Who Was the Fool, Really?

When Jiang Man went over, he saw a young man anxiously watching the spirit steed lying on the ground, at a complete loss.

The stables held not only horses but also other people's mounts.

However, Jiang Man only needed to let the Azure Cloud Pavilion's few horses out to graze.

He merely helped look after the other spirit steeds from time to time.

The man who had called for help was a cultivator who shared his courtyard. Jiang Man remembered that his name was Fang Yong.

Lying at his feet was an expensive Flame-Treading Spirit Steed.

Its entire body was chestnut-red, with cold blue flames wreathing its four hooves. It was said to leave flaming hoofprints as it ran, though the flames would no longer burn anything once it was tamed.

Only the wealthy could own such a spirit steed.

At the moment, however, the Flame-Treading Spirit Steed lay on the ground, twitching weakly.

The cold blue flames around its hooves were gradually dimming as well.

Things did not look good.

When Fang Yong saw Jiang Man approaching, he seemed to have found a straw to clutch at.

He immediately stepped back, raised a hand, and accused him. "Jiang Man, what did you do to the Flame-Treading Spirit Steed? Why have you made it so weak?"

Jiang Man stood where he was, looking at the man before him in some surprise.

Had trouble landed on his doorstep?

Thinking back briefly, Jiang Man recalled that Fang Yong seemed to come from a relatively wealthy family.

He often talked about how his family was this and that, how plentiful their cultivation resources were, who he was friends with, and so on.

Why was he turning right and wrong upside down like this?

Was he speaking so loudly because someone was nearby?

Sure enough, a group of four hurried over from a distance.

The instant he saw them, Fang Yong raised his voice again. "Jiang Man, to think I specifically entrusted you with looking after the spirit steed because we cultivated in the same courtyard.

"I never expected you to harm it behind my back and leave the Flame-Treading Spirit Steed this weak."

By the time he finished speaking, the four had arrived.

Their leader was a slender, rather handsome man with well-defined features.

The other three stood beside him, deliberately keeping a step behind.

Now that they had approached, Fang Yong looked at the man in the lead. "Young Master Cheng, I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself. This fellow disciple of mine caused a little trouble while looking after the spirit steed."

Cheng Moyang looked at Jiang Man in considerable surprise. "You did this to my Flame-Treading Spirit Steed?"

Jiang Man looked at him and shook his head slightly. "No."

"It seems he's afraid of taking responsibility and doesn't dare admit it," Fang Yong immediately said. "He comes from a remote village and can't even afford next month's Cultivation Gold. If he admitted it, selling him probably wouldn't cover the compensation."

Cheng Moyang narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled at Jiang Man. "Is that so? Then let's forget about this. Perhaps it ate something it shouldn't have. Wouldn't you say, Young Master Fang?"

At this, Fang Yong inwardly rejoiced, then addressed Jiang Man with the exasperation of someone disappointed that iron would not turn to steel. "Well? Thank Young Master Cheng."

"No need. Who hasn't fallen on hard times? Since Young Master Fang rode the Flame-Treading Spirit Steed out today, you can take responsibility for bringing it back," Cheng Moyang said, looking at Fang Yong.

Fang Yong immediately nodded, assuring him that he would bring the spirit steed back.

After that, Cheng Moyang led the others away.

He paused, seemingly remembering something, and asked those beside him, "By the way, what's the date today?"

"Mid-August," a short man beside him answered.

Understanding dawned on Cheng Moyang. "The Flame-Treading Spirit Steed must have entered its period of weakness. It happens twice a year."

After a pause, he looked at Fang Yong. "Didn't Young Master Fang say your family has spirit steeds too? Have you never encountered a period of weakness?"

Fang Yong froze at his words. "I must have been away whenever they were weak. The servants always looked after them."

Cheng Moyang nodded. "That makes sense."

He said nothing more and left with the others.

On their way away, the short man beside Cheng Moyang asked curiously, "Young Master Cheng, why didn't you take the opportunity to make that stable keeper pay compensation?"

