The caravan continued forward after leaving Huang Jin Mountain.
The road ahead was still long. The wheels of the carts pressed over uneven mountain paths, and the sound of mounts breathing heavily mixed with the voices of servants urging them forward. Fang Ming sat on his cart with his eyes lowered, seemingly resting, but his thoughts had already moved to the next important place on the road.
Zombie Mountain.
His plan around Zombie Mountain was useful. If everything went smoothly, Fang Yuan would be forced to reveal strength that a mortal should not have. Zhang Xin Ci would see it with her own eyes, and with Zhang Zhu's earlier suspicion, she would naturally become more alert towards Hei Tu and Bai Yun. Once this happened, even if Fang Yuan still tried to approach her later, a crack would already exist before he could properly gain her trust. Trust needed time to accumulate, but suspicion only needed one seed. As long as this seed was planted, Fang Yuan's later actions would no longer appear so clean.
But the problem was still Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan was not an ordinary person. He was suspicious, patient, and extremely good at connecting small clues. Fang Ming could use Zombie Mountain to make Zhang Xin Ci suspect Fang Yuan, but Fang Yuan could also use the things around Fang Ming to suspect him. There were already too many clues. Fang Ming had escaped Qing Mao Mountain before the final disaster truly erupted, and his uncle and aunt had also left Qing Mao Mountain early with the caravan. If Fang Yuan investigated this matter later, he might discover that Fang Ming had not escaped by luck, but had prepared a path of retreat ahead of time.
After that, Fang Ming had reached this caravan early and became close to Zhang Xin Ci before Fang Yuan arrived. This was another problem. Fang Yuan knew very clearly that Fang Ming was not a romantic fool. Fang Ming was profit-driven, cautious, and cared more about survival than appearance. If such a person actively protected Zhang Xin Ci and spent so much effort approaching her, then behind this matter, there had to be enough benefit to move him. The answer would not be difficult for Fang Yuan to guess.
Fang Ming might know Zhang Xin Ci's true identity.
And if Fang Ming knew this despite never leaving Qing Mao Mountain before, then Fang Yuan might think even deeper. In this world, strange Gu worms and inheritances were everywhere. Wisdom path methods, time path methods, prophecy Gu, and some strange inheritances could all allow a person to glimpse fragments of the future. These methods might not be as clear as Fang Yuan's rebirth memories, but they were not impossible. If Fang Yuan began treating Fang Ming as someone who could see the future, many of Fang Ming's plans would become much harder to execute.
This was the danger.
Fang Ming had thought about this for several hours, but in the end, he still decided to continue. The risk was real, but Shang Xin Ci's value was too great. She was not only a woman, and her beauty was not the important point. Behind her was Shang clan, Shang clan city, the internal resources of a great force, the information gathered from across Southern Border and beyond, the auction where rare Gu worms appeared, and Shang Yan Fei, a Rank five Gu Master with a complete and powerful set of Rank five Gu. Through Shang Xin Ci, Fang Ming could touch things that he currently had no qualifications to touch.
Rare Gu he could not afford yet, information ordinary Gu Masters could not obtain, future protection and influence inside Shang clan city, and even chances to get close to powerful Gu worms that might be copied by his ability; all of these were benefits that could not be ignored. If he abandoned Shang Xin Ci just because Fang Yuan might become suspicious, he would lose this road before even reaching Shang clan city. Once Fang Yuan took the lead, recovering the position later would only become harder.
There was also the personal side.
Shang Xin Ci was kind and loyal. She was not the kind of person who would bring trouble everywhere, and she was even less likely to betray those who helped her. Fang Ming did not plan to marry immediately, nor did he think that feelings could decide everything, but he also did not intend to follow Fang Yuan's path of complete solitude forever. Fang Yuan could abandon everything for eternal life, and Fang Ming admired this decisiveness, but he could not say he was such a person. At least now, he was not.
Since that was the case, he accepted the risk.
Fang Yuan becoming suspicious was troublesome, but abandoning Shang Xin Ci because of that suspicion would be even more foolish. Thinking about it from another angle, this was not completely bad either. Suspicion also meant attention. Fang Ming had always treated Fang Yuan as a treasure. Fang Yuan's five hundred years of experience, his knowledge of inheritances, Gu recipes, future events, powerful figures, dangerous regions, and market opportunities were all priceless. If Fang Ming wanted to grow quickly in this world, Fang Yuan was one of the greatest sources of information he could find.
But this was not one-sided. If Fang Yuan believed Fang Ming had some method to see future events, then Fang Ming would also become valuable in Fang Yuan's eyes. Being useful was itself a kind of protection. People did not approach useless people. They did not trade with them, scheme with them, or keep them nearby unless there was value to be gained. But if a person had something useful, even suspicion could become an opening.
Fang Yuan was wary, but he was also practical. If Fang Ming could offer information, resources, or advantages that Fang Yuan wanted, then the two of them could still form a relationship of mutual benefit. It would not be friendship, and it would certainly not be trust, but that did not matter. Interest was enough.
In the far future, Fang Yuan would obtain Immortal Gu. Just this point alone made the risk worth considering. If Fang Ming wanted a chance to copy Immortal Gu from Fang Yuan one day, then avoiding him completely was not the answer. He needed distance when Fang Yuan was dangerous, but he also needed value when Fang Yuan became useful. Fang Yuan being suspicious of him was troublesome, but if Fang Yuan also saw value in him, this suspicion could become a road instead.
Fang Ming lowered his gaze.
For now, this balance was still fragile. He could not reveal too much, but he also could not make himself seem useless. If he appeared too weak, Fang Yuan would treat him as something that could be swallowed. If he appeared too mysterious, Fang Yuan would become even more guarded. The best position was to remain strong enough to be respected, useful enough to be approached, and cautious enough not to be eaten in one bite.
The mountain road ahead was covered in faint mist, and the caravan continued moving within it. Fang Ming looked towards Zhang Xin Ci's carriage, then slowly looked away.
Zombie Mountain was ahead.
If Fang Yuan wanted to move, he would not miss that chance.
And Fang Ming would also not miss it.