Fang Yuan glanced at the invitation. The words on it were exceedingly polite, written in the Northern Plains script—running script that appeared wild yet restrained. The signature was the Man Family Patriarch's name: Mantu.
It was a personal invitation penned by Mantu himself, a gesture of sincerity.
The contents expressed the Man Family Patriarch's admiration for Chang Shanyin, and stated that the previous incident had merely been a misunderstanding among children. Chang Shanyin had not killed the Man Family's external Elder Shi Wu—such magnanimity had earned the respect of the entire Man household.
Therefore, a banquet would be held tonight, and they cordially invited Chang Shanyin to attend. Additionally, within this gift box were apology gifts, sent because Elder Shi Wu had offended a hero.
Fang Yuan opened it and smiled: "The Man Family is quite thoughtful."
Inside the gift box were over a hundred Bone Bamboo Gu.
Clearly, after Man Duo returned, the Man Family had conducted a thorough investigation of Fang Yuan, even learning of his purchases at the marketplace.
"Brother Shanyin, I have an unreasonable request to make," the old patriarch beside him spoke up.
Fang Yuan waved his hand: "I understand what you mean, old brother. Rest assured, at the banquet I'll put in a word and try to turn the conflict between the Ge and Man families into friendship."
"Oh, thank you so much, Brother Shanyin!" The old patriarch was deeply moved, struggling to his feet with trembling limbs, and bowed deeply to Fang Yuan.
There was still some time before the evening banquet. After seeing his guests off, Fang Yuan closed the door.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, and with a thought, a streak of light flew out from his Empty Orifice.
The faint glow faded, revealing the War Bone Wheel.
This Fifth Transformation Gu was enormous in size, nearly reaching the ceiling. The moment it appeared, the originally spacious room immediately felt cramped and tiny.
The wheel was covered in cracks. Several severe gashes had nearly destroyed all the spokes. And one wound, the deepest of all, was so grave it had almost split the entire War Bone Wheel apart, connected only by a sliver of white bone in the center. The sight was appalling.
This Fifth Transformation Gu had not been fortunate. It had already been battered and broken by Chang Shanyin. After its original owner Hatugu died, it became a wild Gu, feeding on battlefield corpses and broken bones just to survive, its wounds never repaired.
Later, it was attacked by both Fang Yuan and Ge Yao. The Spring Autumn Cicada was a Sixth Transformation Gu, yet it could not subdue a Fifth Transformation Gu either. Fang Yuan had to beat it to the brink of death before finally subduing it.
Because of all this, the entire War Bone Wheel was on the verge of shattering. When it landed in the room, several bone fragments even broke off from the wheel.
It could not have been in worse condition.
Fang Yuan took a Bone Bamboo Gu from the gift box. Relying on a wisp of the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura, he casually refined it.
This Gu insect resembled a bamboo stalk carved from bone, a ghastly, deathly white—like a white candle.
Fang Yuan held the Bone Bamboo Gu in his hand. True Essence flowed according to his will, exiting the Empty Orifice and traveling upward until it pooled beneath his tongue.
The Ghost Fire Gu resided beneath his tongue, already condensed into a团 of blue flame.
Fang Yuan puffed his cheeks slightly and blew softly.
With a whoosh, he exhaled a wisp of ghostly blue fire.
The ghost fire landed precisely on the Bone Bamboo Gu, clinging to its upper end and burning quietly.
Fang Yuan gripped the base of the Bone Bamboo Gu, holding it like a blue-flamed candle.
The ghost fire burned continuously, radiating waves of cold—yin chill that pierced to the bone. Under the ghost fire's scorching, the upper end of the Bone Bamboo Gu slowly melted, forming a wisp of white bone smoke that drifted upward.
Fang Yuan carefully brought the Bone Bamboo Gu close to the War Bone Wheel. The white bone smoke, as if drawn by an invisible force, floated naturally toward the cracks on the War Bone Wheel. The wheel trembled faintly, and the fissures began to mend, little by little.
Before long, the ghostly blue fire burned smaller and smaller. Fang Yuan then exhaled a second burst, stoking the flame back to strength.
After half a cup of tea's time, the Bone Bamboo Gu was completely consumed. Fang Yuan then took a second Bone Bamboo Gu from the gift box and continued using ghost fire to burn it, producing more white bone smoke.
He repeated this cycle tirelessly. After using over thirty Bone Bamboo Gu, Fang Yuan had finally fully repaired the deepest crack on the War Bone Wheel.
The gift box, once filled with Bone Bamboo Gu, had been depleted by a quarter. To completely repair the War Bone Wheel, these Bone Bamboo Gu alone were far from enough.
And the War Bone Wheel was still nowhere near combat-ready.
The deepest crack had been mended, but the other wounds still covered the wheel's surface.
It was like a patient. After Fang Yuan's emergency treatment, it had been pulled back one step from the cliff's edge of death. But this patient was still critically ill, requiring persistent, ongoing repairs.
"You can't become fat in a single meal. The War Bone Wheel's injuries are simply too severe. But if not for that, I wouldn't have been able to subdue it so easily. Still, even if it were fully repaired now, my current True Essence wouldn't be enough to activate it. There's no rush."
Fang Yuan climbed down from the bed, stretched his numbed limbs, and opened the window. It was already dark outside—the moon hung bright amid sparse stars.
"Almost time." Thinking of tonight's banquet, Fang Yuan left his room.
Stepping out of the courtyard, he found that Man Duo and the Ge Family patriarch and his son had been waiting for quite some time.
"Man Duo greets Lord Chang Shanyin!" Upon seeing Fang Yuan, Man Duo immediately bowed, his manner thoroughly respectful.