"Autumn Moon Nunnery?"
Fang Shuwen looked utterly perplexed. What kind of place was that? A Buddhist nunnery?
Knowing his own knowledge of the jianghu was shallow, he glanced over at Lu Guiyan.
To his surprise, Lu Guiyan—usually so well-traveled and experienced—wore almost the exact same bewildered expression.
Neither of them had any idea where that place was...
The two questioned Qi Wuwang about the nunnery's location, and he answered honestly, explaining that Autumn Moon Nunnery was on Mount Yanyue.
However, that mountain was just as unfamiliar.
Neither Fang Shuwen nor Lu Guiyan had ever heard of it.
Judging by their current route, they were nowhere near it.
Seeing no point in dwelling on it, they dropped the matter.
Naturally, the man's fate was left to Fang Shuwen. Qi Wuwang looked at Fang Shuwen, knowing he had no way out alive, and gritted his teeth. "Can you tell me... who you really are?
"At least let me know whose hands I'm dying at."
Fang Shuwen placed a palm on the crown of Qi Wuwang's head, and the Beiming Divine Art instantly surged. Qi Wuwang felt the internal force throughout his body swallowed up in a flash by Fang Shuwen's palm, and his expression warped in horror.
Before he could utter another word, the force of Fang Shuwen's palm drove straight through his skull, killing him on the spot.
Fang Shuwen clicked his tongue. "You're dead anyway, so why ask so many questions?"
Suddenly, he whipped his head around, a sneer curling at the corner of his lips. "Can't hide any longer, can you?"
Taking advantage of Fang Shuwen executing Qi Wuwang—when everyone's attention was fixed on him—the waiter cautiously hiding behind the counter had suddenly lunged forward, brandishing a short dagger straight at the master and servant.
Fang Shuwen had sensed something amiss about this man from the start. His physique and footwork were never something a simple teahouse waiter could possess.
For that reason, he had been keeping a close eye on him all along.
Seeing this, Fang Shuwen was just about to reach out and pull him in using the Beiming Divine Art.
Suddenly, a clear hum rang out!
The ring of a sword resonated in their ears. A streak of flowing light flashed, and the black-clad young man originally seated in the teahouse was already outside. With a soft click, his sword slid back into its scabbard.
The waiter froze in mid-stride. A fine line of blood abruptly welled up along his throat, crimson trailing down his neck.
His body tilted, and he dropped dead where he stood.
This development was so sudden that Lu Guiyan didn't even react in time. By the time she realized what had happened, a cold sweat broke out across her back.
Though she had plenty of experience in the jianghu, her martial arts were ultimately limited; she hadn't noticed what Fang Shuwen had detected early on.
The waiter was indeed no simple amateur; his acting was convincing enough to fool her eyes.
Now, she subconsciously looked up at the black-clad young man who had struck.
She saw the man stroke his chin and say, "I sensed something off about that waiter from the start. Who knew he really was an assassin looking to strike in the confusion?"
With that, he looked at Lu Guiyan. "No need to ask my name. We cross paths in the jianghu—why must we know each other from before to meet?
"I am Chen Qi, the Heavenly Kirin Sword. Farewell!"
Without waiting for any reaction from Lu Guiyan, he spun around and strode off.
Only after the man had walked for a bit did Lu Guiyan ask, completely bewildered, "I wasn't even going to ask...
"Wait, didn't he just tell us anyway?"
"Leaving in such a hurry? The rain hasn't even stopped."
By now, Fang Shuwen had finished searching Qi Wuwang's corpse. Highly amused, he said, "He just had to leave us with an aloof, heroic silhouette, didn't he? Now he'll have to find another place to shelter from the rain."
The onlookers exchanged looks, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
After taking a moment to compose herself, Lu Guiyan remarked, "The Heavenly Kirin Sword...
"I've heard my father mention him before. He's a rising star in the jianghu.
