Fang Wen used the mnemonic formula of the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Art to guide the true qi within his body back to its origin, quickly grasping the essence of this martial art.
The brilliance of this technique lay in harmonizing the internal with the external. By using inner force to stir outer forces and drawing upon the natural flow of heaven and earth, it evolved all manner of extraordinary abilities—its power truly boundless.
Now possessing both the Yijin Jing and the Beiming Divine Art, guiding qi back to its origin with the Great Perfection level of the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Art was by no means difficult for Fang Wen.
After all, though these three divine arts followed vastly different paths, they were not entirely without common ground. Many of his meridians were already cleared and connected, so in less time than it took an incense stick to burn, he had completed the process of guiding the qi back to its origin.
With a mere shift of thought, through the nameless mnemonic formula derived by the system, he could effortlessly convert the true qi in his body.
One moment it was the divine energy of the Yijin Jing, the next the Beiming Divine Art. As his thoughts shifted once more, a hazy wind arose, threatening to coalesce into form behind his back.
He opened his eyes; the wind dispersed, and his qi returned to its source.
Rising to his feet, he lightly brushed off his robes before walking back to the campfire.
Mo Beidou had said something that was making the gathered escort masters and attendants burst into hearty laughter. Lu Guiyan sat alone to one side, pursing her lips in a soft smile.
After a moment's thought, Fang Wen walked over and sat down beside her. "What is the Young Chief Escort thinking about?"
Hearing him, Lu Guiyan looked over at Fang Wen, an unprecedented sense of ease showing between her brows and at the corners of her eyes. "Nothing much. I just feel like this whole trip was like tumbling down the road to the underworld...
"If Leader Mo hadn't run into you by chance in Guangning City, I'm afraid we wouldn't have even made it out of the city gates."
Fang Wen pondered for a moment before asking, "Then why do you think Wang Shouyan entrusted this job to your Lu'an Escort Agency in the first place?"
Lu Guiyan thought it over and replied, "When I first learned this matter involved Feixue City and Jinghua Pavilion, I thought Wang Shouyan intended to use our Lu'an Escort Agency as an expendable blade.
"Yet in the end, if not for you on this journey, we would have died countless times over. When all is said and done, I simply thought too highly of myself—our Lu'an Escort Agency didn't even have the qualifications to serve as a blade.
"Later, I considered that perhaps precisely because our agency was small and unremarkable, no one would ever suspect that Jinghua Pavilion would actually use the Lu'an Escort Agency to escort those two physicians.
"Pulling the wool over everyone's eyes like that was indeed a brilliant move.
"Right up until we reached Feixue City, that was what I believed.
"However..."
She paused briefly before continuing, "Those two reacted far too strangely just now.
"Logically speaking, they had no reason to publicly reveal their identities. Feixue City right now is a quagmire of mud; they were already in deep peril being trapped in it, so openly acknowledging who they were was practically courting death.
"Brother Fang saw it as well—even Book Immortal Murong Qingchen came for that so-called Seven-String Ancient Chapter, not to mention Xiao Yanyu of the Golden Bell Tower. That man surnamed Gu and that Buddhist monk are neither of them easy to deal with, and even Chen Yan, that young man made a fool of by his own donkey, is by no means as simple as he seems.
"Right now, all of their gazes are likely fixed entirely upon those two.
"So... so now I suspect that Jinghua Pavilion might be openly repairing the plank roads while secretly marching through Chencang. The person who can truly save Wu Lingxiao's life is probably someone else entirely."
Fang Wen looked at Lu Guiyan and let out a soft laugh. "The Young Chief Escort is extraordinary indeed."
"...Brother Fang, please don't tease me. I'm merely playing the clever strategist after the fact." Lu Guiyan sighed. "Besides, even if I have a little wit, what of it?
"There are countless capable experts under heaven. The Eastern Domain's Seven Great Sects may stand high above the rest, but how many formidable figures keep low profiles, hiding in the shadows to stir up storms and never allowing this jianghu a single moment of peace?"
Fang Wen nodded in agreement.
He gazed into the distance toward Feixue City, thoughts rippling through his mind.
He had considered each of the possibilities Lu Guiyan had just raised. Yet at this very moment, what came to his mind was an alternative beyond any of those possibilities.
Still, now that they had left the storm behind, whatever the truth might be no longer had anything to do with them.
Yet just as Fang Wen was thinking this, his brow suddenly furrowed slightly.
He snapped a dry branch and tossed it into the fire.
He watched the wind catch the flames, causing the blaze to suddenly flare and surge. Then he watched the gust spread into the distance, setting the surrounding branches into ceaseless rustling.
He could not help but let out a quiet chuckle. "When one walks the jianghu, there are truly times when one has no say in the matter."
Lu Guiyan was taken aback. Just as she was wondering why Fang Wen had suddenly grown so philosophical, a look of horror surfaced in her eyes.
From the darkness, figures were stepping forward in absolute silence.
Only when their silhouettes became visible in the firelight did Lu Guiyan finally sense their presence.
She sprang to her feet and looked around, only to realize with a shock that they had already been completely surrounded.
These people were clad in red, their faces concealed by fiery red veils adorned with fire-cloud patterns. In this cold season, they resembled clusters of blazing fire. Yet this fire brought not the slightest warmth to her heart; instead, it left Lu Guiyan's hands and feet turning ice-cold.
Mo Beidou and the others also paled in shock. Rising one after another, they clustered together and warily watched these uninvited guests.
A figure wrapped entirely in a red robe walked over, sat down beside the campfire, and reached out his hands toward the flames to warm them.
The fire blazed bright and hot. He held his hands extremely close—so close that tongues of flame licked his skin—yet he seemed utterly oblivious.
Lu Guiyan noticed that his hands suffered no injury whatsoever from being held directly in the fire. This realization made her pupils constrict even further.
The red-robed figure spoke in a slow, measured tone: "A month ago, were you the one in the main hall of the front mountain at Zhujige Pavilion who killed the people from our Black Fiend Cult?"
Fang Wen nodded. "It was me."
"Quite frank." The red-robed figure nodded, a faint trace of amusement coloring his voice. "Then did you happen to see the Divine Fire Seal?"
Fang Wen considered the question carefully. "No. But there was one man whose entire body erupted into flames before he blew apart like a burst of fireworks."
"That was the Divine Fire Seal." The red-robed figure let out a sigh. "In truth, you didn't have to die so soon."
"Oh?" Fang Wen was somewhat surprised. "When did you originally plan to take your revenge on me?"
"At least after the Seven-String Ancient Chapter was in hand... After all, anyone who kills our people must be executed, even if we must chase them to the ends of the earth." The red-robed figure sounded almost helpless. "Yet who could have foreseen that the moment your front foot came down Jiuning Mountain, your back foot would carry you straight to Feixue City?
"With an opportunity this rare, naturally we could not let it pass."
Fang Wen looked slightly startled. "You came for the Seven-String Ancient Chapter as well? What is that thing actually good for?"
Chapter 87