Chapter 575: Support
Chapter 575: Support
After seeing off Qiao Wuyong, Fang Xing flipped through the "Heart Image Holy Canon" while fiddling with the flying squirrel pouch, finding some amusement in his solitude.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he glanced at a figure in the bamboo grove, "Old Master Lu... You're here? It seems the caravan has already left."
"Yes, that Qiao Wuyong is quite a decent fellow. This time, he gave us a great bargain."
Master Lu's face lit up with a smile, his wrinkles seeming to bloom.
Fang Xing understood the situation. A merchant's nature was to squeeze every last copper coin, and offering a discount to Poison Dragon Slope was most likely a gesture after realizing his strength.
In other words, it was all about human relationships and social norms!
"Hmm, then why are you here?"
Fang Xing furrowed his brows.
Master Lu was old, his cultivation not particularly high, and he hadn't cultivated any spirit eye techniques, so he hadn't noticed Fang Xing's cultivation realm.
After cultivating the Heart Image Holy Canon, even the Iron Scattered Man would find it difficult to detect him.
"I, Old Lu, have come for a cup of tea... What's wrong, is Fang Daoyou not welcoming me?"
Master Lu chuckled.
"Of course, you're welcome," Fang Xing said, immediately taking out the tea set, and the two sat facing each other in the bamboo grove.
Master Lu held the teacup, gazing at the steam rising from the tea, his eyes gradually becoming distant, "Unknowingly, I've been settled in Poison Dragon Slope for five years... I no longer have to set up a stall in Yunlai Fang to make a living. Thinking about it, it feels like a different world."
"Your courage, Old Master Lu, is something I've always admired."
Fang Xing took a sip of tea and casually replied, "Not only in opening up new lands, but also in gathering all your strength to help Iron Scattered Man break through to the seventh level of sensing Qi..."
For this, Old Master Lu had even swallowed his pride and borrowed a sum of money from Fang Xing to purchase the necessary spiritual pills.
Furthermore, the deadly acupoint was something Old Master Lu had secretly entrusted to Fang Xing, ensuring that the Qi channeled was more suitable for the Iron Scattered Man's cultivation.
"Hmph... That was also out of desperation."
Master Lu's expression turned solemn, "At that time, we hadn't established a firm footing. From the very beginning, when we encountered the Black Snake Demon Beast, it was clear that there were hidden dangers lurking... If not for Fang Daoyou's intervention, we would have either retreated with humiliation or lost a few fellow cultivators..."
Developing a place was like rolling a snowball; if the initial losses were too great, Poison Dragon Slope would not have achieved such success today.
"In my life, I've walked on thin ice... Even with the protection of the Black Snake, I still felt like I couldn't reach the other shore... I had no choice but to go all-in and help my second brother break through."
Master Lu sighed, "Because of this, my third brother, fourth sister, and fifth sister have become somewhat estranged from me... Especially my fifth sister, who has focused solely on Yunyun and mostly ignores external affairs."
"I see that Song Daoyou has done a good job in cultivating Yunyun. Could it be that you plan to send her to Qingling Peak in the future?"
Fang Xing asked curiously.
"Perhaps... Or maybe she wants to marry into a high-ranking family and find a suitable husband," Master Lu said, "I'm all for it. If she can gain the support of a powerful family, our Poison Dragon Slope's foundation will truly be secure."
Fang Xing smiled inwardly, knowing that the old man was finally getting to the heart of the matter.
"Do you know... that the Fei family is about to change its patriarch?"
Master Lu repeated the news Qiao Wuyong had shared earlier, then continued, "Currently, there are three contenders for the position: Fei Wu, Fei Cai, and Fei Shentong..."
Fang Xing immediately thought of the manager of the medicine garden, "Could it be... that you're considering getting involved?"
"Why not?" Master Lu smiled, "We at Poison Dragon Slope have two cultivators at the seventh level of sensing Qi... Among the five major families in Qingli, we are second only to the White Bone Alliance's group of demon cultivators."
The White Bone Alliance was a group of loose cultivators who practiced the same White Bone Skull Technique. After obtaining the Burial Ground, they had already cultivated two seventh-level sensing Qi 'White Bone Skulls', making them the strongest among the five families.
Indeed, when calculating, people would automatically exclude the Fei family.
"I think, Old Master Lu, you don't know your own strength. How can a group of cultivators at the sensing Qi realm influence the succession of a Dao Foundation family?"
Fang Xing chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement, "What are you planning to contribute?"
Master Lu was at a loss.
After all, his daughter-in-law, Xiao Cui, was from Fei Cai's family, so they were already considered family.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to save the Dragon King Ginseng last time.
"Even in the Fei family, there aren't many experts at the later stages of sensing Qi, not even counting those in hiding, less than a dozen."
Master Lu explained, "This time, the change in patriarch isn't for the Dao Foundation ancestor, so it's not a significant matter for the Fei family. That Dao Foundation ancestor has always been laid-back and rarely interferes. Many of the family elders are neutral... In reality, each candidate's power consists of only one or two, or at most three, cultivators at the later stages of sensing Qi. Why can't we influence them?"
"Good, then what do you suggest? Should we just eliminate the other two candidates?"
Fang Xing asked in return.
"What are you talking about?" Master Lu was startled, "That's a sure way to court death. Do you think the Dao Foundation ancestor is dead?"
