Huge Harvest (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Lao Liu's pupils constricted sharply, alarm bells ringing in his heart.

Before the words had even faded, Fang Shuwen had already surged forward.

This time, he came straight at him.

His speed was a full thirty percent faster.

In an instant, he had arrived right before the short, stocky man.

"Go to hell!"

Lao Liu steeled himself, drew the short blade from his waist, and thrust it forward violently.

He possessed the foundation of a First Bone-Sound, and he put every ounce of his strength into this strike; the blade whistled sharply as it tore through the air.

Fang Shuwen's body seemed to lack bones, twisting at an impossible angle.

The short blade grazed his ribs and missed.

At the same time, Fang Shuwen's right hand shot out like a snake's head, fingers pressed together into a cone, striking precisely against Lao Liu's temple.

Snake Tongue Strike!

This move was a heavy blow.

With a single punch, Lao Liu's head roared!

The ferocious force rattled his brain instantly.

Lao Liu's consciousness plunged into darkness, his stocky body stiffening as if electrocuted before he collapsed to the ground.

Dust kicked up, and the short blade slipped from his loosened grip, clattering twice before falling silent.

Fang Shuwen held his punching posture, looking down at the short, stocky corpse on the ground.

Lao Liu's eyes were wide open, his pupils already dilated, a trickle of dark red blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as it soaked into the gravel beneath him.

From the strike to the kill, it had taken no more than a single breath.

The gap between a First Bone-Sound and a Second Bone-Sound was far greater than ordinary people imagined.

Fang Shuwen shook the blood from his fist, crouched down, and began to search Lao Liu's body.

He pulled a worn leather wallet from his waist and weighed it; it was quite heavy.

He untied the cord and looked inside; the luster of silver dollars dazzled in the twilight.

Without counting them, he stuffed it directly into his cloth schoolbag.

He then rummaged through Brother Hu's corpse.

The tall, thin man carried even more; a bulging money pouch hung at his waist, and a wax-paper parcel was tucked into his chest.

Fang Shuwen untied the money pouch and opened it to find not only silver dollars but also several colorful paper banknotes.

His heart leaped with joy, though his expression remained calm as he shoved the entire pouch into his bag and opened the wax-paper parcel.

Inside were a few pieces of dry rations and a small packet of white powder that had no discernible scent.

Fang Shuwen frowned, wrapped the powder back up, and tucked it into his bag as well.

He could find someone to identify what this stuff was later.

Having finished searching both corpses, Fang Shuwen stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He walked over to the wooden boat and bent down to untie the knots on the burlap sacks.

The first sack's knot was tied tight, the hemp rope biting into the fibers of the fabric, but he applied force and tore it open in a few tugs.

The mouth of the sack opened to reveal a pale face.

Young and delicate.

He didn't recognize her, but judging by her attire, she appeared to be a student from the Public Middle School.

At this moment, the young girl's eyes were tightly shut, her lips purple, and a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on her forehead; her breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Looking at her state, she had been heavily drugged and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

Just as he prepared to untie the second sack, it suddenly began to thrash violently.

A muffled "wuwu" sound came from within, as if something were struggling desperately, its mouth gagged.

Fang Shuwen raised an eyebrow and tore open the second sack's knot in a few swift motions.

The moment the opening widened, a flushed, pretty face poked out.

Her almond eyes were wide, filled with towering rage.

But with a rag stuffed in her mouth, she couldn't speak, leaving only those eyes that seemed ready to spit fire.

Fang Shuwen froze.

He recognized this person.

No, he should say he had an "extremely deep impression" of her.

Zheng Yuanpei's granddaughter, the wealthy young lady whose bottom the original owner had pinched.

What was her name again?

It seemed to be Zheng.

"Why is it you?"

Fang Shuwen blurted out, his tone laced with surprise.

Zheng Shulan's eyes widened. With a rag stuffed in her mouth, she couldn't speak, only emitting urgent, muffled whimpers.

Her hair was disheveled, her face smeared with dust, and a button on her school uniform collar had been torn off, revealing a patch of fair skin below her collarbone.

Yet, those eyes remained as spirited as ever, glaring at Fang Shuwen as if to say, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and untie me!"

Fang Shuwen reached out and yanked the rag from her mouth.

Zheng Shulan gasped for air, then took a sharp, deep breath, her voice as piercing as a blade:

"You hooligan! Why are you here? Did you kidnap me?"

Fang Shuwen gave her a speechless look. Too lazy to explain, he turned to untie the other girl.

Zheng Shulan was bound inside a burlap sack, her hands and feet tied tight with thick hemp rope. She struggled twice to no avail, then shouted indignantly:

"Hey! Untie me first! You stinking hooligan, did you hear me?"

"Heh, is that the attitude you use to ask for help?" Fang Shuwen chuckled.

He had no idea which high-society family this girl belonged to, but she clearly didn't realize her current situation.

If he were truly a villain, provoking him like this would only lead to disaster.

Seeing him ignore her, Zheng Shulan's face flushed even redder, her teeth grinding together.

"You... are you deaf? I told you to untie me first!"

Fang Shuwen finally turned back and looked her up and down.

"Asking for a favor, and this is your attitude?"

Zheng Shulan choked on her words, opening her mouth before snapping it shut.

She took a deep breath, forcing her voice to sound less like she was gnashing her teeth:

"Please... help me untie the ropes."

Only then did Fang Shuwen saunter over. He crouched down and, in a few swift motions, snapped the hemp ropes around her wrists and ankles.

The moment she gained her freedom, Zheng Shulan scrambled out of the sack.

She stumbled twice before steadying herself, rubbing her wrists, which were chafed red by the rope, and scanned the river bend.

She saw two corpses on the ground.

One was tall and thin, his chest caved in, blood pooling beneath him.

The other was short and stocky, his temple sunken, blood seeping from his ear canal—a gruesome sight.

Her expression shifted, and as her gaze returned to Fang Shuwen, her eyes held a much more complex look.

"You... you killed them?"

Fang Shuwen didn't answer the question, instead bending down to lift the other girl.

"Are you planning to stay here? Waiting for the Wild Wolf Gang to come collect the bodies?"

Zheng Shulan finally snapped to her senses and hurried to catch up.

She wasn't about to stay here alone; who knew if those thugs had accomplices?

"Wait for me!"

Fang Shuwen placed the girl onto a handcart and turned to look at the wealthy girl behind him.

"Then you push the cart!"

"You!"

"Are you pushing or not? If not, go back yourself and stop following me."

"Fine, I'll push! As if I can't!"

After the exchange, Zheng Shulan had lost the battle.

She had no choice but to push the handcart.

"I recall you bought a book at the bookstore on East Street today. Is it in your bag? Let me see it."

Zheng Shulan froze, her hands stiffening on the cart.

"How did you know I bought a book?"

She realized immediately after asking that the bookstore owner must have told him.

"It's in my bag."

Fang Shuwen bent over to rummage through the cart and found a light blue bag. It was embroidered with a small orchid, the stitches fine and clearly handmade.

He pulled the zipper open and took out Tales of the Ancient Castle.

As the book touched his hand, a faint chill seeped through.

Sure enough, there was something wrong with this book as well.