Fang Yuan listened attentively, but was not disappointed as this was still in his expectations.
"Same as last time, the Liquor worm had no news or rumors about it. Thankfully, my buying spree hadn't caught anyone's interest." As Fang Yuan walked, he pondered silently in his heart.
At this point, there was a hustle in front of him.
Next, Fang Yuan heard someone shout, "Quickly come and see, there's a dishonest merchant here selling fake Gu to our clansmen!"
Anger stirred among the crowd.
"Oh? There's something like that happening."
"Go and see quickly, which shop dares to cheat our clansmen!"
Fang Yuan knew about the commotion and followed the crowd.
As what Fang Yuan had expected, outside the tent stood two people.
One of them was a young Rank two Gu Master, whose attire showed that he was obviously from the Gu Yue clan.
The other person had a familiar face – it was the owner of the gambling den, Jia Jin Sheng.
The young Gu Master held a black Gu worm in his hands, raising it up and shouting to the crowd, "My clansmen, this person in front of me sold me a fake Gu yesterday. Lying to me that it was a Black Boar Gu, and sold it to me for two hundred and fifty primeval stones. To think that when I got home to refine it, I realized that it was not a Black Boar Gu but simply an ordinary stinky fat worm!"
Jia Jin Sheng laughed coldly, "Don't accuse me falsely. Since when did I tell you it was a Black Boar Gu? What proof do you have?"
The young Gu Master on seeing Jia Jin Sheng's denial, fell into a rage and grabbed Jia Jin Sheng's wrist, "You cunning merchant, you dare to deny it! You actually dare to lie to me of the Gu Yue clan on Qing Mao Mountain itself, are you trying to look for death?!"
"Let go of me!" Jia Jin Sheng was also furious as he flicked his wrist, slapping away the young Gu Master's hand, "If you want to find trouble and extort money, you should find a better target. I am not afraid of you! My brother is Jia Fu, a Rank four Gu Master, what can you do to me?"
"You!" The young Gu Master stared with his eyes wide, but did not dare to take action. The name of a Rank four Gu Master was enough to intimidate him.
"Bah!" Jia Jin Sheng spat on the ground, raising his head and looked at the young Gu Master, laughing in disdain, "It was you who wanted to take advantage of the cheap Gu. Didn't you use your brain to think, why a Black Boar Gu which can raise a Gu master's strength, being such a rare Gu worm, was sold even more cheaply than a Liquor worm? It is normally sold at six hundred primeval stones. Did you think that you could buy one for just two hundred and fifty primeval stones? Dream on!"
"Bastard..." The young Gu Master gritted his teeth, his face flushing red as he trembled out of anger, his chest burning with the rage of humiliation.
There were chatters among the people as they got restless, discussing furiously. But no one dared to step up, for the Rank four Gu Master status of Jia Fu was like a giant hill in front of them, stabilizing the crowd.
"This lad is too vicious, what a cunning merchant!"
"No wonder he dared to be so arrogant on Qing Mao Mountain, he is actually Jia Fu's little brother."
"I heard that they are just half-brothers, but even with that Rank one cultivation, he is able to use this relationship to act unrestrained in the caravan."
"What happened here exactly?" At this moment, a loud voice spoke out.
"Jia Fu is here!"
"The leader is here to settle the dispute, everyone give way."
The discussion came to a halt as everyone separated and formed a narrow path between them.
A middle-aged Gu Master having a muscular short body coupled with a giant belly, walked in. He wore a long-sleeved yellow robe, being the leader of the merchant caravan, Jia Fu.
"Sir Jia Fu, my regards." The young Gu Master was furious but did not dare to say anything. He forced himself to endure the anger and paid respects to Jia Fu.
Jia Jin Sheng was frozen on the spot, not expecting his brother to arrive, his face suddenly pale as anger flashed across his eyes.
This peculiar expression was captured by Fang Yuan who was observing from afar as he observed the situation.
"Hello, young Gu Master, what is the problem here?" Jia Fu walked to the middle of the crowd and asked amicably.
The young Gu Master, feeling honored, cupped his fists once more. Gathering his courage, he turned to the surrounding clansmen and explained everything that had happened.
"So that's what happened!" Jia Fu nodded while listening. Next, he asked Jia Jin Sheng, "Little brother, is this true?"
Jia Jin Sheng turned his head aside with a cold snort, refusing to even glance at his brother.