"In this election, it's not necessary to discuss abilities or character, as it's hard to tell... So, it's all about family contributions. With our two cultivators at the seventh level of sensing Qi, we can help Fei Cai complete a few family tasks, and that will be considered a significant contribution.
"Two Great Post-Sensory Realm cultivators... Are you interested in our island's guardian beast?" Fang Xing suddenly realized.
"As for the Sacred Beast, you'll need to communicate with it..." Old Master Lu forced a smile.
In reality, five years ago, the Five Friends of Fuyun still had some thoughts of discarding the millstone after using the donkey, but upon seeing the black snake's closeness with Fang Xing, all such ideas were dispelled.
Furthermore, they were even slightly worried that Fang Xing might use the black snake to eliminate their five families one by one.
The act of strongly supporting Tie Luo Sanren was born out of this fear.
"The black snake cannot leave Qingli Marsh... I mean, it's enough to just send Tie Luo Sanren."
Fang Xing shook his head and said, "The black snake is perfectly capable of guarding our foundation. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"
"This..." Old Master Lu wanted to persuade him further, but he saw Fang Xing pick up the teacup, appearing ready to send off the guest.
He could only grit his teeth and leave the bamboo forest.
...
Dongfeng.
Conference Hall.
Tie Luo Sanren, Lin Xu, Hu Liuniang, and Song Yunqian were all present. Seeing Old Master Lu approach with his hands behind his back, they hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Big brother... What's the matter?"
"That person didn't agree to everything. He only agreed that when the second brother leaves the island, the black snake will be responsible for the defense of Poison Dragon Slope..."
Old Master Lu spoke up.
"Hmph... I've said it before, outsiders cannot be trusted." Lin Xu coldly snorted.
There was no mistake that the first one was a one-shot!
It was clear that their previous relationship was not as unbearable as the outside world made it out to be.
The intention behind this was naturally to confuse external enemies.
These external enemies could be the remaining four families or someone from Poison Dragon Slope.
"Never mind... We discussed it before, and we all felt that this outcome was the most likely, didn't we?"
Hu Liuniang smiled and spoke up, "That's good too. With the second brother leaving, there's no Post-Sensory Realm cultivator guarding the family, and I always feel uneasy..."
"Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say..." Lin Xu shook his head.
Old Master Lu looked at Tie Luo Sanren, "Little brother, we're counting on you this time."
What he didn't tell Fang Xing was that his involvement with Fei Cai had already gone too deep, to the point where their fates were intertwined, and any harm to one would affect the other.
Therefore, this time, they had to take action!
...
Nighttime.
The shadows of the bamboo forest swayed gently.
Fang Xing stood beneath a 'Three Saints Oak,' stroking the bark with his hand. His Druid sense could feel the tree's joy in growing, along with a vague emotion.
"It's too difficult for ordinary spiritual wood to develop spiritual wisdom, unless it's enlightened and becomes a treant..."
"However, this is a capability only high-level Druids possess."
At this moment, as Fang Xing stood in this state of unity with nature, he seemed to faintly sense that the entire hundred-acre bamboo forest had become his domain.
Within this domain, every flower and plant, and even all living beings, had a vague awareness.
Furthermore, nature itself would proactively inform him of any enemies entering the bamboo forest.
"The Druid's ecological garden, when fully upgraded, is almost like a Mage's Mage Tower..."
In the later stages of the Druid profession, they can also construct their own 'Mage Tower,' which is essentially a legendary ecological garden.
Moreover, depending on the animal and plant domains, they possess different abilities.
For example, if the plant domain is the main focus, then it may revolve around an unimaginable giant tree, summoning multiple treants, and providing a vast amount of resources.
On the other hand, if the animal domain is the primary domain, then it's possible to breed some legendary beasts or even induce positive mutations in extraordinary species.
It is said that some fallen Druids with bizarre domains will actively create a radioactive environment in their ecological garden, inducing mutations in a large number of bloodthirsty and ferocious plants and animals.
Regardless of the type of ecological garden, they all possess the ability to sense and suppress enemies.
In truth, it can be considered a miniature version of a 'Divine Nation.'
As Fang Xing was lost in his thoughts, his expression suddenly changed.
Nature informed him that an old acquaintance had arrived in the bamboo forest.
After walking some distance, he saw a graceful figure—it was Song Yunqian: "Why has fellow Daoist Song come to visit in the middle of the night?"
"I just came to remind you that this time, the Fei family's struggle for the position of the family head is not simple. It involves not only our Poison Dragon Slope but also the Green Water Wang Song family and the White Bone Alliance in the Burial Ground..."
Song Yunqian explained, "The Song family supports Fei Wu, the White Bone Alliance supports Fei Shentong... The Song family is very close to our Poison Dragon Slope. If they learn that the second brother has left, they might not hesitate to take action against us. After all, the alliance formed during the initial exploration specifically referred to those few years, and now that the exploration is over... The third brother is also very dissatisfied with you."
"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist."
Fang Xing smiled and said, "I wonder what fellow Daoist Song seeks?"
"As for me, I only wish to peacefully watch Yunyun grow up..." Song Yunqian sighed softly.
After Song Yunqian left, Fang Xing was about to return to his room to sleep when his expression suddenly changed, leaving him feeling a mix of laughter and tears: 'What's this? Six people with seven groups? Coming to inform on us right after the meeting?'
He flipped over and sat up, and the door opened, allowing a fragrant breeze to rush in...
...
(End of Chapter)
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