"So that saber... was a fake.

"The real Hundred-Pound Saber was hidden away by my grandfather long ago.

"But I really don’t know where it is..."

Fang Shuwen, unconcerned, spoke as he searched the bodies of the Black-faced Rabbit, the Ghost-faced Fox, and the Wind-faced Bear.

"I was never interested in your family’s Treasure Saber in the first place. Whatever secrets are hidden in it have nothing to do with me.

"What I promised you was that I would get you to Yuqing Pavilion and into your aunt’s care.

"Anything else... is unimportant. So, you don’t need to apologize.

"Let’s head back."

The search of the three bodies was complete. There wasn’t much to be found, just some loose silver and ingots, adding up to about fifty or sixty taels.

Seeing that Fang Shuwen genuinely didn’t mind, Xu Shuxin finally relaxed. As they walked back, he couldn’t help but ask:

"Brother Fang, when did you realize that Xiao Ding Xiang was a fake?"

"I was a little suspicious from the very beginning."

Fang Shuwen didn’t hide anything:

"After all, the whole thing was a bit too coincidental. We had just arrived in Qiuhai Town, and a scene like this just happened to be playing out.

"But as they say, truth can be stranger than fiction, so I didn’t really dwell on it.

"But when the Black-faced Rabbit was caught, the bruise on her arm was a little strange.

"For a child from a poor family, her skin was a little too soft and delicate.

"Later, at the old woman’s house, her eyes kept darting toward my sword.

"She tried her best to disguise it as a yearning for Martial Arts, but I saw the greed deep in her eyes.

"And do you remember when she was carrying the firewood and got pricked by a splinter?"

"...Of course, I remember."

At the mention of this, Xu Shuxin couldn’t help but blush.

Fang Shuwen recalled how he had looked at that moment and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

"How could a child who grew up in that kind of environment get hurt just by carrying a bundle of firewood?

"If that were really the case, her hands would have been covered in old scars, but they weren’t.

"One detail might be a coincidence, but when so many details are put together, I had to suspect that something was wrong with her identity."

Xu Shuxin finally understood.

"So, when the men from the Han Family showed up, you deliberately called Brother Chen out with you just to see what she would do?"

"Exactly."

Fang Shuwen nodded. Whether it was him or Chen Yan, either could have easily handled the people from the Han Family.

But he took Chen Yan out with him specifically to give the Black-faced Rabbit an opportunity.

In reality, as soon as he went out, he had circled around to the back of the house. If the Black-faced Rabbit had tried to kill the old woman, he would have intervened immediately and killed her.

However, probably because she was worried the old woman would make a scene, she held back, only subduing her without dealing a fatal blow.

So, Fang Shuwen simply followed them the whole way.

Later, just as they were about to reach the carriage, Fang Shuwen sensed the presence of the Ghost-faced Fox.

He got there one step ahead of them, slipped quietly into the carriage, and gave them a big surprise.

After hearing Fang Shuwen’s explanation, Xu Shuxin suddenly felt that the gap between himself and people like Fang Shuwen and Chen Yan wasn’t just in Martial Arts.

More importantly, it was their sharp, perceptive eye that could see the truth in the smallest of details.

These things had all happened right in front of him, too, but some he had seen and paid no mind to.

Others, he hadn’t noticed at all.

And he’d even been flustered, his heart pounding like a drum, just because of the way the Black-faced Rabbit had looked at him.

Thinking back on it now, he wanted to die of shame.

Fang Shuwen paid no mind to his thoughts and led him back to the old woman’s house.

There, they saw servants and Martial Artists standing around the courtyard, frozen in all sorts of strange poses.

Fang Shuwen couldn’t help but find this amusing. ’Is Chen Yan putting on some kind of performance art?’

But from a distance, they could hear Chen Yan saying in frustration:

"Don’t you worry, ma’am. Your granddaughter will be fine...

"Really. My friend, he’ll definitely bring her back."

Hearing this, Xu Shuxin couldn’t help but look at Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen sighed and said to Xu Shuxin:

"In a moment, whatever I say, you just back me up."

Xu Shuxin was taken aback for a second, but then he nodded readily.

Fang Shuwen then led him into the house. The two people inside immediately looked over. Chen Yan looked as if he’d been granted amnesty; dealing with this old woman was even more difficult than handling his donkey.

He immediately said:

"Old Fang, Old Fang! Get over here, quick! Explain to the old lady where her granddaughter went!"

The old woman also looked at Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen said with a smile:

"Great news, ma’am!

"Your son and daughter-in-law are back. I just saw them."

Before the old woman could even speak, she was stunned by Fang Shuwen’s preemptive announcement.

"What? You... you better not be lying to this old woman."

"It’s true."

Fang Shuwen lied with a perfectly straight face.

"Didn’t you see it earlier? That Xiao Ding Xiang who kidnapped this little brother of mine was actually a fake.

"She had captured the real Xiao Ding Xiang. Your son and daughter-in-law happened to return at that moment, saw what was happening, and gave chase.

"The few of us went together. After we rescued my little brother here, we also found the real Xiao Ding Xiang.

"But the little girl had been poisoned. We couldn’t treat it here, so her parents had to take her to seek out a master physician to cure her."

As he spoke, he took out a silver note from his robes:

"Ma’am, your son said that he feels terribly ashamed for not being by your side to fulfill his filial duties all these years.

"But the poison affecting Xiao Ding Xiang is no small matter.

"It must be dealt with as soon as possible, so they didn’t have a chance to kowtow and pay their respects to you this time.

"Fortunately, he’s earned a lot of silver over the years. These silver notes are for you. He also entrusted me with buying you a better house in town and hiring a few servant girls.

"So you can live out your later years in comfort... Once they’ve cured Xiao Ding Xiang’s poison, they’ll bring the child back for a family reunion with you."

Only then did Xu Shuxin understand why Fang Shuwen had told him to back him up. He immediately began nodding vigorously.

"Grandma, what Brother Fang said is right. We... we really did see them just now.

"These silver notes... they’re a token of their filial piety to you..."