Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 312 The Smiling Rat Settles the Karma
Fang Shu, enveloped in peach blossom smoke, appeared brightly before the Gu Hall.

Its imposing presence immediately attracted attention both inside and outside the establishment.

Fang Shu looked at the person in the hall, and without preemptively speaking, immediately shouted:
"Fellow Daoist, you are indeed very arrogant, daring to treat our hall as your own home, eating and taking things without any courtesy!"

The laughter suddenly rang out, startling everyone inside and outside the Gu Hall.

They looked up and quickly recognized the person as Fang Shu.

Everyone was both surprised and delighted:

"This...this is that evil star from the Gu Hall? What's he doing here!"

"Senior Brother Fang, Senior Brother Fang is back!"

The Beast Hall's men were on high alert, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire. The Gu Hall's men, on the other hand, were overjoyed, as if they had seen a savior.

Someone even filed a complaint on the spot:

"Senior Brother Fang, you're finally back! Those guys from the Beast Hall have really bullied our Gu Hall terribly."

"May I ask, Senior Brother Fang, why hasn't Hall Master Long emerged from seclusion yet?"

The scene was chaotic.

Many people were looking at Fang Shu with complicated expressions, but remained silent.

For example, Gou Yandi, who guided Fang Shu into the hall back then.

This person was originally waiting obsequiously in the hall, his body hunched over and his neck bent forward, looking every bit the lackey.

Seeing Fang Shu return, Gou Yandi's gaze held not only astonishment but also a hint of joy. However, he turned to look at the black-robed man beside him, swallowed hard, and remained silent, not daring to speak, much less to cheer and rejoice like the other Gu Hall disciples.

Suddenly, laughter rang out:
"Oh, it's Brother Fang Shu back! Please come in!"

The imposing Beast Hall Immortal, who was sitting in the hall with a stern expression, immediately put down his account book, strode out of the hall, and came to greet him with a very warm and sincere face.

This person was none other than Fang Shu's old acquaintance, a formidable character who had displayed his skills in the secret realm and was now also a Foundation Establishment Seed in the Five Internal Organs Temple—Black Rat.

Seeing that Black Rat had noticed him, but instead remained calm and even had a smile on his face, Fang Shu's eyes narrowed slightly.

He didn't descend, but stood atop the peach blossom mist, looking down at his opponent, and spoke:
"Black Rat, you have some nerve."

"Haven't you suffered enough in the secret realm? You dare bring people to my Gu Hall to plunder? Do you really think I, Fang, can't kill you?"

Upon hearing this, the people around changed their expressions and became even more agitated.

What surprised them even more was that when Black Rat heard Fang Shu's blunt rebuke, there was no anger on his face at all; instead, there was only shame and helplessness.

The man sighed deeply, bowed to Fang Shu, and uttered:
“Brother Fang Shu, I am merely a Qi Refining disciple. How dare I cause trouble in your esteemed hall? It is because… the Beast Hall is merging with your hall, so I was sent here to handle some miscellaneous matters.”

Black Rat's expression was sincere, clearly showing that he had been forced into a corner.

He then hurriedly gave instructions to the Beast Hall members beside him:
"Quickly, invite Brother Fang Shu's friends out so they can help Hei explain himself."

Under Fang Shu's scrutinizing gaze, the group quickly emerged from the depths of the Gu Hall.

They were disciples from Fang Lu and Du Gu Guan, as well as some outer disciples and servants who had previously worked under Fang Shu.

Compared to the other members of the Gu Hall, the servants in this group all looked noticeably healthier.

It is obvious that they were well taken care of in the Gu Hall by the black rats, and they were not touched by a single finger.

"Greetings, Immortal Master Fang Shu!"

These people came out and saw Fang Shu, and their faces lit up with joy.

One of them even laughed and said:
“Master Fang Shu, Master Black Rat said he is your friend. He was in the same batch as you when he came up the mountain, and he also came from Guling Town.”

"Brother Fang, do not worry, we are all well."

