Let the Summer of'42 fly

Facing his brother's questioning, Fang Yuan remained silent and continued eating breakfast. He knew his brother's temperament well; Fang Zheng was impatient.

Sure enough, seeing that his brother didn't even glance at him and seemed to treat him like air, Fang Zheng spoke up with a dissatisfied tone the next moment, "Brother, what did you do to Shen Cui? Ever since she came out of your room yesterday, she cried a lot. The more I comforted her, the harder she cried."

Fang Yuan looked up at his brother, his expression blank.

Fang Zheng frowned, staring at his brother intently, waiting for his response.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

But Fang Yuan merely glanced at him, then lowered his head and continued eating.

Fang Zheng immediately grew angry. Fang Yuan's attitude was outright contemptuous. In his shame and anger, he slapped the table and shouted, "Gu Yue Fang Yuan, how can you act like this! That little girl has served you for so many years, and I've seen her kindness and gentleness towards you. Yes, I know you are disappointed and understand your depression. You only have a C-grade aptitude, but you can't take out your frustrations on others. That's not fair to her!"

Before he finished speaking, Fang Yuan suddenly stood up and raised his hand like lightning.

Slap!

A crisp sound echoed as he gave Fang Zheng a solid slap.

Fang Zheng clutched his right cheek, stumbling back two steps, his face filled with shock.

"You ungrateful wretch, what kind of tone are you using to speak to your brother?! Shen Cui is just a little maid. Have you forgotten that I'm your brother for such a girl?" Fang Yuan reprimanded in a low voice.

The pain on Fang Zheng's face transmitted to his central nervous system in waves. He widened his eyes, gasping for breath, incredulous. "Brother, you hit me? You've never hit me since we were kids! Yes, I was found to have an A-grade aptitude while you only have C-grade, but it's not my fault. It's all the will of heaven..."

Slap!

Before Fang Zheng finished speaking, Fang Yuan slapped him again with the back of his hand.

Fang Zheng covered both cheeks with his hands, completely stunned.

"You naive fool, what do you remember? Since we were kids, how did I take care of you? When our parents died and we were living in hardship, during New Year, when our uncle and aunt only gave us one new piece of clothing, did I wear it? Who did I give it to? You loved eating candied porridge when you were young; I instructed the kitchen to make an extra bowl for you every day. When you were bullied by others, who brought you to seek justice? There's so much more, I disdain to mention. And now, you speak to me like this for the sake of a maid and question me?"

Fang Zheng's face turned red. His lips trembled with a mix of shame and anger, yet he couldn't retort because Fang Yuan spoke the truth!

"Forget it." Fang Yuan sneered, "Since you have forsaken your own parents and recognized others as your family, what am I to you as a brother?"

"Brother, how can you say that? You know I have always longed for the warmth of a family since childhood, I..." Fang Zheng hastily explained.

Fang Yuan raised his hand to stop him, "From today on, you are not my brother, and I am not your brother anymore."

"Brother!" Fang Zheng was shocked and tried to speak.

At this moment, Fang Yuan spoke again, "You like Shen Cui, don't you? Don't worry, I didn't do anything to her. She is still a virgin. Give me six primeval stones, and I will transfer her to you. From now on, she will be your personal maid."

"Brother, how could you..." Caught off guard by the sudden exposure of his feelings, Fang Zheng was flustered but also relieved that his worst fear hadn't come true.

Not long ago, Shen Cui had personally bathed him. Although nothing substantial had happened, Fang Zheng would never forget that gentle evening. Whenever he thought of Shen Cui, recalling her nimble hands and soft lips, his heart would surge with emotions.

The feelings of youth had already taken root and sprouted in the young man's heart.

So when he noticed Shen Cui's unusual behavior yesterday evening, a surge of anger rose within him. He immediately abandoned refining the Moonlight Gu and scoured the mountain stronghold for Fang Yuan to seek an explanation.

Seeing Fang Zheng hesitate, Fang Yuan frowned, "Love between men and women is normal. Be honest, why be evasive? Of course, if you don't want to exchange, then forget it."

