"I heard this tavern is opened by Fang Yuan, who is it that is finding fault with him?"
"Oh! The one whose parents died and inherited their fortune, the lad who got rich overnight?"
"No wonder people are doing this, even if it is me, I'd be jealous. Just think, we fight for our lives out there for these fortunes to live a stable life. But he Fang Yuan is merely a newbie, what rights does he have to obtain these things!"
"That's right, even if his ancestors are taking care of their future generations, times have changed. The clan's resources are limited. Everyone can only get a small piece of the pie. How can he, a C-grade talent, enjoy such fortune at this age? Preposterous!"
"Is Man Shi trying to anger him into a duel? If they had a Gu fight, he might be able to get a piece of the pie."
Someone shook his head, "Heh, you think those clan elders are fools?"
Someone nodded, "Could be true. The clan policies are there, haven't you guys understood from all these years? To a degree, they allow us to compete, the strong should get more resources, isn't that right? If the weak cannot protect their assets, they would have to give it up. It is all for the clan's prosperity!"
"Mm, makes sense. Let's see first. There's something going on here. I heard that Man Shi has a retired elder behind him," someone suppressed his voice and said.
"Purely here to find trouble!" Fang Yuan upon seeing this scene, his face was emotionless, but his eyes glinted with cold light.
Man Shi saw him.
"Oh? You are that Fang Yuan right. Junior, your wine tavern is cheating my money with your horrible wine. However, since you are a newbie, I'll give you a chance to repent and apologise in public. If not others will say that I, Man Shi is bullying a junior with my status. Hahaha!"
Man Shi laughed loudly, "As long as you apologise and bow to me, this matter will be over. I walk my talk, I will do as I promised!"
He patted his chest in thunderous volume, showing an air of magnanimity, but his intention could not lie to the surrounding Gu Masters.
"What a bastard move."
"That's right, If Fang Yuan apologised, he would no longer be able to raise his head, and anyone would come over and step on him and bully his weakness. But if he does not apologise, that is disrespecting a senior, and with such an attitude, the entire community will keep him away."
"Yeah, he's stuck with two difficult decisions… oh my, what the fuck!!!"
The Gu Masters were whispering among themselves when, all of a sudden, one of them opened his mouth so wide it looked like he could swallow a duck egg.
The rest of the crowd wasn't far behind.
A few stared so hard their eyes seemed ready to pop out.
Some choked on their wine, spilling it down their robes.
Others froze in place, stunned into silence like lifeless statues.
They had come expecting a spectacle—something entertaining to watch.
In the end, Fang Yuan not only satisfied their wish, but also gave them a great 'surprise'. The young man instantly flicked his wrist and shot a moonblade out.
The moonblade of the Moonglow Gu!
The eerie blue crescent fang flew in the air, as large as a face. Trailing along a square desk, it was quickly cut like tofu into two halves.
"Eh?!" Man Shi's laughter stood, his pupils dilated as the moonblade became increasingly larger in his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the eerie blue moonblade was already near his face, showing every single strand of his moustache with its glow.
Facing strong feelings of death, at the very last moment, Man Shi screamed out in panic, "Monolith Gu!"
Immediately, his entire body had a deep grey light. His skin turned and became rock skin.
But before it had fully grown, the moonblade had already hit his chest.
With a light sound, the rock skin tore open and Man Shi's chest became a large diagonal injury. Blood spilled and poured out of his large wound.
"Ah—!" Intense pain rushed through his nerves as Man Shi shouted out in horror, his voice full of disbelief and shock.
He had never imagined Fang Yuan would strike without uttering a single word.
He actually dared to attack!
Using a Gu worm to assault a fellow clansman right inside the village?!
It wasn't just Man Shi— even the onlookers were stunned into silence, their faces filled with disbelief. None of them could find the words to respond.
"What situation is this, is this lad crazy?!"
"Not saying a word and immediately going for a fatal attack! Isn't he afraid of killing Man Shi and being arrested by the punishment hall, paying for his crimes?"
"Young men are way too rash."
"Did you guys see that moonblade? It is definitely not the Moonlight Gu but the Moonglow Gu, to think Fang Yuan succeeded in his fusion already."
"Fang Yuan, what are you doing?!" Man Shi stood on the square table, tearing his throat and screaming in a thunderous volume with a face full of ruthlessness.
His muscles tensed and swelled, the rock-like skin thickening even further.
Though the injury was now shielded by the rocky layer, blood still flowed—less like a fountain, but still in worrying amounts.
Fang Yuan's expression remained calm as he continued forward.
He said nothing—not because he hesitated, but because he had no intention of speaking.
His response to Man Shi was action, not words.
Another Moonblade flew out!
The moonblade flew across the short distance and shot out.
"You!" Man Shi had no time to talk, but raised his arms and protected his brain and chest.
His limbs were encased in thick, dark grey rock, resembling the arms of a stone statue—solid and heavy.
