Chapter 8: A Deal Made and an Inheritance Lost
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Today's Song is: Rob Thomas - Can't Help Me Now
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"Young master Fang Yuan, I've come to bring your dinner." The melodious voice of a young woman was heard by Suo Bai, and he calmly came out of his meditative state and went towards the door to open it.
"Well, it's you, young Shen Cui, come in." As soon as the door was opened, Suo Bai could see Shen Cui holding a silver tray in his right hand and a small pot of wine in his left.
Shen Cui entered the room with a beaming smile and placed the tray and wine on a table near the bedroom window. She was wearing a long pink dress with purple details embroidered in the shape of cherry blossoms, and was wearing light make-up on her face.
'I see, so the uncles want to create an intrigue between me and my little brother. Suo bai watched Shen setting the table for dinner and thought. She made slow, trained movements, sensualizing every move she made.
Suo Bai simply ignored Shen Cui's advances and sat in the chair next to the window with a calm smile on his face and enjoyed the beautiful view while thinking: 'I would prefer it if you took the initiative first Fang Zheng, but since I know you'll chicken out and put this off indefinitely, then I'll take the liberty of helping you out a little.
'I don't understand how they want me to seduce young Master Fang Yuan in one night, when I couldn't do it the whole time I served him before. Shen Cui was biting her lip slightly as she felt sad at being used like this.
'They treat me like I'm a prostitute who has an obligation to sell her body for their plans. Shen Cui tried to disguise her expression, but it was still possible to see some remorse and indignation on her face.'I hate being a servant, and being at the mercy of the will of others...'
Suo Bai observed young Shen Cui's expression and easily figured out what she was thinking, so he decided to help her a little: "Tell me young Shen Cui, do you like my little brother Fang Zheng?"
Shen Cui was startled by the sudden question, and was conflicted about what to answer. She knew that she tended more towards the innocent and gentle side of Fang Zheng, but she had a task now and she couldn't say that, she had to try and seduce Suo Bai now.
Deep down she knows that her first love was Fang Zheng, who treated her kindly and affectionately, the only person who never saw her only as a servant in this house, but saw her as Shen Cui. But after Suo Bai began to demonstrate his talents, her mother prevented her from getting close to Fang Zheng while forcing her to court the talented Suo Bai.
But she couldn't say that to Suo Bai's face, she was afraid of what might happen if she spoiled her masters' plans, after all she was only a servant from their point of view. At best she would be expelled from her family and at worst she would be killed on the spot, and this had been on her mind since she was young.
The moment Fang Zheng was crowned as a superior talent even to her older brother, she was extremely happy to finally be able to pursue her first love without hindrance, but her happiness didn't last long, and soon her dreams were bathed in cold water again.
As soon as she had the chance to get close to Fang Zheng again, she was forced to face the harsh reality that she was still just a lowly servant. And she would be forced to court Suo Bai again for her masters' plans.
Shen Cui then simply resigned himself and decided not to risk losing everything because of his emotions, so he decided to obediently follow the plan of trying to seduce Suo Bai.
"What are you talking about, Young Master Fang Yuan? That servant only has eyes for you." Shen Cui slowly lowered his head, sweating a little from the tension that had arisen from the sudden question.
Seeing her reaction, Suo Bai simply sighed and gestured for her to sit down: "Sit down. You don't have to worry, I just want to ask you a few silly questions."
Shen Cui hesitated for a moment, but as soon as she saw Suo Bai's calm, closed-eyed smile, she simply sat down.
"You know, the human heart is a difficult animal to tame. He does what he wants and when he wants, he doesn't care about his circumstances or problems, he just gets on with it without restricting himself." Suo Bai looked deeply into Shen Cui's eyes.
"The fact that you like my little brother but still refuse to admit it only means one thing - something or someone is restricting you." Suo Bai simply said that Shen Cui liked Fang Zheng and didn't ask because he already knew what was going on in the heart of the young woman in front of him.
Seeing Suo Bai 'look' deeply at her like that made Shen Cui cringe, so she simply nodded slightly, confirming that she liked Fang Zheng. She already knew that she couldn't hide anything from those eyes.
"Hohoho. I see, that's good." Suo Bai smiled with his eyes and ran his hand through his imaginary beard like an old man.