Fang Zheng panicked, "Of course, I'll exchange. But I don't have six primeval stones left."

As he spoke, he pulled out his money pouch, his face turning red.

Fang Yuan took the pouch and found six primeval stones inside, but one was half the size of a complete stone. He immediately knew that Fang Zheng had extracted primeval essence from it to quickly refine the Moonlight Gu.

As more natural primeval essence is drawn, the stone becomes smaller and lighter.

Although there were only five and a half stones, Fang Yuan knew that this was all the stones Fang Zheng had. He had no savings; these six stones were given to him by their uncle and aunt not long ago.

"I'll take these primeval stones. You can go now." Fang Yuan's expression was indifferent as he pocketed the pouch.

"Brother..." Fang Zheng still wanted to speak.

Fang Yuan slightly raised his eyebrows and said slowly, "You better disappear from my sight before I change my mind."

Fang Zheng's heart tightened. He gritted his teeth and finally turned and left.

As he stepped out of the inn, he instinctively clutched his chest, feeling an emptiness inside. He had a vague sense that he had lost something very important at that moment.

But soon, his heart warmed as he thought of Shen Cui and that unforgettable evening.

"I can finally rightfully have you, Cui Cui." Without looking back, he walked out of Fang Yuan's sight.

Fang Yuan stood expressionless for a long while before slowly sitting down.

The bright sunlight shone through the window onto his cold face, giving a chilling impression.

The dining hall was somewhat quiet, with more people walking the streets outside, making the silence inside more apparent.

The breakfast had gone cold, and the waiter walked over diligently, asking if he needed it reheated.

Fang Yuan ignored him, his gaze shifting, seemingly lost in thought.

After waiting for a while, seeing Fang Yuan lost in thought and not responding, the waiter left disappointed.

After a long while, Fang Yuan's eyes focused.

The memories in his heart faded like smoke.

He returned to reality, with sunlight streaming in, illuminating most of the table. The steam from the food had dissipated, and the noise from the street reached his ears.

He reached into his pocket, feeling the five and a half primeval stones, a bitter, mocking smile playing on his lips.

But the smile quickly vanished.

"Waiter, reheat this meal." Fang Yuan glanced at the food and calmly called out.

At this moment, his eyes were extremely clear.

...

"What! Your brother said that?" In the hall, the uncle frowned, his voice cold.

The aunt sat beside him, looking at the red handprints on Fang Zheng's cheeks, speechless.

"Yes, when I saw brother, he was having breakfast at the inn. That's how it all happened." Fang Zheng answered respectfully.

The uncle frowned even more, forming a deep furrow.

After a few breaths, he sighed deeply and said sternly, "Fang Zheng, my child, remember this. The maid Shen Cui is not Fang Yuan's personal property. She is assigned by us and cannot be traded. If you wanted her, you should have told us earlier, and we would have transferred her to you."

"Ah?" Fang Zheng was stunned.

The uncle waved his hand, "You may leave. You've given your primeval stones to Fang Yuan, so I'll give you six more. Use them wisely for refining Gu and win first place this time. We'll be proud of you."

"Father, I'm ashamed..." Fang Zheng was moved to tears.

The uncle sighed, "Go on, hurry back to refine Gu. You've already wasted enough time."

After Fang Zheng left, the uncle's face turned furious and grim.

Bang!

He slammed the table hard and growled, "Hmph, that little brat dares to trade our people. He's truly cunning and deceitful!"

Aunt quickly tried to soothe him, "Husband, calm down. It's just six pieces of primeval stones."

"You women don't understand anything! Fang Yuan only has C-grade aptitude. To refine the Moonlight Gu, he needs primeval stones. With his novice skills at refining Gu, six stones are definitely not enough. But now he has twelve, which is more than sufficient," Uncle said through gritted teeth.

He continued, "As long as a Gu Master has enough resources and isn't stuck at a bottleneck, their cultivation progresses rapidly. Within two or three years, the clan can produce Rank 2 Gu Masters one after another. The lower Fang Yuan's cultivation is, the less hope he has of reclaiming the family property a year from now. He's young and just starting his cultivation. If we hinder him now, he'll fall behind his peers from the beginning. The academy's resources are rewards for outstanding students. With his aptitude, if he falls behind, he won't get resources, and without resources to aid his cultivation, he'll fall further behind. This vicious cycle will ensure he lacks the strength to inherit the property a year from now."

