Looking at the system prompt that appeared before him, Fang Shuwen suddenly understood. This meant the decision was now up to him.
The first escort mission had been accepted by default because he was already a Zhou Family's Guard at the time.
'Does this mean I'll have to find my own missions from now on?'
Thinking of this, he turned to Zhou Feixiong.
"Master Zhou, if I may be so bold, do you know the origins of tonight's enemies?"
Zhou Feixiong let out a bitter laugh upon hearing this.
"To be honest, I know no more than you do, young hero."
"But rest assured, young hero. My daughter is from the Zhuji Pavilion, after all. As long as we get through tonight safely and report this to her sect, I imagine this can be resolved, no matter who our opponents are."
Fang Shuwen hesitated.
'These people are skilled in Martial Arts, and there's no telling if there are other experts.'
He was reluctant to get involved in this mess.
But seeing the mission right in front of him, and considering the Muscle Strengthening Scripture he had just been rewarded with, he wasn't willing to give it up so easily.
Zhou Feixiong was right. The Zhuji Pavilion was, after all, in a league of its own.
Power, experts, wealth—they had it all.
As a True Disciple of the Zhuji Pavilion, if they stepped in to mediate, this whole affair would likely blow over quickly.
'At worst, it wouldn't take more than three months.'
He glanced at the silver notes in his hand and considered the feasibility of it all.
In the end, Fang Shuwen nodded and agreed to take the job.
'Besides, if things get truly impossible, I can just bail.'
After weighing his options, he selected [Accept Mission].
[Mission Accepted!]
[Current Escort Mission: Protect Zhou Qingmei until the crisis is resolved.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. For the duration of this mission, you will receive a 2x bonus to your Talent and comprehension. This buff will be automatically canceled if the mission is abandoned or completed.]
"Oh?"
Fang Shuwen was taken aback. He hadn't expected to get a bonus to his Talent and comprehension for accepting missions after the initial novice reward.
A twofold increase couldn't compare to the fivefold bonus from the novice reward, but something was better than nothing.
He glanced at Zhou Feixiong.
"Alright, I'll take this job."
"Good, good! Excellent!"
Zhou Feixiong quickly pulled a token from his waist and handed it to Fang Shuwen.
"This is my personal token. Young hero, follow this secret passage all the way, and you can get clear of the Zhou Family estate."
"Once you're out, use this token to leave the city. Head north for three li, and you'll see the Lake Heart Cottage."
"I'm entrusting everything to you, young hero."
Fang Shuwen took the token, gave it a cursory glance before putting it away, and then cupped his fist toward Zhou Feixiong.
"There's no time to waste. I'll leave at once."
Zhou Feixiong nodded repeatedly and showed Fang Shuwen the entrance.
After stepping into the secret passage, Fang Shuwen took out a flint to light his way. He followed the tunnel and soon reached its end.
He climbed out of the exit and looked around. He was in a small alley within Julu City.
Having scraped by in Julu City for over a decade, he knew the city like the back of his hand.
He quickly got his bearings and hurried toward the north gate.
The token worked like a charm. The gate guard glanced at it and immediately opened the gate to let him pass.
He immediately broke into a sprint, heading north.
...
...
CLANG CLANG CLANG, CLANG CLANG CLANG!!
Atop the Lake Heart Cottage, two figures weaved and dodged. The clang of their weapons was as incessant as rain on banana leaves, each strike sending sparks and blood flying.
Suddenly, with a clash of Inner Breath, a deafening BOOM echoed.
The two figures flew apart, each landing on a separate rooftop.
Zhou Qingmei was dressed in a moon-white martial uniform. With features as if from a painting and starlight in her eyes, she was indeed a woman of indescribable beauty.
But the sharp arch of her brows added a touch of coldness to her look.
Her sword hand trembled faintly, and her gaze drifted subconsciously toward the distance.
A fiery glow lit up the sky in that direction—the direction of the Zhou Family estate.
"Thinking of going back? A pity. You won't be returning today."
"But don't you worry. Your family will be there to keep you company on the Yellow Springs Road."
The speaker was the person standing on the opposite rooftop.
He was dressed in a black robe and held a folding fan. When opened, the fan's surface was pitch-black, glinting with a metallic sheen under the starlight.
"Just who are you?"
Zhou Qingmei's beauty was cold and stunning, her voice like ice.
"You can ask King Yama when you get to hell!"
With that, the man wasted no more words. He stomped his foot, shattering the roof tiles beneath him, and shot toward Zhou Qingmei like a meteor.
With a sudden sweep, the fan in his hand whistled through the air, slashing diagonally like a blade.
His skill with the fan was extraordinary, a style all his own. Unfurled, it was a blade for chopping and sweeping; folded, it was a sword for stabbing and flicking.
It even incorporated the sinister and treacherous acupoint-striking techniques of a Judge's Pen, making it utterly ruthless.
As a True Disciple of Zhuji Pavilion, Zhou Qingmei's Thousand Character Sword Technique was both majestic and nimble. It could move like a dragon soaring through the heavens, yet also reveal its deadly edge within the tightest of spaces.
Unfortunately, after several exchanges, Zhou Qingmei had already realized that her Inner Strength was a step below her opponent's.
This was precisely why she couldn't break through his blockade to get to the Zhou Family estate.
The feeling became more pronounced as the fight wore on. There was a hidden trick to her opponent's Martial Arts; every clash of their weapons sent a slight tremor through her blade, making it feel as if it were slipping from her control.
This sensation grew stronger with each passing moment, as if it would suddenly erupt at any second.
Just before their weapons clashed again, Zhou Qingmei suddenly gritted her teeth. 'Rather than passively waiting for his hidden trick to activate, I should take the initiative!'
Instantly, she circulated her Inner Breath. With a DING...
...the longsword in her hand suddenly snapped in half.
The broken tip flew off with a WHOOSH.
But this caused her opponent's strike, which should have landed on the body of her sword, to hit nothing but air.
The black-robed man's expression faltered. Freed from half her blade's length, Zhou Qingmei seemed to have broken free from her constraints. With a press and a flick, the broken sword stabbed straight for the black-robed man's heart.
She had launched this strike just as the black-robed man was overextended from his own attack, with no time to pull back.
Not even an immortal would have had time to defend against it.
The broken sword struck the black-robed man square in the chest.
But just then, Zhou Qingmei's expression changed abruptly as a sharp DING rang out.
The black-robed man was wearing some kind of hidden, form-fitting Heart-Protecting Armor under his robes.
While the blow staggered him, it failed to pierce through. Instead, it only enraged the black-robed man.
He raised his left hand high and roared in fury.
"You're asking to die!!!!"
As his palm strike fell, Zhou Qingmei had no time to think, raising her own palm to meet it.
The moment their palms connected, Zhou Qingmei's body shuddered. She spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
She flew back seventy or eighty feet before she could right herself, landing half-kneeling on the ground. Bracing herself with her right hand, she looked up, and another spray of blood escaped her lips before she could speak.
But the black-robed man had already closed the distance, his fan folded into a sword-like point, stabbing straight for the center of Zhou Qingmei's brow.
Heavily injured, Zhou Qingmei tried to raise her sword to defend herself, but she couldn't even muster the strength to take a proper breath.
Just as death seemed imminent, a whistling sound arrived simultaneously with a shout:
"Villain, face my sword!"
VMMMMM!
Something came whistling through the air, and both Zhou Qingmei and the black-robed man turned to look.
They looked. What sword?
What came flying at them was clearly a saber!