Righteous Branch

"He's lying! Jun and I saw him come out of the village with our own eyes. His knife and clothes were covered in blood—he had to be the killer!" As soon as Butcher Knife finished speaking, the woman clutching her husband's corpse and weeping bitterly suddenly cried out.

The matter had never stood up to scrutiny. A whole village had been massacred, yet the butcher had been nearby preparing to commit vile acts. He was naturally the prime suspect, not to mention that one of the victims had identified him.

"You can't kill me! You..." Before Butcher Knife could finish, the enraged You Tanzhi ran him through with a sword.

"You can't be killed? A heinous criminal like you deserves to be executed by all!" Upon hearing that everyone in the village, from the elderly to infants, had been slaughtered by this fiend without a single survivor left behind, You Tanzhi's fury had already driven him to kill.

After killing Butcher Knife, they buried all the villagers' bodies. But when they tried to send the woman back to her husband's family, she refused no matter what.

It turned out that she and her husband had been married for three years without having a child. Of the three unfilial acts, having no descendants was the gravest, and she had already brought shame upon her in-laws throughout the village.

Now that she had returned home to visit her family and her husband had been killed, she would surely meet no good end if she went back. She might even be sold off.

With no other choice, everyone brought the woman along for the time being, planning to find her somewhere to settle once they reached Juxian Village.

You Tanzhi and Fan Bailing's purpose in coming out this time had already been fulfilled. Feng Asan had become obsessed with crafting a certain mechanism and had forgotten to reply to his senior brother's letter.

Now that Fan Bailing had come in person, Feng Asan promised that he would definitely show up when the time came. Only then did Fan Bailing prepare to return to Juxian Village with You Tanzhi.

After encountering Chen Feng and Zhu Danchen, Fan Bailing learned that Duan Yu, the Heir Apparent of Prince of Zhennan of the Dali Kingdom, had been captured by Monk Pan. Wishing to befriend the Dali royal family, he immediately decided to join them in rescuing Duan Yu.

That night, the group lodged at an inn. Not long after dinner, just as Chen Feng had returned to his room, someone knocked on his door. When he opened it, he found Fan Bailing standing there with a Go board in his hands.

"Elder Fan, what brings you here?" Chen Feng hurriedly ushered Fan Bailing inside.

"I heard that my worthy nephew Xiaoyao is fond of Go. You know this old man bears the nickname Chess Demon, and playing Go has always been my greatest passion. But Tanzhi knows nothing of the game, and these past few days have nearly stifled me. Come, let us play a few rounds." Fan Bailing placed the board on the table, took out two stone bowls, and quickly sorted the Chess Pieces into them.

"Then I'll gladly accept." Chen Feng thought, I searched everywhere without finding it, yet it has come to me without any effort. He had been looking for an opportunity to display his Go skills before Fan Bailing, but the man had come knocking on his door instead.

Though Fan Bailing had immersed himself in Go for decades, Chen Feng's Go skill had already reached Grandmaster Level. Chen Feng defeated Fan Bailing in three consecutive games.

A name might be mistaken, but a nickname never was. Fan Bailing truly deserved the title of Chess Demon. He fought after every defeat and was defeated after every fight. The two played Go in the room for the entire night, only realizing dawn had come when You Tanzhi arrived looking for them.

With a clear destination, they did not take any detours. At noon on the third day, the five of them arrived at Wuxi City, planning to rest there before searching for the Gusu Murong Clan.

As they walked through the city, they suddenly caught a fragrant scent—the aroma of caramel, soy sauce, and cooked meat.

It was already noon, and they were all starving. Following the aroma around a corner, they saw a towering restaurant standing beside the street. Its gilded sign bore three large characters: "Songhe Tower."

The signboard had been blackened by smoke over countless years, yet its three golden characters still gleamed. Waves of wine and meat aromas poured from the restaurant, mingling with the clatter of the cooks' knives and ladles and the cries of the waiters...

"This restaurant looks pretty good. Let's eat here for lunch." Zhu Danchen was already ravenous. He parked the carriage beside the restaurant and headed upstairs first.

Since the one footing the bill had spoken, the others did not decline. Chen Feng followed close behind, but as soon as he entered the restaurant, a waiter came up to greet him.

"Sir, you've returned. Did you leave something behind?"

"Returned?" Chen Feng froze. "I've only just arrived."

"Sir, you really know how to joke. You and another guest were drinking here just now, and you drank a full ten jin of sorghum liquor. Everyone around was watching—they all saw it clearly," the waiter said politely.

"Waiter, are you saying that someone who looked exactly like him was drinking here just now?" Zhu Danchen, who had been walking ahead, heard the waiter's words and darted back in delight, quickly asking.

"Exactly alike? Wasn't it this gentleman? Ah, no, the accent is different. And although that gentleman was also wearing white, the pattern on his clothes was different." After hearing Zhu Danchen's question, the waiter gave Chen Feng a careful look and finally noticed the differences between the two.

"Do you know where that man went?" Duan Yu had actually escaped on his own—and had even eaten here.

Zhu Danchen was glad that he had brought Chen Feng along, which had caused the waiter's misunderstanding and led them to a clue about Duan Yu.

"Well, as for a guest's affairs, we..." Before the waiter could finish, he saw a small ingot of silver tossed toward him.

"Think carefully."

"I truly don't know where that guest went, but I saw a Beggar Clan Disciple come looking for the guest who had been drinking with him. I imagine the Beggar Clan must know something." The waiter quickly tucked the silver into his robes and quietly told Zhu Danchen what he knew.

Now that they had news of Duan Yu, no one had the mind to eat. Zhu Danchen bought some braised meat and dried provisions, and the group immediately left the restaurant.

"If the Heir Apparent is with members of the Beggar Clan, then this old man may be able to inquire at the Righteous Branch here. My old friend Xue Hua once aided Leader Jiang of the Righteous Branch, so I should have a little standing with him." Upon hearing that Duan Yu had been drinking here with a member of the Beggar Clan, Fan Bailing volunteered to gather information.

Since Fan Bailing had a way, the others did not object. After encountering a Beggar Clan Disciple, Fan Bailing told him that he wished to call on Leader Jiang, then headed for the Beggar Clan's Righteous Branch.

Chen Feng now completely understood the point in time. It was when Duan Yu and Qiao Feng became sworn brothers, and a major event that would shock the martial world was about to occur.

The group followed Fan Bailing to the Righteous Branch. Since a Beggar Clan Disciple had gone ahead to announce their arrival, Leader Jiang was already waiting outside the branch when Fan Bailing's group of five arrived.

"I never expected Brother Fan, the Chess Demon, to visit me here. Forgive me for failing to greet you from afar. How has Divine Doctor Xue been lately? The Beggar Clan has had many affairs to deal with recently, so I have been unable to visit him personally. I hope you will forgive me."

"You're too polite, Leader Jiang. I came this time to ask for your help with something. But I see so many Beggar Clan Disciples gathered at this branch. Has something happened?"

"To be honest, a tremendous matter has occurred within the Beggar Clan. However, our clan leader has already come personally to handle it. Brother Fan, tell me whatever you need. So long as I, Jiang, can be of help, I will never refuse!" Leader Jiang led them into the branch, where a banquet had already been prepared, awaiting Fan Bailing and the others.