Although Tong Tianba was the East Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Gang, he didn’t actually know much about the situation.

He was simply carrying out Qin Hu’s orders.

Sun Qian’s understanding of the entire matter was also extremely limited...

Fang Shuwen asked him a few more questions about the person who had hired him. Sun Qian didn’t know what the man looked like, as his face had been covered by a black cloth.

He had, however, caught a fleeting glimpse of a black, copper-coin-sized birthmark on the man’s left jaw.

Seeing that she couldn’t get any more information out of him, Lu Guiyan gave Sun Qian a long, hard look.

"I won’t tell anyone else what you’ve done...

"Darts Leader Sun was killed by assailants while dutifully protecting his escort.

"The Lu’an Escort Agency... will give your wife and children a sum of silver."

Sun Qian stared blankly for a moment, his eyes seeming to well up with moisture.

"Young Chief... you’re too kind. A personality like yours is bound to suffer in the Jianghu..."

As the words left his mouth, he reached for the Yanling Saber, turned his head, and slit his own throat with the blade.

Lu Guiyan sighed softly, took a fine cloth from her robes, and wiped the blood from the blade.

After sheathing the saber, she glanced at Tong Tianba and asked Fang Shuwen,

"What should we do with... this one?"

Fang Shuwen was the one who had captured him, so Lu Guiyan felt she had no right to decide his fate.

Fang Shuwen glanced at Tong Tianba.

"Forget it... Might as well kill him."

When Tong Tianba heard Fang Shuwen say, "Forget it," he thought his life might be spared. The next sentence, however, plunged him into despair.

His eyes bulged with fury.

Little did he know, this was actually Fang Shuwen showing mercy.

According to Fang Shuwen’s original plan, Tong Tianba’s excellent constitution made him a perfect subject to test that "thread" of his. He might have even gained more insights from it.

’But on second thought, as the East Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Gang, Tong Tianba was just following Qin Hu’s orders.’

’Our goals were in direct opposition, creating an irreconcilable conflict.’

’But since he’s already told me everything I wanted to know, why torture him further?’

’Killing him should be enough. I’ll make it quick.’

In the end, Fang Shuwen used the North Nether Divine Technique to drain Tong Tianba of all his Inner Strength in an instant, finishing him off with a single palm strike.

After the body fell, Fang Shuwen searched it and found a secret manual and several hundred taels of silver—an unexpected bonus.

The manual detailed a Fist Technique called the Fierce Tiger Fist.

’The name is rather plain, but I wonder what the technique itself is like?’

Fang Shuwen thought for a moment before putting it away. He then went to search Sun Qian’s body and found silver notes worth one thousand five hundred taels.

He figured the person who had hired Sun Qian to leak the Lu’an Escort Agency’s information to the Fierce Tiger Gang must have promised him three thousand taels. This was likely the first installment, a down payment.

Fang Shuwen thought for a moment, then looked at Lu Guiyan.

"Split it?"

"There’s no need."

Lu Guiyan quickly shook her head.

"If not for Brother Fang’s unparalleled Divine Technique, how could any of us have survived today?

"Please, Brother Fang, take all the silver from Sun Qian’s body."

Fang Shuwen nodded. He had been thinking the same thing.

However, there’s a principle that finders share the spoils, and it was never a good habit to take everything for oneself. That’s why he had asked.

Since Lu Guiyan felt that way, Fang Shuwen had no reason to refuse.

He had a fair amount of silver on him now. Zhou Feixiong had given him a sum before, and with everything he’d plundered along the way, he now had several thousand taels.

He just wasn’t sure where to spend it at the moment.

Once he returned to Julu City, he’d have to visit the apothecary. The shopkeeper there had helped him a great deal. Back then he didn’t have the means to repay the favor, but now that he had silver, he had to repay that old kindness.

Fang Shuwen didn’t consider himself a good person.

But repaying kindness... that was a fundamental principle. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

However, the question of how much to repay was a delicate one.

The shopkeeper was an ordinary man. Suddenly giving him a large sum of silver would likely just attract trouble and disaster for him.

