"Hello, young Gu Master, what is the problem here?" Jia Fu walked to the middle of the crowd and asked amicably.
The young Gu Master was flattered and he cupped his fists again. Looking at the surrounding clansmen, he bucked up his courage and explained the entire situation.
"So that's what happened!" Jia Fu nodded while listening. Next, he asked Jia Jin Sheng, "Little brother, is this true?"
Jia Jin Sheng turned his head away and snorted coldly, not looking at his brother.
Jia Fu pondered solemnly.
The surrounding people were silent, not daring to interrupt his thoughts. All awaited in anticipation of his verdict.
This matter was in fact, due to Jia Jin Sheng's scam, but the young Gu Master was also at fault for being greedy and not being vigilant himself, otherwise he would not have gotten cheated.
If Jia Fu wanted to defend his brother, with his Rank four cultivation, even the Gu Yue clan leader could not do anything.
Jia Fu thought for a while before finally speaking. "I've understood the situation, my brother is at fault for this matter, causing this young man to suffer a loss and buy fake products, I am really sorry!" Saying so, he cupped his fists towards the young Gu Master.
"Sir Jia Fu!" The young Gu Master was largely surprised, and quickly said modestly, "You are a Rank four Gu Master, I am merely a Rank two, this is too much for me, too much!"
Jia Fu waved his hand: "Hehe, this has nothing to do with cultivation levels, I act impartially regardless of ability. A wrong is a wrong, I apologise to you on behalf of the merchant caravan. As for compensation, how about this, you lost two hundred and fifty primeval stones, so I will compensate double that amount to you on behalf of the Jia family."
He executed his promise immediately, as a follower took out five money bags and handed it to the young Gu Master in public.
Every money bag was filled to the brim, each containing a hundred primeval stones.
The young Gu Master took over the money bag, so overwhelmed that he could not say anything.
"However, I have a word of advice to you." Jia Fu continued and reminded, "A Black Boar Gu is very rare, for it is able to raise a Gu Master's strength permanently. Although it is only Rank one, it is very hard to find on the market. Every time one appears in the market, it would be bought immediately. The pricing is around six hundred primeval stones. Trying to get one with two hundred and fifty primeval stones is impractical."
"Junior has learnt his lesson!" The young Gu Master bowed deeply to Jia Fu in gratitude.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Sir Jia Fu is brilliant!"
"Magnificent, as expected of Sir Jia Fu!"
"As a Rank four Gu Master, he did not make use of his status to bully the weaker party, Sir Jia Fu really is the role model of the righteous path."
"No, no." Jia Fu smiled, cupping his fists towards the crowd, modestly saying, "Our Jia family business bases our principles on trust and honesty. Everyone, my brother is young and foolish, liking to play pranks on others. He is actually very kind, I hope everyone can be more bearing of him, don't take it to heart."
The crowd's cheers became even louder.
"Hmph!" Jia Jin Sheng's expression was ugly as he stomped on the ground and walked into the tent. Next he walked out from the back of the tent.
Fang Yuan looked at this silently, thinking in his heart, "It seems that the image wall at the Flower Wine Monk's place can be sold."
The Flower Wine Monk had used a Photo-audio Gu to record the ugly acts of the 4th generation Gu Yue clan leader. Before he died, with indignance in his heart, used the Photo-audio Gu and slapped it on the wall, creating an image wall. The image wall's images continued to loop, showing the truth to the people.
With the intention of maximizing his profits, Fang Yuan had wanted to sell this image wall long ago. He believed that the other two clan families on Qing Mao Mountain, the Bai family and Xiong family would be very interested in this image wall.
But to sell this personally would be very inappropriate. His cultivation was too weak and if he brought this image wall to the other villages, he could easily be silenced.
Even if the transaction was successful and he managed to return safely, there was no secret that would stay a secret forever, and once it was revealed to the Gu Yue's higher-ups, he would be kicked out of the clan family at best.
In accordance to Fang Yuan's plans, he still needed to make use of the Gu Yue clan. Thus, the safest way was to sell it to a certain merchant in the caravan. All of them were outsiders, and were not involved in the disputes among the villages, thus it was the best choice for him.
In just one day, this caravan would leave the Gu Yue mountain village and lead towards either the Xiong family or the Bai family.
Fang Yuan could reduce his risks to the minimum by selling to them; it was the safest method.
...
"One more cup!"
"Wine, where's the wine?"
"Quickly get me the wine, are you afraid that I'm unable to pay?"
Jia Jin Sheng slammed the mushroom table as he howled.
"Young master Jia, here's your wine!" The clerk quickly brought him his wine.
