"We don’t mind doing business with lucky cripples, but let’s not pretend he’s a warrior." Hu Ba snorted as he looked at Gu Fan with disgust.

But in return Gu Fan just sat there with his elbow casually leaned against the armrest and his chin on his knuckles, staring right back at the scarred brute with dead, completely bored eyes.

Gu Fan might not have reacted to the blatant provocation, but Madam Li was never going to let a mere envoy to disgrace her beloved.

"You seem to be a very strong warrior, envoy," Madam Li spoke, frowning, "Do you dare step outside? I want to see how real of a man you are."

"Hahaha... You seem to have not seen a real man for long, Matriarch," Hu Ba sneered, "But you don’t have to go to far..."

"You want to talk about real warriors?" Hu Ba turned away from Gu Fan and looked at Gu Chen. A wide, respectful grin spread across the brute’s face.

"Now that is a warrior. 9th Stage Spirit Realm at his age."

"Young master Gu Chen, you are a monster. The Mercenary Guild will always stand behind you..."

"You are the true power of this clan."

Gu Chen’s chest puffed out slightly, as he soaked up the praise but he maintained his calm exterior.

He gave Hu Ba a humble, righteous nod.

"I merely do what I must for my clan, Commander Hu."

"Heh...," Gu Fan sneered rolling his eyes, "No matter what... The heavens will offer an opportunity on the platter to boost his ego."

So while Hu Ba kept praising Gu Chen, Gu Fan shifted his gaze to the old man standing silently in the purple robes.

Elder Qian hadn’t said a word. He stood perfectly still, both hands resting on his wooden cane. But his sharp, calculating eyes weren’t on Gu Chen.

He was also looking back at Gu Fan.

He noticed Gu Fan’s complete lack of reaction to Hu Ba’s taunts. He noticed the way Gu Fan slouched, completely relaxed in a room full of tense, powerful cultivators. A weak man would be trembling or shouting to defend his honor. Gu Fan just looked bored.

Elder Qian stroked his white beard. A very faint, calculating smile touched his wrinkled lips.

"The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has a different view," Elder Qian finally spoke. His voice was raspy, but highly professional. "Wealth is wealth, Patriarch Gu. The Pavilion does not care how the beast cores were acquired. A man with gold is a paying customer, regardless of his cultivation. We will honor the new trade agreements."

Hu Ba snorted. "You merchants only care about the shine of the coin."

"And you mercenaries only care about the swing of the sword," Elder Qian replied effortlessly, not even looking at him.

The meeting dragged on for another hour. They discussed tax rates, herb supply lines, and mining escorts. Gu Fan completely tuned it out. He spent the rest of the time planning his shopping list.

Finally, the meeting ended. The envoys left.

The Patriarch immediately dismissed Gu Fan, telling him to get out of his sight. Gu Fan happily obliged.

Midnight.

​The streets of Poison Valley Town were quiet. The fog from the nearby toxic forest rolled through the dark alleyways.

​The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was the largest building in town. It looked like a massive, five-story pagoda plated in gold and red lacquer. Two 8th Stage Spirit Realm guards stood at the heavy iron front doors.

​They didn’t see the man walk right past them.

​Gu Fan wore his King-Tier Phantom Veil Cloak. He was completely invisible. He made no sound. His body heat and Qi were totally masked.

​He walked up the front steps, slipped past the guards when a servant opened the side door to take out the trash, and entered the Pavilion.

​The inside was heavily guarded, with patrol routes and complex detection arrays on the floor. Gu Fan just walked over them. The Phantom Veil Cloak was a King-Tier artifact. These cheap town-level arrays couldn’t detect shit.

​He walked straight up the grand staircase, heading for the top floor. The Pavilion Master’s study.

​He found the heavy oak door. It was locked. Gu Fan channeled a tiny bit of Corrosive Qi into his fingertip and pressed it against the iron lock mechanism.

​Sssss.

​The internal tumblers melted quietly. Gu Fan pushed the door open and stepped inside.

​The study was large and lavishly decorated with exotic beast furs and glowing spirit stones. Elder Qian sat behind a massive mahogany desk. He was alone, leaning over a large ledger with a brush in his hand.

​Gu Fan closed the oak door behind him. Click.

​Elder Qian slowly raised his head. His sharp eyes locked onto the empty space by the door, completely unbothered.

​"Who is there?" he asked smoothly. His Qi subtly flared, filling the room with the oppressive, heavy pressure of a 9th Stage Spirit Realm cultivator.

​Gu Fan reached up and pulled the hood of the Phantom Veil Cloak back. The pitch-black fabric rippled and fell away, revealing his face and broad chest.

​Elder Qian’s eyes narrowed slightly in recognition. He remembered the rugged, unbothered young man from the morning meeting.

​"The Gu Clan’s illegitimate son," the old man noted, leaning back in his chair and resting his hands calmly on his lap. "Impressive stealth. My guards didn’t even blink Tell me, how did you get past them?"

​"I walked," Gu Fan said bluntly.

​He didn’t stay by the door. He walked straight toward the desk with heavy, confident steps.

​Elder Qian didn’t move or stand up. He just watched the young man approach with calculating eyes. "You are trespassing in my Pavilion, Young Master Gu. With my cultivation, I could crush you where you stand without lifting a finger. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you to ash for this intrusion."

​Gu Fan reached the desk, and...

​THUD.

​A massive, heavy burlap sack slammed onto the mahogany desk. It was so heavy the thick wood groaned under the weight. The top of the sack spilled open.

​Dozens of high-tier, glowing beast cores tumbled out, rolling across the ledgers. Blue, red, and green cores from 6th and 7th Stage Spirit Realm beasts.

​Elder Qian froze. His sharp eyes stared at the absolute fortune sitting on his desk.

​"That’s just the tip," Gu Fan sneered, leaning over the desk. "I heard the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion likes doing business. I brought you fourteen thousand cores, Elder Qian. Let’s talk numbers."

​Elder Qian stared at the glowing cores, then slowly looked up at Gu Fan. The calculating look in his eyes sharpened into intense, greedy interest.

​A wide, genuine smile spread across the old man’s face. "Why don’t you get comfortable, Young Master Gu. I think we have a lot to discuss."