Fang Qinxian blinked, then laughed lightly.
"A servant? Of course.
Why? Don't you like Ling'er anymore?
Do you want to replace her?"
His smile widened mischievously.
"Or perhaps… you want a beautiful servant girl? Someone to accompany you at night?"
Fang Lin immediately stepped back.
Fang Lin (thoughts):
What are they even imagining?
Do they think I'm some lust-driven fool?
I've been in this world for barely two days, and they already think I'm chasing women?
I haven't even understood this world properly yet.
Seeing Fang Lin fall silent, Fang Qinxian leaned closer, misunderstanding his hesitation.
"What's wrong? You don't want one?"
"Or did I offer too little?"
"Alright, tell me—two? Three?"
"How many do you want?"
Fang Lin froze completely.
Wei Shun, who had felt a brief surge of joy at those words, now wore a face filled with quiet hopelessness.
Wei Shun (thoughts):
So… Young Master Fang Lin really wants a personal servant.
Will he choose me?
I tried so hard today—truly hard—to make sure he wouldn't see me as useless.
But I was already late once… all because I fell into that trashy girl's trap.
I even lost a spiritual stone.
And now this chance too…
If I became his personal servant, my income would increase.
I could finally ease the burdens at home.Mother's medicine… Father's debts… I could take care of them faster.
He clenched his fists slightly.
Forget it… who would reject such an offer anyway?
When someone is allowed to personally choose how many women they want by their side…
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
If it were me standing there,
I wouldn't even be able to refuse—even if I wanted to.
Fang Qinxian looked at Fang Lin helplessly, his thoughts spinning.
Damn it… it looks like this won't work on him either.
Could it be that he spent too much time with Tian Xueya today?
Does he really think no girl could ever compare to her?
His expression darkened.
No… I can't let this happen.
If Fang Lin truly falls in her love, he might even lean toward the Tian family for her sake.
That would be dangerous.
A devilish smile slowly crept onto Fang Qinxian's face.
Well… he's still just a fifteen-year-old boy.
If he doesn't like servants, then why not take him somewhere else—
to the place where the most beautiful girls of our clan live…
Before he could continue that line of thought—
Fang Lin suddenly spoke, his face slightly flushed.
"Family Head, what you're thinking… that's not what I want."
Fang Qinxian froze.
"What?" he blurted out.
"Didn't you just say you needed a personal servant?"
Fang Lin nodded calmly.
"Yes. I did say I need a personal servant," he replied, then added seriously,
"but I don't need women."
He paused, his tone turning colder.
"I asked for one because I don't want assassins—or anyone suspicious—wandering near my room."
"You know it yourself," Fang Lin continued evenly,
"I've offended far too many people in the clan today."
Fang Qinxian fell silent.
For a moment, he simply stared at Fang Lin, as if seeing him for the first time.
So it wasn't fear…
And it wasn't desire either.
He was thinking about security.
About consequences.
About the aftermath of power.
A faint sigh escaped Fang Qinxian's lips.
At fifteen… he's already thinking like this?
Not about comfort, not about pleasure—
but about threats, balance, and survival.
Slowly, the teasing smile faded from his face, replaced by something heavier.
This isn't the mind of a reckless genius…
This is the mind of someone who knows that power invites knives in the dark.
He finally spoke, his voice softer than before.
"…I see."
His hand rested on Fang Lin's shoulder again, this time with genuine weight.
"You don't need to worry about that anymore," Fang Qinxian said calmly.
"I'll station several high-ranking guards outside your room."
His eyes darkened slightly as he continued,
"If those people have already learned about the artifact, then it's only a matter of time before they figure out a way to counter or suppress it. Power is never secret for long."
Then, with quiet confidence, he added,
"But the guards I'll assign are different.
They are the strongest within the Fang family—veterans who have survived real bloodshed."
"As long as they stand there," Fang Qinxian said firmly,
"no one will step near your room without paying a price"
Wei Shun's heart sank the moment he understood the meaning behind Fang Lin's words.
'So Young Master Fang Lin believes he might be attacked… that's why he needs guards.
That meant only one thing—Fang Lin no longer needed people who couldn't truly protect him.'
Someone like me… Wei Shun clenched his fists.
I don't have the strength. I don't have the status. If high-ranking guards are deployed, then there's no place for me by his side anymore.
It felt as if their time together had quietly reached its end.
Yet confusion followed the bitterness.
But then… why did he ask for a personal servant in the first place?
If protection was the goal, servants were useless. They were burdens, not shields.
Young Master Fang Lin isn't someone who speaks without thinking.
Wei Shun frowned, a strange unease settling in his chest.
Did he ask for a servant to hide his true intentions? Or was there a deeper layer I still couldn't see?
Wei Shun was still lost in his thoughts, trying to unravel Fang Lin's true intentions, when suddenly a gentle hand landed on his shoulder.
Fang Lin spoke quickly, almost as if he didn't want any misunderstanding to grow.
"No, no. I don't need high-ranking guards," Fang Lin said calmly. "If you wish, you can strengthen the manor's defenses instead. I already said it before—I only wanted a personal servant."
Then Fang Lin turned his gaze toward Wei Shun and asked casually,
"What's your name?"
