Several days later, at night.
Behind the Fang residence.
A mass of dark clouds suddenly appeared, obscuring the moonlight.
In the dimness, the back door slowly opened, and a figure slipped out.
This figure looked around cautiously, making sure no one noticed him before bending down and skirting along the street corner, then suddenly darting into a civilian house.
"Hehe... He Lao Fu, you've finally come!"
Inside the room lit by an oil lamp, a tall masked man sneered at House Steward Fu.
"I have done everything as you instructed. Where is my grandson?" Fu, the steward, replied stiffly.
If it weren't for his beloved grandson being taken as a hostage, he would never betray his master.
"Hmph, where did that person go during the time he disappeared? And where is his gold and silver hidden?" the masked man inquired.
"How would I know? That man is always cautious." Fu sighed. "I've entered his room several times, but found nothing... Please return my grandson to me. I want to flee!"
Although he didn't know the origin of Fang Xi, seeing the precision in his actions and attention to detail, Fu knew he must have a significant background, perhaps even a young master from a wealthy family!
Betraying such a master, Fu only thought about escaping for his life!
"Our agreement was that you must gather useful information," the masked man scolded. "You are useless, no wonder you almost starved to death back then!"
"Yes... I never expected that I saved you when you and your grandson were almost starving on the roadside, and yet you betrayed me."
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the window.
"What?"
Both Fu and the masked man looked out the window in astonishment.
Bang!
The door suddenly burst open, and Fang Xi swaggered in.
"Die!"
In the next instant, the masked man leaped high into the air, his leg swinging down like a giant axe.
He reacted quickly. Upon spotting someone, he immediately chose to act!
"Indeed, it's the Red Snake Leg!" Fang Xi laughed and struck out with a palm.
His palm arrived before the leg, like a wall, intercepting the leg from top to bottom.
Bang!
In the collision between the palm and the leg, the masked man crashed through a window and flew out.
"What a great White Cloud Palm!"
A hoarse voice sounded as Fang Xi chased to the window, only to see the figure swiftly disappearing around the street corner.
Fang Xi didn't pursue, turning around to face the pale and flushed-faced Fu.
"Master, I apologize for my actions!"
Fu suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "It's all because of that damned masked man. He kidnapped my grandson and forced me to work for him."
"He Lao Fu, I understand your situation. You have served as the steward well. But betraying me, even once, means you can never be trusted again. Go on your way!"
"What?" Fu looked up in shock, his expression filled with disbelief.
He never imagined that the smiling and amiable master he knew would have such a cold side!
However, before he could say more, a dark palm silently pressed on top of his head.
A layer of black energy enveloped Fu's face, and after writhing on the ground for a few moments, he turned into a lifeless body.
"For betraying me for your grandson, I can understand. But it doesn't mean I have to forgive you. I am only responsible for sending you to the underworld. Forgiveness is up to the King of Hell."
Fang Xi withdrew his palm, turned, and left.
In fact, he had another reason to kill Fu.
After betraying him, Fu had changed his address from 'master' to 'that person' after a few words from the masked man. This indicated that even under duress, Fu might still harbor some resentment.
"Judging from his handling of affairs, he might be from a scholarly family. It's a pity to have him as a steward... Scholars are often proud and reluctant to be servants. Overthinking leads to weighing pros and cons, and unfaithfulness is common among scholars. Truly spoken!"
Fang Xi returned to the mansion, quickly forgetting about Fu.
As for Fu's grandson, he would let him fend for himself. Such insignificant ants wouldn't stir any emotions in him.
The next day.
The maids, including Yuegui, stood in a row, their eyes on their noses and noses on their hearts, not daring to make any movements.
A few of them were trembling with fear.
Because Fang Xi had called someone over today and sold off several maids and servants who were close to Steward Fu.
"Master, have mercy, spare me!" one maid wailed, but Fang Xi remained expressionless, stirring the tea in his cup.
The maids and servants had no personal freedom. Once sold off again, they might not be as fortunate to have a kind master and could end up in the lowest brothels!
The scene was pitiful, and even Yuegui felt sorry, but she dared not say a word.
She knew very well that if she said too much, Fang Xi might sell her off as well.
"Thank you, Master Fang. Here is the payment for selling us."
The middleman looked at Fang Xi, grinning widely. This was a big customer.
He respectfully presented a bag of silver.
"Never mind, take this silver and have some tea on me."
Fang Xi stood up, looking at Yuegui. "From now on, the steward of this mansion will no longer be Fu, but you. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
The maids and servants quickly bowed.
