After the phone call, Zhong Long still couldn’t believe it. It took a long while before he eventually calmed down.
Entering the living room, he saw Ye Wenjun sitting on the sofa lost in thought and walked over, asking, "Wenjun, what are you thinking about?"
"I’m wondering why Ye Mengmeng would call him Master," Ye Wenjun replied.
"Ye Mengmeng is calling Fang Yu Master?"
"Um."
"Although Ye Mengmeng looks honest and simple, he’s actually a clever guy. Maybe he is afraid of Fang Yu getting close to you," Zhong Long analyzed.
"The Fang Family was annihilated by the Jin Family and Zhao Family back in the day, and Fang Yu is their enemy. If it’s about being afraid of Fang Yu getting close to me, why wouldn’t they send someone to kill Fang Yu?" Ye Wenjun furrowed her brows.
This was the part she couldn’t figure out.
Zhong Long sighed. How would the young miss know that Fang Yu’s strength was at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Realm? With this level of power, even the Jin Family would have to weigh their options. Killing someone was just a matter of lowering one’s head; it’s all about what price one is willing to pay.
"Do you really hope Fang Yu dies?" Zhong Long asked.
"That’s not it... Although Fang Yu is somewhat incompetent, he’s still not a bad person."
"Since that’s the case, young miss, you don’t have to worry about him," Zhong Long said.
"What do you mean, Grandpa Zhong?"
"The Hidden Dragon Guards will protect his safety."
Upon hearing this, Ye Wenjun’s pretty face revealed a touch of surprise, astonished that her father was willing to let the Hidden Dragon Guards protect Fang Yu...
But is it worth it?
...
...
In Yanjing, at the Zhao Family.
Slap!
The youthful-looking Zhao Youdao smashed the cup in his hand and accused, "Wuyan, was it you who orchestrated the attack on Ye Wenjun in the market?"
Zhao Wuyan’s face turned pale with panic, "No, it wasn’t me—"
"Lies!"
Frightened, Zhao Wuyan knelt on the ground, pleading, "Grandfather, even if I had the courage of the heavens, I wouldn’t dare to do such a thing! Fang Yu was also there at the time; he’s at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer. How could I choose that time to make a move?"
Hearing this, Zhao Youdao’s brows were tightly furrowed, and he slowly sat back down.
"Truly not you?"
"Grandfather, I swear to the heavens! It absolutely wasn’t me! Wenjun is the woman I desire, and in the future, she will be the bond that unites the marriage between the Zhao Family and Ye Family, I wouldn’t do such a thing!"
Zhao Youdao gradually calmed down.
"Alright, stand up and speak."
Only then did Zhao Wuyan dare to get up.
Zhao Youdao stood up, his hands behind his back, walked to the window, and said with a frown, "Could it be... the Jin Family?"
"The Jin family has no reason to do such a foolish thing," replied Zhao Wuyan, having calmed down, "It’s unlikely for a Martial Arts Family to use such a method to attack Ye Wenjun."
Zhao Youdao nodded; indeed, it was true.
So, it was strange.
Who exactly was targeting Ye Wenjun?
Suddenly, Zhao Youdao caught a key piece of information and said, "Did you just say Fang Yu was also present?"
"Yes, it was Fang Yu’s car, with Wenjun sitting in the passenger seat..."
Zhao Youdao huffed, "The car accident wasn’t targeting Ye Wenjun..."
"Grandfather means..."
"Correct, someone must have wanted to kill Fang Yu. And this person lacks the ability," Zhao Youdao had already thought of who it might be.
Zhao Wuyan’s eyes widened as he said, "Grandfather is saying—Ji Qiubai?!"
The answer was self-evident.
"I remember now, Ji Qiubai once tried to contact me, but I refused him. At the time, I thought Ji Qiubai wasn’t a significant threat, so I sided with his archenemy Sun Guoting. I never expected Sun Guoting to be killed by Fang Yu."
Zhao Wuyan slowly said, "Now Ji Qiubai has firmly secured the position of the top dog in Jiangzhou... That’s a hot potato, he’s really bold!"
