It was business as usual on Bei Gu Mountain for the Gu Yue Clan. At least, it would be so ordinarily. The days were passing peacefully.
However, there was a problem that was beginning to irk Fang Zheng.
Six weeks had passed in total since Fang Yuan had ascended to become an Immortal in the five regions. Since then, he had not been seen in either Shang Clan City or the new Gu Yue Village.
Unbeknownst to Fang Zheng, Fang Yuan had dropped by to feed Dreams of Love and Happiness Gu as well as to retrieve the Dollhouse. But to Fang Zheng it was like Fang Yuan had suddenly disappeared.
What truly bothered Fang Zheng was the fact that he hadn't received a single word from Fang Yuan. Usually, Fang Yuan would come by periodically to check on the Gu Yue Clan or at least send a message, but there had been nothing. Not only had Fang Yuan not returned, but neither had Bai Ning Bing.
He got slightly worried that something might've happened to the two. After all, it wasn't just that Fang Yuan had been focused on his own cultivation and nurturing his Immortal Aperture for six weeks - he had left Gu Yue Village a while before then, so it had been months since he had last been sighted there.
Some of the clan elders were actually happy about this. In their eyes, having Fang Yuan far away was the preferable option. The fact that he had not paid back any of his debts fully as of yet was certainly a sore spot for them. Sure, they were reliant of Fang Yuan - but many of them thought that his reputation was good enough for the time being. And if Fang Yuan came back, he might end up taking more of their resources. That seemed to be his modus operandi the last few times he had visited.
It was a case where they had gone to wondering why Fang Yuan wasn't around more often to actually preferring it when Fang Yuan didn't return back to the village.
Fang Zheng, of course, relied on his brother's support and wished to see Fang Yuan return sooner rather than later. It was vital for Fang Yuan to show his face and display his Rank 5 gu worms around the area.
After all, the Bei clan was currently settling into their new place. Tensions had not yet emerged between the two groups, as they had essentially agreed on peaceful cohabitation following Fang Yuan's initial deal. However, if they got wind that Fang Yuan was not around, they would undoubtedly be far more aggressive in negotiations, which would generate a problem for Fang Zheng. Things went smoothly only because of Fang Yuan's shadow being cast over new Gu Yue Village.
Putting that matter aside, the governance of the new Gu Yue Village was going mostly as planned. Fang Yuan had dealt with the mortal woman who had caused a panic, and while there had been some fallout, it remained the hottest piece of gossip around only because there was no other topic of consideration. Meaning that had been the hardest thing he'd had to deal with.
The problem with Bone Beasts began cropping up again was there. Even though Fang Yuan had slaughtered a good number of them, they always tended to repopulate. Much like on Qing Mao Mountain, these beasts had nests filled with various gu worms, making it extremely difficult and resource-intensive for even a Rank 5 Gu Master to wipe them out entirely. The village could only try to hold its ground against them.
Even if they got rid of the Bone Beasts though, it would only lead to other problems. On Qing Mao Mountain for example, the death of most of the wolves had just allowed the bears to wander in. They would also likely run into the same problem if they tried.
As for the day-to-day affairs, Fang Zheng was getting a better handle on things. Part of that was a bit of a counter-intuitive blessing on the village: because most of the clan's people had died out, there were fewer people to manage, and thus fewer managers were needed. It also meant that issues were easier to solve.
Friction still existed among the former Bai clan and Xiong clan members, but with fewer people and the greater power of the Gu Yue Clan, major fights were less common and also less destructive.
The former Bai clan members were wondering where "Lady Ling Ding Ching" was and why she hadn't returned.
The Xiong clan, however, was quite content knowing that both the Gu Yue and Bai factions were without their strongest fighters. They had not yet managed to obtain a Rank 4 Gu Master of their own, but they hoped such a talent would emerge among their ranks sooner or later. In their eyes, assimilation was almost impossible; there would always be a distinction between the three groups. And they wanted their own pillar of strength to cling to.
The Puppet Path Gu worms that Fang Yuan had left behind helped in increasing their apparent numbers in addition to helping with routine tasks around the village.
It also made the village seem larger than it was, which helped deter animal threats and the surrounding clans. Fang Yuan had basically sucked the Flesh Bone Scholar's inheritance dry, which caused many envious gazes from the surrounding area. Those people only stayed their hand out of fear of Fang Yuan's wrath - another reason Fang Zheng wished his brother would show his face sooner rather than later.
Regarding that inheritance, the villagers had been busy cultivating the Bone Path. Some had managed to make minor improvements in the recipes that had been left behind.
Naturally, the brilliance of one person could not match several hundred innovators even if they were at a low level. The Flesh Bone Scholar was only a quasi-Master in the Bone Path; he was not on the level of a Grandmaster or so where thousands of ordinary people would be unable to rival his output.
Among the villagers, those who were lactose intolerant had either found gu worms to help their digestion or, in the case of mortals who could not cultivate, they simply tried eating other things but ultimately died out.
Fang Zheng considered their deaths a waste given the need for manpower, but there was no way to save them. The investment required outweighed the small benefits they provided.
"Hmph - serves them right!"
"If their bloodlines were so weak that they couldn't even digest milk without dying, it's better off that they didn't spread their inferior genes!"
The elders dismissed their deaths with those kinds of remarks, though Fang Zheng thought this was short-sighted eve if it was unavoidable.
Regarding the Village Academy and getting a more permanent Academy Elder, it was an issue that could only be resolved with time.
As for Fang Zheng's own cultivation, he was at Rank 4 Middle Stage. He had a sinking feeling that he would likely be stuck at this for the rest of his life much like the prior Clan Head. He wanted to spend more time cultivating, but whatever time he had was spent using the Strength Path gu worms Fang Yuan had given him to manage the village.
Because of this, his cultivation had mostly stagnated. Fang Zheng couldn't be too disappointed; after he had been crippled, he thought he wouldn't even reach Rank 3. However, the world of Rank 5 - the level where their ancestor had been - still felt far beyond him. Having gotten to Rank 4 only illuminated how much further he could go.
The other clan heads he would be contending with were also at a similar level - but far more experienced with using their gu worms. They circled Gu Yue Village like sharks waiting for a drop of blood to be shed before they pounced.
'I need to get much stronger,' he thought to himself.
Strength was the key to all in this world.
If he was at Rank 5 himself, the elders would not move against him like they sometimes did now. He would not have to worry about the other clans.
There was certainly a feeling of jealousy toward his big brother. He was not ungrateful for Fang Yuan's help, but he wanted to show that he could do things on his own.
Reality, however, was quite different from the magnificent picture he had built for himself inside his mind. He still relied upon Qing Shu many times for routine matters. There was a constant nagging feeling that he was not good enough - that he was only being propped up by other people.
In other words, Fang Zheng felt like he was a fraud.
Making it all worse was the thought that he might be supplanted. He knew that as clan head he should rejoice if say, an A-grade talent emerged in the coming years. But the thought that this position that he had worked so hard for might be taken away within a decade - he didn't know how the old clan heads had done it. Then again, those people had lived for long and as such did not cling to their own positions when they knew their lives were coming to a close.
Fang Zheng though felt like he had just gotten this position and that soon it might be ripped away from him.