Obtaining Top Art on Family's Extermination Night

"I... how could I have been so thoughtless... I, I..."

"I shouldn’t have been so reckless."

"No, I have to go back!"

At that moment, the Jianghu, Pojun City—none of it mattered anymore.

She’d certainly had a carefree time in the Jianghu lately.

But how worried sick must her parents be?

She was suddenly desperate to return home and didn’t want to stay a moment longer.

But Fang Shuwen stopped her.

"Don’t be rash."

"Now that you understand how your parents feel, you must be even more careful with your own life."

"I have urgent business in Pojun City right now, so I can’t escort you back just yet."

"And I wouldn’t trust anyone else to see you home safely."

"So, for the time being, you’ll just have to come with us to Pojun City."

"After my business there is finished, I’ll take you back to the Fang Family in Guangning City myself and have a talk with Master Fang."

Fang Lingxin froze.

"Talk about what?"

"About you."

Fang Shuwen sighed.

"I can understand they’re afraid for your safety and don’t want you involved in the Jianghu. But once a child is grown, you can’t keep them locked away forever."

"Instead of this, it’s better to loosen the reins a bit."

"Whether that means finding a safe place for you to properly practice your Martial Arts..."

"...or finding an expert to guide you as you travel the Jianghu."

"Either way, they can’t keep you fettered like they have been."

It’s one thing for a hothouse flower to stay in the greenhouse forever.

But the problem is, her parents would eventually grow old. There would be times when their protection couldn’t reach her. When that day came, how would this hothouse flower face the storms outside?

Even if they found her an ideal husband, a peerless hero, people’s hearts are fickle. Who could guarantee it would last forever?

At the end of the day, she needed the power to control her own destiny.

Fang Lingxin had never expected Fang Shuwen to say something like that.

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Brother Fang, is that really possible?"

"It would have been hard to say before, but now, it most likely won’t be a problem."

Fang Shuwen felt a bit resigned. After Fang Lingxin had pulled a stunt like this, he figured Fang Mingxuan and his wife must have realized the seriousness of the situation.

If he stepped in to mediate, there was a good chance it would work.

Fang Lingxin’s face instantly lit up.

"Then I’ll do as you say, Brother Fang!"

The young woman’s spirits lifted instantly, and she suddenly felt as if she had found someone she could truly rely on.

With the important matters settled, the conversation turned to idle chatter.

Fang Shuwen barely spoke of his own experiences; it was Fang Lingxin who did all the talking, and Shui Qianrou found it easier to chat with her.

Once the two girls got started, they completely forgot Fang Shuwen even existed.

Fang Shuwen was happy for the peace and quiet.

It had already been getting dark when they arrived in town, and by now, the lanterns were beginning to light up the streets.

Fang Lingxin ordered food and wine to be sent to their room.

She declared she and Shui Qianrou wouldn’t stop until they were drunk... though she seemed to have forgotten that Shui Qianrou was only ten and far too young to be drinking.

In the end, Fang Lingxin drank a small portion of the wine, while Fang Shuwen polished off the rest.

To Fang Shuwen’s surprise, Fang Lingxin couldn’t hold her liquor at all. After just a little, her face was flushed, and she was so dizzy and unsteady that she tripped over her own feet with every step.

’She really needs to work on her tolerance,’ Fang Shuwen thought with a sigh. ’Otherwise, she’ll get taken advantage of one day and won’t even know what happened.’

He helped her to the bed and waited until she was asleep before leaving the room.

He had Shui Qianrou stay with her as well.

It was far more appropriate for the two girls to share a room than for Shui Qianrou to stay with a grown man like him.

After stepping out, Fang Shuwen carefully closed the door. With a flicker of his Inner Strength, he made the latch vibrate and slide firmly into place.

When he turned around, he saw Lin Fan standing nearby with his arms crossed, the white cloth-wrapped bundle on his back.

Seeing Fang Shuwen emerge, Lin Fan sneered.

"I was starting to think you’d be spending the night in there."

Fang Shuwen could practically taste the jealousy in his words.

’So this kid really does have designs on Fang Lingxin,’ he thought. ’But she’s my sister. How could I let some punk of unknown origin lead her astray?’

He hadn’t liked the look of this kid from the start, and now he found him even more irritating. Not bothering to respond, Fang Shuwen turned to walk to his own room, but Lin Fan stepped up to block his path.

"What exactly is your relationship with Miss Fang?"

"Whatever our relationship is, it’s none of your business."

Fang Shuwen stopped and glanced at him.

"Move."

Lin Fan didn’t budge.

Unconcerned, Fang Shuwen took a step forward. Lin Fan instinctively reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, only to feel it jolt. An immense force rebounded into him.

He stumbled out of the way against his will, his expression changing drastically.

Fang Shuwen gave him a cool, dismissive glance. Without saying a word of threat, he walked past him and returned to his own room.

Lin Fan was left standing there, his expression grim.

He glanced at Fang Shuwen’s room, then at Fang Lingxin’s. In the end, all his emotions dissolved into a single sigh.

He turned in silence and returned to his own room.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. At dawn the next morning, the caravan departed on schedule.

It was only then that Fang Shuwen realized the caravan wasn’t very large. It consisted of just two carriages, ten guards, Shopkeeper Sun, and an accountant.

The leader of the guards was a man in his thirties. He carried a Thick Sword on his back, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, a clear sign that he possessed impressive Inner Power Cultivation.

He was not pleased that Shopkeeper Sun had invited more strangers to join them.

Strangers meant unknown risks.

But Shopkeeper Sun was his employer, so there was nothing he could do.

He simply watched Fang Shuwen and Shui Qianrou with a scrutinizing and wary gaze.

This was of no consequence to Fang Shuwen, and he paid it no mind.

Lin Fan, however, was clearly in a strange mood today.

When Fang Lingxin tried to speak to him, he ignored her. After being rebuffed, Fang Lingxin, though unsure what his problem was, decided not to bother with him anymore. She went over to Fang Shuwen and started chatting idly with Shui Qianrou.

The day passed without much incident. They encountered a few unlucky bandits, but the guard leader dealt with them all.

It certainly saved Fang Shuwen a lot of trouble.

According to Shopkeeper Sun, they should be able to reach a village by evening.

He traveled this road frequently and was very familiar with it.

And sure enough, just as he’d said, a village appeared before them before nightfall.

But the moment they set foot in the place, Fang Shuwen felt that something was wrong.

Shopkeeper Sun, meanwhile, was puzzled.

"That’s not right... Why are there so many unfamiliar faces in this village?"