In response to this, Fang Yuan only turned to her with a warm smile and said, "Ding Ching, I understand that you're frustrated. However, we should not let violence flood our hearts. These people seem to have made a genuine mistake out of ignorance. As it remains, being upright righteous path warriors, we should not resort to attacking at the first sign of inconvenience. Such is, of course, the mentality of someone of brutish nature, someone who is far more suited towards the demonic path than the righteous one. You need to ease this anger in your heart."
The Zhu and Jun clan members began to relax at these words. At this point, they decided to add on something to sweeten the deal.
"Lord Fang Yuan is truly righteous. Indeed, there is not a hero like Fang Yuan in all of the Southern Border!"
"But Lord, we have gone ahead and inconvenienced you. Please allow us to provide the appropriate remuneration to you as compensation!"
"Indeed, we're sure that we can provide an amount that will satisfy Lord Fang Yuan."
They would probably have to empty out their entire coffers, as well as perhaps even go into debt to give Fang Yuan something that would be appropriate for a Rank 5 Peak Stage Gu Master. However, that was certainly preferable to dying, or even pissing off the Shang Clan whom Fang Yuan seemed to be on good terms with.
"Regarding that, actually," Fang Yuan said, "before coming here, I have realized that there is something... off about this area. Namely, there seems to be a demonic inheritance left here."
The Jun and Zhu clan members were absolutely shocked. This was the one thing that they had hoped to keep under wraps. It was impossible now that Bai Ning Bing knew about it, but she didn't know the full details of it. She didn't know where the inheritance was located and such, so they could still bargain for a price given that. They might have even been able to rope Fang Yuan into helping them. Sure, he might've ended up taking the meat but at the very least they could drink the soup. Surely Fang Yuan would not begrudge them that?
However, it seemed that Fang Yuan, before he had come to engage them, had already either seen the inheritance in question or gotten information of it from somewhere else. As for why they had been unable to detect him while he did so before he announced himself; well a Rank 5 Gu Master had his methods. How could they possibly compare to one or detect a Rank 5 stealth-type gu worm? No wonder the wool had been pulled right over their eyes without them being able to notice.
"My friends in the Zhu and Jun clan," Fang Yuan said, "this inheritance that you have found, it is no ordinary inheritance, it is the nest of a demonic beast. It is a demonic inheritance, after all, and is tainted with the negative karma of the person who has left it behind. If all of you were to take this inheritance, then it would only burden you with this karmic debt. Furthermore, the demonic nature of the knowledge left behind would only corrupt the hearts and minds of your youth. Your villages would then end up being crushed under the fruit that would blossom from this evil seed. How can I, Fang Yuan, a righteous path Gu Master, possibly allow that to happen? Allow this humble one to take the burden of this negative off of your shoulders. I will instead take it upon myself to bear the weight of this demonic inheritance. Amitabha."
Bai Ning Bing coldly snorted. This was just Fang Yuan trying to extort them out of the inheritance in a very roundabout way. Not what she would have done, but exactly what she expected Fang Yuan to do.
What she hadn't expected, however, was the way that the Zhu as well as Jun clan members reacted. Both the Zhu and Jun clan heads were now suddenly crying, openly weeping as if they were newborn babies.
"Ah, Lord Fang Yuan, to think that you've thought of us so highly!"
"He is correct. If we were to take that demonic inheritance, it would spell doom for our villages."
"To think that Fang Yuan is so kind and righteous that he's willing to take the burden of this demonic inheritance upon himself just to save us. Truly, there is no one as righteous as Fang Yuan even among all of the heroes of the Southern Border."
"He truly is someone who could be worthy of being Paradise Earth Immortal Venerable's inheritor!"
Bai Ning Bing glanced between these two factions with a confused expression. What on earth was going on here? Fang Yuan was clearly saying that he was going to rob them of the Rank 5 inheritance, and yet here they were bawling over and thanking him for doing so! She had never thought that she'd see such a scene!
'Did the sun rise in the west today or something?' she mused.
"No, no, no," Fang Yuan said, waving his hand. "There is no need to weep so. Friends of the Zhu and Jun clan, all of you are righteous path heroes. Lady Ling Ding Ching and I are as well. And it is the duty of righteous path heroes to fight against wickedness. This demonic inheritance would have only corrupted the young and vulnerable of your village with the dark knowledge hidden within, and therefore it is only natural that I should go ahead and take it all away so that it cannot bring harm to your villages anymore. The greed of it has already caused you all to fall into sin and try to apprehend a noble and virtuous maiden like Lady Ling Ding Ching. The Thought Ruler Demon Lord is dead, but he is still trying to cause damage even from beyond the grave. That is why I will put an end to it by removing the root cause of everything - the inheritance itself. This is nothing extraordinary, but only something that would be expected of me. There is no need to thank me for something that is only common sense for a hero to do."
Bai Ning Bing coldly snorted. Fang Yuan was a righteous path Gu Master in the same way that Giant Sun Immortal Venerable was a feminist and women's rights activist.
But to her surprise, there was no protest at this. Fang Yuan could have certainly extorted them out of the inheritance using his strength and righteous path rules if he so wanted. They would have had no choice but to give in. However, they seemed to even be thanking Fang Yuan for this.
"Truly, there is no one like Lord Fang Yuan."
"Thanks to Lord Fang Yuan I have finally seen the light!"
"He is right, we have sinned all because of that inheritance. Lord Fang Yuan is doing us a favor by taking it away!"
'Why on earth are they so full of praise?' Bai Ning Bing thought, glancing towards Fang Yuan.
He was now Rank 5 Peak Stage, a step up from where he had been earlier. Had he also found some kind of gu worm; something that could manipulate other people's thoughts?
For that matter, where had he been all this time? How had he even found Bai Ning Bing in the first place?
Regardless, she wasn't about to be deterred. Raising her hand to try to strike at one of the Zhu and Jun clan members, she found that for whatever reason they seemed to not react to her killing intent at all. They continued crying and weeping, seemingly overcome by their emotions to the point of even being unable to fight back. She probably could have killed them with childish ease, and still they would have done nothing to fight back.
What was going on here?
"Bai Ning Bing, stay your hand," Fang Yuan said. "Come. We have much to do together. Namely, this inheritance which has caused so much trouble."
Bai Ning Bing certainly wanted to kill all of these people for the trouble that they had caused her, but she wanted that inheritance even more. And seeing Fang Yuan go after it made her bound after him as well. Otherwise he could start spouting nonsense at the whole thing belonging to him and him alone.
"What did you do to them?" Bai Ning Bing asked.
"What do you mean, what did I do to them?" Fang Yuan asked.
"Why are they crying like that?" Bai Ning Bing asked.
"Oh, that. It looks like they were simply moved by my righteous words and heroic charisma," Fang Yuan said nonchalantly. "Nothing more, nothing less."
Bai Ning Bing glared icy daggers at him. "How long have you known where I was? Why didn't you come to seek me out earlier?"
"A little bird told me where you were. As for why I was here now rather than sooner... haven't you read the epics of chivalry, Ning Bing?" Fang Yuan asked. "Heroes always arrive at the last moment."
Bai Ning Bing grit her teeth. Just how annoying could one person be?