Chapter 59: Borrowing Momentum!

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Borrowing Momentum!

Leaving the Wu family’s estate, Fang Xu watched as Mu Xuan and his two companions mounted their Cloud-Stepping Steeds and rode off. He then glanced back at the sprawling courtyard behind him.

Lu Qingluo had already taken the Jade Pendant and hurried toward Huangzhou Prefecture. However, the journey was long. Even if she traveled at top speed, it would take at least three to five days for word from the Yun family to reach Qinghe County.

These next three to five days would be his most dangerous period. He didn’t just have to guard against that old bastard Wuhuan hiring outside assassins; he also had to be wary of the man resorting to desperate measures and personally striking out at him regardless of the consequences.

Lu Zhiyuan had already been sent to the Ascension Association’s stronghold in Qinghe County by Tao Ziheng. In all of Fenglin Town, there was only one person capable of opposing Wuhuan right now: Crown Prince Li Xun.

He wondered if he should leverage the Crown Prince’s influence. With Li Xun’s protection, Wuhuan might not dare to act recklessly.

However, Lu Zhiyuan had warned him that Li Xun was the disciple of Human Slaughter Zhao Wuji and faced constant threats of assassination from the Shamans. Getting too close to him wouldn’t necessarily guarantee safety either.

"What a headache!" Fang Xu groaned, massaging his temples.

He couldn’t figure out how he had gotten dragged into all this trouble when he only wanted to keep a low profile and cultivate in Fenglin Town. After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he eventually made his way to the Fenglin Town Government Office.

Although Li Xun could be assassinated by the Shamans at any moment, Fang Xu felt that the odds of Wuhuan making a desperate gamble and personally coming after him were much higher. After all, the old man didn’t have many years left to live, and both his son and daughter were dead. The despair of having no successors and outliving his children would very likely drive him to risk everything—killing Fang Xu before fleeing Fenglin Town.

"Is the Crown Prince in?" Arriving at the Government Office, Fang Xu cupped his hands respectfully toward the Golden Scale Guards stationed at the entrance.

Seeing the bloodstains covering his face and clothes, the two Golden Scale Guards furrowed their brows. "Boy, what kind of trouble did you run into this time?"

Fang Xu offered a bitter smile and cupped his hands again. "I was ambushed on my way to see the Crown Prince. I barely managed to escape with my life."

One of the Golden Scale Guards cast a suspicious glance at him before slowly stepping aside. "The Crown Prince is inside. Go on in."

Entering the Government Office, Fang Xu immediately spotted Li Xun standing in the courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing up at the moon. Standing at less than 1.4 meters tall yet adopting such an authoritative, world-weary posture made him look inherently comical.

"Greetings, Crown Prince," Fang Xu said, bowing slightly.

Li Xun turned around, looking him up and down with a frown. "Why are you covered in blood?"

Repeating his previous excuse, Fang Xu added respectfully, "Please don’t worry, Crown Prince. I wasn’t injured this time, so it won’t delay your affairs."

"Do you know who tried to kill you?" Li Xun asked, his frown deepening.

Ever since the Ascension Association arrived in Fenglin Town, he had restricted all his subordinates from leaving the Government Office to avoid any conflicts with them. Consequently, he was completely unaware of what had transpired during the day.

Fang Xu thought for a moment before replying, "The Wu family brought in the Ascension Association and took my master away. I suspect that the Wu Family Ancestor is ruthless enough to want to eliminate the root of the problem, so he secretly sent people to ambush me."

He deliberately kept his wording ambiguous. Even if Li Xun discovered the truth later, he wouldn’t be able to accuse Fang Xu of lying.

"The Wu family? Do they not know you are working for me?" Li Xun’s expression darkened.

As a genius of the royal family, he had his pride, but he had hit a wall repeatedly since arriving in Fenglin Town. Not only had he found zero clues regarding the Shamans, but the princess of the Yun family—entrusted to him by his father and Yun Jin before they left—was now missing, her fate unknown. Then, the arrival of the Ascension Association had forced him to hide in the Government Office with his tail between his legs for an entire day. And now, a lowly native of Fenglin Town dared to act so arrogantly.

