In a random alley, sat Fang Zao rank-3 refinement path gu - master -, once an expert at making counterfeit Gu with a bright future ahead of him, now a victim of circumstance. If asked what his future prospects might be, his answer would be as broad and as high as the skies. However, today he had happened upon an incredibly unlucky set of circumstances, a rank-4 gu master had found out about his counterfeit Gu business. This put him in a tight situation residing behind a dumpster.
He cried out in frustration, "Damn it! How in the hell did the man realize the Gu was a counterfeit without even using it? It was practically perfect with no defining features that would set it apart from the original, a true masterpiece. But he knew it was a fake before he even touched it!"
Sucking in a large amount of air, his lungs betrayed him, causing a violent cough to release from him before letting out a painful laugh, "It would seem I've been hit by a poison path Gu." As his mind began to fade, he noticed the light sound of footsteps encroaching upon him. His last thought before losing consciousness was, "Is this how I go? I figured it would be more grand than inside some back alley behind a dumpster, but I suppose it was all fool's dream in the end..."
⸻
Waking up to see a bright light hanging above his head, Fang Zao tried to move his arm to block the light when it was suddenly met with resistance. Looking to his right, he saw his arm bound by leather, and to his left the same.
Footsteps began to clack on the ground as they approached him. then a voice broke the silence, "Awe, awake at last. I was worried the dosage might have been too much, but it would thankfully seem that the humans of this world have the same DNA structure as those on Earth."
Using all his strength, Fang Zao pulled out some words, "Where am I? What have you done to me?"
The voice spoke again, except this time it felt like that of a predator, "Nothing too serious, only a mild dose of..." he paused for a moment to think, only to realize he never learned the Chinese word for Benadryl, nor would this world even have the Chinese word for it on account of it never being invented here, till now.
Panicking Fang Zao began to beg, "I'll do whatever you ask of me. I'll make as many fake Gu for you as you want." He looked around, however, the person never showed their presence, forcing him to say words that even he knew were beyond foolish, "I'll even teach you how to make them." But what choice did he have, if there was even a slim chance, he had to take it.
Out of the shadows, an enigmatic figure revealed itself, stating, "There will be no need for that, just close you're eyes and relax, this will all be over before you know it."
⸻1 week later⸻
Fang Zao woke up as if here were in a deep sleep feeling exactly the same he did when he fell unconscious. As he opened his mouth to question what was going on, the entire room lit up. Revealing hundreds of rank-1 Gu worms, each one instantly recognizable as a type of fake Gu from his many years of refinement. The words "How Long was I asleep?" absent-mindedly escaped his lips before he realized that this man must have read his soul.
His mind was in chaos thinking of how this could have happened, he had prepared many methods to ensure this exact thing couldn't happen, and they were all for not. "Shit! But wait I'm still alive that must mean that I still hold value to him."
Watching from the side hearing the entire conversation Fang Zao had with himself was Xie Ling waiting for him to finish before revealing himself while dangling fake Gu and divulging, "Here's the reason I'm keeping you alive: I failed my first one hundred refinements to make this rank-1 Gu. Personally, I don't mind the cost of such things, I already have a very lucrative business of putting Gu into hibernated states for others. As such primeval stones aren't the problem, what I need is someone skilled at refining. I'm sure you can connect the dots."
Upon hearing that, Fang Zao felt a huge amount of relief wash over him. He quickly collected his bearings before asking a question, "What exactly is my new job?"
Xie Ling nodded his head at Fang Zao's compliance before turning around to a desk and picking up a book containing the contents of the many possible ingredient replacements for Gu before handing it over to Fang Zao, stating, "I want you to refine Gu using at least one of these ingredients."
Upon receiving the book, Fang Zao gently wrapped his hands around it while thinking to himself, "Replacing ingredients for Gu is a tricky thing, but if it works you can produce Gu for a much cheaper price, however, he said that primeval stones aren't a problem. Maybe he was just referring to rank-1 Gu, and wants to start small." Keeping an open mind on this matter, Fang Zao took a peek at the book, and slowly a deep frown grew on his face before muttering, "Lightning plasma, Carcinogen, and Salamander Gene Sequence." Most of these things he'd never even heard of before, and some of them were complex like a heart with more veins added by using the flesh of the person's appendix.
Without explaining or elaborating on the contents of the book, Xie Ling pointed out a cabinet full of bottles containing odd substances, many of which glowed, of which they had the added label of either radiation or bioluminescent.
Picking up one labeled 'Extracted Kidney Genes', Xie Ling stated, "There are many tracking methods placed on you, as such escaping is not an option. However, you shouldn't think of this as a slave-and-master type situation. You will be paid for each Gu you're able to refine by using an ingredient on this shelf. The amount is half a million primeval stones for each first-time success and twenty-five thousand for every subsequent one after."
While at first, it might seem odd that Fang Zao would be allowed to keep his will, it actually happened due to an odd set of circumstances. When Xie Ling had controlled his will over the past week to refine Gu, Fang Zao's 'master' level refinement proficiency had seemed to disappear.
This could have come from him resisting Xie Ling's will in which case the solution was simple, just pour in more will. However, based on his experience of controlling people plus his knowledge of Gu and how when their will is taken away, they lose the ability to absorb primeval essence, it lead him to a different theory.
By pushing his will into Fang Zao, he was also essentially making Zao lose his 'self', the very same self who had master-level attainment. As a result, his refinement attainment would reach back down to average levels, the only exception being the skills that he gained from his many past refinements.