It would defeat the entire purpose if his attempt to repay a kindness ended up destroying the man’s family.

That was why, back at the Zhuji Pavilion’s Treasure Tower, he hadn’t considered bringing the shopkeeper some priceless treasure. That wouldn’t be repaying a kindness—it would be causing harm.

Even what he had for Zheng Sihai was a Ten-Year Dust-Breaking Pill, something to increase one’s Cultivation. Once consumed, it was gone, so there was no need to worry about robbers.

With these thoughts in mind, he went and looted the bodies of the other Fierce Tiger Gang members.

But most of them had come empty-handed, so his haul was meager.

Xu Yuqing’s sword, on the other hand, looked like no ordinary blade.

It was a pity Fang Shuwen didn’t know how to use a sword, making it useless to him... but he slung it onto his back anyway. He could always sell it for a decent income when he reached a city.

With everything settled and the crisis temporarily averted, there seemed to be no need to hurry on their way through the night.

After all, Fang Shuwen had already killed the East Hall Master, Tong Tianba.

So, the group gathered around the bonfire. Those on watch took their posts, and those who needed to rest, rested.

Lu Guiyan was heavyhearted. Although Tong Tianba and Sun Qian knew little, their few words were enough to reveal that the situation was far more complex than she could have imagined.

’Someone hired the escort, someone else bribed Sun Qian in advance... but why exactly does Qin Hu want to kill this master and servant who hold the Lingxiao Order?’

She subconsciously glanced toward the pair, only to find the master and servant already leaning against each other, fast asleep.

"Thinking of getting some information out of them?"

Fang Shuwen asked without looking up, flipping through the Fierce Tiger Fist manual by the firelight.

Lu Guiyan nodded, then, remembering Fang Shuwen wasn’t looking at her, spoke.

"I think they might know the answer."

"And if they don’t talk?"

"Then I’ll... I’ll drop the escort job."

Lu Guiyan huffed.

"Someone is using the Lu’an Escort Agency as a weapon. I can’t just let them get what they want."

Fang Shuwen chuckled at her words.

"That’s one option, certainly. But would you be content with that?"

"..."

Lu Guiyan said nothing.

She wasn’t content.

The Lu’an Escort Agency had never abandoned a job before, and she certainly didn’t want to be the first to admit defeat so easily.

But now, her stubbornness had brought too much danger to the Escort Agency.

She had nearly died, and tonight, her entire team had been on the verge of annihilation.

If it weren’t for Fang Shuwen... she didn’t dare to imagine the consequences.

Sometimes, when reality stared you in the face, what could you do, even if you couldn’t accept it?

In this world, things rarely go as one hopes.

"Young Chief Lu, don’t dwell on it."

By this time, Fang Shuwen had read the Boxing Manual from beginning to end. He closed it and looked at Lu Guiyan.

"Accept a commission, and see it through to the end.

"Since I promised you I would see this escort through, I will do so."

His words carried a reassuring power...

Although it had been less than two months since he’d achieved Great Perfection in the Muscle Strengthening Scripture, the things he had seen and the opponents he had faced during this time had naturally given Fang Shuwen a confidence he’d never possessed before.

Hearing him say this, Lu Guiyan immediately felt her worries ease.

She thought for a moment before saying,

"Young Hero Fang... what if I give you the entire payment for this job? I won’t take a single coin."

"There’s such a good deal to be had?"

These words came not from Fang Shuwen, but from the old shadow puppet master.

He sidled up to them and said,

"Why don’t you give this old man a little share, little lady, and I’ll tag along for the fun?"

Fang Shuwen shot the old man a puzzled glance.

"Why are you still here?"

The old man’s face darkened. ’You never gave me permission to leave, so how could I possibly dare to go?’

...

...

PS: Seeing everyone’s comments from yesterday, I know a lot of friends were hoping for an extra Chapter today. Unfortunately, my ability is limited, and I’ve been suffering from vertigo recently (this is no lie, many readers in the group can attest to it). So, although I’d love to write an extra Chapter, I’m unable to. I’m truly sorry.