Lord Lu's eyes lit out brightly upon hearing this, and he immediately shouted, "Officer Xu, I'm right here!"
Fang Chen turned around to look at the newcomers.
These people were dressed in bright red form-fitting outfits with long sabers at their waists, wearing gauze caps a foot tall. In the Capital of Great Xia, only one kind of person dressed this way—the Brave Saber Guard.
The Brave Saber Guard was not an office handed down from antiquity, but had been established ten years ago by the current Emperor's decree. They selected elites from the military and major martial sects, forming a force distributed across all prefectures and commanderies of Great Xia.
The Brave Saber Guard held a transcendent status. They only needed to take orders from the superiors of their garrison, and when facing high officials from other departments of authority, they could ignore their commands entirely.
Therefore, the Brave Saber Guard acted with extreme overbearingness, completely unreasonable, causing many to fear them like tigers and dare not easily offend them.
There were two Brave Saber Guard garrisons in the Capital of Great Xia: one in the Inner City, and one in the Outer City.
Since this was the Capital after all, the Brave Saber Guard in the Inner City were relatively low-key on usual days. They only did what they were supposed to do, never interfering in the affairs of other functional departments, and weren't seen too often.
The Outer City was different. The Outer City's Brave Saber Guard patrolled the streets day and night, and practically all matters, big and small, fell under their jurisdiction. Their words carried more weight than anyone else's!
"So it's Officer Xu."
Catching sight of the newcomer, Yuan Zhuang offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes and cupped his fists.
The other party, however, cast a cold glance at Yuan Zhuang. "Yuan Zhuang, I remember telling you a few years ago that when you come to conduct business in my Outer City, you need to notify our garrison. I heard you brought people here to beat up law-abiding citizens for no reason. Is this true?"
"Law-abiding citizen? Are you talking about this fellow?"
Yuan Zhuang pointed at Lord Lu on the ground. "If he's a law-abiding citizen, then I must be a ten-times benevolent saint."
"Spare me the nonsense. Since things aren't clear here, come back to the garrison with this official. Men, take them all away!"
Officer Xu made a grand sweep of his hand.
The Brave Saber Guard behind him immediately charged forward, intending to drag everyone back to the garrison together.
Seeing this, Xu Ge stepped in front of Fang Chen, staring coldly at the Brave Saber Guard before him. "My young master is not going anywhere."
"Audacious!"
The group of Brave Saber Guards drew their sabers in unison, casting cold gazes at Xu Ge.
In an instant, the small courtyard was filled with murderous intent.
"Officer Xu, this person is the Wind and Cloud Sword Xu Ge. You must be careful; this subordinate was caught off guard and fell victim to his tricks."
Lord Lu hastily spoke up.
"The Wind and Cloud Sword Xu Ge?"
Officer Xu frowned, turning his gaze to Xu Ge. "As a mere martial artist of the pugilistic world, how dare you cause trouble within the borders of the Capital? Could it be that you think your paltry Peak Qi Burst cultivation gives you the right to resist my Brave Saber Guard?"
"Officer Xu, judging by your waist medallion, you must be a garrison Centurion, right?"
Fang Chen suddenly smiled.
Officer Xu glanced at Fang Chen and suddenly felt that the person before him looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
"A garrison Centurion holds the same rank as a Senior Investigator of Dahua Temple, yet it seems you don't hold your peers in any regard, wanting to arrest a colleague right off the bat along with everyone else?
You Brave Saber Guard act far too imperiously."
Fang Chen chuckled and shook his head.
"Whether the Brave Saber Guard acts imperiously or not is not something you are qualified to judge."
Officer Xu sneered. "Whose young master are you? If you have nothing to do, stay in the Inner City. What's the point of hanging around with scum like Yuan Zhuang? Don't ever come to the Outer City again."
"Officer Xu, it seems you've stayed in the Outer City for too long; you don't even recognize Military God Fang. With eyesight like yours, this subordinate is quite concerned about whether your official career will remain smooth sailing in the future."
Yuan Zhuang put on a theatrical sigh.
Military God Fang?!
At this, not only did Officer Xu's expression change, but even Lord Lu and his subordinates experienced a violent jolt throughout their bodies before staring at Fang Chen in disbelief.
