Chapter 85 - 82: Misunderstanding
Chapter 85: Chapter 82: Misunderstanding
"So that’s how it was?"
"No wonder."
Fang Yue woke up the hidden Wang Teng and, after a round of interrogation, finally understood the full story.
It turned out the uncle and nephew had leaked the secret recipe for roasted tea, which led to Huang’s Tea House releasing their own version.
By doing so, they had betrayed the Martial Arts Hall.
Hall Master Zheng had gone to confront them, intending to cripple Wang Teng’s Martial Arts as punishment for the pair.
But he hadn’t expected Wang Yuangang to attack him so brazenly.
The uncle and nephew were then injured by Hall Master Zheng and fled Xiahe County Town.
To think that Fang Yue would run into them here.
And that’s what led to the events from before.
Wang Yuangang held a grudge against the White Tiger Martial Arts Hall, against Hall Master Zheng, and against Zhang Boyang.
When he encountered Fang Yue, he redirected all that resentment and killing intent onto him.
Unfortunately for him, he ended up being killed by Fang Yue in return.
Such is the way of the world, truly lamentable.
As for Wang Teng, Fang Yue naturally killed him. Having already killed the man’s own uncle, why would he leave the nephew of an enemy alive?
Killing them both was the only way to eliminate any future trouble.
’Hm? What’s this? A Token?’
Fang Yue would never pass up the chance to loot a body after a kill. He considered it compensation for the uncle and nephew attacking him.
However, it seemed to be just as Wang Teng had confessed—the pair had fled in a hurry.
They only carried some scattered silver, adding up to just over ten taels.
This couldn’t help but make Fang Yue grumble,
’What a pair of paupers.’
Still, Fang Yue did find one peculiar item on Wang Yuangang’s body: a palm-sized black Token that was neither gold nor iron.
It was engraved with intricate cloud patterns, and in the center was the ancient character for ’Cloud.’
After examining it for a long time, Fang Yue couldn’t find any hidden mechanism in the Token.
He figured that since Wang Yuangang kept it so close to his body, it must be quite important.
’According to the usual tropes, this kind of thing, which looks like an Identity Token, will inevitably drag me into the affairs of some powerful faction, leading to another saga of grievances and vendettas.’
Fang Yue thought for a moment, then put the Token back.
Without a doubt, this thing was trouble.
Who knew what kind of organization or faction was behind Wang Yuangang.
Taking this token offered no visible benefit, but it could very well invite unknown disasters.
If Fang Yue were a lone wolf, he would have just taken it.
But now, with parents and family, he couldn’t take that risk.
"Miss, there’s a fire lit in the ruined temple up ahead. There must be someone inside."
"They’re probably fellow travelers. We’ll spend the night there. Be polite when we go over, and don’t throw our weight around."
"As you command, Miss."
Fang Yue had just finished searching the bodies of Wang Yuangang and his nephew for valuables. He had just put back the troublesome Token and was preparing to dispose of the two corpses.
Just then, the sound of voices came from outside the ruined temple.
"Is anyone in there? We were caught in the snowstorm and missed our chance to find lodging for the night. Could you please spare some room for us?"
Hearing the voice, Fang Yue looked up and was met with a pair of beautiful eyes.
They belonged to a young girl, about thirteen or fourteen, with her hair tied in a bun. She had a round, chubby face and wore a green, cotton-padded jacket.
Her little face was flushed red in the firelight. She seemed to be freezing, as she was still blowing warm air onto her hands.
Then, those bright black eyes noticed Fang Yue and, naturally, saw him in the middle of lifting Wang Yuangang’s corpse.
The scene looked exactly like a robbery-murder, with the killer about to destroy the evidence!
The bun-faced girl never imagined that by simply seeking shelter in a ruined temple, she would run into a murderer!
"AH—"
"MURDER!"
In an instant, a loud, shrill, piercing scream shattered the darkness.
Immediately, the sound of swords being drawn rang out.
~~~~~~
「A quarter of an hour later.」
Inside the ruined temple, the bonfire was lit once more.
Fang Yue’s expression was dark as he stared at the two young women a short distance away. Behind them, five guards with bruised and swollen faces clutched their swords, eyeing him with extreme wariness.
Clearly, they were still on guard against him.
"Young Master Fang, I apologize on behalf of Lu’Er. She didn’t understand the situation just now, which led to this misunderstanding."
The speaker was dressed in a silk-padded robe, covered by a fur coat, a shawl, and a cloak.
She looked to be sixteen or seventeen, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, clearly a person of wealth and status.
As for the five bruised and battered men behind her, they were all Martial Artists of the Bone Forging Pass.
All of them were around thirty years old. In a place like Xiahe County, a cultivation level like theirs would be enough to take the Martial Examination for Martial Scholar.
But now, they were obviously this woman’s bodyguards.
"It’s fine."
Although Fang Yue appeared uninjured on the outside, he had just fought one against five, and all five were Martial Artists of the Bone Forging Pass.
In reality, he had taken several hits. It was only because his defensive strength was considerable that he hadn’t been knocked down.
Perhaps it was also because neither side had been fighting to the death.
But thinking back on what had just happened, Fang Yue could only chalk it up to bad luck.
He had been disposing of the corpses of Wang Yuangang and his nephew when he was spotted by the young miss’s bun-faced maid.