Wei Shun snapped out of his thoughts, startled.
"I– I… my name is Wei Shun," he replied hastily.
Inside his mind, his thoughts churned.
Why is he asking me that? Don't tell me he…
Fang Lin continued, his voice steady and sincere.
"I want to take him—Wei Shun—as my personal servant."
He bowed slightly, a gesture filled with respect rather than authority.
"May I?"
Wei Shun froze.
Me? Why me…?
I can't even protect him… I don't have the strength…
Fang Qinxian looked at Wei Shun and then at Fang Lin before speaking gently,
"If you wish to make Wei Shun your personal servant, then you may."
He paused and murmured, half to himself,
"Fang Lin… aren't you afraid that someone might attack you?"
Fang Lin ignored the question entirely, as if it wasn't worth answering. Instead, he said calmly,
"Family Head, I think I should take my leave now. It's already late, and tomorrow I must go to the Tian Court as well."
With that, Fang Lin turned and walked out through the gates—with Wei Shun beside him.
Fang Qinxian watched their departing figures, his eyes narrowing slightly. He murmured under his breath,
"Yes… you're right. It seems we truly need to increase our security."
But deep inside, another thought echoed far louder—
Why did he suddenly change his servant?
Ling'er had been by his side since childhood… so what does this replacement truly mean?
Is it merely caution? Or is Fang Lin planning something deeper?
************
Fang Lin and Wei Shun walked through the corridor in silence.
Soft moonlight spilled across the wooden floor, tracing pale lines along the polished surface.
From outside, a cool breeze drifted in, rustling through bamboo and tall chir trees on the mountainside. The sound was light and rhythmic, like a quiet breath of the night, wrapping the corridor in a sense of stillness.
Fang lin thought in mind:
Talking to people who think like old men is truly exhausting… but I have no choice if I want to stay here longer.
I have no real intention of caring whether the Fang family rises or falls. Everyone assumes that because I have A-grade aptitude, my cultivation will naturally soar. Yet the truth is, I don't even know how cultivation truly works—how to wield a sword, how to fight in real combat.
I can learn, yes—but not in the same way these people do. I still haven't fully adapted to this world, to this environment.
That's why I interfered in politics instead. Even if I am not strong, as long as enough people see me as a useful advisor, someone worth keeping nearby, I can survive.
And I chose the Fang family as the starting point.
Now… what will tomorrow bring at the Tian Court? Will my plan work—or will it fail?
Wei Shun spoke hesitantly,
"Young Master Fang Lin… may I ask you something?"
Fang Lin did not stop walking. His voice remained calm as he replied,
"Yes. You can ask without hesitation. You are my personal servant now."
Wei Shun asked slowly, carefully choosing his words,
"May I know why you chose me as your personal servant? You could have stationed guards near your room for protection. I am just an ordinary servant—I have no strength, no power to protect anyone."
Fang Lin stopped.
He turned around and looked directly into Wei Shun's eyes.
"You want to know why I chose you… and why I didn't choose guards?"
Wei Shun nodded.
"Yes."
Fang Lin's thoughts:
I don't want any high-ranking guard near me—especially at night.
When I sleep, my soul transmigrates back to my real body. At that exact moment, this body is left in a weak, abnormal state. If a strong guard were to sense something unusual about Fang Lin's body, everything would become complicated.
That's why I need someone ordinary. Someone new to the Fang family. Someone who knows nothing about Fang Lin's past behavior.
Ling'er was too close to the old Fang Lin. I couldn't take the risk. If she ever realized—by accident—that I am not the same person as before, everything would fall apart.
Fang Lin spoke casually, as if the matter were simple.
"I chose you because I like your hard work and loyalty. Don't you want to be chosen?"
He continued,
"You were the one who said I'm new here, and that your family situation isn't good either."
Wei Shun shook his head lightly.
"Yes… I did say that."
Fang Lin added calmly,
"Don't worry about any attack on me. I don't think anyone would dare act rashly in such a tense situation. The clan's security has already been tightened."
The moonlight stretched across the wooden corridor as they continued walking forward —
When they reached a room after a while, Fang Lin spoke to Wei Shun,
"You should leave now."
Then his tone turned serious.
"And listen carefully—if you come to my room tomorrow and find that I am not awake, do not try to wake me under any circumstances. No matter what happens, no matter whose order it is—even if it comes from the Family Head himself."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Come only in the morning. Until then, stay at the door and make sure no one interferes with my sleep."
His gaze sharpened.
"Do you understand?"
Wei Shun immediately bowed deeply.
"Yes, Young Master. I understand. I will do exactly as you say. I will do my utmost."
Then, with genuine concern, he added softly,
"Please take care of yourself."
Wei Shun turned and began to leave, but his steps unconsciously slowed.
Wei Shun deeply thought in mind:
What did Fang Lin really mean when he said, "Do not wake me, no matter what happens—even if the Family Head himself comes"?
Is sleep truly that important to him?
Perhaps he is simply exhausted today… that must be why he said something like that.
Wei Shun let out a quiet breath.
I should sleep as well. Tomorrow morning, I also have something important to do—
His gaze sharpened,
the most important task since the moment I came here.