Fang Shu's gaze swept over each of these people, finally landing on Fang Lu's face.

Fang Lu remained calm and did not rush to speak like the others, but instead kept silent.

When she saw Fang Shu looking over, the woman slowly nodded.

She immediately sent her divine sense to Fang Shu's ear and gave a general account of what had happened in the Gu Hall recently:
"With the hall leaderless, the Beast Hall took advantage of the chaos to loot, leaving the disciples bewildered and helpless, with nowhere to turn for help. Fortunately, this Black Rat, out of consideration for you, Fang Shu, did not lay a hand on us disciples from Guling Town..."

Fang Shu's expression softened slightly.

But he still didn't descend from mid-air; instead, he looked at the black rat with a half-smile and uttered:
"So, in other words, I, Fang, should thank you for protecting my subordinates?"

Upon hearing this, Black Rat immediately cupped his hands in a subservient manner and uttered the following:

“We are all from the same hometown, Brother Fang, why do you say such a thing?”

At this time.

During their conversation, they mentioned several outer disciples from Guling Town. Whether they had received bribes from Black Rat or had been pampered with good food and drink these past few days, they seemed to think they were someone important.

Ji Liang surprisingly stepped in to play the straight man, attempting to ease the tension between Fang Shu and Black Rat:
"If Senior Brother Fang has any misunderstandings with Senior Brother Black Rat, please speak up. We're all on the same side."

"I heard from Senior Brother Black Rat that the Beast Hall Master also greatly admires Senior Brother Fang, and Senior Brother Black Rat has long wanted to introduce him to everyone."

But their response was Fang Shu's cold rebuke:

"Noisy."

呲呲!

Two spiked arrows immediately flew out, piercing the chests of the two immortals from Guling Town, causing them to fall to the ground in astonishment.

After casually injuring two people, Fang Shu said calmly:

“Our temple is too small to accommodate you two. Please leave on your own shortly, so as not to endanger your lives and cause me to bear the reputation of slaughtering my fellow villagers.”

This move immediately shocked everyone present.

Especially the two immortals who fell down, their faces were ashen, and they hurriedly tried to say something, but when they opened their mouths, blood bubbles came out and they couldn't utter a single word.

Black Rat's face stiffened at Fang Shu's heartless actions.

Even so, the boy forced a smile and spoke:
"Misunderstanding, there must be some misunderstanding."

At the same time, this fellow quickly transmitted his voice to Fang Shu's ear, sighing and saying:

"Brother Fang, although we had some disagreements in the secret realm, those are all things that happened within the secret realm."

Now that we've returned to the sect, whether according to the sect's rules or our origins, we shouldn't be as hostile as we were in the secret realm.

I implore Brother Fang to be kind enough to grant me this favor. I, Hei, have done absolutely nothing to wrong Brother Fang this time.

The other party's words were a combination of soft and hard tactics.

But when Fang Shu heard this, his smile only widened.

Instead of answering the other person's question, he transmitted his voice:

"Fellow Daoist Black Rat, how could you know that I, Fang, am not planning to take this opportunity to eliminate you directly?"

Upon hearing this, Black Rat tensed up, and his expression immediately became tense.

This guy never expected that even after he put on such a cowardly act and tried his best to lull Fang Shu into a false sense of security, Fang Shu would not even bother with pretense and would directly say these words to him.

For a moment, Black Rat even wondered if he was hallucinating.

But a chilling feeling immediately rose up on his back: "Damn it! This guy isn't just bluffing me, he really wants to kill me!"

Before he could react, a cloud of peach blossom smoke swept towards him.

Then Fang Shu's mocking laughter rang out, reaching the ears of everyone inside and outside the Gu Hall:

"Face? Do you really think you're someone important?"

Whoosh!

Faced with the onslaught of the peach blossom smoke, some of the Beast Hall disciples were unable to dodge in time and immediately let out screams. The smoke covered them and corroded their skin, revealing their cheekbones.

However, the disciples of the Gu Hall only felt that the smell of the smoke was rather pleasant.

