Chapter Fourteen: The Finest Bodyguard

Wan Li handled all the publicity and operations for the luminous pearl without Wu You’s involvement. At the moment, Wu You was preoccupied with another urgent matter. As a newly rich man with ambition and ideals, how could he not spend his wealth? Ahem.

The next day, Wu You made a very practical move—he headed straight for a luxury car dealership, determined to buy something expensive. After all, with his bank account about to break the hundred-million mark, it was only fitting to fulfill a man’s dream of owning a car.

Yet, while his aspirations were lofty, reality proved less accommodating. After visiting several high-end dealerships around Qiantang, he found that while there were a few decent cars available, anything truly top-tier was out of stock. Many renowned models weren’t even available anywhere in the country. They had to be custom-ordered from abroad and shipped in, a process that, if everything went smoothly, would still take several months—assuming, of course, one even managed to place an order.

There were wealthy people all over the world, but luxury cars were always limited editions. Wu You was confident he could get his hands on one someday, but for now, he was just a nouveau riche upstart.

Moreover, he didn’t want his first car to be a two-seater sports car. He was looking for something suitable for a whole family, but after asking around, found nothing appropriate.

So, he went out full of hope and returned disappointed, buying nothing in the end. He decided he’d ask Zhou Peng for help another day.

...

Back home, Wu You decided to summon Garuru. As his very first alchemical creation, he couldn’t let it be neglected. He opened the system and selected “cultivate Lion-faced King Kong Garuru.”

The moment he made the selection, Garuru began to change. Wu You could even hear the creaking of bones and muscles within its body.

Garuru’s cultivation lasted noticeably longer than that of the Luminous Pearl Clam, a full minute. The Lion-faced King Kong’s overall size didn’t change much, but its mane grew glossier and its body color shifted to a darker, bronze-like metallic hue. Its claws looked even more formidable, evoking the image of adamantium from a certain superhero tale.

If Garuru had previously seemed like a formidable beast, now it had an aura that transcended the ordinary.

System notification: Lion-faced King Kong Garuru cultivation complete.

Innate abilities: Superhuman strength, breath suppression, tenacity.

Skills: Rending and biting, climbing, lion’s roar, visual deception.

Basic rating: High bronze (can be further cultivated; lacks transcendent energy materials).

Additional comment: This is a ferocious beast on the verge of transcending the mundane.

Stronger, without a doubt.

What’s more, Garuru could still be further cultivated. Clearly, the potential of the base materials played a significant role in an alchemical creature’s future growth. But what exactly were these “transcendent energy materials,” and what would happen if Garuru underwent a full metamorphosis?

Everything else was easy to understand, but what about this “visual deception” skill?

“Garuru, use visual deception,” Wu You commanded, eager to see it in action.

Alchemical creatures always understood their creator’s commands perfectly. Wu You wasn’t merely interested in watching the process—he wanted to grasp the essence of this ability.

Honestly, when Garuru was born, Wu You was in a difficult period. At that time, all his hopes were pinned on gaining the power to protect himself and his family. Thus, both Garuru’s appearance and skills were geared toward that role. Even its cultivation and enhancements naturally followed the principle of being a guardian.

At Wu You’s command, Garuru made no obvious movement, but faint cracking sounds came from its bones and muscles.

Wu You had lost count of how many times he’d been surprised lately, yet his nerves—though tempered—couldn’t shield him from the thrill of this new discovery.

Astonishingly, Garuru’s pronounced lion’s muzzle retracted, and its mane, once fluffy, now lay flat against its head. The skin and flesh beneath its chin drew taut, pulling back so that no mane was visible around the neck.

At this point, from a distance, Garuru looked for all the world like a two-meter-tall, long-haired, golden-blond strongman. Up close, of course, he’d still scare the life out of anyone.

But the transformation wasn’t over. A faint, nearly invisible shimmer began to dance over Garuru’s fur—a subtle illusion, almost undetectable to the naked eye. When the shimmer coalesced, Garuru had become the very image of a burly, muscular man.

This giant had bronzed skin, appeared to be somewhere between thirty and forty, and though his face retained some leonine angles, it only added to his fierce and wild demeanor. His eyes were a deep amber, and with that terrifying physique and towering height, even the most foolhardy observer would know better than to cross him.

Perfect. Wu You walked around Garuru, inspecting him closely, but could find no trace of disguise. Only the faintest down could be felt by touch.

That hardly mattered—this giant looked like a man with naturally thick body hair. Besides, anyone faced with such a menacing figure would keep their distance. Who but Wu You would dare to touch him?

The words “best bodyguard” flashed uncontrollably through Wu You’s mind.

Of course, since Garuru couldn’t speak, he’d be a silent, stoic bodyguard—unless someone checked his ID, in which case Garuru was in real trouble, being, after all, a complete nonentity in the legal sense.

With such a convenient ability, Wu You naturally kept Garuru in disguise around the clock, testing for any time limits. The results were satisfying: the only drawback was a slightly increased appetite, easily remedied by a single chicken, which could fuel the transformation for an entire day.

...

Unbeknownst to him, another day had nearly slipped by. After discovering Garuru’s new ability, Wu You wandered with him along the riverside and over the hills—not out of idle boredom, but in preparation for a new plan: the Myriad Beasts Mountain Villa development project.

That’s right. Apart from the matter of lending money to a friend, Wu You hadn’t been deceiving Zhang Guihua—he truly intended to develop the land behind Xugou Village. His ambitions were anything but modest.

The Qinglong River led straight to the sea, offering vast prospects for future aquatic alchemical creatures. The mountain behind the village was just a small part of the Shiniu range. Wu You planned to lease a vast stretch of those mountains and build his own secluded paradise. Whether or not it would be open to outsiders could be decided later.

Of course, passing by the chicken yard inevitably triggered a ruckus. This time, however, Garuru only had to bare his teeth and glare, and all the chickens froze in place, as if bewitched.

After the previous chaos with the chickens, Wu You had scolded Garuru a few times; apparently, Garuru had taken it to heart.

Yet a major obstacle still loomed over the Myriad Beasts Mountain Villa: Sheng Tian Group’s original plan to build a high-end club there.

Sheng Tian had only put their project on hold due to relocation issues, but all the land acquisition and project filings were on record with the government. For Wu You to develop the area himself, he would first need to secure the development rights.

It sounded difficult, but in truth, it wasn’t impossible. His family’s contracted land had never been signed over, so the usage rights remained with the Wu family. Strictly speaking, Sheng Tian’s project had not truly cleared government approval, leaving room for maneuver.

In short, it all came down to money. Sheng Tian had applied to build a luxury nature club; Wu You would file to develop a large-scale ecological nature reserve and a new ecological manor.

Naturally, a true nature reserve would need to encompass much more than a small area—it would require enclosing many neighboring mountains and lands.

Spending vast sums to protect flora and fauna, boosting the government’s performance metrics, and paying hefty land usage fees—the arithmetic was obvious to anyone.

In the face of official achievements and political advancement, Sheng Tian’s local connections would be rendered insignificant.

Of course, Wu You would need to invest enough money for this to work. He’d have to wait until the auction was over before formally launching the plan.