The Western Desert.
The Fang family's main base, the Guan Yuan Blessed Land.
Pfft.
Fang Tichang suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed face-first onto the ground.
"Adoptive father!" Beside him, his adoptive son Fang Yun rushed forward and helped Fang Tichang to his feet.
Fang Tichang was severely injured. Even with help standing up, his body swayed and his vision blurred.
He quickly assessed his condition, then smiled bitterly to himself.
This injury had dealt a massive blow to his mind, leaving a huge crack that nearly split it in two. His soul had also been damaged, and within his physical body, a strange blue-green luminescence had taken root, emanating the aura of the Wood Path.
Fang Tichang sighed, gazing at the enormous palace before him.
The palace was majestic as a mountain, with blue bricks and golden tiles, radiating a rich, fresh fragrance of vegetation. Solemn and stately, yet bursting with vitality. Above the main gate hung a plaque inscribed with three bold characters — Bean God Palace!
"As expected of a Gu Immortal dwelling created by Immortal Venerable Yuan Lian — comprehensive in every aspect, without a single flaw. I tried to forcefully calculate into it and suffered such severe backlash. I underestimated the power of a Venerable, and I was too impatient." Fang Tichang lamented.
"Father, our Fang family's situation is still quite stable. We just need to take it slow," Fang Yun consoled him.
Fang Tichang shook his head. "Although our Fang family has stabilized, the situation is far from optimistic. Those families are only holding back because our killer move on the Stealing Path has deterred them for the moment — they've never stopped scheming against us. We must seize every moment and not relax in the slightest."
"Yes, Father."
Fang Tichang gazed at the Bean God Palace and sighed again. "Alas, it's a pity our Fang family has no Gu Immortals who cultivate the Wood Path. The core of this Bean God Palace is the Wood Path. If only we had a Seventh Transformation Wood Path Gu Immortal to assist me, my progress in calculating this dwelling would be substantial."
The Western Desert was filled with vast deserts dotted with oases — the Wood Path and Water Path were the two least common specializations here.
Among the Five Regions, the Southern Border had the greatest number of Wood Path Gu Immortals, while the Eastern Sea led in Water Path.
Fang Yun thought for a moment. "Although our Fang family has no Wood Path Gu Immortals, we do have someone from the Wisdom Path."
"Are you referring to Suan Bu Jin?" Fang Tichang's gaze sharpened, a glint of wariness flashing through his eyes. He turned to look at Fang Yun. "Did he ask you to recommend him?"
Fang Yun let out a startled "ah" and shook his head. "No, no, I was just saying. Lord Suan Bu Jin has never implied such a thing. In fact, since joining our clan, he's been stationed outside the whole time and has never once contacted me."
Fang Tichang's expression softened slightly. "Suan Bu Jin isn't really a member of the Fang family by blood. Even though he's joined us, we need to keep our guard up."
"Father, are you doubting Lord Suan Bu Jin's loyalty?" Fang Yun scratched his head.
Fang Tichang narrowed his eyes. "With his help, we would certainly make progress. But you can know a person's face without knowing their heart — especially with a treasure like the Bean God Palace. Even if he had no such thoughts before, once he saw this palace and spent every day alongside it, who knows what greed might take root."
Even so, Fang Tichang remained uneasy. "Has there been any activity on Suan Bu Jin's end recently?"
Fang Yun answered honestly. "No activity. But there are new rumors targeting Lord Suan Bu Jin — saying he's actually the successor of Lie Shen Lao Ren, a remnant of the Demonic Path, and that our clan took him in. There are also rumors that the Wan family will pursue the matter and verify his true identity."
Fang Tichang let out a cold snort. "These people just won't let go of Suan Bu Jin! But at least this excuse sounds plausible — more believable than that previous rumor about him being the demon Fang Yuan."
Fang Tichang sneered repeatedly, never suspecting that the previous rumor had actually been the truth, while the current one was a distortion of facts.
Lie Shen Lao Ren had originally been a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal of the Wan family, but due to a cultivation error, he had gone mad and lost his sanity. Possessing Seventh Transformation cultivation, his combat strength only grew stronger after his madness. He inflicted massive losses on the Wan family and slaughtered Gu Immortals from other Righteous Path factions.
This sent shockwaves through the Western Desert's Gu Immortal community. Afterwards, several Righteous Path factions joined forces to hunt down Lie Shen Lao Ren, but they could never find any trace of him. In the end, Lie Shen Lao Ren vanished without a trace, and the matter was left unresolved.
Fang Tichang mused, "Suan Bu Jin is no weakling — he certainly sees through such petty tricks. But since he only recently joined the Fang family, being viewed as a weak link is understandable. We should instruct him to focus on his garrison and avoid taking action lightly, so as not to give our enemies ammunition. As for his identity, our Fang family will vouch for him and give the Western Desert's Righteous Path a satisfactory explanation."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Fang Tichang's expression changed.
Seeing his adoptive father's expression, Fang Yun asked urgently, "What happened?"
Fang Tichang's face had already been pale and weak, but now a sickly ashen hue crept over it. "Suan Bu Jin just sent word — he's counter-calculated and located a certain Wisdom Path Gu Immortal nearby, most likely the one spreading the rumors. He's already gone to capture him."
Fang Yun was stunned. "What?!"
According to standard protocol, any Gu Immortal guarding resources had to report to the family before taking action. Only after the family's approval could they mobilize.
But Suan Bu Jin's actions were a clear case of act first, report later. He had departed directly and would report afterward. Regardless of whether the Fang family agreed or not, he had abandoned his post and taken matters into his own hands.
"A rogue cultivator after all — untamable!" Fang Tichang gritted his teeth in frustration, but at precisely this moment, having suffered severe injuries, he couldn't perform further calculations.
He had no choice but to contact the Fang family's Supreme Elder, Fang Gong, and have him rush to support Suan Bu Jin as quickly as possible.