Mother Wu, whose arm was still being tightly gripped by Xu Ge, went weak in the knees and nearly collapsed onto the ground on the spot.
Chapter 37: Traces
"Brother, I heard Father say that the Brave Saber Guard were too overbearing back then, which led to them being impeached by all the officials and losing their law enforcement rights in the Inner City. From the looks of it now, not only are they overbearing, but I'm afraid their hands aren't very clean either."
Fang Zhixue said to Fang Chen.
Brother?
Lord Lu and the others looked at Fang Zhixue, and after a moment of dazed silence, their bodies couldn't help but tremble violently.
They had just flirted with the sister of Military God Fang?
"Mil- Military God Fang, this subordinate failed to recognize your lordship just now. I beg your lordship to forgive this offense."
Officer Xu suddenly cupped his fists, bowing repeatedly while offering profuse apologies, his eyes darting panicked glances toward the flagstones on the ground.
No wonder the other party looked so familiar—it was none other than Military God Fang, who had recently led men to wipe out the Qingsong Country martial artists without leaving a single one alive!
You must know that even their Brave Saber Guard had to give those Qingsong Country martial artists a wide berth when they met them!
During this past period, the incident had even become tea-time gossip around the garrison.
"Centurion Xu, is this Lord Lu your man?"
Fang Chen eyed the other man up and down.
A trace of alarm flickered in Centurion Xu's heart, and he hastily lowered his voice. "Military God Fang has misunderstood. This fellow merely does business with us frequently, and this subordinate is not well-acquainted with him."
Not well-acquainted!?
Lord Lu froze for a moment. Just last night they were drinking and making merry together, and today they weren't well-acquainted?
"Do you know why I came here today?"
Fang Chen asked again.
As he spoke, he kept sizing up Centurion Xu, as if trying to read some clue from his face.
Yuan Zhuang also suspected whether Centurion Xu was implicated in this matter, keeping his eyes locked onto Centurion Xu without blinking.
"This subordinate has no idea..."
A look of bewilderment flashed across Centurion Xu's eyes.
"Lord Yuan, tell him about it."
Fang Chen said indifferently.
Yuan Zhuang slowly recounted the events. By the time he had laid out most of what happened, Centurion Xu's complexion had turned somewhat pale. He sensed that he seemed to have been dragged into some extraordinary affair.
"We had just arrived here when this Lord Lu brought men over to pick a fight and even flirted with my younger sister. Not long after that, Centurion Xu arrived.
I wonder what relation Centurion Xu has with this missing pair of siblings?"
Fang Chen said calmly.
Centurion Xu's expression shifted rapidly. He hastily lowered his voice and said, "Military God Fang, this subordinate merely received word that someone was brawling and causing trouble here, which is why I rushed over in a hurry. As for the rest of the matter, I truly know nothing about it."
"Oh, since you were merely inadvertently mixed up in this, then tell me, how should this Lord Lu be dealt with for flirting with my sister and threatening Dahua Temple constables never to come to Kuilong Street on pain of having both their legs broken?"
Fang Chen said.
"Military God Fang, this petty person was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai, offending Military God Fang! I beg Military God Fang to spare this petty person just this once!"
Lord Lu tumbled to his knees on the ground, his voice trembling.
Centurion Xu glanced at him with a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes, then lowered his voice to Fang Chen. "This subordinate will drag him back to the garrison for a thorough interrogation, and will definitely give Military God Fang a satisfactory account."
"Lord Lu, was it?"
Ignoring Centurion Xu, Fang Chen walked up to Lord Lu and smiled indifferently.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Military God Fang can just call this humble one Little Lu."
Lord Lu trembled all over from fright.
"Who told you to come and cause trouble for us, and who told you to threaten the Dahua Temple constables?"
Fang Chen smiled. "Give me a name."
"..."
Lord Lu fell silent.
After a few breaths, he lowered his voice. "This humble one indeed accepted money; the person who gave the money told this humble one to keep an eye on Kuilong Street, and to issue threats if anyone came to this courtyard..."
With that, he described the other party's appearance, but could not state the other party's background.
