Watching Fang Wen stand up, Lu Guiyan gritted her teeth and had no choice but to follow behind him.
Deep down, she felt that rather than barging around recklessly like this, it would be far better to wait where they were. Even if they couldn't see Wu Lingxiao, having Liu Qi, the chief steward of Feixue City, present would be more than enough to complete the handover.
Yet she lacked the courage to separate from Fang Wen. Looking around at this crowd, she felt that not a single one was someone she could afford to cross.
Now that the Book Immortal, Murong Qingchen, had no intention of waiting around any longer, Fang Wen was tagging along to join in the commotion. Aside from sighing that experts always acted strangely, she truly had nothing else to say and could only follow meekly.
The group leisurely made their way into the inner quarters. Seeing this, the few people remaining in the main hall exchanged bewildered looks.
In the end, Senior Gu rubbed the slap mark on his face and took the lead in following. Unwilling to lag behind, the others barged toward the inner quarters one after another.
This was by no means proper etiquette for guests. But since they had arrived at Feixue City at a time like this, each naturally had their own motives. None had come merely to pay a social visit anyway, so they naturally couldn't care less about courtesy.
Just as the crowd stepped into the inner courtyard, the sound of footsteps encircled the main hall out front. Before Liu Qi even showed himself, his voice had already carried across:
"My apologies, everyone! Just now, an assassin appeared in the City Lord's Estate—"
His words cut off abruptly.
The main hall was completely deserted; where was anyone to be found? Only a few maids stood along the perimeter, looking at one another in dismay.
Liu Qi's face fell. "Where did they go?"
"To... toward the inner courtyard."
Liu Qi's expression darkened. "Simply outrageous!"
Furious as he was, there was nothing he could do. Of all the people who had arrived today, not one was easy to handle, especially with Murong Qingchen present. That man alone was enough to put Feixue City on high alert as if facing a mortal threat.
Liu Qi hurriedly ordered his men to surround the City Lord's Estate so that no one could slip away unnoticed, while he hastened toward the inner courtyard himself.
Fortunately, Fang Wen and the others hadn't walked far, and Liu Qi caught up in just a few strides.
He shouted urgently, "Hold, everyone! The inner courtyard of the City Lord's Estate is strictly off-limits!"
Murong Qingchen paused at the call, looking back at Liu Qi with narrowed eyes.
Liu Qi's heart tightened. "Senior Murong..."
"What just happened in the City Lord's Estate?" Murong Qingchen cut in before he could finish.
Lu Guiyan was taken aback. The question seemed rather abrupt—could Murong Qingchen have noticed something? She couldn't resist tugging at Fang Wen's sleeve.
"Do you know what's going on?"
Fang Wen smiled faintly. "A moment ago, the estate was in utter turmoil. Something must have gone wrong."
Only then did Lu Guiyan realize the truth. It wasn't that experts acted strangely for no reason... It was that their sharp senses picked up on things ordinary people couldn't perceive. Having noticed something beforehand, they took action early. In the eyes of the uninformed, didn't that simply look like eccentric behavior?
Facing Murong Qingchen's inquiry, Liu Qi hurriedly replied, "Allow me to explain, Senior. An assassin was spotted inside the estate just now. The entirety of Feixue City is now under martial law, with the gates shut tight against outsiders. Just a moment ago, I..."
Murong Qingchen waved a hand, refusing to listen to his ramblings. "Is Wu Lingxiao dead?"
"...No."
Liu Qi felt an overwhelming weariness. Why couldn't Murong Qingchen ever let him finish speaking?
Murong Qingchen nodded. "Hand over the Seven-String Ancient Chapter to me."
"What?"
Liu Qi thought he had misheard. One moment he was inquiring after the City Lord's well-being, and the next he was demanding a treasure?
Perplexed by what he heard, Fang Wen asked Lu Guiyan, "What is the Seven-String Ancient Chapter?"
As it turned out, the usually well-informed Young Chief Escort Lu was of no help this time. She wore a look of utter confusion. "I don't know either..."
Fang Wen turned his gaze toward Chen Yan. This young man likely came from an extraordinary background and knew many secrets hidden from ordinary folk.
Yet Chen Yan was glaring bitterly at a nearby rockery, standing motionless as though the stones had somehow offended him.
Fang Wen told himself he was a gentle and refined person at heart; otherwise, he truly would have delivered a swift kick at that moment.
However, the young woman who had entered alongside Chen Yan spoke in a soft voice: "The Seven-String Ancient Chapter is an ancestral treasure of Feixue City. It's said to contain a profound mystery and tremendous fortune. Little brother, aren't you here for it as well?"
Fang Wen shook his head gently. "I only came to help escort two clients to Feixue City, nothing more."
The young woman looked at him with slight surprise, then broke into a sudden smile. "Then you had best leave soon. These people, including Murong Qingchen, have all come for the Seven-String Ancient Chapter."
"Including you?"
"Including me."
She was remarkably candid.
Fang Wen smiled. "May I ask who you are?"
"Xiao Yanyu, from the Golden Bell Tower."
Fang Wen froze, and Lu Guiyan's eyes widened in shock.
Noticing their reactions, Xiao Yanyu looked puzzled. "Do you have some connection with our Golden Bell Tower?"
Fang Wen pulled the strange golden bell from his breast pocket. "I killed a man and took it from him. He accepted a contract from the Golden Bell Tower to intercept the client escort we were guarding."
Xiao Yanyu smiled. "I see. That golden bell is a token—a proof that allows one to conduct business with the Golden Bell Tower. Keep it safe, little brother. Who knows, a day might come when you find a use for it."
"Oh? You don't want to avenge him?"
"I've never met him in my life. What is there to avenge?"
"He accepted a contract from your Golden Bell Tower, after all..."
"If he lacked the competence to see it through, why accept it in the first place? And once he accepted, his death has nothing to do with the Golden Bell Tower, does it?"
"...Fair enough."
Fang Wen nodded, then suddenly looked up toward a nearby rooftop.
The swift whoosh of wind broke the silence.
It was the four individuals who had led the guests into the city earlier—three men and one woman.
Liu Qi was already powerless to hold Murong Qingchen back, but the moment these four arrived, they blocked the man's path.
Murong Qingchen's gaze remained calm. His narrowed eyes swept over the four of them one by one, and he said in a flat tone, "Hand over the Seven-String Ancient Chapter, and I will turn and leave at once without lingering."
The leading man shook his head slightly. "Even if you are the Immortal Murong Qingchen, do not dream of seizing the Seven-String Ancient Chapter."
"You wish to fight me?"
Murong Qingchen placed the hand that cradled his book behind his back, while letting his other arm hang loosely by his side. "In that case, let me see what you are capable of."
Since words were useless, a clash was inevitable.
Just as the fight was on the verge of erupting, a voice rang out:
"Hold on!"
Everyone turned at the sound. The one speaking was none other than Fang Wen.
Murong Qingchen narrowed his eyes at him. "What is it, little brother?"
Fang Wen smiled and pointed toward Liu Qi. "We came here for no other reason. Someone entrusted Lu'an Escort Agency with delivering two clients to Feixue City, and the delivery is now complete... Whatever disputes you all have are none of our concern. But before you start fighting, could he sign and stamp our Young Chief Escort's escort manifest first?"
Chapter 84