Chapter 128: Theirs, Yours

“Young Sect Master Xu, how could this happen?”

While Fang Cun and his classmates went off to celebrate with drinks, the atmosphere in the City Guard Office of Willow Lake City was heavy. The Elders from the County Sects present all looked somber, especially Elder Ge of the Nine Immortals Sect and the newly-appointed Elder Xue of the Lingwu Sect. Both wore dark expressions; Elder Ge seemed deeply troubled, while Elder Xue radiated icy hostility. Their gazes were fixed accusingly upon the young leader of the Shoushan Sect.

The other Elders noticed the looks on their faces and could muster little enthusiasm for this farewell banquet. While they understood the reason for Elder Ge’s displeasure, the root of the newly promoted Elder Xue’s anger remained a mystery to them. Yet, as fellow County Sect Elders, they had an unspoken understanding: typically, an Elder wouldn’t go to such lengths to trouble a mere student. Since Elder Xue had clearly done so, it meant he had his reasons, and it was best for them to pretend they hadn’t noticed…

Otherwise, they risked unknowingly making a formidable enemy.

A pity…

Elder Xue had gone so far, only to have it all ruined!

Ruined by Willow Lake’s Second Young Master Fang!

Or perhaps, the source of all this trouble was the Young Sect Master Xu?

Seeing everyone’s eyes fixed on him, Young Sect Master Xu looked embarrassed. He said helplessly, “Esteemed Elders, please stop looking at me like that. Today’s events truly went beyond my expectations. But I… I had no choice!”

Elder Ge of the Nine Immortals Sect snorted coldly. “Nephew Xu, I trust you haven’t forgotten Old Master Fan’s words?”

Young Sect Master Xu replied earnestly, “I would never dare forget. But the truth is, I didn’t actually take him as a disciple…”

Hearing this, the Elders were practically fuming with anger.

You didn’t take him as a disciple? No, you just sold him your sect!

“Alas, we know the Shoushan Sect has been facing some difficulties lately…” Elder Le from the nearby Leshui Sect sighed and looked at Young Sect Master Xu. “But surely selling off your Spiritual Vein was a step too far?”

“Well, actually, it was that bad…” Young Sect Master Xu answered honestly. “After all, none of you understand the tight spot we were in, where we couldn’t even pay our Elders’ monthly stipends…”

The surrounding County Sect Elders looked slightly awkward at this.

Elder Ge said indignantly, “Even if you truly needed to sell, why sell it to the Fang Family? Don’t you know their current situation in Willow Lake?”

“Actually, I did know…” Young Sect Master Xu admitted. “But… the price he offered was simply too good…”

The others immediately leaned forward with keen interest. “Just how much did he offer to make you agree to sell thirty percent of your sect’s lifeline?”

Young Sect Master Xu answered, “Three hundred Dragon Stones… and a threat!”

“Three hundred Dragon Stones…”

The Elders all froze for a moment, seemingly surprised that the Fang Family could still produce such a sum.

Dragon Stones were crystals born from Dragon Veins, representing the highest quality cultivation resource, surpassing even the finest Qi-Refining Pills. Within Great Xia, there were only seven known major Dragon Veins. The Dragon Stones they produced each year were either bestowed upon the Divine Kings or reserved for the royal family members. Very few ever circulated outside, making their true market value hard to gauge…

How much was one Dragon Stone actually worth?

It was difficult to say, as the supply on the market was always insufficient.

However, within the cultivation world, many powerful Magic Treasures and coveted cultivation methods were explicitly priced only in Dragon Stones!

Three hundred Dragon Stones was already an astronomically steep price.

At first glance, it seemed unbelievable. Wasn’t the Fang Family’s Immortal Master renowned for extreme uprightness, rarely—or even never—using his position for personal enrichment? So how could the Fang Family possibly possess so many Dragon Stones now?

“Hmph, I always suspected there was something amiss; how could such a foolishly upright person truly exist?” One County Sect Elder laughed coldly in the midst of the silence, a tone of expected cynicism in his voice.

“Given his status while he lived, three hundred Dragon Stones isn’t actually that much,” Elder Ge from the Nine Immortals Sect mused thoughtfully before turning back to Young Master Xu. “And what was this threat he uttered?”

Young Sect Master Xu’s expression turned peculiar. After a pause, he spoke: “‘Sell… or I’ll kill you.’”

