The old woman looked at the silver notes in her hand and found herself mostly believing Fang Shuwen’s words.

’Why would a stranger give me silver for no reason?’

’My son and daughter-in-law must have come back and asked them to pass this on to me.’

But she couldn’t help but worry about her granddaughter.

After offering a few words of comfort, Fang Shuwen left with Xu Shuxin, leaving Chen Yan behind to stay with the old woman.

Once in the courtyard, he glanced around and released the pressure points of the lead goon.

The man had never seen Fang Shuwen before. Noticing that Chen Yan hadn’t come out and that Fang Shuwen was alone, he threw a punch straight at Fang Shuwen’s face the instant his pressure points were released.

Fang Shuwen caught the punch effortlessly. With a slight squeeze, the sickening sound of bone groaning under pressure filled the air.

The man immediately let out a blood-curdling scream.

Fang Shuwen said,

"Answer a few of my questions, and I’ll let you go."

"Yes... okay... I’ll, I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything..."

He knew how formidable his opponent was from that single move. How could he possibly dare to resist?

Fang Shuwen, however, was used to dealing with those who would rather die than submit. Encountering this type of person was a bit jarring... so much so that he had no use for his usual interrogation techniques.

Fang Shuwen asked him several questions, primarily about the Han Family and their young master.

The answers he received were almost identical to what the townspeople had said earlier.

After nodding, Fang Shuwen snapped the man’s neck.

’He was an accomplice to evil. His death is no great loss.’

The remaining men, their pressure points still sealed, couldn’t move a muscle. But their eyes could see and their ears could hear, and they were so terrified they didn’t dare breathe.

Fang Shuwen selected and killed the leaders. He then had Xu Shuxin break one leg of each of the remaining men before releasing their pressure points and telling them to get lost.

This group didn’t know any Martial Arts. They were just young men with some brute strength who dared to commit evil only because they had the Han Family’s power behind them.

Breaking one of their legs was a small punishment meant to serve as a larger warning.

After taking care of that, Fang Shuwen took Xu Shuxin into the streets.

He once again began asking around—partly about the Han Family, and partly about finding a suitable house for the old woman.

The house didn’t need to be too fancy or too large.

Suitability was what mattered most.

Fang Shuwen quickly settled on a small, two-courtyard house. The asking price was not high—only one hundred and fifty taels.

Fang Shuwen bought it without hesitation and then paid a visit to the Han Family.

Eldest Young Master Han had expected to "play the groom" again tonight, only to have his prize snatched away. The men he had sent out still hadn’t returned. He was now in front of his gate, raging and rallying his forces, preparing to personally lead them to cause trouble.

Fang Shuwen happened to run right into them.

Eldest Young Master Han had no idea who Fang Shuwen was, but how could he tolerate someone blocking his path?

Especially since he was already seething with anger. In a rage, he ordered his men to beat Fang Shuwen and Xu Shuxin to death.

Fang Shuwen didn’t humor him. Anyone who dared to attack was struck down and killed in the street. Seeing this, the rest of the mob scattered in chaos.

Eldest Young Master Han had given them plenty of silver, but no amount of money is good if you’re not alive to spend it.

Witnessing this, the Eldest Young Master Han finally realized what a disaster he had brought upon himself. He knew that against an expert of this caliber, even his father’s name would be useless. He scrambled to his knees and begged for mercy.

Fang Shuwen gave him a long look. Though the man was begging for mercy, Fang Shuwen could see the venom hidden deep in his eyes. He knew this was the kind of person who could never change their nature.

’It might be fine as long as I’m around.’

’But once I leave, the old woman will surely suffer an even more terrible revenge.’

With that, he killed him with a single palm strike, then picked up the body and stormed into the Han Family estate.

When the master of the Han Family saw his son’s corpse, tears streamed down his old face. In his fury, he didn’t care who Fang Shuwen was. He ordered the family’s retainers to attack as one and fight Fang Shuwen to the death.

But what kind of experts could a wealthy family in a small town possibly afford?

Before Fang Shuwen, they were hardly worth mentioning.

When Fang Shuwen emerged from the Han Family estate, he was dragging the body of the family’s master in his left hand and the corpse of Young Master Han in his right.

He had Xu Shuxin find a rope and hang both corpses from the beam above the main gate.

Then, Fang Shuwen’s voice boomed:

"The Han father and son were wealthy but wicked, a plague upon this town! I, a mere passerby, have enacted heaven’s justice and slain these two fiends! I now hang their bodies here as a warning to all!"

After speaking, he left with Xu Shuxin in tow.

The surrounding townspeople stood stunned for a moment. Only after confirming that the two were well and truly dead did they erupt into cheers.

For years, because of that lecherous fiend, Young Master Han, countless people had lived day and night in terror.

They lived in fear of him setting his sights on them.

Young women wished they could flee the town... but the world outside was even more dangerous. The Jianghu was filled with powerful masters, and villains were numerous. As ordinary people with no power to defend themselves, they would be lambs to the slaughter if they left. At least here, they could still receive some protection from the Yuqing Pavilion. Thus, despite their fear, they could only endure, living one day at a time.

Now that the Han father and son were dead, the heavy burden on everyone’s hearts was lifted. It was a cause for great celebration.

Fang Shuwen paid no mind to any of this. He returned to the old woman’s house and asked for the silver notes back, telling her he would exchange them for physical silver.

Perhaps because she believed the silver was indeed from her "son," the old woman trusted Fang Shuwen and handed the notes over.

Fang Shuwen took the silver notes, bought a mask from a roadside vendor, and had Xu Shuxin put it on. After giving him a change of clothes and a few instructions, he sent him to the money exchange.