These words were uttered by Gu Yue Han Lin.
The man looked like he could keel over any moment, but there was a strange strength still left within him that could not be underestimated. He had been an elder of the clan for a long time and knew that his time would come sooner or later. He had already settled matters with his son who was prepared to take over the family traditions.
As for why he was volunteering, it was because he knew the legend of the Blood River Graveyard, and he thought that Fang Yuan had the blessing of their first generation ancestor. Were it not for those things, he too would have voiced his disapproval. However, given his age and given the fact that he knew that his time would sooner or later arrive, he wished to be part of the faction that supported the new and future pillar of their clan, the one who would bear the Ancient Yin Desolate Moon Physique.
He did not admonish Gu Yue Yao Ji but upon seeing such an old and frail man volunteer to take this kind of mission immediately, it would cause a great deal of shame to build within the hearts of those who heard it and were fearful.
Well, except for Fang Yuan, that is; he had absolutely no shame. But shaming was one of the best tactics the righteous path had to control its members.
The Mo and the Chi factions then immediately voiced their support simultaneously.
"How many elders will you need?" the clan head asked Fang Yuan upon seeing the motion pass without resistance now.
"Six or seven should be adequate," Fang Yuan said.
Ultimately, a group of eight was assembled. This was nearly half of Gu Yue Village's strength when it came to elders in terms of numbers, not to mention Fang Yuan, who was Rank 4 himself. If this mission failed, without a doubt, it would reflect badly on Fang Yuan.
However, Fang Yuan did not care for his reputation, nor did he think that he would fail in this endeavor anyway.
Once the meeting was wrapped up, Fang Yuan headed out to deal with some other matters in preparation for the upcoming battle. Several skilled investigative Gu Masters would be called upon, on top of which Fang Yuan had been allowed an extra allowance of items from the underground cavern for the upcoming mission. It was for the ultimate good of the clan, after all.
He had gu worms of his own to refine, as well as to purchase. He also hadn't used his Cultivation Blessing to raise a gu worm by one rank yet- and needed to weigh on what the right gu worm for that would be.
And at this point, Fang Yuan had weaved things in such a way that only the clan head could properly oppose him, and the clan head would not do so.
With that said, there was another ally that he needed to rope in when it came to dealing with the Lightning Lycan King.
He stopped by a familiar house. The guard posted out front immediately let him in without a word. Fang Yuan found the person who he was looking for practicing in the courtyard of the manor.
Gu Yue Qing Shu's arms had turned into vines, which he was using to strike several grass dummies. He had honed this ability over several years. Were it not for the case, he would not be able to fight Rank 3 Gu Masters even with the help of the Wood Charm Gu.
Despite the spectacular performance, Qing Shu actually fumbled his final blow. Not out of lack of skill on his part, but because he had noticed Fang Yuan in the corner watching him.
"Fang Yuan!" Qing Shu said, immediately canceling the Wood Charm Gu's effect, his arms returning to normal.
"Good evening, and well, how are you?" Fang Yuan said.
"I can't complain," Qing Shu said.
"How is Yao Hong doing now?"
"Perfectly fine, thanks to you. I'll be honest, if you hadn't popped up at that time, I think it's likely that the three of us might have been finished."
"Oh, I'm sure you could have handled it," Fang Yuan said, waving his hand dismissively.
Qing Shu chuckled. "Maybe- maybe I could have held him off, but not without losing control."
"Regarding that, actually," Fang Yuan said. "I wanted to speak to you about something."
"Is that so?" Qing Shu asked. "If that were the case, why didn't you just call me to your house? I would have come running."
"No, it's fine," Fang Yuan said. "As it is, I've already spoken with the elders, and your house was on the way. And it's not a job that I need you to do anything excessive for. Instead, it's more of a... request."
"What is this request."
"I want you to advance to Rank 3!"
Qing Shu paused. "You want me to advance to Rank 3?"
"Yes," Fang Yuan said. "There's a matter of secrecy that needs to be kept around, so I'm sure you can be trusted regarding this. I wanted to take you along with me anyway so there is little use hiding it form you." Fang Yuan told Qing Shu about the Lightning Lycan King and his plan to strike out at them.
"Fang Yuan, I'm not going to mince words here," Qing Shu said. "But I don't agree with your idea. I know that you're strong. I've seen it myself. But tackling the enemy out there in the open, while it might seem and sound courageous, it is more likely than not to backfire. Several elders could also be lost during the fighting."
"I already know that," Fang Yuan said. "Which is why you'll be a far more help if you were to get to Rank 3."
Qing Shu sighed.
The servants began setting up dinner, and the two of them sat down to eat. However, Fang Yuan was relentless in what he was trying to convey.
"Senior Brother Qing Shu," Fang Yuan said.
"Fang Yuan, you don't need to use honorifics like 'Senior Brother' before me," Qing Shu said.
There had been something endearing about Fang Yuan still thinking of him as Senior Brother, but that was back when Fang Yuan had just become an elder. Now that Fang Yuan was Rank 4 and likely to become clan head, he couldn't go around addressing someone like Qing Shu so formally. If anything, Qing Shu needed to start addressing Fang Yuan with respect.
"It does not matter how far I go in my cultivation," Fang Yuan said, "or how strong I get. After all, aren't people worthless if they forget who helped them back when they were weak and young? That is why I felt like I could not take the clan head position right now. I could not bear to be seen as someone who had struck against the current clan head, who did so much to help both me and Senior Brother Qing Shu. Even if I somehow managed to get to the heights of Rank 4 or even Rank 5, for that matter, I will not forget all of the important lessons imparted to me back during those days which I treasure deeply within my heart. And you will always remain Senior Brother, as will my other teammates continue to remain my other teammates."
Qing Shu sighed. He thought inwardly, 'In a way, I think Fang Yuan is too good for his own safety. You need to be a bit more scheming if you want to succeed as clan head. If he continues like this, people are going to take advantage of his generosity. Well, it's fine to be nice and polite. But one must also occasionally be selfish - that is a lesson that only time will teach him.'