Yuan Zhuang looked at Fang Chen, his heart shaken to its core. So the Military God Fang was truly as terrifyingly young as the rumors said, and extremely handsome to boot...
"My eldest brother has a matter he'd like to consult you about."
Fang Chen smiled and said to Yuan Zhuang, "Take your subordinates and let's go."
Yuan Zhuang hurriedly beckoned to Yuan Yu: "Cousin... Yuan Yu, let's go, we have business to attend to!"
Yuan Yu followed behind the two of them with a blank expression.
Fang Zhixue saw that Fang Chen had completely ignored her and immediately chased after them: "Eldest brother, what are you guys going to do?! I'm coming too!"
Chapter 34: Kuilong Street
"Nonsense, your eldest brother is going on business, what are you tagging along for?"
Fang Chen reprimanded.
"Eldest brother, you haven't taken me out for many years. Remember when you used to sneak me out to buy candied hawthorns when we were little..."
Fang Zhixue's eyes immediately welled up with tears, looking pitiful.
Yuan Zhuang and Yuan Yu rubbed their hands together awkwardly.
"Hmm..."
Fang Chen thought carefully. It seemed... he really hadn't taken Fang Zhixue out on the streets in all these years.
"Let's go, but don't run around. I am indeed going on business today."
Fang Chen nodded helplessly.
"Great! Let's go, let's go!"
The tears in Fang Zhixue's eyes instantly evaporated. She stepped forward, locked her arm around Fang Chen's, and looked as happy as if she had picked up ten taels of gold!
This left the brother and sister Yuan Zhuang and Yuan Yu dumbfounded, barely able to believe their eyes.
"Pardon the spectacle before you two."
Fang Chen gave an apologetic smile to Yuan Zhuang and Yuan Yu.
"Not at all, not at all!"
Yuan Zhuang waved his hands repeatedly.
A sudden thought welled up in Yuan Yu's mind: The Military God Fang is so polite.
The four of them left the Fang Estate together. A carriage had been waiting for a long time, and Xu Ge was the one driving it.
The capital of Daxia was divided into an inner and outer city. Fang Chen lived in the inner city, while the outer city was divided into more than thirty streets. The place they were heading to was called Kuilong Street, which was nearing the suburbs and happened to be near the East City Gate—the current posting place of Fang Canghai.
"Heir, when we arrive at Kuilong Street later, please bear with it a little. The area nearby is not very peaceful. Why don't you let Yuan Yu and me get off and scout ahead first?"
Seeing that they were getting close to Kuilong Street, the surrounding buildings were becoming increasingly dilapidated, forming a sharp contrast with the prosperity of the inner city. The commoners on the road wore ragged clothes and had numb expressions.
"This is still the Capital, the commoners outside the Capital..."
Fang Chen sighed inwardly. He had once sworn to change something, but later found it very difficult indeed—relying solely on him, it was completely impossible.
Yet even so, he had never given up; he never had in the past, and even less so now!
"Since we've arrived, naturally we'll go take a look together."
Fang Chen smiled faintly at Yuan Zhuang: "You needn't worry. Do you really take me for a pampered heir made of jade who never courts danger?"
Yuan Zhuang suddenly remembered that the young man before him was no ordinary person; he was a ruthless figure who had fought countless battles back and forth across the battlefield!
"Heir, we've arrived."
Outside came Xu Ge's voice, and the carriage slowly came to a halt.
Seeing this, Fang Chen took Fang Zhixue and stepped down from the carriage first, while Yuan Zhuang and Yuan Yu hurriedly followed.
Quite a few local commoners cast curious gazes in their direction.
After all, on Kuilong Street, it was rare to see people dressed so impeccably. But as soon as they caught sight of the bailiff's uniform on Yuan Yu, alarm bells instantly rang in their eyes, and they turned and fled without daring to linger, avoiding them like venomous snakes and scorpions.
Before the crowd stood a dilapidated small house. The gate was half-open, and the latch seemed to have broken long ago without anyone ever fixing it.
"Eldest brother, what are we here for?"
Fang Zhixue asked curiously.
"Officer Yuan has a case to investigate, and we've come along to take a look."
