Chapter 177 - 141: Robbery
He completely disregarded Yang Yan, whom Fang Yue held captive, apparently preparing to seize the opportunity and kill them both at once.
But in the next moment...
The savage expression on the black-clad Martial Artist’s face froze completely.
He only saw a blur, then a sharp pain shot through him. His vision went dark, and he lost consciousness completely.
Fifteen minutes later, inside a nearby residence.
’I can’t believe he’s in the same group as Wang Yuangang. It seems my "meddling" tonight has dragged me into some huge trouble.’
Fang Yue glanced at Yang Yan, who lay dead beside him, killed by some unknown method. He shook his head with a wry smile.
He had just managed to interrogate some information out of the man—for instance, that this group was responsible for the recent string of child kidnappings in Xiahe County.
He even learned the name of their organization: the Blood Dragon Platform.
But just as Fang Yue was about to press him for more information on the Blood Dragon Platform, Yang Yan began bleeding from all seven orifices and died before his eyes in the space of a single breath.
Fang Yue examined the body and found no signs of poison, nor any wounds.
His brain, however, had been turned to mush.
All in all, it was a very strange way to die.
This made Fang Yue realize the group was far from simple. After all, they had committed major crimes across the various counties of Shanyang Prefecture, and even in the Prefecture City itself.
Yet they remained at large, still actively committing crimes in various places.
It was impossible that this group didn’t have powerful backers or accomplices in the Prefecture City, or perhaps even within the court of the Great Wei Dynasty.
Moreover, he found a Nameplate on the man’s body, identical to the one he had taken from Wang Yuangang.
’It seems this mysterious Blood Dragon Platform has spread throughout the entire Shanyang Prefecture,’ Fang Yue mused. ’Their influence must be immense.’
’Ah, forget it. This is beyond me. Besides, I didn’t show my face today.’
Fang Yue immediately got up and went to the adjacent courtyard.
"Thank you for saving my life, Senior! I have no way to repay such a great kindness!" the blue-robed youth said excitedly, dropping to one knee the moment he saw Fang Yue enter.
’He was already planning to ask to become the man’s disciple. In his eyes, this person had to be a master of the Qi Sensing realm.’
He himself had only just reached the Marrow Transformation stage. Despite his family’s martial heritage, he had not yet found a master.
His trip to the Prefecture City this time was not only to witness the skills of the world’s masters but also to seek a renowned teacher for himself.
’Now that he’d finally met one, how could he let the opportunity slip by?’
"Thank you for saving our lives, Senior!"
The wealthy young man at his side also hurried forward to express his gratitude, promising a handsome reward and insisting that he would treat Fang Yue to a lavish reception once they reached Shanyang Prefecture.
"Heh heh. It’s good that you’re grateful," Fang Yue said with a chuckle. "Now, hand over all your valuables."
With another chuckle, Fang Yue shamelessly demanded payment, leaving the others staring in stunned silence.
’He’d gone out of his way to save them today; it was only fair they compensate him for his trouble.’
’Besides, he was already being magnanimous by overlooking their earlier mockery and disrespect.’
’They should be thanking their lucky stars for his benevolence.’
A moment later, Fang Yue weighed the two money pouches in his hands, a smile spreading across his face. He then mounted the blue-robed youth’s fine steed and quickly rode off into the distance.
Of course, Fang Yue did leave them a little broken silver and instructed them to take the rescued children to the Government Office in the nearest county.
~~~~~~
「Five days later.」
Fang Yue finally arrived in Shanyang Prefecture.
Gazing at the towering city walls ahead, Fang Yue felt a surge of heroic sentiment. ’I’m back.’
He wasn’t sure if it was because the Prefecture Examination was approaching, but the number of people coming and going from Shanyang Prefecture was far greater than on his previous visit.
"Hey, Senior! Wait for me, wait for me!"
Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
Fang Yue turned to see a familiar face—it was the blue-robed youth from before.
However, the once-dashing youth now looked clearly exhausted.
His blue robes were caked with mud, his once-neat hair was a mess, and his face was covered in stubble. He looked like a refugee on the run.
