The second matter that Fang Yuan had to deal with was regarding the issue of Li Ran and the All-Out Effort Gu.
Although his spies had not managed to uncover much on that matter, they did notice something peculiar about Li Ran.
There was a restaurant which Li Ran preferred to sit at, and Fang Yuan went there one day. Apparently, it showed a good view of a certain brothel from that specific seat. However, Fang Yuan did not think that that was what Li Ran was after.
He therefore ordered for some of the Beggar Sect look at the street in question to see if there was anything else of note. It was then that he got the report that Li Ran had a wife and son who passed by that area. Fang Yuan began putting the pieces together. It seemed that Li Ran, strangely enough, was rather methodical in how he did things.
To a casual observer, it might seem that he was simply going about his life, chaotically winning in the arena and spending whatever he got on drink and gambling.
However, if one delved deeper, one would notice a method to the supposed madness. He seemed to have a routine after a certain number of losses.
His chaotic behavior had certain patterns to it.
People who tried to simulate randomness oftentimes could not do so properly, and patterns would eventually emerge.
Despite having supposedly left his wife and child, he still seemed to care for them and watch them from the restaurant window. It seemed to be his favorite past time.
With this in mind, Fang Yuan used the Beggar Sect to his advantage once more, having them keep tabs on Li Ran after he left his apartment.
One of them stood, "guard" outside on the street, ready to make a noise in case he saw Li Ran come back, while Fang Yuan snuck into Li Ran's living quarters.
It was here that Fang Yuan wanted to make full use of Cricket Zither Gu.
It was a peculiar gu worm used for exploring areas.
The way it worked was similar to echolocation. It would send out musical notes, which would cause the surroundings to vibrate. Based on the vibrations which the gu worm would sense, it would then send information back to the Gu Master in question. Different materials also resonated at different frequencies, so it could be used to not only map out places but what they were made of as well.
Back when he ran the Blood-Wing Demon Sect, his sect members had sometimes used this gu worm in order to verify the authenticity of various refinement materials as the fakes would resonate at different frequencies.
The biggest drawback of it was that it took time; in order to get a detailed understanding of an environment, one would have to use it over and over at different musical frequencies to get a clear picture of what was going on.
It was also not good near very noisy environments or where soundwaves could not travel easily like underwater or upon desert sands.
It could not be used in battle because of this drawback, but was good when exploring a stable area.
It had the advantage of not leaving any traces as the sound would eventually fade away. A Sound Path expert could probably still detect it, but the Sound Path was an esoteric path without many practitioners.
As such, it was perfect for Fang Yuan. If anyone happened to be outside, all they would hear was music playing from Li Ran's room, which, though odd, would not have alarmed anyone.
He started with the simplest note, Gong as it echoed out of the cricket's zither. He had closed his eyes and was in a meditative position.
The note echoed throughout the room, bouncing back so that Cricket Zither Gu could begin forming a map based off of it.
The sound had caused several objects to vibrate. Different materials vibrated at different frequencies, it was how this gu could deliver the clearest pictures to its user.
Right now, all he saw was a basic outline of the room. Once the note died out, he moved on to the next one.
Each note took a minute. He had to go through all kinds of frequencies - high, low, and medium. As he did so the map within his mind began to become clearer and clearer. He now could see far more than just an outline in his mind.
He could tell what kind of wood the floor was made of, the kind of stuffing used in the pillow, and even how fresh the water in the pitcher lying on a table.
So long as it had enough time, the Cricket Zither Gu could show off its abilities to the fullest. It was a popular Rank 4 gu worm in the future for a reason, after all.
Not that he needed to know all of that information. As the map began to form, he noticed something odd.
There was a secret compartment under the bed! Because of the gap in space, it did not resonate with the rest of the floor and Fang Yuan saw it in his mind's eye using Cricket Zither Gu as a void. It was a bit of a problem as sound did not travel through air well, so he could not figure out the exact details of what was kept there without experimenting for what could turn into hours.
'He truly is not as simple as he seems. He is hiding a secret,' Fang Yuan thought.
Fang Yuan chose to abandon his investigation at that point, leaving Li Ran's apartment. He passed by the beggar standing outside the house in question, handing him a primeval stone before whispering, "The deed is done. You can go back to your other posts now."
Fang Yuan contemplated what he had seen. A normal person would not keep a compartment hidden in their apartment. The easiest way to find out what was inside would be to open it, but Fang Yuan could not do so recklessly. If Li Ran had created a compartment like that, he likely had a way of noticing when it was opened.
It was exactly what Fang Yuan would do as a precaution. There were gu worms around for this, of course, but they would need time and specialized methods for him to use.
With that resolved, next came the upcoming issue of having to feed some of his Gu worms. Ink Dragon Gu could not be used further without feeding it more than under a half-dozen times. Scouting Hive Gu ate Radiant Honey, which was also not easy to find.
Fang Yuan would need funds for the upcoming auction where he might obtain these materials.
However, a pleasant surprise welcomed him before either of these two situations - feeding his gu worms, or regarding All-Out Effort Gu had to be dealt with.
The Beggar Sect had naturally been quite busy and effective, expanding and placing those blank paintings everywhere in the city.
And now, that effort had bore fruit.
Fang Yuan was in his room when it happened.
He felt one of the paintings vibrating in his aperture before it ejected itself out of it onto the floor of his room.
Then several hundreds of paintings that he had filled up began to stack themselves on top of this one like a deck of cards before fusing with it. Around the city, those which had been left up vanished suddenly, appearing before Fang Yuan.
There were over a thousand different paintings, but they all merged into a single one.
Fang Yuan beheld a painting of Shang Clan City from an aerial view.
However, it was no ordinary painting. The more that Fang Yuan looked at it, the more that he could see.
There were people walking the streets of the city and clouds moving overhead as if he were watching an animated film rather than a painting. As he extended his hand towards the surface of the painting, he found that its surface rippled as if it was made of water when he made contact with it, solidifying once he had withdrawn his hand.
Time to become an Immortal!
The system flashed this text before his eyes as Fang Yuan entered the painted landscape.