Guangning City was built in the shape of a tic-tac-toe board. The central cross formed the main thoroughfares, paved with bluestone slabs. They weren’t perfectly smooth, but they were wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages to pass each other.

However, within the surrounding square districts, the buildings were a chaotic jumble.

The alleys were narrow and winding. With gutters taking up even more space, some spots were too tight for two people to walk side-by-side.

Anyone unfamiliar with the layout could easily get disoriented and lose their way in this disorderly maze of alleys.

Mo Beidou was currently sprinting through these alleys, his face grim. He didn’t know the way; after blindly rushing in, he had no idea where he was.

He rounded a corner, took a few steps, and ran into another dead end.

As he followed the path toward the next narrow alley, a sense of crisis suddenly washed over him. With no time to think, he quickly threw up an arm to block, but he was a step too slow.

The attacker’s fist grazed his forearm and landed squarely on his chest.

With a dull THUD, Mo Beidou was sent stumbling backward, the contents of his robes scattering across the ground.

They were packets of medicinal herbs.

Ignoring the searing pain in his chest, Mo Beidou reached to pick them up, but in the next moment, he had to snatch his hand back and leap away.

A foot whistled through the air, descending to crush the packets of herbs to dust.

Mo Beidou’s face darkened. He didn’t dare linger. He turned to flee, but when he looked back, another man in black had already blocked his escape.

"Just a minor Darts Leader, yet quite alert."

The second man in black advanced slowly, speaking as he walked.

"Talk. Where is Lu Guiyan now?"

Mo Beidou twitched the corner of his mouth, trying to manage a smile. But though his arm had absorbed half the blow, the remaining force was still too much to bear. No laugh came out; instead, he broke into a fit of coughing.

After catching his breath, he finally spoke.

"You’ll never learn the whereabouts of the Young Chief of the Escort from me."

"Why bother?"

The other man in black sighed.

"How much silver can the Lu’an Escort Agency possibly pay you in a month?"

"Tell us what we want to know, and you can walk away."

"Don’t worry. Lu Guiyan won’t survive the night. No one will know you betrayed them."

"Are you really going to throw your life away for this?"

Hearing this, Mo Beidou finally let out a hearty laugh.

"I may be a nobody, but I still understand the meaning of honor and integrity!"

"Enough nonsense! Bring whatever skills you have. If I take a single step back, I’m not a real man!"

The two men in black exchanged a look and laughed in unison. One of them said:

"Fine. Since you refuse to do this the easy way, don’t blame us for being ruthless!"

"You want to die? It’s not that easy... We have plenty of ways to make you talk!"

Just as the two were about to make their move, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from the mouth of the alley.

The two men in black frowned slightly, wondering which unlucky fool was passing through at a time like this.

The man with his back to the alley entrance turned around and saw a plainly dressed young man turning into the alley at that very moment.

Mo Beidou had been planning to launch a sneak attack while the man’s back was turned.

But when he looked up, he froze on the spot, completely stunned.

The newcomer grinned.

"You guys busy?"

The man in black was taken aback by the question, his brow immediately furrowed.

"Fierce Tiger Gang business. Scram, unless you want to get involved!"

"No rush."

The newcomer smiled.

"I’m just looking for someone. I’ll leave as soon as I find them."

The man in black was baffled. ’When did the name of our Fierce Tiger Gang become so ineffective?’ he thought.

’Or is this guy just clueless and looking to die?’

He asked subconsciously:

"Who are you looking for?"

"I’ve already found him."

Fang Shuwen tilted his head, his gaze passing over the man in black to land on Mo Beidou.

"First Brother, long time no see?"

Mo Beidou snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said:

"Xiao Shiliu, run! They’re from the Fierce Tiger Gang! You’re no match for them!"

Zheng Sihai had taken seventeen disciples in total, and Fang Shuwen was ranked sixteenth.

Mo Beidou had always called him ’Xiao Shiliu’.

His impression of Fang Shuwen was stuck at the first level of the Jade Calm Technique. How could he possibly be a match for two Fierce Tiger Gang members that even he couldn’t handle?

He had heard about what happened with the Zhou Family and had thought Fang Shuwen had died in that fire long ago.

He had drowned his sorrows in alcohol for a long time over it. Every time he thought of his sixteenth junior brother, he would weep, feeling that he was to blame for his death.

He never expected to see him today in Guangning City. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

But now, there was no joy in their reunion, only the fear that his junior brother would be dragged down with him.

The two Fierce Tiger Gang members, however, were overjoyed to hear this.

The man in black closest to Fang Shuwen broke into a savage grin.

"So you’re his junior brother... That’s just perfect."

Mo Beidou instantly understood his intention and roared in fury:

"You dare!!"

He sprang forward, unleashing the Four Seas Dragon Fist.

But the man in black had already taken a stride, appearing before Fang Shuwen, his five fingers like a claw aiming straight for his throat.

"Kid, this must be your fate!!"

Mo Beidou was too far to intervene. He could only watch helplessly as the man attacked Fang Shuwen. Just as the five fingers were about to close around Fang Shuwen’s neck, Fang Shuwen suddenly waved a hand.

In the next instant, before Mo Beidou could even see what happened, there was a loud BANG.

The man in black was now against the wall.

Fang Shuwen had one hand pressed against his head. He smiled at Mo Beidou and said:

"First Brother, don’t worry. He can’t hurt me."

As he finished speaking, he released his hand.

The man in black’s body instantly went limp, slid down the wall, and fell into the drainage gutter beside it. He was no longer breathing.

Mo Beidou had just rushed up to Fang Shuwen. Their eyes met, and Mo Beidou’s were filled with utter confusion.

He looked at Fang Shuwen, then at the corpse in the gutter.

His mind felt like a complete muddle; he couldn’t make sense of anything.

Mo Beidou could be confused, he could be stunned, because he was Fang Shuwen’s First Brother.

But the other Fierce Tiger Gang member couldn’t afford to be stunned, nor did he dare to be confused. The moment he realized his companion had been swatted dead like a fly by Fang Shuwen, he didn’t even think—he turned and ran!

Fang Shuwen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’You bullied my First Brother, and now you think you can run!?’

He reached out one hand, curling his fingers in a grasping motion. The man was just leaping up, but before he could even get off the ground, he felt a powerful force pulling him, yanking him uncontrollably back toward Fang Shuwen.

In the blink of an eye, his head was in Fang Shuwen’s grasp.

At this moment, all his previous composure when facing Mo Beidou was gone. His face was a mask of terror as he stammered:

"G-Great hero, spare..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Fang Shuwen sent a jolt of Palm Power through his hand. The man died on the spot, blood pouring from his seven orifices.