"Morality? How much gold is morality worth?
"Ten times! If you just stand by and do nothing today, I'll give you ten times the silver!!"
The middle-aged man spoke coldly, his tone reeking of someone who throws their money around.
"Do you have the silver on you?"
Fang Shuwen asked.
"Shuwen…"
Wang Tao began subconsciously, but Zhou Feixiong stopped him with a wave of his hand.
The middle-aged man had suddenly promised a huge sum. It was obvious he was unwilling to casually offend Fang Shuwen after witnessing his astonishing display of power.
'These men are so skilled, yet even they are this wary of the young man. How could a few people on our side possibly influence his decision? If we say the wrong thing, it might just backfire.'
The middle-aged man, for his part, frowned slightly.
"Who carries silver on them when they're out to kill someone?"
Fang Shuwen let out a laugh.
"So you're just trying to pull a fast one on me with empty promises?
"Besides, it's not that I'm looking down on you… but comparing wealth with Master Zhou? I'm afraid you're still a little wet behind the ears."
After speaking, he glanced back at Zhou Feixiong.
Zhou Feixiong immediately nodded.
"That's right! Young hero, if you act justly and help us today, I am willing to gift you one thousand taels of Gold as a reward!"
"See?"
Fang Shuwen immediately clapped his hands and said to the middle-aged man,
"Ten times that is ten thousand taels of Gold. Do you have it?"
The middle-aged man's face had already turned ashen. He narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly,
"Fine, fine, fine. You refuse to do this the easy way, so we'll do it the hard way!
"Did you really think we were afraid of you?"
But before the words had even left his mouth, Fang Shuwen took a single step and appeared right in front of the man. His fist shot out like a dragon, carrying the sound of wind and thunder.
Negotiations had failed; it was only natural to fight.
Having scraped by on the streets for years, Fang Shuwen naturally understood the principle of striking first to gain the upper hand. He would never give his opponent the chance to make the first move.
The middle-aged man was indeed caught off guard, and his surprise instantly turned to fury.
Unwilling to show weakness, he shot out both palms, one overlapping the other. A faint black aura coiled within them.
Fang Shuwen's knowledge was limited, so he didn't recognize the name of the middle-aged man's Inner Strength technique.
He only felt a slight chill emanate from the man's palms the moment his fist made contact, but it was instantly dispelled by the Inner Strength from his Divine Technique, the [Muscle Strengthening Scripture].
All he heard was BANG BANG BANG, BANG BANG BANG!!
The middle-aged man's eyes went wide. He had already estimated Fang Shuwen's abilities as highly as possible.
But he had still underestimated him.
His Inner Strength crumbled instantly before his opponent's. A terrifying, irresistible force surged up his arms, shattering his meridians all the way to his heart.
He didn't even have time to spit out a mouthful of blood before his head drooped, and he died on the spot.
Suddenly, a vicious wind rushed past his ears as two men in black attacked from his left and right. Their movements were exquisite, each a killing blow.
Wang Tao broke out in a cold sweat for him. The two men's techniques were too fast, too refined. If he were in Fang Shuwen's place, he feared he wouldn't be able to block a single move.
But what he didn't know was that to Fang Shuwen, their techniques were as clear as day, like reading the lines on his own palm.
He was seen raising his left hand in the [Plum Blossom Scattering Hand] technique, his five fingers brushing through the air as if strumming a pipa.
In an instant, he slipped through a weak point in the man's attack and seized his wrist with a reverse grip.
Pivoting on his left leg, his body suddenly spun.
He pulled the man's body along, smashing it into the other attacker.
The other attacker was halfway through his move when Fang Shuwen vanished from his sight. Before he could react, his vision went black, and two consecutive sounds rang out.
The first was the sound of the two bodies colliding; the second was the thud of them hitting the ground.
With the [Muscle Strengthening Scripture] at the Great Perfection stage, both the [Plum Blossom Scattering Hand] and the [Four Seas Dragon Fist] erupted with power they shouldn't have possessed.
One of them scrambled back to his feet, but before he could make a move, a hand clamped down on his head and face. The hand was like cast iron, impossible to break free from no matter how he struggled.
Fang Shuwen, still gripping the man's head, walked over to the other one, raised his foot, and stomped directly onto his head.
There was a dull CRUNCH, and the man's entire head was nearly crushed into the ground.
He was killed instantly.
Then, with a squeeze of his five fingers, there was a SQUELCH, and the first man's face and half his skull were crushed to a pulp.
Blood dripped from Fang Shuwen's fingertips onto the ground, each drop like a drumbeat pounding in everyone's hearts.
The two remaining men from the group that had besieged the main courtyard felt their blood run cold.
'Success was just within our grasp, so where did this master come from?'
'How can he be so devastating?!'
'Everywhere he goes, no one can last a single exchange?'