"Perhaps he feels that with the Ascension Association backing him, he doesn’t... doesn’t need to take you seriously, Crown Prince..." Fang Xu said cautiously. He hoped to use this to provoke Li Xun into leading his men to wipe out the Wu family directly.

Surprisingly, Li Xun didn’t lose his temper. His expression merely flickered briefly before he said indifferently, "Continue working for me. I highly doubt the Wu family would dare to attack you right in front of me. Stay at the Government Office for the night."

Hearing this, Fang Xu looked troubled. "I appreciate your kindness, Crown Prince, but I have a bedridden, gravely ill younger sister at home who needs to be taken care of. I must return."

Li Xun frowned and waved his hand in irritation. "Then go back. Come to the Government Office and wait for me first thing tomorrow morning.

"Jin Xiao, have two men escort him back. Don’t let him die."

The investigation into the Shamans had to continue. With Yun Wan gone, his knowledge of what had previously happened in Fenglin Town was limited. Fang Xu was directly involved in the events and was quite sharp-witted. Since he was still of use, Li Xun didn’t want him to meet with any unexpected accidents right now.

"Yes, sir!" a Golden Scale Guard replied with a cupped-fist salute. He then personally selected two Golden Scale Guards at the peak of the Martial Disciple realm to follow Fang Xu home.

Two peak-stage Martial Disciple Golden Scale Guards might not be a match for Wuhuan, but their presence was enough. The Golden Scale Guards represented the royal family. No matter how mad Wuhuan had gone, he wouldn’t dare kill the royal family’s guards at a time like this.

Upon returning home with his two escorts, Fang Xu cupped his hands toward them. "I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with resting in the main room. My sister and I will squeeze into the bedroom."

"There is no need," one of the Golden Scale Guards replied coldly. "The two of us will simply cultivate in the courtyard."

Seeing this, Fang Xu didn’t insist. He drew a basin of well water to wash the blood and grime off his body, changed into clean clothes, and heated a basin of water before heading into Chu Muyun’s room.

"Fang Xu, who were you talking to?" Chu Muyun asked softly.

Fang Xu made a hushing gesture. Glancing through the crack in the window, he saw the two Golden Scale Guards standing in the courtyard like statues. Only then did he lower his voice. "From today onward, do not leave this room for even a moment."

Chu Muyun looked outside nervously, then nodded. "I understand."

Fang Xu bent down and took off her shoes and socks. As he washed her feet, he sighed. "Mu Yun, the situation forces my hand. I’m sorry for putting you through this. Once this passes, everything will be fine."

Chu Muyun was a sensible girl. Hearing the deep guilt in his voice, she hurriedly comforted him. "What are you saying, Fang Xu? If you hadn’t taken me in, I might have starved to death by now. All I want right now is to recover as quickly as possible so I can become a Pill Master and help you."

Drying her delicate feet, Fang Xu sat on the edge of the bed and gently massaged them. "You will. When the time comes, I’ll find you a good teacher. Our Mu Yun will definitely become a Pill Master renowned throughout Great Yu, perhaps even the whole world."

"And you’ll be the sister of the world-renowned Pill Master Chu Muyun!" she said with a tilt of her head, giggling.

"It tickles!" Feeling the faint sensation on the soles of her feet, Chu Muyun let out a shy squeak.

Fang Xu looked stunned. "You have feeling in them?"

Chu Muyun nodded. "I even stood up twice today. Each time, I managed to hold it for ten breaths. Fang Xu, I think I’ll be able to ditch the wheelchair in another month.

"It’s just..." The young girl paused. "It’s just that it seems we’re running out of Blood Food at home."

Their stockpile of Blood Food hadn’t been large to begin with—five hundred pounds of high-grade Blood Food and a few hundred pounds of low-grade Blood Food. With both of them consuming it recently, their reserves had nearly hit rock bottom. Whether it was Fang Xu’s cultivation or Chu Muyun’s recovery, both relied heavily on Blood Food.

"Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure something out," Fang Xu consoled her.

During his last trip into the mountains with Li Xun, the Golden Scale Guards had slain several vicious beasts. Fang Xu had hidden the carcasses in the mountains but hadn’t found the time to retrieve them yet. It had been two or three days already, and he wasn’t sure if other beasts had discovered them. It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to check on the stash and find a way to transport that Blood Food back.