Abducted Again!

Hearing him explain, the men suddenly saw the light. They immediately invited him to sit down. Fang Shuwen picked up the wine flagon and filled each of their cups, loosening their tongues. The long and short of it was that the Fang family was remarkably good. They were the wealthiest clan in the region, charitable and kind-hearted, frequently opening their granaries to distribute grain to starving beggars and the impoverished. Throughout Guangning City, they were renowned as a truly benevolent house. Hearing that Fang Shuwen intended to work for the Fang family, the patrons told him not to worry. The Fangs had always been generous and would never mistreat those who served them. Fang Shuwen nodded repeatedly in response, smiling. "Then I can set my mind at ease. I didn't realize they were such great philanthropists. With the Fang family's virtue renowned far and wide, Old Master Fang must be blessed with many children, right?" "Well…" The men exchanged glances and sighed. "How should one put it? The Fang family has only a single precious daughter. In the future, most of their vast fortune will likely fall into an outsider's hands." "Who knows which lucky fellow will land such good fortune? One only hopes she doesn't entrust herself to the wrong man." "Speaking of which, I wonder if you've heard… about twenty years ago, the Fang family actually had a son." "Only, it seemed someone snatched him away?" "It wasn't a snatching; it was some kind of unforeseen accident, and the child was lost." "Was he lost? My father actually mentioned this once… Supposedly, the entire Fang household mobilized to search for the boy back then. "They raised an enormous commotion and searched for months without uncovering a single shred of news, before the matter was finally dropped." "Even today, the Fangs might still be looking for that child. Alas, a single solitary shoot across a thousand acres of land." "To be fair, Old Master Fang wasn't that old back then. With a bit more effort, having a few more children wouldn't have been difficult. Why stop at an only daughter?" "How would any of us know that?" Speaking of these hidden family secrets, the men grew rather animated. Fang Shuwen listened with an unreadable expression. While it wasn't enough to churn up massive waves in his chest, a complicated knot tightened inside him. He had assumed that even after reaching Guangning City, finding his biological parents wouldn't be easy. He never expected it to be so straightforward. Though he could not be completely certain yet, judging from what they said, it was almost eight or nine chances out of ten. After chatting with the men for a few more moments, he took his leave. By the time he returned to the room, Zhou Qingmei had already finished washing up. She was sitting on the daybed drying her hair. Seeing Fang Shuwen's solemn expression, she asked, "Did something happen?" Fang Shuwen looked at her and shook his head. "Nothing. I just went downstairs to gather some information. According to them, six gruesome murders have occurred over the past half year." Zhou Qingmei assumed he felt troubled after hearing how terribly the victims had suffered, so she softly offered a few comforting words. Since they still had to head out tonight, it was best to seize the opportunity to rest. After a few casual words, they settled down to rest. Fang Shuwen arranged the stool and sat cross-legged upon it in meditation. Zhou Qingmei's internal skill fell far short of his, and she could not substitute meditation for sleep, so she lay down on the bed and drifted into dreamland before long. When night fell completely and Fang Shuwen opened his eyes, Zhou Qingmei happened to turn over and sit up as well. Both changed into different clothes, slipped quietly out of the inn, and hurried toward the Fang residence. Zhou Qingmei knew the way like an old horse tracing a familiar path, leading from the front, while Fang Shuwen huffed and puffed as he jogged behind her. Before long, the massive manor of the Fang family came into view. Yet before they could reach it, a cacophony of shouting erupted from within the estate. Torches danced like a winding dragon, and amidst the clamor, a voice reached Fang Shuwen's ears, shouting: "Disaster! The Eldest Young Miss has been taken by the lecher again!" Dark lines crossed Fang Shuwen's forehead. He thought to himself that this fellow had to be the reincarnation of Sha Wujing—who shouted like that? Before another thought could form, the two reached the front of the Fang residence and saw members of the Fang household rushing out in droves. Zhou Qingmei urgently called out, "Which way did he go?" The lead steward found Zhou Qingmei familiar. After a moment of recollection, he remembered that she was the girl who had rescued the young mistress the last time she was abducted. He immediately pointed toward the distance. "That way!" Zhou Qingmei nodded and prepared to give chase when an explosive boom detonated beside her. Fang Shuwen's steps were heavy yet astonishingly swift; each stride gouged a deep pit into the earth as he shot forward like thunder and lightning, charging in that direction. Zhou Qingmei stared blankly for an instant before hurriedly keeping pace. In her heart, she could only marvel at how truly chivalrous Fang Shuwen was. She had no idea that Fang Shuwen's mindset was utterly different from before. Earlier, when hearing of the Fang family, he could still remain a detached spectator. Now, if things were truly as he suspected, wasn't this so-called Eldest Young Miss of the Fang family his own younger sister? Across two lifetimes, he had never had a sister. How could he just let someone snatch her away? If his lightness skill fell short, he would compensate with sheer internal skill. His breath was long and steady, his explosive burst of power far surpassing the ordinary. Galloping at full tilt, he moved as fast as an arrow loosed from a bow. Though Zhou Qingmei possessed the exquisite lightness skills of Zhujige Pavilion, she was temporarily unable to catch up to his pace. After charging forward for less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Fang Shuwen spotted a silhouette ahead leaping up onto the city wall. With an agile aerial flip like a sparrowhawk, the figure tumbled over the rampart and vanished into the night. Fang Shuwen reached the base of the wall, paused, and realized he likely couldn't leap over it. Just as he was hesitating over whether he could shatter the city wall with his bare hands, Zhou Qingmei caught up. She grabbed his hand. "Go!" Leaping into the air, she kicked against the masonry to borrow momentum, but halfway up, her strength inevitably flagged. Just as she was about to fall backward, Fang Shuwen immediately channeled a surge of internal force into her palm through her Laogong acupoint. Zhou Qingmei felt as though divinely aided. Her spirits soared, and with a tap of her foot, she flew straight over the battlements… startling her so badly that her face turned pale. Her tap should have only lifted her a little higher; how could she have guessed that Fang Shuwen's internal skill was as deep as an unfathomable abyss? Borrowing just a fraction of it went far beyond anything she could have imagined. Thanks to that surge, however, the two cleared the city wall with ease. After landing on the other side, Fang Shuwen chose not to sprint on his own again—wouldn't being pulled along by Zhou Qingmei be far better than wildly running on his own? Zhou Qingmei also relished the aid of his internal force, reluctant to let go. Thus, holding hands, they continued forward side by side. Within moments, the sound of fighting rang out ahead. Reaching the scene, they saw the masked figure in black intercepted by someone. The newcomer's swordplay was masterful. Even with the masked man fighting with all his might, he was steadily driven into retreat, and Miss Fang had already been tossed aside to the ground. Fang Shuwen rushed to Miss Fang's side and helped her up. Examining her under the cover of night, he saw she was uninjured and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, Zhou Qingmei cried out, "Senior Brother Zhang, show mercy!"