Although the man’s face was a bit pale, his life wasn’t in danger. Fang Shuwen’s gaze fell on a white robe lying on the ground nearby. It was covered in wrinkles, as if it had been ravaged.

Perhaps sensing Fang Shuwen’s stare, Dongfang Wujiu subconsciously picked up the robe and put it away.

He then looked at Fang Shuwen and, after a long, conflicted pause, asked:

"Do... do you know who it was I was fighting?"

Fang Shuwen shook his head decisively.

"No idea."

Dongfang Wujiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then gave a bitter smile.

"I ran into a tough one tonight. I’m afraid I’ve made a fool of myself, Brother Fang."

"You know who I am?"

Fang Shuwen was a little surprised.

Dongfang Wujiu stood up and put his shirt back on.

"Of course. You killed Shi Meng. Within Wentian Mansion, everyone knows your name."

"You’re from Wentian Mansion?"

Fang Shuwen suddenly understood, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Relax. Not everyone in Wentian Mansion is like Shi Meng. He brought his death upon himself."

"At least, in my opinion, you did nothing wrong by killing him."

Dongfang Wujiu said with a smile,

"Besides, seeing you step forward to protect the common people tonight without a second thought... you are truly worthy of the name ’hero.’"

"I, Dongfang Wujiu, am thoroughly impressed."

As he spoke, he gave Fang Shuwen a fist-and-palm salute.

Seeing that his expression didn’t seem feigned, Fang Shuwen returned the salute.

"You’re too kind, Brother Dongfang. As people who practice Martial Arts, we can’t just stand by and watch when we see something like this."

"Well said."

At this, Dongfang Wujiu glanced toward the depths of the forest, then said thoughtfully,

"The thief I fought tonight was highly skilled in Martial Arts. We fought for three hundred rounds before I finally... seriously wounded her."

"She fled with her injuries, and I lacked the strength to pursue, so I could only rest here for a bit."

"My strength has recovered somewhat now. I wonder if Brother Fang would be willing to join me in wiping out the remaining bandits in the city?"

"By all means."

Fang Shuwen nodded. ’"Fought for three hundred rounds" seems a bit vague,’ he thought. ’And you didn’t elaborate on how she was wounded before she fled.’

’It’s all subtle wording and omissions... makes it hard to believe, really.’

Still, this wasn’t the right time to press for details.

Dongfang Wujiu was playing dumb, and Fang Shuwen was happy to pretend he didn’t know.

He couldn’t help but observe him secretly, noticing that his steps were slightly unsteady and weak, but his Martial Arts foundation seemed to be unharmed.

He inwardly clicked his tongue in amazement.

’It seemed something extraordinary had clearly happened to Dongfang Wujiu, but luckily, it didn’t seem to have any lasting effect on him.’

’The only problem was, he wasn’t sure if the Flower Moon Sect had methods for clouding the mind. If they had done something to Dongfang Wujiu, it could be detrimental to the Seven Great Sects of the Eastern Domain.’

’So,’ he mused, ’I’ll have to write a letter to Yu Yaoguang when I get back.’

’I’ll give her a rough summary of what happened tonight, just as a heads-up.’

’But I can’t be too explicit... ’

’After all, the matter is... delicate.’

As Fang Shuwen’s mind raced with these jumbled thoughts, Dongfang Wujiu, whose own expression was far from normal, failed to notice anything amiss. His own mind was a chaotic mess of thoughts the entire way back.

Back in the city, the battle was already winding down. Once Fang Shuwen and Dongfang Wujiu joined the fray, the disorderly mob quickly scattered.

Fang Shuwen intercepted as many as he could, but some still slipped through the cracks.

But at this point, there was nothing more to be done.

A disciple from Yuqing Pavilion invited Fang Shuwen and Dongfang Wujiu to the Town Chief’s Mansion for a meeting.

After they gathered, not much was said.

They were just asked about the general situation. Fang Shuwen mentioned the matter concerning Shui Qianrou and told them to report it to Yu Yaoguang.

Someone was secretly plotting to stir up conflict between the Eastern Domain and the Celestial Water Palace.

This was no small matter, so Yu Yaoguang naturally had to be informed.

The Seven Eastern Sects also needed to be aware.

The Yuqing Pavilion disciple’s expression immediately turned grave. She stated she would write a letter as soon as possible and have it delivered to the Sect Leader at Yuqing Pavilion.

Fang Shuwen then asked her for a brush and paper. Behind Dongfang Wujiu’s back, he wrote a rough description of the incident between Gu Lianhua and Dongfang Wujiu, asking the Yuqing Pavilion disciple to send this letter along with the other one.

After all this was done, Fang Shuwen declined the invitation to stay at the Town Chief’s Mansion and returned to his inn, where he slept soundly until dawn.

The night passed. The next morning, as Fang Shuwen was eating in the main hall, he saw the Yuqing Pavilion disciple from the Town Chief’s Mansion last night walk into the inn, with Shui Qianrou in tow.

The Yuqing Pavilion disciple scanned the inn, spotted Fang Shuwen, and led Shui Qianrou directly to his table.

"Young Hero Fang, please forgive this sudden intrusion."

The Yuqing Pavilion disciple was very respectful.

Fang Shuwen waved his hand.

"If there’s something you need, just say it."

"It’s about this young lady."

The Yuqing Pavilion disciple looked somewhat exasperated.

They had originally planned to personally escort the girl back to the Celestial Water Palace, but she absolutely refused to go.

She said her mother only ever forced her to consolidate her foundation.

Every day was incredibly boring.

She wanted to run away from the Celestial Water Palace to find her older brother.

The Yuqing Pavilion disciples had no choice but to ask where her brother was, but the girl just hemmed and hawed, not giving a straight answer.

Finally, she made a request: she wanted to see Fang Shuwen.

But it was too late last night; how could they possibly impose on him?

So they waited until dawn to bring her over.

Fang Shuwen glanced at the little girl, puzzled.

"You were looking for me? What is it?"

"Big brother... your Martial Arts are so amazing. Could you do me a favor?"

Shui Qianrou looked at Fang Shuwen, her eyes wide and pleading.