Chapter 218: Renewing the Pact (3rd Update, Autumn Subscription)

Though described as a secondary objective, the Di He stone was in fact the most critical mission of Gu Yue Cun's expedition.

After the Di He was damaged, it urgently needed Di He stones for repair; otherwise, excessive Yang Shou would leak out, causing the Di He's fire reserves to drop insufficiently—that would be a major problem.

The foundation of village establishment lies in the Human Soul fire and in the Di He.

With the Di He, there is safety, the ability to dispel 【Ye Han】, and thus the existence of the village.

Even Mo Cun, a village inexplicably untouched by the strange attacks, must burn Di He stones daily; otherwise, the village cannot sustain itself.

"Captain Ye, Mo Cun has abundant stone reserves. After we explain our village's plight, they should sell to us."

"Should?"

"Um… we must wait for Mo Cun's three Captains to deliberate before they inform us of their decision. Right now, we don't know their stance. But it should be fine—we have a good relationship with Mo Cun, plus the ancient agreement…"

Fine. If they truly refuse to sell, there's nothing Fang Yue can do about it.

And when this news returns to Gu Yue Cun…

Fang Yue doubted whether Mo Cun could withstand Lord Han's wrath.

After asking a few more questions, Fang Yue stopped paying attention to it, telling them to inform him of any new developments.

He turned to look at the quiet girl beside him and asked.

"What are your plans, Weiba?"

"Wu Wu and I are going to stroll around Mo Cun."

…Girls really do love this kind of activity.

"Go ahead, relax properly. The reward for this mission should be enough for you to splurge a little."

"Yes!"

Not just them—Fang Yue would also go claim his reward soon.

Along the way, he was the main combatant; his reward must be the highest tier.

Though it was his duty, the fact remains that he killed the strange creature and protected the escort team—he had performed his role as Captain perfectly.

After eating, Fang Yue was quickly led to meet Chief Captain Lang Wu.

Knock knock knock.

The Lang Fu steward gently knocked.

"Master, Captain Ye has arrived."

"Let him in."

"Yes."

The steward opened the door for Fang Yue, then silently withdrew.

Inside, Fang Yue found three people seated side by side.

In the center was Chief Captain Lang Wu.

To the left was a bald man with lifeless, fish-like eyes.

To the right was a woman with fiery red hair, elegant in posture, sipping black tea with her pinky raised.

"Greetings, Chief Captain Lang, Captain Wu, Captain Huo."

These three were the three leaders of Mo Cun—the Three Captains.

"Captain Ye, no need for formalities."

The bald man with fish-like eyes lifted his eyelids slightly.

"I heard you killed the Memory-Erasing creature?"

"Yes."

"Mind sparring with me?"

"Wha—"

Before Fang Yue could finish speaking, the bald man with fish-like eyes suddenly lunged forward.

A straight punch aimed straight at Fang Yue's face; the other two made no move to stop him.

Fang Yue's expression shifted several times—he slapped the punch aside with a sharp clap, then countered with a knee thrust toward Captain Wu's groin, but Captain Wu easily blocked it with his other hand; the hand that had been deflected twisted into a claw, snatching for Fang Yue's throat.

Fang Yue ducked low, evading the attack, then grabbed Captain Wu's arm and twisted!

Couldn't twist it.

His usual bone-breaking technique, effective against minor thugs, failed this time.

Because Fang Yue's strength was suppressed—in equal-level combat, such tricks don't work easily.

"Hey!"

Captain Wu grinned, kicking again; Fang Yue released his grip, blocked with both hands, stepped back two paces—and looked up to see Captain Wu's fist crashing down toward his skull.

Thud!!

"Aaaahhhhh!!"

Captain Wu collapsed.

Collapsed while clutching his crotch.

The suddenness and speed of this turn stunned even Chief Captain Lang and Captain Huo.

Only then did they realize that when Captain Wu charged Fang Yue, his back had blocked their view of Fang Yue's move.

Judging from Captain Wu's reaction… Fang Yue had kicked him in the groin before he even threw his punch.

This… this was just too…

Chief Captain Lang was awkwardly silent when, beside him, Captain Huo suddenly burst into laughter.

"Ha! Hahaha! This kid is hilarious!"

Fang Yue glanced at the corner of his mouth, calmly facing the two.

Walking in and being greeted with this treatment, he was in no good mood.

Chief Captain Lang Wu quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Captain Ye, don't take it to heart. This morning, I went to their homes and told them about you—these two didn't believe a mere post-heaven Third-rate Realm martial artist like you could kill a Black Grade Mid-level Possession such as the Memory-Erasing Wraith, so this was just a test."

Pausing, Chief Captain Lang Wu feigned a scolding expression.

"You two, satisfied now?"

"I never said I had any complaints."

