The sky was overcast, dark clouds pressing low, bearing the look of a mountain storm about to break.
The merchant caravan trudged along the mountain path in sullen silence.
The large Black-skin Fat-armored Insects that had once been in the caravan were all dead, not a single one left. Two Winged Snakes remained, each crippled in some way. The toad pack beasts, on the other hand, had survived in greater numbers — their small size and quick movements made it easier for them to evade wild beast charges. As for the Camel Chickens, they were similar to the toad pack beasts in build, but whenever they were frightened, they liked to bury their heads in the dirt. This self-deceiving method of avoidance had resulted in the heaviest casualties among them.
Shang Xinci moved among the crowd, her gaze drifting to the row of a dozen or so toad pack beasts beside her, her expression complicated beyond words.
The cargo loaded onto those toad pack beasts all belonged to the Zhang family.
Although Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing had not attended the discussion, the caravan leaders had still allocated a large batch of trade goods and placed them in her hands.
"Is this what power means…" Shang Xinci sighed inwardly.
Before, when Zhang Zhu had been alive, the attitude of these leaders had been indifferent. But now, they were courteous, even fawning to a degree.
And the Gu Masters, along with the household servants —
Their gazes when they looked at her now carried reverence and wariness.
"This entire shift comes from the two of them." Shang Xinci turned her eyes toward Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing, not far away.
Her expression was somewhat conflicted.
On one hand, she had gained a sense of security from Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing. On the other hand, kind-hearted as she was, she felt a chill of dread at their ruthless willingness to kill at the drop of a hat.
"Heh heh heh, seems like the two of us scared that little girl pretty good." Bai Ningbing walked shoulder to shoulder with Fang Yuan, and after catching Shang Xinci's gaze, murmured with a soft laugh.
It had been seven or eight days since they killed Ou Fei and his father.
The ripple effects had spread throughout the entire caravan. Naturally, that included Shang Xinci and Xiao Die.
Now Xiao Die didn't dare so much as breathe too loudly in front of the two of them. Shang Xinci's gaze also darted away; she didn't dare meet Fang Yuan's eyes.
This reaction was entirely within Fang Yuan's expectations.
This master and servant pair had grown up in the Zhang Family Stronghold, steeped in the values of the Righteous Path. When Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing revealed their Demonic nature, it was inevitable that they would recognize the gulf between them. Accepting two Demonic Path cultivators would require a journey of the heart.
Fang Yuan wasn't worried about this.
External pressure would force them to accept and compromise. People always had to go on living. After a few more beast attacks, the emotional distance between them would gradually fade away.
"The current problem is him." Fang Yuan shifted his gaze toward Chen Xin.
This young Gu Master appeared to be the same fellow who had fled alongside Zhang Zhu. Fang Yuan had previously assumed he'd been crushed into meat paste by the White Feather Flying Elephant. To think he was still alive.
Even a Gu Master of modest cultivation, if they possessed one or two unusual Gu Insects, could not be underestimated.
Fang Yuan had lost the Earth Hearing Flesh Ear Grass and thus had no means of scouting, which had allowed Chen Xin to escape with his life. He didn't know how much the man had seen or figured out.
But regardless of the extent, Fang Yuan had contingencies.
He was cautious by nature, always planning for defeat before considering victory. Back when he'd drawn up his plan, he'd already accounted for the possibility of being discovered.
That was why, after killing Zhang Zhu, he had deliberately displayed overwhelming power. If someone truly had found out, seeing how formidable and ruthless Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing were, most people would be seized by fear and keep their mouths shut.
Ou Fei's father had walked right into the crosshairs. Even if Ou Fei hadn't come looking, Fang Yuan would have found an opportunity to make his move, or during a beast attack, displayed fearsome power.
Of course, if he were ever exposed, Fang Yuan had plenty of means to strike back. Jia Long, the caravan leader, was an excellent chess piece.
He was Jia Fu's man, and Fang Yuan had once obtained Jia Fu's token back at the Guye Stockade. All he had to do was present the token, work things a little, and he could win Jia Long's trust.
No matter how flawless a plan might be in theory, mistakes would inevitably arise during execution.
Man proposes; Heaven disposes.
Even someone as experienced and cunning as Fang Yuan could fail. But then again, it was precisely this uncertainty that made life so richly varied.
The scenario Fang Yuan had considered first was the absolute worst outcome.
If his luck were truly abysmal, and someone had witnessed him killing Zhang Zhu — leaving ironclad evidence — and this ultimately led Shang Xinci to learn the truth, producing deep hatred toward him for "biting the hand that feeds"…
Then what would he do?
Simple. He would just kill Shang Xinci outright.
She was still only a mortal. Killing her would be trivially easy. The Shang family patriarch didn't even know she was his own daughter. If he were clean about it, there would be no repercussions from the Shang clan.
Now, as things stood, Zhang Zhu was dead. Fang Yuan's luck hadn't been the best — he'd left a loose end. But it also hadn't been the worst. At the very least, Shang Xinci was still kept in the dark.
Fang Yuan was certain of this. Shang Xinci was still young, and in his eyes, the emotions in her heart were impossible to conceal.
"Crocodile Elephant herd spotted ahead!"
"A Crocodile Elephant herd is charging straight at us!!"
"Battle stations, everyone!"
Just then, the scout Gu Master came sprinting back with dire news.
The caravan stirred with a brief commotion, but quickly settled back down.
"They're just Crocodile Elephants — don't panic."
"We're short on manpower. We absolutely cannot hunker down and hold our ground here."
"Right! Everyone scatter and get into the rainforest!"
The Gu Masters issued the wisest commands. The caravan members had been keeping their nerves taut and immediately scattered in every direction.
If this had been before reaching Bandit Monkey Mountain, encountering something like this would have been a far more serious affair.