I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 231 - 141: Let the Waters of the Jianghu Get Murkier Bit by Bit_2

Chapter 231: Chapter 141: Let the Waters of the Jianghu Get Murkier Bit by Bit_2

"How about it, you want to try?" Gu Shanhai raised an eyebrow. Though he wasn’t some field lunatic, he didn’t mind stepping in for a little action, as long as He Lingyun dared to accept, Gu Shanhai was ready to make a move.

At that instant, Wu Moming’s heart clenched tight, malevolence enveloping him. The probing words he intended to say also got swallowed down.

"I heard Master Lu wants to refine a batch of Nine Grasses Pills; I’m wondering if there is anything my Demon Sect can do to assist Master Lu," Wu Moming wisely skipped the previous topic, having no desire to endure any ultimate humiliation.

"Oh, you’re interested too? Should’ve said so earlier," Gu Shanhai was not surprised. The Demon Sect installing a few spies in the Snow Mountain Sect was not a big event, as many sects actually stuffed quite a number of spies into each other.

"Master Lu is willing to gift me one?" Wu Moming was somewhat curious.

"You’re thinking too beautifully, wishing for a freebie? To swap for a favor from the Demon Sect, others pay with a favor. You, as the grand Demon Sect, can’t be so stingy as to not give one, can you?" Gu Shanhai thought since the man had come, might as well swindle him.

Everyone perked up their ears as well. What kind of medicine was this Nine Grasses Pill that even the Demon Sect Master himself had to make a trip to request it? The martial world could be stirring trouble once again.

"A favor from the Demon Sect? Isn’t that price a bit too steep?"

The favor of Wu Moming and the Demon Sect weren’t on the same level. If Gu Shanhai came asking, the entire Demon Sect would have to rally to assist.

It was for this reason that the Snow Mountain Sect hesitated. Gu Shanhai was seeking an entire power, not just an individual.

"For that value, I can reserve a spot for you if you want it. If not, well, naturally there are others who will." Gu Shanhai spoke without a hint of politeness. Nowadays, he was in a seller’s market; agree, or beat it.

Though he didn’t actually have a Nine Grasses Pill, it didn’t affect Gu Shanhai’s arrogance one bit.

"Then, please ask Master Lu to reserve one for me. I will come to claim it when the furnace is opened," Wu Moming eventually agreed. Whether it was a thousand years of cultivation or adding a thousand years to his lifespan, the temptation was enormous for him.

Having said his piece, Wu Moming stood up and departed.

He had achieved his goal, so naturally, he was going to leave. What was he staying for, to give Gu Shanhai a hand?

How could that be possible? If the other party had really consumed a Nine Grasses Pill, at this moment, he would at least possess a thousand years of cultivation. To engage in a fight would be nothing short of humiliating oneself.

A creature who’s lived a thousand years, unpredictable and shameless, was always a tricky problem wherever they were.

"That... that what, Master Lu, what’s this Nine Grasses Pill you just mentioned?" Once Wu Moming had left, a rich young master nearby cautiously inquired.

"Oh, it’s a pill made by mixing nine kinds of medicinal herbs and then pinching them together before boiling in water. It’s probably similar to Four Happiness Meatballs, I guess," Gu Shanhai told the truth.

"..."×N

Everyone there was speechless. This perfunctory answer was too blatant; no one makes medicinal pills that way.

The others might not know, but Gu Shanhai really did make them that way. He hadn’t learned much in the way of alchemy or refining medicine, but his cooking skills were top-notch. He would surely use whatever works best.

"Then, Master Lu, what effects does the Nine Grasses Pill have? Why would the Demon Sect Master come personally?" Someone, distant, called out.

"Oh, it extends lifespan, nourishes yin, and fortifies the kidneys. As you all know, with age, parts that should be firm aren’t, and ones that shouldn’t, become randomly firm, right?" Gu Shanhai bluffed effortlessly. As long as it had a connection with virility, many things started to seem reasonable.

Hearing this, laughter echoed within the teahouse. From Gu Shanhai’s answers, he didn’t seem like someone who would stick to old, antiquated ways.

For the common folk, this was indeed an amusing matter, their exalted number one in the martial world bantering with them.

