Five people stood at the roadside.
Guye Jiaosan smiled warmly and addressed
"First, clan tasks — every Gu Master must complete at least one each month. The more you complete, and the better you perform, the higher your evaluation."
"Second, tasks are issued by either the Internal Affairs Hall or the External Affairs Hall. A Gu Master may only select one task at a time, and once accepted, it must be completed."
"Third, under special circumstances, a Gu Master may choose to abandon a task. However, their evaluation will be greatly reduced as a result. Furthermore, a First Transformation Gu Master has no right to abandon a task — only Second Transformation Gu Masters and above have that privilege. Even then, they may only abandon one task per year."
"Fourth, the clan evaluation is extremely important. It determines your future within the clan. The higher your evaluation, the broader and brighter your prospects."
Fang Yuan listened and nodded. He already knew all of this inside and out. Guye Jiaosan hadn't said anything wrong, nor had he deliberately misled, but there were many other crucial details he'd conveniently left out.
"All right, the腐泥冻土 collection task is done. Next, I've taken on a wild deer capture assignment. Very low danger — perfect for you to get some practice, Brother Fang Yuan," Jiaosan continued.
Fang Yuan sneered inwardly but said aloud, "Thank you for looking out for me, Group Leader."
Guye Kongjing immediately chimed in, "Brother Fang Yuan, you really should thank the Group Leader. Simple tasks are easy to complete, sure, but the rewards are meager. The Group Leader did this specifically to look after you."
The other two female Gu Masters echoed his words. "Exactly, exactly, little Brother Fang Yuan — words of gratitude aren't as good as real action. Why not treat the Group Leader to a meal?"
"Little Brother Fang Yuan, you've only just left the Academy. Things in the outside world are complicated. Interpersonal relationships are awfully important. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask us over dinner."
Guye Jiaosan laughed heartily and waved them off with a show of modesty. "Don't pressure Fang Yuan. He just left the Academy — he doesn't have many Yuan Stones to his name. He's pretty hard up."
"No way! Setting everything else aside, the first place in the year-end exam alone comes with a hundred Yuan Stones as a reward!" one of the female Gu Masters exclaimed deliberately, then put on a look of faint jealousy. "Honestly, I'm envious. A hundred Yuan Stones is a pretty hefty sum for the likes of us."
"Group Leader, you've got our little Brother Fang Yuan all wrong. How could he ever be stingy? Isn't that right, Brother Fang Yuan?" Guyue Kongjing said with a hearty laugh, looking thoroughly amused.
The other female Gu Master sidled up to Fang Yuan, wearing an air of familiarity and warmth. "Little Brother Fang Yuan, let me give you some friendly advice. The rest of us? You don't need to curry favor with. But the Group Leader — you absolutely must. Did you know that part of our evaluations are written by the Group Leader himself? When he says 'excellent,' that's excellent. When he says 'poor,' that's poor."
"Exactly right. Evaluations are crucial for Gu Masters. If you're rated 'excellent,' you'll catch the eye of the clan's higher-ups. Once you've built up enough seniority, you could save yourself years of hard work!" Kongjing added immediately.
Through the entire exchange, Guye Jiaosan watched with a benevolent smile.
Finally, he waved his hand, his expression kind and his smile warm. "Now, now, don't go saying things you shouldn't. My evaluations are fair and objective — I can't be swayed by something as simple as a meal. But don't worry, Fang Yuan. You're a newcomer, and since you've joined our group, I'll certainly take that into account when writing your evaluation."
Any ordinary teenager would have been thoroughly charmed by this bunch by now, secretly moved by their words. That was how they bullied newcomers who didn't know the rules — naive and gullible.
But Fang Yuan's eyes remained clear and calm throughout.
It was true that the Group Leader participated in evaluating group members. That was simply how the clan's system worked — authority was delegated downward, giving the Group Leader position its weight and making it easier to manage each small team.
But things were nowhere near as dire as these people made it out to be.
The Group Leader's comments were only a small part of the clan's evaluation. The majority still fell under the jurisdiction of the Internal Affairs Hall.
Even if, for the sake of argument, the Group Leader's evaluation of a group member was enormously influential — so what?
Fang Yuan couldn't care less about these evaluations.
He had already made up his mind to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible, reach Third Transformation, and leave this place. He had absolutely no intention of wasting a hundred years in this clan, devoting his life to its service.
In the eyes of these short-sighted Gu Masters, the evaluation was everything. But to Fang Yuan, so-called evaluations were worth less than nothing!
Their veiled threats carried not the slightest weight against him.
"I've heard what you all have to say. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be going." After a brief silence, Fang Yuan spoke.
Huh?
All four Gu Masters looked stunned.
"What does that mean? Did you not hear a single word we just said?" one of the female Gu Masters widened her eyes, silently screaming inside.
"Is your comprehension really okay?" Guyue Kongjing at that very moment truly wanted to grab Fang Yuan by the collar and confront him face to face.