Upon hearing this, Mother Wu hastily chimed in, "My lord, my lord! The one who gave this old woman money was also this person."
The same person, then.
Fang Chen smiled. "Since you didn't give me a name, it seems this matter cannot be settled so easily. Lord Yuan, take them all back to Dahua Temple for a thorough questioning. See if they've committed any other crimes, and deal with them all together."
"Understood!"
Yuan Zhuang's spirits lifted. He immediately barked at the group, "All of you, get up on your feet!"
"Centurion Xu, I'll be leaving. No need to see me off."
Fang Chen smiled at Centurion Xu and led his people away.
As he was leaving, Yuan Zhuang glanced at Centurion Xu with a flash of smugness in his eyes. "Centurion Xu, I'm taking these people back to Dahua Temple to relieve a bit of pressure off your garrison."
Centurion Xu forced a smile. "Lord Yuan, take care."
He watched Fang Chen and the others depart with his subordinates. Only when their figures were completely out of sight did Centurion Xu's expression turn incomparably grave. Hearing his subordinates whispering and chatting animatedly about Fang Chen, he couldn't help letting out a cold snort:
"You're all loud-mouthed on ordinary days, how come none of you made a peep just now?"
"My lord, that's Military God Fang! How could we dare to make a peep? He's the one who burned down the entire Qingsong Superior Hall with a single fire."
A Brave Saber Guard said with glowing enthusiasm. "That incident was truly satisfying!"
"Yeah, yeah, utterly satisfying!"
"I once had the good fortune to serve in the army commanded by Military God Fang. It's a pity I was later transferred to the Brave Saber Guard; otherwise, five years ago, I might have had the chance to campaign alongside Military God Fang at Mount Sanchai."
"Then you probably would have left your bones buried at Mount Sanchai."
Someone joked.
Centurion Xu's expression remained grave. He never expected to see Fang Chen on Kuilong Street today, and what was even more frightening was that, because of Lord Lu, he might have already offended this Military God Fang.
At this thought, Centurion Xu felt deeply ill at ease, sensing that something was amiss. He hastily led his subordinates back to the garrison and reported today's events upward.
Upon hearing the news, the garrison Centurion listened to Zhang Shuzhou's report, nodded, and told him to withdraw.
Not long after, this Centurion changed his attire, quietly entered the Inner City, and finally made his way into a rather luxurious mansion.
The Fang Estate.
Fang Chen didn't wait long before Tie Ma appeared before him, speaking in a low voice, "Young Master, Outer City garrison Centurion Zhang Shuzhou has entered the Ministry of Rites Vice Minister's residence."
"I know."
Fang Chen nodded lightly.
As Tie Ma withdrew, his soul immediately left his body, instantly arriving at the Ministry of Rites Vice Minister's residence.
The reception hall.
Fang Chen saw Zhang Shuzhou, the Outer City garrison Centurion, and he also saw Qin Dong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
"Lord Qin, you didn't mention at the time that this matter would implicate someone from the Fang family. Take this money back, and don't come looking for this official again in the future."
Zhang Shuzhou pulled out two silver notes and placed them on the table, speaking coldly.
The denomination of the silver notes was one thousand taels each; two notes made two thousand taels.
This was no small sum.
Qin Dong's complexion turned somewhat pale. "How could it implicate Military God Fang? What does he have to do with this matter!?"
"I don't know why a missing maidservant from your residence attracted the investigation of Dahua Temple back then, and now, several years later, it has even drawn the attention of that person from the Fang family.
This official doesn't care what Lord Qin is up to, but this official has no wish to be mixed up in it. Farewell."
With that, Zhang Shuzhou stood up and walked away.
Qin Dong looked somewhat dazed, a trace of panic flickering in his eyes.
"As a dignified Vice Minister, you lose your composure just knowing that Fang Chen is involved in this matter. How laughable."
A cold snort rang out as an old woman walked out from behind the screen, looking at Qin Dong with a face full of mockery.
"You don't know who Fang Chen is? Now he's grown suspicious of this matter too. You're the one who did this; you should resolve this matter for me!"
Qin Dong looked at the old woman, putting up a bold front.
"Cultivators... It seems there are still quite a few members of the Blood Spirit Cult in the Capital."
