Invitation

Heizi had seen the world. When he went to the county town to sell goods, he had watched Martial Arts School instructors practice from afar.

He had even caught glimpses of Martial Arts School disciples drilling. This was exactly that feeling! Only Fang Yuan seemed more... pure, more efficient?

In an instant, the wild boar and the losses were all thrown to the back of his mind. A crazier, more enticing thought seized his mind:

Cultivation Method! This brat definitely had a genuine Martial Dao Cultivation Method on him!

Only cultivating a Cultivation Method could explain how a frail scholar had become so tough and capable in such a short time, and only that could explain his utterly abnormal way of exerting force!

If he, Heizi, could obtain this Cultivation Method... why would he still be some miserable hunter?

He could become a Martial Dao practitioner above ordinary men too!

Having finished probing him out and decided the time was right, Heizi abruptly changed the subject, the map exhausted and the dagger revealed, and threw out his true purpose: inviting Fang Yuan to join the hunting team.

He thought that as long as Fang Yuan joined, there would be plenty of chances to slowly pry things out of him or even search him. That Cultivation Method naturally would not get away.

At that thought, the vicious air on Heizi's face instantly receded. He forced out what looked like a hearty smile and spoke first, his voice booming:

"Brother Fang, what skills! I saw you practicing your blade from afar just now—like a tiger roaring in the wind, truly extraordinary! Our Fang Family Village really hides dragons and crouching tigers!"

He did not mention the wild boar at all, as though it had never happened.

Fang Yuan sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. "Brother Heizi flatters me. I was just waving it around at random, only to strengthen my body."

Heizi laughed heartily and stepped forward, pretending intimacy as he tried to pat Fang Yuan on the shoulder. Fang Yuan, however, sidestepped without leaving a trace.

Heizi's hand froze in midair. A flash of displeasure passed through his eyes, but his smile remained unchanged.

"Brother Fang, you're too modest! That wasn't random waving! I've scraped by in the mountains for so many years—I still have that much discernment!

"Brother Fang is a man with real skill!"

Then he changed the subject, the map exhausted and the dagger revealed:

"Our hunting team is short of talents like Brother Fang! So, are you interested in joining us?

"From now on, we can enter the mountains together, feast on great chunks of meat, and divide gold by the scale! It'll definitely be far better than fighting alone!"

The team members behind him also chimed in:

"That's right, Brother Fang. Follow Brother Heizi, and you'll eat rich food and drink fine liquor!"

"From now on, we'll all be brothers!"

Though they appeared to be extending a warm invitation, they had actually faintly formed an encirclement, their blazing eyes fixed on Fang Yuan with a pressure that brooked no refusal.

Alarm bells rang in Fang Yuan's mind. Heizi's sudden change of target made him even more wary. Join the hunting team?

What a joke. Carrying the secret of the Proficiency System, there was no way he could mingle with these people. Not only would his movements be restricted, but the risk of exposing his secret would be enormous.

Without the slightest hesitation, he shook his head and refused. His tone was calm but firm:

"Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Heizi. But I'm used to being on my own, and there are people at home who need me. I'll pass on the hunting team."

It was a crisp, clean refusal, without the slightest room for negotiation.

The smile on Heizi's face vanished without a trace. His expression instantly darkened so much it seemed ready to drip water.

Scarface could not help stepping forward, glaring viciously at Fang Yuan. "Brat, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Brother Heizi came personally to invite you—that's giving you face!"

Being polite to him alone had been because they feared taking a loss. Now, however, they had strength in numbers!

Heizi raised a hand to stop Scarface. He stared fixedly at Fang Yuan, his gaze turning cold and greedy.

"Brother Fang, when one person clutches a good thing too tightly, it can burn his hands. Sometimes, getting rich together is the way to last."

His words now carried an obvious threat. What he meant clearly was no longer merely joining the hunting team.

Fang Yuan immediately understood. What Heizi had his eye on was not some wild boar meat or Copper Coins.

What he truly coveted was Fang Yuan's suddenly increased strength, and that seemingly simple yet efficient and fierce blade technique!

He must have thought Fang Yuan had stumbled into some damn good luck and obtained a Cultivation Method that could let someone rapidly learn Martial Dao!