After settling the matters at the mansion, Fang Xi changed into casual clothes and walked out confidently.
Although the masked man from last night was a formidable expert at the Blood Refinement stage, Fang Xi could easily defeat him if he used his trump cards.
He chose not to act immediately, wanting to lure out the bigger fish.
Moreover, how could ordinary people defend against the methods of cultivators? This was the advantage of lowering one's level to strike.
"The tracking methods at this time are limited to suspecting me of using some incense or having animals track me... After the masked man escapes, he will likely destroy his clothes and maybe even shed a layer of skin..."
Fang Xi strolled through the streets, then turned into a corner and took out a jade bottle from his pocket.
After uncorking it, a pure white Spirit-Seeking Bee flew out.
This was a 'Spirit-Seeking Bee,' naturally sensitive to spiritual energy. Cultivators often used them to find spiritual nodes in fields or pollinate spiritual flowers.
During the confrontation with the masked man last night, Fang Xi had infused a trace of his own mana into it.
"Go!"
Fang Xi formed hand seals and pointed at the Spirit-Seeking Bee.
Buzz!
The snow-white bee flew up, circled him three times, then lazily flew towards the main street.
Fang Xi followed closely behind.
Passing through the crowds, he overtook them one by one. After crossing several streets, the Spirit-Seeking Bee stopped at a wall of a courtyard.
Fang Xi approached the front gate and looked up.
The words 'Red Snake Martial Hall' were prominently displayed.
"Could it really be someone from the Red Snake Martial Hall?" Fang Xi muttered, rubbing his chin. "It's not entirely impossible..."
However, after a brief wait, the Spirit-Seeking Bee circled once and flew off in another direction.
Fang Xi thought there might be something interesting and continued to follow.
After several twists and turns, he arrived at the edge of a jade-like lake.
In the lake, there seemed to be some lotus flowers, but out of season, only dried and withered lotus pods remained.
He didn't need to inquire; Fang Xi was familiar with this place.
"Yuanhe Mountain?"
After confirming, Fang Xi recalled the Spirit-Seeking Bee and smirked. "I didn't expect... I haven't provoked you yet, and you're already provoking me?"
"Moreover... trying to frame the Red Snake Martial Hall..."
If Fang Xi had followed the trail last night, he would likely have found the Red Snake Martial Hall directly.
Both Lu She and She Lei had grudges against him, so it was natural for them to assume he would retaliate!
They wouldn't have thought it had anything to do with Yuanhe Mountain!
"This plan is quite malicious, probably related to Qiao Wuchang."
Thinking of the intelligence reports, Fang Xi locked onto his target.
No matter how cunning the opponent was, it was futile against absolute strength!
Fang Xi arrived at the main entrance of Yuanhe Mountain, found a tea stall, and sat down to contemplate his next move.
"Let's wait. With the newly acquired Taishui meat, I will surely break through to the True Strength realm, giving me more confidence..."
Just as Fang Xi was about to leave...
Boom!
The main gate of the Yuanhe Mountain branch opened wide, and a group of people marched out, riding swift horses, heading out of the city.
Among them, a young warrior led the way, exuding a heroic aura, followed by two slightly behind, elegant young women, leaving a deep impression.
"Isn't that Commander Linghu and Officer Chun?" Some people at the tea stall recognized them and exclaimed, "Are they all leaving the city together? Could it be for that rampaging monster on the trade route?"
Hearing this, Fang Xi's expression changed.
"Yes... things have been increasingly turbulent outside recently. My sister married into the village, and now she regrets it, wanting to sell the land and buy a house in the city!"
A merchant in coarse clothes sighed, "First it was the Three Mountain Ridge, then Changshui River, and now the trade route... These recent monster appearances are getting too frequent, aren't they?"
"Thanks to the intervention of the martial artists!" The tea stall owner expressed his admiration for Yuanhe Mountain. "With Commander Linghu taking action this time, capturing a small monster will be a piece of cake!"
"Exactly, exactly..."
The crowd nodded in agreement and continued to enjoy their tea.
"Waiter, the bill!"
Fang Xi tossed a silver coin on the table, not interested in joining the conversation.
Instead, he thought of the monster hunting business that Han Pangzi had introduced to him.
"Perhaps these two matters are connected!"
"But the frequent appearance of these monsters is abnormal... "
Fang Xi's face showed a moment of concern, then he resumed his calm demeanor.
After all, if the sky fell, there would be tall people to hold it up!
And if danger arose, he could always escape to the Southern Wilderness cultivation realm without much trouble.
(End of Chapter)