While Fang Ming was thinking about Fang Yuan, Zhang Zhu was also speaking to Zhang Xin Ci.
Inside the carriage, Zhang Xin Ci sat quietly while Zhang Zhu stood before her. His expression was solemn, and after remaining silent for a moment, he said: "Miss, Hei Tu and Bai Yun are suspicious."
Zhang Xin Ci's gaze flickered slightly. "Uncle Zhang Zhu, please speak."
"First, Hei Tu refused your primeval stones too cleanly. A mortal who has suffered so much should not be unmoved by such a large amount. Second, he and Bai Yun rarely mix with the servants. Third, after Fei Hou Mountain, many groups tried to recruit him, but he refused all of them." Zhang Zhu paused slightly before continuing, "Fourth, his strength is too abnormal. A man with such strength should not have been wounded into that state so easily. Fifth, Bai Yun's disguise has flaws."
Zhang Xin Ci lowered her eyes. Zhang Zhu looked at her and sighed. "Miss, you noticed these things too."
Zhang Xin Ci smiled faintly. "Uncle Zhang Zhu understands me."
"Then Miss should be more cautious around them." Zhang Zhu said seriously. "They are not under our Zhang group, but under Fang Ming's name. That makes direct investigation inconvenient. However, Hei Tu has already stepped forward once in Fei Hou Mountain. If he approaches again, Miss should not trust him too quickly."
Zhang Xin Ci nodded lightly. "I understand."
"Miss, Hei Tu's help may not be simple. Perhaps he only wanted to leave an impression."
"That is possible." Zhang Xin Ci said softly. "But he did help us. If he wanted to hide completely, he could have watched from the side."
Zhang Zhu frowned. "Or perhaps he judged that helping you was more valuable than remaining hidden."
Zhang Xin Ci did not deny this. After a moment, she said: "Everyone has secrets. I have mine too. Having secrets does not mean someone is evil. But Uncle Zhang Zhu is right, we should still be cautious."
Zhang Zhu's expression eased slightly. Zhang Xin Ci then continued: "Besides, Young master Fang also seems to know Hei Tu is not simple."
Zhang Zhu nodded slowly. This point made him feel slightly calmer. Hei Tu and Bai Yun were registered under Fang Ming's name, and Fang Ming's attitude towards Hei Tu was not blind trust either. After the arm-wrestling, Zhang Zhu had noticed Fang Ming watching Hei Tu carefully. If Hei Tu had other intentions, Fang Ming would likely notice before others. Zhang Zhu did not fully trust Fang Ming either, but compared to Hei Tu, Fang Ming at least stood openly as a Rank three Gu Master. His status, ability, and relationship with Zhang Xin Ci were all visible. Hei Tu was different. He hid too much.
Several days passed, and the caravan arrived at Huang Jin Mountain.
Huang Jin Mountain was bright under the sun. The soil here contained gold, and even the streams carried fine golden grains. The people of Jin clan loved golden ornaments, and many villagers wore gold rings, golden necklaces, or simple golden hairpins. The Jin clan Gu Masters also had golden threads on their belts, sleeves, and leg wrappings. Compared with many other clans, they looked much richer.
The caravan stopped near Jin village, and a temporary market quickly opened. Merchants became busy. Some sold cloth and wine, some bought ore and golden tools, and some exchanged goods with Jin clansmen, hoping to earn more after leaving Huang Jin Mountain.
Fang Yuan waited at first.
After Fei Hou Mountain, he expected Zhang Zhu to probe him sooner or later. His strength had been too unusual, and his refusal of the primeval stones had also been too clean. With Zhang Zhu's experience, it was impossible for him not to notice anything. But several days passed, and no probing came. Fang Yuan's expression slowly sank.
It was not that Zhang Zhu had no suspicion. Fang Yuan had deliberately left enough flaws for the other side to notice. His strength at Fei Hou Mountain, his refusal of primeval stones, and Bai Ning Bing's disguise were all suspicious points. But Zhang Zhu still did not probe him, and Zhang Xin Ci also did not ask. The reason was Fang Ming.
Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing were registered under Fang Ming's name. In the caravan, Fang Ming was their patron. If there was something wrong with them, Fang Ming should be the first person to notice and handle it. Zhang Zhu and Zhang Xin Ci did not investigate further because doing so would overstep their boundary with Fang Ming.
This meant they trusted Fang Ming deeply.
Even when suspicious people appeared near them, even when those people might bring danger, Zhang Xin Ci still chose to respect Fang Ming's position and believe that he had his own judgment. This gave Fang Yuan a headache. Fang Ming had gotten much closer to Zhang Xin Ci than he had expected. It was not only a few pleasant conversations or shallow goodwill. Fang Ming had already gained enough trust that Zhang Xin Ci and Zhang Zhu were willing to hold back their suspicion because of him.
