Chapter 119: Stocked Pantry

“Doing good deeds?”

“Receiving Little Red Flowers?”

“Live another three months?”

The Second Young Master Fang talked until the eccentric rogue cultivators present were completely dumbfounded.

For a moment, an indescribable sense of absurdity welled up inside them.

What was the Second Young Master Fang doing?

Was he actually trying to extract silver from the jianghu, or was he simply itching to give out Little Red Flowers?

“My words are clear enough. Asking more is pointless!”

Fang Cun stretched lazily after saying what he wanted to say. “If you wish to secretly try and pull out the Life-Death Sigils, that’s your choice. Just a friendly hint: once the Life-Death Sigil is planted on you, if you don’t disturb it, it lies dormant. It’s harmless, actually giving you the benefits of consuming a Treasure Pill. But if you try to refine it… the sensation when the Gu Insect bursts into agitation…”

Hearing this, all the cultivators couldn’t help but shiver.

The doubts and absurd feelings that had just surfaced in their hearts instantly vanished.

After all, they had already tasted that agony.

Whether it was consuming pills to expel the Gu or trying to refine it with powerful cultivation, touching it immediately triggered the effect. That soul-sucking, bone-gnawing torment was agonizing, driving them back to Fang Cun immediately. And the moment they knelt before him, that heart-drilling, bone-devouring pain vanished completely, replaced by a warm, comforting sensation…

Mortals encountering unfathomable, bizarre methods often called them “diabolic arts!”

But even in the eyes of Qi Refiners like them, Fang Cun’s method felt like “diabolic arts”!

They had seen countless real demonic techniques, yet this particular method was unheard of…

“Is this Life-Death Sigil truly a Heart-Piercing Insect Gu?”

They pondered this inwardly but quickly dismissed it. The Heart-Piercing Insect Gu was a common, strange Gu technique in the jianghu. Even if they hadn’t seen it, they’d heard of it. Many didn’t even consider such ordinary Gu insects worth acknowledging. But the Gu implanted by Fang Cun was unimaginably bizarre and cunning, so instinctively, they believed this wasn’t the Heart-Piercing Insect Gu, but the Life-Death Sigil…

“Young… Young Master Fang…”

Amidst hesitation and panic, one bravely ventured, his voice low, “Do… do we have a chance to be freed from this Gu?”

The ears of all the cultivators perked up.

Being inexplicably bound, none felt at ease. If Fang Cun used this to coerce them into doing tasks or paying some price in exchange for freedom, they might endure it temporarily. But the thought of spending the rest of their lives controlled by this Life-Death Sigil was unbearable for these roving rogue cultivators accustomed to freedom.

Hearing their question, Fang Cun chuckled lightly. “Perhaps… in the future.”

The cultivators instantly grasped Fang Cun’s meaning.

They exchanged uneasy glances. The eccentric Gu-master in the green robe, Guai Li, murmured, “Since it is so… we shall obey the Young Master’s commands!”

As he finished speaking, he turned and left. He was the first to go.

The other rogue cultivators glanced at each other and hurried after him, clearly bursting with questions.

Having reached this point, bargaining with Fang Cun was impossible. He wouldn’t divulge more secrets to them. For now, the only option was to compromise. They needed to question Guai Li closely, to understand what exactly this Life-Death Sigil was and how it could safely be removed. Only then could they contend with the Second Young Master Fang…

One by one, the eccentric figures leaped away. The large ship instantly seemed empty.

Left aboard were still only those harmless-looking bosses of various sizes, along with Lady Hongtao and Lin Jiyi.

The bosses looked around uncertainly, unsure if they should leave now. After all, they were the ones actually gathering silver from their corners. The gathering earlier was about who would collect their tributes, so they remained quite composed…

“You’ll probably have more work ahead,” Fang Cun said warmly, turning to Lin Jiyi. “I don’t understand the jianghu much. So, the business dealings, the blood feuds, and the clashes among the various factions… you’ll handle them all. Ah, right. And now that I’ve become the Great Leader of Willow Lake City… though we can’t hide it, I dislike hearing the whole city talking about it. Also, gathering intelligence, reclaiming the Twelve Continuous Docks affair, working out the financial split with the Academy and City Governor, building and maintaining those relationships… Can you handle it?”

Suddenly hearing him assign so many tasks, almost like grooming a trusted aide, Lady Hongtao’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Lin Jiyi was also stunned. His face showed difficulty. “This…”

Fang Cun smiled faintly, his voice light. “If it’s too troublesome, you don’t have to worry about it.”

A jolt of alarm shot through Lin Jiyi. In that instant, he sensed danger.

He suddenly dropped to one knee, saying firmly, “Young Master, rest assured. These matters are all familiar territory. This subordinate will handle them cleanly!”

Fang Cun nodded. “Go ahead.”

