Later that evening, Qing Shu went to the wine tavern which Fang Zheng was noted to frequent.
At least, it had been a wine tavern at some point. Right now, it was only a patch of land with a tarp planted upon four bamboo rods as a makeshift roof with some chairs here and there.
The wine had mostly survived; if anything, the cold helped preserve it. And so this business of Fang Yuan's, which was supervised by Fang Zheng, could still continue to some extent. This led to its own series of problems, given many Gu Masters had a huge appetite for losing themselves in drink given current events.
Qing Shu and the other elders did nothing unless they were drunk on duty, which some of them unfortunately were and had to be punished for. But Qing Shu was not here to deal with all of that. Qing Shu smiled, seeing Fang Zheng, who was sitting at a table looking over some record books.
"How are you, junior brother?" Qing Shu asked, waving one of the waiters who approached away. Many of the mortals who had worked in the wine tavern earlier were dead, but it wasn't like Fang Zheng had a shortage of them. Working in the wine tavern was easy work and paid relatively well, and so those mortals were easily replaced.
"Well enough."
"Do you mind if we speak in private?" Qing Shu asked Fang Zheng after he greeted him.
Fang Zheng nodded and walked with Qing Shu some distance away where they wouldn't be overheard. Normally, they might be worried about Gu Master spies, but given how much of the village had simply been leveled, there were very few places for someone to hide.
Only very high-ranking (by their standards) and dedicated investigative Gu Masters might have still been able to spy on them, but given how many Gu Masters were running around bereft of Gu worms, the odds of something like that happening were highly unlikely.
"Is something the matter, Elder Qing Shu?" Fang Zheng asked.
Qing Shu took a deep breath. Fang Yuan was his benefactor, and so directly accusing Fang Zheng of something was the equivalent of accusing Fang Yuan as well. He needed to tread carefully, even if he thought that Fang Yuan was an upstanding person.
"Word reached me regarding a small incident that I was wondering if you could shed some light on," Qing Shu said. "I'm sure you're aware of the rule that any gu worms who are found have to be turned over to the clan, and that it is considered stealing for one to keep them."
Fang Zheng's mouth twitched. That meant that he knew exactly what Qing Shu was talking about, but he simply nodded.
"The issue is that in the Chi clan family records we were able to find, they had purchased a Cleansing Aperture Gu, which they had never used. The entire Chi family is dead now, so any gu worms that they would have left behind are forfeit to the clan. However, we could not find this Cleansing Aperture Gu. It does not look like he had used it. However, you were near the remains of the Chi household a few days earlier."
"That is correct. And you couldn't find it because I took the Cleansing Aperture Gu."
Qing Shu had not expected Fang Zheng to simply come out and say it.
If he hadn't, there would have been no way to prove this crime without inspecting his aperture, something that he would not be allowed to do given who Fang Zheng's elder brother was.
"And?" Qing Shu asked.
Fang Zheng said, waving his hand as if it was nothing, "I happen to need the Cleansing Aperture Gu in order to repair my aperture. What of it? Even if I turn it over to the clan, my older brother can simply buy it for me."
It was difficult for Fang Yuan to appropriate things from the clan's shared property without proper justification or payment. While it would be one thing if Fang Yuan wanted something specifically to make himself stronger as clan head for say an upcoming fight - that could be allowed - the elders would no doubt frown on him taking something simply to help out a family member.
If these had been ordinary times, the others might have even rebelled to some extent.
'So, that's why he's so confident in saying all this,' Qing Shu thought to himself. 'Because he knows that Fang Yuan's position is unassailable right now.'
Many people had thought given Fang Zheng's rapid rising cultivation after he joined up with his brother (at least relative to his new aptitude), was because Fang Yuan had been nourishing Fang Zheng's aperture with his own primeval essence. That was why Qing Shu and the other Gu Masters had been able to put two and two together when they found a Cleansing Aperture Gu missing and knew that Fang Zheng had been in the area before.
"Fang Zheng, don't you think you're being a bit too brazen with this?" Qing Shu asked, chastising him.
"Why? What's the problem?" Fang Zheng asked. "If anything, I'm just trying to save my brother from having to spend something. And what am I doing wrong? The clan needs as many elders as it can get, correct? With the Cleansing Aperture Gu, I might be able to reach Rank 3, just like you, Qing Shu. I'll be another elder. Weren't you recently announcing that you needed the help of a few elders in order to deal with the Moon Orchid situation?"
Qing Shu frowned. He had spoken to the other elders about this, but that had been rather covert and not meant for Fang Zheng's ears. 'How did he know?' The most obvious answer was that Fang Yuan had told him.
Qing Shu did not approve of this level of nepotism or favoritism, even if he could understand it. If Fang Yuan continued to make exceptions for his younger brother like this, it would lead to problems for his reputation in the future. Fang Yuan was known for being extremely fair after all.
Qing Shu had half a mind to force Fang Zheng to hand it over and make Fang Yuan pay for it legitimately.
At the same time, his hands were also bound. He had been helped out by Fang Yuan as well. And if he did this, it would be akin to biting the hand that fed him.
"Just you watch," Fang Zheng said, giving Qing Shu a challenging look. "I'll get Rank 3. My brother may need and rely upon you right now, but once I'm an elder too, then I'll be able to show my worth!"
"This isn't a contest," Qing Shu said. Did Fang Zheng truly feel threatened by Fang Yuan relying upon Qing Shu, or was this a deeper resentment towards the clan in general?
"All right, Fang Zheng, I think I understand what's going on now," Qing Shu finally said. "You don't need to worry." What could Qing Shu do? Against someone who could simply make any problems vanish by simply saying the phrase, "my older brother is Fang Yuan"?
"Good," Fang Zheng said. "Why don't you take a seat and have a drink, Elder Qing Shu? You can consider it on the house."
"Thank you for the offer," Qing Shu said. He had visited the wine tavern back when it had been an actual tavern, when Fang Yuan had been a part of his group. However, he had never particularly liked the wine, nor did he like getting drunk. "But I'm going to have to decline for now," Qing Shu said, walking away. He was exhausted, and tomorrow was also going to be a busy day, after all, it was going to be the day of the mass funeral.