The Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger Courtyard, A Young Master Whose Money Can Move the Gods

Within the Prison Suppressing Realm space, blood-red clouds churned.

Fang Mo's voice, like a heavenly decree, echoed before the throne beneath the tall tower.

Gu Yichuan, who was supervising Wang Ergou drilling ghost soldiers, felt his soul tremble. Without daring to delay even a moment, he transformed into a gust of dark wind and instantly appeared below the throne, prostrating himself.

"Master, what are your orders?"

After this period of labor reform, Gu Yichuan's soul had become much more solid than when he first arrived, and the jailer uniform he wore appeared increasingly realistic.

Fang Mo rested his chin on one hand, his gaze piercing through the endless void as if it landed on the dilapidated courtyard in the real world.

"I took office today, and Lei Heng assigned me two people. One is named Yan Wangchou, and the other is Tie Niu. Do you recognize them?"

Gu Yichuan knelt on the ground. Upon hearing these names, the ghost fire in his hollow eyes flickered.

He pondered for a moment, seemingly searching through his long-shattered memories.

"Replying to Master, these two have been here for quite some time. When my Father was still serving in the Punishment Department, they were already in this courtyard. Yan Wangchou used to be a handyman. Later, because he got old and his legs became stiff, he was thrown here to guard the gate."

"As for Tie Niu, he's an idiot who only knows how to forge iron. Lei Heng found them an eyesore, but couldn't directly dismiss them, so he kept them in the Seventh Small Flag to be looked after."

"I never paid them much attention before. Normally, I just had them run errands, deliver messages, and such. Lei Heng leaving them to Master probably means he wants Master to collect a salary for nothing, not expecting them to do anything significant."

Fang Mo frowned slightly after listening.

A handyman? An idiot?

The explanation was logical and reasonable. Anyone else would have believed it.

But these two individuals gave Fang Mo a persistent feeling of something being off.

"Still Water Mirror, activate."

In an instant, the entire world transformed in his perception.

The sounds, light, and air currents from the courtyard outside the window all turned into pure information streams, flooding into his mind.

Tie Niu, who was currently forging iron, exhibited an extremely terrifying control with every swing of his hammer, despite his seemingly clumsy movements.

The hammerhead landed precisely on the stress point of the iron blank, not a fraction of an inch more or less.

Even more terrifying was how his entire body's muscles tensed at that moment, like a drawn bowstring. Power rooted from his feet, traveled through the great dragon of his spine to his arms, a seamless flow without any wasted energy.

This level of bodily control was comparable to Fang Mo's current Golden Bones physique. Could an idiot achieve this?

Then there was Yan Wangchou.

He squatted in the corner, appearing lazy and loose, with his whole body full of openings.

But under the observation of the Still Water Mirror, Fang Mo discovered that the old man's breathing was incredibly deep and long, taking nine turns in his lungs before exhaling each breath.

As he exhaled a puff of smoke, the smoke rings hung in the air, not dispersing, and actually formed a peculiar rhythm.

Throughout the entire process, the rise and fall of his chest were minimal.

His essence was unified and impenetrable.

Fang Mo's heart sank.

With his current cultivation of [Golden Bones] and the insight from [Still Water Mirror], he couldn't fathom the depths of these two individuals.

This meant their cultivation realms were far beyond his own, at least top-tier experts in the Organ Refining realm, or even beings of a higher level!

Gu Yichuan couldn't see through them because his level was insufficient.

Fang Mo could see through them because the [Still Water Mirror] talent was too heaven-defying, directly pointing to the origin and discerning hearts.

A playful curve appeared on Fang Mo's lips.

Gu Yichuan, that fool, had worked with these two for so many years and hadn't noticed anything.

It was no wonder he died so miserably in the end; with such poor judgment, he deserved to be a confused ghost.

"It seems this dilapidated courtyard is a place where dragons and tigers lie hidden."

Fang Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Since these two hid themselves so deeply, there must be a reason.

Perhaps they were evading enemies, carrying out a secret mission, or simply wanted to live out their retirement?

Whatever the reason, now that they had fallen into Fang Mo's hands, they were his people.

Fang Mo's mood improved greatly.

He had always been very tolerant of capable individuals.

As long as they didn't block his path or disrupt his affairs, they could coexist peacefully. If they could be of use to him, then the more, the better.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the entrance of the courtyard.

"Nephew! Is Nephew there? Uncle has brought someone for you!"

The voice was loud and carried a hint of slipperiness. Without even looking, Fang Mo knew who it was.

Besides the greedy, fat warden Wang Youan, who else could it be?

Fang Mo's eyelids twitched, and he pushed the door open.

Wang Youan's bulky frame nearly blocked the entire courtyard gate, his face covered in oily sweat glistening in the sun.

Beside him followed a boy of about sixteen or seventeen.

The boy was fair and plump, with a lingering baby fat on his cheeks. He wore a richly made brocade robe and a piece of excellent quality jade belt at his waist.

His eyes were clear and bright, yet they held a kind of detached foolishness as he curiously surveyed the dilapidated courtyard.