Chapter 282 - 111: Splendor

Chapter 282: Chapter 111: Splendor

Zhen Daoji snorted. "But now isn’t the time to settle scores. After this business with the Zheng Family is over..."

...

「Fang Mansion.」

Above two exquisite dishes, a misty light ascended. Phantoms of a Black Tortoise, a Golden Bamboo, and a Snow Rabbit manifested for a moment before bursting into a brilliant, firework-like display of colorful light.

Of course, Fang Rui himself lacked the ability to control this. However, Zhen Yi had included a Jade Talisman, and it was with this little trinket that he orchestrated the entire spectacle.

"Wow! The food is glowing!" Fang Ling’s eyes went wide.

"It’s so pretty, it must be delicious!" Nannan gulped, her mouth watering.

"Brother Rui, these dishes must be very precious, mustn’t they? How much silver do they cost?" Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family asked in astonishment.

"Auntie," Third Lady said, shaking her head as she looked toward Fang Rui, "something like this, with all its rare ingredients... I’m afraid it’s not something silver can buy. This must have cost a great favor!"

"Third Sister is right. For dishes like these, the ingredients alone—High-Level Exotic Beast Meat and various Exotic Fruits—are things ordinary people could never buy, no matter how much they offered. However, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, so no favors were needed."

Fang Rui smiled. "Mother, Third Sister, do you remember asking about ’Immortal Leaping Wall’ last time? I kept it in mind."

"These delicacies are every bit as good as Immortal Leaping Wall, if not better. I made a point to bring some back for you all to try."

"Yay!"

Fang Ling jumped up and down, but her little face quickly grew serious. "Brother, can I eat this? I won’t faint again, will I?"

She was remembering what had happened after she ate the medicinal meal brewed from the Half-Spirit Medicine.

"You can eat it. It’ll be fine," Fang Rui said with a smile, patting the little girl’s head.

A Half-Spirit Medicine grown in the wild, when brewed into a medicinal meal, is brimming with Spiritual Qi. But its properties are quite aggressive and can induce a ’Drunken Spirit’ effect.

Dishes made from Exotic Beast Meat and Exotic Fruits, on the other hand, are different. Their properties are gentle and nourishing, so even ordinary people can eat them.

The difference between the two was roughly like taking a bus versus taking a train.

Fang Rui had brought back a fair amount of these delicacies—not too much, but not too little. There was one portion each for Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan.

The head maids, Qing Yun and Bai Shao, received a portion, as did three of the younger maids he had spoken with before.

Thanks to Third Lady’s influence, ’special maids’ like Bai Shao and Qing Yun, while not holding the official title of concubine in the Fang Mansion, enjoyed the same treatment.

"Set aside a bowl for the other maids, too. Let each of them have a spoonful to get a taste," Fang Rui instructed.

"Thank you, Master!"

A chorus of happy, bird-like chatter erupted from the maids.

...

Fang Rui hadn’t forgotten the Qing Yan Little Child, and brought a bowl to him as well.

"Ling’Er and Nannan told me they invited you to play, but you refused. They said you haven’t left your room all day, just staying inside to practice your Cultivation. Working that hard?"

"Layman Fang, I’m the only one left in my master’s lineage. I can’t allow the inheritance to die with me..." the Qing Yan Little Child said, his voice heavy.

"Sigh!"

Fang Rui sighed. "About your master’s revenge... Sun Shouchai will face his retribution soon enough. As for Zhang Henshui, I’ve seen his face. He has a cruel look about him—not the face of someone destined for a long life."

The latter half of his statement was pure fabrication. ’My Divination Skill isn’t even at the Beginner level, what could I possibly see? But I plan on using my own strength to make that prediction come true.’

’Of course, not right now. It’ll have to be after some time has passed.’

’Dealing with both Sun Shouchai and Zhang Henshui at once would be too much of a coincidence. But just Zhang Henshui... in a few days, I could arrange for him to have a "very normal" accident while on an external mission. That should be simple enough.’

Fang Rui’s eyes glinted as he pondered this.

"Layman Fang, this is for you!" the Qing Yan Little Child suddenly said, taking a Spirit Ring from his robes and offering it to him.

’He’s living under my roof and feels completely insecure. Is he trying to pay protection money? What a foolish child. If I were a bad person, this would only fuel my greed. I’d clean you out completely.’

Fang Rui sighed to himself and waved a hand, refusing outright. "Your problems have been dealt with. Just stay here and rest easy. Don’t overthink things."

"Then, Layman Fang, how can I ever repay you?"

"There’s no need. I was just... fulfilling a promise."

Fang Rui did covet the Ancient Spirit Master inheritance from Ge Changgeng’s lineage, but he wouldn’t bring it up now.

The boy’s master had just died. To ask now would be like looting a house while it was on fire.

In the future, once they had known each other longer, he would try to bring it up. If the Qing Yan Little Child refused, he would no longer covet it and would simply find another path.

Fang Rui was ruthless toward his enemies, but with friends and those close to him, he still maintained a fairly high moral baseline.

’I have to draw a line for myself. That’s the only way to pursue immortality without losing my humanity and turning into a madman or a monster,’ he thought.

"And another thing. It’s okay to grieve for your master, but you can’t stay sad forever. Once you’ve had your cry, you need to pull yourself together."

Fang Rui paused. "Of course, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, either. At your age, you should be more carefree. You deserve the freedom to play."

"If you get too lost in negative emotions, you’ll either be crushed by them or your personality will become twisted. Life is like cooking—you can’t just let it stew in bitterness. It needs other flavors to balance it out."

"Think about what I’ve said. Oh, and one more thing,"

As he turned to leave, he paused. "’Layman Fang’ is too formal. From now on, you can call me Uncle Fang."

’Master, you weren’t wrong about him this time.’

The Qing Yan Little Child watched Fang Rui’s retreating figure, his eyes rimmed with red, and thought to himself.

...

Fang Rui made no effort to be discreet on his way back from the Zhen Mansion. He didn’t bother concealing the fragrant aroma of the food he carried, either. Soon, news spread that he had not only feasted at the Zhen Mansion but had also left with take-out.

And the effect of this?

Among his colleagues, those who had already been currying favor became even more shameless in their efforts. And those who had previously maintained a shred of dignity now began to fawn over him as well.