After leaving the Three Star Cave, Fang Ming did not return to Chi Shan's group immediately.
He first returned to his residence and counted the primeval stones.
After selling six Gu worms, he had obtained ten thousand eight hundred and sixty primeval stones. After buying Black Boar Gu, Pouch Gu, Iron Skin Gu, Gu food, and some mission supplies, eight thousand one hundred and twenty remained.
To most Rank two Gu Masters, this was a frightening sum.
To Fang Ming, it was still not enough.
Black Boar Gu had to be fed.
Iron Skin Gu had to be fed.
Wind Step Gu, Bookworm Gu, Moonlight Gu, Snake Tongue Gu — none of them lived on air. The more Gu worms he owned, the heavier the burden became. Primeval stones came quickly, but they also disappeared quickly.
Money and fortune were only material goods.
Only cultivation and survival were the root.
Fang Ming placed the stones back into their sealed pouches.
The caravan was still in the village.
Next year, it would not come.
By then, the wolf tide would be severe. The roads outside Qing Mao Mountain would be filled with danger. Merchants came for profit, not death. If the risk was too great, even the Jia family would not send a caravan here easily.
And after that, Qing Mao Mountain itself would be buried.
Fang Ming had thought of leaving.
This was the simplest answer.
If he could follow the caravan out now, avoid the wolf tide, avoid the destruction of Qing Mao Mountain, then many dangers would disappear by themselves.
But he could not leave.
He was A-grade.
The clan had already placed eyes on him. The Chi branch had invested in him. Gu Yue Chi Lian would not allow a promising Rank two A-grade Gu Master to suddenly abandon the clan and follow a caravan away. Gu Yue Bo would not allow it either.
Talent was not freedom.
Talent was also a chain.
If he escaped alone, the result would be even worse. The mountains outside the clan were not peaceful roads. There were wild beasts, wild Gu, poisonous swamps, cliffs, bandits, and strange territories that even experienced Gu Masters avoided.
A lone Rank two Gu Master entering the wilderness was not courage.
It was stupidity.
The safest way out was the caravan.
Since Fang Ming could not go, someone else had to go first.
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated. He took five thousand primeval stones, divided them into several sealed pouches, and left the residence.
His destination was his uncle's house.
Fang Ming's uncle was a Rank two Gu Master with C-grade aptitude. His aunt was Rank one and also C-grade. In the Gu Yue clan, such people were not rare. They were not useless, but they were not important either.
If they stayed, no one would pay much attention to them.
If they left with the caravan, the clan would ask a few questions, then let the matter pass.
This was their weakness.
It was also their chance.
The house was not far from the inner village.
It was a simple bamboo building with a small courtyard. There were no servants waiting outside, no carved stone lions, no expensive lamps. Several drying racks stood near the wall, with beast hide and herbs hanging from them. The smell of cooked grain drifted faintly from inside.
Fang Ming stood outside the door and knocked.
Soon, his aunt opened it.
Seeing Fang Ming, she first froze, then smiled.
"Fang Ming? Why are you here at this hour?" She looked behind him. "Did something happen?"
"No," Fang Ming said. "I came to discuss something with Uncle."
His aunt looked him up and down. Seeing no injury on him, she relaxed slightly.
"Come in first. Your uncle is inside."
Fang Ming entered.
The room was clean, but plain. A wooden table, several stools, a shelf with jars of Gu food, and a small oil lamp. There was nothing valuable placed openly.
This was an ordinary Gu Master household.
Not rich.
Not poor.
Just enough to live.
His uncle sat at the table, sorting through mission records. When he saw Fang Ming enter, he was somewhat surprised.
"You just returned from the caravan grounds?" his uncle asked.
"Yes."
"Sit."
His aunt poured him tea. "You have been going on missions recently. You look thinner."
Fang Ming accepted the cup. "Mission rewards are not easy to earn."
His uncle laughed. "Now you understand. In the academy, primeval stones look useful. After leaving the academy, they look like water leaking through fingers."
Fang Ming placed the cup down.