"Relying on superb swordsmanship, he's challenged quite a few senior masters, making a big name for himself over the past two years.
"I just never expected him to be such a character."
Fang Shuwen was about to ask which masters this Heavenly Kirin Sword had challenged—he was always most curious about such jianghu gossip.
Yet before he could speak, the young Cangwu Sword Sect disciples had already approached.
They expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Fang Shuwen for stepping in to slay Qi Wuwang and saving their lives.
Fang Shuwen stood up and cupped his fists, exchanging polite pleasantries—a stark contrast to the ruthless killer he had appeared just moments before.
His warmth left the Cangwu Sword Sect disciples somewhat taken aback.
They had assumed that being so young yet possessing such peerless martial arts, Fang Shuwen would be aloof and difficult to approach. To their surprise, he had a mild temper, a warm smile, and an easy manner of speaking that naturally inspired goodwill.
As they chatted, when the teapot ran empty, he went to the back kitchen himself to boil water and brew more tea.
Everyone gathered inside the teahouse, shooting the breeze and chatting about everything under the sun, letting the conversation wander wherever it would.
They did not set out again until the autumn rain finally subsided.
The merchant caravan went their own way, and the Cangwu Sword Sect disciples had to return to their sect to report.
Fang Shuwen and his party naturally pressed onward as well.
In addition, a token belonging to the Fierce Tiger Gang was found on the waiter's body, confirming his allegiance.
From the looks of it, the Fierce Tiger Gang had become much more cautious since Tong Tianba's death, but they had by no means given up. The party still needed to remain vigilant to avoid falling into another trap.
Fang Shuwen mused that since the Fierce Tiger Gang was so obsessed with these two travelers, their subsequent moves would surely be substantial.
The atmosphere felt very much like the wind sweeping through the tower before an approaching mountain storm.
Meanwhile, Fang Shuwen took inventory of the spoils looted from Qi Wuwang's corpse.
No wonder they said 'murder and arson bring a golden belt.'
He had acquired several hundred more taels in silver notes... Given his current net worth, while he couldn't claim to be one of the realm's wealthiest magnates, he was certainly a rich man.
Besides the silver, there was also a peculiar golden bell.
Lu Guiyan said this was likely a token of the Golden Bell Tower, though she had no idea how it was actually used.
Fang Shuwen pondered it and decided to keep it, sensing that this Golden Bell Tower might prove quite intriguing.
The next few days passed relatively peacefully, except that more and more jianghu figures appeared along the road.
Lu Guiyan suspected there might be some sort of jianghu gathering nearby, and such gatherings usually spelled trouble.
Given the current circumstances of the Lu'an Escort Agency, the less they got involved, the better.
Lu Guiyan therefore urged everyone to hasten their pace.
The good news was that Lu Guiyan informed Fang Shuwen that once they headed north, passed Wangbei Pass, and entered Zhaobei City, they would be clear of the Fierce Tiger Gang's sphere of influence.
Looking at the remaining distance, it wasn't far.
However, Wangbei Pass was the only route north, so the Fierce Tiger Gang might very well set an ambush there; they had to tread carefully.
With autumn arriving, rain was frequent. Coupled with the rush to evade the Fierce Tiger Gang, their journey was rather ragged and exhausting.
One night, another autumn downpour caught them unawares.
They had no choice but to search for shelter.
Fortunately, an escort attendant up ahead discovered an abandoned village. Though most buildings were crumbling ruins without a single roof tile to keep off the rain, a massive ruined kiln remained right in the center.
Although the kiln leaked in the middle, its vaulted structure was fairly well-preserved, with only one collapsed wall. The inner perimeter offered more than enough dry shelter.
Yet upon drawing close, they realized someone was already inside.
Fang Shuwen and his companions had barely appeared—before Lu Guiyan could even call out to exchange jianghu greetings—when an overjoyed voice rang out:
"Brother Fang! How is it you?!"
Chapter 63