Lin Jiyi felt like he’d received an imperial pardon. He stood up, sweat beading on his forehead. With a quick look, he saw Fang Cun had nothing more to say. He then gathered the bosses and led them away. Only after boarding the small boat and speeding towards the shore did he relax slightly, thinking nervously, “He’s always harbored killing intent towards me… why? Have I not performed well enough?”

……

With everyone gone, the ship felt deserted. Fang Cun turned and met a pair of steady eyes.

Lady Hongtao hadn’t left. She still sat there, staring coldly at him.

“What are you still waiting for?” Fang Cun sighed softly, meeting her gaze.

“Young Master has immense skill…” Lady Hongtao’s gaze was unreadable. “I thought your arrival in the jianghu was mere mischief. But seeing you prepared the Life-Death Sigil in advance and even set the rules… you must truly have designs on our slice of jianghu. However, Young Master, your approach is far too naïve. No matter how strange your methods, they can only make these jianghu people fear you. How can they ever respect you?”

“Why would I need them to respect me?” Fang Cun smiled back at Lady Hongtao. “I only need them to fear me.”

Lady Hongtao bit her red lip, speaking firmly. “In the jianghu, being feared isn’t enough. If they don’t truly submit…”

Fang Cun stood up slowly, smiling. “A forerunner once said: They fear you long enough, they’ll naturally fall in line…”

“You—!” Lady Hongtao was now flushed with anger, utterly speechless. Her usual temper nearly made her curse.

But at that moment, Fang Cun said, “Don’t be idle. Help me keep an eye on Lin Jiyi from now on…”

Lady Hongtao instinctively retorted, “Why should I—”

Before she could finish, Fang Cun looked at her, smiling. “Deal?”

Lady Hongtao’s mind went blank. She stared blankly for a long while. Finally, as if pulled by a ghostly string, she nodded.

“You really do look better in red…”

Fang Cun chuckled, took Little Fox’s hand, and jumped onto a flat skiff, drifting away.

On the large ship, Lady Hongtao sat stunned for a good half minute. Then she snapped back to reality, feeling both furious and strangely flustered. She turned to stare at the direction Fang Cun disappeared, silently fuming. “Detestable! Truly detestable!”

“That person… how could he…”

“He actually said I look pretty?”

……

“Jianghu, the jianghu…”

Having left Willow Lake, Fang Cun rode his carriage back towards the Fang Residence.

Thinking back on his deeds today, he felt a touch of sentiment. “Every man holds a jianghu dream in his heart. Though the real jianghu might not match our imaginings, who says I can’t mold this world’s jianghu into the shape I desire?”

Succeed, and it would be hailed as the Second Young Master Fang’s earth-shattering willpower, changing the realm.

Fail? Well, it was merely cleansing demons and earning merit along the way…

Either way, he profited!

Of course, carrying this out was also part of another specific arrangement.

Whether everything truly went as he wished also depended on observing the subsequent reactions within the Celestial Merit Record back home.

……

“Seven Swords!”

A man’s voice cut coldly through the dark silence.

Fang Cun was instantly jolted out of his romantic jianghu dream. Lifting the carriage curtain, he saw they had arrived at the Fang Residence. Standing at the mouth of the alley, half-shrouded in the night, was Master Qin, his hands clasped loosely behind his back.

“Thirty thousand gold?” Fang Cun’s voice held an uncharacteristic hint of wavering.

Master Qin replied calmly, “Thirty-five thousand gold…”

Fang Cun remained silent for a moment. “Our Fang Family… doesn’t have that much silver readily available…”

Master Qin watched Fang Cun wordlessly.

Fang Cun sighed helplessly, thinking that indeed, a killer’s debt was not easily deferred…

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Will Dragon Stones do?”

Master Qin paused briefly, then nodded agreeably, “Thirty-five pieces!”

“That’s steep. Aren’t Dragon Stones two thousand gold each?”

Master Qin’s voice remained flat. “For me? They are one thousand gold apiece.”

“Fine then…”

Resigned, Fang Cun instructed Xiao Qingliu to go inside the residence and retrieve an exceptionally well-hidden and immensely valuable box. Opening it revealed stones the size of longan, glistening within. They resembled polished pebbles, possessing a translucent, jade-like quality, and exuded an aura of immense power at a glance.

Fang Cun picked them out under Master Qin’s gaze, counting thirty-five stones into a small pouch.

Master Qin took the pouch, nodded in satisfaction, and turned to leave.

Fang Cun stared at the now empty box and sighed again, filled with regret. “The Fang Family’s silver isn’t endless either…”

……

Carrying the empty box back into the Fang Residence, a somewhat downcast Fang Cun and Xiao Qingliu descended into the secret cavern beneath the artificial hill. On the eastern wall, a naturally formed dragon’s head protruded from the rock. Below it lay a small mountain of similar-looking pebbles.

Fang Cun held the empty box. Xiao Qingliu scooped a large shovel’s worth and poured them in, filling the box with a loud clatter as countless stones tumbled.

Looking at the box now overflowing with small stones, Fang Cun nodded with satisfaction. “Luckily, the Fang Family’s Dragon Stones are endless…”