Let the Past Fade Like Smoke

Facing his brother's questioning, Fang Yuan remained silent, continuing to eat his breakfast. He knew his brother's personality well; Fang Zheng was impatient.

As expected, seeing his brother not even glance at him, as if he were invisible, Fang Zheng's dissatisfaction grew. The next moment, he called out with an unhappy tone, "Brother, what did you do to Shen Cui? Ever since she left your room yesterday, she's been crying buckets. I tried to comfort her, but she just cried harder."

Fang Yuan looked up at his brother, his expressionless.

Fang Zheng frowned, staring intently at his brother, awaiting his answer.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

But Fang Yuan merely glanced at him before lowering his head and continuing to eat.

Fang Zheng was instantly enraged. Fang Yuan's attitude was nothing short of blatant contempt. Humiliated and angry, he slammed the table and shouted, "Gu Yue Fang Yuan, how could you be like this! Shen Cui is just a young girl who has served you for so many years. I've seen all her gentleness and care for you. Yes, I know you're disappointed, and I understand your despair. You only have C-grade aptitude, but you can't take out your frustrations on others just because of your own misfortune. It's unfair to her!"

Before his words had even finished, Fang Yuan shot up from his seat, his hand moving like lightning.

A sharp crack echoed as Fang Zheng received a solid slap across the face.

Fang Zheng clutched his right cheek, stumbling back two steps, his face etched with shock.

"You scoundrel, what kind of tone are you using to speak to your own brother?! Shen Cui is just a little maid. For such a young woman, have you forgotten I'm your brother?" Fang Yuan reprimanded in a low voice.

Fang Zheng reacted, the pain on his face sending waves to his central nervous system. His eyes widened, and he panted, saying in disbelief, "Brother, you hit me? You've never hit me since we were kids! Yes, I was tested with A-grade aptitude, and you only have C-grade. But you can't blame me, it's just fate…"

Before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, Fang Yuan's hand shot out again, delivering another slap.

Fang Zheng covered both sides of his face with his hands, utterly bewildered.

"Naive fool, what do you even remember! From childhood to adulthood, how did I take care of you? When our parents first died, we lived in poverty. For the New Year, Uncle and Aunt only gave us one new set of clothes between the two of us. Did I wear it? Who did I give it to? When you were young and loved preserved-fruit porridge, I told the kitchen to make an extra bowl for you every day. When others bullied you, who took you to fight back? And many other things I won't bother to mention. Now, for a servant girl, you speak to me like this, questioning me?"

Fang Zheng's face flushed red, his lips trembling. He was both ashamed and indignant, shocked and furious, yet he couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.

Because everything Fang Yuan said was the truth!

"Fine," Fang Yuan sneered repeatedly. "Since you've even abandoned your own parents and recognized others, what am I, your brother, worth?"

"Brother, how can you say that? You know I've always longed for family warmth since I was little, I…" Fang Zheng quickly tried to defend himself.

Fang Yuan waved his hand, stopping him. "From today onwards, you are no longer my brother, and I am no longer your brother."

"Brother!" Fang Zheng cried out in alarm, about to speak.

At that moment, Fang Yuan spoke again, "You like Shen Cui, don't you? Don't worry, I didn't do anything to her. She's still a virgin. Give me six primeval stones, and I'll transfer her to you. From now on, she'll be your personal maid."

"Brother, how could you…" Suddenly having his thoughts exposed, Fang Zheng became flustered, caught off guard.

But at the same time, his heart settled. His greatest fear had not come true.

Not long ago, Shen Cui had personally helped him bathe.

Although nothing substantial had happened, Fang Zheng would never forget the tenderness of that night. Every time he thought of Shen Cui, her nimble hands, her soft, moist red lips, a surge of emotion would well up in his heart.

The stirrings of youth had long since taken root and sprouted in the young boy's chest.

So when he learned of Shen Cui's distress yesterday evening, a wave of anger surged through him. He immediately abandoned refining the Moonlight Gu and searched the entire village for Fang Yuan, intending to demand an explanation.

Seeing Fang Zheng's hesitation, Fang Yuan frowned. "Attraction between men and women is normal. Be honest, what's with all this evasiveness? Of course, if you don't want to trade, then forget it."

Fang Zheng immediately grew anxious. "Trade, of course, I'll trade. But I don't have six primeval stones anymore."

As he spoke, he pulled out his money pouch, his face turning crimson.

Fang Yuan took the pouch and found six stones inside, but one of them was about half the size of a complete primeval stone. He immediately understood. Fang Zheng had already drawn out the true essence from the primeval stone to speed up the refining of the Moonlight Gu.

As more natural true essence was extracted, the primeval stone would shrink in volume and become lighter.