'He treats every opponent equally, barely needing a second move to kill.'
'Is this a master?'
'No, this is a monster!!'
The two exchanged a look and, without another moment's hesitation, turned to leap away and flee.
They were no match for a master of this caliber.
But while they were in mid-air, they each felt a grip tighten on their ankles. Looking down, they saw Fang Shuwen holding one of their ankles in each hand.
"Since you all came uninvited, why not stay for a chat?"
As he spoke, a terrifying, irresistible force shot through their bodies.
It was so powerful that their Inner Breath couldn't circulate, leaving them powerless to struggle. They could only watch helplessly as Fang Shuwen swung them high into the air and smashed them viciously onto the ground.
Once, twice!
After just three to five slams, there wasn't a single unbroken bone left in their bodies.
Blood poured from their seven orifices, covering their faces. Their lives drained away rapidly, coming to an end.
Fang Shuwen nonchalantly wiped his hands and looked at Zhou Feixiong, who was completely stupefied.
"Master Zhou, I was fortunate enough to succeed.
"However, a great many intruders have broken in tonight. This group was likely among their best.
"But besides them, many others are scattered around the courtyard… We must deal with them quickly."
Zhou Feixiong snapped out of his daze as if waking from a dream and nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, the young hero is right."
He quickly looked at the elders beside him, his gaze falling upon Wang Tao.
Only to find that he, too, was staring into space…
After all, Zhou Feixiong didn't know Fang Shuwen, but Wang Tao knew his situation.
'Mo Beidou had been very clear. He said his junior brother was kind and good-natured, and a diligent martial arts practitioner. It was just a pity that a miserable early life had damaged his foundation, meaning his Martial Arts had reached their limit. He had hoped I could help recommend him for a position as a Family Guard at the Zhou Family residence. He wasn't seeking great wealth, just a stable life with food and shelter.'
'But looking at Fang Shuwen now, I want nothing more than to grab a stick and give Mo Beidou a sound thrashing.'
'He calls this kind and good-natured?'
'Those guys deserved to die, sure, but this kid didn't even blink while he was joking and killing people, did he?'
'Damaged foundation? Does this look like a damaged foundation?'
'His Martial Arts have reached their limit?'
'If this isn't the limit, are you planning on becoming invincible?!'
Waves of shock crashed through Wang Tao's mind. It wasn't until Zhou Feixiong had called his name several times that he snapped back to his senses and quickly cupped his fist.
"My apologies, my mind was wandering."
Zhou Feixiong understood completely, but still spoke urgently.
"Elder Wang, please lead the other experts and organize the Family Guards to fight off the invading enemies."
"Yes, sir!"
Although Wang Tao was injured, he didn't hesitate at all.
Moreover, thanks to Fang Shuwen's appearance, not all of the elders had been wiped out.
With them still around, there was still a chance to turn the tables tonight.
Fang Shuwen had intended to go with Elder Wang but was stopped by Zhou Feixiong.
Along with the two remaining elders and Madam Zhou, he was led to the Zhou Family's ancestral hall.
Behind the ancestral hall was a secret passage. Following it down led to a hidden room.
A good supply of food and water had been prepared here.
It was clearly a contingency plan prepared long ago.
Zhou Feixiong took a stack of silver notes from his robes. A quick glance revealed it was no less than two thousand taels.
He stuffed all of them into Fang Shuwen's hands. Fang Shuwen was taken aback.
"What's this?"
"Your wages."
Zhou Feixiong said with a sincere expression:
"This old man doesn't know why a young hero with such world-shaking divine techniques would condescend to be an unknown Family Guard in my manor.
"But you are righteous and benevolent, young hero, and you helped us escape this predicament.
"I, Zhou Feixiong, am not an ungrateful man. Besides your wages, please accept the rest of these silver notes as a small token of my gratitude. Please do not refuse.
"As for the thousand taels of Gold I promised you, I will present them with both hands once the chaos outside has ended.
"However, this old man has one more favor to ask of you, young hero!"
Fang Shuwen wasn't surprised. He just smiled and said:
"Please speak freely, Master Zhou."
'Saying that is one thing, but whether I agree or not depends on how difficult the task is.'
Zhou Feixiong then said:
"My young daughter, Zhou Qingmei, lives at Lake Heart Cottage, three li north of the city.
"From what that man said earlier, I'm afraid his accomplices have already gone after her.
"I beg you, young hero, to lend her your aid. If you agree, I will grant any request you have, as long as it is within my power to do so!"
[Ding! A new guard mission has been detected.]
[Protect Zhou Qingmei until the crisis is resolved!]
[Do you wish to accept?]
...
...
PS: Before the new book reaches 60,000 characters, I'll be updating with three chapters a day.
11 AM, 6 PM, and 7 PM.
After 60,000 characters, to align with the recommendation schedule, I will switch to two chapters a day~ Thank you all for your support~