Zhang Xin Ci walked into Fang Yuan's room, wondering what was going to happen. He was sitting at a desk. Her attention went to some of the paintings on the wall.
One of them depicted a scene of the Gu Yue villagers at what looked like a funeral, while the other depicted them at an awakening ceremony. There was one painting that was completely blank, and one that was nothing but a whirl of rainbow colors. She didn't know that Fang Yuan liked to paint until now, but her attention was rapidly drawn from these as Fang Yuan called out to her.
"I wanted you here because I wanted to discuss something before we headed off to Shang Clan City, namely something that might end up affecting you greatly. I have a proposal for you, if you would be willing to accept. It was something that I felt like I could only bring up in private, however it."
She took a breath and held it, wondering what words were going to come next. What Fang Yuan said, though, was not what she had been expecting at all.
"Would you like to become a Gu Master?" was his question
That was not what she had been expecting at all. Last night, she had been tossing and turning in bed, wondering if Fang Yuan had a declaration of love for her, or was asking her to become his concubine. She would have preferred to become his wife. However, she knew that the odds of that were extremely unlikely. Would she still take being his concubine, though? She thought of that very carefully, initially rejecting it, and then later accepting it in her mind. The actual question, however, caught her completely off guard.
"Would... I like to become a Gu Master?" she repeated.
"Yes," Fang Yuan said. "I know that you failed your awakening ceremony back in your village. However, there is an alternative way that you can learn how to cultivate."
She had never heard of something like this before. "Is that true?" she asked.
"Yes. This is a little secret of mine, so I hope you'll keep it on the down-low. But when I was back on Qing Mao Mountain, I happened to come across an inheritance which greatly accelerated my cultivation process," he said.
As expected, she knew about the deal with the Liquor Worm and the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance; given that the story was known to every single Gu Village villager, but there was a lot more to it. His confirming it only validated what her earlier thought process had been.
"Among them was a gu worm that I could not use. However, the creator of that inheritance had wanted it to go to someone else, someone who is virtuous. I had been denied the opportunity to cultivate, and from what I've seen, I can think of no better candidate than you, Zhang Xin Ci."
"Me? You really think that I'm that virtuous?" Zhang Xin Ci asked.
"Yes, indeed," Fang Yuan said. "I had heard stories recently about you going out to distribute alms to the poor every day. There weren't many within the village who couldn't meet their needs, mainly because of my policies that ensured things like milk went out to everyone, but there were still people who felt a great deal of sorrow, and you did your best to try to help them."
"But that's only a fraction of what you've already done," she said. "I heard from the villagers how you used to go out in the day, sometimes even helping the mortals with things like gathering firewood and the like. In front of you, I... I think anyone would hesitate to call themselves virtuous."
Fang Yuan laughed. "There's no need to be so modest, Zhang Xin Ci. I can see from your behavior, as well as what you did before and on the merchant caravan. I spoke to the people there, of course. Even when I wasn't there, you would still behave the same way. Even here, you behave the same way as well. What's most important during cultivation is to be true to oneself - to be true to one's Dao. Though, I think that's a lesson that you'll have to learn later on. But point being you've been true to yourself, regardless of where you were, and you've been a wonderful and generous person. I can't think of anyone else who I would like to give this to. But I can see that you seem to be slightly hesitant to take it. Would you like to spend some time to think about it?"
Zhang Xin Ci's eyes widened. "If I take this, but I also have to get married and bear at least two children?"
"Oh no, those rules are only for ordinary mortals. I'm not offering you something like that," Fang Yuan said, waving his hand. "This is a free offer only to you. You can become a Gu Master, and I will attach no further strings. And that way, I would also be fulfilling the legacy of the person who created the inheritance I stumbled upon."
"Well, thank you. I will think about it and give you the answer tomorrow morning, if that's okay."
"That's fine."
Zhang Xin Cie left, letting out a deep breath that knocked the wind out of her. But now she had to consider what to do.
Her mother had told her that their destination was Shang Clan City, that something was waiting for her there, but she had not told her the details.
After that, though, what was she going to do? She could either try to make a living within Shang Clan City, or try to go back home to the Zhang Clan. However, now that she was just a mortal and did not have the backing of her uncle and had no other relatives, there was little future there.
Back when she had lived in the Zhang Clan, she had often been suppressed. No one knew the identity of her father, and that stigma had carried with her throughout her entire life. When her mother had died, most of their fortune had been taken away and she likely would have been forced to leave the clan, even if it had not been her mother's wishes, in order to escape this kind of persecution.
However, if she could cultivate, a whole entire world would open up to her. The difference between a mortal and even a rank one Gu Master was massive. She might be able to make a living in Shang Clan City.
'Or... would he allow me to continue staying here?' she thought to herself. It felt like a wonderful place, whether that was because of Fang Yuan or because of the village itself. 'No, do I really want to burden him further?'
"Missy, how did it go?" Xiao Die said upon seeing Zhang Xin Ci come back. "What did he want? Did he want to make you his wife?" She had also been anticipating this to be Fang Yuan's request.
"No, he had a different offer."
"What? His concubine?" she said, her expression falling a little. "I mean, that's not the best thing, but still, perhaps..."
"No, not that either," Zhang Xin Ci said, shaking her head. "He said that he could... he had a way to make me a Gu Master if I wanted to."
"What? A Gu Master? That is incredible! Does such a method really exist?
"I guess it must," Zhang Xin Ci said. She herself also did not know much about Gu Master cultivation. Her uncle had tried to give her a few pointers, but had not done it in any more detail because she could not cultivate, and as such, had considered it a waste of time.
She lacked a grasp of some of the basics of Gu Master cultivation, never having been in the academy of her clan. However, she had heard of some rare and mystical gu worms, some which could even increase one's talent. To think that there could be something that could let her become a Gu Master without any innate talent was certainly not impossible. "I was wondering whether to say yes or no..."