Section Forty-Six: Don't Overthink Killing

Following his memory, Fang Yuan brought Jia Jin Sheng to the mountain crevice once more.

The two entered the crevice, the path narrowing as they went, plunging them into darkness. Jia Jin Sheng grew increasingly uneasy, being unfamiliar with the surroundings.

Finally, he couldn't hold back his question: "I have a question. Jia Fu has always presented himself with integrity, kindness, and trustworthiness. I, on the other hand, am known for deception and coercion. Why did you choose me for this deal instead of him?"

Fang Yuan's reply echoed from the crevice: "Because his cultivation is too high. If he saw the shadow screen, he could choose to trade with me or refuse and hand the shadow screen over to the Gu Yue Clan Leader. I don't like giving control to others. Besides, I don't believe in integrity. So-called trustworthiness is all nonsense; it's just that the benefits are too small to move people's hearts."

The more significant reason was Jia Jin Sheng's special status and weak cultivation, making him easier to manipulate. However, Fang Yuan naturally wouldn't state this aloud.

"Heh heh," Jia Jin Sheng chuckled dryly, his suspicion largely dispelled. "Your last sentence truly resonated with me."

The two finally squeezed into the secret cave within the mountain.

Jia Jin Sheng saw the shadow screen immediately and couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Haha, I bet right! You didn't lie to me!"

Fang Yuan stood behind him, letting out a soft chuckle without a word.

Jia Jin Sheng gazed at the shadow screen, the images on the mountain wall shifting, replaying the past grievances between the Flower Wine Wanderer and the fourth generation clan leader.

After watching it once, he withdrew his gaze, turned to Fang Yuan, and teased, "It seems your fourth generation ancestor wasn't all that great either."

Fang Yuan replied, "There's nothing to it. The Gu Yue Clan needed a hero, so the fourth generation became a hero. Soon, the Bai Family Village will need a despicable scoundrel, and the fourth generation will become one. Hero or scoundrel is merely how others perceive them."

"That's brilliantly put," Jia Jin Sheng said, clapping his hands and laughing as he surveyed the secret cave.

His gaze paused on the withered bones of the Flower Wine Wanderer, and he remarked, "What a shame for a Rank 5 expert. Young brother, you must have gained quite a bit from him, right?"

The inheritance of a Rank 5 Gu Master was naturally extraordinary. The thought made Jia Jin Sheng's heart stir, and he couldn't help but probe Fang Yuan for details.

Fang Yuan shook his head. "It's been so long, many Gu have died. I only got a Wine Bug."

Jia Jin Sheng didn't believe him. "Young brother, don't lie to me. Once this deal is done, we'll be accomplices. I won't leak anything. Tell me honestly, how much did you really gain?"

Fang Yuan let out a cold laugh, too lazy to reply, and offered no further explanation.

Fang Yuan had long anticipated Jia Jin Sheng's reaction. This was precisely why he had chosen Jia Jin Sheng over Jia Fu.

Jia Jin Sheng continued on his own, "Putting aside other things, I know the Flower Wine Wanderer possessed a famous Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider. That's a Rank 5 mount Gu worm, massive in size and exceptionally skilled at burrowing and escaping. The Flower Wine Wanderer, being a demonic path cultivator, was able to roam freely precisely because of this Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider, allowing him to repeatedly escape the encirclement of righteous path cultivators."

"Oh, is that so?" Fang Yuan frowned slightly. He hadn't heard much information about the Flower Wine Wanderer.

Jia Jin Sheng said proudly, "I came to your village last year and heard this legend. I found it quite interesting and specifically inquired back home. The Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider and the Flower Wine Wanderer were almost inseparable. In my opinion, this secret cave in the mountain was opened by the Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider. Otherwise, Qing Mao Mountain is all thick, sticky earth; how could such a secret cave have formed naturally? Young brother, stop hiding it. The Flower Wine Wanderer died here, so his Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider must be here too!"

Fang Yuan's frown deepened. He felt a vague sense of unease, his gaze distant as he said, "Indeed, there are no other exits from here. The Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider is massive; if it tried to go through the crevice we entered, it wouldn't fit. However, it's also possible that this Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider was cunningly trapped and killed by the fourth generation beforehand. You see in the shadow screen, the Flower Wine Wanderer never summoned the Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider during the fierce battle."

