CHAPTER 192: 192- OLD MAN.

Fang Yuan raised his cup, sipped leisurely, and said in that same calm tone,

"Continue."

Elder He Song’s face twisted, his temper snapping like dry twigs.

"Continue? Do you take me for one of your little slave elders? Hah! You’ve got cow dung for a brain—"

The insult broke off in a strangled gasp. His knees buckled, his body crumpling to the ground.

He knelt there, suddenly short of breath, arms trembling, unable to move as if invisible chains had wrapped around him.

Fang Yuan calmly set his teacup down, his eyes cool and unreadable as he looked down at the struggling elder.

"You do realize the only reason you’re alive is because I deemed you useful, don’t you?"

He leaned forward slightly, their faces nearly level, though one was seated and the other brought low.

"The Wu cult, Wu family, Wu alliance—whatever name you are currently calling yourself. I don’t feel the least bit threatened by them. The only reason I agreed to meet you today..." his tone softened, almost nostalgic, "was because of something you once did for me when I was a child."

Elder He’s eyes widened, confusion flooding his face. His expression all but shouted: What in the heavens is this boy talking about?!

Fang Yuan continued, his voice steady, his words precise.

"Do you remember? When I was five, I met you at the Five Clan meeting. You were with a woman at the time. When I came over and asked what was going on, you grabbed my hand, acted as if you studied it, and then told me I’d find my treasure if I jumped off a cliff."

He gave the faintest of smiles. "Of course, I didn’t jump. Instead, I climbed down. There, I discovered a hidden cave... and within it, an aged pill.

At the time, I didn’t recognize its worth, but it became the key to my rapid progress in cultivation after I consumed it. Only now do I understand what it was, it was a high-quality Bone Marrow Pill. That was the first, and perhaps the greatest, favor you ever gave me."

Elder He blinked furiously, his mind scrambling. He could not even recall such a moment.

To him, it might have been nothing, perhaps even a casual attempt to shoo away a pestering child or even an attempt to take out one of the Fang Family children.

Yet here it was, etched into Fang Yuan’s memory.

Fang Yuan’s gaze sharpened, his tone shifting.

"Ever since that day, I grew more favorable toward you. But what you just did here, Elder He..." his voice grew firm, almost cold, "was very rude. I am not that little boy anymore. And you should remember—"

His aura rippled, quiet but suffocating, pressing down on the old man like a mountain.

"—I am the Nascent Soul cultivator here. Not you, Elder He. Not you."

Fang Yuan withdrew his divine aura as easily as one might fold away a fan.

Elder He Song collapsed forward, coughing and gasping, his chest heaving violently.

His wrinkled hands clawed at the edge of the stone table, knuckles white, as if anchoring himself to the world.

Sweat beaded across his forehead, and his hunched frame trembled like an old willow battered by storm winds.

For a long moment, the only sound in the courtyard was his ragged, desperate breathing.

Fang Yuan’s lips curved into a mild, courteous smile, as though nothing at all had happened.

"Alright now," he said lightly, lifting his cup once more, "I’m sure you’ll continue your story. Right, Elder He?"

The elder’s eyes darted up, still wild, still searching for air.

Then, seeing that serene face across from him, his heart gave a painful lurch.

He forced himself upright, wobbling back into his seat, his lips twitching into what he hoped passed for a smile.

"Ah—yes, yes, of course... Clan Head Fang," he wheezed, bowing his head low. "I will. I will."

He fumbled for his teacup, fingers still shaking as he tried to disguise his disarray with the motions of civility.

The porcelain rattled softly against the saucer as he brought it to his lips, taking a hasty sip to steady his nerves.

Elder He lowered his cup with both hands, doing his best to disguise the tremor in his fingers.

His smile twitched, crooked, like a cracked mask, but he forced his tone into one of measured dignity.

"Yes... as I was saying," he began hoarsely, "the arrival of Great Pill King Shan Yifeng changed the fate of the cultivation world. He introduced realms above Golden Core, he revealed the existence of Nascent Soul and Hollow Spirit... and yet, his legacy was not only enlightenment, but chaos. The greed he inspired turned disciples into prey, gave birth to blood demon cultivators, and split the world apart."

He coughed into his sleeve, buying himself a breath before continuing.

"And then, after a thousand years of supremacy, he vanished. Some say he ascended, others say he fell. But what matters, Clan Head Fang... is that a tomb bearing his name has now been discovered. The Wu Alliance claims this is no mere rumor. An inheritance cave of such a figure could hold treasures and techniques beyond measure."

He paused, studying Fang Yuan’s expression, trying, failing, to read him.

His jaw clenched with the bitterness of humiliation, but his words came smooth, practiced.

"And so," Elder He went on, his voice tightening ever so slightly, "the Wu Alliance extends this opportunity to your clan. A gesture of... sincerity. A path toward mutual benefit."

Across the table, Fang Yuan leaned back slightly, his gaze steady, unreadable.

He swirled the tea in his cup, as though weighing the fragrance more than the elder’s words. That faint smile of his never changed.

To Elder He, it felt like being bared open under a blade.

Fang Yuan’s lips curved faintly as he set his cup aside.

"What a rushed story," he said lightly, his tone as casual as a remark about the weather. "You’d do a poor job as a storyteller, old man."