More likely than not, this reversal was thanks to their circumstances. Fang Yuan had some time to calm down and assess his position more rationally, while Bai Ning Bing's inner nature had come out in the heat of battle. Wei Yang continued: "Actually, I have something for Sir Ling Ding Ching. I was able to speak with the Shang Clan leader knowing that you had desired one of these." He took out a black token from his pocket and handed it over to Bai Ning Bing.
Bai Ning Bing knew about what the token system was, and it was well aware that this was the lowest-tier of token offered. However, it was still far better than nothing. It could get you into many places within the city without having to pay a dime.
"Look at that," Fang Yuan said. "You have a black token, and I have a white token," he said, laughing as if this was the funniest joke in the world. Little Xiao looked towards the two of them before realizing what Fang Yuan was laughing about. "Oh, I see."
Fang Yuan had dark hair and compared to her milk-white skin had a somewhat dusky appearance. One was a man and the other a woman - and yet were holding the opposite color of tokens.
It had not been something intended by Wei Yang, but was entirely coincidental.
"That was quite the match," Fang Yuan said. "I very much enjoyed it. How about we go for a round of drinks, all on me? What do you say?"
"Oh, certainly," Wei Yang said. "However, with you being our esteemed guest, how could I possibly force you to pay?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Fang Yuan said, waving his hand. "I insist. Little Xiao, let's go."
Little Xiao did not really take well to being called "little" by the stranger. However, he was a Rank 5 Gu Master, and he wasn't about to voice too many of his concerns or complaints. They sat down at a nice restaurant to drink. Bai Ning Bing drank only spring water, as usual.
Fang Yuan, however, seemed to get a little tipsy after drinking some of it. He began telling the two of them about his village and how it was like growing up there, but that something had happened later on to cause them to migrate to another location.
From Fang Yuan, the two of them got the deep impression that he missed being with his villagers. Without a doubt, though, there must have been a good reason for him to come here.
Both Xiao was a former demonic Gu Masters and hoping to make a living in Shang Clan City by distinguishing themselves within the battle arena - Wei Yang had already done so, and Xiao wanted to follow.
Fang Yuan, however, looked like he had been always raised and cared for by his friends and family. No, perhaps it wouldn't be right to say that he was coddled. Based on what he told them, he didn't have an easy life either. However, that meant that trying to recruit him would be an issue, seeing as Fang Yuan would obviously put the needs of his clan above those of the Shang Clan. As for Bai Ning Bing, she said very little other than trying to analyze their match.
"If I'm not wrong," Bai Ning Bing said, "you had an accessorygu worm that decreased the expenditure of Rainbow Light Gu."
"That is correct."
"And it must have a few other weaknesses," Bai Ning Bing said. "Because of that, you were not able to augment your body's strength either."
"That is also correct," Wei Yang said, quite surprised that she had already caught on to this weakness of his, even though they had only sparred once. He could not use gu worms to try and strengthen his body, otherwise his combination would not work. Because of this though, although he was very fast, he was rather frail as well. A well-placed blow from Bai Ning Bing could easily kill him.
He had sacrificed defense and endurance for mobility. If his movement was gone, he would be easy pickings given he was like a glass cannon.
Bai Ning Bing considered this for the future, though she knew that Wei Yang was not her ultimate opponent. No, her ultimate opponent in the future would likely be someone like Fang Yuan. However, there was such a gap between her strength and his that to even dream of beating him was futile.
"Senior Brother," Xiao asked Fang Yuan, "you became a Rank 5 Gu Master this young? That is truly incredible."
"I guess so," Fang Yuan replied. "I had to grow fast for the sake of my clan." Xiao had been hoping that he might slip something about what his secret was, but Fang Yuan did not, instead going back to talking more about his clan and how the place was.
Fang Yuan had some refinement materials that he wanted to buy. However, they would take some time to come. So, once that was done, both he and Bai Ning Bing retired to their quarters. Bai Ning Bing would consider entering the arena for real after she had analyzed some of her new gu worms and fit them better given her recent spar with Wei Yang.
Wei Yang reported to Shang Yan Fei.
"What is your opinion of these two now?"
"It has changed somewhat," he admitted. "This Fang Yuan does seem to be a righteous leader. Only he seemed to have been caught up in his emotions earlier. He seems far more calm now, like one would expect. The other woman with him, though, is cold and aloof, rarely wishing to make any kind of conversation."
His thoughts drifted to how one of them had a black token and the other had a white token, but not in the way one would see. They seemed to be the embodiment of yin and yang, one cold and one warm on alternate days.
"How is their battle strength?"
"I do not know about Fang Yuan, as I could not fight him, but no one can reach Rank 5 without being an expert. As for the lady Bai Ning Bing, she is a natural genius, not just when it comes to cultivation, but also combat. I have no doubt that she, if she wanted, could beat me, even if she had only been at Rank 3 with some practice."
"That is high praise coming from you," Shang Yan Fei said.
"It is, but it is the truth," Wei Yang said.
"I trust your judgment in that case," Shang Yan Fei said. "I don't think that we will be able to find any more information regarding these two." He had tried probing into Gu Yue Village a bit more, but given the fact that they were not in their original location but somewhere else, and that there were other villages mixed in, it became hard to try to differentiate its past from its present condition.
Most of his information seemed to be outdated from what Wei Yang supplied him in his report from what Fang Yuan had said earlier at the banquet.
Now, Fang Yuan's current description of the village was a rather odd thing. He had rarely seen three clans assemble under each other so quickly without bloodshed. Fang Yuan had managed to do so. It was said that the true art of war was to win without even fighting. In such a case, Fang Yuan could have been said to be a master of it.
"There's no point in waiting any longer," Shang Yan Fei said. "You should go ahead and invite them to a formal banquet. Understood?"
"Understood," Wei Yang said. "I'll do so for tomorrow."