I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 186: Chapter 77: Giving and Gaining (Part 2)

Fang Rui spoke nonchalantly and stepped aside, letting the caravan’s Physician come over to inspect.

The caravan’s Physician made his diagnosis, then stood up, stroking his beard and nodding. "Young Master Fang is correct. This man, Elder Wang, did indeed die of sudden death."

"But how could a Seventh Grade Martial Artist just suddenly..." a blunt guard blurted out.

A dignified Seventh Grade Martial Artist, strong as an ox, dying suddenly? It was as ridiculous as an Emperor from some dynasty drowning!

"Enough!"

Steward Chen interrupted. "Could the Physician be wrong? If he says it’s sudden death, then it’s sudden death. As for the cause... how would any of us know? Maybe he overexerted himself in bed? Who knows!"

He had clearly noticed something, but true to his usual style, he didn’t meddle in others’ affairs. He just smoothed things over, settling the matter with a single statement.

"That’s right, how could anyone know? I’m curious myself!" Fang Rui chimed in with a laugh from the side, rubbing his chin.

Seeing this, the dozen or so guards who had followed them all had a flicker of fear in their eyes.

They wouldn’t believe it for a second if you told them Fang Rui had nothing to do with Elder Wang’s death. The key point was this: Fang Rui could make someone die suddenly in a way that not even a Physician could detect. On top of that, after killing someone, he could still chat and laugh so casually, calling a deer a horse. He was truly a ruthless man!

Just then, a guard who had gone to clean out the Chang Family’s donkey cart came over, an unconcealable look of joy on his face. "Steward Chen, the gold, silver, and jewels on this cart... it’s worth eight or nine hundred taels of silver..."

At these words, the entire area fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then, the breathing of everyone present, including Steward Chen, suddenly grew heavy.

Eight or nine hundred taels of silver... What did that even mean?!

To make an analogy to Fang Rui’s previous life, it was like eight or nine million—a considerable sum.

In times like these, even if the caravan braved the dangers of a round trip between the Prefecture City and the various county towns, they wouldn’t earn that much.

Many of the guards’ right hands drifted down, quietly resting on the hilts of their swords as they looked toward Steward Chen.

Steward Chen shook his head slightly, already cursing inwardly. ’Idiot! Fool! With so much silver, couldn’t you have fucking reported a smaller amount? What am I supposed to do with an outsider here?!’

The guard seemed to understand Steward Chen’s glare and felt wronged.

’Wasn’t I just too excited for a moment? Besides, even if I’d wanted to hide it, I might not have been able to. He was here first, who knows what he saw?’

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady also sensed the tense atmosphere and looked at Fang Rui with unease.

"It’s fine."

Fang Rui smiled. Since he dared to let the caravan’s guards clean out the cart, he was naturally prepared.

"Hup!"

As if by accident, he took a false step and slapped his palm against the body of the donkey cart. Instantly, the entire carriage froze for a moment.

RUMBLE!

Amid everyone’s cries of alarm, the entire carriage burst into pieces. A large amount of wood came crashing down, but as Fang Rui drew his sword and spun, a silver disc seemed to appear in mid-air, sweeping all the pieces back.

"Hee-haw!"

The frightened donkey, which had reared up, was instantly calmed when he casually tapped a pressure point on its body.

"My apologies, my hand slipped. Sorry for the scare! But then again, this carriage wasn’t very sturdy..." Fang Rui turned back, giving everyone a harmless-looking smile.

The moment his voice fell, the pieces of wood that had been swept away all split apart with a sharp CRACK, breaking in two down the middle.

Seeing this, the pupils of everyone from Steward Chen to the previously restless guards contracted sharply. It was as if a basin of cold water had been dumped over their heads, and they instantly calmed down.

This was especially true for the two guards who had been searching the carriage...

Did they not know for themselves whether this carriage was sturdy or not? Yet it fell apart from a single palm strike?

If this was just a coincidence, then what about the calmed donkey and the perfectly split pieces of wood? Surely those couldn’t all be coincidences?

’This person is at least a Middle Grade Martial Artist. He also has Mastery in Swordsmanship and skill with Hidden Weapons... Out here in the wilds, if he decided not to fight us head-on but used guerilla tactics, picking us off from a distance, he could slowly wear down our entire caravan, despite our numbers.’

’A moment ago, I actually dared to covet the spoils of an expert like him. I was simply courting death!’

Cold sweat beaded on Steward Chen’s forehead. He coughed twice, his face breaking into a smile more eager than ever before. "These valuables were discovered first by Young Master Fang... no, Lord Fang. Naturally, they belong to Lord Fang. Someone, quickly bring the items over!"