Captain Fire spread his hands, stroked his fiery red hair, and watched Fang Yue with keen interest.

"Not valid! Not valid!!"

The dead-eyed Captain Wu shouted, rolling around on the ground.

"Victory and defeat are decided by strength—what's invalid about it? In real combat, you'd be a corpse right now."

"But he played dirty!"

"That's still skill. If you couldn't guard against it, that's your problem."

"You old wolf, if I'd gone all out, would I not have guarded against this move?!"

"Then do you think… someone who killed the Memory-Erasing Wraith would have only these few tricks?"

"…."

Captain Wu fell silent, grunted, and slowly rose from the ground.

He stared at Fang Yue for a moment, then tossed him a letter.

Fang Yue caught it in surprise, opened it, and froze slightly.

The content was simple: it notified them that the leadership position in Mo Cun and Gu Yue Cun had changed.

In other words, those rumors from this morning weren't just rumors—this side had truly received official notice.

From now on, Fang Yue was the official Captain of Gu Yue Cun.

Hmm… meaning he was now on the same level as these three men in the room.

We're finally a major figure in Gu Yue Cun—our every move can decide the village's life or death.

Most importantly, the benefits have finally risen to the level of an official Captain!

Fang Yue felt a small surge of excitement.

"Captain Ye, let me introduce you."

Chief Captain Lang Wu pointed at the bald, dead-eyed man, who sat back down, crossed his legs, and gulped tea loudly.

"This is Captain Wu, a post-heaven Second-rate Realm martial artist, famed for his mastery of both fists and feet—he's the youngest genius among our Mo Cun's three Captains, with great potential ahead."

Fang Yue had only a rough idea of Mo Cun's Captains' status, limited to the most superficial level—he hadn't known the exact power divisions.

He hadn't expected this bald guy to be a post-heaven Second-rate Realm martial artist—no wonder I struggled to fight him during the day.

But in terms of attributes, the gap didn't feel that large.

"And this is Captain Fire, a post-heaven Second-rate Realm martial artist. Don't let her appearance fool you—she's over thirty, still unmarried, by the way. If Captain Ye is interested, you might want to spend more time with her."

Oh.

An older lady…

Captain Fire had been sizing Fang Yue up with mild annoyance, but upon hearing Chief Captain Lang Wu's introduction, she rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks in irritation.

Yet her makeup was subtle, her crow's feet not prominent—she still looked strikingly beautiful.

But Fang Yue's thoughts weren't on her.

"I didn't expect she's also a post-heaven Second-rate Realm martial artist!"

Mo Cun has an incredibly strong core team.

Wait! The Second and Third Captains are both post-heaven Second-rate Realm martial artists—so Chief Captain Lang Wu's strength must be at least equal to theirs.

Could it be…

As Fang Yue thought this, Chief Captain Lang Wu smiled and pointed to himself.

"Lang Wu, Chief Captain of Mo Cun, post-heaven First-rate Realm!"

Post-heaven… First-rate Realm!

Fang Yue's pupils contracted, and he became more respectful.

Aside from Lord Han, whose abilities were beyond mortal comprehension, Chief Captain Lang Wu was likely the strongest being an ordinary person could ever encounter.

"No need to be so formal—we're all Captains of our own villages, no hierarchy here. Besides, you escorted Divine Doctor An safely back to the village—we're grateful beyond words."

Chief Captain Lang Wu was very courteous, completely unaware that on the journey, Divine Doctor An had nearly died several times.

For instance, during the Yang Xu Wraith and Heavy Pressure Wraith incidents, Fang Yue had thought Divine Doctor An was dead.

And during the Possession by the Memory-Erasing Wraith, Fang Yue had also thought the odds were grim.

Yet Divine Doctor An was stubbornly resilient—he somehow survived it all.

One could only marvel: some people simply aren't meant to die.

"By the way, how is Divine Doctor An doing?"

"He's much better now—being cared for by his family. I heard he was possessed; after returning, he'll likely need long-term rest."

But as long as he returned safely, that was enough.

"Boring formalities. I've seen the person. I'm leaving."

Captain Wu suddenly stood and walked out.

Chief Captain Lang Wu didn't stop him—he simply nodded and let him go.

It seemed this call for Fang Yue had truly been nothing more than an introduction.

"Captain Ye, what are your plans from here?"

"I'm planning to go to the merchant group... to buy some things."

After a moment's hesitation, Fang Yue still didn't directly reveal that he was planning to buy a Heart Method.

"The merchant group, huh... the Black Crow Merchant Group's prices aren't cheap, you know."

"Uh... I've prepared for it."

"Mm, if you don't have enough money, you can come find me to discuss it. Also..."

Chief Captain Lang glanced at Captain Huo, who was quietly drinking tea beside them and showed no sign of leaving.