Fang Yuan sneered inwardly. A Cultivation Method?

There was indeed one, but the Proficiency System was profoundly mysterious. Even if he wanted to teach them, Heizi and the others would never be able to cultivate it.

Besides, how could something belonging to Fang Yuan be seized by others?

What he hated most was being threatened.

The Heizi Hunting Team had a resounding reputation throughout several villages in the area. They were by no means good people.

They had strength in numbers and seasoned experience, entering and leaving the deep mountains year-round. It was said they also had some murky connections in the city.

The people in the team could eat meat almost every meal. In the eyes of ordinary villagers, that already made them an astonishingly powerful force.

Thus, when Heizi openly invited Fang Yuan to join in front of everyone, the villagers nearby who had yet to disperse were truly torn, their hearts in turmoil and their feelings mixed.

On one hand, they envied Fang Yuan for catching Heizi's eye and rising to the heavens in a single step.

On the other hand, they gloomily thought that if Fang Yuan really joined, would he not lord over them even more in the future?

Yet when Fang Yuan refused, the great stone hanging in many people's hearts landed with a thud, and what followed was a sense of relief.

See? This brat was still so unable to appreciate kindness. He had offended Heizi—let's see how he could expect any good fruit to eat from now on!

This subtle mentality of fearing that others might live good lives silently spread through the crowd.

Heizi's face was frighteningly dark as he stared at Fang Yuan.

"Good. Very good! Brother Fang has backbone! I hope that backbone of yours... stays this hard forever!"

The threat in his words had nearly solidified into substance.

With that, he suddenly waved his hand and shouted sharply, "Let's go!"

Fang Yuan stood where he was, still watching the direction in which they had disappeared, his brows slightly furrowed.

There was nothing good about Heizi's gaze. That was the gaze of someone who had definitely killed before!

Just then, the neighboring courtyard gate creaked softly open, and Old Madam Chen poked her head out and looked around.

Only after confirming that Heizi and the others had truly gone far away did she hurry, furtively as a thief, to the Fang Family courtyard gate, her face full of lingering fear and urgency.

"Oh, heavens! That scared me to death!" She patted her chest and lowered her voice as she spoke to Fang Yuan and Liu Wanwan, who had come out after hearing the commotion.

"How did you two provoke that pack of baleful stars led by Heizi? You even dared to reject him to his face!"

Without waiting for Fang Yuan to answer, she hurriedly continued, pouring out words like beans from a Bamboo Tube:

"Fang Yuan, girl Wanwan, don't take this lightly! That bunch led by Heizi are black-hearted and ruthless! They're no kind and decent people!"

She leaned closer, lowering her voice to almost a whisper, as though afraid someone might overhear:

"The year before last, there was a hunter from the neighboring village. He refused to sell the fox pelts he caught to Heizi at a low price and exchanged a few harsh words with him.

"Later... later, he went into the mountains and never returned! The villagers all said he ran into a fierce beast, but whose heart wasn't as clear as a bright mirror?"

Liu Wanwan's face instantly turned several shades paler. Her hand unconsciously tightened around Fang Yuan's sleeve.

The more Old Madam Chen spoke, the more frightened she became, and she continued:

"That's not all! Relying on their strength in numbers, he also colludes with several traveling merchants at the market, doing everything he can to force prices down!

"He forces people from several nearby villages to sell any mountain goods they gather to him first. Then he resells them to those merchants, skimming a huge profit from the middle!

"Anyone who refuses to sell to him and secretly takes their goods to the market themselves is guaranteed to have trouble brought down on them! He has quite a bit of influence in that Black Market too!"

Fang Yuan immediately thought of that fat shopkeeper. He had only offered two hundred Copper Coins for Fang Yuan's wild boar worth two taels of silver. He was probably one of those colluding merchants!

Old Madam Chen looked at Fang Yuan worriedly.

"Fang Yuan, I know your skills have improved lately and you can get your hands on good things. But if you hunt more mountain goods to sell in the future, you must be extremely careful!

"It would be best... best not to go to that market again. Heizi has definitely sent people to watch it! If he catches you, then..."