Fang Ming's name had protected him from servant trouble, but it had also placed him inside Fang Ming's shadow. If he waited passively, Zhang Zhu might only continue watching from a distance, while Fang Ming would keep occupying more space beside Zhang Xin Ci. Since waiting was useless, Fang Yuan decided to take the initiative.
He went to Zhang Xin Ci.
"Lady Zhang, I want to borrow a batch of goods." Fang Yuan said.
Xiao Die immediately frowned. "Borrow goods? What do you want to do?"
"Trade."
Zhang Zhu's gaze turned colder. "You are only a mortal. Do you know how much these goods are worth?"
"There are profits and losses in business." Fang Yuan answered calmly. "I cannot guarantee profit, but I can try."
Xiao Die snorted. "Try? These goods belong to Miss. Why should we let you try?"
Zhang Xin Ci did not answer immediately. She looked towards Fang Ming, who was sitting not far away. "Young master Fang, what do you think?"
Fang Yuan had chosen a troublesome time. Fang Ming was preparing to attack Rank four. He had already reached that threshold, and what he needed most was quiet cultivation, stable primeval essence, and time to polish his aperture. He did not have the time to follow Fang Yuan around the market and interfere with every trade. But he could not ignore Fang Yuan either. This person was extremely good at jumping around and causing trouble. Letting Fang Yuan perform freely in front of Zhang Xin Ci would give him too much room.
After thinking briefly, Fang Ming chose a compromise. He would not block Fang Yuan, and he would not run after him either. Whenever Fang Yuan made an unusual trade, Fang Ming would explain the logic behind it to Zhang Xin Ci as simply as possible. A mysterious success could shake a person's heart, while an explained success only made them nod in quiet appreciation. In fact, many people looked at successful merchants in this way. At first they seemed brilliant and mysterious, but after the path was explained, people would only feel that it was being in the right place at the right time.
Fang Ming knew Fang Yuan was not a patient person when benefits were slipping away. If Fang Yuan did not see the effect he wanted, he would eventually raise the stakes. He would try to make a trade or create a result that Fang Ming could not easily explain, relying on future knowledge to produce something truly unexpected. But that was where Fang Ming's current advantage mattered. When both sides could explain the situation, Fang Ming could reduce Fang Yuan's brilliance. When neither side could explain it, the matter would come down to trust. And right now, trust was Fang Ming's field.
Fang Ming was confident Fang Yuan would eventually step into that field. Fang Yuan did not have much time. If he kept moving slowly, Fang Ming's advantage beside Zhang Xin Ci would only grow larger. Sooner or later, Fang Yuan would be forced to take a bigger risk.
Fang Ming looked at Zhang Xin Ci and said: "Lady Zhang can let him try with a small batch first. If he succeeds, you gain a useful hand. If he fails, the loss is limited."
Zhang Zhu frowned but did not refute. Xiao Die still looked unwilling. Zhang Xin Ci thought for a moment, then nodded. "Hei Tu, I can lend you a small batch of goods."
Fang Yuan cupped his hands. "Thank you, Lady Zhang."
Fang Ming looked at him calmly. Fang Yuan had gained the chance, but the chance had been framed as a test.
After receiving the goods, Fang Yuan began trading in the temporary market. At first, his trades looked ordinary. He exchanged some goods for items that were easier to sell around Huang Jin Mountain. But soon, Xiao Die discovered something wrong and ran back angrily.
"Missy, Hei Tu exchanged almost all the goods you lent him for Jinzan grass! So much Jinzan grass! Even servants know that thing is hard to sell!"
Zhang Xin Ci's brows furrowed slightly. Zhang Zhu's expression also became ugly. "Miss, I already said this Hei Tu is suspicious. These goods were lent to him for a test, not given to him to gamble with."
Zhang Xin Ci hesitated. Jinzan grass was not completely worthless, but buying so much of it was indeed strange. Its demand was low, and such a large amount would be difficult to sell. She looked towards Fang Ming again. "Young master Fang, do you understand why Hei Tu did this?"
Fang Ming did not answer immediately.
He knew the real reason. Jin clan was secretly developing the golden silkworm Gu recipe, and Jinzan grass was an important material. Fang Yuan knew this from his future memories, so he bought the Jinzan grass before Jin clan could react. But Fang Ming could not say the real reason. Fang Yuan could not say it either. Fang Yuan needed an explanation for his actions, and Fang Ming was more than willing to provide one for him.
