"What? That brat has actually reached the Second Transformation already, and he's submitted a branch family task application to the Internal Affairs Hall?!" Uncle Guye Dongtu's voice, a mixture of shock and fury, echoed through the reception hall.
"That's right. I did take your Yuan Stones, but I couldn't very well block him outright. All I could do was tell him to come pick up the task in three days. Stalling him this long is already the best I could manage." A middle-aged male Gu Master sitting to the side spoke evenly.
Guye Dongtu gave a cold snort inwardly. He could read the meaning behind the Internal Affairs Hall Gu Master's words perfectly well.
What "stalling three days is already the limit" really meant was nothing more than an attempt to squeeze more money out of him.
"However, the priority right now is to do everything possible to protect the family estate. That little brat is far too troublesome for peace of mind!" Cold sweat dripped from Guye Dongtu's forehead. Fang Yuan's growth rate gave him a deeply unsettling feeling.
"I came here specifically to inform you. I'll take my leave now." The middle-aged male Gu Master rose to his feet, ready to depart.
"Don't be in such a hurry, brother. There are still a few matters where I'd appreciate your cooperation." Guye Dongtu hurriedly stood as well, producing a money bag and pressing it into the Gu Master's hand.
The Gu Master tucked the full pouch of Yuan Stones into his robes, and his tone immediately shifted. He laughed heartily, "Brother Dongtu, you're far too courteous! What's the relationship between us? We've known each other for over ten years. Rest assured, I'll prepare the most difficult task I can find and assign it to Fang Yuan. But be warned — Fang Yuan might try to hire other Gu Masters to help him. You'll want to watch out for that."
"Heh heh heh, don't worry about that. Although I've stepped back from active duty, my network of contacts is still intact. I've already had people keeping an eye on him. If that boy dares to hire outsiders, he'll be violating clan rules. I've been waiting for him to give me such leverage. Heh heh…"
"Then I'm at ease. I'll take my leave."
"Let me see you out."
"No need, please stay."
Guye Dongtu watched the Gu Master's retreating figure, and the smile plastered across his face gradually collapsed.
"Fang Yuan — he was only Grade C aptitude, so how did he advance to the Second Transformation so quickly?! Damned waste — what were Jiao San and the others even doing? They couldn't even keep track of one living person."
"Sigh, now Jiao San and his three companions have all died in the beast tide. Completely useless. And with Fang Yuan at the Second Transformation, he'll definitely be able to claim the estate task. The methods I used to restrict him before won't work anymore. Still, he's completely alone now. Completing an estate task by himself is going to be extraordinarily difficult."
"That won't do! There's something unnervingly lucky about that brat. I just got Jiao San's group to suppress him, and a minor beast tide showed up. What if he once again relies on sheer luck to complete the task? I need to prepare for the worst!"
With age comes cunning. The fact that Guye Dongtu had managed to start well and finish well, surviving to this day, was itself proof of his success.
Compared to the freshly minted Fang Yuan, his web of interpersonal connections was vastly superior.
……
"Collecting mead?" Fang Yuan received the estate task and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
This task was troublesome indeed. It required gathering five liang of honey mead from Golden Bees. Each Golden Bee was the size of a fist, its body a mottled black and gold, with a razor-sharp stinger and a highly aggressive temperament.
That alone would have been enough, but the complication went further. Most small swarms only produced honey. Only in large or medium-sized hives, where honey accumulated in sufficient quantity, would it eventually ferment into the far more valuable mead.
"This task would be challenging even for a five-person team. Numbers alone don't help — whoever collects the mead needs a defensive Gu Insect to withstand the bee stings. It seems Uncle is pulling strings behind the scenes, specifically targeting me because I lack any defensive Gu. Unfortunately for him… he's miscalculated." Fang Yuan sneered inwardly.
Now, the hidden value of Hua Jiu Xing Zhe's legacy truly revealed itself.
Secret operations are easy to execute; public ones are hard to accomplish.
The more open and aboveboard one's actions, the easier it is for others to see through and obstruct them. Conversely, by operating in the shadows and concealing his trump cards, one kept opponents in the dark, unable to apply the right countermeasures.
"Still, relying solely on the Jade Skin Gu to collect mead won't be enough. The Jade Skin Gu is only a First Transformation Gu. If I could upgrade it to the Second Transformation White Jade Gu, then this task should be within reach."
There was no need to risk trial and error — his vast lifetime of experience already spared him from taking unnecessary detours.
Truth be told, Fang Yuan was now a Gu Master at the Initial Stage of the Second Transformation, yet every Gu Insect he possessed, aside from the Spring Autumn Cicada, was still at the First Transformation level.
This situation was like a hulking warrior who could wield a massive guandao but was instead clutching a dainty dagger. The dagger couldn't bring out the warrior's full combat potential. Only by forging it into a proper guandao would he have a weapon truly suited to his strength.
Fang Yuan currently held seven Gu Insects.
His Life Gu, the Spring Autumn Cicada, Moonlight Gu, Wine Worm, White Pig Gu, Jade Skin Gu, and two Little Light Gu.
Among these, the Moonlight Gu and the two Little Light Gu could be refined together into a Second Transformation Moon Radiance Gu. The White Pig Gu and the Jade Skin Gu could be fused into a White Jade Gu.
The Moon Radiance Gu represented an increase in offensive power, while the White Jade Gu would bolster his defensive capabilities.
If Fang Yuan had an abundance of Yuan Stones, he would naturally refine both. But not long ago, he had spent the majority of his Yuan Stones pushing his cultivation to the Second Transformation. The Yuan Stones he had on hand now were only enough for a single refinement.