body looked extremely frail and his cultivation had fallen to Rank 1.

"Teacher, what's happened to you? How did your aperture degrade? Is it due to forcefully using Rank 5 Fire escape Gu? Why didn't you call for help?", asked Gu Guangzhi in a worried tone.

Gu Yue Chao sighed at the sight of his frail friend, "My friend, you know you shouldn't push yourself too much given your condition."

"Don't worry about me. I knew this would happen anytime now. It's a miracle I was able to hold on to my cultivation until now. Forget about that. I came here because I wanted to give you something for your upcoming expedition.", said Yu Wen Zi while looking at Gu Guangzhi.

"Don't try to change the topic!", Gu Guangzhi shouted angrily. He was too used to the tone his teacher used when he wanted hide anything about his past. "I'm sick of your secrets. Tell me what's wrong with you so that I can help you!"

"Guangzhi…", Gu Yue Chao tried to calm his grandson, "It's not like we didn't try. Some problems are too big for little people like us."

Yu Wen Zi gestured Gu Yue Chao to not speak any further. Yu Wen Zi then tried to placate his student, "Some secrets are meant to be kept. I'm sorry that I cannot share my past with you but I'd like to share something else with you." Yu Wen Zi then brought out a gu insect and asked Gu Guangzhi to refine it.

"A Silent conspiracy Gu?", asked Gu Guangzhi.

Silent conspiracy Gu was a gu insect that is meant to keep a secret similar to Poison Vow Gu but it doesn't have deadly consequences. Once refined, the gu master will fail to divulge a secret. For example, if the gu master tries to say the secret aloud, they'll forget how to speak. If they try to write the secret, they'll forget how to hold a pen. Without further ado, he refined the gu insect.

Yu Wen Zi then transferred a gu insect from his aperture directly into Gu Guangzhi's aperture. As Gu Guangzhi was observing what the gu insect introduced into his aperture was, it slowly disappeared from his aperture. Gu Guangzhi was shocked. It was as if he could feel the presence of the gu insect but he couldn't pinpoint where it was exactly. Suddenly Gu Guangzhi felt immense hunger. Yu Wen Zi immediately transferred an item into Gu Guangzhi's aperture. Normally only gu insects could be stored in an aperture. Materials had to be stored in storage type gu insects. Gu Guangzhi would have been shocked once again but he was currently feeling extremely hungry and his brain couldn't think of anything else. As soon as the item entered Gu Guangzhi's aperture, he gradually felt his hunger fade away. He even started to feel bloated as if he ate too much but the mysterious gu insect hidden in Gu Guangzhi's aperture started nibbling on the item. Gu Guangzhi soon felt normal again.

Once Gu Guangzhi regained his senses, Yu Wen Zi spoke again, "This gu insect and the item that I shared with you are now the contents of conspiracy between us. DO NOT TRY TO DIVULGE THIS SECRET for your own sake."

"I would keep it a secret if I knew what the hell I am keeping in my aperture! Sometimes I trust you too much. I felt like I was about to die! Twice!!", replied Gu Guangzhi.

"You'll know the benefits soon enough! Just by passively staying in your aperture, this gu insect will bring you great benefits. I just wish that you never have to actively use this gu insect. Just remember that there are side effects from excessive usage so use it only in an emergency!", said Yu Wen Zi.

Suddenly Yu Wen Zi's feet started swaying and he clutched his chest. He soon started vomiting blood. Gu Guangzhi and Gu Yue Chao moved forward to hold Yu Wen Zi. As Gu Guangzhi held him, he tried to inspect what was wrong with Yu Wen Zi. Suddenly his eyes opened wide!

"Teacher! Your aperture… it is disappearing! Your cultivation has completely regressed.", cried Gu Guangzhi in anguish.

Yu Wen Zi smiled to himself, "Hehe. I knew my end was coming so I wanted to do one last thing for you. I do not regret dying now."

"Teacher, you idiot! Take back your gifts! I don't want it if it means losing you!" Gu Guangzhi tried sending the gu insect back but it was extremely reluctant to move and Yu Wen Zi had no aperture to move it to.

Yu Wen Zi could only smile as his disciple cried. Gu Yue Chao also felt bad seeing his dear friend depart.

Gu Guangzhi suddenly turned to his grandfather, "Grandpa! You must've some good soul path gu insects right? Let's save his soul for now! We'll find a way to bring him back later!"

Gu Yue Chao shook his head, "Those gu insects aren't something I readily have. Besides, he has decided to move on. Let's respect his wishes."

As Gu Guangzhi cried, Yu Wen Zi died with a smile on his face. His face started to become wrinkly and hair started to grow all over his body. His body looked completely different to when he was alive. He reverted to his original self as a Hairy Man!