Fang Che

Fang Che. The summer morning sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves and shone through the window, casting mottled patterns over the head of the bed.

Fine dust hung in the air, blending with the light as it swirled and rose, turning into arrows almost solid enough to touch, falling from the nine heavens and striking Fang Che's face.

Slowly, he felt the scorching heat on his face and woke at leisure.

He opened his eyes, only to shut them again at once.

Even through his eyelids, he could still sense the light.

He let out a satisfied breath.

He was truly alive.

One closing and opening of his eyes had separated this life from his former one.

Closing them meant his soul's bottomless plunge through the darkness at the moment of death. Opening them meant the boundless emotion of touching the world at the moment of rebirth.

The faint sting of sunlight baking his skin was the feeling of being alive.

He rose, dressed, relieved himself, and washed his face.

He spread out paper, ground ink, moistened his brush, and wrote.

Silence Is Golden

With several duang duang blows of a hammer, a plaque was nailed to the wall opposite his desk.

Fang Che stepped back a few paces, looked up at it, and nodded faintly.

There was another plaque behind the back of his desk chair.

Be Cautious in Speech and Conduct

A wooden frame stood on the desk, and inside it were still four words: Cherish Words Like Gold.

In the sitting room:

Too Many Words Bring Mistakes

Fang Che nodded solemnly. "From now on, I must always remember to be a man of few words, cautious in speech and conduct!"

Then he fell silent.

A moment later, he frowned. "Why would I think that?"

"Who exactly was I in my previous life?"

Fang Che tapped his forehead.

It had already been three days since he had been reborn into this body.

Over those three days, he had sorted through the memories and fused with the soul. Yet the strangest thing was that he knew he was a reincarnator, knew he had occupied this body, knew many things he had experienced, and knew this was six hundred years after his own era.

Everything he had experienced in his previous life was crystal clear.

Yet he alone had forgotten who he was!

Fang Che could not understand it.

But he felt astonishingly little resistance toward having been reborn as someone else.

He had accepted it almost instantly.

What was there to be dissatisfied about when he had been given another life? Squinting at the sunlight pouring into his eyes, he wore a trace of bewilderment and sighed softly. "Sigh, I wonder how they and those girls are doing."

Then he froze. Them? Girls? Who were they?...

This body was named Fang Che.

His personal details were as follows:

Fang Che.

Neither fat nor thin, handsome and sturdy.

He was five feet ten inches tall and weighed one hundred fifty-six pounds, standing straight and tall.

His brows were slightly thick, their tails faintly raised. His lips were a little full, his eyes slightly deep-set. He had double eyelids, though they were not obvious; only when he smiled did they suddenly show.

Oh, inner double eyelids.

His gaze was cold and sharp.

Looking at that face, Fang Che could not help reading his predecessor's features: This fellow was bound to be extreme and prone to going down the wrong path.

Fortunately, I am not.

Still, that cold, unruly air suited the persona I had in this life: silent, withdrawn, and sparing with words.

A suit of white clothes—Fang Che frowned. He did not like it much. It had to be changed.

Seventeen years old.

A Ninth Rank Martial Apprentice.

Healthy body, above-average aptitude.

An external relative of the Fang Clan, bearing the Fang surname through his mother. He had grown up in the Fang Family. Fang Che found this point somewhat puzzling.

He had died while breaking through from Martial Apprentice to Warrior.

After breaking through to the Warrior rank, one could take the Martial Academy assessment.

It was also the first "Dragon Gate Trial" in a martial artist's life.

Everyone knew that the best way for a Martial Apprentice to break through was to continuously fight someone stronger than himself, tempering his realm. Through consecutive battles, one could generally break through during combat.

Then, while the momentum was still there, one would continue fighting to stabilize the realm. Once the battle ended, the breakthrough process would be complete.

This was basic common knowledge. No one died during this process.

Thus, the Lineage had sent his eldest maternal cousin, the Family Head's eldest son of the legal wife, back from the Martial Academy specifically to fight Fang Che and temper his realm.

This could be said to be the most reliable approach.

His eldest cousin, Fang Qingyun, was already a high-level Martial Master. He was exceedingly familiar with the realms of Martial Apprentice and Warrior, and could have sent Fang Che safely into the Warrior realm without a single hitch.

But an accident had occurred.

His predecessor had died because of it.

When his eldest cousin, who had come to help, eagerly struck his younger cousin's Dantian with a palm and used his own cultivation to stimulate the qi within it... his younger cousin made no sound at all, then went splat.

He fell to the ground and died!...

His eldest cousin had been dumbstruck on the spot.

I killed my own younger cousin?!

The entire Fang Clan mobilized. They begged heaven and earth and summoned every famed physician in the city, somehow managing to save their younger cousin—thus, Fang Che had arrived.