"I came today because of this."
His uncle's expression became more serious.
"Speak."
"I need someone to leave Qing Mao Mountain with the caravan."
The room quieted.
His aunt's hand stopped over the teapot.
His uncle frowned. "Leave Qing Mao Mountain?"
"Follow the caravan to Jia City. Not as clan representatives. As hired Gu Masters, or as small merchants attached to the caravan."
His aunt immediately said, "Why? Fang Ming, did someone make things difficult for you?"
"No."
"Then why so suddenly?"
Fang Ming looked at his uncle.
"I will reach Rank three in the future. After Rank three, the Gu worms and materials I need will no longer be easy to obtain inside the clan. Qing Mao Mountain is too small. Some things the caravan does not bring here. Some things cannot be bought unless there is someone waiting in a larger market."
This reason was reasonable.
A-grade aptitude reaching Rank three was not strange.
Preparing early was also not strange.
His uncle did not answer immediately.
He had lived longer than Fang Ming. He knew that every sentence had two sides. What Fang Ming said was true, but it might not be the whole truth.
"Why not ask the Chi branch?" his uncle asked.
"Branch resources belong to the branch. If I use their hands to buy things, then the things will not be entirely mine."
His uncle nodded slightly.
This was also reasonable.
In the clan, resources never came without strings. The Chi branch could support Fang Ming, but support was not the same as freedom.
Fang Ming continued, "I need someone I can trust outside the mountain."
His aunt looked at him, her eyes showing worry. "But why us? Your uncle is only Rank two. I am only Rank one. We have never gone so far."
"That is exactly why the clan will let you go."
His aunt was stunned.
His uncle's gaze sharpened.
Fang Ming spoke calmly, "If I ask to leave, the clan will not agree. If Chi Chen asks to leave, Chi Lian will not agree. If Fang Zheng asks to leave, Gu Yue Bo will not agree. But if Uncle and Aunt ask to follow the caravan for trade, who will stop you?"
The truth was harsh.
But neither of them could refute it.
In the Gu Yue clan, ordinary C-grade Gu Masters were many. Losing two of them would not shake anything.
His aunt's face turned slightly pale. "Fang Ming, are you telling us to abandon the clan?"
"No."
Fang Ming shook his head.
"You can still keep your clan identity. You are not betraying the clan. You are going out to buy goods for me. If the road is safe in the future, return with the caravan. If the road is not safe, remain in Jia City and wait."
His uncle slowly leaned back.
"Wait?"
"Wait until the route is safe."
This was a cautious business instruction.
At least, on the surface.
His uncle looked at him for a long time.
"Fang Ming, are you afraid something will happen on Qing Mao Mountain?"
Fang Ming's expression did not change.
"Trouble always comes. I am only preparing before it arrives."
The oil lamp flickered.
For a while, no one spoke.
His aunt broke the silence first. "If we leave, who will take care of you?"
"I am already Rank two."
"In my eyes, you are still a child."
Fang Ming lowered his gaze.
His aunt had not said this to flatter him.
Back then, when he had just transmigrated, this household had been the first shelter he had known in this world. His uncle was not powerful, and his aunt was not wise in great matters, but they had fed him, clothed him, and raised him properly.
In a clan like Gu Yue, this was already a debt.
Fang Ming looked up again.
"That is why I came to you."
He reached into his robe and placed a sealed pouch on the table.
Then the second.
The third.
The fourth.
The fifth.
The heavy sound of primeval stones landing on wood made his aunt's expression change.
His uncle's eyes narrowed.
Fang Ming said, "Five thousand primeval stones."
His aunt inhaled sharply.
Even his uncle could not remain calm.
Five thousand primeval stones was not a small sum. For a clan elder, it was capital. For ordinary Rank two Gu Masters, it was enough to change their lives.
His uncle did not touch the pouches.
"Where did this come from?"
"I sold some things at the caravan."
"What things?"
"Gu worms."
His uncle stared at him. "Gu worms that you could sell for five thousand primeval stones?"
"More than that."
