Conspiracy

Morning.

The sun rose slowly, and mist veiled the valley. Life flourished everywhere in Hidden Valley, with plants and trees thriving.

"Song Zhigao, buyer for Gui Ling Sect's Outer Sect!"

"Eldest Young Master Song Yujie, beloved son of a Gui Ling Sect elder!"

"Song Zhong, elder of Gui Ling Sect!"

Holding a broom, Fang Yuan casually swept away the traces of the previous night. A thoughtful look lingered in his eyes.

Yesterday, the black-clad leader had been so terrified of the Flower Fox Ferret that he'd suffered a mental collapse. Fang Yuan hadn't needed to torture him much before he confessed everything.

According to him, Eldest Young Master Song Yujie was a man of letters and arms, handsome and charming. Most importantly, the moment he laid eyes on Fang Yuan's former fiancée, Lin Leyue, he was struck by her beauty and fell deeply in love, unable to pull himself free.

Elder Song Zhong was more than happy to see it. After all, Lin Leyue was the Sect Leader's favored disciple, and her future was limitless.

But Lin Leyue herself had no interest in Song Yujie whatsoever and rejected him outright.

Song Yujie was so humiliated and enraged that he naturally didn't dare do anything to the Sect Leader's beloved disciple. Fang Yuan, however, had become collateral damage.

Maybe he thought Lin Leyue still had feelings for me? And when Song Zhigao saw that, he tried to make me leave quietly through Old Man Tian. Too bad I wouldn't take the hint, so now they've come to test me...

Using what he'd learned along with a few guesses, Fang Yuan pieced together the general picture. It only left him even more speechless.

"What does Lin Leyue have to do with me? I really am collateral damage... No, I'm even more innocent than the fish in the pond..."

Unfortunately, in this world, having no strength was the greatest sin. Song Yujie hadn't even planned to come and step on Fang Yuan himself; his lackeys had already rushed to act on his behalf.

"Ah... I have a feeling things are going to get troublesome..."

Fang Yuan tossed aside the broom, stretched toward the rising sun, and contentedly narrowed his eyes.

According to the black-clad man, there were enough people in Gui Ling Sect who admired Lin Leyue to form a reinforced platoon. After all, the Sect Leader had personally chosen her, and she was a future Martial Ancestor in the making!

Even without Song Yujie today, there'd be a Zhao Yujie or a Zhang Yujie tomorrow.

That left Fang Yuan feeling utterly helpless.

Heaven knew, he didn't want to provoke trouble at all. But even if you didn't bother anyone, people would bother you. Playing the coward and hiding your head in the sand was useless, too.

This Song Zhigao must die!

Fang Yuan made his decision in an instant.

As long as his fundamental interests weren't threatened, he could endure a lot.

Take the broken engagement and the Zhou siblings' schemes. At worst, they'd cost him some face. So what?

But now Song Zhigao was up to no good and meant to investigate the secrets of Hidden Valley. He was directly threatening Fang Yuan's most vital interests.

To Fang Yuan, besides his own attributes, the plantation in Hidden Valley and the spirit plants growing there were his one inviolable weakness.

A dragon had scales that could not be touched. Touch them, and it would rage!

"Song Zhigao has to go, but I can't drag myself down with him and be forced to flee. I need a foolproof plan... Of course, the most important thing is to raise my martial arts!"

Last night's black-clad man was Song Zhigao's confidant and knew him very well.

Though this Gui Ling Sect Outer Sect buyer was clever, his martial arts were nothing special. He was probably only at the Third Stage.

If he went up against the Flower Fox Ferret, he'd have no chance of surviving.

As for Elder Song Zhong, who stood behind him, he'd reportedly passed the Three Auspicious Gates and the Two Level Gates, reaching the Three Dangerous Gates. He was a formidable martial artist and a prominent figure in Qinghe Commandery. Song Yujie, too, showed signs of surpassing his father.

"The Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower begin with the Open, Rest, and Life Gates. Those first three are smooth sailing, and breaking through them also gives you a boost, so they're called the Three Auspicious Gates. The next two, the Du and Jing Gates, aren't especially dangerous to break through, so they're considered moderate. But the later Shang, Jing, and Si Gates are different. Fail to break through one of those, and you'll be badly injured at best—or die. That's why they're called the Three Dangerous Gates!"

The path of martial arts was full of obstacles, with so many gates right from the beginning.

And after breaking through the Death Gate, there were still the final Four Heavenly Gates of the Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower, followed by the Martial Ancestor realm! They were towering peaks, enough to make anyone feel disheartened.

"Fortunately, I only need to deal with Song Zhigao for now. That's nothing."

So what if the martial path was difficult?

With his attributes and proficiency, Fang Yuan had never worried that he wouldn't be able to break through.

"Perfect!"

He glanced at his attribute panel. The first level of Black Sand Palm was nearly complete; only a little proficiency remained, perhaps a few dozen more repetitions.

"I'll break through the Second Stage today!"

Fang Yuan made up his mind in an instant.

If outsiders knew how fast he was breaking through, it would be utterly astonishing. Even a Martial Ancestor would be amazed.

After all, the Twelve Stages of Martial Dao were like twelve different worlds, one stage at a time. Even though the first three were foundational, they still required years of painstaking work.

But for Fang Yuan, as long as he had proficiency, none of that was a problem.

The moment the sun rose was the perfect time to practice.

"Whoosh!"

