Hearing this, many of the female cultivators grit their teeth in annoyance, thoroughly exasperated by Fang Zheng's attitude even as they complied.
The remaining righteous path experts held conflicting views regarding Fang Zheng, much like the Tie clansmen had. On the one hand, many people respected Fang Zheng for maintaining order and ensuring things remained fair. He was not just strong, but was also willing to work along with others. Fang Zheng had secured the inheritance for the righteous path, suppressing the demonic path entirely. He was even permitting only righteous path Gu Masters to enter - a clear benefit for all of them. On top of that, his elder brother was an Immortal. All of these factors should have enshrined Fang Zheng as not just a rising star of the righteous path, but one of its soon-to-be strongest pillars as well.
It was his views on women, however, that tainted his reputation. Thus, while many of the righteous path Gu Masters agreed to take advantage of the situation, putting on a front of being gentle and respectful toward Fang Zheng, inwardly most of them grumbled at his actions.
Some distance below, near the base of San Cha Mountain, Hu Mei Er was reclining against someone's thigh. This someone was none other than Li Xian. Li Xian was a demonic path Gu Master, but he was not originally from the Southern Border; he had come from the Eastern Sea. He was rather obese with a thin patch of balding, greasy hair atop his head - his appearance could not be considered good in any way. Furthermore, he was not much of a fighter, acting more as a merchant who bartered goods between various demonic path factions.
He had managed to carve out this niche for himself because even among demonic path Gu Masters who prided themselves on individual strength there remained a necessity to trade for resources. Even Fang Yuan, had he remained committed to the demonic path, would've needed someone like Shang Xin Ci to help him move goods around. Many went to Shang Clan City, but those who could not go there went to him instead.
"Big Brother Li Xian, this Fang Zheng is too much..." Hu Mei Er pouted.
She had seen the writing on the wall. Despite being one of those atop San Cha Mountain earlier, she had not tried to contest for entry into any of the inheritances. She knew she could not fight Fang Zheng; and her wariness of him extended beyond his sheer strength. Many men were stronger than her, but she had routinely bent them to her will and tied them on leashes like dogs - sometimes metaphorically, sometimes literally.
However, Fang Zheng possessed a method that directly countered her Enchantment Path methods, as he had displayed earlier when they first met him. Given this, she was extraordinarily wary of him. Not to mention his views toward women made trying to wrap him around her finger nearly impossible.
"Have you heard the things he says about women? He can't even be called a proper man let alone a true righteous path hero. Hmph! I bet he couldn't find a woman to accept him which is why he has developed so. He may even be someone who prefers the company of men. And that's not all! Seeing the amount of bloodshed he's caused, he's really just a demonic path Gu Master wearing the skin of a righteous hero. And the righteous path - that shameless Tie clan - they're only going along with him because it benefits them right now," she continued to complain.
Li Xian nodded. These were things he had already figured out. Fang Zheng had only killed demonic path Gu Masters and was only ruthless toward them. To righteous path Gu Masters, even though he held misogynistic views; he had never tormented a woman of the righteous path unfairly. That, along with the fact that he had worked alongside Tie Xue Leng, would only bolster his reputation from now on. In fact, right now in the mortal world, Fang Zheng was even more famous than Fang Yuan. "Fang Zheng is truly too much..."
"Indeed. He is no real man, not like my Big Brother Li Xian..." she answered, tracing a finger across his chest.
As for Li Xian, he actually agreed with Fang Zheng on most aspects regarding women. Fang Zheng wasn't necessarily right about all women, but he was certainly right about the women who slithered around his side like a snake. Hu Mei Er was simply trying to use her enchantment methods to ensnare and use him him; Li Xian was well aware of that. Still, when she blew gently into his ear, he felt a fire ignite in his crotch, and then the two of them wrestled around the floor of the cave with Hu Mei Er not putting up much of a fight.
Once they were done and lay resting, several other demonic path Gu Masters joined them. Every single one bore an ashen expression. Ordinarily, when demonic path Gu Masters met out in the wild, they would fight on sight. Right now though, several of them were nursing injuries; the reason they had gathered around Li Xian was that his camp was the closest thing to a neutral resting ground to meet up and discuss matters. The mutual thrashings they had received from Fang Zheng did much to bring these normally disharmonious people closer together.
Previously, they might have gathered around Century Boy, but he had already been killed by Fang Zheng.
All of them were gloomy and despondent for the exact same reason: Fang Zheng's oppressive presence atop the mountain.
"How goes the situation at the peak?" Li Xian asked.
"It's going terribly, Brother Li Xian," one of them replied. "The Three Kings Inheritance is still open. Each pillar of light is about as wide as a tree trunk, yet not a single demonic path Gu Master can get in because of Fang Zheng's suppression."
"Hold on, wait a minute," Li Xian interrupted. Something in that sentence didn't sit right with him. "Are you trying to tell me that Fang Zheng himself hasn't entered the Three Kings Inheritance?"
"No. He's standing guard outside, ensuring that no demonic path Gu Masters can enter."
That struck Hu Mei Er, Li Xian, and any other demonic path Gu Master with two brain cells to rub together as extraordinarily strange.
"Why would he do that? Fang Zheng had fought so hard alongside Tie Xue Leng to secure the Three Kings Inheritance, yet he isn't even entering it himself?"
"Instead, he is standing guard over it like a loyal dog while the rest of the righteous path explores it?"
"This is the equivalent of a man not only inviting his neighbors to sleep with his wife, but also standing guard outside the door to make sure the adulterers aren't interrupted!"
"Fang Zheng might as well wear a green hat inscribed with the words "Tie Clan's Little Bitch" atop his head!"
"Knowing how he treats women he's probably someone who's a regular visitor to The Rose Garden in Shang Clan City!"
"Something is wrong, Big Brother Li Xian," Hu Mei Er murmured, one of her hands resting along her own slender waist. "Why would Fang Zheng do something like that?"
Come to think of it, something had seemed off about Fang Zheng's behavior ever since he arrived on the mountain. He might have seemed like a battle-crazy misogynist to an outsider, but Li Xian couldn't help but sense a strange pattern behind his actions. Even if he couldn't visualize the whole picture, it was like seeing a few puzzle pieces fit together while the full image remained obscured.
Regardless of what they thought about Fang Zheng, the reality was that he had cultivated to Rank 5 and possessed the backing of a Gu Immortal. No one like that could be considered simple. But as to what Fang Zheng's ultimate aim was, he could not deduce it.
"Actually, I've heard a rumor," one of the demonic Gu Masters offered. "They say that Tie Ruo Nan of the Tie clan is strangely obsessed with Fang Zheng. She even demanded to meet with him and extended an invitation herself."
"I thought it was Tie Xue Leng who extended that invitation?" someone else asked.
"Yes, but it was initially Tie Ruo Nan who brought it up. Tie Xue Leng only added his name after he became aware of it."
"Could there be something going on between Tie Ruo Nan and Fang Zheng?"
"That wouldn't surprise me."
"So it appears Fang Zheng isn't entirely disinterested in women after all."