Fang Chen looked toward the old woman, his expression gradually growing serious.
Chapter 38: Leaving the Country's Borders!
The aura on the old woman was roughly similar to that of the Blood Spirit Cult cultivator who had died in the Fang Estate; they should both be at the 4th Level Qi Refining realm.
Theoretically, this realm was equivalent to an Earth Profound Realm Dan Qi Warrior, but in reality, their methods were far superior to Dan Qi Warriors. Perhaps only martial artists of the Earth Profound Realm could measure up against them.
In just a short span of time, Fang Chen had already discovered the presence of two cultivators in the Capital of Great Xia. Were there more? Fang Chen had no way of knowing for the time being.
"What are you afraid of? Fang Chen has only recovered his Dan Qi cultivation; he is still just a martial artist at heart. He will probably never figure out in this lifetime that people like me exist in this world."
The old woman sneered, her tone disdainful. "Vice Minister Qin, standing with us destined you for wealth and glory in this life; don't get spooked by every little trifle.
Daoist Priest Xue has already gone to pursue Xiao Shennü. Once the news of Xiao Shennü's death reaches Qingsong, the Third Prince is bound to die.
Qingsong Country will inevitably march its armies to the borders of Great Xia. By then, there will be enough sufficient vital blood sent up to our superiors—killing two birds with one stone!"
Upon hearing these words, a brilliant light flashed in Fang Chen's eyes!
Judging by the old woman's words, there was someone even higher above them, and their purpose in Great Xia was to collect enough vital blood from the Human Clan?
This Blood Spirit Cult was like a leech, clinging to Great Xia and constantly draining its vital blood to sustain themselves!
Aside from this Vice Minister Qin, which other dignitaries in the Capital were colluding with the Blood Spirit Cult?
Fang Chen looked coldly at the old woman. He would hunt these people down one by one, and completely eradicate the Blood Spirit Cult cultivators one by one!
"It's not that I'm getting spooked easily—not long ago, with my own eyes in the imperial palace, I saw Fang Chen strike down a Qingsong Country Qi Control Warrior with a single palm!"
Vice Minister Qin's voice trembled. "That flash of thunder turned a living person into charcoal right before my eyes. What kind of trick is that?!"
"No matter what, it's just the trivial tricks of a martial artist. How can mere internal qi compare to spiritual power?"
The old woman gave a disdainful cold snort, gently raising her palm. Spiritual power surged in her hand, and a fireball abruptly appeared, instantly causing the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.
Frightened, Vice Minister Qin hurriedly stepped back.
"Didn't you see it back then? This old woman's fireball technique can likewise burn people into charcoal, and even melt iron and refine gold!"
The old woman smiled faintly.
"Daoist arts?"
Fang Chen's eyes lit up slightly.
He could sense the terrifying power contained within this fireball, estimating it to be no less formidable than the Purple Lightning Talisman he had crafted at the moment. These cultivators certainly weren't simple.
It was a pity that Senior Yunhe had only imparted the introductory volume of the Three Thousand Dao Methods, which contained only the cultivation methods for the Qi Refinement Stage and four types of talismans, but no Daoist arts.
That Daoist Priest Xue who had died in his Fang Estate a few days ago seemed to only be well-versed in talismans and had never displayed such Daoist arts—no wonder there were no Daoist art manuals on his person.
"Vice Minister Qin, do you think this old woman's fireball technique can kill Fang Chen?"
The old woman looked at Qin Dong, a trace of arrogance appearing in her eyes.
"It can, it can, it can!"
Qin Dong said repeatedly, the fear in his heart gradually fading away.
Seeing this, the old woman withdrew her Daoist art. "Therefore, you needn't worry about Fang Chen. We are keeping him around simply to make these waters muddier.
Today this old woman is making a trip to Longji Market. Going and returning will take about seven days. During these seven days, try not to meet with Fang Chen."
Hearing this, Qin Dong hesitated. "Granny Jinhua, for the past eight years, this humble one has cooperated with you all, remaining utterly loyal. When on earth will you impart the method of cultivation to me... If this humble one had some methods at hand, why would I need to fear Fang Chen?"
