Even as Fang Yuan had become class president and the rest of his classmates were still either struggling learning how to throw moonblades properly or trying to reach Rank 1 Middle Stage, the merchant caravan arrived at Gu Yue Village.
It was now May, and the cold winter breeze had died down as the flowers were in full bloom this spring.
The mortal farmers, even as they tilled the fields in preparation for beginning the harvest, began shouting, stopping their work as they noticed the train of baggage moving through the hills like a giant multicolored snake.
The various mountains of the Southern Border were separated by vast areas of wilderness. It was dangerous to go through these areas, else Fang Yuan would've left long ago to snatch up a few inheritances rather than remaining on the mountain until he got to Rank 3.
In these circumstances, only safety in numbers could be relied upon while traveling from one place to another while under the protection of powerful Gu Masters.
Being in a merchant caravan was dangerous, Fang Yuan had already experienced this in his previous life. However, one could also amass a large fortune.
After all, most villages had one or two resources that they specialized in. The Moon Orchid Petal of the Gu Yue village, for example, could be sold for high prices elsewhere. And goods from far away could also fetch a good price at the village.
The Treasure Brass Toad, a large Gu Worm atop which road the leader of this merchant caravan, Jia Fu. A plate with the number '4' was wrapped around his waist. Most caravans did not have Rank 4 Gu Masters, but this one was special as Jia Fu himself was special. The Jia Clan was much larger that any of the clans upon Qing Mao mountain, with Jia Fu's father, the clan head, being Rank 5, which was the peak of the mortal realm, in strength.
Trailing behind him was the rest of the merchant caravan. There were various steeds and beasts of burden, ranging from other gu worms like the Treasure Brass Toad to animals like camels and the like. Gu Masters and mortals hauled their luggage as they began their ascent up Qing Mao mountain.
Wherever this huge train of people went, children and adults alike would stop what they were doing to gawk for at least a few breath's of time. The elders would then go back to work, with the children still staring wide-eyed at the procession before them.
The merchant carvan entered through the gates of Gu Yue village, where the clan head was waiting for them.
Given that Jia Fu was a Rank 4 Gu Master, it was only appropriate that a similarly ranked Gu Master greet him. A Rank 3 elder would not do.
Both the caravan and the village needed each other. The village for a steady supply of good as well as primeval stones from selling their own wares. The caravan needed the village's business as well as a place to rest and recuperate on its long journey.
"Welcome, Brother Jia Fu," the clan head said.
"Greetings, Sir Clan Head."
"I hope your journey here was smooth."
"Ah, a few mishaps here and there, and a few delays, but one cannot expect things to go smoothly all the time," Jia Fu said.
"Ah, a pity, though let my clan see to it that you and your members are well fed and watered," the clan head said.
"Clan head is too kind!" Jia Fu said, as he and the more important members of the caravan followed the clan head.
Meanwhile, the other members of the caravan had already unloaded their goods and were eagerly showing off what they had for sale.
The wealthiest people in any area were of course, the Gu Masters, and so the majority of the goods were either gu worms or other items related to Gu Master cultivation. That was not to say that ordinary items like wine or rope were not for sale, it was just that the items for Gu Masters were on foremost display.
Fang Yuan had been anticipating the arrival of the caravan. His memories from his old life told him that it would be delayed and come in May, not April, which gave him more than enough time to stock up on wine from the local inn. The wine was needed to feed the Liquor Worm, and while the inn did want to preserve most of its stock so it could be sold at a higher price to the caravan, it was not going to deny Fang Yuan either, who was a regular customer.
They might be able to make more profits waiting out for the caravan, but Fang Yuan provided a perennial source of business and it was worth their while to cut some of their losses to keep him happy.
While there were a number of things that interested Fang Yuan, with the foremost among them being Intimate Grass - a kind of plant which when mixed with gu worm feed would make it drastically cheaper to feed many gu worms, there was something else that he needed to take care of urgently tonight.
The Intimate Grass was being sold cheaply, but it would soon be sold out. There was a large crowd gathered around it because of this, but Fang Yuan couldn't stop. It wasn't that he didn't have the money, he just didn't have the time.
He had become class president, but outside the academy that didn't provide much authority. He did not have the ability to order any of his 'subordinates' (classmates) around when they weren't in the academy, and had little ability to do so inside as well for that matter. Li Mei would've agreed to do quite a bit for him, and would've been willing to buy the Intimate Grass for him on his behalf (likely hoping for some intimacy from him) if she had only been asked.
Alas, Fang Yuan was completely oblivious to her existence.
And so, keeping all things in mind, it was more profitable to pursue this.
New Main Mission Acquired!
Description: Win the Mudskin Toad!
Reward: ???
So the system also seemed to be on his side. That was good, he thought, as he found the tent that he was looking for.
It was a rather large one, with signs that spoke of luck, fortune, and skill.
In other words, it was a gambling rock den!
Gu worms in this world would occasionally go into hibernation, and then fossilize themselves in rocks as a form of survival when conditions worsened. These rocks were usually of specific sizes, and so, people collected a large number of them and used them to gamble.
Fang Yuan had used to work in for a long time, so he had a good idea of how they operated.
He remembered that someone had managed to win a Mudskin Toad on the first night the caravan came to the village. That was why he was in a hurry and had disregarded the Intimate Grass to come here directly, to see if he could win it for himself.