Senior Brother

Zhou Qingmei's cry came a step too late. The man's sword technique was extraordinarily fierce, driving the black-clothed figure into desperate, clumsy parries until his guard broke wide open. A single thrust pierced straight into his heart, ending his life on the spot. By the time Zhou Qingmei rushed over, the man was already sheathing his sword. Seeing her, he grinned broadly. "Junior Sister Zhou, long time no see!" Without sparing him a glance, Zhou Qingmei crouched down to examine the fallen man. Once she confirmed that he was truly dead, she let out a helpless sigh. "Senior Brother Zhang, I explicitly told you to show mercy! Why did you go and kill him anyway?" "Huh? He was just a lecher. What would you keep him alive for?" Senior Brother Zhang asked, completely bewildered. Zhou Qingmei wanted to explain, but for a moment, she had no idea where to begin. She could only ask in resignation, "Why are you even here?" "Hearing that Junior Sister Zhou was in trouble, how could I just stand idly by? I came down the mountain specifically to help ease your worries," Senior Brother Zhang said with a chuckle. "Junior Sister, what sort of trouble did you stir up? Tell me, and Senior Brother will settle it for you." "I ran afoul of the Black Fiend Cult." "Hahaha! I thought it was something serious! A mere Black Fiend Cult, this senior brother of yours can—what?" His brimming confidence cut off abruptly. Senior Brother Zhang stared, slack-jawed. "You mean that Black Fiend Cult from thirty years ago? Wait, weren't they wiped out thirty years ago? When did they crop back up?" Zhou Qingmei had no patience to explain. The Fang family had been their lead, and tonight had presented the perfect opportunity. She had thought they could capture this man alive, only for Senior Brother Zhang to arrive at this cursed moment. To make matters worse, he had killed the man before they could intervene, driving the lead straight into a dead end. Her mood was sour, and she had zero patience to recount everything from the very beginning. Walking over to Fang Shuwen, she watched as he looked up and angled the young woman in his arms so Zhou Qingmei could see her in the dim night. "Is this Miss Fang?" "Yes." Zhou Qingmei nodded. "How is she?" "She appears to have been drugged, nothing serious. Once the effects wear off, she'll wake up." "That's good." Senior Brother Zhang ambled over, looking between Fang Shuwen and Zhou Qingmei. "Junior Sister Zhou, who might this gentleman be?" "I am Fang Shuwen." Fang Shuwen glanced at Zhou Qingmei. "Currently hired to protect Miss Zhou." "Hired..." Senior Brother Zhang shot Zhou Qingmei a surprised look. Zhou Qingmei cut in, "It's a long story, and this isn't the place to talk. Miss Fang was abducted, and the Fang household is likely frantic with worry right now. Let's head back first." "Fair enough." Senior Brother Zhang nodded. Yet as they walked, he could not stop prodding about one thing or another, asking either about the Black Fiend Cult or about Fang Shuwen. Thanks to the man's loose tongue, Fang Shuwen managed to learn a good deal about him. He learned that this Senior Brother Zhang was named Zhang Fang. He did not share a master with Zhou Qingmei, but was instead the true disciple of her martial uncle, Xu Chongshan. Among the Zhujige Pavilion disciples of Zhou Qingmei's generation, the foremost was naturally Li Nanchen, the Pavilion Master's eldest true disciple. The second was Zhou Qingmei's senior martial sister, Lu Xiaoqing. The third was this Zhang Fang. The man possessed formidable martial arts and an easygoing disposition. His only flaw was that he talked far too much. Hearing all this, Fang Shuwen understood. No wonder Zhujige Pavilion had dared to send him down the mountain alone to assist Zhou Qingmei. Amidst their chatter, the three made their way back into the city, where they ran straight into the search party dispatched by the Fang family. The Fang family steward promptly led everyone back to the Fang estate. The master of the Fang family, Fang Mingxuan, was pacing back and forth before the main gate. Seeing the group return and laying eyes upon the pearl of his palm, he let out a long sigh of relief. He ushered everyone inside, had servants escort his daughter back to her quarters, and only then proceeded to the main hall to receive his guests. "Regarding tonight's matter, I thank you all deeply." Fang Mingxuan clasped his fists in a salute. Fang Shuwen watched him in silence. He was somewhat different from the figure lingering in his memories—older, heavier, and stripped of that youthful, high-spirited vigor. But it was undeniably him. Fang Shuwen smiled faintly to himself. The Fang family truly was his own kin after all. The whims of fate were amusing indeed. He stole glances at Fang Mingxuan, unsure how to handle their relationship. When they were separated, he had been nothing more than an infant in swaddling clothes. He could hardly walk up, burst into tears, and call him Father. Aside from the fact that he couldn't bring himself to say it, even if he did, would anyone believe him? What swaddled infant could possibly remember what its parents looked like? More likely than not, he would be treated as an opportunist harboring ulterior motives and thrown straight out the door. As for a keepsake token of identity, there had originally been one. But later, the old beggar had pawned it, and after changing hands who knew how many times, who knew where it had ended up? Without proof or evidence, it was better left unsaid. Besides, with his current abilities, whether they acknowledged each other or not, he would live well regardless. Rather than agonizing over the matter, it was better to set it aside for now. Whatever the future held, he would let fate take its course. "Young brother, how may I address you? I hear you were the one who saved my daughter tonight. Fang is boundlessly grateful." Without Fang Shuwen noticing, Fang Mingxuan had already stepped up before him. Studying the young face in front of him, for some reason he felt an inexplicable familiarity, and could not help warming to him. Fang Shuwen smiled. "I am Fang Shuwen. Greetings, Master Fang." "Your surname is Fang as well?" Fang Mingxuan chuckled heartily. "In that case, five hundred years ago, our families were one and the same!" It was merely a polite pleasantry from Fang Mingxuan, but hearing it left Fang Shuwen caught between tears and laughter. He could only nod along courteously. Zhou Qingmei spoke up. "Master Fang, would it be convenient for you to disclose Miss Fang's eight characters of birth?" Fang Mingxuan paused in surprise. "Young Heroine, your question... could it be related to my daughter's two encounters?" "It is merely a suspicion," Zhou Qingmei said gravely. "Therefore, if convenient, I would ask Master Fang to share her eight characters of birth." Fang Mingxuan nodded immediately and recited his daughter's eight characters of birth. Zhou Qingmei counted on her fingers, then suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. "Th-this is a yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour! All four extremes of yin unified in one person! No wonder the Black Fiend Cult targeted her." "It really is the Black Fiend Cult?" Zhang Fang's expression suddenly turned grave. "If it involves the Black Fiend Cult, this is no trifling matter. I fear it's far beyond what the two of us can handle. We must return to the sect immediately and let the Pavilion Master decide!" Zhou Qingmei looked toward Fang Shuwen. Fang Shuwen shook his head slightly. "Distant water cannot quench an immediate thirst. The two of you could certainly leave, but what would become of the Fang family?" That single sentence instantly struck Zhang Fang dumb. Zhou Qingmei said, "In that case, we shall write a letter to send back to the sect, laying out the full situation." "All right, leave this to me," Zhang Fang volunteered. Fang Shuwen turned to Fang Mingxuan. "Master Fang, the Fang family has deep roots in Guangning City, so your sources of information must be remarkably sharp. I wonder, have you ever heard of the Daxuan Money House?" "Daxuan Money House? Of course I know of it." Fang Mingxuan looked at him curiously. "Yet why does Young Hero ask about it?"