"Oh! It’s you. My apologies, I mistook you for someone else."
After blurting this out, the blue-robed youth, who now clearly recognized Fang Yue, fell silent.
Fang Yue shook his head slightly, gave the youth a polite fist-and-palm salute, and then disappeared into the crowd.
’I can’t believe it was him.’
The blue-robed youth had just spotted a familiar-looking figure from behind. He thought of the man he had wanted to take as his master—the one who had then robbed him blind—and a rush of hot-headed anger had propelled him forward.
And he hadn’t been mistaken about the back being familiar.
It just wasn’t the man he’d thought it was. It was the other person he’d briefly met on the road.
~~~~~~~
Melding back into the crowd, Fang Yue soon entered Shanyang Prefecture City.
He recognized the familiar streets and the riverbank, and soon arrived at the inn where he had stayed on his last visit.
However, Fang Yue quickly discovered the inn was full.
Even when he offered to pay extra, there were no rooms available.
With no other choice, he left and walked two more streets before finding another inn near the banks of the Firework River.
As soon as he stepped inside, an enthusiastic inn-hand greeted him, making Fang Yue feel right at home.
"Looking for a room, sir? We’ve still got three of our best rooms available. Shall I get one for you?"
Fang Yue nodded and then asked, "Friend, how is it that every other inn is full, but you still have vacancies?"
Fang Yue was curious. He had passed several inns and taverns, and all of them had been full.
After all, the Prefecture Examination was about to begin.
Countless Martial Artists were flocking to the Prefecture City from every county in the region.
When you added their servants, carriages, and horses, the number was even larger.
Furthermore, Martial Scholars were a high-spending demographic. Their mass convergence on the Prefecture City naturally drove up local business.
As a result, traveling merchants and farmers from the surrounding areas would also gather here, either seeking business opportunities or looking for work.
So, the closer an inn was to the Government Office, the more popular it was.
This inn wasn’t particularly far from the Government Office, so it was strange that it wasn’t full.
"Well... our inn is right next to the Flower Boat Willow Lane. It’s not very quiet at night, so... we tend to have fewer guests..."
The inn-hand was honest and told him the truth.
’The Flower Boat Willow Lane... that explains it.’
It was just across a narrow river. If he listened carefully, he could already hear the faint sound of decadent music.
Come nighttime, a Martial Artist with their heightened senses might truly find it impossible to sleep.
Martial Artists were full of vigorous blood and Qi. If they were to be tempted by such distractions and lingered in the red-light district, it would surely affect their performance in the Prefecture Examination.
Given that, it was no wonder so few people were willing to stay at this inn right now.
Fang Yue, however, had no such concerns. After all, his strength far surpassed that of most Martial Artists who had achieved Great Success in Marrow Transformation.
Leaving aside his Talent, his strength alone was double that of an ordinary Martial Artist of Great Success in Marrow Transformation. Passing the Prefecture Examination would not be difficult for him.
After paying for the room, Fang Yue followed the inn-hand to his room on the second floor.
After settling in, he took a hot bath, changed his clothes, and tidied himself up. He looked much refreshed afterward.
This was the customary "washing away the dust of the road." The distances between cities in ancient times were vast. A journey could often take ten to fifteen days, and for farther destinations, it could stretch to half a year or even longer.
A traveler would arrive travel-worn and dust-covered, with a scruffy beard.
After cleaning up, Fang Yue opened the window. At some point, it had started to rain again.
The cold rain fell, adding to the chill in the air.
Then, Fang Yue emptied the contents of his satchel onto the table.
Broken silver, silver banknotes, golden leaves, two books, a Jade Token, and two vials of Elixirs.
All of these items, of course, were from his recent "harvest."
The silver banknotes and books were the main contribution from the black market merchant, the golden leaves and Jade Token were from the wealthy young master, and the broken silver came from the blue-robed youth.
Of course, the youth had also contributed a prized horse.
However, the white steed was too conspicuous, so he had sold it before reaching Jincheng.