The pills materialized from the system in shimmering flashes of light, five neat rows, each bottle perfectly aligned on the table before Fang Yuan like a miniature army awaiting orders.
He blinked, slowly reached out, uncorked one of the jade vials, and gave it a cautious sniff.
His eyes widened when he realised they were real.
Genuine.
High-purity, spirit-concentrated cultivation pills.
Fang Yuan's expression melted into something dangerous, somewhere between lunacy and bliss. Like a man who had just fallen hopelessly in love… with treasure.
But the moment was cruelly short-lived.
The door creaked open behind him.
And the two lovebirds entered: Fang Tian and Fang Mei, walking in like guilty kittens who had just knocked over an expressive vase.
Instantly, Fang Yuan's entire body straightened.
The crazed grin vanished, replaced by the solemn, weary look of an elder about to pass final judgment on two unruly juniors.
He motioned toward the cushions in front of him with an elegant flick of his hand. "Come. Sit."
The two obeyed, heads slightly lowered, silent and demure.
You dare act timid now?! Fang Yuan screamed internally as he watched them settle in like well-behaved children.
You both ought to! For heaven's sake—I treat you like family! And you go ahead and challenge the very limits of my mental endurance?!
But he said none of this.
He only breathed deeply.
And then again.
And again.
The silence stretched awkwardly. The only sound was Fang Yuan's increasingly heavy breathing, like a cultivator seconds away from spontaneous combustion.
Finally, Fang Tian broke the silence, voice firm but soft. "Brother… please forgive me. I'm in love with Fang Mei. I wish to marry her."
Fang Yuan closed his eyes for a long moment. He opened them again, calm but dead inside.
He turned to Fang Mei.
"…And you?"
The girl gave a timid nod, barely above a whisper.
Fang Yuan stared at them.
Again.
Of course. Of course this is happening.
He turned to Fang Tian and his tone shifted, sharpened like a sword half-drawn.
"Tian. Do you know what you did today was foolish?"
Fang Tian blinked, confused. "But brother, I didn't want the engagement—"
"Not that, you donkey." Fang Yuan's voice dropped to a low hiss, laced with spiritual pressure. "The three-year agreement. What were you thinking when you said that in front of Elder Mo?!"
Fang Tian sat straighter, trying to channel nobility. "But brother, they came to annul the marriage… at your birthday banquet. They were being disrespectful."
Fang Yuan's internal monologue lit up like a fireworks display.
Yes. Yes they were. And I was handling it perfectly. I maneuvered them into a corner! They couldn't even mention it without losing face.... until you barged in and threw them the escape ladder like an idiot with a death wish!
He held back a groan and buried his face in one hand.
"Tell me, Tian," Fang Yuan said slowly, painfully. "How… do you plan to defeat Gu Xin in three years?"
The question sat there like a mountain.
Fang Tian opened his mouth.
Closed it.
And then silence ensued.
But then Fang Mei placed her hand on his arm, her voice quiet but steady.
"Tian… I believe you can. If you try hard enough… I know you can do it."
Fang Yuan stared at them.
His heart did something strange. Something warm. Something he did not approve of.
Oh, my poor heart, he thought. You're right... how dare these two flirt in front of me like this.
He gripped his teacup, steadying himself.
Followed by a small sigh, he reached toward the row of bottled pills he had received from the system and plucked out two glossy, jade-green ones from one of the bone marrow bottle.
He held them between his fingers, letting the light catch the shimmering swirl within.
They were so rare even he himself didn't knew what a Bone Marrow pill was until today.
"These are Bone Marrow Pills," he said simply, holding one out to each of them.
Fang Tian blinked. "Wait… Brother, the Bone Marrow Pills? The ones that temper and purify the marrow, enhancing the body for cultivation?"
Fang Mei tilted her head, confusion written plainly on her face. "What's… bone marrow?"
Fang Yuan raised a brow at her, then looked back at his brother.
Fang Tian was clearly stunned, still staring at the pill as if it might vanish. The awe in his eyes wasn't faked. He knew what this was.
Which… caught Fang Yuan off guard.
Huh. I didn't even know what it was before the system dumped it on me. And this guy does? Interesting… he mused.
Then, naturally, the question came.
"Brother… where did you get this?" Fang Tian asked, eyes still wide.
Fang Yuan's smile didn't falter. His thoughts, however, spun like a sword formation.
Ah, right. An opportunity.
He waved a hand with practiced ease. "From the Divine Ice Sect. You know, they came with a gift earlier."
Internally, his mind was already racing.
Actually, I should go check what's in that gift box later. And even if I don't find anything useful…
I can just say every unexplainable resource I get from the system space 'came with the Divine Ice Sect's goodwill package.'
And it's not like they'd be shameless enough to come back and claim it.
Two birds. One gift box. That's actually pretty good.
He finished the thought with a faint grin on his lips only to realize that his two guests were still sitting in front of him, watching.
He immediately snapped back into solemn mode, expression sharpening as he pointed toward the door.
"What are you two waiting for?" he barked. "Go cultivate already!"
Fang Mei blinked. "M-Me too?"
Fang Yuan gave her a pointed look.
"Especially you. You should be the stronger one between the two of you."
He flicked a look at Fang Tian.
"That way, you'll have the strength to beat him up properly if he starts spouting nonsense again."
Fang Tian's expression twisted, halfway between a wince and a pout.
Fang Mei, however, tried to suppress a smile and failed miserably.
"Now go." Fang Yuan waved them off like mosquitoes. "And don't come back until your bones feel like they've been steamed by a thousand-year tortoise."
The two hurried out and Fang Yuan finally allowed himself to lean back, one arm behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
"...And people say being a clan head is glamorous," he muttered. "Come on system, I deserve atleast a Hollow soul pill just for enduring this much drama. Don't be stingy."