Fang Chen smiled.
"Investigate a case!?"
Fang Zhixue's eyes lit up, a look of excitement flashing across her face.
"I told you before we came, don't go making trouble."
Fang Chen tapped her on the head and had Yuan Zhuang step forward to knock on the door. Although the gate was open, walking right in without the owner's permission was still improper.
"Who is it?"
Before long, an aged voice came from within, occasionally accompanied by a few coughs.
"Auntie Wu, it's me, Yuan Zhuang."
Yuan Zhuang said.
"Officer Yuan!? Please come right in, old woman's frail bones won't allow me to rise and greet you, please forgive me, Officer Yuan."
The old woman's voice grew noticeably more urgent.
The group entered the house. It was extremely dim inside, with bare walls and only a broken bed, a broken table, and a broken stool. An elderly woman lay on the bed, struggling to sit up at that moment.
Yuan Zhuang hurried forward to support her.
"Officer Yuan, is there any news about my son and daughter?"
The old woman grabbed Yuan Zhuang's arm, her voice trembling as she spoke.
Her eyes were milky white, very similar to Fang Chen's, clearly making her blind as well.
Seeing this scene, Fang Zhixue couldn't help feeling a pang in her nose.
"This..."
A wry smile appeared on Yuan Zhuang's face. The other party didn't yet know that Junior Minister Li Huafeng of the Dahua Temple had closed this case long ago.
"Auntie Wu, would you be willing to go to Dahua Temple to file a complaint?"
Fang Chen spoke up suddenly.
The old woman was startled, a dazed look appearing on her face: "Old woman doesn't know a single character, how could I possibly file a complaint with the authorities?"
"If you are willing, I can have someone write out a petition for you and submit it to Dahua Temple."
Fang Chen said.
Yuan Zhuang wanted to speak but stopped himself. To re-file a complaint for a case that Li Huafeng had already judged was utterly useless and would only invite Li Huafeng's fury.
"Didn't the official from Dahua Temple tell old woman back then that my son and daughter stole valuables from the Junior Minister's estate and fled with the money? Who is old woman supposed to go accuse?"
The old woman muttered.
"That's true as well."
Fang Chen smiled, glanced around the surroundings, and said to Yuan Zhuang, "Let's go."
Yuan Zhuang was stunned. They had traveled all this way, just to ask two questions and then leave?
However, since Fang Chen had already walked out, he didn't dare linger either. He hastily exchanged a few words with the old woman, left a tael of silver behind, and then hurried to catch up.
Outside the door, Fang Chen whispered a few words to Xu Ge. Xu Ge nodded slightly and turned to leave.
"Cousin, what are we here for today?"
Yuan Yu quietly tugged at Yuan Zhuang's sleeve.
"Hold your tongue."
Yuan Zhuang warned, then walked to Fang Chen's side and lowered his voice: "Military God Fang, are we heading back now?"
"Don't you find something a bit odd here?"
Fang Chen turned back to look at the dilapidated cottage, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Odd? What's odd about this house?"
Yuan Zhuang was taken aback.
"Eldest brother, that granny can't see a thing, and she has no family by her side. How do you suppose she manages to survive?"
Fang Zhixue said softly.
Fang Chen smiled and nodded: "Exactly. How *does* she survive—it's been two years."
"Military God Fang!?"
A look of shock flashed in Yuan Zhuang's eyes.
"Did you notice? Although this old woman is dressed in rags, her person is quite clean. Besides, when we entered, the threshold was covered in thick moss. That only happens when no one has walked across it for a very, very long time."
Fang Chen said faintly.
"Auntie Wu's health is poor, and she's bedridden year-round..."
Yuan Zhuang said in a low voice.
"Someone has to come bring her food, don't they? For two years, without descendants to care for her by her side, if not even a single relative came by to look after her now and then, an old person like her would hardly survive a single season of bitter winter."
Fang Chen said indifferently.
Yuan Zhuang's expression shifted violently. Right, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
Just at that moment, a group of people suddenly approached from nearby. These people had fierce expressions and looked like bad news at a glance. Catching sight of Fang Chen's group, wicked grins immediately broke out on their faces as they stalked toward them.