"Tell me, it was your uncles who incited you to approach me and try to frame me in some way, wasn't it?" Suo Bai already knew the answer, but he wanted Shen Cui to admit it herself.
"Hm..." Shen Cui still had his head down and simply nodded.
"You know, my silly little brother is in love with you too." Suo Bai put a rare mischievous smile on his face as he urged young Shen Cui on.
Shen Cui quickly raised his head with a renewed smile on his face as he asked: "Really?" But she soon realized what she had done and felt ashamed.
Suo Bai smiled at young Shen Cui's reaction.
"You don't have to worry about your relationship with Fang Zheng. I'll make sure you're both safe myself." With a serious face, Suo Bai calmed Shen Cui's worries.
"Are you sure that Young Master Fang Zheng will still accept me?" Shen Cui was very happy with today's events, but still felt hesitant about his possible relationship with Fang Zheng.
"Of course." Suo Bai answered decisively as he remembered Fang Zheng's idiotic smile while talking about young Shen Cui.
Suo Bai spent the next few minutes talking to young Shen Cui while motivating her to take the initiative with Fang Zheng. Over time, Shen Cui began to feel confident and then said goodbye to Suo Bai while taking the empty plates from the dinner she had brought.
After Shen Cui left, Suo Bai looked at the cloudy sky through the open window of his room as he drank from the jug of wine in his hand and thought: "Who would have thought that after all I've been through, I'd end up becoming the cupid of a young couple."
Suo Bai finished his good wine and then got up from his comfortable chair and headed out of his room and started walking around the house, towards the family leader's office. "Let's have a little chat with good old Uncle Dong Tu."
...
**Toc Toc**
"Mm? Who is it?" Dong Tu was in his private office dealing with some papers and documents to help him maintain his supposed position as a hidden elder.
"It's me uncle, Fang Yuan!" Suo Bai answered from outside the office as he waited for permission to enter.
"Oh?! Enter my nephew." Dong Tu adjusted his position in the chair and allowed Suo Bai to enter.
Suo Bai then opened the door and entered calmly and greeted his uncle. "Nephew pays respect to uncle."
Dong Tu nodded with satisfaction and raised his hand in a gesture to invite him to sit down, causing Suo Bai to relax his clenched hands and sit down on the chair positioned in front of Dong Tu.
"Have you come here because you've thought about our proposal?" Dong Tu asked a little hopefully, even if it was only Suo Bai, he could still use it to hit Fang Zheng and maybe even pull him to his side as well.
"Almost, I came here today with a counter-proposal." Suo Bai smiled gently as he looked at his uncle's reaction.
Dong Tu's face twisted a little when he heard Suo Bai's words. After all, what counter-proposal would a young man who had just left the academy have to offer him, a well-known and established member of the Clan for several years?
"What are you talking about?" Dong Tu decided to listen to what Suo Bai had to say before saying anything.
"From the Fang family heritage, of course." Suo Bai replied calmly, but for Dong Tu it was as if he had been shot in the foot.
Dong Tu's face twisted even more, but he still tried to keep up appearances. "I really don't understand what you're talking about, nephew."
Suo Bai, his eyes still closed as usual, looked at Dong Tu and said, smiling slightly. "Don't play dumb, please uncle, it doesn't suit you."
"I'm talking about my great-grandfather's inheritance, which the respectable elder Fang Zhi left to my grandfather who left it to my father, and which should be passed on to me and my little brother." Suo Bai narrated melodiously.
Suo Bai continued. "The same inheritance that you took possession of and are now enjoying, my dear uncle."
Dong Tu's face suddenly turned cold and his eyes looked as if they had daggers aimed at Suo Bai, and with every word he spoke his expression became even angrier.
"What are you trying to imply? We are legitimately looking after the Fang Family's inheritance until you brothers can legally take possession of it." Dong Tu calmed his expression and chose his words when answering.
Suo Bai almost lost his smile and snorted as he listened to his uncle. "That's true, but only if my brother and I can actually acquire it legally, right? After all, irregularities and accidents happen a lot these days."
Dong Tu forced a smile and replied. "Don't you think you're too suspicious, nephew? We've looked after you for so long, why would we hurt you?"
Suo Bai broadened his smile and replied. "Really, maybe I'm exaggerating, but the human heart is unpredictable, who knows what it plans to do in the next moment, it's good to always be prepared, don't you think?"
