Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the party had already arrived at the foot of Mount Yanyue.
Only upon arriving did they learn that the area had already been blockaded by the Seven Great Sects.
If they had not come along with Zuo Qingshuang and her disciple, trying to cross Wangbei Pass would have likely taken quite a bit of persuasion.
However, with Pristine Moon Fairy of Zhujige Pavilion present, the disciples of the Seven Great Sects guarding the path naturally made no trouble.
After arriving, the group had to meet up with the Seven Sects, and a disciple from Feixing Palace led the way.
This sect's martial arts focused primarily on lightness skills and hidden weapons. Disciples wore dart pouches at their sides, containing Feixing Palace's proprietary hidden weapons—Flying Star Darts.
Zhou Qingmei secretly told Fang Shuwen that Feixing Palace had many kinds of hidden weapons, most of which were exceptionally vicious; if coated in poison, they were even more terrifying.
Furthermore, their lightness skills were superb, and the combination made fighting them especially troublesome.
As the Feixing Palace disciple led the way, he explained the current situation.
The situation inside Autumn Moon Nunnery was not yet fully understood.
However, after several scouts, they had spotted several notorious villains of the Eastern Domain's jianghu. Autumn Moon Nunnery was amassing considerable strength, though who led them remained unknown.
Word of the Seven Great Sects assembling to purge the demons had leaked out from somewhere.
Many righteous masters in the jianghu had heard the news and rallied of their own accord at Mount Yanyue.
There were veteran seniors renowned in the jianghu for decades, as well as rising stars who had made their names in recent years.
Experts from all corners had assembled—nearly a hundred in total, and every single one was a formidable fighter.
Thus, regarding this joint effort to purge the demons, the Feixing Palace disciple seemed full of confidence.
Yet Zuo Qingshuang's face darkened upon hearing this.
Zhou Qingmei, meanwhile, asked Fang Shuwen, "What do you think?"
"..."
Fang Shuwen was struck speechless. Didn't a certain plump fellow named Di always have this question on his lips?
Miss Zhou, please don't turn into Di Renjie.
Ribbing aside in his thoughts, Fang Shuwen gave it serious consideration and said, "Something might not be right here.
"With such a huge commotion outside, the people inside Autumn Moon Nunnery aren't dead. How could they show no reaction at all?
"Gathering so many villains and heretics yet keeping them at peace with one another proves their ringleader is no ordinary figure.
"Besides... though they call themselves the righteous path of the jianghu, the human heart is impossible to fathom.
"If it were only the Seven Sects gathering, that would be one thing, but with so many people, eyes and ears are everywhere, and some... might harbor ill intentions."
Zuo Qingshuang could not help glancing at Fang Shuwen, nodding gently.
Fang Shuwen's thoughts aligned completely with hers, and he had even considered things more deeply than she had.
It went to show that he was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but his wit and intellect were also far from ordinary.
Zuo Qingshuang thought for a moment, then asked, "If it were you, how would you break this impasse?"
Hearing this, Fang Shuwen looked up at her and smiled. "Charge straight in and slaughter them all."
"..."
She had asked for nothing.
Zuo Qingshuang rolled her eyes dramatically. She wanted to retort, but remembering Fang Shuwen's martial arts, she felt he might actually be able to pull it off.
She could not help sighing inwardly: no amount of schemes, machinations, or calculations could overcome sheer overpowering force.
The Feixing Palace disciple, however, frowned slightly. "May I ask who this little brother is?"
"Oh, this humble one is Fang Shuwen," Fang Shuwen said with a smile. "I was only joking just now. Please don't take it to heart, brother."
Hearing him treat it like child's play, the Feixing Palace disciple was indeed somewhat displeased, but seeing his polite manner, he figured Fang Shuwen was not intentionally rude.
Moreover, the points Fang Shuwen had made earlier were truly reasonable.
He nodded and said nothing more.
