Fang Huasheng's "trouble" and "complaints" were actually a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan's expression didn't change. The lake of his heart remained still and undisturbed.
Because he had long since caught wind of such rumors.
If he intended to oppose the Heavenly Court, his vision had to be far-reaching. He had always striven to rise above the Five Regions, treating the entire Gu World as his chessboard in a game against the Heavenly Court.
The rumor that "Suan Bujin and Fang Yuan are the same person" had not been started by the Heavenly Court.
Fairy Zi Wei had no evidence. Making reckless guesses would only tarnish the Heavenly Court's reputation! At most, they harbored suspicion and secretly fanned the flames.
The forces truly responsible for spreading this rumor were the other righteous path factions in the Western Desert.
The Fang Family had achieved a resounding victory in the great battle of the Bean God Palace. They had defeated Chen Yi and Qing Chou, captured the Bean God Palace, and even recruited two Seventh Transformation demonic path powerhouses: Defeated Army Old Ghost and Eagle Maiden.
The Fang Family's haul was enormous. If they digested their spoils, their strength would surely skyrocket, vaulting them into the top seat among the Western Desert's righteous path factions.
This disrupted the old balance. In such turmoil, many righteous path factions' interests were inevitably threatened, prompting them to band together in an attempt to suppress the Fang Family.
To justify their actions and claim moral authority, they scrambled for any pretext they could find.
No matter how ancient and irrelevant the grudge, it was dragged out and aired.
Historical contradictions, long buried under layers of dust, were brought out for use.
If they truly couldn't find a reason, what did they do?
They created one.
And so all manner of rumors and gossip surged forth, spoken with great conviction, yet crumbling under even the slightest scrutiny.
The rumor that Suan Bujin was Fang Yuan was one such case. There was absolutely no strong evidence—but did rumors ever need evidence?
These were nothing more than the games of the righteous path—the fig leaves covering their coordinated assault on the Fang Family.
Who cares whether there's evidence? As long as you have the fig leaf, that's all that matters!
Fang Yuan even suspected that this particular rumor about himself had probably been cooked up on a whim by some Gu Immortal.
And the Gu Immortal who fabricated it had certainly never expected that they had stumbled into the truth entirely by accident!
But Fang Yuan estimated that the Fang Family would not believe such rumors.
Though the Suan Bujin identity had appeared somewhat abruptly, it actually had traceable origins.
This was something Fang Yuan had long prepared for. He had linked the Suan Bujin identity to the Western Desert independent immortal, Zheng Jingshen.
The Fang Family actually trusted the evidence Fang Yuan had presented.
Because Zheng Jingshen was a figure from tens of thousands of years ago, and his connection to the Fang Family was a secret that other factions knew little about.
The Fang Family would never admit that Suan Bujin was Fang Yuan—unless presented with direct evidence they could not refute.
In his previous life, that was exactly what happened.
Because Fang Yuan's identity was exposed, the Fang Family did indeed fall into a disadvantaged position, and the righteous path forces of the Western Desert eagerly seized upon this banner!
Fang Yuan understood clearly: everything Fang Huasheng said was aimed at securing advantages for the Fang Family.
Fang Yuan sneered inwardly and cast a cool glance at Fang Huasheng. "In that case, forget it. I'll seek cooperation with another family."
With that, he turned and left, as abrupt in his departure as he had been in his arrival.
Fang Huasheng's heart lurched at the look in Fang Yuan's eyes. Seeing him turn to leave, he cried out in alarm and rushed after him: "Immortal Friend Suan Bujin, please wait—please wait!"
"What is it? Something else?" Fang Yuan slowed, hovering in midair.
He regarded Fang Huasheng with an amused look, his tone mild: "Isn't the Fang Family in a difficult position? Don't you want to cooperate?"
Fang Huasheng wore a bitter smile across his entire face.
He now understood that Fang Yuan had seen right through him and the Fang Family, and was deliberately doing this to gain leverage.
But Fang Huasheng was helpless, because he had indeed been cornered.
On this matter, he had come prepared. Before his departure, the Wisdom Path grand master Fang Dichang had briefed him.
After all, the Suan Bujin identity was that of a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal!
Fang Huasheng cupped his fists in salute: "Immortal Friend Suan Bujin, please don't take offense. Though the Fang Family's situation is dire, our determination to cooperate with you has never wavered! The bond between our family and you stretches back tens of thousands of years. This connection is truly remarkable, and worth cherishing on both sides."
"In the last battle for the Bean God Palace, our clan and you cooperated most pleasantly. Without your assistance, it would have been far more troublesome to capture the palace. Our Fang Family still owes you the spoils of that battle. Though we previously obtained your understanding to delay payment, none of us have ever forgotten this debt. Before my departure, the Supreme Grand Elder specifically asked me to offer a heartfelt apology regarding this matter."
Fang Huasheng delivered a lengthy string of polished words—pleasing but costing nothing.
Fang Yuan felt nothing but contempt, but a smile appeared on his face. Partly to play along with Fang Huasheng, and partly to give himself a graceful exit.
Fang Yuan spoke: "I'm aware of the Fang Family's situation, to some degree. As you know, I am a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal, and my desire to develop the Blue Ghost Desert is quite pressing. I've already drafted the terms for this cooperation. Take a look."
Fang Huasheng accepted the Information Path mortal Gu and sent his divine sense scanning through it. His face paled ever so slightly.
The terms Fang Yuan proposed were clearly biased in his favor. The demands placed on the Fang Family were neither unreasonable nor lenient—calibrated precisely to their bottom line.