Even though there were only five and a half, Fang Yuan knew this was all the primeval stones Fang Zheng had. He had no savings himself; these six primeval stones were a recent gift from his uncle and aunt.

"I've accepted the primeval stones. You can go now," Fang Yuan said coldly, tucking the pouch into his robes.

"Brother…" Fang Zheng still wanted to speak.

Fang Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said slowly, "Before I change my mind, you'd best disappear from my sight."

Fang Zheng's heart tightened. He gritted his teeth and finally turned to leave.

Stepping out of the inn, he instinctively clutched his chest, feeling a sense of emptiness. A vague feeling told him that he had lost something very important at this moment.

But his heart soon warmed as he thought of Shen Cui and that unforgettable night.

"I can finally have you legitimately, Cui Cui." Without looking back, he walked out of Fang Yuan's sight.

Fang Yuan remained expressionless, standing for a long time before slowly sitting down.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his cold face, giving one a chilling impression.

The dining hall was somewhat deserted. More and more pedestrians appeared on the street, their clamor highlighting the silence of the place.

The breakfast had grown cold. A waiter solicitously approached, asking if he needed it reheated.

Fang Yuan paid no attention, his eyes shifting like clouds, as if recalling something.

After waiting for a while and seeing Fang Yuan lost in thought, the waiter, receiving no response, merely shrugged and left dejectedly.

After a long moment, Fang Yuan's gaze sharpened.

The memories in his heart, like smoke, gradually faded.

He returned to the real world. Sunlight poured in, illuminating more than half of the tabletop. The steam rising from the food had dissipated, and the noisy sounds of the street reached his ears.

He reached into his clothes and felt the five and a half primeval stones tucked into his chest. A bitter, mocking smile touched the corners of his lips.

But the smile vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Buddy, take this food down and heat it up," Fang Yuan said, glancing at the dishes and calling out.

At this moment, his eyes were exceptionally clear.

"What! Your brother said that?" In the hall, the uncle frowned, his voice laced with coldness.

The aunt sat to the side, looking at the bright red handprints on Fang Zheng's cheeks, speechless.

"Yes, when I saw my brother, he was eating breakfast at the inn. That's exactly how the whole thing happened," Fang Zheng replied respectfully.

The uncle's frown deepened, his brow furrowed into a single line.

After a few breaths, he sighed deeply and said with a serious tone, "Fang Zheng, my child, you must remember that the maid Shen Cui is not Fang Yuan's private property, but someone we assigned to him. How could she be bought and sold? Besides, if you wanted her, you should have told us earlier, and we would have assigned her to you."

"Ah?" Fang Zheng was dumbfounded.

The uncle waved his hand, "You can go down now. You gave your primeval stones to Fang Yuan, so I'll give you six more. Remember, use them well for refining Gu this time. If you win first place, we'll be proud of you."

"Father, your child is ashamed..." Fang Zheng was so moved that tears streamed down his face.

The uncle sighed, "Go on, go on. Hurry back to your room and refine Gu. You've already wasted enough time."

After Fang Zheng retreated, the uncle's face revealed a ferocious expression of anger.

He slammed his hand heavily on the table and growled in a low voice, "Hmph, that little brat, actually using our people for trade, truly cunning and sly!"

The aunt quickly tried to placate him, "Master, please calm down. It's only six primeval stones."

"You foolish woman, what do you know! Fang Yuan only has C-grade aptitude. To refine the Moonlight Gu, he needs primeval stones. With his novice technique from his first attempt at refining Gu, six primeval stones would definitely not be enough. But now that he has twelve, it's more than sufficient," the uncle gritted his teeth in hatred.

He continued, "As long as a Gu Master has sufficient resources and isn't stuck by bottlenecks, their cultivation will advance very quickly. In two to three years, the clan can cultivate many Rank 2 Gu Masters. The lower Fang Yuan's cultivation is, the smaller his hope of reclaiming his family property in a year. Now that he's young and just starting his cultivation, if we hold him back, he'll fall behind his peers from the very beginning. The academy's resources are rewards for excellent students. With his aptitude, once he falls behind, he won't get resources. Without resources to aid his cultivation, he'll fall even further behind. If this vicious cycle continues, let's see if he'll still have the strength to inherit the family property in a year!"

The aunt asked in confusion, "Even if we don't restrain him, he'll be at most Rank 1 Mid Stage in a year. Master, you're Rank 2 cultivation, are you afraid of him?"

The uncle stamped his foot in anger, "Foolish woman, truly short-sighted! As my esteemed elder, am I supposed to fight a junior? If he wants to reclaim his inheritance, it's reasonable and justified. We can't directly stop him; we can only act according to the clan rules. The clan rules clearly state: those who are to establish themselves by sixteen must have at least Rank 1 Mid Stage cultivation. Otherwise, it means Fang Yuan is not qualified to waste clan resources. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The aunt suddenly understood.