“This…”

All the Elders in the room were suddenly speechless.

They stared at the young Sect Leader sitting in the corner, looking so honest and unassuming. The situation felt absurd. Many instinctively wanted to say: You’re a young half-step Divine Realm Qi Refiner! How could you possibly be threatened by a mere Breath Refining Realm disciple? Yet others could only shake their heads helplessly, glancing towards Willow Lake City. They thought to themselves: If the threat came within Willow Lake City… perhaps those words…

…were much more than just a threat!

“Regardless, what’s done is done; it’s not our place to say much now!”

After a long silence, Elder Ge finally sighed slowly. “It seems we cannot stop Second Young Master Fang’s entry into the County Sect. Old Master Fan intended well, seeking to give the Fang Family more time. But since Second Young Master has chosen this path, it’s his decision. A pity, however… this Second Young Master Fang doesn’t seem particularly astute. Not only is he entering the County Sect, one would think he’d keep a low profile… yet…”

He didn’t finish the final thought, but those around him immediately understood. They subtly glanced towards the Elder from the Lingwu Sect.

Despite clearly having troubles of his own, this Second Young Master Fang didn’t seem to grasp the wisdom of staying out of the spotlight and lying low. Before even officially entering the County Sect, he’d already incurred the wrath of a Lingwu Sect Elder without cause… it was truly…

“Ha! Enough about him! How about we enjoy our wine?”

Someone noticed the oppressive silence and laughed, trying to lighten the heavy mood.

The others quickly joined in, raising their cups with knowing smiles.

Amidst the forced laughter, Young Sect Master Xu looked utterly helpless. His smile held complexities the others’ lacked.

Only he knew the truth: the Second Young Master of the Fang Family had indeed purchased thirty percent of the Shoushan Sect’s Spiritual Vein with three hundred Dragon Stones and a threat.

But the three words spoken just then… were not the threat Young Master Fang had actually used!

…

Clink! Clink! Clink!

The Ancient Well Restaurant in Willow Lake City was littered with empty wine jars.

The disciples of the Nanshan Alliance, along with some classmates they were friendly with and had invited along to toast, were already quite intoxicated. For some reason today, they’d all unconsciously drunk more than usual…

Nie Quan and He Zhenzhang had drunk the most. One’s eyes were glazed over, the other sat there grinning foolishly. Meng Qing’er sat nearby, giggling as she tugged on the sleeves of two other classmates. “How about this?” she suggested playfully. “You two compete against me in a drinking contest. But to make it fair, I’ll spot you some points. For every bowl you drink, I’ll only drink one cup. If you win, I’ll let both of you… mmm… kiss me. But if I win…” she smirked, “…then you two have to kiss each other!”

“Sooo? What do you say?”

The two young men, exhilarated already from the alcohol, responded eagerly: “Deal! Come on then!”

Fang Cun sat at the head table. He was still relatively clear-headed. While he’d consumed plenty, drawing on past experience, he knew the importance of pacing himself. He’d sipped cup after cup steadily, unhurried and as calm as ever.

Meng Zhixue had also indulged in several more cups of wine; her usually pale, jade-like cheeks were now flushed a deep crimson.

Yu Qingli had drunk even more, yet despite the significant amount, his expression remained dark and brooding.

“Dammit! What the hell is all this!” In the midst of the rowdy atmosphere, He Zhenzhang suddenly slammed his fist hard on the table, cursing angrily.

Here we go again…

Fang Cun shot his drunken friend a resigned look. He was well aware of He Zhenzhang’s poor drinking manners.

“Before, I always dreamed of joining the main Sect… but now?” He Zhenzhang wiped his nose, a look of defiance flashing across his drunken face. “Now that it’s happening… suddenly it doesn’t feel so exciting anymore?”

Though just drunken rambling, his words struck a chord in the suddenly quiet room. After today’s events, how many others shared that exact feeling? The urge to drown this unhappiness in drink was why so many had overindulged. Ironically, instead of dulling the feeling, the alcohol seemed to sharpen it, making it even more poignant.

“My… my family…” one disciple who had managed to enter the Leshui Sect suddenly started sobbing into his hands. “They sold off almost everything! Our farmland, our shops… both houses… all gone! All… all just to buy my way into the County Sect! But… but I qualified fairly! My cultivation level was sufficient!”