Jia Jin Sheng grabbed the bamboo cup and tilted his head and gulped the liquor.
"Good wine!" He laughed loudly, sounding coarse and bleak.
With a bang, he placed the cup on the table and howled again. "Get me another glass, I want as many as you can supply!"
The clerks did not dare to offend him and could only do as he said.
Luckily, this wine house was already full of people. Not only were the mushroom tables packed with people, even the surrounding streets were packed with people. Jia Jin Sheng's drunkard temperament was not very peculiar in this bustling street.
Jia Jin Sheng drank cup by cup, wanting to drown his sorrows. With his back facing the crowd, no one observed that as he drank, two clear lines of tears flowed down his cheeks.
Who would know of his pain, his sorrow?
A hateful person has to have his pitiful side, conversely. Everybody had their own stories.
Amongst his brothers, he was the youngest, being the most handsome and resembling his father the most, thus being the most doted by his father. But heaven made fun of him by giving him only D grade talent.
As he grew up, he lived under the pressure of his brothers. He was indignant and wanted to resist, but with that talent, there was nothing he could do.
His father felt death approaching and wanted to split his assets. Two people were to lead a merchant caravan. They pledged to break up the family property in accordance to the results.
Jia Jin Sheng wanted to rely on his own method to acquire the family assets and the recognition of his clan. But to think that he became his brother's stepping stone once again.
When Jia Fu appeared, he knew he fell into a trap. This was a scheme right from the beginning. But what could he do? Once he entered this caravan, he was doomed to be Jia Fu's fodder. Rank four and Rank one was such a huge gap that he was powerless to fight again.
"Jia Fu!" He forced this name out of his mouth, his eyes burning with the flames of hatred, he was unable to take it lying down!
"Do you wish to deal with your brother? I can help you." At this time, he heard a voice.
Jia Jin Sheng was stunned but when he turned around, he saw that for quite a while, there was someone sitting beside him.
He shook his head and blinked a few times, finally seeing who it was.
Who else if not for Fang Yuan?
"It's you!" He stared at Fang Yuan, slightly angry, "I remember you! Lucky lad, getting a Mudskin Toad from my gambling den! You're here to mock me?"
Fang Yuan looked at Jia Jin Sheng, his eyes cold as water. "I have a huge business, so if you wish to acquire better results and get more assets, why not listen to me?"
Jia Jin Sheng was suspicious. His back straightened and he sat up, "How do you know about the matter of the assets?"
This secret was not easily known to outsiders, but Fang Yuan was easily able to guess it.
"The Jia family's business is not top secret, how can it evade people who wish to know?" Fang Yuan laughed coldly and thought of a memory from his previous life.
The Jia family head was a legendary figure who started from scratch. He made his fortune through the merchant caravans and revived the Jia family's village. He gradually got old, and when he could feel that his time was up, he got his children to form a caravan in twos and according to their results, split the assets. The better they did, the more family assets they get.
But his eldest son Jia Fu and second son Jia Gui were extremely talented. After competing for six to seven years, they still could not come to a conclusion, and even after the family head died, there was no clear victor.
After the Jia family head died, there was an enormous amount of assets. While competing for the assets, the two brothers' conflict escalated and both called in external help, causing a large scale Gu competition. Finally, the both of them died. The Jia family that had prospered quickly also failed quickly, causing people to talk about it in amazement.
Jia Jin Sheng squinted his eyes, for Fang Yuan's explanation was irrefutable. He thought, from the time his father declared the asset distribution, it had already been two years. There are no impenetrable walls in the world, so even if someone found out about it, it's nothing strange.
His real worry was whether this was another trap by Jia Fu. But no matter what, there was no harm listening.
Fang Yuan did not speak immediately. He surveyed the surroundings. This was the same wine cellar he came into in the afternoon. The shopkeeper operated independently, and at night, the shop was bustling with business.
Discussing here was a far safer place than a quiet environment, as it could avoid the eavesdropping of certain Gu worms.
He hooked his fingers at Jia Jin Sheng. "Lend me your ear."
Jia Jin Sheng unhappily snorted, but still slanted his head forward.
After hearing Fang Yuan's description, he frowned and looked at Fang Yuan coldly. "This business involves the three families on Qing Mao Mountain, and we merchants detest getting involved in other people's disputes. Hmph, you were sent here by Jia Fu to harm me right?"
Fang Yuan had long expected for him to be suspicious. He did not bother to explain, but got up and left. "Hehe, in that case, I'll go talk to your brother."
Jia Jin Sheng squinted his eyes, staring at Fang Yuan. Only until Fang Yuan had left the wine shop did he lose his patience. He chased out of the tent and caught up to Fang Yuan, "Don't go, we can have a talk."