The younger cousin appeared to be alive.

But his eldest cousin was currently hanging from the hands of his Maternal Uncle, getting whipped.

It was said that the scene was utterly brutal.

Fang Che used his current pitiful amount of Spiritual Power to inspect his meridians inch by inch. At last, he discovered... there truly was something unusual in his Dantian.

Though his current Spiritual Power could not reveal anything too specific, based on Fang Che's experience, the only thing capable of this should be the Sole True Sect's Five Elements Spirit Gu.

The so-called Five Elements Spirit Gu were said to be Gu worms targeting the five kinds of Spiritual Power cultivated within the human body: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

They were poisonous Gu that harmed people, but also a kind of secret art. If one survived having their Spiritual Power devoured, one would instead gain a certain qualification, and the Gu could even aid cultivation...

Put simply, if you did not die, you grew stronger.

This was also a form of selection, except life and death were the price.

It was a method commonly used by a certain sect.

Once the Five Elements Spirit Gu entered the body, no level of cultivation could refine it!

Where had this Five Elements Spirit Gu come from?

Fang Che searched through his memories.

It seemed... it had been that guy? Before the breakthrough, one of the original owner's "good friends" had given him a bottle of "high-grade" Qi and Blood Pills. The original owner had already consumed them all in preparation for his breakthrough. Other than that, nothing unusual had happened.

There was an eighty or ninety percent chance that was it.

"What a truly good friend!"

Several thousand miles away.

A White-Clothed Man was hurrying in this direction.

"Three hundred Five Elements Spirit Gu, and they all died? Only one survived? And this one is still thriving? Which one was it? This direction... Azure Wave City?"

"A casual little arrangement made without much thought, and who would have imagined such an unexpected delight?"

He smiled in surprise and could not help quickening his pace.

It seemed that this time, not only could he complete the sect's mission, he might even take in an inheriting disciple?

Fang Che sorted out a basketful of questions.

There was no doubt that countless schemes and calculations, along with entanglements of interest his predecessor knew nothing about, lay within this. Countless threads were tangled together, impossible to sort out.

"The waters here run too deep, brother. You can't grasp them."

Fang Che sighed softly.

He looked up at the four words "Be Cautious in Speech and Conduct" that he had just hung up.

Then he said softly, "Let me do it."

How much could a seventeen-year-old boy know? But now I am here.

I am Fang Che.

I would like to see just how capable those demons and monsters truly were.

He narrowed his eyes at the blinding sunlight beyond the window.

His expression was calm.

That sunlight, everywhere and seeping into every crack, resembled the spear that had descended from the heavens in his previous life.

Once it came into sight, it could not be stopped, nor could anyone flee from it!

Azure Wave City lay in the east of the continent. Five thousand li to the south stretched the vast and boundless Cloud Peak Mountain Range.

It seemed that he had once been active throughout the region spanning tens of thousands of li for a very long time...

Back then, I hunted down the Thousand Poisons Demon King right here. I killed him at Hundred Miasma Peak, a little over a thousand li outside Azure Wave City! They said that was where his cave dwelling was, but before I could enter, I cut him down with one stroke. At the time, I did not care in the slightest about the treasure of such a minor cultivator, so I simply left.

But now, I desperately needed it.

According to my memories, this region should have belonged to the Great Yong Dynasty, right?

Now it was the Great Zhao Dynasty? It seemed the Great Yong Dynasty was gone?

Replaced by Great Zhao?...

A knock sounded at the door.

"Brother Fang, you're fully recovered, aren't you?"

With the voice came a young man entering through the doorway, smiling broadly. There was a trace of concealed scrutiny in his eyes. His features were fairly handsome, but his brows and eyes always seemed to carry a certain gloominess.

In Fang Che's eyes, he carried an indescribable malice.

"Yes, thanks to your good fortune."

Fang Che's gaze flickered, but his expression did not change.

This was the guy, Su Yue! The second young master of Azure Wave City's Su Clan.

He was the one who had given Fang Che those Qi and Blood Pills mixed with Five Elements Spirit Gu Worms.

He was the true culprit behind his predecessor's death, and also the predecessor's so-called "best friend, best brother."

Fang Che had originally still doubted it, but upon seeing this man's face and eyes again, the memories immediately confirmed it.

"I have to say, your eldest cousin was really ruthless. He truly didn't treat you as family."

Su Yue casually walked in and sat opposite Fang Che. Yet inwardly, he muttered, The Fang Family treats this maternal grandson very well indeed. They could even suppress the Five Poisons Gu.

He sat in a relaxed manner. It was clear that his relationship with the original owner had reached a certain point.

Fang Che snorted coldly, his face dark. "Yes, he certainly dared to strike."