"Fang Shu!" the black rat cried out in surprise.

He immediately dodged, and his robe instantly grew larger, first covering himself, and then pulling over the immortals on his left and right.

The black rat caught these immortals and hurled them toward Fang Shu.

Facing the flying man, Fang Shu didn't even blink. With a simple hand seal, two nail-headed arrows shot out, swiftly slicing the man to pieces. The nail-headed arrows paused for a moment before pouncing on the black rat again.

Jingle bells!

Black Rat promptly pulled out a token from his sleeve.

The sign emitted a phantom image of a large bronze bell, which sheltered his body and deflected Fang Shu's nail-headed arrow.

Even the peach blossoms and mist that had carried them into the past were kept at bay by the bronze bell, unable to engulf them.

Black Rat looked at Fang Shu with lingering fear, but was truly grateful that as soon as he left the secret realm, he managed to find a protective Foundation Establishment talisman.

Otherwise, if Fang Shu had suddenly attacked him today, he would have been in grave danger.

Once he felt safe, Black Rat's first action was to swiftly pull a talisman from his sleeve, light it, and release it, shouting to the people around him:

"Quickly summon the head of this hall to suppress the Gu Hall!"

The rest of you, follow me to suppress this brat.

Chaos reigned all around.

The disciples of the Beast Hall either responded or chose to protect themselves.

The disciples of the Gu Hall were similar; some immediately shouted, "Let's take down these guys together!" while others secretly slipped away to the side, intending to watch the outcome.

Fang Shu stood in mid-air, suddenly no longer in a hurry to make a move.

He said loudly:

"All those here who consider themselves disciples of the Gu Hall, please step back behind me!"
You need not lift a finger; I, Fang, will protect you.

As he spoke, it was as if he were playing a zither, manipulating the peach blossom smoke around him, disrupting the Black Rat and other members of the Beast Hall, and giving the Gu Hall workers time to make their choices.

Upon hearing this, some remained unmoved, while others gritted their teeth and actually chose to gravitate towards the black rat.

Less than a third of the people chose to set off, and immediately rushed out of the hall to surround Fang Shu.

I saw this scene.

Fang Shu sighed softly: "I already said that you don't need to take action, yet it turns out that only these people are available."

To his surprise, only three of the disciples of the Dragon Maiden Immortal Clan walked out, but one of them was Gou Yandi!

Fang Shu couldn't help but take a few more glances at this person.

Meeting Fang Shu's gaze, Gou Yandi dared not look him in the eye, but Fang Shu's legs remained firmly planted, and he made a gesture of protecting Fang Shu.

All of this also came to the attention of the black rat.

This fellow was also taking the opportunity to gather his disciples and try to get out of the area covered by the peach blossom mist.

He suddenly seemed to remember something, and burst into laughter again, feigning a hearty laugh:
"I understand."

Is the Fang brothers' actions today an attempt to refine the best and select a group of skilled individuals to facilitate the establishment of their own separate establishment in the future?
"A brilliant plan, a brilliant plan!"

These words caused the Gu Hall members who had hesitated and hadn't yet approached to immediately change their expressions, and regret arose in their eyes.

Fang Shu, realizing that his thoughts had been somewhat guessed, looked at the black rat with amusement.

He no longer concealed his admiration and exclaimed directly:
“Fellow Daoist is indeed quite talented. But since that’s the case, we can’t let you stay any longer.”

These words caused Black Rat's smile to freeze, and he immediately cursed inwardly.

This guy no longer doubted that he had misheard, but instead wondered if Fang Shu had mastered the magic to read minds or divine malice.

Otherwise, he'd already gone to such lengths to appease and compromise. Why is this guy surnamed Fang fixated on him?!
A variety of thoughts flashed through my mind at once.

Without further hesitation, Black Rat turned and ran out of the valley without saying another word.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall! Since this man is so hostile towards him, it's best for him to leave first. He can settle scores later when he has achieved his goal of establishing a solid foundation.

But before the black rat had run far, its expression changed drastically.

Buzzing.