Fang Yuan placed both hands behind his back, staring at him from the side, coldly saying, "I know you are suspicious of me, but now that your brother has you firmly caught, you're almost close to finished. If you choose to believe in me, there's still hope, if not you're doomed. Are you daring enough to take this bet?"
Jia Jin Sheng's expression changed as he corrected and said, "Jia Fu is but only a little older, I have never acknowledged him as my brother! But you're right, I'm taking this bet."
Fang Yuan said solemnly, "Two thousand primeval stones, no haggling."
Jia Jin Sheng laughed bitterly, "Too expensive, this trade involves high risk."
"The greater the risk, the greater the rewards." Fang Yuan shook his head, his attitude firm, "If you sell it to those two families, you will only earn much more."
Jia Jin Sheng nodded, showing a hint of seriousness, "This I believe, for these years the Bai family has been growing fast, and an A grade talent called Bai Ning Bing has appeared recently, he has a great future ahead. Qing Mao Mountain's situation is gradually changing. Your Gu Yue family's dominance is wavering, and if I sell this to the Bai family, I can at least earn twice as much!"
Hearing Jia Jin Sheng's understanding of the Qing Mao Mountain's situation, Fang Yuan could not help but evaluate him again, thinking: 'This Jia Jin Sheng, he is still a merchant family member after all, not those useless second generations."
Jia Jin Sheng sighed, "Regardless of whether this is a trap, I'm jumping in. I promise you, two thousand primeval stones it is! However, I want to see the merchandise first."
"Of course, come with me." Fang Yuan laughed as he led the way. Jia Jin Sheng was already trapped in the urn, and the situation was fully in Fang Yuan's grasp.
Following his memories, Fang Yuan brought Jia Jin Sheng to the cavern in the mountain.
The two entered the crack in the stone, and the path became more narrow as their vision was dyed in darkness. Jia Jin Sheng grew more vigilant as he was in an unfamiliar environment.
Finally, he could not hold it in any further, "I have a question, Jia Fu always treats people with honesty and is amicable with a good reputation. On the other hand, I lied and cheated, forcing transactions through coercion. Why did you choose to deal with me and not him?"
Fang Yuan's voice travelled through the stone crack. "Because his cultivation is too high, so if he sees the image wall, he can choose to deal with me, or abandon the deal and just give the image wall to the Gu Yue clan head. I do not like giving the decision-making to others, furthermore I do not believe in integrity. The so-called prestigious reputation is just because the profits are small and are unable to incur his greed."
More importantly, it was because Jia Jin Sheng's position was special, for his cultivation was weak and he was easy to manipulate. Fang Yuan was naturally not going to mention this, of course.
"Hehe." Jia Jin Sheng laughed dryly, his suspicions mostly gone immediately. "That last sentence really resonated within me."
The two finally got into the secret cave.
Jia Jin Sheng saw the image wall at once, and could not help but laugh loudly, "Haha, I guessed right, you didn't lie to me!"
Fang Yuan stood behind him, laughing lightly, not saying anything.
Jia Jin Sheng looked at the wall, seeing the changing images and the animosity between the Flower Wine Monk and the 4th generation clan leader.
He looked at it once and retracted his gaze, looking at Fang Yuan, mocking, "Your 4th generation ancestor doesn't look that strong huh."
Fang Yuan replied, "This is nothing. The Gu Yue clan needed a hero, thus the 4th generation became a hero. Not long after, the Bai family needs a despicable scum, so the 4th generation will become a degenerate. Hero, scum, all these are just people's opinions."
"Well said!" Jia Jin Sheng laughed as he surveyed the cave.
His sight was set on the corpse of the Flower Wine Monk, and he stopped for a while before saying, "What a pity, a Rank five powerhouse. You've gotten much benefits from him huh?"
A Rank five Gu Master's inheritance was significant. Jia Jin Sheng's heart beat faster upon thinking of this, and he could not help but ask.
Fang Yuan shook his head. "It's been so long, most of the Gu are dead, I only got a Liquor worm."
Jia Jin Sheng did not believe him. "Don't lie to me brother, as long as this deal goes through, we are accomplices, I won't reveal any information. Tell me honestly, what did you gain from this?"
Fang Yuan laughed coldly and did not bother replying him.
Jia Jin Sheng's response was anticipated, and this was also why Fang Yuan chose him over Jia Fu.
Jia Jin Sheng continued to say: "At the very least, I know the Flower Wine Monk has a Thousand Li Earthwolf spider(1). That is a Rank five steed-type Gu, with a large body and is proficient in burrowing underground. The Flower Wine Monk was a demonic cultivator, and his ability to get about freely was mostly due to this Thousand Li Earthwolf spider, allowing him to escape from the righteous cultivators."