Cheng Moyang glanced at the man beside him and smiled. "Didn't you hear Fang Yong? He can't even afford his Cultivation Gold. If we make someone like that pay compensation, what if he takes a desperate, unorthodox path and does something?"

"Even if he can't lay a hand on us, what if he targets the spirit steed?

"Is his life worth even a single fright for the spirit steed?"

He paused, then continued calmly, "He's just some wild village brat. Out in the world, he wouldn't even count as a person.

"We're too close to him. There's no need to drive him into a corner.

"We'd only dirty our own hands.

"Besides, weren't we just having a little fun teasing Fang Yong this time?

"Isn't it more entertaining to watch him and someone from his own courtyard go at each other like dogs?"

The short man immediately understood. "Yes, even if anything needs doing, we should have someone else do it. There's no need for you to become the target of resentment, Young Master Cheng.

"Later, we only need to tell Fang Yong that the supposed period of weakness was a lie to save his face.

"Then we can treat him a little more coldly and stop taking him out with us.

"He'll presumably blame that stable boy.

"He'll think that if only the stable boy had accepted the blame back then, he could have kept following us around and being fawned over by others."

Everyone laughed at that.

That way, it would become a feud between Fang Yong and the stable boy.

They would blame each other and tear each other apart.

And none of the blame would fall on them.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the stables, Jiang Man watched Fang Yong.

He seemed to have understood something.

Fang Yong did not seem to be one of their crowd.

"Count yourself lucky this time. If I weren't on familiar terms with them, you'd have been thrown out overnight," Fang Yong said.

After that, he worked out a way to take the spirit steed away.

Jiang Man watched him leave without saying anything.

Only once he was completely gone did a question escape Jiang Man's lips:

"Am I the fool here, or is he?"

"You're both fools," Old Yellow Ox said as he walked over. "You'd better start cultivating, or you won't finish your hundred repetitions."

"Senior, you'd better worry more about yourself. That fairy's retaliation could come at any moment," Jiang Man kindly reminded him.

Old Yellow Ox did not mind, merely saying, "Flame-Treading Spirit Steeds do have periods of weakness, but anyone who truly knows how to raise them won't let them enter one."

"Do you know how, Senior?"

"Of course."

Jiang Man was somewhat surprised. "How do you raise them?"

"You'd better worry about yourself first. If you don't finish your hundred repetitions, you'll lose all your cultivation." With that, Old Yellow Ox turned away to graze.

Jiang Man: "..."

I don't have any cultivation yet.

At that thought, Jiang Man grew rather curious. Would he remain unaffected as long as he did not cultivate?

But he did not dare try.

After all, there was still that wisp of Cultivation Method purple qi.

If his Fate Pattern's backlash consumed that wisp of Cultivation Method purple qi...

Then...

The loss would outweigh the gain.

Though he did not know what use that wisp of qi had, it seemed anything but ordinary, no matter how he looked at it.

After checking the time, Jiang Man headed toward the courtyard ahead.

That was where the instructor taught.

The Azure Cloud Pavilion had front, middle, and rear courtyards, corresponding to the first, second, and third years after joining the pavilion.

Jiang Man was in his third year at the Azure Cloud Pavilion and was now in the rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard contained seven smaller courtyards, and Jiang Man belonged to the sixth.

Their instructor was a middle-aged man named Zhao Leming.

Unfortunately, Jiang Man ran into this instructor on his way to the sixth courtyard.

As soon as they met, the man said bluntly, "You have fifteen days left. If you can't pay the outstanding Cultivation Gold, you can pack your things ahead of time."

Jiang Man thought for a moment and recalled what had happened that morning. Perhaps he could stay without paying. After a brief hesitation, he ventured, "Instructor Zhao, do you know about Flame-Treading Spirit Steeds?"

I recommend a friend's new book, "Longevity Begins with Commanding a Megalodon."