Her scream had led to a misunderstanding between the two parties.
And so, a conflict had erupted.
"Miss, why are you apologizing? If Mr. Wen were here, there’s no way we would have lost today."
The bun-faced maid puffed up her cheeks, speaking with some indignation.
"Lu’Er, don’t be rude. We misunderstood Young Master Fang just now, so an apology is proper. This has nothing to do with who won or lost."
"Right is right, and wrong is wrong. You mustn’t act so willfully."
Miss Wen put on a stern face and lectured the maid named Lu’Er.
However, the girl just puffed her cheeks, looking clearly unconvinced.
Fang Yue, for his part, simply offered a smile, not bothering to argue with a little girl.
After that, the conversation between them died.
Although the etiquette of this world wasn’t as strict as in ancient times of his previous life, it still existed.
Therefore, it was not proper for a woman to speak casually with a strange man.
After those few exchanges, Fang Yue leaned against a wall and closed his eyes to rest.
As for Miss Wen and her retinue, they occupied the other side of the temple.
The night passed without another word.
When dawn broke, Fang Yue ate a simple breakfast and left immediately.
~~~~~~~
"Hmph. He just up and left without a word. There’s definitely something wrong with him. We can’t trust what he said."
Lu’Er’s bun-like face was puffed up in anger again. Clearly, she was displeased that Fang Yue had left without saying goodbye.
But then again, why should Fang Yue have told her?
They were strangers, after all.
Besides, when Fang Yue left, the mistress and her maid were still asleep. Only a few of the guards on watch were awake.
Was Fang Yue supposed to bid farewell to the very people he’d just fought with the night before?
It was a show of restraint that they hadn’t started fighting again.
Of course he wasn’t going to say hello.
"Lu’Er, when we’re away from home, you must watch your words and actions. Don’t say such things again."
Miss Wen softly reprimanded her maid.
Regardless of why that young man named Fang had killed those people, she felt that he was a good person.
Otherwise, her group would have surely met a grim fate last night.
"Also, we came out this time to bring my aunt home. We absolutely cannot afford any more trouble."
"I know!"
Miss Wen’s tone was serious. Seeing that her lady was truly angry, the bun-faced maid hung her head.
~~~~~~
「The sky cleared after the snow.」
Fang Yue walked along a country road. It was winter, and a heavy snow had just fallen.
The world was a vast expanse of white, with only a string of footprints on the road leading into the distance.
There wasn’t another soul in sight, before or behind.
Before long, wisps of smoke from cooking fires appeared on the road ahead.
As he drew closer, he could see silvery-white willow branches dancing in the wind.
After a journey of about a day and a half,
he had arrived at Da Liushu Village.
"Dad!"
Then, Fang Yue’s gaze fell upon Fang Mu, who was standing under a massive willow tree.
"Zhi’Er? Zhi’Er?"
"Zhi’Er is back?"
Father Fang had perhaps been outside for too long, as his body was a bit stiff. It took him a good moment to stand up.
He looked toward Fang Yue, his eyes filled with delighted surprise.
"Dad, take it slow."
Seeing Father Fang’s faltering steps, Fang Yue quickly rushed forward to support him.
He was terrified Father Fang would slip and fall.
The snowy ground was slippery; falling was all too common.
"Here, let Dad carry your bundle. Come on home with me, your mother has missed you more than you know."
Father Fang reached for the bundle on Fang Yue’s back.
But there was no way Fang Yue could let his father carry it. Putting aside everything else, the bundle contained over three hundred taels of silver.
That translated to several dozen catties in weight.
With the other items included, it weighed a good hundred catties.
To him, it was as light as a feather, so he certainly couldn’t trouble his father with it.
~~~~~~
Back home, Ms. Chen was naturally the happiest of all.
She made Fang Yue sit down and wouldn’t let him do a thing.
She placed several bowls of various snacks, shelled peanuts, and walnuts in front of him.
Then she pulled Father Fang, Fang Cheng, and Fang Lan into a flurry of activity, preparing a huge feast.
"Zhi, you’re... you’re a Martial Scholar?"
During the feast, Fang Yue’s older brother, Fang Cheng, scratched his head and asked, somewhat at a loss.
The messengers from the Government Office had come to deliver the good news a few days ago.
It was, of course, an exceptionally grand and joyous occasion.
With Fang Yue becoming a Martial Scholar, one could say they had surpassed the Liu Family in a single stroke.
A Martial Scholar... my goodness, that was an incredible achievement.
According to the constable who delivered the news, the tax-exempt land alone amounted to a full three thousand mu.
That was two thousand mu more than the one thousand mu of Master Liu’s family.
In an instant, all the other families in the village wanted to commend their land to the Fang Family.
People from several neighboring villages had even heard the news and wanted to commend their land as well.
There were even those who wanted to send their own sons and daughters to the Fang Family to serve as servants.
For a time, the threshold of the Fang Family home was nearly worn down by visitors.
It was only when Ms. Chen announced that all matters had to wait for Fang Yue’s return, as only he could make the final decision, that the enthusiastic villagers were finally persuaded to go home.
"That’s right. I was lucky this time. I just went to give the exam a try, and I didn’t expect to actually pass," Fang Yue said humbly.
"What do you mean, lucky? It’s because my Zhi’Er is capable that he passed!"