Recommended Reading: Southern Border, the ruins of Yitian Mountain, within the super Gu formation.
"Wu An pays respects to Grand Elder Wu Yihai." Inside the super Gu formation, Wu clan Gu Immortals Wu Liao and Wu An bowed respectfully to Fang Yuan in unison.
Fang Yuan nodded. "Have a seat, both of you. Tell me—what exactly happened? How did Elder Wu Bei end up so gravely injured?"
Wu Liao and Wu An exchanged a glance. Wu Liao kept silent, leaving it to the more eloquent Wu An to report. "Reporting to my lord, the situation is as follows—"
It turned out that the Ba clan had long been covetous of the Wu clan's assets. After the Wu clan had been put under pressure from multiple sides, the Ba clan's leading Gu Immortal in the region, Elder Tree De Ba De, decided the time was ripe and made his move against the Wu clan.
Ba De had been scheming for a long time. When he finally struck, the blow was devastating, leaving the Wu clan in an extremely passive position.
The Wu clan certainly could not simply sit and wait for their doom. Wu Bei stepped forward, but was drawn into a trap set by Ba De, forcing him into a sparring match with Ba De.
The outcome was, of course, a victory for the Ba clan and a defeat for the Wu clan.
"We never expected, however, that Lord Wu Bei's injuries would be so severe. During the spar, the victor was decided, and at the time, though Lord Wu Bei had lost, his bearing was still imposing."
"That's right. Though he lost to Ba De, Lord Wu Bei still attended a secret meeting that very night with Gu Immortals from the Qiao clan and other families. We all thought his injuries were not serious."
After Wu An finished, Wu Liao added a few words.
Fang Yuan chuckled inwardly, but on the surface offered his concern: "I understand the situation now. With Wu Bei gone, I will take his place. Everything remains as before—unless the enemy moves, we do not move."
"Yes, my lord." Wu Liao and Wu An immediately acknowledged the order.
Neither of them was surprised by this command. From an outsider's perspective, how could Wu Yihai's combat strength possibly compare to Ba De's?
True, Wu Yihai had recently gained some prominence, but his victory over Xia Feikuai had been merely a sparring match, and the rules had been set by himself. Though he had quelled the dispute at Luomu Mountain, the entire process had involved no actual fighting—he had simply reached an agreement with the mountain-driving Old Monster in the end. And the rumors about him and Qiao Siliu carried a romantic air that would not earn anyone's respect.
"If there is nothing else, you may withdraw. I rushed here nonstop and am quite tired." Fang Yuan waved his hand.
Wu Liao withdrew immediately, but Wu An hesitated and said softly, "My lord, there is a small matter I need to report—"
"Then go ahead." Fang Yuan already knew what Wu An wanted to report.
Sure enough, Wu An's subsequent words were exactly as Fang Yuan had anticipated—concerning the Wu clan's leadership of other families in using dreams to conduct the scattered immortal business.
"The authorities are watching closely right now, and the other families are growing nervous. Should we perhaps temporarily suspend this operation?" Wu An asked anxiously.
Fang Yuan pondered for a moment. "There is no need to worry. As I said just now, everything continues as before. If there is nothing else, you may withdraw."
"Yes, my lord." A flash of delight crossed Wu An's face as he bowed and retreated.
As long as the dream business continued, Wu An could profit from it personally. How could he not be pleased?
Even if things went badly and the business was exposed by the Ba clan, Wu An's personal responsibility would still be minimal—because his superior Fang Yuan had personally given the order to keep it running.
Fang Yuan was, of course, fully aware of Wu An's petty schemes.
He sneered inwardly: "This Wu An is short-sighted."
Admittedly, the Wu clan's situation was not ideal at the moment, but they were still the foremost clan in the Southern Border.
Ba De was indeed shrewd. He had made his move, but had not targeted this dream business. This showed considerable tact, because this source of profit was not enjoyed solely by the Wu clan—other families were involved as well. If he had attacked on this front, it would have rallied the other families into a united front with the Wu clan against him.
The fact that he had not seized on this leverage to press his attack demonstrated his clear insight into the overall situation of the Southern Border. Though the leverage was significant, deploying it now would yield poor results. If, at some future day, the Wu clan's prestige truly plummeted, then striking at that moment would surely trigger the kind of collapse where everyone kicks the fallen.
Ba De had recognized this, and Fang Yuan saw it just as clearly.
The affairs of the world are like a chess game. The best players always plan thoroughly before acting, knowing when to deploy which strategy and which piece for maximum effect.
Therefore, the dream business was to continue as usual. What truly determined whether Ba De would make his move was not the business itself, but the Wu clan.
The world is often wondrously strange in this way. For many things, the decisive factor is not the matter itself, but something beyond it.
With this thought, Fang Yuan subconsciously looked toward the Wu clan's direction.
Wu Yong, despite being an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal, had still fallen into Fang Yuan's scheme. Because this was not a contest of cultivation level or combat strength, but of experience and cunning.
Fang Yuan's reason for approaching Qiao Siliu had certainly not been Qiao Siliu herself, but what lay beyond her—namely, gaining access to the super dream realm.
Wu Yong could tolerate Wu Yihai's greed, but he feared Wu Yihai competing with him for power. And that was only natural.
The seeds had been planted long before Wu Duxiu's death. On her deathbed, Wu Duxiu had left behind a final wish—to pass her Immortal Gu on to Wu Yihai.
Wu Yihai's bloodline identity had already been recognized. Once he gained a foothold in power, he would absolutely become a formidable threat to Wu Yong's governance.