Under Gu Clan rules, a member who reported an ancient cave abode received thirty percent of its contents. Forty percent of the total went to the clan, and the remaining thirty percent was shared by the cultivators who explored it.

Gu Changhuan counted as the discoverer, of course. But he was only at late Qi Condensation and could not use these treasures yet. That was no excuse to give him nothing; the clan had to honor its rules.

Seeing Gu Wanchang remain silent for a moment, Gu Changhuan recalled the clan's regulations.

"Patriarch, I can't use these things yet. Why don't I pick a couple and exchange the rest of my share for Contribution Points? Most of it is going to the clan treasury anyway."

Noticing how sensible Gu Changhuan was being, Gu Wanchang nodded.

"Very well. If you lack anything in the future, just come ask me. Everyone come over and see if there is anything you want."

Gu Wanhao took the alchemy furnace first, then a high-grade second-tier shield.

Gu Shiwen had already retrieved the formation disk earlier, and now selected a second-tier high-grade magical artifact and a second-tier low-grade formation disk.

When it was Gu Shixin's turn, she chose three second-tier high-grade magical artifacts. Given her cultivation level, she had no immediate use for them, likely intending to exchange them for Spirit Stones.

Gu Wanchang chose a low-grade third-tier treasure suited to his element. He could just manage to wield one at his current cultivation level. It would make him considerably stronger.

"Today's harvest is substantial, but there is not much here suited to your current needs. How about this: those of you present will not need to spend Contribution Points if you wish to change your cultivation methods in the future."

This remark was addressed primarily to Gu Shiwen, Gu Shixin, and Gu Changhuan. Both Gu Wanchang and Gu Wanhao practiced the Gu Clan's Blazing Scarlet Saber Scripture, a technique capable of supporting cultivation up to the late Purple Mansion stage. Furthermore, once they reached the Foundation Establishment stage, they could condense their True Essence into a blade stored within the Dantian-a consumable technique of immense power capable of instantly slaying cultivators of the same realm. They would not need to consider changing their cultivation methods until reaching the Golden Core stage.

Upon hearing this, Gu Shiwen's face broke into an obvious smile, while Gu Shixin remained indifferent; if she failed to reach Foundation Establishment, changing techniques was meaningless.

As for Gu Changhuan, he had even less need for it, having long since switched to the Chaos Myriad Spirits Art without ever revealing it to others.

Once the distribution concluded, Gu Wanchang thoroughly inspected the underground cavern.

This subterranean space could likely yield nearly ten mu of spirit fields. Untouched by human hands and blessed with a favorable environment, the river also contained several species of aquatic life. If brought back to Emerald Maple Mountain to breed on a larger scale, it would provide another steady stream of income.

Squatting by the riverbank out of sheer boredom, Gu Changhuan found his interest piqued by the fish, shrimp, and crabs in the water.

Nurtured by the dense Spiritual Qi of the river water, these creatures were remarkably plump, each more than twice the size of those commonly seen in his past life, and bound to taste exceptional.

As Gu Changhuan felt his mouth watering, Gu Wanchang's voice rang out.

"Catch some if you want to try them, Changhuan. There are plenty in the river. It's been a long time since I had a proper meal myself."

Hearing this, Gu Changhuan perked up. With five people present, he caught two of each-fish, shrimp, and crabs-and drew his Azure Cloud Sword to begin cleaning them.

Gu Shixin walked over to help. Watching Gu Changhuan's smooth, practiced movements, she found herself with hardly any room to assist.

"Aunt Shixin, help me tie up the crabs and scrub them clean. Be careful not to get pinched by their claws."

"Oh, you." Gu Shixin smiled and shook her head. How could a crab hurt a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator?

Even so, she found Gu Changhuan's caution quite thoughtful.

In no time at all, the two finished preparing the ingredients and lit a fire by the riverbank.

Gu Changhuan produced several seasonings from his Storage Bag to rub onto the fish. Zhao Pin'er and her companions had carried all sorts of miscellaneous items in their Storage Bags, which conveniently served his purpose now.

"I didn't know Changhuan could cook!"

The smell of roasting fish made Gu Wanchang hungry, though he had gone without food for years.

"You're not the only one. I never knew he could cook either." Gu Wanhao stroked his beard. He was hungry too.

Before long, the feast was ready.

Eagerly taking the fish handed to them by Gu Changhuan, the group could not wait for it to cool, biting straight into the steaming meat despite the heat.

Gu Changhuan stared. Cultivation had its advantages. They didn't even have to worry about burning their mouths!

Fortunately, the spirit fish were large enough, or there wouldn't have been enough to go around.

He took a bite. Still a little hot, but the fish was delicious, every bit as good as what he had eaten at Xiaoxiang Restaurant.

Halfway through the meal, the steamed shrimp and crabs were done as well.

Everyone dug in with hearty appetites.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Gu Changhuan and Gu Wanhao returned to the market town, while Gu Wanchang and the other two headed back to Emerald Maple Mountain.

Gu Wanchang hurried to tell Gu Wanhua about the underground river. Delighted, she immediately worked out whom to send, took out a stack of Communication Talismans, and began summoning them.

Before long, cultivators began reporting to the General Affairs Hall.

The first to arrive was Gu Changze.

With the Patriarch there too, Gu Changze knew something important was afoot. He tried to guess what it was, but had no idea.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, four people had gathered inside the General Affairs Hall.

Gu Wanchang cleared his throat. "You're all valuable members of the clan. We've found an undeveloped underground river, and we need you to open up spirit fields there and stay for a while. Is anyone unwilling?"

The four looked at each other before answering in unison.

"We are willing."

Nodding in satisfaction, Gu Wanchang led the group away.

Gu Wanhua was left worrying about replacements. All four were skilled at their work. Losing them at once meant she had to think carefully about who could take their places.

Back at the market town, Gu Changhuan barely had time to rest before Gu Wanhao pulled him aside.

"That Purple-Gold Incense Burner the Patriarch took... was it the treasure that got the owner's family killed? Do you know what it does, Changhuan?"

Gu Changhuan had not expected Gu Wanhao to lose his usual composure, though he was unsurprised that the elder had noticed Gu Wanchang taking the item. He smiled and replied.

"It's a low-grade fifth-tier treasure. Most likely, it was what brought disaster on that senior's family. I don't know exactly what it does, but I think it's a supporting treasure."

Regardless of whether it was auxiliary or combat-oriented, the Gu Clan dared not display such an item openly. If Great-Grandfather successfully broke through to the Purple Mansion stage, perhaps they could eventually uncover its true use.

Gu Changhuan mused silently to himself.

It had been over half a year; good news should be arriving soon.

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