The caravan survived another day.
When morning came, the camp was still standing, but no one felt joy. Broken carts lay beside the road, while torn cloth, scattered goods, bloodstains, and beast corpses mixed together in the mud. Servants lowered their heads as they cleaned the battlefield. Some moved silently, while some cried as they carried bodies away. The merchants gathered near their carts with ugly faces, looking at the ruined goods as if they were looking at their own flesh being cut away.
"My goods lost another two carts. If this continues, what profit is there left?"
"You still have goods to lose. Half of mine were ruined last night."
"Damn it, this route was not supposed to be this dangerous."
Two caravan leaders stood to the side, speaking in low voices. One of them looked at the scattered guards and said: "If we keep losing people like this, the guards will not be enough."
"Goods can be abandoned. People cannot be replaced so easily."
"Tell that to the other Gu Masters. They look at their carts as if they were looking at their own lives."
The other leader fell silent for a moment before sighing. "For us trading caravans, those carts are indeed our lives."
Not far away, Zhang Xin Ci stood beside her damaged goods. Xiao Die's eyes were red from anger and worry as she counted the losses. "Miss, several boxes of cloth were torn. The medicinal herbs also got wet."
Zhang Xin Ci looked at the ruined materials and nodded softly. "Separate what can still be used. Give the wet herbs to Uncle Zhang first. If they can be dried, keep them. If not, use them quickly."
Xiao Die bit her lip. "But those were prepared for trade."
Zhang Xin Ci did not answer at once. After a while, she said: "People are injured now. Goods can be replaced later."
Zhang Zhu stood beside her with a heavy expression, but he did not object. Fang Ming watched from nearby. His camp had already moved closer to Zhang Xin Ci's group, and this distance was just right. If he was too close, he would be forced to act too often in order to maintain his appearance; if he was too far, he might arrive too late. From where he stood now, he could still choose whether to intervene, or let someone perish before his eyes.
The caravan continued moving.
The road ahead did not become peaceful. In the following days, beast attacks came one after another. Sometimes they were wolves, sometimes they were insects, and sometimes strange wild Gu worms hid in the grass or trees and struck at passing servants. The attacks were not always large, but they were frequent. Sometimes a cart would overturn on the road, sometimes a servant would vanish during the night, and other times, a Gu Master would return with blood covering half his body.
The caravan began to shrink.
At first, the merchants still argued about lost profits. Later, they stopped mentioning profit altogether. Their eyes grew dull, and they only cared about whether they could survive until the next resting place.
Fang Ming acted when necessary. He did not overdo it—just enough for the time being. Most importantly, so far he had only used Rank Three Gu, and he had yet to expose any of his Rank Four Gu.
In truth, most of Fang Ming's attention was not on the beasts.
It was on Fang Yuan.
From what he remembered of the original events, many of these beast attacks were not natural. Fang Yuan had used beast-attracting powder to lure wild beasts toward the caravan again and again.
The method was simple and vicious.
A little powder hidden in the wheels, scattered along the road, mixed with the smell of goods and people. The beasts would follow the scent, and the caravan would suffer for it.
In the original path, Fang Yuan had done this to weaken the caravan. The more the caravan was worn down, the more helpless Zhang Xin Ci would become. When her goods were lost, her guards died, and her support collapsed, she would have no choice but to rely on the person who stayed beside her.
Back then, that person was Fang Yuan.
But now things were different.
Zhang Xin Ci was already close to Fang Ming. His camp was near hers. Zhang Zhu trusted him more than Hei Tu. Xiao Die no longer looked at him like an outsider. Even the surrounding merchants understood that Fang Ming was protecting Zhang Xin Ci's side.
If the caravan collapsed now, the one Zhang Xin Ci would rely on first would not be Fang Yuan.
It would be Fang Ming.
Because of this, Fang Ming had no reason to stop the beast attacks.
The caravan was useful, but only temporarily. Chen Shou, the merchants, the servants, even many of the Gu Masters — they were all people met on the road. Once they reached Shang clan city, most of them would scatter.
Zhang Xin Ci was different.
If she became isolated, helpless, and surrounded by danger, Fang Ming's position beside her would only deepen.
