"Jia Fu!" Jia Jin Sheng 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 head of the Jia family was a legendary figure, rising from nothing. He built his wealth through merchant caravans and revived the family's village. As he grew older and felt his end approaching, he devised a plan: his sons would form caravans in pairs, and the results would determine how the family assets were divided. The more successful they were, the greater share of the assets they would receive.
However, his eldest son, Jia Fu, and second son, Jia Gui, were both exceptionally talented. After years of competition, they could never reach a definitive conclusion, and even after their father's death, no clear victor emerged.
Following the head's death, the vast family fortune became the focal point of a fierce rivalry. The two brothers escalated their conflict by enlisting outside help, leading to a large-scale Gu competition. In the end, both brothers died, and the once-thriving Jia family quickly fell into ruin, leaving many to speculate on the swift downfall.
Jia Jin Sheng squinted, considering Fang Yuan's explanation. It made sense; after all, two years had passed since his father's announcement of the asset distribution. There were no secrets that couldn't eventually be uncovered, so even if someone knew about it, it wasn't surprising.
His main concern was whether this was another trap set by Jia Fu. Still, there was no harm in listening.
Fang Yuan, after a brief pause, surveyed the surroundings. They were in the same wine shop from earlier. The shop was independent, and at night, it was filled with patrons. This bustling environment was far safer for their discussion, as it helped avoid the potential 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, "2,000 primeval stones."
Jia Jin Sheng laughed bitterly, "Too expensive, this trade involves high risk."
"The greater the risk, the greater the reward," Fang Yuan said, pretending to furrowing his brow to show Jia Jin Sheng that he was in a bit of a rush.
After a brief moment of silence, Fang Yuan continued, "Fine, the lowest I'll go is 1,500 primeval—no more haggling, and I want it now. Only then will I take you to see the merchandise. Not only that but, if you sell it to those two families, you'll definitely earn much more."
Jia Jin Sheng nodded, feeling a bit of suspicious but ultimately was tempted of Fang Yuan last sentence and showed 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!"
Jia Jin Sheng sighed, "Regardless of whether this is a trap, I'm jumping in. I promise you, 1,500 primeval stones it is! Come with me I have stash away some primeval stones in my personal caravan, after all we don't want Jia Fu to know about our deal."
"Of course, led the way." Fang Yuan laughed silently as he follow Jia Jin Sheng.
After arriving at Jia Jin Sheng's personal caravan, Fang Yuan weighed the three heavy bags to ensure they contained exactly 1,500 primeval stones. Satisfied, he immediately spoke.
"Alright, 1,500 primeval stones exactly. Now, shall we go and have a look at the merchandise?" Fang Yuan suggested to Jia Jin Sheng.
"Yes, let's set off." Jia Jin Sheng felt happy that Fang Yuan had suggested it immediately, without any delay.
Fang Yuan led Jia Jin Sheng to a hidden cavern in the mountain.
As they entered the narrow stone crack, the path grew tighter, and darkness soon enveloped them. Jia Jin Sheng's senses heightened, his vigilance growing in the unfamiliar surroundings.
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.
"What is that ahead, anyway?" Jia Jin Sheng pointed to where Fang Yuan had ground away the rock wall.
"Oh, that? There's a huge boulder blocking it. I'm not sure if the Flower Wine Monk did that intentionally, or if it was already there," Fang Yuan casually lied.
Feeling a bit curious, Jia Jin Sheng walked towards it but was immediately disappointed as he inspected the area.
"It is as you have said, little brother, but at the very least, I know the Flower Wine Monk has a Thousand Li Earthwolf spider. 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." Jia Jin Sheng tried to extract more information from Fang Yuan.
"Oh, there's something like that?" Fang Yuan pretended to frown. Obviously, Fang Yuan knew more about the Flower Wine Monk than Jia Jin Sheng did.
Jia Jin Sheng smugly said, "I came to your village last year and heard this legend. I found it interesting, so I went home and researched it. The Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider and the Flower Wine Monk were inseparable, and in my opinion, this cave sho..."
Suddenly, an unexpected sound cut off Jia Jin Sheng's words.