Gu, a kind of witchcraft in Chinese mythology.

The “Treatise on the Origin of Diseases – Gu. Poison” records:

“Collect various insects and snakes, store them in a vessel, and let them devour each other. The sole survivor is called Gu, capable of bewitching and following food and drink, bringing calamity to people.”

Similar texts have also appeared in ancient books such as the “Book of Sui,” “Compendium of Materia Medica,” “Prescriptions for Universal Relief,” and “Comprehensive Records.”

The methods mentioned are largely similar.

That is, throwing various poisonous insects into a pot, letting them eat each other, and the last one remaining is called “Gu.”

Chronicle once read in a book: Humans are the spirit of all things, and Gu is the true essence of heaven and earth.

Once the Gu is formed, it can be used for good, purifying houses and protecting seedlings, healing the masses; or for evil, harming people invisibly, dangerous and malicious.

It is a kind of art whose nature is not fixed, entirely dependent on the user’s nature.

“There have always been many misunderstandings about this thing, considering it dark and sinister.”

“But in reality, a knife is not to blame; whether it becomes a tool or a weapon depends on the person using it.”

“And I, just happen to be a righteous person hard to find in the Nine Provinces.”

“With me as the ‘Ancestral Master’ of the Blue Star Gu Path, future generations will be moved to tears upon hearing this word.”

Imagining that scene, Chronicle took a deep breath.

“To rebuild the glory of the Gu Path, it is our unshirkable duty!”

Chronicle shouted the slogan loudly, but his pocket was cleaner than his face, without even the change to take a taxi home.

His phone was also acting up; it had over eighty percent battery just after leaving the secret realm, but now it wouldn’t turn on.

“Ginger Tea, I remember you and that Cat Teacher duo gaming and receiving quite a few red packets. Can I borrow your phone?”

Chronicle said with a smile.

There’s a saying, “When the map is unrolled, the dagger is revealed.” His map of Yan Country was shorter than a piece of toilet paper, and the dagger was immediately exposed.

“?”

Ginger Tea instinctively stepped back, but seeing Chronicle just after catching bugs, covered in dust and looking pitiful, she softened and took out her phone, sliding to the WeChat interface.

“Here.”

A simple interjection came through the sea of consciousness, gentle and soft.

“Wow, how much money is this?”

Looking at the string of zeros in Ginger Tea’s WeChat balance, Chronicle rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

This girl usually used his WeChat sub-account to play games. He had logged in a couple of times and knew that she often duo gamed with “Cat Teacher.”

Although 【Intelligent Heart】 and 【Talent】 are both learning traits, there are subtle differences.

The young girl is certainly smart, but she can’t analyze text as thoroughly as Daiyu.

Therefore, she could only reply with “emojis.”

And what Chronicle had stored in his phone were cat emojis stolen from Ginger Tea and Youyou.

After chatting twice, the gold master sister found the young girl quite cute and would send her a red packet when she had nothing better to do.

Chronicle didn’t take it seriously at first, until he recently found several expensive virtual cards appearing in the account.

That’s when he realized something was off.

“The world of the rich… truly incomprehensible.”

Having known her for less than half a month, this self-proclaimed “Cat Teacher” gold master had sent Ginger Tea red packets worth tens of thousands and transferred many virtual cards to her account.

Such a level of wealth, Chronicle, who always had little money, had never seen before, and he couldn’t help but sigh, “Truly a gold master.”

Looking at the perfectly timed emoji replies in the chat history, Chronicle fell into deep thought.

He realized he still knew too little about the card spirits.

Ginger Tea, who always seemed simple-minded in front of him, unexpectedly turned out to be very good at “chatting.”

Just take her reply when facing Cat Teacher’s complaints about a student in the class who was “extremely talented but a bit scheming,” it was textbook perfect.

“Let’s start a class, I’ll listen with utmost respect.”

Chronicle said softly, paying for the taxi with her WeChat, and then returned the phone to her.

He was actually a very principled person, even if Ginger Tea was his own card spirit, he wouldn’t directly take over her hard-earned results.

“This money will be your little treasury from now on, your training fees will come from here, it’s like you’re earning your own living.”

“Of course, if I’m ever short on funds, I’ll borrow some from you.”

“But rest assured, Chronicle Brother is very credible.”

“Not only will you get the principal back, but also interest.”

“I’ll just extend the time you act as my bodyguard, how about that?”

Chronicle spoke rapidly, and the young girl, not quite understanding, nodded her head in confusion.

Chronicle felt no shame in coaxing the simple-minded girl, directly taking her and a few other card spirits into his sea of consciousness, leaving only Daiyu by his side.

No other reason, the girl’s bond of transferring negative states was just too useful (strike through).

No choice, new card spirits need more companionship to build bonds.

Chronicle walked the world relying on “emotion flow.”

That is, befriending card spirits.

“We’re all family.”

In the taxi, Chronicle nodded slightly, affirming his life principle of “sincerity and earnestness.”

That’s just the kind of person he was.

“Master, to the Flower, Bird, Fish, and Insect Market.”

He gently tapped the front seat, calling out.

“Alright, student.”

