The five people stood by the street.
Gu Yue Jiao San smiled amiably and said to Fang Yuan, "Little brother Fang Yuan, your performance truly makes us view you in a new light. It seems that inviting you to join was indeed the right decision. You have just come out of the academy and there are some things you do not quite understand. Below, I will introduce them to you."
"First, regarding clan missions, every Gu Master must complete at least one per month. The more completed and the more perfectly they are completed, the higher the evaluation."
"Second, missions are issued by the Internal Affairs Hall or the Foreign Affairs Hall. A Gu Master can only choose one at a time, and once accepted, it must be completed."
"Third, under special circumstances, a Gu Master can choose to give up this mission. However, the evaluation will be greatly lowered as a result. At the same time, a Rank One Gu Master does not have the right to give up; only Rank Two Gu Masters possess this qualification. But even then, they can only give up one mission per year."
"Fourth, the clan evaluation is extremely important. It relates to your future prospects in the clan. The higher the evaluation, the broader and brighter your future will be."
Fang Yuan listened and nodded. These things had long been thoroughly familiar to him. What Gu Yue Jiao San said was not wrong, nor was it misleading, but there were many other crucial key points that were not mentioned along with them.
"Alright, we have just completed the mud swamp permafrost collection mission. Next, I have accepted a mission to capture wild deer. The danger level is very low, making it quite suitable for you to practice, Fang Yuan," Jiao San said to Fang Yuan again.
Fang Yuan sneered in his heart, but verbally replied, "Thank you for your care, Group Leader."
Gu Yue Kong Jing immediately chimed in, "Little brother Fang Yuan, you really should properly thank the Group Leader. Simple missions, though easy to complete, have very low rewards. The Group Leader doing this is all to take care of you."
The other two female Gu Masters also followed suit and echoed, "That's right, that's right, little brother Fang Yuan, verbal thanks are not as good as actual actions. Why not treat the Group Leader to a meal?"
"Little brother Fang Yuan, you have just stepped out of the academy. Matters of society are very complex. Interpersonal relationships are considerably important. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to just ask us during the meal."
Gu Yue Jiao San laughed out loud and deliberately waved his hand, saying, "Don't make things difficult for Fang Yuan. He just came out of the academy, and the primeval stones on hand are not many. He is very strapped for cash."
"How is that possible! Besides other things, just the first place of the year-end examination alone has a reward of one hundred primeval stones, right?" A female Gu Master deliberately called out, then revealed a faintly jealous expression, "Speaking of which, it really makes one envious. One hundred primeval stones can be considered a vast sum of wealth for us too."
"Group Leader, you have misjudged our little brother Fang Yuan in this regard. How could he possibly be so stingy? Little brother Fang Yuan, you agree, right?" Gu Yue Kong Jing laughed loudly, seeming very cheerful.
The other female Gu Master approached Fang Yuan with a close and familiar appearance, saying, "Little brother Fang Yuan, let me tell you with good intentions. You don't have to curry favor with the few of us, but you must flatter Lord Group Leader. Do you know, a part of our group members' evaluation is written and appraised by the Group Leader. If he says excellent, it's excellent; if he says poor, it's poor."
"Right, right. Evaluations are extremely important for us Gu Masters. With an excellent evaluation, one will be favored by the clan higher-ups. In the future, when seniority is built up, one can save many years of struggling!" Kong Jing immediately echoed.
Throughout the entire process, Gu Yue Jiao San watched with a beaming smile.
Finally, he waved his hand, his expression benevolent and his smile kind: "Ah, you all should not spout nonsense. My written appraisals are all fair and objective, I wouldn't be easily bribed by you. However, Fang Yuan, rest assured, you are a newcomer. Since you have joined our group, I will definitely take your evaluation into consideration with appropriate care."
If it were an ordinary youth, they probably would have long been confused and disoriented by this group's words, secretly feeling moved. They bullied newcomers precisely because they didn't understand the rules and were naive and childish.
But Fang Yuan's eyes remained clear and completely calm all along.
The fact that the group leader participated in the members' evaluations was indeed true. This was the clan's system, delegating power to endow the position of the group leader with authority, making it convenient for the group leader to manage each group.
But it would absolutely not be as severe as these people made it out to be.
For the clan's evaluation, the group leader's comments were merely a very small portion; the vast majority of it was still a matter for the clan's Internal Affairs Hall.
Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the group leader's evaluation had a massive influence on the members, so what?
Fang Yuan did not take this evaluation to heart in the slightest.
He had long made up his mind to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible, reach Rank Three, and leave this place. He had fundamentally never thought about wasting away a hundred years in this clan, selling his life to the clan for a lifetime.
In the eyes of these short-sighted Gu Masters, the evaluation was of the utmost importance. But to Fang Yuan, the so-called evaluation was less than a fart!
