"Tang Linfeng!?"

Lu Guiyan’s brow furrowed slightly, but her gaze quickly shifted to Fang Shuwen.

She knew that she wasn’t the one Qin Hu truly wanted to see.

And given the current situation, the Fierce Tiger Gang had likely been waiting here for a long time.

They might have been able to deceive her, but they couldn’t necessarily fool Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen hadn’t said anything to warn her earlier, which probably meant he wanted to meet this Qin Hu.

Sure enough, she saw Fang Shuwen give a slight nod.

Lu Guiyan slowly exhaled. At this point, there was no turning back. She cupped her fist and said:

"Please lead the way, Hall Master Tang."

Tang Linfeng smiled at her words.

"This way, everyone. Please follow me."

With that, he turned and led the way, seemingly unconcerned that Fang Shuwen and the others might attack him from behind.

Not far ahead, they saw a tea shed, clearly a temporary structure.

Surrounding the shed was a group of Fierce Tiger Gang disciples dressed in black. Their cuffs were embroidered with roaring tigers, and they carried sabers and swords, their eyes glinting with malice as they stared at Fang Shuwen’s party.

Two other men stood apart from the rest, outside the tea shed.

One was old, the other young, and their bearing was completely different from the others.

They weren’t wearing the standard Fierce Tiger Gang uniform; they were likely the other two Hall Masters.

Inside the tea shed, there was only one table and two chairs.

A man was seated in one of the chairs. He wasn’t particularly large, yet he sat with the powerful presence of a coiled dragon or a crouching tiger.

He was clean-shaven with a pale, square-jawed face.

He was holding a teacup, staring into the tea as if lost in thought.

Beside him stood another person.

This person had a detached gaze, was dressed in black, and held a longsword with a qilin-shaped guard.

The Celestial Qilin Sword... Chen Qi!

Lu Guiyan couldn’t believe her eyes. ’Chen Qi is a member of the Fierce Tiger Gang?’

When had this rising star of the Jianghu joined the Fierce Tiger Gang?

And if he was one of them... why did he cut down the fake waiter the Fierce Tiger Gang sent to assassinate that master and servant?

As they drew near, Tang Linfeng spoke.

"Leader, they’re here."

Qin Hu seemed to be startled by the words. Snapping out of his daze, he set down his teacup and finally looked up at Fang Shuwen and the others.

His gaze swept over each of them before finally landing on Lu Guiyan’s face. He nodded slightly.

"Brother Lu may not have a son, but who’s to say a daughter can’t be as good as a man?"

"With you to inherit his mantle, the Lu’an Escort Agency has a boundless future."

Lu Guiyan forcibly controlled her expression. She had wondered what it would be like to meet Qin Hu, and had figured it would inevitably be a tense, drawn-swords affair.

’But what is this situation?’

’Is Qin Hu really taking the position of an elder and greeting me like this?’

’In other words... he doesn’t even see me as an opponent, does he?’

Although Lu Guiyan had already recognized this from the beginning, hearing him be so direct still left her with complicated feelings.

More importantly, how should she respond now without losing face for the Lu’an Escort Agency?

While she was struggling with this, Fang Shuwen waved his hand dismissively.

"Cut the crap. You came all this way and have been waiting who knows how long. Don’t tell me you planned to start claiming kinship with our Young Chief of the Escort?"

"Insolent!!"

The old man and the young man on either side of the tea shed erupted in fury simultaneously.

But before they could make a move, Fang Shuwen had already sent a palm strike toward each of them.

This was the second stance of the Great Black Heaven God Palm, called the Twin Golden Lotus. Two palms were unleashed at once, striking left and right, their Qi Force radiating in all directions.

The two men had yet to launch their own techniques when they felt a fierce gale rush toward them. Shocked, they hurriedly threw out their hands to counter.

But the moment they made contact with the gale, they each let out a muffled grunt.

They were sent flying backward, landing more than two zhang apart from each other.

Once they found their footing, they exchanged a look and were about to charge forward again.

"Stop!!"

Qin Hu barked.

The two men froze in place, though unwilling resentment was written on their faces.

They then heard Qin Hu say coldly:

"And you two call yourselves Hall Masters. Did you not realize he was holding back?"

The two men paused, confused. They didn’t see where any mercy had been shown.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd cried out in alarm.

"Hall Master, your back...!"

Hearing this, the old man subconsciously tried to look behind him... but his neck wasn’t long enough, and he naturally couldn’t see anything.

He reached back to feel it and was shocked to find a patch of his clothing had been torn.

He asked hurriedly:

"What’s wrong with my back?"

"Your clothes are torn. It’s in the shape of a palm print."

The younger man also asked his subordinates and received the same answer.

The color drained from both of their faces.

A single, casual palm strike had not only sent them flying more than two zhang, but the Palm Power had passed through their bodies without injuring them, leaving such a mark on their backs.

If this man had intended to kill, would they still be alive?

At this thought, a fine sheen of cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Fang Shuwen paid them no mind. He walked into the tea shed, looked at Qin Hu who had risen to his feet, glanced at Chen Qi by his side, and smiled faintly.

"What was the deal with that waiter?"

"...A minor ploy."

Qin Hu said in a low voice:

"Ever since Tong Tianba’s body was sent back, I knew the Lu’an Escort Agency had hired a remarkable figure."

"A direct confrontation might not have been impossible, but the losses would have been too great."

"The assassination attempt in the teahouse was too crude and simplistic; I never expected it to succeed."

"Chen Qi intervened at the opportune moment to gain your trust."

"Having navigated the Jianghu for many years, I know full well that only a knife in the back can truly hurt someone..."

Fang Shuwen nodded.

"Indeed. I truly never suspected him..."

"However, it seems Leader Qin has given up?"

"Yes."

Qin Hu nodded.

"Because... I no longer dare to continue."

Fang Shuwen smiled.

"So, you’re suing for peace?"

Qin Hu was taken aback, and a bitter smile touched the corners of his mouth.

"Young Hero Fang is correct. I am suing for peace..."

As soon as he said this, the faces of the Lu’an Escort Agency members turned complicated.

’A behemoth like the Fierce Tiger Gang is actually suing for peace?’

Fang Shuwen, however, plopped down into a chair and spoke thoughtfully:

"Is it because of what happened at Qiuyue Nunnery?"

As he said this, he glanced at Chen Qi again.

Cao Jiuyin was no ordinary person. By killing him that night, Fang Shuwen saved the masters of the Seven Sects, placing every major sect—aside from Wentian Mansion—in his debt.

The Fierce Tiger Gang, though formidable, was far inferior to even a single Zhuji Pavilion.

Let alone several other sects combined?

If he insisted on seeing this through to the bitter end, the Fierce Tiger Gang would likely be walking into a dead end.

However, Qin Hu heard this and replied:

"That was just the last straw that broke the camel’s back..."

Fang Shuwen smiled.

"Leader Qin, why don’t you speak openly and explain in detail?"

Qin Hu glanced at Fang Shuwen and sat back down. This time, however, he lacked that imposing aura of a coiled dragon or crouching tiger, replaced instead by a certain cautiousness.

He said in a low voice:

"Young Hero Fang, do you know who it was that ordered me to kill?"