Su Yue said, "But this was to be expected. After all, you're only a maternal grandson, an outsider with a different surname, not of the direct bloodline, and... heh, it's only normal for them to treat you poorly. We anticipated this long ago, didn't we?"

Fang Che's face darkened as he looked at Su Yue. In a calm tone, he slowly said, "...I truly did not expect some bastard to want me dead!"

Yet inwardly, he pondered, The worst bastard is standing right in front of me! How should I kill him?

For a blood feud of life and death, one had to act quickly, ruthlessly, fiercely, and viciously. That was the true meaning of life.

"Don't worry. I'll help you vent this anger in the future," Su Yue said warmly.

Fang Che revealed a heart-to-heart smile and said slowly, "Brother Su's great kindness and great virtue will be etched in this little brother's heart. I shall never dare forget it in this life, and in the future, I will surely repay it completely."

Su Yue burst into laughter. "What are you saying between brothers?"

Yet he vaguely felt that something about those words did not sound quite right. Su Yue looked around, saw no one nearby, and lowered his voice. "Fang Che, do you remember that Earth Grade Cultivation Method I mentioned last time, the one exceptionally suited to your physique?"

"Huh?"

Fang Che widened his eyes.

What kind of worthless trash was an Earth Grade Cultivation Method? Did it need to be this mysterious?

Fine, I had been reborn... it was no big deal.

"Yes, I've already gotten information on it."

Su Yue's voice was low. "I have already obtained a One Heart Token for you. As long as you fulfill one condition and find out where the Fang Family's Treasure Map is—or even just learn a little inside information—the Earth Grade Cultivation Method will be yours. And... I can even introduce you to the divine sect, where you will become a seed disciple."

He said fervently, "Brother, this concerns your prospects for the rest of your life. If you become a seed disciple, it means the resources of the entire sect will be opened to you!"

"It's a road to ascend to heaven in a single step. By then, what would the Fang Family amount to... wouldn't they be yours to knead and pinch as you pleased? Besides, the Fang Family has already treated you like this..."

Fang Che frowned. "Treasure Map?"

"Yes, the Treasure Map of the Golden Saber Martial Commander that the Fang Family has supposedly kept hidden all along."

Su Yue urged anxiously, "Have you forgotten?"

A hint of dissatisfaction could not help appearing in his eyes.

Supposedly?

Kept hidden?

Fang Che's mind turned, and without nearly any thought, he gave a sinister smile. "What Golden Saber Martial Commander? You've all been deceived."

"Hm?"

Su Yue's eyes immediately widened.

Fang Che leaned closer as well, lowering his voice mysteriously. The words flowed out without the need for thought. "When I was badly injured this time, while I was unconscious, I heard... mm, my grandfather talking about it. That wasn't Golden Saber Martial Commander's treasure at all. It belonged to someone else."

"Someone else?"

Su Yue's eyes went round.

"Of course!"

Fang Che sat there as steady as Old Shen.

Because he recalled the Thousand Poisons Demon King he had killed in his previous life.

And suddenly, he understood him.

With the Thousand Poisons Demon King's cultivation, in the region around Azure Wave City—or rather, within several thousand li—he had simply been invincible! Releasing just a little poison would have been enough to turn a thousand li into scorched earth.

That was why he had set up his cave estate here—there had been no threats!

But now... heh heh...

Wasn't this my chance to repay Second Young Master Su?

Thousand Poisons.

Perfect! Across from him, Su Yue immediately perked up. Deceived? It wasn't Golden Saber Martial Commander?

The Fang Family truly were Old Silver Coins! They had actually managed to mislead everyone so thoroughly.

No wonder no one had obtained any concrete news all these years.

"Wasn't the location said to be Broken Saber Gorge, three thousand li away? How could it not be..."

Su Yue sounded bewildered, but was actually probing further.

"No! You've all been deceived. It isn't Broken Saber Gorge either!" Fang Che said decisively.

"..."

Stormy waves rose in Su Yue's heart.

That was fake too? "What exactly is going on?" he pressed urgently.

"I didn't understand it either, but while unconscious, I vaguely heard it was somewhere within a thousand li..."

Fang Che put on a look of deep thought, as though trying to remember. "It seemed to be some Absolute Sword Monarch's inheritance, not some treasure trove. They only went looking several times without finding it. And that place has countless poisonous creatures, extremely perilous ones. One time, they even encountered a Grandmaster-level venomous python and had to return empty-handed."

Su Yue was instantly overjoyed.

An inheritance!

That was far more precious than treasure.

And it was the inheritance of the Absolute Sword Monarch.

That was a level much higher than Golden Saber Martial Commander.

