Only when they heard him say that did the others finally understand.
They promptly invited him to sit. Fang Shuwen picked up the wine pot and filled each of their cups, and the group began to talk freely.
When all was said and done, the Fang family was a good family.
They were the wealthiest family in the region and took pleasure in doing good. From time to time, they even opened their granaries to distribute grain, giving alms to beggars and poor people who could not afford to eat.
They were a famously charitable family in Guangning City.
When they heard that Fang Shuwen was going to work for the Fang family, they all told him not to worry. The Fang family had always been generous and would never treat the people working under them poorly.
Fang Shuwen nodded repeatedly and said with a smile:
"Then I can rest easy. I never expected them to truly be such good people.
"The Fang family's reputation for charity has spread far and wide. Master Fang must be blessed with many children, right?"
"Well..."
The group exchanged glances, but they all sighed.
"How should I put it? The Fang family has only one daughter, the pearl of their palm. Their vast fortune will most likely end up in an outsider's hands."
"Who knows which lad will have that kind of luck? I only hope they don't entrust her to the wrong man."
"Speaking of which, I don't know whether you've heard... about twenty years ago, the Fang family did have a son.
"But wasn't he kidnapped later?"
"He wasn't kidnapped. I think something happened, and the child went missing."
"Did he go missing? I heard my father talk about it... apparently, everyone in the Fang household went out together to search for him.
"They made an enormous commotion and searched for months, but there wasn't a trace of him. Only then did they let the matter drop."
"For all we know, the Fang family might still be looking for him to this day. Sigh, one lone seedling in a thousand fields."
"Master Fang wasn't that old at the time. If he'd tried harder, it shouldn't have been difficult to have a few more children. How come he only has one daughter?"
"How would we know?"
The group grew rather animated as they discussed this hidden matter.
Fang Shuwen listened without a change in expression. It would be an exaggeration to say that a great storm had risen in his heart, but he did feel somewhat conflicted.
He had thought that even after reaching Guangning City, finding his birth parents might not be easy.
He had never expected them to be this easy to find.
Although he still could not be entirely certain, judging from what they had said, he was most likely right.
After chatting with them for a little longer, he took his leave. By the time he returned to the room, Zhou Qingmei had long since finished washing.
She was sitting on the bed, drying her hair. When she saw that Fang Shuwen looked somewhat grave, she asked:
"What happened?"
Fang Shuwen looked at her and shook his head.
"Nothing. I just asked around downstairs.
"They said there have already been six horrific cases in the past six months."
Zhou Qingmei assumed he was upset because he could not bear to hear about the victims' suffering, so she gently offered him a few words of comfort.
They still had to go out that night, so they might as well take the opportunity to rest.
After chatting about nothing in particular for a while, the two of them settled down to rest.
Fang Shuwen positioned a stool, sat on it, and began to meditate.
Zhou Qingmei's internal cultivation was far below his, and she could not use meditation in place of sleep. She lay down on the bed and soon drifted into a dream.
When night had fully fallen, Fang Shuwen opened his eyes just as Zhou Qingmei turned over and sat up.
The two changed into different clothes, slipped out of the inn, and headed for the Fang residence.
Zhou Qingmei knew the way like an old horse and led the way, while Fang Shuwen panted and puffed as he ran behind her.
Before long, they could see the Fang family's great mansion.
But before they could reach it, they heard a clamor of voices from within. Torches waved like a long dragon, and amid the commotion, Fang Shuwen caught someone shouting:
"This is terrible! The young mistress has been kidnapped by the lecher again!!"
Black lines sprouted across Fang Shuwen's forehead. This bastard must be Sha Wujing reincarnated. Who shouts something like that?
In the space of a thought, the two had reached the Fang residence, where they saw the Fang household rushing out.
Zhou Qingmei hurriedly asked:
"Which way did they go?"
The steward leading the group thought Zhou Qingmei looked familiar. After a moment's thought, he remembered that this was the young woman who had rescued the young mistress the last time she was kidnapped.
He hurriedly pointed the way.
"That way!"
Zhou Qingmei nodded and was about to give chase when an explosive boom rang out beside her. Fang Shuwen's steps were heavy, but he was extremely fast. Each step left a deep crater beneath his feet as he raced off in that direction like thunder and lightning.
Zhou Qingmei was briefly taken aback, but she hurried after him.
She could only marvel that Fang Shuwen truly had a chivalrous heart.
She did not know that Fang Shuwen's state of mind was now entirely different from before.
Earlier, he could listen to the Fang family's affairs as a mere spectator.
But if things really were as he thought, wouldn't the Fang family's young mistress be his own younger sister?
He had lived two lives without ever having a younger sister. How could he let someone just carry her off like that?
If his lightness skill was lacking, he would make up for it with internal cultivation.
His breath was long and steady, and his explosive power was far beyond that of ordinary people. As he ran at full speed, he was as fast as an arrow loosed from the string.
Zhou Qingmei possessed the Pearl Pavilion's exquisite lightness skill, yet for a time, even she could not catch up with him.
After sprinting for less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Fang Shuwen saw a figure ahead leap onto the city wall. With a light turn like a sparrowhawk flipping over, the figure sailed over the wall and vanished from sight.
Fang Shuwen reached the wall and gave it some thought. He felt he probably could not get over it.
While he was debating whether he could smash the wall to pieces, Zhou Qingmei arrived.
She took Fang Shuwen's hand.
"Go!"
She sprang upward, kicking off the city wall several times in succession, but halfway up, her strength finally gave out.
Just as they were about to fall, Fang Shuwen sent a stream of internal force into the Laogong acupoint in her palm.
Zhou Qingmei felt as though she had divine help. Her spirits soared, and with a push of her foot, she actually leaped straight over the top of the wall... startling her so badly that her face went pale.
That push should have sent her only a little higher. How could she have imagined that Fang Shuwen's internal cultivation was as deep as an abyss?
Even borrowing a little of it at random had far exceeded her expectations.
Thanks to that, however, the two easily cleared the wall. After they landed, Fang Shuwen stopped running on his own. Wasn't having Zhou Qingmei lead him better than sprinting madly by himself?
Zhou Qingmei was also reluctant to give up his internal force and could not bear to let go.
So they simply continued forward hand in hand.
Only moments later, they heard the sounds of fighting up ahead.
When they got closer, they saw that the man in black had been intercepted.
His opponent's swordsmanship was superb. Even though the man in black fought with his full attention, he could not help being driven back step by step. The Fang family's young mistress had also been tossed aside.
Fang Shuwen went to the young mistress and helped her up.
He examined her by the light of the night and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was unhurt.
Then he heard Zhou Qingmei shout:
"Brother Zhang, show mercy!!"