"Such a pretty lass, heh heh heh..."
The leader stared lecherously at Fang Zhixue, letting out a weird laugh.
Chapter 35: Threat
Fang Zhixue's expression darkened as she stared coldly at the other party.
"Lass, you look so pretty, you ought to smile more. Come on, give your lords a smile."
The leader teased lecherously.
Yuan Zhuang flew into a rage. He had been worrying about this sort of thing happening precisely, and never expected to actually run into it. This bastard was completely courting death!
"Rat, no ivory comes out of a dog's mouth—shut your damn dog mouth right now!"
Yuan Zhuang roared angrily.
"Yo, and what kind of piece of work are you? Does a lackey like you get to pipe up while your Grandpa Lu is talking?"
The leader looked at Yuan Zhuang, his gaze gradually turning fierce.
Yuan Zhuang was stunned. Were these fellows truly not afraid of death? Even if they couldn't recognize the Military God Fang, and couldn't recognize him, a Senior Inspector of Dahua Temple, surely they ought to recognize the bailiff uniform on Yuan Yu?
"You lot really have some nerve."
Yuan Yu stepped forward and said coldly.
"Well, look at that, a female bailiff too! Hahaha, come take a look brothers, a female bailiff has come to our Kuilong Street! Just look at that figure, that face—shame she's a bit too dark, otherwise she'd actually be quite a looker."
Instead of showing any fear toward Yuan Yu's bailiff uniform, the opponent laughed even louder and harder. His subordinates chuckled all around, their gazes locking onto Yuan Yu with full of aggression and greed.
Yuan Yu was utterly dumbfounded.
She had just reported for duty today, her very first day as a bailiff, and she never expected to run into such death-defying, reckless fools who didn't even hold bailiffs in their eyes.
Were the thugs of Kuilong Street really this brazen?
Fang Chen stood to the side, watching coldly as a bystander.
Just then, the death-defying fellow who called himself Grandpa Lu suddenly let his expression sink, glaring coldly at Yuan Yu:
"Listen up: this is Kuilong Street. You inner-city bailiffs have nothing to do, so stay out of here. The next time Grandpa Lu catches sight of you, I don't give a damn about your background—I'm breaking both your legs first!"
Yuan Zhuang suddenly realized something. His expression gradually darkened as he stepped forward and said: "This official is Yuan Zhuang, Senior Inspector of Dahua Temple. Who sent you?"
Senior Inspector of Dahua Temple?
This Grandpa Lu was clearly taken aback for a moment, but then burst into raucous laughter: "So it's just the head lackey of the bailiffs."
His subordinates laughed along as well, their laughter dripping with disdain.
In their eyes, a Senior Inspector of Dahua Temple was nothing more than a chief bailiff, someone who usually strutted around putting on airs behind a bunch of runners—nothing special at all.
Furious, Yuan Yu instantly drew the saber at her waist with a *clang*: "You lot dared to brazenly harass an innocent woman in broad daylight, and still have the gall to threaten a Dahua Temple bailiff. Today, all of you are coming back to Dahua Temple with me!"
"Just you? You're not worthy!"
Grandpa Lu gave a cold laugh, suddenly throwing a punch. Formidable internal qi gushed forth from his fist, transforming into a white dragon that viciously shattered Yuan Yu's saber.
Yuan Yu was stunned.
Qi Burst?
Yuan Zhuang's expression shifted repeatedly. He genuinely hadn't expected the other party to be a Qi-Bursting Martial Artist. Were there figures like this hiding in Kuilong Street?
"Still want to drag me back to Dahua Temple now?"
Grandpa Lu chuckled lightly.
Fang Zhixue immediately rolled up her sleeves, intending to show the opponent what she was made of, but Fang Chen pulled her back.
Fang Chen smiled and said to Yuan Zhuang:
"Yuan Zhuang, I recall you're also at the Qi Burst Early Stage? Your subordinate's saber was just smashed to pieces by someone—don't you have something to say about this?"
"Today, every last one of you is staying put in Dahua Temple!"