Dong Tu narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth. "Maybe, but those who are afraid of the rain end up dying of thirst."
"Hahaha, you're really good with proverbs, uncle, maybe that mountain of poems in the library did some good after all." Suo Bai put his hand to his mouth as he laughed.
Dong Tu got tired of his nephew's jokes and got straight to the point. "Tell me, what do you want?"
Suo Bai wiped the smile off his face and became serious. "I want to give up my share of the inheritance and I can convince Fang Zheng to give up pursuing his share too."
Dong Tu's eyes widened when he heard what Suo Bai had said. After all, he and his wife had been plotting and scheming from the start to keep the Fang family inheritance in their hands, but who would have thought that the solution to their problems would fall into their laps so easily?
But Dong Tu isn't so easily fooled, if Suo Bai was willing to give up his inheritance, then it means he wants something in return, so he asked. "What's the catch?"
"There's no catch, I really am willing to actively give up the inheritance in exchange for some benefits, of course." Suo Bai smiled.
"Mm..." Dong Tu put his hand to his chin and began to think. For Suo Bai to give up an inheritance as big as this, he must want a big price in return, maybe it's not even worth the price in comparison, or it could just be a way of diverting my attention.
"Why?" Dong Tu asked.
"Because what?" Suo Bai tilted his head, returning the question.
"Why are you giving up your inheritance and why now?" Dong Tu leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms as he asked with a serious face.
Suo bai's eyes then lit up as he understood and then he answered monotonously. "You may have already realized it, but I need more resources than everyone else to stay at least average, and by the looks of things I wasn't going to get those resources either from the clan or from you, so I decided to use some cards I had saved."
"I actually wanted to bring this up this morning when you made that horrible offer to be his son, and I have to say - what a lousy plan you had. And don't get me wrong, but your wife seems to have some cognitive problems, and I didn't want to debate with her." Suo Bai replied and Dong Tu nodded unconsciously in agreement.
"All right, I understand, but what makes you think I would agree to your proposal? You may already know that to get your inheritance you have to be 16 years old and ask for an assignment at the Corregidorio. Not to mention that to complete these missions you need to have at least Level 2 cultivation, and you don't seem to have much of a future in my opinion." Dong Tu smiled mockingly.
"hehe, you're right, my talent is mediocre and it would take too long to meet the minimum requirements to be able to take the inheritance back, but you're forgetting that Fang Zheng is still on my side, you saw that yourself this morning." Suo Bai smiled calmly as he answered.
Dong Tu gritted his teeth as he remembered Fang Zheng's actions this morning, and as he constantly looked to Suo Bai for approval, it seemed that all his plans and actions to keep these brothers apart had failed miserably.
"But I also have some acquaintances and friends in the Internal Affairs and in important positions in the clan, relying solely on Fang Zheng wouldn't be of much use to you." Dong Tu retorted.
"Oh, I know about your established connections as a 'hidden elder' of the clan, a title you only got thanks to the Nine-Leaf Vitality Grass, which is also part of the Fang family heirloom." Suo Bai replied with the kindest, sweetest smile he could manage.
"You..." Dong Tu really had hatred in his heart this time, anything that threatened his stewardship benefits as a hidden clan elder would set him off.
"hehe, I'm sure there would be plenty of elders willing to help two poor twin brothers who are being oppressed by their evil uncles in exchange for a little level 2 Gu. I believe that the kind lady Yao Ji from the medicine room would love to help." Suo Bai flowered his words like a bouquet of roses, cutting off anyone who wasn't paying attention.
"Heh, you damn cunning brat, what do you want in exchange for giving up your inheritance?" Dong Tu was angry at being used and manipulated like this, but he still smiled at his nephew's display of cleverness - after all, like it or not, he had raised him since he was five years old.
Suo Bai smiled and pointed at Dong Tu. "See?! That's why I wanted to talk to you alone, you're an intelligent man."
"I want some small benefits, a small thing compared to the Fang family inheritance." Suo Bai sat up straight and began to recount his conditions.
"First: I want accommodation and food for me and my brother.
Second: An allowance of at least 100 primitive stones a week for me and my brother.
Third: I want access to the family's private knowledge, from Gu recipes, cultivation records and even assassination moves.
