“If we told you that you’re not guilty and that someone wants to meet you, would you believe us?” one of the soldiers asked.“I don’t know anyone here, so how could I believe you?” Zhao Wen replied. He shifted his stance, ready to fight again.“Calm down, young man. We will take you with respect. Please come with us to the palace. You can walk on your own—no one will even touch you,” the soldier said, trying to soothe him.“Can you be trusted?” Zhao Wen frowned, suspicious of the soldier’s words.“Understand this, young man: if we bring you back with even the slightest scratch on your skin, we’ll face severe punishment. Please, help us avoid that fate!”Half-believing the soldier’s words, Zhao Wen studied his eyes. There was honesty in that gaze. Zhao Wen reasoned that even if he fought, the outcome would still be defeat. There was no harm in trying to go along for now.“Fine. I’ll follow you. But on one condition—don’t touch me, or I’ll fight back. I’m not a coward who fears death.”

He then leapt down, thinking of resting his horse after riding it in circles for hours while searching for Zhao Wen.Fang Yun tied the reins to a tree that wasn’t too large, then leaned his back against a big tree near the unusually long grave. His gaze lingered on it as he kept thinking of ways to rescue Zhao Wen. No matter what, Zhao Wen was his friend—more than that, he had promised Zhao Jian to always protect his only grandson.Curiosity made Fang Yun stand up and approach the long grave. He crouched down and pulled out the grass growing on top of it until it was clean."You seem to be in serious trouble, young man."The voice of an old man startled Fang Yun.He turned and saw the same elderly man he had met earlier at the edge of the Forest of Death, still wearing the same clothes and the bamboo hat that constantly shadowed his face."Grandfather…? Why are you here?"The old man smiled and revealed his face. "First, I want to thank you for tending to my grave.""Grave? But you’re

Three towering gatekeepers, armed with spears and bearing fearsome faces with two long fangs at the corners of their mouths, stood before Fang Yun, their weapons poised.“I must defeat them before the gate closes,” he thought. Fang Yun knew he had to make the most of the short time and the narrow cave to end this quickly.“I know there’s no reasoning with you, but one way or another, I have to get inside,” Fang Yun said coldly, spinning the yellow bamboo in his hands rapidly.The three gatekeepers were startled when they saw the yellow bamboo in Fang Yun’s grasp. They knew well that this was a weapon made specifically to combat the genie race like themselves.Still, surrender was not an option. Their duty was to guard the gate from any intruder or other spirit, and they would fulfill it to the letter.A fierce wind roared as the yellow bamboo in Fang Yun’s hands spun faster. In the blink of an eye, before they even realized it, Fang Yun had already dashed forward, targeting one of the

Using the trees around him as footholds, Fang Yun moved nimbly, launching counterattacks that were difficult for his two opponents to handle. Even though he had managed to put them under pressure, that didn’t mean he could easily land his strikes. The attacks from the two Jin Dynasty soldiers were somewhat disorganized due to their emotions clouding their judgment, yet their defenses remained formidable.The slashes and thrusts of Fang Yun’s yellow bamboo staff were still being blocked by their coordinated defensive maneuvers.Fang Yun could tell the two soldiers often fought side by side. He could see it from the way their movements seamlessly complemented each other, making them hard to break apart.A long exhale marked a small sense of relief when Fang Yun managed to evade two simultaneous strikes coming from opposite sides."What's wrong, stranger? Are you tired already?" one of the soldiers taunted."You think I’d get tired that quickly? If I hadn’t just fought the three gatekeep

"Why are you so quiet, Zhao Wen? Is something troubling your mind?" asked Princess Ciu Lai, gently patting Zhao Wen’s shoulder. She was a bit puzzled by his sharp gaze at the four charred corpses of the wide-eared soldiers. Zhao Wen was startled by the light tap on his shoulder. He looked into the beautiful girl’s face before answering her question. "I just feel sorry for them. Whoever did this should be punished to the fullest extent—if caught, they should be killed!" he replied. He was forced to lie, because if the culprit was Fang Yun, he would choose his friend over Princess Ciu Lai without hesitation. "Indeed, the culprit must be sentenced to death. I’ve already ordered the soldiers to search for them. The entire capital will be combed through, house by house," replied Princess Ciu Lai, as she looped her arm around Zhao Wen’s shoulder. "Do you have any idea who the culprit might be, Zhao Wen? Could it be your friend?" she asked again. Zhao Wen shook his head. "I don’t know,