A short distance ahead stood a dilapidated mountain god temple.
The Seven Great Sects and experts of the righteous path from all quarters were currently gathered here.
Just as they approached, they heard someone shout loudly, "The way I see it, there's no need to discuss anything! With so many of us, could we possibly be afraid of them?
"Once everyone has arrived, let's charge straight in and wipe those villains and heretics out to the last man!"
These words happened to coincide with what Fang Shuwen had just said.
By now, the group had arrived outside. The Feixing Palace disciple stepped forward to report, "Seniors, the senior from Zhujige Pavilion has arrived."
Everyone looked toward the entrance and immediately spotted Zuo Qingshuang.
"So Pristine Moon Fairy has arrived."
"Junior Sister Zuo, it has been months. Have you been well?"
"Amitabha..."
Everyone greeted her one after another.
Their gazes also swept over Lu Guiyan and the others, though with a tinge of perplexity.
Lu Guiyan and her companions clearly were not from Zhujige Pavilion. Why had they come along with Zuo Qingshuang?
And why had only two people—a master and disciple—come from Zhujige Pavilion?
Though they had questions, none spoke up rashly to ask.
However, the booming-voiced man from earlier asked in a blustering manner, "Sister Qingshuang, how come you only brought your disciple? And where did these bystanders come from?
"This place is perilous—it's no playground for kids."
Fang Shuwen glanced at the man. He appeared in his forties, with a face full of burly flesh, a full beard, clad in heavy armor, and holding a purple-gold war hammer.
He looked less like a figure of the jianghu and more like a general commanding troops in battle.
Recalling what Zhou Qingmei had said earlier, Fang Shuwen guessed he was likely from Wentian Mansion.
Among the Seven Great Sects, Wentian Mansion had originally been a general's residence.
Unfortunately, in those years the imperial court was tyrannical and the emperor incompetent. The Wentian Mansion, despite being loyal and patriotic, was framed and nearly subjected to the extermination of their entire clan.
In their wrath, they broke away from the imperial court entirely, entered the jianghu, and founded Wentian Mansion.
That was how the lineage of Wentian Mansion came to be.
The martial art cultivated by their sect was called the Ten-Thousand-Jun Strategy. It placed the utmost importance on physical constitution; every disciple was a powerhouse possessing the courage to match ten thousand men.
Zuo Qingshuang looked at him with slight distaste. "Before even stepping through the door, I could hear you shouting and carrying on. If you're so formidable, why don't you charge into Autumn Moon Nunnery all on your own? Then there'd be no need for everyone to pool their wisdom and strength.
"I imagine you alone could raze Autumn Moon Nunnery to the ground."
Choked by her words, the man was struck dumb for a good while.
Zuo Qingshuang then turned to the other people present. "It seems I am the last to arrive. On my way here, I heard a word from the junior of Feixing Palace.
"For now, the situation inside Autumn Moon Nunnery is still unclear, but we must probe them somehow.
"How about we launch a night raid on Autumn Moon Nunnery tonight?"
While everyone exchanged glances, an exquisitely beautiful woman spoke softly, "You mean... a feint to probe their depth?"
Zuo Qingshuang smiled. "Whether it's a mule or a horse, you only know once you take it out for a trot, right?"
Hearing this, the crowd exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
Since the circumstances inside Autumn Moon Nunnery were unknown, Zuo Qingshuang's method was indeed worth trying.
The group continued their discussion. Fang Shuwen stood quietly to the side, listening. Only occasionally did the corner of his eye drift toward the roof, before quietly shifting away.
Only when the masters of the Seven Sects in the ruined temple had nearly finished deliberating did Fang Shuwen walk up to Zuo Qingshuang and motion for her to lean in.
Suspecting nothing, Zuo Qingshuang leaned in close, and Fang Shuwen whispered a few words into her ear.
At once, Zuo Qingshuang's previously calm expression shifted into utter shock.
Chapter 66