Facing

Wang Long found him?

Qin Fang flashed away from the door crack in an instant, pressing his back against the wall with a gloomy expression.

Regarding Wang Long, Qin Fang naturally never dared to forget him for a single moment; a huge reason for his diligent cultivation... lay precisely with Wang Long!

But since leaving Spring Return Hall, his master had only mentioned the situation regarding Wang Long and his men once... his master told them that he had already left long ago.

And then there was no follow-up.

For the nearly one month that followed, Qin Fang had stayed in this courtyard the entire time, never stepping out the door once.

His master had not mentioned the Iron Tiger Gang again either.

So he had no idea what their specific movements were.

He had almost forgotten about them.

Yet he never expected...

That they would actually show up at his doorstep today?

Qin Fang's face looked terrible. He held his breath, not daring to peek through the door crack anymore, and instead tilted his head to listen to the movements outside.

How did they find him?

Who could have leaked his tracks?

His master's face flashed through his mind for an instant, but he immediately dismissed it...

His master could not have betrayed him.

If he really wanted to sell him out, why bother spending money and effort? Wouldn't it have been easier to just ignore him back then?

So where could things have gone wrong?

Thoughts flashed through Qin Fang's mind like lightning.

At the same time, the knocking on the door outside grew louder, clearly showing some impatience.

Then, Qin Fang heard a voice.

"Brother Dragon, is that brat really here?"

The voice carried a hint of doubt, yet it sounded very familiar to Qin Fang.

An image of a wretched-looking man with a mole by his mouth instantly appeared in his mind.

"Damn it, we've been looking for that brat for nearly a month, and this is the first lead we've had. Regardless of whether it's him or not... let's take a look first."

Wang Long's voice was somewhat gloomy, carrying a venomous edge.

"It better not be him, otherwise... I might just have to kill someone today."

Qin Fang's heart sank as he listened... they were indeed coming for him.

But how did they know he was here?

Qin Fang's mind raced frantically.

Not many people knew he was here; besides Old Wu, there was the young boy who had come to deliver goods a few times, those few masons and carpenters, and... the surrounding neighbors.

But apart from Old Wu, none of them knew about his relationship with the Iron Tiger Gang.

Yet Old Wu could not have betrayed him.

So which link in the chain had gone wrong?

Just as he was thinking, shouts came from outside: "Damn it, open the door! If you don't open up, I'm going to break it down!"

"He's not opening the door despite all this knocking; looks like there's definitely something fishy going on!"

"Scar-Head Li said that the refugee disciple Old Wu took in stays home almost every day. Now that we're knocking and he won't open up... Brother Dragon, should we send a few men to the back to keep watch, so he doesn't run away?"

The voices outside rang out.

Qin Fang's heart sank instantly; these words seemed to solve one of his puzzles...

It really wasn't Old Wu who betrayed him.

It was that Scar-Head Li.

Who was Scar-Head Li?

He didn't know him at all.

But it wasn't hard to deduce.

Judging by the nickname, he sounded like a street thug, so it couldn't be the honest young boy or those masons.

That meant he could only be one of the neighbors...

But why exactly this Scar-Head Li would mention him to Wang Long and his men... there was still a huge question mark there.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that Wang Long and his men had arrived at his door was reality, and he had to find a way to save himself.

"Fine, send two men to block the back door, don't let him run. This courtyard wall doesn't look very high either... you, climb over and take a look."

Wang Long's voice drifted in from outside.

Qin Fang's expression turned cold and stern. Without a moment's hesitation, he moved, sprinting quickly into the room.

All his throwing knives were inside.

He rushed into the room, slammed the door shut, and dashed to the target, grabbing the throwing knives and clutching them in his hand.

The icy touch of the metal gave him a sliver of security.

Then, he heard a dull "thud" from the courtyard.

Gripping the knives, Qin Fang hurried to the door and peered out through the lattice window.

They had indeed climbed over the wall. A figure vaulted over, cast a casual glance at the house, and walked to the door to slide the bolt open. Wang Long and his men stepped inside.

"Kid, get out here! I've come to collect the debt."

Wang Long, his face covered in rolls of fat, scanned the courtyard with a vicious gaze before fixing his eyes on the tightly shut door.

As they spoke, they advanced toward the house.

Qin Fang's face darkened.

Everything had happened too suddenly; he had no time to prepare.

What now?

Someone was already blocking the back door; he likely had no way out.

And now, Wang Long and his men had entered the courtyard.

Wolves in front, tigers behind.

He was caught in a dilemma.

It felt as if he had been backed into a dead end once again.

Qin Fang's expression remained cold, a ruthless glint surfacing in his eyes.

But he quickly took a deep breath, suppressing the urge for now.

Seeing Wang Long and his men already in the courtyard and approaching the main entrance, he simply kicked the door open with a loud bang.

...The leader of the Iron Tiger Gang was a martial artist of the Dark Force, and he was Wang Long's younger brother.

He remembered that.

When the door was suddenly flung open, Qin Fang stood in the doorway, expressionless, causing Wang Long and his men to freeze in their tracks, momentarily stunned.

The man with a mole on his face scrutinized Qin Fang carefully, then suddenly sneered, "Brother Dragon, we found him! It's him!"

He spoke with absolute certainty.

Wang Long also looked Qin Fang up and down, but to be fair... the Qin Fang of today was a completely different person from the refugee of over a month ago.

Back then, Qin Fang had been disheveled, his face caked in layers of grime, half-dead and gasping for his last breath.

But now, Qin Fang was dressed in clean robes, his frame tall and lean. Though still pitifully thin, his face was clean, his brows sharp, and his eyes bright. Even if his protruding cheekbones detracted slightly from his appearance... he was indeed a completely different person from the refugee of a month ago.

Wang Long wasn't entirely sure if it was the same person.

So, upon hearing his subordinate's confident assertion, he had been momentarily taken aback.

But soon, he chose to trust his man.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Qin Fang: "Kid, do you remember me?"

Qin Fang stood in the doorway, taking in the expressions of the men.

Except for the one with the mole on his lip, who insisted it was him, the others clearly showed hesitation in their eyes.

But after the thug with the mole spoke, they immediately concluded that Qin Fang was indeed the refugee from a month ago.

Qin Fang's gaze fell on the face of the thug with the mole... a month ago, it was this guy who first suggested that he might have run out of money.

Qin Fang was not a man who held grudges.

But this mole-faced man was an exception.

After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Qin Fang exhaled softly and spoke slowly: "Brother Dragon, of course I remember. If it weren't for Brother Dragon, I would have died a month ago and never met my current master... I dare not forget Brother Dragon's great kindness."

With these words, Qin Fang effectively confirmed his identity.

Wang Long's eyes narrowed instantly, and a ferocious look appeared on his face: "Good, very good. Since you remember, then this is easy to talk about... So, kid, don't you think what you did was a bit lacking in honor? I saved your life, yet after you recovered, you just ran off without a word... You've made me look for you for a whole month."

A murderous glint surfaced in his eyes.