Fang Yuan turned to the elders. "Disseminate my words to all of the other clans. Tell them that they will be welcomed at a massive feast. But before we end this meeting, allow me to show you some gifts that I have brought for you all."
Fang Zheng then began displaying the items that Fang Yuan had given to them.
Fang Yuan had not brought them anything that was really out of the ordinary, like, say, a talent-raising gu worm. While those were expensive, it was not impossible to come upon them if you really wanted to on Yellow Treasure Heaven. He could have also presented them with low-ranking Relic Gu, but there was no need for that. All of these were just accessories and leftover scraps from his holdings.
But even that was more than enough to move their hearts. Fang Yuan did not lack any number of Rank 3 or Rank 2 gu worms, and those were the basis for most of the clan members. Even if they couldn't use them themselves, they could always trade and barter them with others.
Fang Yuan had more than paid for anything that he had taken.
"These gifts are not just for you, although of course I have reserved the majority of them for my fellow clansmen," Fang Yuan said. "I also intend to give the other clan members some, so that way we can all share in the harmony and wealth that we create. There's no need for anyone to starve, and we can all get along together in peace. Lord Paradise Earth Immortal Venerable may have passed away, but that doesn't mean we cannot create our own little paradise here on earth, is it not?"
The elders had completely changed their demeanor.
"Yes, of course. Lord Fang Yuan is absolutely correct."
"We will disseminate Lord Fang Yuan's words to the rest of the world."
"The entire Southern Border will soon know of Lord Fang Yuan's benevolence!"
Fang Yuan knew most of them were just playing along because he had said this and not because his words had really changed their hearts; the thing was that they could do nothing to oppose him now. Absolute strength worked in both ways: they wanted to rely upon his absolute strength in order to crush their enemies, and he was relying upon his absolute strength in order to make them behave.
"My fellow clansmen," Fang Yuan said, "you should not allow your hearts to become filled with envy. I would like our clan to be like Paradise Earth Immortal Venerable, not like Spectral Soul Demonic Venerable - wouldn't you all? There is no need to glance at the land and wealth of our neighbors with envious gazes. Don't you know how it leads to ruin and how it affected Ren Zu's children?"
Many of them noted the reference, recalling what they had read within The Legends of Ren Zu.
The Legends of Ren Zu, Chapter 6, Section 5 stated:
Carefree Wisdom Heart, Great Strength True Martial, and Profound Earth Origin had picked up Ugly Gu and had made their way along Green Heaven, tracing the path made for them by the Mushroommen Mycelium.
Along the way they ran into more tribes of warring mushroommen, but were able to deal with them.
The Mushroommen were not fighting in any kind of organized capacity, but rather in an irrational manner, striking down each other once they were done dealing with rival tribes.
Carefree Wisdom Heart was able to trace for them a path of least resistance. Great Strength True Martial deal with any threats that happened to come by. Profound Earth Origin was able to deal with anything that was missed by the other two.
However, they couldn't help but start feeling strange things as they got closer to their destination.
Profound Earth Origin glanced at his siblings. He had chosen to harbor Ugly Gu within himself, and so he began to resent his other siblings for the fact that they looked so well. 'Why should I be forced to be this ugly? Why can't I have such natural fair skin?' he thought to himself while looking at Carefree Wisdom Heart.
Looking at Great Strength True Martial, he couldn't help but feel that he was sick and weakly. 'Why couldn't I be strong like my brother?'
Carefree Wisdom Heart glanced at Great Strength True Martial, wondering why she, too, couldn't have his strength. Great Strength True Martial began glancing at Carefree Wisdom Heart, thinking that if he had her intelligence, he could conquer all the more in the world.
The movements of the three of them began to slow as the Mushroommen Mycelium called out to them, "Oh, humans. This is the effect of Envy Gu getting stronger as you get closer to it. Do not allow it to consume your hearts. Otherwise, you will end up fighting each other, much like the mushroommen."
With these words, the three of them snapped out of these thoughts and wandered closer to where the mushroommen were guiding them.
There, in the center of Green Heaven, was a gu worm. It took the form of an eye whose white sclera was replace by a lighter shade of green with an even darker green iris. It looked like a poisonous flower which had blossomed out of the foundation of Green Heaven. The eye was constantly glancing all around, as if looking for its next target, until it landed upon the three siblings as they finally came by it.
"Who are you?" Carefree Wisdom Heart asked.
"I am Envy Gu," the eye answered, its gaze fixed upon them. Their feelings from earlier seemed to only strengthen, even as they tried to shake it off.