A flash of anger crossed Yuan Zhuang's eyes. The aura radiating from him suddenly transformed, completely different from his timid cowering before Fang Chen. At this moment, he was a true Qi-Bursting Martial Artist!
"Take them all down, I'll deal with this Dahua Temple Senior Inspector."
Grandpa Lu instructed his subordinates before engaging Yuan Zhuang in combat.
The two traded blows back and forth, every surge of internal qi carrying the potential to deal devastating damage to the other.
Passbyers catching sight of this scene hurriedly ducked into the shadows, terrified of being implicated.
Grandpa Lu's subordinates gave sinister chuckles, their eyes flickering between Yuan Yu and Fang Zhixue. Just as they were about to make their move, Xu Ge returned.
Xu Ge's sword remained in its scabbard as he struck with thunderous speed, hitting each fellow in the center of the back, instantly robbing them of their ability to fight.
"Elder brother, why didn't you let me strike? Such a rare opportunity..."
Fang Zhixue complained, somewhat dissatisfied.
"If Mom and Dad found out you got into a brawl with these thugs in a place like this, I'd definitely be the one catching the scolding when we got back."
Fang Chen said indifferently.
Yuan Yu didn't know Xu Ge's background. Seeing his methods so clean and neat, she finally realized he was no ordinary coachman, and a look of shock inevitably crept into her eyes.
"Heir, I've asked around clearly. Several of the nearby neighbors accepted bribes."
Xu Ge walked up to Fang Chen and said in a low voice.
*Bang!*
Yuan Zhuang was sent flying heavily by Grandpa Lu, landing in a disheveled heap right in front of Fang Chen. He raised his head to see Fang Chen looking down at him, and a look of shame could not help but surface on his face.
"You're both at the Qi Burst Early Stage, yet you couldn't beat him. You've got some serious reflecting to do when we get back."
Fang Chen gave a slight shake of his head: "Xu Ge, take him down."
"Understood."
Xu Ge nodded and strode toward Grandpa Lu.
Grandpa Lu had still been looking smug a moment earlier, but upon discovering that all his subordinates were already sprawled across the ground, he stared at Xu Ge with a mix of shock and fury.
At this glance, he seemed to notice some clues, his pupils gradually widening: "Wind-Cloud Sword..."
*Bang!*
Xu Ge's sword still hadn't left its scabbard as he delivered a succession of strikes to Grandpa Lu's chest, back, shoulder blades, and other vital points, stripping him of all mobility.
"As expected of the Wind-Cloud Sword..."
Nothing was left in Yuan Zhuang's heart except envy.
As a Senior Inspector, he naturally knew the background of the man trailing behind Fang Chen.
"Let's go have a chat with Auntie Wu, and bring them along too."
Fang Chen smiled and turned back into the dilapidated cottage.
In the courtyard, Grandpa Lu and his gang lay sprawled and limp, yet their arrogance hadn't vanished. The moment Grandpa Lu recognized Xu Ge's identity, he continued to issue threats:
"Wind-Cloud Sword!? You dare muddy these waters? Don't think that just because you're at the Qi Burst Peak you can run roughshod across the Daxia Capital."
Xu Ge glanced at him with undisguised contempt. He couldn't run roughshod, true—but as for the person who *could*, this fellow couldn't even recognize him, yet still dared to issue threats right here?
"The Wind-Cloud Sword!? One of the Capital's Top Ten Qi Burst Peak masters, the Wind-Cloud Sword!?"
Yuan Yu finally woke up to the reality, inwardly terrified, though she also felt it made sense—with an existence like the Military God Fang, it would actually be strange if he didn't have a few heavy hitters by his side.
"Is that Officer Yuan? Why is it so noisy outside?"
From the inner room came Auntie Wu's aged and raspy voice.
"Xu Ge, tell them what you found out just now."
Fang Chen smiled.
Xu Ge gave the inner room an indifferent glance. "The Wu siblings who lived here lost both their mother and father in childhood."
"What!?"
Yuan Zhuang was stunned.
The inner room also plunged into a dead silence.
"Go drag her out."
Fang Chen ordered.
Xu Ge nodded and stepped into the inner room. Before long, he dragged out Auntie Wu, who was struggling to even get out of bed. Her hair was disheveled, and she was wailing and crying:
"What are you people doing, what are you doing!"
