The hunters looked at Fang Yuan with open eyes and gaping mouths.
Mortals were basically playthings for the Gu Master's entertainment, and more often than not any interaction between mortals and Gu Masters ended badly for the mortals in question.
Big fish eat small fish, and the weak should fear the strong- such was common sense in the world of Gu Masters. Although Rank 1 Gu Masters could be beaten by mortal hunters, if they were, the wrath of the clan would fall upon them and their families- perhaps even their entire villages in retaliation. A Rank 3 Gu Master could easily wipe out an entire village on their lonesome. This was a world where the strength of a man could easily rival that of ten thousand or more.
How else could have Fang Yuan, in his previous life, been responsible directly for the murder of over twenty million people when he had been at Rank 6?
Some of Fang Yuan's daily quests involved helping out mortals, and the one thing that was in common was that none of them could wrap their heads around the fact that a Gu Master was noticing them for any reason other than to suppress them.
It was much the same here.
"Is it really alright to take this..."
"This isn't a trap is it..."
Fang Yuan smiled gently at them, radiating an aura of kindness that could melt even some of the coldest of hearts. He then added, letting a small hint of a threat slip through, "You would not look down on my kindness, now then would you?"
The hunters were in disbelief, though they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Each of them kowtowed to Fang Yuan- a proper kowtow, banging their foreheads on the floor.
"Lord is truly extremely generous!"
"Lord has a heart of gold!"
"May Lord live for ten thousand years!"
Fang Yuan did not care for their praises any more than he would care for their insults- and he wished to live far, far, longer than just ten thousand years. But, he did not let any of this show on his face as the six hunters turned to their table, uncorked the three jars of wine, and shared a jar between each pair of them.
Quest Complete!
Drinking Is Fun Only With Friends
Reward: Jade Emperor Bamboo Wine (x1 Jar)
Fang Yuan's eyes widened.
Jade Emperor Bamboo Wine!
That was not just first-class wine, but also a Rank 5 refinement material that could be used for gu refinement!
It would no doubt cost several thousand primeval stones- though there was a reason that the system had offered him a jar of it.
To better help with finding the Liquor Worm!
His odd were far greater now, though he would still want two jars of ordinary green bamboo wine.
If he couldn't find it even now, he would just have to chalk up not getting it to his bad luck. Not everything could go as planned, after all.
Before he could leave, two figures emerged from a shadowy corner. They had been watching events unfold up till now, though as they stepped out, Fang Yuan saw that they were both Gu Masters.
One of them was a man, and the other a woman. Both of them had a plate with the number '1' on their belts signifying they were Rank 1 Gu Masters.
Considering the fact that they both looked to be in their twenties, Fang Yuan guessed that they were C-grade talents at best, though more likely than not were D-grade.
The man, Jiang Ya, had been in a sour mood the entire evening. He had been struggling with his finances- though it was true that Gu Masters earned more than mortals, their expenses when it came to refining gu, feeding gu, and recovering their primeval essence also added up. While mortals glanced at Gu Masters thinking they were swimming in stones, this was not correct.
Jian Ya had been looking for someone to take his frustration out on- though before he had been able to trouble the hunters, Fang Yuan had acted and changed the whole situation.
Now, he was quite curious as to who Fang Yuan was. An academy student, throwing away ten primeval stones like that?
Neither Jiang Ya nor Li Mei, his companion, could afford to do so. Not only that, but not even spending it on something that mattered, but drinks for mortals of all people?
Something about the whole scenario nearly caused their heads to explode. They, much like the hunters themselves, couldn't wrap their heads around the whole scenario.
Jiang Ya could figure one thing out though- this kid definitely had deep pockets. He was likely an elder's son or heir- the elders were greatly favored by the clan.
While ordinary Gu Masters had to work to earn a living, oftentimes risking their lives to earn enough primeval stones to get by, elders were given one hundred primeval stones a week! Even with Fang Yuan's system, he could not get that amount in one week. And during the time of the Wolf Tide, this amount was tripled.
Granted, elders also had greater expenses as well, but they were still quite rich from simply this payment from the clan, let alone the other assets they controlled. So if his parents were rich, it would explain things, though neither of them recognized Fang Yuan and were not sure who his parents were.
Jiang Ya, naturally was quite jealous, but did not let an ounce of it show as the two of them approached Fang Yuan's table and smiled. Both of them were bored, and a bit curious, so they had decided to take this direct approach to analyze things. "Senior greets Junior Brother. Is it alright if we were to take a seat?"
Fang Yuan nodded, wanting to get out of the inn as quickly as possible, given the fact that he needed to go looking for the Liquor Worm, but he wasn't sure why these two had walked up to him- and he couldn't go around randomly offending Gu Masters either. It was not a wise thing to do.
"We couldn't help but overhear that junior was celebrating," Li Mei said. "What's the occasion? Has junior gotten engaged?"
"No," Jiang Ya said, winking at Fang Yuan. "I bet it's not that else he would be drinking with his entire family and his in-laws, did your special lady happen to give you a 'special gift' earlier?" He chuckled.
"No," Fang Yuan said. "I'm celebrating being kicked out of my house."
Their expressions froze.