The people at the estate clearly hadn't expected the plaque and Uncle-Master Fang to come down together.
The two young men standing guard below panicked. To their credit, they remembered that people came first and both rushed to catch him. But the plaque weighed at least several dozen pounds. If it came crashing down on him, catching him would make little difference.
They should have knocked the plaque away. But it was their pride and glory, something they took pains to protect. In that frantic moment, who would think to strike it?
Besides, a blow would probably damage it. Even if it survived, having the plaque fall to the ground would be terribly inauspicious!
For a moment, chaos reigned. Disaster seemed imminent.
Pan Long frowned. His figure flashed, and the ground trembled faintly beneath his feet as he appeared in midair like a phantom. He caught the plaque in both hands, floated several yards away, and landed steadily. He still held the plaque aloft; not a speck of dust had touched it.
He looked back. Some of the young men were asking after the old man, while others stared at him blankly. Pan Long could only sigh inwardly.
No wonder old Mr. Liu wants to retire from the Martial World. His descendants really can't hold things together!
Fortunately, the middle-aged steward in charge of receiving guests kept his head. He came over at once to take the plaque, then sent people to help Uncle-Master Fang, who had twisted his back in the fall, to his room while others rehung it. Once everything was done and order had finally returned, the steward realized Pan Long had slipped away unnoticed.
He asked around, but not one person there had seen how Pan Long left.
A while later, word finally reached the estate's