Chapter 36: Blade Guard
"Officer Yuan, why are you bullying an old blind woman like me? What on earth did I do wrong!?"
Auntie Wu was still struggling.
Yet Fang Chen said indifferently: "Blind people don't go peering around everywhere. Xu Ge, take the things out of her eyes."
"Got it."
Xu Ge chuckled, rudely reaching out to grope around in Auntie Wu's eyes a few times before pulling out two milky-white films. At that moment, Auntie Wu's eyes were bright and clear—where was there any sign of blindness?
Yuan Yu and Fang Zhixue both stared in a daze.
Yuan Zhuang's expression grew slightly stiff. After a long moment, a look of self-mockery surfaced on his face; dignified Senior Inspector of Dahua Temple that he was, he had actually been played around with in the palm of someone's hand!
"Heir, pelts peeled from fish eyes—tricks we played until we were sick of them."
Xu Ge mocked.
Auntie Wu's expression stiffened at that, her eyes darting about as if scheming something. Taking advantage of Xu Ge's inattention, she made to break free and flee, retaining not a shred of her previous sickly demeanor.
Unfortunately, trying to escape from the hands of a Qi Burst Peak martial artist was no easy task.
Xu Ge grabbed Auntie Wu by the back of the neck and said indifferently: "The Heir hasn't said you can leave, so you aren't leaving. Try running again and I'll break your legs!"
"Tell us then: where did the siblings who went missing from here end up?"
Fang Chen said calmly.
Auntie Wu's expression flickered before she simperingly replied: "Old woman doesn't know anything either. Old woman just saw that this place was vacant, so I wanted to move in and stake a claim on the place so I'd have a place to spend my old age."
"Tell the truth."
Fang Chen smiled: "This place has been vacant for a very long time. If you were merely looking for a place to live, it stands to reason you would have stayed here all along."
Never expecting the other party to see through even that, Auntie Wu's expression changed again and again.
"If you don't tell the truth, we'll drag you back to Dahua Temple for questioning. Once you're there, everything you're supposed to say—and everything you're not—will come tumbling out."
Yuan Zhuang said coldly.
"Officer Yuan, old woman will tell the truth, old woman will tell the truth."
Hearing this, Auntie Wu didn't dare conceal anything further and spilled the whole story from beginning to end.
This woman was an habitual swindler who specialized in seeking out vacant houses, masquerading as a relative, and then finding a chance to sell them off.
Having learned a few years ago that this house was empty, she bribed several nearby neighbors and then disguised herself as the blind mother of that pair of siblings to usurp the property.
"Things aren't that simple."
Fang Chen smiled faintly: "If you don't want to talk, then you needn't talk at all. Take her away."
"No, no, no, I'll talk, I'll talk."
Auntie Wu's expression shifted, and she hurried to say: "This matter *is* indeed a bit unusual. Someone approached old woman back then to inform me that there was an empty house here and told me to seize it, but there was one condition: I had to pretend to be the mother of those siblings to fool the authorities."
Yuan Zhuang's face turned ashen. If that was the case, the disappearance of those siblings back then was indeed fishy. Otherwise, why would someone orchestrate it from behind the scenes?
"Who was that person?"
Fang Chen asked indifferently.
"Old woman really doesn't know. Old woman was just forced into it; he said if old woman didn't comply, he'd kill me. Old woman wouldn't dare cross blades with such desperate men."
Auntie Wu begged for mercy: "I beg your lordship to show mercy and spare old woman this once—old woman will never dare do it again."
Fang Chen glanced at her, then shifted his gaze to Grandpa Lu: "And you? Who sent you?"
"What kind of person are you?"
Grandpa Lu stared fixedly at Fang Chen: "I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. You can't afford to provoke the person behind me!"
"You lot at Dahua Temple have some nerve, daring to overstep your jurisdiction? Can't even catch enough corrupt officials in the inner city, so you run all the way out to my outer city to stick your noses in?!"
Abruptly, a middle-aged man strode in flanked by a group of subordinates, shouting curses the moment he crossed the threshold.