"Yes, yes," Fang Yuan said, quickly recomposing himself. This was not how he had intended for things to go, and he was starting to rack his brains, wondering why on earth this hadn't worked.
There was a story told far and wide about an incident within Shang Clan City. A Gu Master had found a rock that was unassuming and being used to fix a wobbly, uneven table. However, within it, one found a gu worm that was considered extinct: the Rank Three All-out Effort Gu. The Gu Master in question quickly rose in strength and made a massive name for himself. Fang Yuan had intended to claim it ever since he had gotten into the city and had been waiting for the right time to do so.
'Why didn't this work? This story was so specific, it couldn't possibly have been wrong.'
Did something happen before the rock had been discovered? It was only supposed to be discovered within a few years, so perhaps someone had already taken the original rock away, and the one containing the All-out Effort Gu was put there later. In such a case, he would need to come back to this gambling den. But something about the whole story did not fit right within his head, though he couldn't place his finger on it.
They bought a few more cheap rocks for Shang Xin Ci to practice at home before deciding to leave.
However, before Fang Yuan could exit, Liu Nan burst in, saw him immediately, and pointed his finger at him.
"Fang Yuan! I finally found you!"
"Get out of my way. I'm trying to leave." Fang Yuan's words were very short and brusque- not the kind that Liu Nan was used to hearing from where he came from. No one would speak to him that way, and even here he was given a degree of respect as a Rank Five Gu Master.
Liu Nan's Rank Five Peak Stage aura seeped into the gambling den, and many people turned their heads. Two Rank Five Gu Masters in one day! It was not a sight that one could see often. Not to mention, Liu Nan's cultivation was higher than Fang Yuan's.
Even a difference of one minor stage was huge at the Rank Five level. The spectators knew that even the Shang Clan leader was only at Rank Five Middle Stage, just like Fang Yuan.
"Fang Yuan, I'm not letting you go anywhere," Liu Nan said, using his body to block off the exit. "It's time that you answer for your wicked deeds, demon!" Liu Nan accused, pointing a shaking finger at Fang Yuan.
"Does anyone know who that is?"
"That's one of the new Rank Five Gu Masters who walked into the city. I haven't seen him here before, though. What could he possibly want with Fang Yuan?"
It was clear that Liu Nan was not going to shift his position from the door. Fang Yuan looked at him once more. A Rank Five Peak Stage master was not of much interest to him.
However, how did this person know who he was? He had not heard the name Liu Nan before, but if he had been someone well-known, especially at Rank Five Peak Stage, his name would have been bandied about to some extent within the Southern Border. However, even with his 500 years of experience, he could not recall someone with that name or someone from a 'Liu' clan. Was it some kind of alias?
"I'm trying to leave. Move, or you will be moved," Fang Yuan said, glaring at the man. Contained within this glare was the full force of his authority as the wielder of a Purple Thorn Token.
"Has Fang Yuan truly just threatened a Rank Five Peak Stage Gu Master at Rank Five Middle Stage?"
"Oh, don't you know? He has a Purple Thorn Token! So what if that man is Rank Five Peak Stage? Fang Yuan is a special guest of the Shang Clan leader! Two fists cannot fight four palms. If that man tries anything, the wrath of the Shang Clan will follow upon him."
"That's right! The Shang Clan doesn't just have Mortal Gu Masters, but Immortal Gu Masters as elders as well. No matter how strong he is, he cannot compare to an Immortal."
"Correct! There's nothing that Liu Nan can do to Fang Yuan right now."
Although they all said this, many of them were very uneasy, with some wanting to try to get out of the gambling den as soon as possible in case Liu Nan and Fang Yuan started actually fighting. The resulting destruction could completely consume a city block before someone stopped it. That was just how frightening the power of Gu Masters at Rank Five was!
"You, you stand around here, pretending to be a righteous path Gu Master hidden within the Shang Clan, but you can't fool me! I know all about your wicked deeds!" Liu Nan said. "But I don't want to fight you here out in the open. Come, let's go to the arena. And there, let's duke it out! I will show you that justice triumphs over evil!"
Fang Yuan simply asked him, "Are you dumb or something? Rank Five Gu Masters can't fight in the arena."
"Ordinarily, Rank Five Gu Masters can't fight in the arena, but in special circumstances, we can still arrange for a fight between the two of us! Like-"
"That's not the point," Fang Yuan interrupted. "The point is that I have no intention of fighting with you. Now, get out of my path."
"Fang Yuan, are you really going to decline my challenge like this?" Liu Nan said, not moving even the slightest. "Are you really a coward- one who enjoys doing evil out in the open, but then hides behind the veneer of righteousness?"
"Look at that! That man truly has guts, calling the wielder of a Purple Thorn Token a coward!"
"But then, what can Fang Yuan do other than accept it? People were going to think that he is a coward if he doesn't..."
"Call me a coward, call me a demon, call me whatever you want. Just get out of my way. I have no intention of fighting with you," Fang Yuan stated.
Liu Nan frowned. He had not expected Fang Yuan to be this stubborn as he had only heard of him, but never actually met him.
"Fang Yuan! If you don't agree to fight me, then I will bring light to your evil deeds in public! Everyone thinks you are righteous, but that cannot be further from the truth. The world will know of your misdeeds once I speak of them. Is that what you want? If not, then you should figh-"
"Why don't you just shut up?" a voice said, cracking through the gambling den like a whip and silencing Liu Nan momentarily.
The voice did not come from Fang Yuan. Rather, this voice came from Shang Xin Ci, who stepped out in front of Fang Yuan and pointed a finger directly at Liu Nan.
"That girl really has guts, despite only being Rank One Middle Stage. She's standing up to a Rank Five Peak Stage Gu Master! If someone had told me this was happening, I wouldn't have believed it."
"Yes, but then again, what can he do in front of the Shang Clan's daughter?"
"You, how dare you!" Shang Xin Ci shouted. "How dare you accuse my teacher of being a demon? He is the most righteous and upright man in the entire Southern Border! How dare you slander him with your words like that!?" She had forgotten all of the fear she'd ordinarily feel in the face of someone bad-mouthing Fang Yuan. If she had been a less kind person herself, she might've even added, "You're courting death!" to the end of that statement.