Aunt was puzzled, "Even if we don't hinder him, he'll only reach mid-stage Rank 1 in a year. You, on the other hand, are a Rank 2. Why are you worried about him?"

Uncle stomped his foot in frustration, "Women are indeed short-sighted! As a dignified elder, am I supposed to fight a junior? If he wants to reclaim his inheritance, he has every right to do so. We can't stop him directly, but we can use the clan's rules. The clan's rules clearly state that anyone turning sixteen must establish a household and have at least mid-stage Rank 1 cultivation. Otherwise, it means Fang Yuan is unfit to waste the clan's resources. Do you understand now?"

Aunt suddenly understood.

Uncle squinted, his eyes flashing with a sinister light. He shook his head slightly and sighed, "Fang Yuan is truly too cunning and sly. Even seduction didn't work on him. What kind of mind does he have? So scheming at such a young age—terrifying! I initially wanted to trap him, but he moved out immediately. I thought we could rely on Shen Cui to monitor and interfere with him, but he dismissed her and even made six primeval stones from it."

"Sigh, if only he were as foolish as Fang Zheng. By the way, you should treat Fang Zheng better from now on. He has A-grade aptitude. I can see he's very dissatisfied and resentful towards Fang Yuan. This emotion is good; it needs proper guidance. I have a feeling he will be the best weapon against Fang Yuan in the future!"

…

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.

Inside the inn room, there were no lights. Moonlight streamed in, casting a frosty glow on the floor.

On the bed, Fang Yuan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, focusing on refining the Wine Insect with his bronze primeval essence.

A small section of the Wine Insect's body had turned bronze-green, but its will remained stubbornly unyielding, constantly struggling within the smoky primeval essence.

Fang Yuan's refining process was not going smoothly; it could be described as extremely difficult.

"I've spent two whole days and nights, resting only two hours a day, and used twelve pieces of primeval stones, yet I've only progressed one-fifteenth of the way. Based on the timeline, someone should succeed in refining their Gu in the next few days."

Fang Yuan had a clear understanding of the situation.

His aptitude was inherently inferior, and the Wine Insect's survival instinct was exceptionally strong, much more so than a typical Moonlight Gu. It was normal for him to be behind.

"Falling behind temporarily doesn't matter. As long as I have the Wine Insect..." Fang Yuan's heart was as calm as a mirror, without any anxiety or discouragement.

Just then, the Wine Insect suddenly curled up into a ball.

"Not good, the Gu is rebelling!" Fang Yuan abruptly opened his eyes, a flash of surprise in them. The Wine Insect had curled into a round ball and was emitting a blinding white light.

It was making a desperate move!

Immediately, Fang Yuan felt a powerful will emanate from the Wine Insect, bypassing the primeval essence and directly invading his aperture's primeval sea.

Such rebellions from Gu were rare. Only those with extremely strong wills would fight to the death, succeeding or perishing.

If it were any other youth, they would likely panic in this situation.

But while Fang Yuan was surprised, he remained calm and even slightly pleased, "A desperate move, huh? As long as I withstand this rebellion, the Wine Insect's will would be greatly weakened. But I must concentrate fully to counter this will, with no external disturbances. Otherwise, it will be disastrous. Hopefully, no one will disturb me during this time."

After considering, he was about to mobilize his aperture's primeval essence to confront the will. He prepared to engage it in a fierce battle.

But then, an unexpected change occurred!

A Gu appeared in the center of his aperture, above the primeval sea.

Boom!

This Gu exuded an overwhelmingly powerful aura.

It felt like a heavenly river bursting, a mountain flood raging, or a terrifying beast whose territory had been violated, opening its blood-red eyes to see who dared to trespass!

"Is this the Spring Autumn Cicada?!" Fang Yuan was utterly shocked upon seeing this Gu!