The soft glow of the sun shining upon the bony Bei Gu Mountain greeted Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing as the White Form Immortal Snake reached their destination. They hadn't run into any major issues along the way ensuring smooth sailing through the skies.
By this point, everyone in the village and near the mountain knew about Fang Yuan and "his mount", so they did not need to worry about friendly fire as they descended upon the village. 'Actually', Fang Yuan thought to himself, 'this could end up being a bit of an issue in case another Gu Master comes by who also has the White Form Immortal Snake...'
Given his nature, he was always cautious about such a thing, even if the odds were low. But if an enemy Rank Five Gu Master really was approaching, there was little the villagers could do.
It was still something that he intended to find a solution to sooner or later.
Bai Ning Bing was greeted by the Bai clansmen before quickly retreating to the place where the Dollhouse was, wanting to see if there were any new clues that she could find. She had picked up an investigative gu worm for this purpose. Fang Yuan thought it was likely pointless, as an ordinary mortal investigative gu would do little good unless the Gu Immortal who had created the Dollhouse had intended for them to discover the secret that way. Still, if she happened to find something, it would only be good for him.
Fang Yuan quickly found Fang Zheng, who rushed out to greet him.
"Brother, it's so good to see that you're back," Fang Zheng said
"And good to see that you're unharmed. How is everything going?" Fang Yuan asked, taking a look around the village. Several new buildings had been constructed, and the perimeter was strengthened compared to before. Not much could have changed significantly during the time they were gone, but it was good to know that nothing unfortunate had happened. "The beast groups haven't been annoying you, have they?"
"No," Fang Zheng said. "I mean, they're threatening, but they don't come near the village. They've learned that it's a bad idea to do that."
"That's good," Fang Yuan said. "And what about the Bei Clansmen? Have they been causing you any issues?"
"No, they've mostly held up their part of the deal," Fang Zheng said. "Some of them did ask if we had a more detailed map of the mountain, but I simply refused. They've been trying to send up scouting parties to find the other primeval spring, but I think it'll still take them a few months to do so."
"Hmm," Fang Yuan said. "And what about the other clans near the base of the mountain?"
"They haven't really done anything," Fang Zheng said. "Some of them sent token representatives to meet with us, but beyond that, they seem to have little interest in working with us. I think if we pushed them, we might be able to secure an alliance to suppress the Bei Clan, but I don't see the benefit in doing so."
"Neither do I," Fang Yuan replied. "And what about the internal problems within the village? Is the assimilation of the Bai or Xiong clansmen causing you any trouble?"
"There have been some minor issues," Fang Zheng said, "but not that much to worry about."
The two of them went into the Clan Head's Pavilion, which now belonged completely to Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng excitedly told him more about what was going on in the village. It was clear that he had quickly adapted to his job of becoming Clan Head and was readily enjoying himself. With the shadow of Fang Yuan, a Rank 5 Gu Master, looming behind him, no one really threatened to cause trouble for the village making his job quite easy. On top of which he had a loyal and capable subordinate in the form of Qing Shu, who could help him navigate the sea of internal political struggles without sinking.
Fang Zheng likely had it easier than any other clan head in history.
As they sat down for dinner, Fang Yuan felt that this was going to be an issue. His brother was complacent where he was and seemed to have lost any drive to advance further. With his reduced aptitude, it was difficult for Fang Zheng to try to advance even a minor realm, and he would likely be stuck at Rank 4 Initial Stage for the rest of his life, if not several decades. But to not even try was always an issue. Fang Zheng had not obtained any new Rank 4 Gu worms, nor had he tried to refine any of them himself.
Fang Yuan would have normally chastised him for this, but this actually fell neatly into his own plan.
"Fang Zheng, I brought several gifts for you," Fang Yuan said the next day.
"Oh, gifts?" Fang Zheng wondered.
"Yes, this is not just a gift, but also a new lesson for you when it comes to Gu Master cultivation," Fang Yuan said. "Since you've advanced to Rank 4, I think it's only appropriate that you know about this. It's not just important to have gu worms of your appropriate rank; it's also good to have gu worms that greatly complement each other. In other words, it is good to pick a path to specialize in. Otherwise, you will not be able to bring out your full Rank 4 strength."
"What sort of path should I choose?" Fang Zheng asked.
This was exactly the kind of question that Fang Yuan had been waiting for. "Regarding that, I think that this path will greatly suit you," Fang Yuan said. "I think you should become a Strength Path cultivator."
"Strength Path?" Fang Zheng asked.
"Yes. You already have a Boar Strength Gu thanks to the help that I gave you earlier. Our clan's own Moonlight Gu, although popular, is difficult to feed and does not have enough varieties at Rank 5 in order to form a complete set, or even that much at Rank 4. It's just lacking in certain areas. The Strength Path, however, does not require that many resources. And for someone like you, I think it could be quite useful so long as you continue practicing martial arts."
"All right, brother. If you say that, then I think I'll become a Strength Path cultivator," Fang Zheng said. He did not doubt Fang Yuan's intentions even in the slightest. From what he had learned up until now, Fang Yuan only had his best interests at heart, and so he readily accepted this word of advice.
"Good," Fang Yuan said. "That's why I have these gu worms for you. First of all, there are the Steel Tendon Gu and Steel Bone Gu."
He would have offered Fang Zheng the Jade Bone Gu that he had found in the Bei Mountain inheritance. However, Jade Bone Gu had a massive drawback- along with something like Iron Bone Gu, it tended to cause a large amount of pain in the individual using it, and one could easily die if they could not handle the pain.
Fang Yuan was clear regarding Fang Zheng's pain tolerance. It was not something the latter could endure. Steel Bone Gu, on the other hand, tended to work more slowly, so it was less painful to use all at once. It would likely require six months for Fang Zheng to use completely, and the Steel Tendon Gu likewise would also require about six months, meaning it would take about a year for him to use both of them correctly.