Fang Ming seemed to think for a few breaths before speaking. "Hei Tu is not foolish. There must be a reason behind this. He would not do something so terrible that even servants can see the problem."
Xiao Die frowned. Fang Ming continued: "This Jinzan grass must have value. For a useless grass to suddenly become profitable, there must be new demand. Someone must be willing to buy it back, and at a high price. That information should be the reason Hei Tu approached Lady Zhang to borrow goods and make quick profit in the first place."
Xiao Die asked: "Who would need so much Jinzan grass? And how did Hei Tu know something no other caravan merchant noticed?"
Fang Ming thought for a moment before replying: "I have a theory. If Jin clan is secretly developing a Gu recipe related to Jinzan grass, then their demand would be much higher than the market knows. But such a thing should be hidden, so ordinary merchants would not know it."
He glanced towards the temporary market and continued: "But in every force, there are greedy people. Someone willing to step over his own clansmen to make profit. A Jin clansman who knew this secret could have sold the information to Hei Tu, or accepted a bribe to guide him. Hei Tu only needed to buy a large amount of Jinzan grass first, then wait for Jin clan to buy it back at a higher price."
Xiao Die's eyes widened. Zhang Zhu's face darkened. "If that is true," Zhang Zhu said slowly, "then this trade is extremely bad for Miss. It is a shady deal based on inside information. Our goods may even be confiscated. Worse, if Jin clan is hiding this secret and suspects we discovered it, we may be placed in a very unfavorable position. There might even be danger."
Fang Ming nodded slightly. "That is only a possibility. But I think we will be fine."
Zhang Zhu looked at him. Fang Ming explained: "Lady Zhang fortunately did not give Hei Tu too many goods. Even if Jin clan finds that Jinzan grass is missing from the market, the quantity is not too high. It can be brushed off as Lady Zhang lacking experience in trade. If we truly knew their secret, we would have bought much more Jinzan grass and used it to blackmail them. Since the amount is limited, Jin clan should not think too deeply."
Zhang Xin Ci was quiet. Fang Ming added: "There may still be profit from this deal, but do not be too bold. The risk is high."
Xiao Die became angrier. "So he used Missy's goods to make this kind of deal?"
Fang Ming did not add fuel to the fire. "He may still make profit. We should wait for the result."
Zhang Zhu looked at Fang Ming deeply. This young man had not stopped Hei Tu earlier. He had even suggested giving him a small test batch. But now, from just a few clues, he had proposed a possible reason behind Hei Tu's strange action. If this was correct, then Fang Ming's insight was truly terrifying.
Not long after, a Jin clan Gu Master hurried over. He wore the Jin clan uniform and had a Rank two aura. Sweat covered his forehead, but his tone remained polite. "Is Lady Zhang Xin Ci here?"
Zhang Xin Ci walked forward. "I am."
The Jin clan Gu Master cupped his fists. "Our clan leader heard that Lady Zhang's group bought a large amount of Jinzan grass last night. This was originally something our clan leader planted for personal interest, but it was secretly sold by our young master. Our clan leader wishes to buy it back."
Xiao Die froze. Zhang Zhu's pupils shrank slightly. Zhang Xin Ci also looked towards Fang Ming.
Fang Ming's expression was calm.
Everything had happened almost exactly as he had said.
The Jin clan Gu Master continued: "Our clan is willing to offer a thousand primeval stones."
Xiao Die's eyes brightened. A thousand primeval stones was already a huge sum. But Fang Yuan walked out from the side and shook his head.
"A thousand is too little."
The Jin clan Gu Master's expression changed when he saw that the speaker was only a mortal. "Mortal, do you know what you are saying? This price is already higher than the market value."
Fang Yuan smiled. "Market value depends on who needs the goods. If your clan does not need it, then Jinzan grass is cheap. If your clan needs it urgently, then it is not cheap."
The Jin clan Gu Master's face became ugly. "Three thousand."
Xiao Die almost shouted in joy, but Fang Yuan still shook his head.
The Jin clan Gu Master gritted his teeth. "Mortal, do not be too greedy. These Jinzan grass were originally our clan's goods."
"You sold them. I bought them. This was a transaction." Fang Yuan said calmly. "If Jin clan wants to claim they were stolen, then you can take them by force. But many people bought Jinzan grass last night. Will Jin clan accuse everyone of theft?"
The Jin clan Gu Master's eyes became cold. Zhang Zhu stepped forward slightly. Fang Ming also looked over. The Jin clan Gu Master noticed Fang Ming's Rank three aura and suppressed his anger.
"Four thousand."
Fang Yuan smiled. "Five thousand. After that, all the Jinzan grass I bought will be yours."
The Jin clan Gu Master stared at him for several breaths. Finally, he said coldly: "Fine. Five thousand."
