Chapter Thirty-Seven: Fate Sealed in Darkness

Gu Weiyu eagerly took the wooden token to exchange for the Azure Pellet, with Gu Weihuan silently following behind her.

The one in charge of the third floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was their clan’s Eighth Uncle, Gu Yu. When he saw the Black Cloud flying artifact in Gu Weiyu’s hands, he paused in surprise. “Eleventh, is this what you’ve chosen?”

This flying artifact, shaped like a black cloud, wasn’t particularly pleasing to the eye and was especially expensive. It had sat gathering dust on this third floor for who knows how long.

“Yes, Eighth Uncle, could you help me with the exchange?” Gu Weiyu placed both the Azure Pellet and the wooden token on the counter.

Gu Yu didn’t say much. He picked up the wooden token and deducted two thousand contribution points, then took the Azure Pellet and performed a spell. “All done. This artifact is yours now!”

Gu Weiyu received it joyfully, unable to stop admiring it from all angles. The more she looked, the more she loved it.

“Ayu, shall we go see Twelfth Brother over there?” Gu Weihuan’s voice interrupted her.

“Huh?” Gu Weiyu put away the Azure Pellet. That’s right, she hadn’t seen her twelfth brother for some time. She’d been so focused on exchanging for the Azure Pellet that she’d forgotten him. “Where is Twelfth Brother?”

Gu Weihuan pointed across the room, gesturing with her lips. “Isn’t he right over there?”

A laugh escaped Gu Weiyu as she looked across and saw Gu Qingyun practically glued to a dazzling sword, staring at it as if his eyes might stick to the blade.

“Twelfth Brother!” Gu Weiyu strode over, and with a mischievous grin, gave his shoulder a hearty slap from behind.

Startled, Gu Qingyun spun around. When he saw it was Gu Weiyu, he puffed up indignantly. “Eleventh Sister!”

“Alright, don’t be mad. Let’s go out for a stroll. I’ll treat you both to something delicious!” Gu Weiyu, seeing his annoyance, hurried to appease him.

Instantly, Gu Qingyun’s eyes lit up with delight. “That’s great! Let’s go now!”

With that, he dashed downstairs, leading the way. Gu Weiyu and Gu Weihuan exchanged a glance and shared a tacit smile.

The street outside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion bustled with life, though most of the shops along it catered to cultivators—artifacts, elixirs, formation scrolls, spirit food, and spirit wine could all be found here.

“Eleventh Sister, I want some Glazed Pastry from Guyue House!” Gu Qingyun waited at the entrance, and the moment he saw Gu Weiyu, he exclaimed eagerly.

Last time, Cousin Xingyun had bought them some Glazed Pastry from Guyue House. It was so delicious he nearly swallowed his tongue, and he’d been thinking about it ever since.

“Twelfth Brother!” Gu Weihuan frowned slightly. “That stuff’s said to be expensive!”

Glazed Pastry? Gu Weiyu hadn’t tasted it before. She smiled and took Gu Qingyun’s hand. “Ninth Sister, it’s alright. Let’s go and buy some!”

With no other choice, Gu Weihuan followed along.

Back on the third floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, after Gu Weiyu and her siblings had left, Gu Yu took out a voice transmission talisman. “Clan Leader, Eleventh came today and exchanged for the Black Cloud flying artifact.”

He released the talisman, and it flew out the open window.

The third floor’s exchange records were reported to the clan leader in real time.

Guyue House was not far from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. It specialized in various spirit foods, each with a unique flavor and a trace of spiritual energy—a rare delicacy in the county.

Even before entering Guyue House, the trio was greeted by waves of delicious aromas, stirring their appetites.

Inside, an array of exquisite dishes was arranged on fine porcelain and jade plates. Gu Weiyu looked around, impressed by the craftsmanship. The Glazed Pastry that Gu Qingyun craved was a small, translucent treat, about half the size of a child’s palm, but each piece cost three spirit pearls.

She marveled inwardly at the price, but outwardly appeared generous. “Shopkeeper, three pieces of Glazed Pastry, please.”

“Right away, miss!” The attendant bustled over, placed three pastries into an elegant wooden box, and handed it to her.

“Here you are, miss!”

Gu Weiyu accepted the box and turned to her companions. “Ninth Sister, Twelfth Brother, let’s go home and enjoy these.”

Neither Gu Weihuan nor Gu Qingyun objected, and the three walked back together, cheerful and content.

At the Gu family estate, in the residence of Taihe, a middle-aged man in black robes and a young man in crimson sat beneath a pomegranate tree, engaged in a game of go.

“Elder Brother, you went to Qilin Mountain yesterday. What did you find?” The man in black, Gu Jun, placed a stone on the board as he asked. Opposite him, the man in crimson was none other than Gu Qingzhou.

“That tree in Qilin Mountain is exactly as our ancestor described. I never imagined such a rare treasure as the Spirit-Quenching Fruit would appear in our little world,” Gu Qingzhou replied, his eyes burning with excitement as he matched Gu Jun’s move with a white stone.

“Heaven surely favors the Gu clan! That girl Ayu is truly blessed by fortune. Perhaps the hopes of our family rest with her,” Gu Jun stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“She’s always been absent-minded. I doubt she can bear such responsibility,” Gu Qingzhou shook his head. “There are three Foundation Establishment stage beasts in Qilin Mountain. The Spirit-Quenching Fruit will ripen in about ten days. We’ll have to make a real effort to claim it.”

“Haha, if not for the beast tide being nothing but mundane creatures and failing to attract the Foundation Establishment cultivators, that fruit would never have fallen to us alone!” Gu Jun said with satisfaction.

With the Spirit-Quenching Fruit, they could improve the clan’s bloodline—a matter crucial to the Gu family’s legacy.

“Back to the game!” Gu Qingzhou placed another stone, lazily gesturing at the board. “See? You’ve lost. How dull!”

Unnoticed, the white stones had surrounded the black, leaving them no escape.

“This round doesn’t count!” Gu Jun protested. “How could I lose? You must have cheated while I wasn’t looking!”

“A true gentleman never regrets a move, Third Brother. Admit it, you’re just a poor player,” Gu Qingzhou clapped his hands and tossed his stone down with a roguish air.

“No way, my black stone was clearly here just now. Elder Brother, you’re bullying me with your higher cultivation!” Gu Jun glared at Gu Qingzhou, his beard bristling.

As their quarrel continued, a transmission talisman flew over the wall, circling Gu Jun incessantly.

He took a deep breath and sent a wisp of spiritual energy into the talisman. A clear male voice sounded: “Clan Leader, today Eleventh came to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and exchanged for the Black Cloud flying artifact.”

“The Black Cloud flying artifact?” Gu Qingzhou, who had been lounging in a chair under the locust tree, suddenly straightened, his expression changing. “Is it the one left by Ancestor Qiyu?”

“That’s right. It’s the very one,” Gu Jun replied, his expression complicated. That artifact had been without an owner for many years.

Back then, Ancestor Qiyu left it in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, saying only that it was for a fated one. Its secret was known only to the clan leaders and elders over the generations.

“Could it be that fate truly has its designs…”