As for the Nine Grasses Pill truly having just those effects, no one believed that. If it were truly so trivial, Wu Moming, the Demon Sect Master, wouldn’t have made a personal visit. Especially since Master Lu’s nephew with the Thunder Blade was already taking action against the Demon Sect, there were already conflicts between them.

If the effects of the Nine Grasses Pill weren’t heaven-defying, how could Wu Moming put aside those disagreements to meet with Gu Shanhai?

The people present were not fools; Gu Shanhai didn’t dismiss them but instead chatted with them, which was a way of giving them face. If it were someone else, none of this would have happened.

No one dared to press him with questions, not even the Demon Sect Master, let alone them. If the law of not punishing the many was never abided by even by the imperial court, how could they expect the people of the martial world to follow it?

After some more idle talk, Gu Shanhai finally left the teahouse, his expression gradually returning to calm.

"The waters of Jianghu are about to become murkier."

Gu Shanhai’s showing off was not for the thrill of it, but for profit.

Heaven and earth treasures were very useful to him, but they only offered minor gains, and he was after the bigger profits.

And where would these bigger profits come from?

It was obvious: the protagonist. What could be more profitable than investing in the protagonist, especially one with maxed-out favorability?

Whether it was He Lingyun or Atilis, both had provided him with the most substantial benefits at this stage.

Not to mention now, as he formally adopted the Heavenly Mechanism Flow.

If one were to discuss what was the greatest benefit that could come from the protagonist, it would naturally be their fortune.

But this fortune was not to be forcefully taken, for such an action would almost certainly lead to a backlash. It could only be extracted gradually, over time, from the luck the protagonist dispersed while seizing their own opportunities. That was the upright path.

It was akin to hanging around the protagonist, enhancing one’s own luck and fate in the process. Only by accumulating this bit by bit could one find favorable opportunities in any world one ventured to.

Even in his past life, Gu Shanhai reached the same treatment as the protagonist without bearing the corresponding responsibilities, since he had already fulfilled those responsibilities while obtaining luck and fate.

This time was just a rerun.

Otherwise, why would Gu Shanhai always stick with the protagonist? Everyone liked to be a part of profitable endeavors.

What’s more, the stronger the protagonist, the more help they offered to Heavenly Mechanism Flow players, especially those who also dabbled in the summoning flow.

In times of need, they could simply summon reinforcements. Hundreds of protagonists, each with considerable strength, gifted in exceeding limits, fighting stronger opponents, and with formidable luck—who could stand against that?

If only Gu Shanhai was capable of summoning reinforcements, he wouldn’t be alone at this moment; he would have brought the iron-clad Utopia and The Sun Never Sets Dynasty with him. What would a Martial Arts True Immortal amount to then? The combined forces of the entire world wouldn’t be enough against these two powers.

This was an advantage unique to the Heavenly Mechanism Flow, but there were disadvantages as well—unbalanced lifespans and gamblers often dying abruptly.

Furthermore, when speaking of Heavenly Mechanism Flow, there was only Gu Shanhai at present; it was a faction of the future, and even at its inception, it wouldn’t emerge until hundreds of years later.

The current players still treated "The First Epoch" as a game, studying its strategies deeply as game mechanics, without anyone considering this aspect yet. There were only a few who even came close to touching upon the main storyline, with some worlds not even having the main storyline emerge yet. In the typical circumstances of the two Jianghu veins, Huang Yanshan would have still been a protagonist in development, whose path Gu Shanhai drastically altered, preventing players from activating the world’s main storyline quests.

The main storyline quests are always intertwined with the protagonist.

"I’m not sure if this change is good or bad for Huang Yanshan." Gu Shanhai wasn’t really sure himself. In his previous life, as a Heavenly Mechanism Flow player, he had become a key player through pay-to-win tactics, so many variables weren’t an issue. But now he was no mogul, only a top player at the current stage.

"Compared to He Lingyun, who integrates his counterparts, and the power behemoth Atilis, Huang Yanshan may have psychological issues and might even go mad, but he still values familial ties highly."

"At least... I don’t have to worry about my strategy backfiring."

Gu Shanhai compared and concluded that the identity of his maternal uncle was still very useful, worth the lifespan he spent creating it.

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