The uncle narrowed his eyes, a sinister glint flashing within them. He shook his head slightly and sighed, "This Fang Yuan is too shrewd, too cunning. He saw through the temptation of beauty; what kind of mind is that? To be so calculating at such a young age, it's terrifying! We originally planned to scheme against him, but he directly moved out. We wanted to use Shen Cui to monitor and interfere with him, but he sent her away and even earned six primeval stones."

"Alas, if only he were as foolish as Fang Zheng. By the way, you need to treat Fang Zheng better from now on. He has A-grade aptitude. And I can see that he's very unconvinced and unwilling to accept Fang Yuan. This emotion is very good; you need to guide it well. I have a premonition that he will be the best weapon against Fang Yuan in the future!"

Another two days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the inn room, no lamp was lit. Moonlight streamed in, illuminating the floor like frost.

On the bed, Fang Yuan sat with his eyes closed, circulating his Bronze True Essence, concentrating on refining the Wine Bug.

A small segment of the Wine Bug's body was dyed a bronze green, but its will remained tenacious, struggling constantly within the smoke-like true essence.

Fang Yuan's refining was not going smoothly; it could be described as arduous.

"I've spent a full two days and two nights, resting only two hours each day, and consumed twelve primeval stones, yet I've only managed to refine one-fifteenth of it. Based on the time, someone will succeed in refining their Gu within these next few days."

Fang Yuan saw through the situation with clarity.

However, his aptitude was inherently inferior, and the Wine Bug's will to survive was extremely tenacious, far exceeding that of an ordinary Moonlight Gu. This lag was entirely normal.

"Falling behind temporarily means nothing, as long as I get the Wine Bug..." Fang Yuan's mind was as calm as a mirror, without a trace of anxiety or discouragement.

But just then, the Wine Bug suddenly coiled up, forming a ball.

"Not good, Gu worm backlash!" Fang Yuan's eyes snapped open, a flicker of shock in them. Before him, the Wine Bug had formed a round, glutinous rice ball shape and suddenly emitted a blinding white light.

It was making a desperate gamble!

Instantly, Fang Yuan felt a powerful will emanating from the Wine Bug, bypassing the true essence and descending directly into his aperture's primeval sea.

Gu worm backlash was extremely rare. Only Gu worms with extremely strong wills would fight with all their might, choosing death over failure.

Any other youth facing this situation would undoubtedly panic.

But Fang Yuan, though startled, was not flustered. Instead, he felt a hint of joy. "A desperate gamble is fine. As long as I withstand this backlash, the Wine Bug's will will be greatly weakened. However, I will need to focus all my spirit to resist this will impact, without any external interference. Otherwise, it will be disastrous. Alas... I hope no one disturbs me during this time."

After his thoughts, he was about to activate his aperture's true essence to meet that will and engage in a fierce battle for hundreds of rounds.

But at that very moment, another anomaly occurred!

A Gu worm appeared in the center of his aperture, above his primeval sea.

Boom!

This Gu worm erupted with an extremely powerful aura.

This aura was like the Heavenly River pouring down, a mountain torrent bursting forth, or a terrifying beast whose majesty had been offended, opening its blood-red eyes to see who dared to trespass on its territory!

"This is the Spring Autumn Cicada?!" Seeing this Gu worm, Fang Yuan was utterly shocked!!

(ps: Thanks to fans 789, Lost Light, Tai Sui, Wei Luhui, and Shui Dan Yun Qing for their rewards. Thanks to old friend Ming Feng Hun for his continuous support. It's been exactly one week since the new book was released, and many old friends have arrived, some from years ago. Seeing your familiar IDs warms my heart. I can say that without your support, I wouldn't be here today.

I will continue to walk this path, for three years, six years, nine years... During this time, some friends will leave temporarily, and some will stay forever. On the vast journey of life, we will affirm each other's existence, and we will prove that we have lived.

I imagine a scene: when we are old, friends will see the ID "Reverend Insanity" and smile, saying to themselves, "Oh, it's him. I read his novel when I was young. I even gave him recommendation votes." Or I will open old pages and see familiar IDs – those who rewarded, voted for monthly tickets, commented. I will recall that when I was writing alone, these names were the hardships, the flickering lights that gave me warmth.

The book reaches a small turning point here. Fang Yuan will begin to truly reveal his unique charm. Friends who can read this far are fated. I guarantee here that the book will become more and more exciting, and the updates will be very stable, much better than the previous one. Please give more recommendation votes, as they are greatly needed right now.)