The Robbery

His martial arts were decent, but his will was weak. Like a flower in a greenhouse, a sheltered young lady...

He had ties to Sihai Pavilion, and Sihai Pavilion could get its hands on a large number of spirit seeds. It wasn't hard to guess where they came from...

Fang Yuan was a clever man, after all. A few quick connections were enough for him to find the answer. "Gui Ling Sect?"

The girl's martial arts were impressive, on par with Song Yujie's. She was clearly a high-ranking disciple of Gui Ling Sect, too.

If he killed her just like that, he'd most likely make yet another extremely powerful enemy.

Of course, the most important thing was that she'd only decided on a whim to follow him. It wasn't as if she had to die.

"What are you doing? Don't come any closer!"

As Young Master Qing watched Fang Yuan's expression shift between light and dark, she thought of the many tales of lecherous bandits circulating through the martial world. Terrified beyond measure, she sobbed, "If you lay a hand on me... I..."

"Don't start bringing up your powerful backers. Otherwise, I might have to kill you to keep this quiet!"

Fang Yuan reached out and tapped Young Master Qing's delicate skin with his index finger. She choked on her breath, and even her crying stopped.

"That's more like it. Good girl!"

He patted her little cheek. He was starting to enjoy this.

This girl's skin really is lovely, smooth as silk. It could rival Flower Fox Ferret's fur... Bah, what am I thinking?

Fang Yuan shook his head hard, then said in a stern voice, "You followed me. Have you prepared compensation?"

"C-compensation?"

Young Master Qing was dumbfounded.

Wasn't this lecher supposed to do something shameful next? How had he suddenly changed his tune?

Once her terror had ebbed, she felt relieved, but a deep indignation welled up inside her, too. Could I really be so ugly that even this little thief doesn't find me appealing?!

At the thought, she glared at Fang Yuan, as if she could kill him with her eyes.

"What are you waiting for? Do you want me to search you?"

Fang Yuan gave Young Master Qing a lecherous once-over. Her martial arts might be poor, but she did seem to have a figure.

Besides, she hadn't even bothered to disguise herself. She didn't have an Adam's apple, either. Only a blind man would mistake her for a man.

"No! Don't!"

Young Master Qing was so furious she nearly suffered another internal injury. "What do you want? I... I'll give you anything!"

"I don't want martial arts manuals!"

Thinking of the Gui Ling Heart Method Song Yujie had given him last time, Fang Yuan was already biased against such things. He sorted through the items Young Master Qing handed over.

"What's this? Rouge and face powder? Why would I want these?"

He opened a shell-shaped box and saw the bright red powder inside. He was speechless.

"This is the best brand in the city, Purple Fragrance. A single box costs ten taels of gold!" Young Master Qing replied timidly.

"Damn, rich people sure know how to live!"

Fang Yuan was at a loss for words. Hearing how wealthy the girl was, he nearly got the idea to kidnap her.

Unfortunately, he knew her backing was no weaker than Song Yujie's.

She'd lost to him this time. If she only lost some gold and silver, it would be a minor loss. The people behind her might even be glad to see it, so that Miss Qing could learn how treacherous the martial world was.

But if he took her martial arts manual, or even kidnapped her for ransom, it would become a major incident. Wouldn't they seal the Four Gates and search the whole city?

His little frame couldn't handle that. He'd better take only what he could afford to.

"Heh, Xiao Qing, you're loaded, aren't you?"

Even a little money was enough to make Fang Yuan giddy with delight.

"A bank draft from Qinghe Money House, worth a full hundred taels of gold and redeemable on sight! And more than thirty taels in loose silver, a pair of jade bracelets, a hairpin, a cat's-eye emerald... Not bad, not bad!"

Fang Yuan was used to living frugally. He didn't even spare the cat's-eye emerald on Young Master Qing's headband. Once he had it in his hands, his face nearly split into a grin.

In his eyes, Xiao Qing was a truly wonderful person.

Thanks to her generous gift, he'd made back all the money he'd spent buying spirit seeds—and then some.

"You... you... waah..."

Xiao Qing was on the verge of tears. That hundred-tael gold draft was the private stash she'd been saving all this time! She'd only just deposited it at the money house today, and now this disaster had befallen her.

At least she had enough sense not to threaten him outright.

"I know you're probably going to find people to take revenge. I'll take on anyone my age!"

Fang Yuan lifted his chin, looking haughty. "Among my peers, I, the Little Martial God Wu Ming, have never feared anyone!"

"The Little Martial God Wu Ming!"

Xiao Qing repeated the words, as if she wanted to remember them forever.

"All right, get lost. Remember, this young master is staying at Tianya Hai Ge. I'll be waiting for you anytime!"

Fang Yuan casually stuffed everything into his clothes, then turned and strode away.

Make a grand exit and run—that was thrilling!

Of course, his name wasn't Wu Ming. And as for Tianya Hai Ge, it was just the biggest inn he'd seen on the road...

Poor Xiao Qing had been thoroughly fooled without realizing it. She kept muttering, "The Little Martial God Wu Ming! Tianya Hai Ge! Just you wait! I'll bring my senior brothers and sisters to avenge me!"

