Fu Qian's posture was so overly proper that it clashed sharply with what he was saying.
Lan En clearly hadn't expected such a nearly affirmative answer. For a moment, he was completely baffled, frantically trying to figure out what "I hope so" was supposed to mean.
Given this sudden turn of events, the man should have been able to tell that their group was on high alert. The chances that he was joking seemed slim.
But if he really had done it, why not just say yes? What did he mean by "I hope so"? Was he trying to soften the tone?
However you looked at it, that kind of tact seemed even more provocative than a straightforward admission.
As his thoughts raced, a rush of wind beside him snapped him out of it.
Clearly, unlike Lan En, who was overthinking everything, the hired muscle he'd brought along hadn't given it much thought. More than one of them was already seething with murderous intent, waiting for the order to vent all the fury they'd built up along the way.
"What should I call you?"
Signaling to his men with a glance to hold their fire, Lan En looked at Fu Qian and asked coldly.
It wasn't that he had any particular kindness in him. Though he'd never encountered a situation like this before, instinct told him something was very wrong.
Now that someone outside their understanding had appeared, and seemed to know something about what was happening, venting their anger instead of making good use of the information was an utter waste.
"Fang."
Sticking firmly to the principle that the shorter the name, the more impressive it sounded, Fu Qian made his introduction even briefer this time.
At the same time, he studied the source of the wind.
It was