"Wuyan, although you’re very smart, you’re not as good as Ji Qiubai in terms of cunning and strategy." Zhao Youdao stood with his hands behind his back and spoke indifferently, "Ji Qiubai is not a martial artist, but he has managed to become the top dog of Jiangzhou. Who else could achieve that?"
Zhao Wuyan was truly at a loss for words this time.
Indeed, Ji Qiubai’s depth of character and various calculations allowed him to hold his ground in an era filled with Martial Arts Families, which was extremely challenging!
"Grandfather, since Ji Qiubai wants to kill Fang Yu, he must be very eager to find a reliable master fighter. Since that’s the case, why not follow the current to help him seek out the Lu Family?" suggested Zhao Wuyan.
Zhao Youdao turned to look at him, nodded, and said, "Tell me your thoughts."
"We provide the connections, and Ji Qiubai is certainly willing to pay. The Lu Family is filled with Martial Arts Fifth Layer experts. I believe they would be very interested in accepting such a high bounty task, right?" Zhao Wuyan said.
"That’s indeed a good idea. But it’s still not foolproof," Zhao Youdao continued, "Fang Yu’s biggest mistake was coming to Yanjing. Now that he’s here, then Jiangzhou..."
Once Fang Yu left, Jiangzhou naturally became Ji Qiubai’s world.
"I understand... I’ll send someone to Jiangzhou," Zhao Wuyan’s eyes gleamed with light.
To this day, it was no longer feasible to cling to any gentleman’s code. Survival was the first priority.
...
Meanwhile.
After leaving Ye Wenjun’s villa, Fang Yu pondered where to stay temporarily.
After some thought, he could only decide to stay with Sun Qing.
On the roadside, he hailed a cab and, after almost an hour, he arrived outside an old-fashioned looking small building.
Seeing the entrance, Fang Yu couldn’t help but wonder, "Shouldn’t there be a signboard? Why is there just a placard?"
Indeed, there was no signboard hanging under the eaves, which seemed somewhat awkward.
The placard bore a few bold characters: "King of Acupuncture Is Here."
"That old geezer Sun Qing sure doesn’t mince his words; he’s even calling himself the King of Acupuncture."
Fang Yu stepped onto the staircase, looked around, but saw no one... That’s not right, after the Jiangzhou epidemic ended, Sun Qing had returned—he shouldn’t still be in Jiangzhou. How could there be no one here?
As he walked in, a young man in his twenties with an expressionless face walked out.
The young man gave Fang Yu a once-over and said indifferently, "We’re not treating patients today, you can go."
Fang Yu smiled and said, "I’m not here for treatment, I’m looking for someone."
"Who are you looking for?"
"Sun Qing."
The young man’s face changed, "What do you want with my master?"
"I’m his friend," Fang Yu said with a smile.
The young man huffed slightly and said coolly, "I’m sorry, my master isn’t here, please leave."
Not here?
Fang Yu frowned, "When will he be back?"
"That’s hard to say, maybe three days, maybe ten days or half a month," the young man answered.
Fang Yu was no ordinary person; his gaze lingered on the young man for a moment, and then he smiled, "What’s your name?"
"Are you asking me?"
"Yes, you."
"I’ll say... hey, are you crazy, why should I tell you my name?" The young man became a bit irritated.
"Young man, Sun Qing is clearly here, yet you insist he’s not. That’s not good..." Fang Yu walked in with his hands behind his back, his voice grew louder, "Tell him Fang Yu is here."
"Get out, get out... Are you nuts?"
"Me, nuts? I’ve already given him face by stepping onto this staircase. I didn’t make him come out to welcome me personally, yet he still wants to reach for the sky?"
Hearing this, the young man’s eyes widened.
"You’re insulting my master?!"
—
PS: If you think it’s good, please cast your vote. I don’t usually interact with readers much, and friends have also suggested I engage more with everyone, ask for votes and such—to boost popularity and to see how much potential there is. Anyway, it’s free, isn’t it? Thank you; this book is about to finish. I’ll start working hard on writing and preparing for a burst of releases.