The red sun sank toward the west, yet had not completely set.
The sky still held a trace of light, but everything seemed draped in a layer of ash. Looking out through the window, the distant mountains were gradually dissolving into a heavy black.
Inside the dim living room, the uncle and aunt sat high in the main seats. Their expressions were shrouded in shadows, making them difficult to make out clearly.
Seeing the two jars of wine Fangyuan had brought along, Gu Yue Dongtu, his uncle, furrowed his brows into a tight knot and spoke: "In the blink of an eye, you two are already fifteen. To think both of you possess Gu Master talent, especially Fangzheng—your aunt and I are proud of both of you. I am giving each of you six Primeval Stones. Take them, you two brothers. Refining Gu Worms consumes a vast amount of Primeval Essence, and you will need these stones."
With that, a servant stepped forward and handed each of the two brothers a small pouch.
Fangyuan put away his pouch and remained silent.
Fangzheng immediately opened the mouth of his bag to take a look, revealing six oval, grayish-white Primeval Stones nestled inside. A look of gratitude instantly welled up on his face. He stood up from his seat, bowed to his uncle and aunt, and said, "Thank you, Uncle and Aunt. Your nephew is in dire need of Primeval Stones to replenish his Primeval Essence. You have raised me all these years, and this debt of gratitude is engraved upon my heart, never to be forgotten for as long as I live!"
His uncle smiled and nodded.
His aunt hurriedly waved her hand, speaking gently to Fangzheng: "Sit down, quickly sit down. Although the two of you are not our biological children, we have always raised you as our own flesh and blood. We are proud of your success. Alas, we have no children of our own, and sometimes I wish you truly were ours."
These words carried profound meaning. While Fangzheng missed it entirely, Fangyuan furrowed his brows slightly.
Sure enough, his uncle went on to say: "Your aunt and I have discussed this. We want you both to be adopted into our family and become truly one household. Fangzheng, would you be willing?"
Fangzheng was momentarily stunned, but joy quickly surfaced on his face, and he readily agreed: "To be honest, ever since my parents passed away, I have longed for the days of a complete family. To become a real family with Uncle and Aunt—nothing could be better!"
His aunt’s expression relaxed, and she smiled: "Then you are our good son. Are you still going to call us Uncle and Aunt?"
"Father, Mother." Fangzheng came to his senses and hastily changed his form of address.
Uncle and aunt both burst into hearty laughter.
"Good son, it was well worth it for us husband and wife to raise you since you were five. We've brought you up for a full decade," his aunt said, wiping away tears.
His uncle then looked at the silent Fangyuan and said warmly: "Fangyuan, what are your intentions?"
Fangyuan shook his head and stayed silent.
"Older Brother," Gu Yue Fangzheng wanted to urge him, but was stopped by his uncle.
His uncle’s tone remained unchanged as he continued: "In that case, Nephew Fangyuan, we will not force you. But since you are already fifteen, it is time for you to establish your own household, which will also make it convenient for you to inherit your branch of the Fang family. I have prepared two hundred Primeval Stones here for you as assistance."
"Two hundred Primeval Stones!" Fangzheng's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen so many Primeval Stones before, and he couldn't help revealing a look of envy.
Yet Fangyuan merely shook his head once more.
Fangzheng was utterly perplexed. His uncle's expression shifted slightly, and his aunt's face turned gloomy as well.
"Uncle, Aunt, if there is nothing else, your nephew will take his leave." Fangyuan did not give them a chance to speak further. Dropping these words, he picked up the wine jars and strode straight out of the hall.
Fangzheng stood up: "Father, Mother, Older Brother is just being stubborn for a moment. Shall I go and try to persuade him?"
His uncle waved a hand and let out a deliberate, heavy sigh: "Alas, this cannot be forced. Since you have the heart, Father is already very pleased. Someone, escort Master Fangzheng to his quarters and make sure he is settled comfortably."
"Then this son will take his leave." Fangzheng retreated, and the living room plunged back into silence.
The sun completely dropped below the mountains, and the living room grew even darker.
After a long moment, the uncle's cold voice cut through the dimness: "It seems this little bastard Fangyuan has already seen through our scheme."
Among the family rules of the Gu Yue Clan, there was a clear stipulation: the eldest son at age sixteen possessed the qualification to inherit the family estate.
The parents of Fangyuan had already passed away, leaving behind a considerable inheritance that had been "kept in custody" by his uncle and aunt.
The value of this inheritance was far beyond what a mere two hundred Primeval Stones could compare to.
If Fangyuan, like Fangzheng, allowed himself to be adopted by his uncle and aunt, he would lose the qualification to inherit this estate. And if Fangyuan established an independent household at the age of fifteen this year, it would still not meet the clan's rules regarding property inheritance.
"Fortunately, we managed to rope in Fangzheng, and Fangyuan only has Grade C talent," his uncle sighed again, feeling immensely fortunate.
"Then, Husband, since it is obvious Fangyuan intends to break away and live independently at sixteen, what should we do?" At the thought of that inheritance, the aunt's tone grew anxious.
"Hmph, since he harbors malicious intentions, he has no right to blame us. As long as we catch him committing a major offense before he establishes his independence, we can expel him from the family, which will strip him of his right to inherit the estate," his uncle sneered.
"But this little bastard Fangyuan is extremely smart; how could he possibly make a mistake?" his aunt asked, bewildered.
