Elder Shixian felt his life was just plain miserable.

All he wanted was to rest his feet for the night and put on a little shadow puppet show for his own amusement. Instead, he had to run into this mess.

Not only did he perform a shadow puppet show for nothing, but his stall had even been flipped over by that blockhead Xu Yuqing.

When Fang Shuwen killed Tong Tianba, he had indeed wanted to leave.

But this young man was so unpredictable that Elder Shixian didn’t dare provoke him. ’What if he decides he wants me to stay, and I sneak off...? If the young man comes hunting for me later, these old bones won’t be able to handle it.’

And so, he had stayed until now.

Only to be stumped by another one of Fang Shuwen’s lines...

Elder Shixian’s eyes darted back and forth.

"So... I’ll be on my way, then?"

He said as he rose to leave.

"Wait."

Fang Shuwen’s voice came from behind him.

Elder Shixian sighed helplessly.

"Young man, if you’re going to kill me or cut me to pieces, just get it over with."

"...It doesn’t have to be like that."

Fang Shuwen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’I’m clearly gentle and courteous, and I never kill the innocent. Why does everyone always jump to killing and dismemberment?’

"I’m just a little curious... was that story of yours true or false?"

Elder Shixian hadn’t expected Fang Shuwen to ask this. He sighed and sat back down.

"It’s true. The master who was poisoned and betrayed... was me."

Hearing this, Lu Guiyan couldn’t help but look up.

"Senior, you vanished from the Jianghu for five years. Could it be...?"

"A narrow escape from death. Had to recover from my injuries, you see."

Elder Shixian grinned, his demeanor surprisingly carefree.

"But this is one matter I can’t just let go of."

"Back then, I saw how pitiful he was, so I taught him Martial Arts. I never imagined I was raising an ungrateful wolf."

Fang Shuwen nodded.

"He received the great kindness of being taught your skills, yet not only did he fail to repay you, he even turned on his own master. He truly deserves to die."

"If I ever meet him, I’ll help you clean up your sect, old sir."

Elder Shixian’s eyes lit up.

"Do you truly mean that?"

"A gentleman’s word."

Fang Shuwen said with a smile,

"Such a treacherous disciple who betrays his master is someone everyone has the right to execute."

Elder Shixian was overjoyed for a moment, but then he sighed again.

"Unfortunately, I have no idea where that brat is now..."

"I only know that after that, he started wreaking havoc all over the Jianghu."

"He even uses the shadow puppetry I taught him to skin people, turn them into puppets, and perform ghost plays!"

"How utterly outrageous!"

Lu Guiyan was taken aback.

"Senior, the person you’re speaking of... could it be the Ghost Scholar?"

"He does indeed go by that moniker."

Elder Shixian couldn’t help but sigh again.

"If I had known, I would have just let him be beaten to death on the street by those bullies..."

Lu Guiyan took a deep breath.

"The Ghost Scholar has risen to prominence in recent years. His methods are vicious and his Martial Arts are ruthless. He is already a notorious figure in the Jianghu’s Demon Dao."

"But to think that he was actually your disciple, Senior..."

"It’s shameful to say... I was a poor judge of character."

Elder Shixian lamented.

Fang Shuwen frowned, pondering for a long while before suddenly asking,

"Are you talking about a scholar with a deathly pale face?"

"Young friend, have you seen my treacherous disciple?"

Elder Shixian’s head snapped up to look at Fang Shuwen.

Lu Guiyan couldn’t help but look over as well.

Fang Shuwen gave a wry smile.

"If it really is him... then you don’t need to look for him anymore, old sir."

"Half a month ago, I saw him at Zhuji Pavilion. I’ve already killed him with a single palm strike."

At the time, Fang Shuwen hadn’t known who the man was. After all, he hadn’t arrived yet when their identities were being introduced.

He had treated them all as miscellaneous thugs helping a villain and killed them in passing.

It was only later that Zhou Qingmei told him that the people he had killed all had significant backgrounds.

Qing Yangzi, the Ghost Scholar, Monk Jile—not a single one of them was an easy opponent.

But Fang Shuwen hadn’t paid it any mind at the time. ’After all, why bother caring about a dead man?’

Tonight, he had happened to run into this Elder Shixian, and as one thing led to another, he learned that the Ghost Scholar was his disciple.

Elder Shixian was stunned.

"Is what you say true?"

"Zhuji Pavilion isn’t far from here. If you don’t believe me, old sir, you’re free to go and ask around."

Fang Shuwen said with a smile,

"Zuo Qingshuang and Xu Chongshan were in the main hall of the front mountain that day, along with many disciples of Zhuji Pavilion."

"HAHAHAHA!!!"

When Elder Shixian heard this, he knew it had to be true.

Ever since he was poisoned by the Ghost Scholar and had narrowly escaped with his life, his greatest preoccupation had been to clean up his sect.

Because no matter what, he was the one who had planted this seed, and he bore a portion of the responsibility for every person who died at the Ghost Scholar’s hands.

This pain had tormented the old man day and night.

Now, hearing Fang Shuwen’s words, he finally felt a weight lift from his heart.

Looking at Fang Shuwen again, he found him more and more pleasing to the eye.

’If I didn’t know that Fang Shuwen’s Martial Arts were superior to my own, I would have wanted to take him as a disciple.’

Elder Shixian stood up and cupped his fists.

"Thank you, young friend, for ridding me of this great burden. Unfortunately, I am a man of no possessions... I see you’re quite fond of that Fierce Tiger Fist manual, which shows you are truly one who loves Martial Arts."

"I also have a manual here. I will gift it to you, young friend, as a token of my gratitude."

As he spoke, he took a manual from his sleeve and offered it with both hands.

Fang Shuwen thought for a moment but didn’t refuse.

He was indeed lacking in various techniques right now.

But when he took the manual and looked at it by the firelight, he saw that it was a Lightweight Technique called Cyan Cloud Step.

Fang Shuwen’s eyes immediately lit up.

’A Lightweight Technique! Perfect! That’s what I need most.’

He immediately smiled and said,

"In that case, I’ll accept it."

"Haha, good, I’m glad you’ve accepted."

Elder Shixian thought for a moment, walked over to the fire, opened his bundle, and took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. After writing a note, he placed it in Fang Shuwen’s hand.

"This is where I’m currently staying. In the future, if you, young hero, run into any trouble in the Jianghu..."

"...you need only find someone to send a message and let me know."

"I will come, even if I must travel to the ends of the earth!"

"That’s all for tonight. I won’t disturb you any longer. Farewell!!"

Fang Shuwen also cupped his fist in return.

Elder Shixian was quite dashing. After packing his things, he quickly strode away.

He was singing a tune, his melodious opera voice traveling farther and farther as he walked, until it gradually faded into silence.

Fang Shuwen withdrew his gaze and suddenly smiled.

’This is the Jianghu, I suppose... You never know what kind of person you’ll meet, or when. You never know what might happen, or when it will occur. You could meet anyone, and anything could happen. That’s what makes the Jianghu so interesting.’

He gently poked the bonfire, making the flames burn a little brighter. The night was already more than half over.

Fang Shuwen got up, walked over to Mo Beidou, and gently tapped his shoulder.

Mo Beidou hadn’t been sleeping soundly. He opened his eyes, and seeing Fang Shuwen, his face showed confusion.

Fang Shuwen gave him a meaningful look, then turned and walked away.

Only then did Mo Beidou quietly follow...