His aunt's face was filled with shock. "Fang Ming, you—"
His uncle raised a hand, stopping her.
He understood the rules better than she did.
Some things should not be asked too clearly.
After a moment, he said, "What exactly do you want us to buy?"
"Rank three Gu food. Defensive Gu materials. Movement Gu materials. Maps of Southern Border routes. Information on Jia City markets. If there are suitable Gu recipes, buy them. If there are contacts who can procure Rank three goods, establish a relationship."
Fang Ming paused, then added, "Do not be greedy. Safety comes first. If something is too dangerous, abandon it."
His uncle looked at the pouches on the table.
"With five thousand primeval stones, we can indeed attach ourselves to the caravan. We can pay the fees, buy some goods, and operate as small merchants. But once we leave, it will not be easy to return."
"Then do not hurry back."
His aunt's eyes trembled.
This sentence was too calm.
She seemed to realize something, but could not grasp it.
His uncle also heard the deeper meaning. His face slowly became solemn.
"Fang Ming, if this money is lost, what will you do?"
"Earn more."
"If we fail to buy what you need?"
"Then buy nothing."
"If we cannot return?"
"Then live well outside."
His aunt's eyes reddened. "You are not asking us to buy goods."
Fang Ming did not answer.
The room became quiet again.
Outside the window, the sounds of the caravan could still be faintly heard from the distant village center. Gu Masters were bargaining, mortals were shouting, and beast cries rose and fell.
The world outside the small house was noisy.
Inside, the silence was heavy.
His uncle finally reached out and pressed his palm on one pouch.
"Five thousand primeval stones is too much."
"It is capital."
"It is also your foundation."
"My foundation is not here."
His uncle looked at him.
Fang Ming's tone was plain, but his words were firm.
After a long time, his uncle sighed.
"You have already decided."
"Yes."
"Even if we refuse, you will find another way?"
"Yes."
His uncle laughed bitterly. "Your temperament has become harder after entering the academy."
Fang Ming said nothing.
People did not become hard because they wanted to.
Sometimes they became hard because softness could not preserve anything.
His uncle looked toward his wife.
His aunt lowered her head, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. After a while, she said softly, "If this is what Fang Ming wants, then go."
His uncle nodded.
"Good. We will follow the caravan. I will speak to the caravan people tomorrow and arrange a position. Your aunt and I will leave before the caravan departs."
Fang Ming took out a folded paper.
"This is a list."
His uncle accepted it and opened it. The handwriting was neat. The items were arranged by priority. Some had price ranges. Some had warnings written beside them. Some only had the words: buy only if cheap.
His uncle read for a while, then looked up.
"You prepared this earlier."
"Yes."
"Then this matter was not sudden at all."
Fang Ming did not deny it.
His uncle folded the list and kept it carefully.
"I understand. I will keep accounts for every stone spent. If there are goods I cannot judge, I will not buy recklessly."
"Good."
His aunt stood and went into the inner room. When she returned, she held a small cloth bundle.
Inside were dried meat, two medicine packets, and a small talisman made from woven grass.
She pushed it toward Fang Ming.
"Take these."
Fang Ming looked at the bundle.
"I do not need—"
"Take them."
Her tone was rarely firm.
Fang Ming paused, then accepted it.
His uncle stood up. "It is late. Do not stay too long. If others see you coming here with money, it may bring trouble."
Fang Ming nodded.
Before leaving, he looked once more at the room.
The wooden table.
The oil lamp.
The plain shelves.
The two people standing beside them.
He had lived here for many years.
In another future, this place would be crushed beneath snow, blood, wolves, and collapsing bamboo buildings. The people inside would not even know why disaster had come.
Fang Ming turned and walked out.
Behind him, his aunt called softly, "Fang Ming."
He stopped.
"When the caravan comes back, we will bring you good things."
Fang Ming did not turn around.
"Do not force the road if it is dangerous."
After saying this, he left.
The night wind outside was cold.
The caravan lights in the distance flickered like scattered stars.
Five thousand primeval stones left his hands.
For some debts, this price was still cheap.