Chapter 721: Fortune's Wheel Turns

"Hey, Brother Yu, is Master Ye at home?" Gu Hong said with a fawning smile.

Gu Hong was himself a servant, and his shamelessness far surpassed that of a low-level martial artist like Yu Ming.

Just like before, fearing Gu Changshun's reprimand, he had shown Yu Ming no respect and killed Ye Yuan with a single blow.

Now, forced to come begging, he brazenly called Yu Ming his brother.

Yu Ming sneered, "Isn't this Lord Gu? Don't call me, a lowlife, your brother, lest it lower your status!"

Yu Ming harbored a bellyful of resentment toward Gu Hong, and if he didn't take this chance to get even, how could he feel at ease?

But Gu Hong, completely unfazed by Yu Ming's sarcasm, kept his smile and said, "Look at what you're saying! I'm just a servant of the Gu family, a poor wretch in Gufeng City. Why make things hard for your old brother? I know you're still upset about what happened that day, but I had my difficulties too, didn't I? Today, I've come for two reasons: first, to ask Master Ye for help, and second, to apologize to you!"

It had to be said, Gu Hong was quite skilled. His words were watertight, smoothly glossing over the events of that day.

If it were a greenhorn, he might have been moved to tears and sworn brotherhood with Gu Hong on the spot.

But Yu Ming, though not particularly successful, was no novice either.

It wasn't so easy for Gu Hong to fool him.

"Hey, Steward Gu, spare me that act! If you have something to say, say it quickly. If not, get lost! Master Ye is very busy and has no time to waste on a servant like you," Yu Ming said coolly.

Yu Ming felt an immense satisfaction!

In just a few days, he had gotten back everything he'd lost!

That day, you told me to get lost, didn't you? Now you get lost as far as you can!

That day, you said I wasn't on your level, huh? Now you're the servant!

In the past few days, the relationship between Yu Ming and Ye Yuan had undergone a dramatic change.

Though Ye Yuan always called him "old brother," Yu Ming knew his place—he and Ye Yuan were not on the same level.

Look at the people Master Ye associated with!

Jun Tianyu, Luo Fang, Sun Maosheng—every one of them was a big shot in Gufeng City whose every move shook the whole city.

Yet despite that, Ye Yuan still made Yu Ming feel like a spring breeze.

Yu Ming understood clearly that only his own mindset had changed. Ye Yuan's attitude toward him was no different from the beginning!

So in Yu Ming's eyes, Gu Hong was truly just a servant, while his own status was much higher.

This time, Gu Hong had clearly come with a desperate resolve, ready to take shamelessness to the extreme!

"Brother Yu, do you still not understand why I'm here? I just want to see Master Ye and ask him to treat the young lady! Whatever conditions he has, he can name them."

As he spoke, Gu Hong pulled out a storage ring and handed it to Yu Ming, flattering, "This is a small token from your old brother. Please accept it! After the matter is settled, I'll have more to offer! I know you're in Master Ye's good graces. If you could just put in a word, we can work something out, right?"

Gu Hong's heart ached!

He had spent a fortune this time to mend his relationship with Yu Ming.

That storage ring contained a full thousand low-grade Earth Essence Crystals!

And that thousand low-grade Earth Essence Crystals was a fifth of his savings.

You see, low-grade Earth Essence Crystals could be exchanged one-to-one for merit points.

In other words, Gu Hong had just given Yu Ming a thousand merit points!

That was a huge sum!

Yu Ming probed the storage ring with his divine sense and felt his heart race.

That old bastard had really bled this time!

But Yu Ming put on a troubled expression and said, "Well... Steward Gu, it's not that I don't want to help, but Master Ye really is very busy..."

Gu Hong gritted his teeth audibly and pulled out another storage ring. "Brother Yu, I know Master Ye is busy. But you know the young lady's condition. Saving a life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda. This is all I have left!"

Gu Hong's pitiful act made Yu Ming secretly gleeful.

He took the storage ring and saw that it indeed contained many good things, worth around five hundred merit points.

"Alright, seeing how sincere you are, Steward Gu, I'll go mention it to Master Ye. But I can't guarantee he'll agree!" Yu Ming said reluctantly.

"No problem, no problem! I know you're in Master Ye's good graces. He'll surely give you face!" Gu Hong heaped praise on Yu Ming.

Yu Ming enjoyed it immensely. Before, he had always had to play the fool in front of Gu Hong. Now the tables had turned, and Gu Hong was the one playing the fool in front of him.

That sense of achievement was truly satisfying!

Yu Ming pocketed both storage rings and turned to enter the residence.

As soon as his figure disappeared, Gu Hong's face fell.

"Hmph! That reckless fool! How dare he touch a hair on the tiger's head? Taking my things—he's asking for death! Once this blows over, I'll make him spit everything out and make sure he disappears from Gufeng City for good!" Gu Hong gnashed his teeth.

...

"Haha, what a blast! That was amazing! Brother Ye, I've always kept my head down in Gufeng City, bowing and scraping to everyone. Today, thanks to you, I can finally hold my head high! Here, this is what Gu Hong gave me. He really bled this time!"

As soon as he entered the house, Yu Ming felt like he was floating on air.

But Ye Yuan waved his hand and said with a smile, "That stuff was given to you by Gu Hong, and he owed it to you. Keep it for yourself. He wanted my life—how could he get off so easily with just that? The real price is yet to come!"

Yu Ming said sheepishly, "Well... I know my place. Gu Hong gave me these because of you, Brother Ye. How could I keep them for myself?"

Ye Yuan laughed, "I told you to keep them, so keep them. Why so much talk? If you see me as a brother, just put them away!"

Hearing this, Yu Ming quickly said, "Alright, alright, I'll put them away! But... I've seen through Gu Hong this time. He's two-faced and really no good. Remember, he sent Song Pan to kill you before! He's forced to bow his head now, but I think he'll hold a grudge."

Ye Yuan smiled, "Gu Hong is just a small fry, not worth my effort to deal with. If he stays put, he might live a little longer. If he seeks his own death, then don't blame me."