"... Mm, it's nothing. In short, just be careful. The Black Crow Merchant Group isn't from Mo Cun; their background is very complicated. Try not to provoke them."

Hm?

What does that mean?

A merchant group, on Mo Cun's home turf, and they apparently still can't keep the situation under control?

Fang Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, taking mental note of it.

When he goes to the merchant group later, he'll just buy his things and absolutely won't cause any trouble.

"Captain Ye is going shopping at the merchant group? Then come with me, why don't you? I was just thinking of going to take a look myself."

Captain Huo rose gracefully, licked his lips, and stared at Fang Yue with a smile.

Fang Yue couldn't care less what Captain Huo was thinking—as long as someone was willing to take him to the merchant group, that was fine.

Just as he was about to agree, Chief Captain Lang spoke up.

"Wait a moment. The merchant group hasn't opened yet. Let me take Captain Ye somewhere first."

"True enough. Then I'll head back first. Once the merchant group opens, I'll send someone to notify Captain Ye."

"Many thanks."

Hearing Fang Yue's reply, Captain Huo waved a hand and, swaying his hips, walked out of the room with elegant steps.

"Sorry about that. The two of them have rather... personalities."

"It's fine."

What kind of person had Fang Yue seen? His resistance was maxed out.

Back then, he hadn't even minded Lin Ling's appearance, let alone these two.

"Alright then, follow me."

"Where to?"

"I'll take you to see Mo Cun's biggest secret."

Mo Cun's biggest secret?

Seeing that Chief Captain Lang had already left the room, Fang Yue hurried to follow.

……

Mo Cun, Di He.

Unlike Gu Yue Cun's Di He, which was essentially left out in the open with no defenses whatsoever,

Mo Cun's Di He was wrapped in layer upon layer of high walls.

Looking down from high above, it was like gazing at a blooming spiral flower.

Layer upon layer of outer shell, shaped in spiral patterns, wrapped the Di He up tightly.

Their Gu Yue Cun had no materials to repair the Di He, yet here in Mo Cun they practically used Di He materials like ordinary materials—rolling in wealth.

Fang Yue tugged at the corner of his mouth slightly. He knew that buying Di He stone materials from Mo Cun was basically a done deal.

The two followed the spiral patterns step by step, climbing the ascending stairs, until they finally reached the top.

This was Mo Cun's tallest building.

Looking down, surveying the surroundings like a bird's-eye view, one could take in the entire layout of Mo Cun at a glance!

You couldn't tell from the outside, but in reality, Mo Cun was a village with a very conventional square layout.

It was just that the village occupied a very large area—so large that you couldn't make out the square layout at all.

"Chief Captain Lang!"

"Chief Captain Lang!"

The guards on duty saluted one after another.

Chief Captain Lang nodded, then asked with a smile: "Captain Ye, how about it? Our Mo Cun isn't bad, is it?"

Fang Yue twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Chief Captain Lang, what do you mean 'not bad'? Compared to Mo Cun, our Gu Yue Cun is just a little bump on a log—the kind that can't even make it onto the table."

"I wouldn't dare say that!"

Chief Captain Lang's expression changed and he hurriedly said: "Your Gu Yue Cun has that lord there. If we really compared, our Mo Cun is far inferior!"

Ah, this.

No matter how you looked at it, Mo Cun seemed to be doing much better than Gu Yue Cun.

As if he could read the doubt on Fang Yue's face, Chief Captain Lang gave a bitter smile: "One Lord Han in your Gu Yue Cun is enough to preserve the entire village's lives. But our Mo Cun doesn't have such a figure... or rather, we did once, but now that the protection of a strong one is gone, all that's left is a broken ancient formation. That's all."

"A formation is no comparison to a living person. The ancient formation was already broken to begin with. We've relied on the authentic works left behind by Lord Mo to patch it up and get by, but we're only barely clinging to life. Recently, the village's formation has been deteriorating more and more severely. I really worry—what if one day the formation breaks and can't be repaired? What will Mo Cun do? Will it follow in Chaoyue Village's footsteps..."

At this point, Chief Captain Lang's expression darkened somewhat, then he gave another bitter smile: "How did I end up pouring out my troubles to you? In short, the ancient formation Mo Cun takes pride in can protect the village's safety, but its consumption of various rare materials is also extremely severe. So Mo Cun is good at amassing wealth, but also good at losing money. At present we're only making a slight profit—not really that rich. So, I have an unkind request."

Here comes the main point.

Fang Yue had long understood that Chief Captain Lang calling him over early in the morning and deliberately saying so much to him must have a purpose. He was mentally prepared, so he wasn't surprised at all.

After Chief Captain Lang dismissed the others, he lowered his voice and said: "Captain Ye, on behalf of Mo Cun, I wish to re-establish a contract with your Gu Yue Cun."

(End of this chapter)