It stared at Carefree Wisdom Heart first. "You - why are you so much smarter than me." It then stared at Great Strength True Martial. "And you, how is it fair that you are stronger than me?" It then stared at Profound Earth Origin, "And you, able to take any burden that comes upon you - why don't I have that kind of strength?"
"Brothers," Carefree Wisdom Heart said. "Remember that although we may have something within us which makes us special, none of us have everything that we need in order to succeed. Only by combining our efforts can we prevail."
The problem was as to how they were going to get to Envy Gu in the first place.
Envy Gu ruined everything around it - the area of Green Heaven adjacent to it had turned into a toxic swamp; a cesspit of poison that would not easily let them approach.
"Humans, you need to find a way around the swamp," the Mushroommen Mycelium said. "Although the swamp is the locus of center of Envy Gu's influence, the poison spreads much deeper. Through me and my connection with the mushroommen, it has been able to infiltrate nearly every corner of Green Heaven. In order to deal with this, we need to uproot the problem at its core."
The poisonous cesspit was why the Mushroommen Mycelium had been unable to deal with it directly.
But as Carefree Wisdom Heart and Great Strength True Martial were pondering how to approach, Profound Earth Origin took a step into the swamp seemingly without a care in the world. And then another step.
Profound Earth Origin towards Envy Gu.
"What - how is that possible?" Envy Gu screamed.
Profound Earth Origin was born from Ren Zu's liver - and much like his liver, was able to tolerate the poison and detoxify it within himself.
"Oh Envy Gu, why exactly have you caused such damage here within Green Heaven? You've caused the mushroommen to start fighting amongst themselves, and you caused Beauty Gu to become Ugly Gu. What do you have to say for yourself?" Profound Earth Origin asked.
"Oh, human," Envy Gu said. "I may have been the one who implanted those thoughts in their heads, but it was they who acted upon them. Do not blame me for their actions!"
Profound Earth Origin shook his head. "Envy Gu, you cannot deflect your responsibility like that. I will not let you keep tormenting the mushroommen."
Profound Earth Origin was the least affected by Envy Gu's poison both physically and mentally. Even in his short lifespan, he had learned to accept what the world was.
So what if he wasn't like his brother or sister - who were arguably better than he was?
That was no reason to be angry to them.
If nothing else, he was grateful.
Grateful for having been born.
Grateful that his family accepted him despite how he looked now.
Grateful that he had the opportunity to help someone in need - that being Ugly Gu.
And with that, a gu worm appeared in his heart.
The gu worm in question was tiny, barely perceptible, but nearly as bright as the sun itself. It seemed to light up the entirety of Green Heaven when Profound Earth Origin removed it from his heart. Carefree Wisdom Heart and Great Strength True Martial were forced to avert their gazes momentarily in front of its radiance, but Profound Earth Origin was able to glance at it without harming his own eyes.
This gu worm - it was Gratitude Gu!
The real poison wasn't this swamp he was trudging through, what was far worse was the poison that Envy Gu was attempting to seep into their hearts and minds.
Profound Earth Origin shared Gratitude Gu with his brother and sister, and with that, the effect of Envy Gu vanished from their hearts.
Profound Earth Origin then went over to Envy Gu, intending to pluck it out of the ground and toss it away.
However, as he was about to do so, it began shrieking. "No! No! Green Heaven is mine! It is all mine! Why should the mushroommen claim it as their own? I want it! I want it! I waaaaannnnnt iiiitttt!" Its wails were so loud that it echoed all over Green Heaven.
Profound Earth Origin shook his head. "Stop struggling, we are going to take you away. You have caused enough problems as it is. Green Heaven was these mushroommen's homes, and you will give it back to them and let them live in peace."
"No! No!" Envy Gu screamed, until its eyes were red with rage. "If I can't have Green Heaven, no one can!"
And under its influence, it caused the mushroommen to not strike each other, but the foundation of Green Heaven itself. Its poison by this point had spread so deep that it affected the very roots and underlying structure of Green Heaven, and it had chosen to use this influence at this moment.
"Oh no-" Profound Earth Origin was barely able to get those words out as Envy Gu dealt the finishing blow, destroyed all of Green Heaven, considering this to be a preferable option rather than losing what it 'deserved' to have.
With that, Green Heaven broke into countless fragments. Ren Zu, who had been napping at some distance away, was woken up as his body was thrown against the void.
Ren Zu called out to his children, but they were far away and landed elsewhere.