A swarm of Gu worms had already risen up around the Gu Hall, surrounding it in the center.

Fang Shu wasn't just observing the people in the Gu Hall; he also released his own Gu worms to encircle everyone in the hall.

He smiled as he looked at the black rat, which was blocked by the Gu worms and had no choice but to move forward or backward, and said, "Trying to run away?"

Whoosh.

Fang Shu casually launched two more nail-headed arrows, striking the opponent repeatedly against the protective aura surrounding him, causing him to tremble.

In addition, swarms of Gu worms rushed forward, slowly forming an array.

Seeing this, the black rat looked terrified, and then, taking advantage of the fact that the Gu formation had not yet been fully formed, it hardened its expression.

A squeaking sound immediately rang out from the scene.

The man removed the protective bell, and his robe fell to the ground with a thud.

Instead, rats emerged from his robes, scurrying about in all directions, creating a dazzling spectacle.

Such magic surprised Fang Lu and the others.

The same cry, also coming from the mouths of those rats, rang out in a shrill voice: "Fang Shu! Until we meet again."

However, Fang Shu remained completely calm in the face of such bizarre methods.

He stirred the peach blossom smoke, and wisps of smoke flew out, instantly forming a net that blocked the hundreds and thousands of rats.

A swarm of Gu worms pounced on them, constantly gnawing at and burrowing into the rats' bodies.

However, whenever these rats are bitten by the Gu worms, they will spontaneously split off into fleshy clumps while screaming and writhing. In just a few breaths, they will grow into another rat and frantically attack the Gu worms.

This scene of relentless killing piqued Fang Shu's interest.

Black Rat was now clearly cornered; fear gripped him, and he began to scream shrilly:
"This is inside the temple; you are not allowed to kill me!"

"My Lord of the Beast Hall is coming soon, please release me!"

Fang Shu believed that this child had mastered the method of flesh and blood differentiation even before he had established his foundation. He might have also received a legacy in the secret realm. He was born from the fortune of Mount Lu and might be a seed that could establish his foundation with the Dao lineage!
Fang Shu sighed softly, "Since you are so talented, I cannot let you go."

The words fell.

However, he still did not reveal his Foundation Establishment cultivation level and went directly to kill the Black Rat.

While pondering, Fang Shu isolated himself from the surroundings, took out a pink flame from his hand, and threw it into the group of rats that the black rat had transformed into.

This fire was the seductive fire he obtained from Luan Tong'er, and it could not be extinguished.

This thing was originally prepared specifically for Black Rat, which is why he continues to carry it with him.

Whoohoo!
The alluring fire that consumed the sun burst forth immediately expanded, igniting all the rats that the black rat had transformed into.

A series of piercing screams emanated from their mouths:
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

The rats' fur was burned off, exposing their skeletons, and billowing black smoke rose from them.

They constantly differentiated their flesh and blood, fleeing in all directions, only to be burned to death again and again.

What surprised Fang Shu even more was that, even at this point, the black rat's true form had not jumped out from among the group of rats.

This means that the rats in front of us might all be this guy's true form!
Unfortunately.

No matter how bizarre Black Rat's methods were, he was first imprisoned by Fang Shu with peach blossom smoke and Gu worms, and then burned with seductive bone-stealing fire. All his methods were completely restrained.

Even if he released that Foundation Establishment talisman again, it would be useless.

The flames continued to burn within the phantom of the great bell, driving the black rat to utter despair. Its cries changed from warnings to pleas for mercy and curses.

Its shrill cry, emanating from the peach blossom mist, terrified everyone and even reached beyond the valley, causing some nearby immortals to be filled with doubt.

Fang Shu stood patiently in mid-air, not making any further moves, but simply observing coldly.

He felt neither joy nor pleasure at burning the shackles; instead, he tried his best to calm himself down and adjust his state of mind.

We must know that a mere black rat is not enough to satisfy him.

Only by killing a genuine Foundation Establishment Immortal can Fang Yi demonstrate his skills and intimidate his subordinates!

(End of this chapter)