Fourth: And pass the ownership of the servant Shen Cui to the name of Fang Zheng"
Suo Bai calmly finished counting his requests with a calm and composed air.
Dong Tu began to evaluate and negotiate Suo Bai's demands. "Housing and food is perfectly possible, but we can't support you all your life, we'll only support you until you're 20 at the latest"
"As for 100 primitive stones a week, that's impossible, we don't have that kind of money to spend. The most we can do is 15 primitive stones a week."
"The inheritance left by Elder Fang Zhi is very important, you've just entered the world of cultivation and you might not even be able to absorb any of it, it'll just be a waste."
"As for the servant, hehehe, she's very important to us and she's not part of the Fang heritage either, we can't give her to you." Dong Tu smiled as he waited for Suo Bai's answer, but was surprised by what he saw.
"HAhaha!" Suo Bai laughed out loud as he slowly opened his eyes and looked deep into Dong Tu's pupils and replied with deadly seriousness. "Don't treat me like an idiot, uncle, you're in no position to negotiate anything here, either you accept this deal, or you lose everything, it's as simple as that."
Dong Tu's hair stood on end, his blood ran out of his veins leaving his skin pale as a corpse, his face was sweaty and his very bones trembled as his muscles contracted rigidly. he was completely paralyzed with fear, a fear so deep that he was afraid to even breathe.
Having made his point clear, Suo Bai closed his eyes again and returned with his usual calm, composed smile as he said it. "Remember, Uncle, I'm not alone in this world."
Dong Tu managed to recover slowly over time and thought: 'What is that, what the hell are those damn eyes? Is that a Gu worm? If it is, then it can't be an ordinary one, to affect me like that it must be at least a Gu Rank 3.
Dong Tu theorized but couldn't come up with an exact answer. 'But how could an unsupportive brat like Fang Yuan get his hands on such a Gu? Maybe he's found an inheritance? No, he said he's not alone... so maybe he has a guardian behind him? but who would hand over a Rank 3 Gu worm to a Level 1 youngster like that?'
The more Dong Tu thought about it, the more he felt chilled, and the deeper the fear became inside him, as if it were slowly taking root and feeding off his fears.
"What do you think, Uncle? Shall we sign the agreement?" Suo Bai asked calmly with a broad smile on his face that seemed like a nightmare in Dong Tu's mind.
...
Having settled his questions, Suo Bai returned to his room with light steps. When he got to his room, he closed the door and concentrated on refining his Gu worm again.
While refining his 'first' Gu worm, Suo Bai refrained from using the Cicada's help and tried to seize the moment to deepen his knowledge and experience with refining.
And he noticed some interesting things while refining Moonlight Gu, which he wrote down mentally with the help of Nexus.
30% of his Level 1 primal essence in the early stage could refine about 1/12 or 8.3% of Moonlight Gu who possessed reasonably weak will, while 30% of Level 1 primal essence in the middle stage could refine about ⅙ or 15.6%, having twice the effectiveness.
So if Suo Bai used all of his early-stage primal essence, he would be able to refine around 12.45% of the Gu worm, and if he used middle-stage primal essence, he would be able to refine around 24.9%.
All this in just over 20 minutes without recharging his primitive essence. According to his calculations with Nexus, if he constantly recovered his primitive essence of the middle stage, then he would be able to completely refine the Gu in about an hour and a half.
But that's not counting the fact that the Gu worm itself constantly fights back and expels the foreign primitive essence. And with Suo Bai refining the Gu non-stop, it was even time to recover the primitive essence.
It really was an incredible experience for Suo Bai. Without the help of the Cicada or the Nexus, Suo Bai took the rest of the night to finish refining his Moonlight Gu, placing third in the competition, second only to Fang Zheng and Mo Bei, who placed first and second respectively.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
PilgrimofWisdom
PilgrimofWisdom Today I arrived early!
Today's chapter was interesting to review, I tried to touch on more political subjects and intrigue, where Reverend Insanity is very good, I know I may have messed something up, but I swear I tried to do it right.
Anyway, in this chapter I showed that the MC is not just a kind guy who helps others, he also knows how to threaten and judge their priorities, you can see that he didn't even hesitate to create permanent trauma for his uncle just to ensure that he is not a future threat.
What did you think? What needs to improve? Tell me.
Have a good read and good luck on the battlefields.
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