His uncle rolled his eyes and scolded in a low voice: "You truly are foolish! If he won't make a mistake, can't we frame him? Let that girl Shen Cui go and seduce Fangyuan first, and then scream that he is attempting to violate her. We will catch them red-handed on the spot and plant the false charge of going wild from drink and losing his mind. Are you worried we still won't be able to drive Fangyuan out?"
"Husband, you still have a way! What a brilliant plan!" The aunt was instantly overjoyed.
Thick night fell, and most of the stars across the sky were blocked by drifting dark clouds. Lamps gradually flickered to life in every household within the village.
Gu Yue Fangzheng was led into a room.
"Master Fangzheng, this room was personally ordered by Master, specially tidied and cleared out just for you," Matriarch Shen introduced ingratiatingly, her back bowed and her face plastered with a flattering smile.
Fangzheng looked around, his eyes lighting up. This room was twice as large as the one he originally lived in. In the center stood a spacious bed, and beside the window was a sandalwood desk furnished with exquisite writing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. The surrounding walls were decorated with fine ornaments. Even beneath his feet was not ordinary flooring, but a layer of soft, handmade carpet.
From childhood to now, Fangzheng had never lived in such a room. He nodded repeatedly on the spot: "This is wonderful, truly magnificent. Thank you, Matriarch Shen."
This Matriarch Shen was the person his aunt valued most, managing all the servants in the household as a true housekeeper.
Fangyuan's personal maid, Shen Cui, was her daughter.
Matriarch Shen chuckled heartily: "How could this old slave ever dare to accept your thanks, Young Master? It is only right, perfectly right! Young Master, just eat and sleep well. If you want anything, simply ring the bell by the bed, and servants will immediately come up to await your commands. Master has given instructions that for these next few days, Young Master, you are to focus single-mindedly on cultivation, and leave all other trivial matters to us servants to handle."
A surge of gratitude welled up in Fangzheng's heart once again. He said nothing more, merely making a silent resolution within himself: This time, I must seize first place and not let Uncle and Aunt down!
...
The dark clouds in the sky grew heavier, and the night deepened accordingly. Nearly all the stars in the night sky were obscured by the cloud cover, leaving only a few flickering with faint light, struggling in the heavens.
"Uncle and Aunt must be plotting how to drive me out of the family right now. In my past life, they secretly instigated a servant to provoke me, then framed me and ultimately chased me out. I wonder what changes there will be in this life." Walking down the street, Fangyuan sneered inwardly.
He had long since seen through the true faces of his uncle and aunt.
Yet it was understandable.
Men die for wealth as birds die for food; whether on Earth or in this world, there were always countless people who trampled upon family affection, friendship, and love for the sake of profit.
In truth, genuine family affection never existed. When his uncle and aunt adopted Fangyuan and Fangzheng back then, their ultimate motive was greed for the inheritance. It was just that the two brothers continually surprised them.
"All things are difficult at the beginning, even more so for me. I possess neither extraordinary talent nor the guidance of a master, which is equivalent to starting from scratch. My parents' inheritance can be said to be a major springboard for me. In my past life, that inheritance was snatched away by my uncle and aunt, forcing me to waste a full two years just to reach the Rank One Peak of cultivation. In this life, I cannot repeat that mistake."
As Fangyuan walked, he thought to himself.
Instead of staying in his quarters, he carried two jars of wine, heading straight for the outskirts of the village.
The night sky grew increasingly gloomy, dark clouds blocking out the starlight, and the mountain wind blew in gusts, showing a trend of growing steadily stronger.
A mountain rain was about to fall.
Yet he still had to explore. If he wanted to reclaim his parents' inheritance, he would have to wait until he turned sixteen next year. But the legacy of the Flower Wine Monk was something that could be obtained in the near future.
On the streets, pedestrians were sparse. Dim lights shone from the houses along the road, while stray bits of household garbage, fallen leaves, and dust were swept up by the wind and drifted aimlessly.
Fangyuan's thin clothing could hardly keep out the mountain wind, and he couldn't help feeling a chill.
He simply uncorked the jars of wine he was carrying and took a small sip. Though it was cheap, unrefined wine, a wave of warmth surged upward once it went down.
This was the first time he had truly drunk alcohol in all these days.
The further he walked toward the edge of the village, the sparser the roadside houses became and the dimmer the lights grew.
Ahead of him lay layer upon layer of darkness. The wind pressed against the mountain forest, causing the tree branches to sway and howl in the night like a pack of roaring beasts.
Fangyuan's pace did not hesitate in the least. He stepped out through the village gates and walked further and further into the dark path.
Behind him lay the bright and glorious lights of thousands of homes.
Within those lights was a warm corner.
His younger brother, Gu Yue Fangzheng, sat at the desk, reviewing the notes he had taken in class. The room was brightly lit, and the solid walls blocked out the cold wind. Beside his hand sat a cup of warm ginseng tea, wisps of steam curling upward.
"Master Fangzheng, the hot water for your bath has been prepared," Shen Cui's soft voice drifted in from outside the door.
Fangzheng's heart stirred: "Then bring it in."
Shen Cui walked into the room with a seductive expression on her face, swaying her hips.
"This slave greets Master Fangzheng." She cast a flirtatious, watery gaze toward him. Fangyuan was merely Grade C, but Fangzheng possessed Grade A talent. Getting close to him was the path to true wealth and prosperity!