The Moonblade struck his arm, slicing a deep gash as shards of stone burst outward.
The force of the impact sent Man Shi flying backward. His body, now entirely covered in rock, had grown incredibly heavy.
Eventually, the table beneath him gave way with a loud crack, unable to support his weight. He lost his balance and crashed to the ground, briefly exposing a vulnerable spot in his defenses.
Fang Yuan advanced at a steady pace, his eyes glinting with a cold light. Seizing that moment of weakness, he unleashed another Moonblade.
The blade cut through the air with a sharp whoosh, carried by the wind.
Man Shi quickly raised his arms to defend, but he underestimated Fang Yuan's seasoned combat instincts.
Although the Moonblade flew in a straight path, its angle subtly shifted—not parallel to the ground.
Man Shi's arm managed to block part of the attack, but the rest struck his chest directly. Wounded again, the bleeding from Man Shi's chest worsened significantly.
"Is, is he going to kill him?" The Gu Masters who were originally sitting on the seat could not stand it any longer, and they all got up.
The mortals did not dare to make any noise. They watched in fear and anticipation.
The sight of Gu Masters fighting to the death stirred something deep within the hearts of the onlookers—something long suppressed.
Man Shi gasped for breath, struggling to rise.
But his injuries overwhelmed him, and the surge of pain caused his effort to fail. With a heavy thud, he collapsed back to the ground.
Fang Yuan continued his slow approach. Man Shi had lost a great deal of blood, his face now pale and drained.
He looked up at Fang Yuan in terror. That calm, emotionless face drew nearer with every step, and with it, a crushing sense of pressure that grew heavier by the second.
"Fang Yuan, you cannot kill me! Killing me, you will be arrested by the punishment hall!" Man Shi pushed against the floor, trying to move backwards.
Blood still flowed from his body, leaving a vivid red trail across the concrete floor.
The entire gallery had fallen into silence.
Everyone was stunned by Fang Yuan's icy presence, holding their breath as they watched.
No one dared to look down on Man Shi.
With such relentless pressure, they knew they wouldn't have fared any better in his place.
Fang Yuan walked up to Man Shi, lifted his leg, and stomped hard on the wound in his chest.
The pain made Man Shi suck in a sharp breath.
Fang Yuan didn't stop.
He stomped again.
The pain surged—brutal, like being trampled by a rampaging wild boar.
Man Shi could no longer bear it. He let out a loud scream.
Even with the thick rock skin shielding him, Fang Yuan's relentless pressure was unbearable.
The injured area continued to bleed under the strain.
Worse still, Fang Yuan's right hand began to glow with a cold, eerie blue light. It was the unmistakable sign of an impending Moonblade.
Man Shi stared at that hand, frozen in fear. He didn't dare make the slightest move.
"You, you cannot kill me!" He stared with his eyes wide open, growling in difficulty.
"I won't kill you." Fang Yuan said the first sentence since he arrived.
His tone was flat, and in the dead silent wine tavern, it reverbed into everyone's ears.
"But I can cripple you, breaking one of your arms, or a leg. According to the clan rules, I have to compensate you a number of primeval stones and be imprisoned for some time. But what about you? Your remaining life would be spent in bed, your injury would reduce your battle capability greatly, and you shall no longer be able to execute missions. Do you think this result is acceptable for you?" Fang Yuan stared down at the sprawling Man Shi, slowly reasoning.
The emotionless voice travelled into Man Shi's ears, causing his heart to stop and his body to shudder.
He opened his mouth, breathing heavily, his brain becoming more chaotic. Fang Yuan's leg exerted strength that made him feel like he was being crushed by a rock, making him feel harder to breathe.
"Damn it, damn it! If I was on guard, if I was not caught off guard and were injured at the start, how could he… Urgh!"
Man Shi's voice came to an abrupt stop as his gaze met with Fang Yuan's eyes.
He lay on the ground, staring upwards.
Fang Yuan's half-narrowed eyes, dark and eerily looking down on him.
Just what sort of pair of eyes was that?
If it was full of killing intent, Man Shi would not be afraid. However, this pair of eyes was filled with indifference.
This indifference was like arrogance towards reality, the disdain towards people of the world, the trampling of life and the abandonment of rules!
"This pair of eyes, this pair of eyes…" Man Shi's eyes shrunk into pin-size as the deepest memory in his heart played.
The nightmare of his life!
The one that would give Man Shi this nightmare was none other than Bai village's number one genius, Bai Ning Bing.
To think...
To think!
To think that in his own village, he could see these eyes!
At this moment, Man Shi's heart was filled with terror, the indignance and anger in his heart dissipating without a drop of fighting spirit left.
Fang Yuan studied Man Shi's expression carefully and could tell he no longer had the strength to resist.
Fang Yuan's objective was achieved, and he let go of his leg, "You can scram now."
Man Shi felt like he had heard a divine mantra as he rolled and climbed out of the tavern with a pale face.