Therefore, the faintly coercive words of these Gu Masters had completely zero effect on Fang Yuan.
"What you all said, I have understood. I still have some matters, so I will take my leave first," Fang Yuan remained silent for a moment before speaking.
Eh?
For a moment, these four Gu Masters all revealed expressions of astonishment.
"What does this mean? Did you not take in a single word of what we just said?" A female Gu Master widened her eyes, roaring in her heart.
"Is there really no problem with your reading comprehension?" At this moment, Gu Yue Kong Jing genuinely wanted to grab Fang Yuan's collar and interrogate him face strictly to face.
The corner of Jiao San's mouth could not help but twitch slightly.
Fang Yuan's indifference made their coordinated singing and chiming look like a farce. It turned their arrangements and plotting into a joke.
Watching the back of Fang Yuan turning around and leaving, the irritation in his heart need not be mentioned.
"Aiya, Fang Yuan, don't be in such a rush to leave. Don't listen to the nonsense of these guys." Jiao San forcefully swallowed this pent-up breath, piled up a smile, and quickly walked up to block Fang Yuan, "You are going to rent a house, right? We'll accompany you together. I possess some interpersonal connections, and I am also relatively familiar with the housing rental situation."
"I am indeed going to rent a house, the academy dormitories can no longer be lived in. I wonder what advice the Group Leader has?" Fang Yuan slightly raised his eyebrows, his complexion flat and unhurried.
"I know a few houses that are rather cheap, and the locations are also good." Jiao San laughed enthusiastically, unhesitatingly taking the lead at the front.
…
"My house here, the rent is fifteen primeval stones a month, absolutely no haggling."
"Pah, you want to rent my house for eight primeval stones? Keep dreaming."
"A deposit must be paid, pay three months with a one-month deposit. Other families all do it this way."
"The fengshui of my house here is very good, and it's quiet at night. The key point is that it's adjacent to the clan head's pavilion, so you should know how good this location is. The price is really not expensive, only twenty-five primeval stones per month."
Right up until the sky turned dusky gray, Fang Yuan had not decided on which house to rent.
"Little brother Fang Yuan, you are being too stingy. The mountain village is only so big, the market prices are all like this."
"If you ask me, just rent that house near the clan head's pavilion. The second floor is very spacious, and the scenery is not bad. Little brother Fang Yuan, you shouldn't be too frugal either, it's only twenty-five primeval stones. That first place reward you have on hand is enough for you to live there for a full four months."
The two female Gu Masters persuaded with ill intentions.
Fang Yuan shook his head: "The primeval stones in my hands are not many, I cannot squander them like this."
"Then rent a basement, that's relatively cheaper." A trace of cold light flashed through Gu Yue Kong Jing's eyes as he suggested.
Fang Yuan coldly snorted in his heart. This Kong Jing's thoughts were vicious!
The moisture between these mountains was heavy to begin with, and now it was winter. Living in a basement with uncirculated air made it extremely easy to catch a cold and wind-chill. Even if one didn't catch a disease, living there for too long would cause ailments in the joints.
Seeing Fang Yuan not replying, Jiao San opened his mouth and said, "Actually, the first floor of that main hall is also not bad. If you co-rent with others, the rent will also be a bit cheaper."
Fang Yuan shook his head: "I want to live alone, I don't like co-renting."
Gu Yue Kong Jing snorted and said displeasedly, "Don't want this, and don't want that. It's not that I want to criticize you, little brother Fang Yuan. You are simply too picky. Your horizons are too high, and your standards are also high, it doesn't match reality."
Hearing this, Fang Yuan involuntarily sneered in his heart: "Even if there truly is one that meets the standards, as long as it's a house recommended by you all, I will absolutely never take it."
This superficial compliance of his was nothing more than acting out of caution, wanting to clearly see any traps that might exist.
Promptly, just as Fang Yuan was about to bid farewell to these people, Mother Shen appeared.
"Young Master Fang Yuan, I've finally found you. The academy dormitories cannot be lived in anymore. Master and Madam have already prepared a banquet and specially entrusted me to come invite you home. How nice it is at home, why must you rent a house outside?" She persuaded.
So it has finally come…
Fang Yuan sneered continuously in his heart. This Mother Shen's search was truly accurate, instantly finding this place; there was undoubtedly someone tipping her off!
As expected, this matter did not fall out of his expectations; the black hands behind the scenes were none other than his uncle and aunt!!
And this Jiao San was precisely the shackles his uncle and aunt used to restrict him.
Fang Yuan's silence appeared to be hesitation.
"Fang Yuan ah, why don't you just live at your uncle and aunt's house, let's leave it at that. Why go through all this trouble? Renting a house will cost quite a lot of primeval stones." Gu Yue Jiao San voiced his "concern" right on cue. He looked at the side of Fang Yuan's face, an obscure sinister glint flashing in his eyes.