Chapter 43: Fawn
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
A silver flash.
Two neat rows of silver ingots were so heavy the servant carrying it felt numbness in his hands.
Fang Yuan ignored the ingots, as compared to gold and silver, he preferred the box of realgar powder.
"Zhang Han? You're from the Zhang Family?"
He looked at their leader and had a mischievous look in his eyes. "Do you recognise me?"
He knew that it was probably the shopkeeper who told the Zhang Family about him, and the Zhang Family's influence was indeed strong; they could prepare the silver ingots and realgar powder in such a short period of time and even locate Fang Yuan to present him these gifts.
The new families within Qingye City were indeed capable.
"I do... Master Fang with magical healing abilities that saved Master Zhou from the brink of death, you are indeed the God of Medicine!"
Zhang Han smiled.
The news which actually shocked them was how Fang Yuan defeated Song Zhong in the county.
Elder Song was the God of Killing in the eyes of those in Qingye City.
So what if the Zhou Family was the strongest family in the city? So what if Master Zhou was the deacon of Spirit Returning Sect? If Song Zhong wanted the family to perish then they shall go!
But even the unruly Song Zhong died in the hands of Fang Yuan, so who would dare to offend him? Whoever wanted to survive in Qingye City would have to suck up to him.
'Based on my master's predictions, this person is probably a skilled martial artist who can harness inner force, but he is so young...'
Zhang Han looked at Fang Yuan's face with admiration.
"I did not do anything to deserve this!"
Fang Yuan waved his hand to reject. "I cannot accept all these gifts!"
"Master is unsatisfied? Just tell us what you want, we will make it happen!"
Seeing Fang Yuan's rejection, Zhang Han became anxious. After all, he was tasked by his family to make friends with this highly skilled doctor.
"I'm serious!"
Fang Yuan replied in a serious tone.
Since living with Master Wenxin in the Secluded Valley, both of them had weird temperaments.
Whatever they wanted, they would get for themselves, or trade with others, but they never received offerings from others.
Based on Master Wenxin's explanation, it was hard to repay the favour if they accepted the gifts.
Thinking about it, only Old Tian, Minister Lin and a few other lucky ones had better relationships with the Secluded Valley and Fang Yuan only traded with them.
"Leave!"
Fang Yuan waved his hands.
"Master..."
Zhang Han bit his lips. In front of this young man, he felt pressured, and could not retaliate. He had no choice but to bring his servants back.
"If I accept rewards without doing deeds, I am no different from a thief!"
Fang Yuan looked at their silhouette and shook his head.
Unknowingly, he became the strongest influence within Qingye City.
After all, Old Zhou of the Zhou Family only broke through the 5th Gate and was a deacon of the Spirit Returning Sect, but that was all.
"Zhang Family, Guo Family were new families in the region, and they must have a few [Martial Artist (4th/5th Gate)]... Lin Family is even worse, as they only earned their reputation through Lin Leiyue in the Spirit Returning Sect..."
Fang Yuan thought for a while and became speechless.
A tiny Qingye City gave him a feeling that there were no true heroes, but many small contenders who fought for power.
"The world is huge, and Qingye City is too small. It's like the outskirts of the outskirts... Even the entire Qinghe County was just a small secluded place..."
Fang Yuan was resolute on his viewpoint.
'After I have trained hard enough, I must explore the world and see for myself the wonders around the world!'
'Of course, I'll have to take it step by step, and now, the most important is for me to break through the 3 Perilous Gates!'
The 7th Gate was the Shock Gate. After breaking through it, he would reach where Song Zhong once achieved.
Fang Yuan was extremely confident of himself.
"Shock Gate oh Shock Gate, harming the essence and manipulating the magic... This should be a test of a martial artists' magic level! With the help of the Questioning Heart Tea and the Meditative Tea Ceremony, I am unafraid of this perilous gate..."
"And as for the 8th Gate, the Death Gate, If I don't succeed, I will die. It is closely related to a martial artist's' Essence, Spirit and Magic points. My guess is that the higher one's stats are, the greater the possibility of breaking through!"
Fang Yuan was extremely clear about the first 8 Gates and had no other doubts.
"If I break through the Death Gate and enter the 4 Heavenly Gates, I can indeed have my own way around Qinghe County. As for the Spirit Returning Sect, even the elders will have to make way for me!"
In the 12 Golden Gates, the 4 Heavenly Gates would come after the first 8 Gates!
Martial artists with such a cultivation level were among the strongest in the region and had the ability to start their own small clan. Even within Spirit Returning Sect, they could start a clan and create trouble.
"Under my care, the Flower Fox Ferret should be on par with [Martial Artists (7th/8th Gate)], similar to that of the red-eyed white birds. As for the bird king, its ability should be comparable to the ability of a martial artist in the 4 Heavenly Gates..."
Thinking of those spiritual beasts, Fang Yuan became vexed.