More importantly, with that one sentence from Fang Che, he had essentially revealed every last piece of information! Absolute Sword Monarch, inheritance, within a thousand li, countless poisonous creatures, extreme danger, a Grandmaster-level venomous python! To an old hand of the martial world, that was practically pointing straight at the location!

"Is what you said true?!"

Su Yue asked excitedly.

"I don't know. I only heard my grandfather say it while I was unconscious, so I wouldn't dare guarantee whether it's true or false. Besides, as soon as I opened my eyes, Grandfather stopped talking."

Fang Che gave an ambiguous answer, spreading his hands apologetically. "It still needs careful verification and a slow investigation."

I've made it this obvious. If you still can't find it, what utter trash are you?

The more Su Yue thought about it, the more he felt this was probably true.

The more he thought, the more his heart stirred, the more excited he became.

He turned to look at Fang Che, smugness filling his heart.

This little fool probably doesn't even know what an enormous secret he just let slip, does he?

Hahaha...

As he thought about it, he wanted to leave.

But how could Fang Che possibly let him leave just like that?

Five Elements Spirit Gu and a One Heart Token—what they represented was something an old hand like him could not possibly fail to understand. Fang Che casually asked, "Ah, that One Heart Token... you really found it?"

"Why would I lie to you about that?"

Su Yue took an iron token from his arms.

Fang Che naturally reached out and took it.

Su Yue:??

How had he just... taken it? The moment Fang Che looked at the iron token in his hand, he understood.

It truly was the lowest-level induction token of the Sole True Sect, the sect that had brought calamity upon mankind.

Damn it, he had actually encountered an old enemy after being reborn? The Sole True Sect wanted to induct this kid? Or did they have some scheme?

In his previous life, he and his brothers had fought the Sole True Sect all their lives. He knew deeply just how powerful the Sole True Sect was.

The hardest thing about dealing with this organization was this: so long as they did not expose themselves, no one could ever know that they belonged to the Sole True Sect.

Their public identities could be martial artists, great scholars, alchemists, or ordinary people...

Their disciples were spread throughout the world like stars scattered across the sky. Once one erupted, it became a disaster.

The history of the entire continent was practically a history of war against the Sole True Sect.

These people possessed steadfast faith and gathered experts like clouds. They were extremely difficult to deal with and impossible to eradicate.

Even Xue Fuxiao, one of the three great leaders of the Guardians, had once sighed: if the Sole True Sect did not collapse from within, there was almost no hope of uprooting them completely!

It was more than merely no hope. They had even grown ever stronger.

Over these years, the Sole True Sect had become increasingly powerful. From hiding here and there in the past, they could now openly stand toe-to-toe with the Guardians, even faintly surpassing them.

Should they ever emerge from the shadows into the light, it would likely become a catastrophe that overturned the human world in the blink of an eye.

The Guardians had sent in who knew how many undercover agents and elite operatives, yet had never seen any results. And once exposed, they would suffer the Sole True Sect's brutal retaliation.

Moreover, the Sole True Sect was simply too powerful. No matter how capable an undercover agent was, they could not infiltrate its upper ranks.

And the One Heart Sect was one of the subordinate sects of the Sole True Sect.

Thoughts flashed through Fang Che's mind. Collapse from within? Internal strife?

Then something suddenly flashed through his heart.

A One Heart Token?

Five Elements Spirit Gu? He casually tucked the token into his arms and said, "Many thanks, Brother Su."

After Su Yue returned, he would certainly report this supposed Absolute Sword Monarch inheritance site to his Lineage, and would certainly follow them in the search.

How could Su Yue possibly pass up such enormous merit?

In that case, not a single person who went would return alive.

I'd better keep this token myself. Otherwise, I might miss my chance.

When Su Yue saw Fang Che put away the token, he was somewhat bewildered. But on second thought, he would have to induct this fellow into the sect eventually anyway, so it did not matter if he held it for now.

Besides, he was already too impatient to wait.

"Then this elder brother will take his leave first. Brother Fang, take care of yourself. I'll come again in a few days."

"Alright."

Fang Che pondered for a moment. "I'll investigate the details further during this time. Next time, we'll go look for that inheritance together."

"Good! I'll wait for you."

Su Yue laughed loudly.

But his heart was filled with contempt.

You still want to look for it? In three to five days at the latest, it'll belong to my family! You idiot—your Fang Family treats you so well, yet after just a few words of my coaxing, you immediately turn on your maternal grandfather's family. You deserve to be used by others!

"Brother Su, have a safe journey."

"No need to see me off. The information you gave today was at least useful."

"You're welcome. This is merely a small token of repayment from Little Brother for Brother Su's care over so many years." Fang Che smiled without quite smiling.

Su Yue laughed heartily, turned, and walked out.

A smile remained on Fang Che's face as he watched Su Yue leave.

His gaze was unreadable, and the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.