"Oh, there's something like that?" Fang Yuan frowned. Regarding the Flower Wine Monk, he did not have much information.
Jia Jin Sheng smugly said, "I came to your village last year and heard this legend, and I found it interesting so I went home and researched about it. The Thousand Li Earthwolf spider and Flower Wine Monk were inseparable, and in my opinion, this cave should have been dug out by the spider. Otherwise, with the Qing Mao Mountain's rich and heavy soil, how can a cave like this form? Brother, you don't have to conceal it anymore. The Flower Wine Monk died here so there's definitely his Thousand Li Earthwolf spider here!"
Fang Yuan frowned even more deeply, feeling a sense of discomfort, his gaze grim, "Yes, there are no other exits here. The Thousand Li Earthwolf spider is massive, he would not have been able to squeeze out from the crack we just walked through. However, there is a possibility that the Thousand Li Earthwolf was plotted against and killed by the 4th generation. Seeing that image wall, even when the Flower Wine Monk was fighting he did not summon the Thousand Li Earthwolf spider."
"That makes the situation even more peculiar. This cave is not formed naturally, thus it has to be created by the Flower Wine Monk. Without the Thousand Li Earthwolf spider, could there be any other methods?" Jia Jin Sheng looked at Fang Yuan suspiciously.
Fang Yuan's frown swelled into a knot as he felt more and more uncertain. From Jia Jin Sheng's information, he found out something: it appears as if there was a crucial point that he had missed out.
He could not help but fall into deep thoughts.
Jia Jin Sheng was thinking too, the image wall was no longer enough for him. Once he confirmed that the situation was real, he wanted to dig out the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance from Fang Yuan.
But at this time, something unexpected to the two of them happened!
The image wall which was playing endlessly, suddenly changed its image.
A gravely injured, pale bald Gu Master replaced the original video and appeared on the wall.
He weakly sprawled on the ground, his back facing the wall. His chest and limbs were deeply cut, but the strange thing was that his wounds did not bleed, as if his entire body's blood had been drained out.
"I am the Flower Wine Monk." The bald Gu Master laughed, his expression distorted with madness, "Future person, no matter who you are, to endure this video and let it play for nearly one hundred days, it proves that you have no good will towards the Gu Yue family. Very well, you shall be my successor! My entire inheritance is yours, but I have a condition. You must exterminate the Gu Yue clan for me. Murder the entire clan and leave no one alive!"
Jia Jin Sheng was stunned on the spot, his face frozen with shock.
"A Rank five powerhouse, the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance!"
He was stunned, and for a moment his brains were churning and thinking.
"My god! A Rank five powerhouse, what does that mean? Rank three is a family elder, Rank four is a village lord, and a Rank five is a mountain lord, able to rule over a mountain and do as he pleases! To think that in this tiny place, there is a Rank five Gu Master's power inheritance."
"Wait, Flower Wine Monk is a demonic cultivator, so if I inherit his powers, is it inappropriate? No, strength has nothing to do with good or evil. The Flower Wine Monk wants his successor to destroy the Gu Yue clan, but do I really have to? He's already dead, I just have to take his inheritance and ignore those issues."
"This is a godsend opportunity. Even with my D grade talent, if I inherit the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, I might be able to improve my talent. Those rare talent-raising Gu worms, they might be part of the inheritance. If I inherit this fortune and become a Rank four or five Gu Master, I'd be able to contest with Jia Fu!"
"Wait! I almost forgot, there's an outsider, what should I do?"
"Should I split the inheritance with him? No, kill him! Only by killing him can I protect this secret. Yes, I should calm him down first, and lie that we're going to split the treasure. Getting rid of his guard, then assaulting him and killing him here. This place is so hidden, it's great. Even if I kill him, nobody would know."
Although he thought of all these, it was merely a moment in real life.
Having a plan, he squinted and revealed a fake smile.
He slowly turned around and faced Fang Yuan but just as he was about to speak, he saw two blue moonblades flying towards him.
His pupils dilated into the size of a pin; the distance was too small, he could not respond in time!
"You..." His voice came to a halt.
The moonblade aimed accurately for his neck, and in an instant, his skull flew into the air, fresh blood pouring out like a fountain.
After two seconds, his corpse plopped on the ground.
The scalding blood poured on the mountain walls, dyeing the withering vines red.
"Don't think so much when killing people." Fang Yuan looked at the corpse plainly and then shifted his gaze towards the image wall.
"To think there was such a twist here. How interesting," He muttered as his eyes emitted an eerie glow.