The transaction was completed quickly. Two trunks of primeval stones were brought over. Xiao Die looked at them in disbelief. Five thousand primeval stones. The goods that she thought had been wasted had turned into five thousand primeval stones overnight. But her excitement was mixed with discomfort. Hei Tu was capable, but if Fang Ming's guess was true, then this success came from a private arrangement with a Jin clansman. It was clever, but not clean.
On the other side, Zhang Zhu's thoughts grew heavier. A normal mortal would not dare bargain like this with a Jin clan Gu Master. No, even an ordinary Gu Master might not dare gamble so heavily on Jinzan grass. Whether Hei Tu had inside help or not, several things were already clear. He was hiding his identity, he was extremely bold and willing to take risks, and he was willing to gamble with someone else's goods for his own profit, while ignoring the consequences Zhang Xin Ci might face if the matter went wrong.
Zhang Zhu tried to keep his expression calm, but his heart slowly sank. After everything he had seen, and after hearing Fang Ming's explanation, he reached a grim conclusion.
This Hei Tu was very likely a demonic Gu Master.
Zhang Xin Ci looked at Fang Yuan, then at Fang Ming. Fang Yuan had made profit. This proved his ability, but the meaning behind this profit had already changed. If Fang Ming had not explained the possibility earlier, she might have seen this as pure business talent. But now, the Jinzan grass deal carried another layer. Hei Tu may have obtained inside information from a Jin clansman, used her goods to gamble, and placed her group in danger without telling her.
The profit was real. The risk was also real.
Fang Yuan handed over half the primeval stones according to the agreement. "Lady Zhang, this is your share."
Zhang Xin Ci accepted it. Her expression was still gentle, but her gaze was no longer as simple as before.
"Your trading skill is impressive, Hei Tu." she said softly. "But next time, if the trade carries hidden risk, I hope you can tell me first."
Fang Yuan's eyes moved slightly. This was not the reaction he expected. Something had gone wrong in his absence.
He cupped his hands. "Lady Zhang is right. I was too eager for profit this time."
Xiao Die snorted lightly. "Too eager? You almost dragged Missy into trouble."
Fang Yuan did not argue. He could not argue before understanding what had happened in his absence, and before extracting information from Xiao Die about what was said, silence was better. More importantly, he could not explain the truth behind this deal.
Zhang Zhu watched Fang Yuan with cold eyes. His guess had already settled deeper in his heart. From now on, whatever Fang Yuan did, it would appear malicious to him.
At this moment, Fang Ming spoke calmly: "The result is still good. Lady Zhang did not lose goods, and Hei Tu has proven he has some trading ability. Since the first test is over, future cooperation can be handled more carefully."
His words were fair. He did not attack Fang Yuan, nor did he erase Fang Yuan's credit. But by calling it a test, he reminded everyone that Hei Tu had not gained full trust yet. Zhang Xin Ci nodded lightly. "That is reasonable."
Fang Yuan looked at Fang Ming.
This was the first time he had truly experienced Fang Ming's political shrewdness. He had underestimated him. Fang Yuan had won the profit, but Fang Ming had taken the interpretation of that profit. This was troublesome. The path of getting close to Shang Xin Ci through trade was now blocked. At least for the short term, every trade he made would be viewed through caution and suspicion. If he wanted to approach her again, he would need another method.
Soon, the caravan prepared to leave Huang Jin Mountain. In the distance, Jin clan's Gu Masters watched them carefully, making sure no one secretly went towards Huang clan.
Zhang Xin Ci sat inside her carriage and lifted the curtain. Her gaze first fell on Fang Yuan, then slowly moved to Fang Ming. Hei Tu was useful, but his methods were questionable. Young master Fang Ming was different. He had seen the danger before the result appeared, and he had warned her without suppressing Hei Tu's chance.
Zhang Xin Ci lowered the curtain. Inside the carriage, Xiao Die whispered: "Miss, Hei Tu is capable, but I still think Young master Fang is more reliable."
Zhang Zhu remained silent. This time, he did not refute.
Outside, Fang Ming sat on his cart and closed his eyes again. Fang Yuan could not be stopped by simple obstruction. He was too capable for that. But that was fine. Fang Ming had bought himself the time he needed to break through. First impressions were powerful, and in the coming weeks, Fang Yuan would not be able to use trade to approach Zhang Xin Ci so easily.
In Fang Ming's opinion, Fang Yuan had only one clear chance left to compete with him.
Zombie Mountain.
A hero saving the beauty.
Under the rules of trade and propriety, Fang Ming had won this round. The next game would have no rules.
Fang Ming was looking forward to it.