Guangning City as a whole was laid out in the shape of the character 田, with the cross in the middle forming its main roads. They were paved with slabs of bluestone and, though not particularly level, were wide enough for two carriages to pass each other.
Inside the four squares, however, the buildings were arranged in considerable disorder.
The alleys were narrow and full of twists and turns, and drainage ditches took up part of the road. In some places, it was difficult even for two people to walk side by side.
Anyone unfamiliar with the terrain could easily lose their sense of direction with a moment's carelessness and become lost in the chaotic maze of alleys.
Mo Beidou was now racing through those alleys, his face grave. He was unfamiliar with the paths, and after plunging in headlong, he no longer knew where he was.
He turned into an alley, only to find another wall a few steps ahead.
He followed the path and was about to turn into the next narrow alley when a sense of danger suddenly struck. With no time to think, he hurriedly raised an arm to block, but he was a step too slow.
The newcomer's punch grazed his forearm and struck his chest.
With a bang, Mo Beidou staggered back again and again, scattering what he had been carrying in his arms across the ground.
They were packets of medicinal herbs.
Ignoring the searing pain in his chest, Mo Beidou reached out to pick them up, but the next moment he had to pull his hand back and leap away.
A foot swept down through the air with a fierce gust, landing on the packets and crushing them to pieces.
Mo Beidou's face darkened. Not daring to linger, he turned to retreat, only to find another man in black blocking his path.
"For a mere escort captain, you're quite alert."
The man in black who had arrived later walked slowly forward, saying as he went:
"Tell us, where is Lu Guiyan now?"
Mo Beidou's lips twitched as he tried to smile, but although his arm had blocked part of the punch, the force that remained was still more than he could bear. Instead of laughing, he broke into a fit of coughing.
Only after he recovered did he say:
"Don't even dream of learning the young chief escort's whereabouts from me."
"Why go to such lengths?"
The other man in black sighed:
"How much silver can the Lu'an Escort Agency pay you in a month?
"Tell us what we want to know, and you can leave.
"Don't worry. Lu Guiyan won't live past tonight, and no one will know you betrayed them.
"Do you really have to throw your life away for this?"
At those words, Mo Beidou finally let out a hearty laugh.
"I may be a nobody, but I still know what righteousness means!
"Enough nonsense! If you've got anything, bring it on! If I take one step back, I'm no man!"
The two men in black exchanged a glance and laughed. One said:
"Fine. Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
"Want to die? It won't be that easy... We've got plenty of ways to deal with you!"
Each having had his say, the two were about to attack when footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance.
The two men in black frowned slightly, wondering what blind fool was passing through at a time like this.
The man in black with his back to the entrance turned and saw a plainly dressed young man stepping into the alley.
Mo Beidou had been planning to take advantage of the man in black turning around to launch a sneak attack on one of them.
But when he looked up, he froze on the spot!
The newcomer grinned.
"You fellows busy?"
The man in black was taken aback by the question, then drew his brows tightly together.
"The Fierce Tiger Gang is conducting business. Anyone who isn't involved, get lost!"
"No rush."
The newcomer smiled.
"I'm just looking for someone. I'll leave once I find him."
The man in black was baffled. Since when has the Fierce Tiger Gang's name stopped carrying weight?
Or is there really someone so blind that he insists on courting death?
Without thinking, he asked:
"Who are you looking for?"
"I've already found him."
Fang Shuwen tilted his head and looked past the man in black at Mo Beidou.
"Eldest senior brother, have you been well?"
Only then did Mo Beidou wake as if from a dream. He hurriedly said:
"Little Sixteen, run! They're from the Fierce Tiger Gang. You can't handle them!"
Zheng Sihai had taken in seventeen disciples in total, and Fang Shuwen ranked sixteenth.
Mo Beidou had always called him "Little Sixteen."
In his mind, Fang Shuwen was still at the first level of [Jade Serenity Skill]. How could he possibly be a match for these two Fierce Tiger Gang disciples, whom Mo Beidou himself could not handle?
He had heard about what happened at the Zhou Family and had thought Fang Shuwen had died in that fire long ago.
He had drowned his sorrows in wine for a long time afterward, and whenever he thought of it, he could not help weeping bitterly, believing he was the one who had caused his sixteenth junior brother's death.
He had never expected to see him in Guangning City today.
But now he felt no joy at their reunion, only worry that his junior brother would be dragged down with him.
The two Fierce Tiger Gang members, on the other hand, were overjoyed when they heard this.
A vicious grin spread across the face of the man in black closest to Fang Shuwen.
"So you're his junior brother... That's wonderful."
Mo Beidou immediately understood what he intended to do and let out an angry shout:
"Don't you dare!!"
He sprang forward, unleashing [Four Seas Dragon Fist] with a roar.
But the man in black had already stepped up to Fang Shuwen, his five fingers hooked like claws as they went straight for his neck and throat.
"Kid, this is your fate!!"
Mo Beidou could not catch up in time. He could only watch helplessly as the man attacked Fang Shuwen. The five fingers were just about to clamp around Fang Shuwen's neck when Fang Shuwen suddenly waved a hand.
The next moment, before Mo Beidou could even see what had happened, there was a boom.
The man in black was already against the wall.
Fang Shuwen held his head down with one hand and smiled at Mo Beidou.
"Eldest senior brother, don't worry. He can't hurt me."
With that, he let go.
The man in black crumpled instantly and slid down the wall into the drainage ditch beside it, no longer breathing.
Mo Beidou reached Fang Shuwen just then. Their eyes met, and his were full of bewilderment.
He looked at Fang Shuwen, then at the corpse in the ditch.
His mind was a paste, and he could not make sense of what had happened.
Mo Beidou could be bewildered and could stand there in a daze, because he was Fang Shuwen's eldest senior brother.
But the other Fierce Tiger Gang member could not afford to stand there in a daze, nor did he dare remain muddled... Once he realized that Fang Shuwen had casually swatted his companion dead as if swatting a fly, he turned and ran without a second thought!
Fang Shuwen narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You bullied my eldest senior brother, and you still want to run!?"
He reached out with one hand, his five fingers curling in the air. The man was in the act of leaping away, but before he could even get off the ground, he felt a tremendous force pulling at him, sending him flying helplessly toward Fang Shuwen.
Almost in an instant, his head was in Fang Shuwen's hand.
Now, all the composure he had shown before Mo Beidou was gone. His face was full of panic as he spoke with a stammer:
"H-hero, spare..."
Before he could finish, Fang Shuwen's palm force jolted, and blood poured from his seven orifices as he died on the spot!