The driver stepped on the gas, and in less than ten minutes, they arrived at an old market.

“Master, wait here for me, I’m going to buy something, I’ll be back in at most ten minutes.”

“Okay.”

After a brief instruction, Chronicle headed straight for the largest insect material shop in the market.

Unlike the Land of Peach, which was full of ghosts, Qing Mountain Province City had a rich variety of materials, offering more choices for card craftsmen.

However, most of them start with insect materials.

The reason, crudely put, is “cheap,” or more elegantly, “extremely cost-effective.”

So, when Chronicle arrived, there was already a long line at the store entrance.

These were the parents of high school seniors with card decks, coming to buy a couple of “insects” to expand their decks.

“So many people.”

Chronicle shook his head and directly took out a small certificate from his bag, sweeping through the Card Craftsman’s special passage.

The parents in line had mixed feelings seeing this.

Their children were studying “ordinary” majors like battle cards, repair, enhancement, etc.

Although they were also their pride, in reality, all these majors combined were not as good as “card crafting.”

To say they weren’t envious would be a lie.

And the supermarket staff, seeing Chronicle enter through the Card Craftsman’s passage, were much more efficient than with others.

To be honest, this was the first time Chronicle felt the various conveniences brought by the “Card Craftsman” profession.

Being in such a small circle, where almost everyone was a card craftsman, he had the illusion that such people were very common.

But what actually happened just now proved everything.

“What do you need, sir?” the clerk asked softly.

Chronicle took the tablet from her hand, swiped briefly, and selected two insect containers: 【Shouting Human-Faced Pattern Jar】 and 【Shenglong Nurturing Insect Longevity Cauldron】.

He also exchanged some of the poisonous insects previously caught by Seven Brothers for many different types of insects at their store, using the material exchange method.

Then he paid and left, taking a taxi back to the hotel.

Pulling the curtains, placing the zongzi, he began crafting cards.

The old zongzi had just gotten into trouble, and even though it was released, it was cautious as a cat in a coffin, not daring to make a sound.

Afraid that the “generous” card craftsman would catch a handle and persecute it.

“Heh.”

Seeing its cowardly appearance, Chronicle couldn’t help but chuckle, raised his hand to pull out a chair, and began to write and draw on a piece of paper:

【Golden Silkworm Gu】, 【Loach Gu】, 【Love Gu】, 【Bamboo Strip Gu】, 【Spring Autumn Cicada】 (strike through)…

After carefully reviewing the Gu in his memory, Chronicle ultimately chose the 【Golden Silkworm Gu】, known as the “King of Gu.”

Briefly recalling the legendary method of obtaining the Golden Silkworm Gu, he sat cross-legged, his consciousness entering the cloud layer, into the sea of consciousness.

Standing in the vast expanse of white, he snapped his fingers, and the 【Hawk Falcon Pattern Black Pottery Narrow-Mouthed Jar】 filled with “Great Scenery Strange Insects” landed on the ground with a “clang,” surrounded by blank cards and other material cards.

Seeing this, he first pointed to the 【Shouting Human-Faced Pattern Jar】, allowing it to revert from card form, then used his psychic power to remove the jar lid and pour in the Great Scenery Strange Insects and various insect materials.

As gray, white, and green lights intertwined, a chilling “hissing” sound began to emanate from the jar.

The jar, painted with a pattern similar to the famous painting “The Scream,” also began to shake wildly, as if it would topple over at any moment.

Chronicle raised his pen and with a flick in the air, the jar steadied, and a faint light flowed.

After all this, he nodded slightly and fluidly wrote down the three characters for 【Golden Silkworm Gu】.

As a pale golden light swept across, he raised his pen again and continued to write:

【Gu, a kind of witchcraft in Chinese mythology.】

【Li Shizhen’s “Compendium of Materia Medica” states: Place a hundred insects in a jar, open it after a year, and there will be one insect that has devoured all others, this is called Gu.】

【Once the Gu is formed, in the hands of the righteous, windows and furniture are clean, crops grow easily, and diseases are kept at bay.】

【In the hands of the wicked, those affected show myriad symptoms, and many may die over the years.】

【Among the myriad Gu insects, the most mystical is the “Golden Silkworm Gu.”】

【”New Sayings from South Yunnan” states: There are many powerful Gu in Shu, with the Golden Silkworm being the strongest, capable of possessing people, stealing their souls, and using them to steal wealth.】

【Because of this mystique, it has been dubbed “King of Gu.”】

【To obtain the Golden Silkworm, on the day of Dragon Boat Festival, bury many kinds of poisonous insects in a jar at a crossroads at dusk, and after forty-nine days, retrieve it and place it in an incense burner.】

【Normally nourished with poisonous plants and spiritual herbs, when needed, simply call softly in your heart, command souls, purify houses, use poison, practice medicine, increase fortune, at your disposal, all things are possible.】

Writing up to this point, Chronicle paused, looking up at the swirling clouds above the sea of consciousness.

Once the review was approved, he picked up his pen again and began to draw the card’s design.

With the practice over time, his card drawing ability had also improved, his movements as fluid as flowing water.