"One hundred thousand drops of vital blood condense one Blood Spirit Divine Pill. My mission is to contribute ten Blood Spirit Divine Pills to our superiors. Once the mission is completed, it will be time to reward merits according to contribution. Someone will bestow upon you the cultivation method then, and you will be able to become just like me."
The old woman chuckled softly and turned to leave.
"One hundred thousand drops of vital blood for one Blood Spirit Divine Pill. The battle at Mount Sanchai gathered six, leaving four more..."
Qin Dong muttered to himself.
He did not know that Fang Chen, sitting right next to him, had turned an extremely grim shade of color.
Fang Chen suddenly discovered that the battle at Mount Sanchai had grave underlying issues; behind the sacrifice of six hundred thousand soldiers, it wasn't simply due to his own arrogance and inflated pride.
The Blood Spirit Cult likely played some crucial role in it as well, while he, a fool, had been kept completely in the dark all along.
Had it not been for catching sight of the fairy in the scorching sun, which granted him the ability of soul projection; had it not been for Senior Yunhe imparting the cultivation method to him...
Perhaps even to this day, he would still only see the surface and remain blind to the truth.
The consequences... simply too horrifying to contemplate!
"Currently, it seems the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, but in reality, the enemy is in the light while we are in the dark. They know I've recovered my cultivation, but they don't know I've stepped onto the Immortal Path, nor do they know of the existence of the Purple Lightning Talisman. Even the death of Daoist Priest Xue is unknown to them; they still think he is pursuing Xiao Shennü."
Fang Chen calculated silently in his heart.
This was his existing advantage.
How to utilize this advantage to expand it required careful deliberation.
Longji Market.
Perhaps it was an opportunity.
Fang Chen's soul appeared in the sky, slowly following behind the old woman. Seeing her head toward the East City Gate, he allowed his soul to return to his physical body.
Not long after, an unassuming carriage drove out of the Fang Estate.
"Keep heading straight east."
Inside the carriage came Fang Chen's calm voice. Tie Ma, who was driving, nodded slightly. Though he didn't know where Fang Chen was heading, his only job was to drive.
"Old Huang, this carriage is a bit small. You'll have to bear with it."
Fang Chen smiled at Huang Sihai.
Huang Sihai's towering physique sat upright inside the carriage, practically occupying the entire space and making it feel cramped, but he just smiled unconcernedly:
"Young Master, I'm already very satisfied just being able to come out for a breath of fresh air, let alone traveling with the Young Master?"
"Mhm. Those Strength Talismans, Swiftness Talismans, and Vajra Talismans I gave you—when trouble arises, remember not to be stingy. Channel your internal qi to activate them and use them all."
Fang Chen smiled and nodded, then closed his eyes as his soul projected once again.
Ten miles outside the carriage, the old woman moved like a vigorous steed, flying continuously toward the east. At her speed, she could cover at least sixteen hundred miles in a day!
A Dan Qi Warrior could probably achieve this as well, but not with her ease. This was the difference between spiritual qi and internal qi; the two were fundamentally different, with spiritual qi being much higher grade.
"Southwest."
"Take the left path ahead."
"Cross the river."
Every so often, Fang Chen would open his eyes to instruct Tie Ma on the route.
Unawares, three days passed.
"Stop the carriage."
Fang Chen instructed.
Tie Ma slowly brought the carriage to a halt. This was a desolate mountainous region with nothing around.
"Young Master, we have already crossed the borders of Great Xia at this moment..."
Tie Ma surveyed his surroundings, his gaze rather vigilant.
"I know."
Fang Chen poked his head out of the carriage, tossed a mask to Tie Ma, and pointed in a direction. "Put it on, then walk in that direction. Remember to hand this thing to the guards when you arrive at the place."
With that, he handed Tie Ma a spirit stone.
Chapter 39: Longji Market
The carriage soon drove past a small hill. Beyond it, there was a sudden sensation of finding a new vista after a turn in the path, and not far away, a bustling market was nestled in the valley.
"A martial artist?"
There were several guards at the entrance of the valley. One of them caught sight of Tie Ma, glanced sharply into the carriage, and then said:
"Do you have a Longji Token?"