7 Actively Exposing Trust, First Encounter with Fang Yuan at the Three-Star Cave

"This..." Qi Tian hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I appreciate Lord Jia Fu's kindness, but what I seek is powerful strength, not much interest in business. Business is just a way to earn some Yuan stones."

"I see! But this doesn't conflict with your goal. If you work for me, I can offer you cultivation resources. After all, some resources are hard to come by even with Yuan stones," Jia Fu replied calmly.

Jia Fu wasn't angry at Qi Tian's refusal. It was normal for capable people to have pride. If Qi Tian had agreed immediately, he would have suspected him of ulterior motives.

"Well... Since Lord Jia Fu has said so, if I refuse, it would be ungrateful," Qi Tian thought for a while before continuing. "I can help you, but I have one condition."

"Alright, as long as it's not too excessive, I can agree," Jia Fu, a shrewd merchant, didn't immediately agree or refuse but instead waited for more details.

"Although I will work under your command, I don't intend to join the family. I may leave whenever I wish."

Hearing this, Jia Fu was momentarily stunned. "Joining the Jia family is something others can only beg for, yet you directly refuse?"

Right now, it was a critical time for competing for the position of family head. With Qi Tian's help, Jia Fu's chances of success would increase. If he forced Qi Tian to join the family now, it might harm his reputation, so he decided not to bring it up for now. He intended to recruit him after becoming the family head.

"Well, since you're not interested, I won't force you."

"You can start working for me tomorrow. This Shili Gu will be your advance payment." Jia Fu then handed over a red-iron Shili Gu.

Qi Tian didn't accept it. Seeing Jia Fu's puzzled look, he explained, "Sorry, I hid my strength before. Actually, I'm already a third-turn Gu Master."

At this, Qi Tian exuded the aura of a third-turn Gu Master.

Jia Fu furrowed his brow before relaxing. Since Qi Tian had voluntarily revealed his strength, it showed sincerity. Moreover, with Qi Tian's age and talent reaching third-turn, Jia Fu was even more impressed.

"We have Silver Shili Gu trading groups, but they are not easily mobilized. However, if you want to buy one, I can sell it to you in advance."

So, Qi Tian spent 46,000 Yuan stones to buy a Silver Shili Gu, and his cultivation soared to the third-turn high level.

Because of Qi Tian's cultivation reaching the third-turn high level, Jia Fu made him a deputy leader.

Although the deputy leader position seemed prestigious, Jia Fu's business was a one-man show, with only trusted subordinates managing important business, so the position had little real power. But for a newcomer, this was understandable.

Others were envious, but they couldn't help but admire Qi Tian's business acumen. Since Jia Fu had confirmed the matter, no one objected. After Qi Tian demonstrated his third-turn high-level strength, no one dared to challenge him.

---

March

The spring sunshine was bright, and the light song of spring came with a joyful rhythm.

Flowers bloomed, grass grew, and orioles flew.

The trading caravan had traveled thousands of miles, passing through several mountains, and arrived at the territory of Qingmao Mountain.

On Qingmao Mountain, the view was filled with fresh green and vibrant flower seas.

A large flock of colorful parrots and sparrows fluttered in the air, chirping merrily.

Under such scenery, the caravan slowly made its way into Qingmao Mountain.

Jia Fu sat cross-legged atop a precious toad, leading the way. His eyes squinted with a smile as he cupped his fists and greeted the nearby residents of Guyu Village.

Behind him were cargo-laden fat beetles, colorful camels pulling carts, massive mountain spiders ignoring the terrain, and winged snakes flying occasionally.

Qi Tian also sat atop a mountain wolf spider at the front of the caravan, observing Qingmao Mountain.

This was Qi Tian's first time visiting Qingmao Mountain, and the scenery was beautiful.

"How unpredictable the world is! Who could have imagined that such a beautiful and peaceful mountain village would hide a bloodshed, transforming into an icy wasteland in two years!" Qi Tian thought, his resolve to grow stronger even more firm.

The caravan arrived in the Qingmao Mountain area in the morning and set up camp at Guyu Village by noon. By evening, temporary market stalls filled the area around the village. Tall tents in various colors—red, blue, yellow, green—were erected, with numerous street vendors squeezed between them.

The most eye-catching was a towering giant tree, standing like a lone crane among chickens. The tree was 18 meters tall, with thick roots, some exposed to the surface while others deeply rooted below, resembling a tower, rising above the surrounding tents. This was the Three-Star Cave.

Qi Tian's business was in one of the tents. After giving orders to a few attendants, he had no more tasks. He decided to report to Jia Fu about the business.

Upon leaving the tent, he saw a bustling crowd around the street vendors, with people constantly moving in and out of the tents.

From all directions, the sounds of calls and sales filled the air.

"Golden Light Gu for just fifty Yuan stones!"

"Come and taste the fine wine from various villages..."

After making his way through the crowd, he arrived at the Three-Star Cave.

The brown tree trunk had two spacious gates at the bottom, allowing people to enter. Inside, there were three levels, all transformed into shop layouts. Various Gu were displayed on the counters.

Upon entering the Gu house, Qi Tian saw a crowd gathered around a counter.

"Sigh, let's go. Lady Yao Ji just threw a paper slip."

"I saw it too. Seems the Wine Gu will never be mine."

...The Gu Masters around the counter all left dejectedly.

Only a young man, with a cold and determined expression and eyes like deep springs, remained standing.

Upon seeing this, Qi Tian immediately understood that this was Fang Yuan, who had just taken the Wine Gu from Lady Yao Ji.

After Fang Yuan threw the paper slip, he seemed to sense something and looked toward Qi Tian. Qi Tian smiled and gave him a meaningful glance.

"Master Qi Tian," a female attendant behind the counter noticed Qi Tian and greeted him immediately.

"Oh, continue with your work, don't mind me," Qi Tian waved his hand, causing the female Gu Master to blush. Qi Tian was young but had already become the deputy leader of the caravan. His handsome looks and strength made him the white knight in the eyes of many young female Gu Masters.

Knowing the timing was not right, Qi Tian didn't approach Fang Yuan. Instead, he went straight to the third floor to Jia Fu's study.

"Qi Tian? He seems to have a high status in the caravan. Could he be the Gu Immortal Qi Tian from my past life?" Fang Yuan thought to himself.

"In his autobiography, he mentioned his early years in a caravan, circulating across five regions, benefiting greatly from a legacy after a hundred years. He then secluded himself for fifty years and became a Gu Immortal, stunning the world. However, his early years have many versions, and it's hard to tell which is true."

"Also, what did that glance mean just now? We don't have any interactions. What's there about me that would interest him? He's only a third-turn Gu Master, not likely to sense the secret of my Spring and Autumn Cicada."

"Actually, this must have something to do with me killing Jia Jinsheng. The caravan arrived early, expanded in scale, and attracted someone like Qi Tian."

Smart people often think too much. Fang Yuan guessed Qi Tian's identity as a fellow traveler and attributed his sense of familiarity to that. However, he didn't realize that Qi Tian had read a book titled Gu Realman, knew the plot, and had been secretly reborn with him for two hundred years.

Just like how no one guessed Fang Yuan had the Spring and Autumn Cicada, without the key clue, even the smartest person couldn't deduce the truth.