Jia Fu fell into deep contemplation.
Those around him remained silent, none daring to disturb his thoughts. All eyes were on him, waiting anxiously for his decision.
The truth was, Jia Jin Sheng had orchestrated the scam—but the young Gu Master wasn't entirely blameless either. His greed and lack of caution had left him vulnerable to being deceived.
If Jia Fu chose to protect his brother, no one—not even the Gu Yue clan leader—could oppose him, given his strength as a Rank Four cultivator.
Jia Fu thought for a while before finally speaking. "I've understood the situation, my brother is at fault for this matter, causing this young man to suffer a loss and buy fake products, I am really sorry!" Saying so, he cupped his fists towards the young Gu Master.
"Sir Jia Fu!" The young Gu Master was largely surprised, and quickly said modestly, "You are a Rank four Gu Master, I am merely a Rank two, this is too much for me, too much!"
Jia Fu waved his hand: "Hehe, this has nothing to do with cultivation levels, I act impartially regardless of ability. A wrong is a wrong, I apologise to you on behalf of the merchant caravan. As for compensation, how about this, you lost two hundred and fifty primeval stones, so I will compensate double that amount to you on behalf of the Jia family."
He executed his promise immediately, as a follower took out five money bags and handed it to the young Gu Master in public.
The young Gu Master took over the money bag, so overwhelmed that he could not say anything.
"However, I have a word of advice to you." Jia Fu continued and reminded, "A Black Boar Gu is very rare, for it is able to raise a Gu Master's strength permanently. Although it is only Rank one, it is very hard to find on the market. Every time one appears in the market, it would be bought immediately. The pricing is around six hundred primeval stones. Trying to get one with two hundred and fifty primeval stones is impractical."
"Junior has learnt his lesson!" The young Gu Master bowed deeply to Jia Fu in gratitude.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Sir Jia Fu is brilliant!"
"Magnificent, as expected of Sir Jia Fu!"
"As a Rank four Gu Master, he did not make use of his status to bully the weaker party, Sir Jia Fu really is the role model of the righteous path."
"No, no." Jia Fu smiled, cupping his fists towards the crowd, modestly saying, "Our Jia family business bases our principles on trust and honesty. Everyone, my brother is young and foolish, liking to play pranks on others. He is actually very kind, I hope everyone can be more bearing of him, don't take it to heart."
The crowd's cheers became even louder.
"Hmph!" Jia Jin Sheng's expression was ugly as he stomped on the ground and walked into the tent. Next he walked out from the back of the tent.
Fang Yuan looked at this silently and thought immediately, "Time for the next plan."
Inside the wine shop
"One more cup!"
"Wine, where's the wine?"
"Quickly get me the wine, are you afraid that I'm unable to pay?"
Jia Jin Sheng slammed the mushroom table as he howled.
"Young master Jia, here's your wine!" The clerk quickly brought him his wine.
Jia Jin Sheng grabbed the bamboo cup and tilted his head and gulped the liquor.
"Good wine!" He laughed loudly, sounding coarse and bleak.
With a bang, he placed the cup on the table and howled again. "Get me another glass, I want as many as you can supply!"
The clerks did not dare to offend him and could only do as he said.
As the wine shop was very packed with people, Jia Jin Sheng's drunkard temperament was not very peculiar inside the shop.
Jia Jin Sheng drank heavily, trying to drown his sorrows. With his back to the crowd, no one noticed the two clear lines of tears streaming down his face.
Who could understand the depth of his pain and misery? Even the most despised individuals have their vulnerable sides, and everyone has their own story.
As the youngest among his brothers, Jia Jin Sheng had always been his father's favorite, admired for his looks and resemblance to their father. But fate had cursed him with only a D-grade talent.
Growing up under the shadow of his more talented brothers, Jia Jin Sheng harbored resentment and a desire to prove himself, but his lack of skill held him back.
When his father, sensing his end was near, decided to divide the family assets, he set a challenge—two sons would lead a merchant caravan, and the result would determine who controlled the wealth.
Jia Jin Sheng, eager to earn his family's respect, planned to prove his worth. But, in the end, he once again became a mere pawn in his brother's game.
When Jia Fu arrived, Jia Jin Sheng realized he had fallen into a trap. It had all been a scheme from the start. What could he do now? With his brother's Rank Four power and his own Rank One, he had no hope of resisting. He was destined to be nothing more than Jia Fu's stepping stone.