Without getting rid of all the red-eyed white birds, how could he take over Green Peak spiritual land?
As for the spiritual fertilizer, its magical capabilities would only increase after a long time, and new produce would not have much use. After taking over the spiritual land, those new produce would be able to aid the spiritual plants in their growth.
However, he did not know if there could be an even greater danger than the red-eyed white birds, lurking within the spiritual land.
'But this makes things interesting... Right?'
Fang Yuan touched his chin and realised the change in his personality since he first took up martial arts.
It was as though he had a new passion, and thirst for more?
'It seems that martial arts can mould one's character and is more beneficial than it may seem. After killing Song Zhong, my thought processes have become smoother and clearer. It seems like even my personality has become more active?'
Fang Yuan thought about it as he walked around a few shops to get more realgar powder, as he managed to fill his entire bamboo basket with it. He finally reached the entrance of the city.
"Ah! Spare my life! Spare my life!"
A crowd formed at the entrance, and screams were heard, which piqued Fang Yuan's curiosity.
He became even more surprised as he went up.
"Isn't he the shopkeeper from the provision shop? Why is he here? And who are those around him..."
Fang Yuan saw a flash as he witnessed the scene before him.
In the scene, the plump shopkeeper was lying on the floor, his face swollen and not many of his teeth were left. One of his legs was fractured and he was pitiful.
Two servants were around him holding whips and staring at him. The occasional whipping made the shopkeeper let out a cry of pain.
These two servants wore the same attire as Zhang Han.
"It's a... pity..."
Fang Yuan witnessed the scene but did not feel good about it. Instead, he shook his head, turned around and prepared to leave.
He knew that his previous rejection on Zhang Han's offer led Zhang Han to capture the shopkeeper who betrayed him, just so he could whip him in front of a crowd, just to let off steam and to let Fang Yuan see it for himself.
This was the sad thing about being servants, because if the owner wanted them to hit, they had to obey, and for no good reason they could be killed if the owner wanted them to!
"Doctor Fang!"
At the outskirts of the city, Zhang Han was waiting for him. "Are you satisfied?"
"The shopkeeper, is he one of yours?"
Fang Yuan showed no expression and asked.
"No, he was leaning towards the Zhou Family, but now he wants to lean towards my Family, he's just like a wild grass!"
Zhang Han shook his head and seemed unhappy. "Since he offended the God of Medicine, the previous beating was deserving..."
"Forget about it, it was just a small matter!"
Fang Yuan knew that if he did show his intentions, then Zhang Han might just let the plump shopkeeper 'disappear'.
What good did he gain from doing all that?
At the same time, he looked at Zhang Han and felt sorry for him.
Zhang Han appeared happy, but he would be dealt with the same way the shopkeeper was dealt with.
The head of the Zhang Family did not see to things himself but tasked Zhang Han to do it. Weren't his intentions obvious enough? He would rather be safe than sorry!
If Zhang Han succeeded, it would be a celebration.
If he angered Fang Yuan, he would be the one getting the beating and be taken as the sacrificial lamb.
"I have duly noted the Zhang Family's good intentions!"
Fang Yuan waved his hands and walked away. "I am an uncultured person who lives in the mountains, and I am not willing to be entangled with the affairs of the city. Your family can be assured of that!"
Zhang Han bowed with respect and looked as Fang Yuan walked away.
When Fang Yuan first spoke, he was just nearby, but at his last word, his silhouette could no longer be seen. Such lightness skill and inner power were of a totally different level.
"Could it be... really... inner force!?"
He was shocked, as his hair stood on its ends. He finally knew why the He Family wanted to suck up to him as much as possible.
Previously, Song Zhong could massacre the entire Qingye City, imagine what could this master do?
The only difference Fang Yuan had with Song Zhong was age. In the future, he could continually improve and enter realms he never thought was possible.
Zhang Han knew he couldn't, but couldn't help it but became jealous of Fang Yuan.
"Alright, everyone is dismissed!"
Zhang Han came to the crowd, dispersed the observers, and ordered the two servants to stop. He supported a weak shopkeeper up.
"Master Han... Spare... Spare my life, I shall not dare to do it again..."
The shopkeeper continued to wail, and those who hear and witnessed the scene would feel sad for him.
"Mm... You were not wrong to be loyal to my family, the only wrong you did was to offend that master..."
Zhang Han walked up and gently patted the cheeks of the shopkeeper.
"Of course, The Zhang Family knows how to distinguish punishment from reward! Just now, it was punishment, and now these are the rewards!"
He whipped out a cheque and waved it in front of the shopkeeper.
"Here you go, you can do anything you like from now onwards, even if it's to seek me for revenge, please go ahead, do you understand?"
"I don't dare! I won't dare!"
The shopkeeper wailed, looked at the bank cheque and was too confused to say anything at that moment.
Translator's Thoughts
JTJTY97 JTJTY97
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