Chapter 189: Chapter 123: Fang Shuwen’s Memorial Tablet?

"No matter what we did, he always took me with him... But later, it was as if Martial Arts were the only thing he could see."

Hearing this, Fang Shuwen asked,

"Did you ever go back to that island after that?"

"No."

Shui Qianrou said,

"My brother said he couldn’t remember the way back."

Fang Shuwen nodded and didn’t ask any more questions.

’There’s something off about Shui Qianliu’s story.’

Shui Qianrou was bent on finding her brother, but he wondered if her brother would even welcome her.

As the night deepened, the chill grew more pronounced. Shui Qianrou finally felt the night’s cruelty toward those sleeping in the open, and she curled into a shivering ball.

Fang Shuwen found the sight somewhat amusing and tossed two more pieces of dry wood onto the bonfire.

"Get some sleep. We have to get up early and travel tomorrow."

But Shui Qianrou said,

"I can’t let you keep watch alone... Let’s split the duty."

"There’s no need."

Fang Shuwen waved his hand.

"I’ll just meditate."

With his level of Inner Strength, replacing sleep with meditation was second nature to him.

Shui Qianrou wanted to say more, but seeing that Fang Shuwen was ignoring her, she had no choice but to drop it.

Unfortunately, Fang Shuwen’s worries came true.

Around midnight, a cold wind suddenly swept through. Fang Shuwen, who was meditating cross-legged, snapped his eyes open. He frowned slightly as he watched the flames leap and dance.

The soundly sleeping Shui Qianrou felt a wave of heat wash over her face.

With a yelp, she frantically patted at her face, only relaxing once she was sure it hadn’t been burned by the fire.

Still shaken, she looked at the wind-swept flames.

"Shuwen, what was that strange wind?"

"A good question."

Fang Shuwen smiled at her words.

"That’s because there are demons at work, of course."

"Demons?"

Shui Qianrou instinctively glanced around but saw no trace of any demons. Still, she knew Fang Shuwen wouldn’t say such a thing for no reason.

So, without a second thought, she moved to sit right next to Fang Shuwen.

Just as she was about to cautiously scan her surroundings again, she heard the sound of a suona playing in the distance.

The sound was mournful, as if for a nighttime funeral procession.

Shui Qianrou’s eyes widened as she listened.

"What’s that sound?"

"A suona."

"What’s that?"

"You’ve never heard of one?"

Fang Shuwen was taken aback for a moment, but then it dawned on him. The girl had spent her entire life in the Celestial Water Palace; she might really not know what a suona was.

He didn’t explain, however, merely saying,

"You’ll find out in a moment."

The sound drew nearer and the wind grew more frantic. The first thing to appear before them was paper money, drifting down from the sky.

Fang Shuwen casually caught a piece and tossed it into the fire.

Shui Qianrou couldn’t help but ask again,

"And what’s this?"

Fang Shuwen sighed. He understood now. At the Celestial Water Palace, they didn’t hold funerals or burn paper money for their dead.

That’s why Shui Qianrou knew nothing about any of this.

’But maybe that’s for the best. Because she doesn’t know, she’ll be affected by the atmosphere, but she won’t be terrified to death.’

Fang Shuwen, however, was growing impatient. ’All this noise in the middle of the night is incredibly annoying.’

Just as a frown touched his lips, a group of people slowly materialized before him and Shui Qianrou.

There were twelve of them in total, all dressed in sackcloth and white mourning clothes.

Their faces were pale, their expressions numb, as if they were truly in a funeral procession.

The two at the front led the way, playing their suonas.

Behind them, ten people were arranged with four to a group, carrying two coffins.

The remaining two walked between the coffins, wailing with what sounded like genuine, heart-wrenching grief.

’By the looks of it... they’re playing the part of filial children and grandchildren.’

Fang Shuwen noticed that a spirit tablet was embedded in the front of each coffin.

One read: Spirit Tablet of Fang Shuwen.

The other read: Spirit Tablet of Shui Qianrou.

Upon seeing this, Shui Qianrou’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Hey, my name is written up there!"

It was hard to tell if she was excited or afraid.

The moment the words left her mouth, the twelve people came to a stop before Fang Shuwen and Shui Qianrou.

The two in the middle playing the part of filial children raised their eyes, and were just about to speak in sinister tones.

But then Fang Shuwen, who had been sitting with Shui Qianrou, suddenly leaped to his feet!

The sound of the suona instantly became shrill and piercing. The sound waves seemed to create visible ripples in the very air. Shui Qianrou’s mind filled with a loud BUZZ, and everything before her eyes seemed to disappear.

When she came to her senses again, she found Fang Shuwen lying in one of the coffins, his throat pierced, looking strangely peaceful in death.

And she herself... was somehow sitting in the other coffin, her hands and feet bound. A deathly pale hand was reaching for her head, about to force it down into the coffin...

The terror in her heart finally became unbearable, and she instinctively opened her mouth to scream.

But in that instant, the entire scene shattered.

She looked up again and found herself still sitting by the bonfire. The two suona players, however, could no longer play.

Because they no longer had heads.

Without heads, one naturally cannot play anything.

Before the headless bodies could even fall, Fang Shuwen had already taken a step forward. He raised his right hand before his chest, then thrust out his palm.

[Mercy Does Not Cross]!

Mercy does not carry demons to salvation, only to the afterlife!

Now standing directly opposite Fang Shuwen were the two who had been playing the part of filial children.

They had been about to speak earlier before Fang Shuwen interrupted them. Now, they attacked in unison, unleashing four consecutive palm strikes.