In this matter, Fang Yuan's actions aligned with Fang Ming's interest.
But that was exactly what made Fang Ming suspicious.
So what did Fang Yuan gain by continuing the same arrangement?
Was he still trying to recreate the original opportunity?
Was he waiting for a moment when Fang Ming could not act?
Or had his goal already changed?
Fang Ming's eyes moved toward the line of carts.
Fang Yuan still wore the appearance of Hei Tu. He pulled carts, helped at the right moments, and kept his head lowered like an honest mortal. Bai Ning Bing followed beside him as Bai Yun, quiet and cold.
Replace that whole Zhang Zhu dialogue section with this:
Fang Ming shifted his gaze.
Not far away, Zhang Zhu was looking at Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing.
The old servant's expression was calm, but the hostility in his eyes had become harder to hide. After surviving so many beast attacks, Hei Tu and Bai Yun were becoming more suspicious with each passing day.
Fang Ming remained expressionless.
But inwardly, his mood was not calm.
Why was Zhang Zhu still alive?
What were Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing doing?
In the original events, Zhang Zhu should have already become a problem that needed to be removed. Fang Yuan was not someone who tolerated obstacles for long. Bai Ning Bing was even less patient.
But now, Zhang Zhu still stood beside Zhang Xin Ci.
This was troublesome.
Zhang Xin Ci trusted Fang Ming. Their relationship had grown close, and there was already affection between them. But Zhang Zhu was different. He was an old loyal servant who had protected her for many years. Zhang Xin Ci valued him greatly and listened to his words.
That was the problem.
Zhang Zhu was not easy to fool.
He wanted evidence. He wanted reasons. He wanted explanations.
But many things Fang Ming knew could not be explained. He knew the original plot. He knew certain dangers before they happened. He knew some roads could not be taken, and some people had to be guarded against before they acted.
How could he explain that?
If Fang Ming said they should avoid Zombie Mountain, Zhang Zhu would ask why.
If Fang Ming acted against Fang Yuan in Zombie Mountain, Zhang Zhu would ask for proof.
If Fang Ming made arrangements without explanation, Zhang Zhu would become suspicious.
This old servant was loyal, but loyalty was sometimes also an obstacle.
If Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing do not kill him, Fang Ming might have to do it himself.
And it had to be soon while the beasts are still around.
Only when Zhang Zhu was gone would Zhang Xin Ci truly become isolated. Only then would she have no old servant to consult, no experienced protector to rely on, and no one beside her except Fang Ming.
At that time, her trust in him would deepen naturally.
But killing Zhang Zhu was not simple. Fang Ming was confident in his Rank four gu eclipse moon blade assassinations, Zhang Zhu was weak thats a fact but Bai and Fang duo could save him or expose the assassination.
If Fang Ming failed or get exposed everything he had built would collapse.
Zhang Xin Ci's trust, her affection — all of it would turn into hatred. At that point, Fang Ming will have to siliance her in this mountains, Zhang Xin Ci is a top notch stock losing this investment would be terrible for Fang Ming plans, even his immortale ascenssion would be delayed by years if that happens, That result was unacceptable.
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed slightly.
Was this Fang Yuan's intention?
Was he deliberately leaving Zhang Zhu alive, forcing Fang Ming to become impatient?
If Fang Ming acted and exposed himself, Zhang Zhu would be dead, and so is Zhang Xin Ci its impossible for the current Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing to stop him from killing Zhang Xin Ci.
This is a lose lose situation or are they betting i wont act on this bothersome fellow Zhang zhu and keep him as my weakness all the way to Zombie mountain where they get more cards to deal with me.
This was entirely possible.
Fang Yuan's schemes were never limited to one layer.
His fingers tapped lightly against his sleeve.
Should he act against Zhang Zhu? Risk his own future and imortal ascension.
Or keep this pig-like teammate beside him—a person who could easily be exploited by the Bai–Fang duo in a dangerous place like Zombie Mountain—and risk his own life?
A few breaths later, a faint smile slowly appeared on Fang Ming's face. He remembered a poem from Fang Yuan himself: Take a step back, and the sky and earth expand.
He would simply take a step back and leave the board. Fang Yuan could do nothing to a Rank Four Gu Master if he refused to play.