Obtaining Top Art on Family's Extermination Night

Shui Qianrou’s crying came to an abrupt halt.

Her heart, once filled with despair, now held a sliver of hope thanks to what Fang Shuwen had just said:

"Are you saying... this might not have been my brother’s doing?"

"At the very least, no one saw it with their own eyes, right?"

Fang Shuwen said,

"Your brother’s Swordsmanship is superb, and he has Water Silk.

"But plenty of people are skilled swordsmen... and as for the Water Silk, your brother might not be the only one who possesses it.

"Besides, don’t you think the clues were a little too obvious?

"Most importantly, while using Water Silk to set a trap might seem like a composed move, isn’t it... a bit redundant?"

At his words, a light ignited in Shui Qianrou’s eyes.

She was the Young Palace Master of the Celestial Water Palace. Despite her youth, she was very intelligent.

Fang Shuwen’s words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly tearing through the gloom that clouded her mind.

"That’s right!"

Shui Qianrou wiped the tears from her face.

"The Water Silk is indeed exclusive to my Celestial Water Palace, but this whole setup makes no sense.

"Even if the trap had succeeded, it would have only killed one more person, and in doing so, it would have exposed even more.

"How could someone as smart as my brother do something so foolish?"

"So, stop crying for now."

Fang Shuwen wasn’t good at consoling people; he could only use this method to redirect her attention.

"We need to find your brother and ask him what’s really going on."

"Mm."

Shui Qianrou quickly pulled herself together.

But the thought of actually finding him made her feel troubled once more:

"But Big Brother, Pojun City is so vast. Where am I supposed to look for him?"

Fang Shuwen clicked his tongue.

"Searching blindly would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

"However, since your brother came for the Seven-String Ancient Chapter, he’s bound to show up at the Flower-Picking Conference.

"Perhaps you could also have your subordinates cause a bit of a stir.

"Since they’re all from the Celestial Water Palace, if your brother finds out they’re here, he’ll probably come out to see them, don’t you think?"

"Then I’ll do whatever you say, Big Brother!"

Shui Qianrou said at once.

Fang Shuwen glanced at the bodies in the courtyard and sighed softly.

"Leave a letter for Ironman and have them see that the bodies are properly taken care of.

"It’s no use staying here. Let’s head back to our lodgings."

Shui Qianrou nodded, found writing supplies in the room, and left a letter for Ironman.

With that, the group left the Celestial Wolf Institute and returned to the small courtyard arranged for them by the Golden Bell Tower.

Before they even reached the gate, they saw a small, grey-and-white donkey pawing at the ground out front. How it had managed to find them was a mystery.

Hearing their approach, the little donkey glanced back at Fang Shuwen and the others, then trotted over to let Fang Shuwen pat its head.

It then returned to its original spot and resumed its digging... as if engaged in some grand enterprise.

Fang Shuwen and the others watched, baffled, but didn’t disturb it.

They simply watched as it dug a moderately sized hole in front of the gate, about six inches deep.

It circled the hole, studying it for a moment as if to confirm something.

Apparently satisfied, it turned around and kicked the main gate.

The kick was just hard enough to make the gate rattle without breaking it.

After the kick, it waited quietly. When there was no response from within, it kicked twice more.

Only then did Chen Yan’s irritated voice drift out from inside:

"Who’s there?"

The donkey stood motionless, not making a single sound, like a patient old hunter lying in wait.

Only its eyes, full of crafty light, betrayed its intentions.

But after waiting for a long time and the door remaining shut, a flicker of confusion appeared in its eyes. Suddenly, a shadow fell over it. Chen Yan dropped from the sky, raining slaps down on the donkey’s head as he cursed through gritted teeth:

"Digging a trap at the door again, are you? Trying to make me trip! You wretched beast, I’ll beat you to death today!"

The donkey brayed in pain, bucking and jumping to throw Chen Yan off. However, Chen Yan was clearly prepared this time. He even used the Thousand-Pound Weight technique, and the donkey simply couldn’t shake him.

Furious, it simply dropped to the ground and rolled.

It dragged Chen Yan into a violent roll on the ground, but Chen Yan had anticipated this. He leaped into the air just before the donkey hit the dirt, landing squarely on its back again the moment it stood up.

Knowing it couldn’t shake him off, the donkey gave up and simply bolted.

Man and donkey... vanished from the sight of Fang Shuwen and the others in the blink of an eye.

Fang Lingxin was utterly dumbfounded.

She had truly seen something new this time.

’It was the first time in her life she’d ever seen a donkey dig a trap for its own master.’

Shui Qianrou was so distracted she forgot her sorrow, tugging lightly on Fang Shuwen’s sleeve.

"Will that donkey be okay?"

She was worried that Chen Yan, in a fit of rage, might actually have the poor creature roasted.

Fang Shuwen patted her on the head.

"Don’t worry," he said. "Chen Yan is no match for it."

The three of them collected themselves, stepped around the donkey’s trap, and pushed open the gate to the courtyard.

After this whole ordeal, they now knew the identity of the important figure who had come from overseas.

It was just a shame that before they could even exchange a word with her, she was gone.

Shui Qianrou had lost her usual liveliness. She was about to return to her room to rest when Fang Shuwen stopped her to ask about Ironman and Shui Man.

Earlier that day, Ironman had referred to Shui Man as "Man’er," suggesting their relationship was anything but ordinary.

Shui Qianrou didn’t hide the truth, explaining that Ironman and Shui Man were husband and wife.

Ironman’s background was rather complex; he wasn’t originally from the Celestial Water Palace.

Years ago, he had been shipwrecked and washed ashore near the Celestial Water Palace.

Shui Man had been the one to rescue him. Out of gratitude for saving his life, Ironman abandoned his past, choosing to remain at the Celestial Water Palace and marry her.