"Notice from Gui Ling Sect: Elder Song Zhong of this sect has been found guilty of wanton murder and slaughtering his fellow disciples. Never before has anyone shown such depravity and madness. After deliberation by the Sect Leader and the two senior elders, he has been expelled from the sect. A wanted notice is hereby issued. Whoever takes this traitor's head will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold, one martial arts manual, or a Gui Yuan Token!"

Several days passed in a flash. At the city gate, a crowd gathered around the freshly posted notice, all of them shocked.

"Elder Song Zhong? He's a master at the Seventh Gate of the Martial Dao! How did he suddenly end up being hunted?"

"I hear his beloved son died, and he went mad, too!"

"Wasn't he the one who wiped out the Kou Family Manor? That story was all over the place a while back!"

"Heh... If he'd only killed a few outsiders, do you think Gui Ling Sect would have sought justice?"

As the crowd buzzed, an "insider" gave a cold laugh. "What really put an end to him was wiping out the Zhou family, who were fellow disciples of Gui Ling Sect!"

"The Zhou family? The Zhou family of Greenleaf? Gasp..."

"That's right. I even saw the Zhou family's young master come here to make a tearful complaint!"

"But Song Zhong actually escaped?"

"This is an internal struggle between factions in Gui Ling Sect. Otherwise, why would they need to call in outside help?"

"Whatever the reason, it's an opportunity for us!"

The crowd erupted in discussion. Many martial artists saw the reward and their eyes gleamed.

Gold and a martial arts manual might not be much, but the Gui Yuan Token was no ordinary prize. Anyone bearing it would be treated with respect by everyone in Gui Ling Sect, and would receive the status of an outer sect guest elder. They could even ask Gui Ling Sect to do one thing for them in exchange for returning the token.

In theory, as long as it was within the sect's power, they would refuse nothing!

"Song Zhong... Gui Yuan Token?"

Outside the city, Fang Yuan heard the news in a farmhouse and stopped practicing his martial arts.

The city was too dangerous, and if trouble arose, it would be hard to escape. Once the Four Gates were shut, unless one had outstanding Lightness Skill, they'd be trapped like a turtle in a jar. So he'd gone straight outside the city and found a farmer willing to put him up.

It had cost only a few taels of silver, enough to make the family beam with delight and treat him with the utmost care.

He glanced at his status:

Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 2.7

Qi: 2.6

Spirit: 1.5

Age: 18

Cultivation: Fifth Gate of the Martial Dao

Skills: Black Sand Palm [Level Five], Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt [Level Five]

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level Two], Planting Skill [Level Three]

"I was already a master at the Fifth Gate. The first five levels of Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt came easily, and by now I've nearly mastered them..."

With his foundation already in place, the first few levels of other martial arts were extremely easy for Fang Yuan. The proficiency requirements were much lower, so he could improve at a rapid pace.

For example, a few days earlier he'd used this very advantage to fleece Xiao Qing.

Of course, breaking through to the Sixth Gate wouldn't be so easy.

What was more, the Harm Gate was one of the Three Dangerous Gates of the Martial Dao. The slightest mistake could plunge him into a fate worse than death, so even Fang Yuan had to proceed with caution.

"I'd planned to head back once this was all over and focus on breaking through in my martial arts. Who'd have thought Gui Ling Sect would be so indecisive? They actually let Song Zhong escape and even put out a massive bounty for him?"

Fang Yuan was puzzled.

He had no idea that the struggle within Gui Ling Sect had already reached a boiling point.

The Sect Leader, Shi Yutong, had taken an ambiguous stance, while the two senior elders' powerful factions attacked one another under the leadership of Elder Yan and Elder Han. That was what had created the current mess.

For the Sect Leader's faction, the most urgent thing was to keep the situation stable. Compared to that, whether Song Zhong lived or died wasn't all that important.

Fang Yuan knew nothing about this political maneuvering, but he did know one thing!

As long as Song Zhong was alive, he couldn't rest easy!

Even though he'd acted discreetly, there was no guarantee the truth wouldn't come out. If a master of the Three Dangerous Gates cast aside all dignity and scruples to assassinate him, Fang Yuan wouldn't stand a chance.

"I have to strike while he's down and pull him up by the roots!"

Fang Yuan made up his mind. He pulled on his martial outfit and darted off in a few leaps, quickly disappearing into the distance.

It wasn't hard to get news of Song Zhong.

Almost every martial artist in the entire prefectural city was searching for him.

Word was that he'd fought his way out of the sect in a river of blood, then fled straight into Great Green Mountain.

The mountain was a branch of Qingling Mountain. Gui Ling Sect had sealed off its main routes and was searching it in a net, while countless martial artists who'd brought their own provisions hunted him down. It was only a matter of time before he was found.

"Mm! There are a lot of people?"

Outside the mountain forest, Fang Yuan looked up at the blazing, dazzling sun, then at the many martial artists around him. He was speechless. "I don't need to rush. I can just follow the main group and wait until Song Zhong is finally captured."

Though Great Green Mountain was only a branch range, it was still enormous. Finding a martial arts master hiding in its depths would be extremely difficult.

Fang Yuan wasn't in a hurry at all. He wandered slowly around the mountain, occasionally making the acquaintance of a few wandering martial artists, chatting about news and sharing what they knew.

Then, one day at noon, while he was napping on a boulder, a young woman's clear voice suddenly rang beside his ear. "Senior sister, that's him!"

The voice was soft and crisp, and Fang Yuan found it somewhat familiar.

He looked toward where it had come from and froze.