"Then this matter is even more peculiar. This secret cave couldn't have formed naturally; it must have been temporarily carved out by the Flower Wine Wanderer. Without the Thousand Mile Earth Wolf Spider, did he have some other means?" Jia Jin Sheng looked at Fang Yuan with great suspicion.

Fang Yuan's brow was almost knitted into a single knot. He felt increasingly uneasy. The new information he had just received from Jia Jin Sheng made him vaguely realize that there seemed to be a crucial detail he had missed.

He couldn't help but fall into thought.

Jia Jin Sheng was also contemplating. The shadow screen no longer satisfied his desires. Now that he was certain this matter was real, he was eager to unearth the Flower Wine Wanderer's hidden treasures from Fang Yuan.

Neither of them expected that, at this very moment, a sudden change would occur!

The shadow screen, which had been playing in a loop, suddenly flickered.

A bald Gu Master, heavily injured and extremely pale, replaced the original image on the screen.

He lay limply on the ground, leaning against the mountain wall. His chest and limbs were covered in deep wounds, but strangely, these wounds gaped open without bleeding, as if all the blood in his body had been drained.

"I am the Flower Wine Wanderer," the bald Gu Master chuckled, his expression hideously distorted. "Successor, no matter who you are, the fact that you've kept my shadow screen playing for nearly a hundred days proves you harbor ill feelings towards the Gu Yue Clan. Very good, you are my inheritor!! All my legacy is yours, but with one condition: you must annihilate the Gu Yue Clan, slaughter the village, leaving no one alive!"

Jia Jin Sheng stood frozen, his face filled with shock.

"The inheritance of the Rank 5 expert, the Flower Wine Wanderer!"

He was stunned, his mind buzzing, thoughts racing.

"Heavens! What does a Rank 5 expert even mean? Rank 3 is a clan elder, Rank 4 can become a village chief. A Rank 5 Gu Master, however, is a mountain lord, capable of dominating a mountain and acting with impunity! I never imagined such a small place would hold the legacy of a Rank 5 Gu Master's power."

"Wait a moment, the Flower Wine Wanderer was a demonic path cultivator. If I inherit his power, wouldn't that be problematic? No, power is unrelated to good or evil, righteousness or wickedness. The Flower Wine Wanderer wants his successor to annihilate the Gu Yue Clan, but would I comply? He's already dead. I just need to inherit his legacy and ignore those demands."

"This is a tremendous opportunity. Although I only have D-grade aptitude, if I inherit the Flower Wine Wanderer's treasures, perhaps I can change my aptitude. Maybe those rare Gu worms that enhance aptitude are in this legacy. If I inherit this wealth and become a Rank 4 or Rank 5 Gu Master, I can contend with Jia Fu!"

"Wait! I almost forgot. There's still an outsider here. What should I do?"

"Do I have to share this inheritance with him? No, kill him! Only by killing him can this secret be kept. Yes, first I'll placate him, pretend to agree to share the inheritance to lower his guard, then I'll launch a surprise attack and kill him here. This place is so secluded, it's perfect. Even if I kill him, no one will ever know."

Despite thinking all this, only a brief moment had passed.

With his mind made up, Jia Jin Sheng narrowed his eyes, a false smile appearing on his face.

He slowly turned around to face Fang Yuan, about to speak, when he saw two ethereal blue Moon Blades shoot directly towards him!

His pupils contracted to pinpricks. The distance was too short; he had no time to react!

"You..." His voice abruptly cut off.

The Moon Blades struck his neck precisely. Instantly, his head flew into the air, and blood spurted out like a fountain.

After a pause of one or two seconds, his body finally crashed to the ground with a thud.

Hot blood splattered onto the mountain wall, dyeing the withered, dead vines a deep red.

"Killing is killing; no need to overthink it," Fang Yuan glanced indifferently at the corpse on the ground before turning his gaze back to the shadow screen.

"I didn't expect such a twist. How interesting," he murmured, his eyes gleaming with a faint, distant light.