The chief servant was also a slave, but held the critical position of managing every aspect of the young clan leader's daily life. In such an important role, any Gu Master wanting to gauge the higher-ups' intentions would inevitably have to go through the chief servant.
"I struck it big! I actually became the chief servant — this old lady really is a genius!" Zhao Lianyun laughed wildly in her heart. Her elaborate scheming had truly not been in vain.
Her gleaming eyes stared intently at Fei Cai as she said in a soft voice, "Silly boy, now that you're the chief servant, you'll need to perform well from now on."
Fei Cai shuddered all over and muttered honestly, "Miss Yun, I don't know why, but your voice gives me the chills."
Zhao Lianyun's face instantly changed. She viciously kicked Fei Cai on the shin and roared, "You idiot! Now that you've become the chief servant, your situation is even more dangerous than before. Who knows how many people will be scheming to get to you — including some truly vicious Gu Masters!"
Fei Cai was startled. "Then what should I do?"
"Hmph, lucky for you that you have a friend like me. As long as you obediently listen to this lady's instructions, I guarantee you'll live comfortably." Zhao Lianyun extended her small hand to pat Fei Cai's shoulder, only to find she couldn't reach it.
She immediately bared her pretty little teeth. "Quick, squat down for this lady."
Fei Cai meekly crouched down. Zhao Lianyun successfully patted his shoulder, nodded her small head in satisfaction, and said with a world-weary air, "Do you know what you should do next?"
Fei Cai shook his head, as if the answer were self-evident.
"Hmph, you idiot." Zhao Lianyun snorted coldly. "Now that you've become the chief servant and all those old servants have been reassigned elsewhere, you naturally need to recruit new staff first. Otherwise, how could you possibly manage everything on your own?"
"Oh? You're absolutely right!" Fei Cai had a sudden realization and nodded repeatedly.
Zhao Lianyun snorted again. "But doing that alone is far from enough. You also need to familiarize yourself with the young clan leader's preferences, daily routines, and so on. To get that information, you'll need to find those old servants and question them thoroughly."
"What? You want me to ask them? Would they even agree?" Fei Cai widened his eyes.
Zhao Lianyun let out a cold laugh. "You're the chief servant now. Your status and position are entirely different from before. They're the lowest of the low among the servants. They must be terrified of your revenge right now. If you go to question them, they'll definitely tell you everything. Of course, if they refuse to cooperate, this lady naturally has her ways to make them spill everything they know!"
"Oh."
Zhao Lianyun looked at Fei Cai's dazed expression and couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere: "This old lady isn't even from this world, hmph. I know far too many methods for winning over these stinky men. As long as I understand Ma Yingjie's lifestyle habits and prescribe the right treatment, Fei Cai's position will be rock-solid. Hehe..."
--- Cao Prefecture, Hei Family Main Camp.
Various tents and Gu houses covered the grassland, banners fluttering in the wind, dense crowds of Gu Masters coming and going — seen from high above, it would resemble a massive colony of ants.
In the Supply Camp, Fang Yuan held the East Window Gu in his hand, quietly reviewing the available supplies.
The female Gu Master in charge of reception held her breath, standing to the side, awaiting Fang Yuan's decision at all times.
Ever since the Eastern Tribes' war reparations had been received, the supplies available for exchange with war merit in the Supply Camp had increased more than tenfold.
Of course, not all of it came from war reparations. In addition to the Hei Family's previous stockpiles, the various tribes of all sizes that had surrendered and joined the Hei Family Alliance had also contributed large quantities of supplies.
Just a few days ago, Hei Loulan had hosted another Alliance Formation Assembly, forcing all the newly joined tribal leaders to swear blood oaths.
To prevent others from exchanging for the good items first, Fang Yuan had entered the Supply Camp the moment the supplies had been tallied.
Even after the Shadow Swordsman and others had joined the Hei Family's army, they could barely shake his position, second only to Hei Loulan.
Fang Yuan held this privilege, and while others certainly had objections, no one dared to voice them openly.
"Oh? There's actually a Fourth Transformation Self-Reliance Gu?" Fang Yuan's interest was piqued, and he quickly spotted the Gu he had been wanting among the supplies.
Self-Reliance Gu was extremely rare. Fang Yuan had originally possessed a Third Transformation Self-Reliance Gu from the Southern Border, but after arriving in the Northern Plains, it had been suppressed to Second Transformation. Without the corresponding Gu recipe, he had been unable to advance it.
Previously, he had managed to exchange for another Self-Reliance Gu from the Hei Family's supplies, but it was only Second Transformation. Left with no choice, he had planned to collect Gu recipes and refine the two insects together to create a higher-level one.
But in that case, obtaining a high-transformation Self-Reliance Gu could take forever. And if his luck was bad and the refinement failed a few times, it would be even more indefinitely delayed.
Now that he had discovered this Fourth Transformation Self-Reliance Gu, there was no question — he had to claim it!
Beyond the Fourth Transformation Self-Reliance Gu, he also found a Fourth Transformation Charge and Smash Gu. However, he had previously purchased the Third Transformation Charge Gu and Smash Gu, and had already successfully refined them into a Fourth Transformation Charge and Smash Gu.
Shifting his attention away from the Charge and Smash Gu, Fang Yuan found that there was indeed no shortage of good items, especially some unique Gu from the Eastern Tribes.
Even with five hundred years of past-life experience, Fang Yuan couldn't help growing highly interested upon seeing these.