The autumn rain fell with a desolate whisper, and half of the patrons in the teahouse had already scattered.

It was mainly the people from the merchant caravan; they had fled to a safe distance the moment the Cangwu Sword Sect disciples clashed with Qi Wuwang’s men.

Though they hadn’t left entirely, they were still watching from afar.

Fang Shuwen lifted his cup, took a sip of tea, and glanced at the waiter behind the counter. Turning his gaze back, he finally chuckled.

"So, after all that, we’re involved in this too?"

"You two, who exactly are you? Why are so many people trying to cause trouble for you?"

This last question was directed at the master and servant who were under constant protection.

The two remained silent...

It had been like this the entire journey.

They never said much to the people from the Lu’an Escort Agency, and they remained tight-lipped about their connection to Flying Snow City.

No matter who came looking for trouble, they never showed any signs of panic.

Frankly, that last part was very strange.

Although the Lu’an Escort Agency had a bit of a reputation, it couldn’t compare to a major organization like the Fierce Tiger Gang.

Yet these two showed not a hint of fear.

How could that not raise suspicion?

Fortunately, they were obedient. Whatever they were told to do, they did it honestly, without a hint of defiance.

Besides, regardless of any issues with their identities or their relationship with Flying Snow City...

Lu Guiyan had already accepted the job. Trying to re-evaluate now would be pointless.

Fang Shuwen hadn’t expected them to answer anyway. After speaking, he was about to get up.

But Lu Guiyan gently placed a hand on his wrist and looked at Qi Wuwang.

"There is no history of animosity or recent grudges between you and our Lu’an Escort Agency. Why are you looking for trouble with us?"

Fang Shuwen knew she was planning to probe for information.

So he was happy to sit back and watch.

He picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup.

Qi Wuwang let out a light chuckle.

"I’m just a hired hand, taking money to solve someone’s problems."

"Someone wants to ’invite’ these two for a trip. If the Young Chief of the Escort is willing to look the other way, out of respect for Chief Lu, I might just let you all live."

"Otherwise... I see Young Chief Lu is a peerless beauty. I have yet to ’sample’ a woman like you."

Lu Guiyan completely ignored his crude remark, her brow just furrowed slightly.

"Who wants to see them?"

"That, I cannot say."

"Then where are you taking them?"

At this, Qi Wuwang laughed.

"It seems the Young Chief of the Escort is unwilling to look the other way. In that case, there’s no point in talking further..."

The words had barely left his mouth and he was about to strike when he felt an astonishing gust of wind surge through the rain, blanketing everything as it approached.

His heart leaped. He snapped his head up and saw none other than Fang Shuwen!

Their conversation had reached a dead end. How could Fang Shuwen let this old codger get the first strike?

Seeing that Qi Wuwang was about to make his move, Fang Shuwen instantly shot up, executing Ascending the Clouds.

It was a Light Body Technique from the Cyan Cloud Step manual given to him by Elder Shixian.

With a single step, he was already in mid-air. He brought a palm strike, Vajra Tower Throwing, crashing down from above.

The Rain Curtain swirled violently. Before the palm arrived, the raindrops struck first.

The expression of Qi Wuwang, who moments ago had been wildly arrogant and murderous, changed in an instant.

With no time to think, as Fang Shuwen’s palm was already upon him, he could only roar in anger, raise both hands, and meet the blow head-on.

But he never expected that the moment their palms met, a boundless force would come crashing down, instantly surging through his entire body.

With a SQUELCH, the autumn-rain-soaked mud beneath his feet was instantly displaced as his entire body sank into the ground, leaving only the upper half of his torso exposed.

Fang Shuwen somersaulted down, landing with his hands clasped behind his back.

But how could his palm strike be so easy to receive?

Qi Wuwang was bleeding from all seven orifices. As he ended up in this state, he was still in a complete daze.

’What happened?’

’Oh, I’ve been driven into the ground...’

’Who is this person? Why did he hit me?’

The moment these questions arose, he finally felt an agonizing pain in every meridian of his body.

His meridians had been completely shattered by Fang Shuwen’s palm strike.

In that moment, he was shocked and enraged, but more than anything, he couldn’t help but feel his heart fill with terror.

Fang Shuwen turned and glanced back at Lu Guiyan.

"You can continue questioning him now."

Lu Guiyan clicked her tongue. Though it wasn’t the first time she had seen Fang Shuwen in action, it was still a shocking sight.

The merchants and guards in the distance couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

There was always someone stronger, always a higher mountain to climb!

Qi Wuwang had casually broken the Cangwu Sword Sect’s Eight-direction Wind and Rain Sword Array, which already showed his high level of Martial Arts.

But who would have thought he couldn’t even take a single palm strike from this young man and ended up being planted in the ground.

Many people stole glances at Fang Shuwen, trying to memorize his face.

Lu Guiyan had already walked out of the teahouse and stood beside Qi Wuwang.

"Who exactly hired you to take them?"

Qi Wuwang looked at Lu Guiyan, who was now standing right before him, and knew that he had been utterly defeated this time.

However, after years of committing evil deeds in the Jianghu, he had long expected this day would come sooner or later.

Hearing her question, he had no intention of putting up a futile resistance.

"I don’t know who specifically. The commission came through the Golden Bell Tower."

"The Golden Bell Tower..."

Lu Guiyan let out a slow sigh.

Fang Shuwen blinked.

"What’s the Golden Bell Tower?"

Lu Guiyan paused, then it dawned on her. Fang Shuwen was Mo Beidou’s sixteenth junior brother, a kid from the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall; of course he wouldn’t have such broad knowledge.

She was so focused on his powerful Martial Arts that she had forgotten his origins.

She immediately explained to him:

"In our Eastern Domain Martial World, aside from the Seven Great Sects, there are also some hidden organizations."

"Most of these organizations are unknown to the public, but among a select few, they are extremely famous."

"The Golden Bell Tower is one such existence."

"They are a very delicate intermediary organization. They accept all kinds of missions and then commission suitable people to carry them out, taking a cut of the payment for themselves."

"The thing is, they take any kind of job, dealing with both the righteous and the criminal underworlds. Their roots run deep."

"There’s a saying about them: ’When the Golden Bell rings, the nine directions tremble.’"

"The organization is very well-hidden, and they use a system of isolated contacts, so finding them will be difficult."

Besides, Lu Guiyan had no desire to go looking for them.

’The Fierce Tiger Gang is already a huge headache. If we add the Golden Bell Tower to the mix, what power does the Lu’an Escort Agency have to stand against them?’

’Fang Shuwen might have the power to make the Golden Bell Tower wary... but why should he have to make an enemy of such a power for our sake?’

’Is it because of the ’generous reward’ I promised him?’

Lu Guiyan was very clear-headed. They had only made it this far because of Fang Shuwen.

If he hadn’t been here, every single person from the Lu’an Escort Agency would already be dead.

’I haven’t even repaid his kindness, and now I’d be dragging him into danger. Wouldn’t that be repaying kindness with enmity?’

Lu Guiyan couldn’t bring herself to do such a thing.

’Besides, it would probably be useless even if we found them. The Golden Bell Tower most likely received the commission from someone else, and who knows how many hands it passed through before it ended up with Qi Wuwang.’

’How could it possibly be easy to investigate?’

So at this point, she didn’t want to ask any more questions. Instead, it was Fang Shuwen who spoke up.

"So, where were you originally planning to take them?"

Qi Wuwang looked up at Fang Shuwen and spat out two words:

"Qiuyue Nunnery!"

...

...