Fang Yuan cleared his mind and focused. He'd long since mastered the movements of Black Sand Palm, and now performed each one fluidly, honing his hands with medicinal sand and water.

Who knew how much time had passed? At last, the progress bar after Black Sand Palm on his attribute panel was full.

Crack!

Fang Yuan let out a long cry. He felt a restriction within him snap open, and in an instant, he was overflowing with energy, as if it would burst from every pore.

Once his proficiency was full, the mark after Black Sand Palm suddenly jumped, changing to level two!

Black Sand Palm, level two!

He'd perfected it in just a few days!

"Not only that, I've broken through the Rest Gate of the Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower, too."

Fang Yuan looked at his attribute panel and saw that it had changed:

Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1.3

Qi: 1.3

Spirit: 1.5

Age: 18

Cultivation: Second Stage of Martial Arts

Skills: Black Sand Palm [Level Two]

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level One], Planting Skill [Level Three]

"Black Sand Palm's power has greatly increased now that it's reached the second level. When I circulate my energy, even my hands change!"

At this point, with a thought from Fang Yuan, his hands underwent a mysterious transformation. His palms turned gray-black, and his resistance to pain increased substantially.

"Of course, the most important thing is that I've broken through the Xiu Gate! My Essence Yuan and Qi Yuan each increased by 0.2?"

Fang Yuan looked at his Divine Essence, which was still 1.5, in surprise. "Could my last breakthrough really have been because of the Heart-Questioning Tea? Does an ordinary martial breakthrough only increase Essence Yuan and Qi Yuan? Or is my Divine Essence so high that a small increase is hard to notice?"

Unfortunately, with his current knowledge of martial arts, he couldn't figure it out.

But for Fang Yuan, it was enough to know that his Black Sand Palm could improve rapidly through proficiency, without even having a bottleneck!

"Song Zhigao..."

Fang Yuan clenched his fists and felt power surge through him.

"Wang San still hasn't returned?"

Song Zhigao was now so anxious he could neither eat nor sleep.

As a buyer for Gui Ling Sect's Outer Sect, he always wore a genial smile. His shrewd little eyes carried a hint of slyness, and every task he'd ever handled had gone smoothly.

That was, until he tried to curry favor with Elder Song Zhong, who belonged to his faction, and ingratiate himself with Song Yujie by targeting that poor country boy. Ever since then, everything had gone wrong.

"Damn it!"

At the thought, Song Zhigao nearly hurled the beloved Yuhua porcelain teacup in his hand.

That boy had been far too ungrateful.

He should have taken Old Man Tian's cutoff of his supplies as a warning and left quietly when he still had the chance. Wouldn't that have been the best outcome for everyone? Why had he insisted on standing his ground?

It was past noon and nearing nightfall. Wang San still hadn't returned, and Song Zhigao had finally lost the ability to sit still. He paced back and forth in the reception hall.

"Even if that boy has something strange about him, Wang San has always been careful. He was only going to investigate, not fight. Surely the whole team didn't get wiped out?"

Song Zhigao waited with his hands behind his back until night fell. His heart finally sank, and regret crept in.

If only he'd known, he wouldn't have provoked that boy.

But the feud had already been started, and now the arrow was on the string. He had no choice but to let it fly.

If he got the job done, he could claim credit with the master behind him. But what if he botched everything?

Just thinking of Elder Song Zhong's methods made Song Zhigao's scalp prickle. He suddenly lifted his head, looked toward a part of the city, and muttered, "If that's how it is, then don't blame me!"

"Someone!"

At that thought, he immediately shouted.

"What does Master need?"

A servant who attended him hurried in and bowed as he asked.

Though Song Zhigao was only a buyer for the Outer Sect, he wielded considerable power and had a group of servants and maids at his beck and call.

"Go fetch Old Man Tian from the Medicine Hall. Tell him that if he wants to keep getting by in Qinghe Commandery, he'd better come here and do as I say!"

A vicious look crossed Song Zhigao's face.

"Yes, sir!"

The servant looked a little surprised, but hurried off all the same. Before long, Old Man Tian came in, shuffling nervously and rubbing his hands together. He immediately greeted Song Zhigao with a fawning smile. "Greetings, Master Song!"

"Old Man Tian! Your Medicine Hall's medicinal ingredients are pretty good. The sect has decided to increase its purchases next year!"

After sending the servant away, Song Zhigao said it casually.

"Ah? Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

Old Man Tian bowed again and again, smiling so broadly his eyes disappeared.

"Of course... it won't come without a price. I need you to do something for me!"

Song Zhigao stared at Old Man Tian, confident he had him in his grasp. As the Medicine Hall's biggest customer, he held the old man's lifeline in his hands. How could he refuse?

"What is it? Just give the word, Master Song. I'd climb a mountain of knives or plunge into a sea of fire to get it done properly!"

Old Man Tian had the wisdom of age. Though he was secretly groaning, he still thumped his chest and spoke with bold enthusiasm.

"It's simple. You just have to..."

Song Zhigao leaned in and whispered a few words in Old Man Tian's ear. The old man's expression immediately changed. "What? This... this..."

"Heh. I know the Heart-Questioning Hermit once saved you, but the Hermit is one thing, Fang Yuan is another..."

Song Zhigao gave a cold laugh and threatened him outright. "If you refuse, Gui Ling Sect won't buy a single medicinal ingredient from you starting next month. You and your whole family can get ready to starve!"