"Flying Snow City."

Fang Shuwen wasn’t bothered by Qin Hu trying to keep him in suspense. He simply uttered those three words nonchalantly.

But to Qin Hu’s ears, those three words were like a sudden clap of thunder.

He looked at Fang Shuwen, his face a mask of shock.

"You... knew?"

Seeing his reaction, Fang Shuwen couldn’t tell if it was genuine or just an act. Not that he cared. He simply said:

"I had some guesses, but I wasn’t entirely sure. Now, hearing you say that, Leader Qin, I think I’ve pretty much got it.

"What I don’t know is, who in Flying Snow City wants them dead?"

Qin Hu studied Fang Shuwen again. So far, Fang Shuwen hadn’t said whether he would accept the truce or not...

Instead, he just kept asking him questions.

And yet, at this very moment, Qin Hu had no choice but to answer.

"To be honest, someone came to the Fierce Tiger Gang with the Lingxiao Order, relaying a command from City Lord Wu Lingxiao to intercept and kill those two."

That one sentence explained Qin Hu’s entire predicament.

Fang Shuwen’s expression turned a little strange.

’So, from Qin Hu’s perspective, he thought he was carrying out Wu Lingxiao’s orders all along, trying to kill the two people on their way to Flying Snow City to save Wu Lingxiao’s life?’

’His complete change in attitude now must be because of Chen Qi, then.’

When Bai Liuxian was explaining things, Chen Qi was fighting Huamei Niang not far away.

So he must have overheard.

If Qin Hu wasn’t just putting on an act today, Fang Shuwen could only imagine the storm that must have raged in his heart when Chen Qi brought him the news.

But he had no one to blame but himself. Fang Shuwen glanced at Qin Hu.

"So, Leader Qin, before you try to kill someone, don’t you investigate who they are first?"

"I did."

Qin Hu said:

"I just couldn’t find anything...

"Besides, they were being escorted by Young Chief Lu, so... I didn’t take them seriously."

’That part was most likely true.’

After a pause, Qin Hu continued:

"Thinking back now, the intelligence on those two must have been deliberately concealed..."

Fang Shuwen nodded. Flying Snow City, Jinghua Pavilion... neither of them would want this information to get out.

After all, it involved Wu Lingxiao’s life. There were many things beyond the Fierce Tiger Gang’s ability to investigate.

It wasn’t until Chen Qi told Qin Hu their true identities and the real situation that he finally realized what he had been doing.

He had always thought he was working for Flying Snow City, so he wasn’t worried about offending anyone.

Only now did he realize he had been a stumbling block on the path to saving Wu Lingxiao’s life.

Furthermore, Fang Shuwen’s Martial Arts were far beyond his expectations.

If he didn’t come to sue for peace today and find a way to resolve the conflict, he probably wouldn’t be able to stop Fang Shuwen anyway. A man who could kill Flesh King Cao Jiuyin was not someone the Fierce Tiger Gang could afford to provoke.

When that time came, those two people would still be delivered to Flying Snow City.

After Wu Lingxiao was saved, his Fierce Tiger Gang would inevitably face retribution.

And because of what happened with Fang Shuwen, he had indirectly offended the Seven Great Sects of the Eastern Domain...

One could say the Fierce Tiger Gang was now walking a very dangerous tightrope.

It might seem stable, but the slightest misstep would send them plunging into an abyss.

Fang Shuwen understood Qin Hu’s predicament but didn’t particularly care. After all, he could laugh off the Fierce Tiger Gang hunting Lu Guiyan, but hunting Mo Beidou? That was not something he could let go of so easily.

He had held back earlier only because he wanted to get more information from Qin Hu’s lips.

Therefore, Fang Shuwen simply asked:

"So, Leader Qin... who exactly was the person from Flying Snow City who carried the Lingxiao Order and told you to kill them?"

"He called himself Liu Qi. Plain-looking, nothing special about him, around forty years old. He claimed to hold the position of Chief Steward in Flying Snow City.

"I have never been to Flying Snow City, so I don’t know if what he said was true or not."

Qin Hu answered honestly.

Fang Shuwen looked thoughtful.

"Did this person have any distinguishing features?"

"Features..."

Qin Hu nodded.

"He has a black birthmark, about the size of a copper coin, on his left jaw."

As soon as he said this, Lu Guiyan subconsciously looked toward Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen tapped his fingers lightly on his chair, then smiled.

"Now, to get back to the matter at hand. Leader Qin, since you intend to sue for peace, I wonder what sincerity you’ve brought?"

Hearing this, Qin Hu let out a long breath and took something out from his robes.

It was a Seal, carved entirely from white jade. Its base was square, and perched on top was a fierce tiger with upturned eyes.

He presented it to Fang Shuwen with both hands.

"This is called the Fierce Tiger Seal. It is the token of the leader of my Fierce Tiger Gang.

"To see the seal is to see the leader. With this, Young Hero Fang, you can command the four Hall Masters and thousands of brothers of my Fierce Tiger Gang."

Fang Shuwen’s expression flickered, and he looked at Qin Hu with a hint of astonishment.

"Leader Qin, that’s quite a grand gesture."

"To be honest, Young Hero Fang, you are a dragon among men. Although I don’t know why you’re currently with a small Escort Agency, your future is surely limitless."

Qin Hu said:

"This seal is not just for making peace; it’s also a wager.

"If we can gain Young Hero Fang’s protection, perhaps the Fierce Tiger Gang will also have... a boundless future."

Fang Shuwen took the so-called ’Fierce Tiger Seal’ from Qin Hu’s hands and toyed with it for a moment.

Then, to Qin Hu’s astonishment, he placed the Fierce Tiger Seal back on the table and pushed it toward him.

"I’m not interested in your Fierce Tiger Gang.

"However, your men hunted my senior brother and injured Young Chief Lu. This matter can’t be settled so easily.

"How about this: compensation.

"The grievances my senior brother and Young Chief Lu suffered at the hands of your Fierce Tiger Gang... convert it all to cash.

"Give me a few thousand in Gold, and we’ll let this matter drop."

"This..."

Qin Hu was stunned. He could barely maintain his composure.

Fang Shuwen narrowed his eyes at him.

"What, you’re not willing?"

"...I am!"

Qin Hu said immediately.

"Someone, bring the silver notes!"

He was well-prepared. A box was brought over quickly.

When opened, it was stuffed full of silver notes.

Fang Shuwen took it and sifted through them. Although they were called silver notes, they were denominated in Gold, enough to withdraw about three thousand taels of it.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright. As far as I’m concerned, this matter is now closed. As long as the Fierce Tiger Gang doesn’t court death again, I won’t come looking for trouble.

"Our business here is done. We’ll be on our way."

With that, he handed the silver notes to Lu Guiyan, gave him a look, and their group continued north.

"Brother Chen, I’ll have to trouble you."

Qin Hu watched them go without trying to stop them, speaking softly.

Chen Qi said nothing more and silently followed behind the Lu’an Escort Agency’s group.

After they had all disappeared from sight, Tang Linfeng slowly walked to Qin Hu’s side.

"Leader, about that other matter, should we really not tell..."

Before he could finish, Qin Hu shot him a fierce glare, and he didn’t dare say another word.

"Give the order. We’re leaving."

Qin Hu said slowly, and Tang Linfeng and the others responded in affirmation.