Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 70: Dark Forest [1]

The jagged line where civilization ended and the ’Dark Forest’ began loomed ahead.

Towering trees stretched endlessly toward the heavens, their thick canopies so dense that not a single ray of sunlight could pierce through.

The forest floor lay in perpetual shadow, shrouded in an eerie twilight no matter the hour.

Locals even called the ’Dark forest’ the ’Night Forest’, a place where day never quite arrived, and the darkness seemed to breathe with secrets of its own.

Fang Yuan arrived at the forest’s edge, no longer dressed as an old rogue or wandering elder.

Today, he wore the guise of a young master, arrogant, refined, and unmistakably noble.

A long flowing robe of deep sapphire trimmed with silver cloud patterns wrapped around his lean form, the fabric whispering with every step.

His dark hair was swept back into a high, elegant knot secured by a jade pin, from which a silver tassel swayed with practiced grace.

At his waist hung a folding fan, painted with a black dragon winding between plum blossoms, half-open in his hand more for show than use.

A thin, deliberate sword scar traced one cheek, not deep enough to disfigure, but just enough to make him look experienced and dashing.

His boots were spotless. His expression, serene yet vaguely bored.

And the faint scent of sandalwood clung to him like confidence.

In short, he was the picture of every self-satisfied, dangerously competent young master the world both admired and feared.

He adjusted his collar and exhaled softly.

"Well... I’m sure I’ll be able to scare others away with this facade of mine."

Just as he took a step forward, a voice chimed from behind.

"Going in there alone, young master~?"

Fang Yuan glanced over his shoulder.

A girl in a red dress approached with the sway of someone who knew exactly how to catch a man’s eye.

Hair pinned up with cheap gemstone clips, perfume strong enough to mask the smell of copper from her last client.

She pressed closer, lips curled into a practiced smile.

"You don’t look like a local... Or maybe you are, just trying to be mysterious?

But if you’re looking to get lost in the woods, how about having a little fun first? Only a copper coin for an hour."

Fang Yuan stared at her for a breath too long, thenhe smiled, all charm and mock consideration.

"You are tempting."

He reached into his sleeve and flipped a gold coin into the air.

She caught it without looking, fingers graceful, practiced.

Fang Yuan leaned in slightly, just enough to make it look conspiratorial.

"I’ll come back for you... but later."

His voice was low, smooth and almost sincere.

Then he turned without waiting for her reply and strode straight into the forest.

The moment his figure disappeared beyond the first curtain of fog and shadow—

—the girl’s smile vanished.

Her shoulders slumped. Her gaze sharpened.

And she clicked her tongue.

"Tch. What a fool. I hope you just die there."

She pocketed the coin without looking at it and turned away, disappearing into the side trail with practiced ease, blending into the outskirts of the city.

The trees swallowed Fang Yuan whole. No trace of his presence remained.

Only the whispers of wind and the knowledge that no sane man should ever enter the Dark Forest alone.

Especially not without proper preparations.

In the meantime, the girl returned to the city’s edge with a confident sway in her step, red dress catching the breeze like a banner.

She moved quickly, but not suspiciously, as if she was just another beauty with somewhere to be.

At the checkpoint near the outer watchtower, a Gu family guard leaned lazily against a stone pillar, half-dozing.

She sauntered up to the guard post, hips swaying with calculated ease.

"Hey," she said with a soft, teasing lilt, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her voice was just loud enough to tug at the nearest guard’s attention. "I’ve got information."

The guard leaned slightly forward, eyeing her with casual interest. "What kind of information?"

"About the Dark Forest."

His expression sharpened. "How much?"

"Twenty silvers," she said smoothly, as if it were the weather.

He scoffed. "That’s robbery. Five."

She rolled her eyes. "Fifteen. That’s already low."

The guard folded his arms, thinking, eyes flicking across her face, then her dress, then back again.

He clicked his tongue. "Fine. Ten. Split the middle."

She blinked in mock surprise, then smiled. "Yes, yes, deal."

She leaned in slightly, voice dropping just a bit.

"A young cultivator wandered into the Dark Forest. Alone. Just a few minutes ago."

The guard straightened at that, frown tightening. "Alone?"

She nodded, her tone more serious now. "Could be nothing... but you lot like to know these things, don’t you?"

The man grunted and scratched his head. He eyed her up and down with a little too much interest.

"Thanks for the info," he said, stepping closer. "Maybe I can return the favor in other ways, hm? How about you come keep me company for a bit—"

Before he could finish, she cut him off with a bright laugh, empty, pointed.

"Sorry, darling. I have business with your captain."

The man froze, eyes widening ever so slightly. He immediately backed up a half-step, then fumbled at his waist pouch.

He pulled out ten silver coins and offered them like a nervous schoolboy.

"For the info," he mumbled. "Y-you can go."

She smiled sweetly, plucked the coins from his hand, and walked past him without another word.

There was, of course, no business with the captain.

She had just wanted the soldier to shut up and ten silver was a decent enough bonus for saying what she was going to say anyway.

A few turns later, she reached a quieter street nestled between the southern merchant rows.

The market was still lively, full of shouting stall owners and dusty carts.

She bought a bundle of vegetables, some dried mushrooms, and a small pouch of marinated meat.

Her hands worked quickly, casually haggling down prices.

As she walked away, her hips still swaying, a subtle smirk played at her lips.

She reached into her sleeve and pulled out the coin Fang Yuan had casually tossed her earlier, more as an afterthought than a gift.

It was still warm from where it had nestled against her skin.

She glanced down at it with idle curiosity, ready to tuck it into her purse with the others.

Then she froze.

The light hit the coin’s edge just right, revealing a gleam that no copper coin could ever give off.

Her brow furrowed as she turned it between her fingers.

The coin wasn’t dull nor weathered.

It was rich, heavy and in fact, gleaming.

Gold.

Her eyes widened. Her breath hitched.

"Wait... what?"

She held it up higher, squinting in disbelief.

That idiot.. he’d thrown her a gold coin?

Her fingers trembled slightly as she stared at it, as if it might vanish the moment she blinked.

She could buy a whole wagon of vegetables with this. Or pay rent for half a year. Or bribe her way out of three lifetimes’ worth of trouble.

Her steps slowed to a halt.

Then, softly, barely a whisper she muttered, "...That clown."

But her grip on the coin tightened, and this time her smirk wasn’t for show.

"Hopefully you get what you are aiming for her out alive."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l