His sudden outburst left the others momentarily speechless. They wanted to console him but didn’t know how. Objectively speaking, he was fortunate; his cultivation met the baseline, and his family scraped together the money to bribe his way in. If he felt aggrieved… what about those who didn’t even have a chance to get in?

“Brother Yu… Brother Yu was clearly framed! How disgusting! That they dare manipulate things with such important matters!” Someone else, clearly also quite drunk, spoke up resentfully, forgetting tact in front of Fang Cun. “And Second Young Master Fang… with his talent, his clear connection to the Nine Immortals Sect? They deliberately ignored it! If Immortal Master Fang Chi knew about how things are now…”

Hearing this, Meng Zhixue, Yu Qingli, He Zhenzhang, and even Nie Quan… the expressions of all the faces around the table darkened. They had arrived with boundless hopes and expectations for the County Sect. But now, before even joining, they had tasted the bitterness and resentment festering within it. This taste, experienced precisely when their spirits should have been highest, made it all the more difficult to swallow.

“Hmm? So everyone’s losing hope already?” Seeing the deep gloom settle over them, Fang Cun smiled faintly as he glanced around at his companions. His voice was soft. “Right now, the County Sects belong to them. Their clan rules hold sway. Naturally, they get to make the rules and call the shots. What is there really to be upset about?”

The students were taken aback. They all turned to stare at Fang Cun, their expressions complex. His words seemed to pierce a vital pressure point, plunging them into stunned silence.

Then, Fang Cun raised his wine cup with a gentle smile. “But I remember a truly remarkable person once said something like this: This world, the future… it all belongs to them… but it also belongs to you. And in the end… it will inevitably become yours. So ultimately… you will have the final say.”

Fang Cun raised his cup higher. “Hope remains. I toast to you all!”

“Theirs… but also ours…” Fang Cun’s words struck the listening students midway through their drunken haze. Not everyone understood them immediately or completely. Yet, inexplicably, his voice stirred something profound within their hearts. A surge of fierce, burning ambition seemed to ignite. Laughter mingled with defiant shouts as they scrambled up. Some hoisted entire jars of wine, others clutched drinking vessels. Eagerly, they pushed forward to clink cups with Fang Cun before draining them dry in one determined gulp.

“Just wait! Damn it, all of you just wait!” Nie Quan slammed his emptied wine bowl down, righteous fury burning in his eyes. “You pack of scoundrels and sneaking snakes! Just wait until I become a Chief Warden of the Demon Capture Bureau… even the Grand Chief Warden! Then I’ll treat every last one of you like the Demon monsters you are and slice you apart!”

Another disciple fiercely pounded the table, gritting his teeth. “Our land, our house… we’ll reclaim it tenfold! Just you wait!”

“Instructor Zhou, you wretched old turtle! Just because my family didn’t stuff enough silver into your pockets, you gave me a poor assessment in scholarly knowledge? You wait! Just wait until I reach the Divine Realm… even the Immortal Realm! Then I’ll come back and smack your head off with one slap!”

“Xu Wenshu! That sneaky weasel! Took ten thousand taels from my family… Sure, he pushed my application through… scoundrel!” another young man slurred. “But once I become his superior… I’ll make him pay back every coin… with interest… then I’ll ‘push his application’ somewhere real special…”

“Instructor Hongdan… just wait… I’ll come back for you… to marry you!”

“…..”

For a brief, chaotic moment, the celebratory banquet suddenly resembled a scene of demons and monsters rejoicing wildly.

“Don’t waste time just complaining,” a voice beside Fang Cun spoke. Meng Zhixue turned towards him, her usually calm features unusually flushed but her gaze steady and intense. “Because changing all this ultimately relies on ourselves. Isn’t that right?” Her voice held newfound conviction. “What you said, about it ultimately becoming ours… I will remember it well!”

Fang Cun: “… Got any more left in your cup? Raising whales in it?”

Meng Zhixue’s blush deepened. Quickly, she drained the remaining wine from her vessel, her expression determined. “Once I enter the Nine Immortals Sect, I will find more who share our beliefs! Like Immortal Master Fang Chi! Like… you, Second Young Master Fang!”

Fang Cun sighed quietly. “Do your best.”

He thought inwardly: “As for me… I’m just going to collect what’s owed.”