The other guards quickly chimed in, trying to cover for their earlier intentions.

"Yes, Lord Fang, please accept them!"

"Wealth belongs to the worthy. It’s only right that they belong to Lord Fang."

"If Lord Fang doesn’t accept these valuables, I, Old Sun, will be the first to object!"

...

The swift change in these men’s attitudes caught Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady off guard for a moment. But once they processed it, a sense of pride welled up in their hearts.

’Our Brother Rui is still the most capable!’ The same thought surfaced in both their minds.

"There’s no need for that. All who see it should get a share."

Fang Rui waved his hand. "How about this: I’ll take the donkey. Please also gather the books from the carriage for me to pass the time on the road."

"As for the rest of the valuables, you’ve all had a hard night being woken up. Just take them and split them amongst yourselves!"

Gold and silver were like floating clouds to him... Alright, in plain terms, his family had plenty of silver coins, so he didn’t care about this small amount.

Yes, Fang Rui could have taken it all for himself, but that would have attracted too much animosity. The others in the caravan wouldn’t dare say anything to his face, but they would certainly curse him in their hearts. It’s not the thief you fear, but the fact that the thief is always thinking about you!

But by only taking the donkey and some books and giving the rest of the valuables to these men, he could buy their goodwill and make them remember his favor.

’When we get to Yunshan City, I’ll still need these caravan members to help me find news of my father... Besides, if my father’s situation causes a delay of a day or two, they won’t complain since I’ve given them this silver.’

Fang Rui’s calculations were meticulous.

As for why he still made a show of force even though he had already decided to divide the wealth...

It was, naturally, to make them understand that this wealth was a gift *from* Fang Rui, not something they took by their own strength. Only then would they feel indebted to him!

Sure enough, the men’s eyes all lit up, and they looked toward Steward Chen.

"This..." Steward Chen wasn’t sure if Fang Rui was just being polite. If he misread the situation and offended him, it would be troublesome.

"I said I don’t want it, and I mean it!"

Fang Rui naturally saw through Steward Chen’s hesitation and said firmly, "Bring me the donkey and the books. Split the valuables yourselves, you don’t need to ask me. Also, please take care of the body. No objections, I assume?"

’To be willing to give is to gain. He scattered a fortune to win the hearts of men. Such methods... a truly great man!’

Convinced that Fang Rui was truly refusing the wealth and was so generous, Steward Chen’s attitude became even more respectful.

The other guards were also all beaming with joy, their gazes toward Fang Rui filled with gratitude.

"No objections! No objections! Just leave it to us!"

"Lord Fang, you should take your family and go rest. Leave the body to us, we’re... familiar with this sort of thing."

"That’s right, Lord Fang, just a moment. We’ll be sure to find all the books you wanted!"

...

With that, any resentment the guards felt for being woken up in the middle of the night completely vanished.

Furthermore, with the carrot of ’splitting the silver’ dangling before them, they worked with swift efficiency. They quickly found the travelogue and sent it over along with the other books.

The event concluded, and the crowd dispersed.

Fang Rui led Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady back to the horse-drawn carriage. He quietly told them what had happened, leaving them both with lingering fear.

Afterward, he offered them a few words of comfort, put the books away without any hurry to read them, and went to rest.

...

「The next day.」

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan all clearly noticed a difference.

Steward Chen came by from time to time to check in and ask if they were comfortable. The guards also came to pay their respects one by one, asking if they needed anything.

Many of them brought small trinkets like pretty birds and insects to entertain the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan. Others brought game like turtledoves, river deer, and wild rabbits to improve their meals.

Although they knew the Fang Family wasn’t truly in need of these things, the attitude itself was very pleasant.

"Steward Chen certainly knows how to treat people," Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family remarked with a sigh.

"Indeed!" Third Lady agreed.

Fang Rui just smiled and shook his head silently.

’Envious of this treatment?’

’It was bought with eight million... no, eight hundred taels of silver. We’re the supreme VIP customers, right? So naturally, we get the supreme VIP treatment.’

Amidst the majestic mountains and precipitous ridges, under the vast sun, a horse-drawn carriage clattered along at the rear of the snaking caravan, kicking up a trail of dust.

Dappled light streamed through the carriage window, swaying gently with the movement of the vehicle. Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady spoke in low voices. Fang Ling and Nannan discussed last night’s stories, while the little bird on their shoulders chirped incessantly.

At the front, Fang Rui drove the horse-drawn carriage and opened the book in his hands: *Chang Sanliu’s Travelogue*.

...

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