With a grinding CRUNCH, the god statue slid aside, revealing the secret passage below.
Fang Shuwen didn’t hesitate, leaping down with Fang Lingxin and Shui Qianrou.
There were no steps or ladders. The drop wasn’t too great, and one could use the Lightweight Technique to jump back up.
Fang Shuwen examined the entrance. He heard a grinding sound and realized the god statue was sliding back into place.
Ahead lay pitch darkness. Fang Shuwen took out a flint, and with a puff of air, a fla flared up and illuminated their surroundings.
The three had barely taken two steps inside when Fang Lingxin pointed to the ground and said,
"There are bodies here, too."
The farther they went, the more bodies they found.
Fang Shuwen glanced around.
"It seems this is where the fighting was fiercest."
Fang Lingxin and Shui Qianrou both nodded.
Farther ahead, the passage opened into a large, empty area.
Only, there was nothing in it now.
Fang Shuwen frowned slightly. ’This is rather strange.’
’Since this band of heretics was camped here, how could there be nothing? Even heretics are born of n and won; they have to eat, drink, and sleep. But now the place is completely empty, save for the corpses littering the floor... Unless they happened to be in the process of moving?’
’But why would they move?’
Fang Shuwen’s eyebrow twitched.
"Could it be that while Ironman was setting his trap for us, they were already preparing for the possibility of being exposed and decided to relocate ahead of ti?
"They couldn’t be that cautious, could they?
"But then, after they moved everything, sothing unexpected happened..."
He led Fang Lingxin and Shui Qianrou onward, and they soon ca upon a cage.
It was a square prison cage. The door now stood wide open, its forr occupant long gone.
Fang Shuwen sighed.
"If I’m not mistaken, this must be where your brother was held captive.
"Judging from the scene... he must have broken free while they were trying to move him. Afterward, he began... a massacre.
"He fought his way from here all the way to the temple above.
"So, the good news is, your brother is alive and kicking.
"However, there’s also so bad news..."
"Bad news?"
When Shui Qianrou heard the first piece of news, she felt that nothing could possibly be better. How could there be bad news?
She couldn’t help but ask,
"What is the bad news?"
"...The bad news, of course, is that you won’t be able to see your brother anyti soon."
’Looks like this mission of mine will be delayed again,’ Fang Shuwen sighed.
"After an ordeal like this, he’s not likely to show himself so easily."
"..."
Shui Qianrou’s expression fell.
"But why?"
Fang Shuwen thought for a mont. Instead of answering, he asked, "Was your brother not treated well at the Celestial Water Palace?"
"That... can’t be true, can it?"
Shui Qianrou thought for a mont before saying,
"I never got that impression."
"Ironman told today that a conflict grew between you and your brother over the matter of the Young Palace Master position."
"...That’s impossible!"
Shui Qianrou imdiately put her hands on her hips, furious.
"That traitor, how dare he say such a thing... It’s outrageous! He deserves to die ten thousand deaths!!"
"Then why are you the Young Palace Master, while he is rely the Eldest Young Master?"
"...Because Mother said so. There was nothing I could do."
Shui Qianrou’s eyes suddenly widened.
"Does... does my brother dislike because of this?"
"It’s not necessarily dislike. Perhaps he’s just unwilling to face the situation."
Fang Shuwen smiled.
"He must harbor so resentnt in his heart. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for him to co to the Eastern Domain in search of the Seven-String Ancient Chapter.
"But if the Celestial Water Palace truly forced his hand like this, then after Ironman deceived him, poisoned him, and landed him in this predicant...
"...how much trust could he possibly have left for the Celestial Water Palace?"
"..."
Shui Qianrou thought for a mont, her expression turning troubled.
"Then what should I do?"
"Wait."
Fang Shuwen reached out and ruffled her hair.
"After this, he’s going to be extrely cautious. Searching for him blindly is pointless. It would be better to lie in wait.
"Wait for the Flower-Picking Conference. He will definitely be there."
At this point, Shui Qianrou could only nod obediently, seeing no other choice.
The group searched the area beneath the Mountain God Temple once more, but they found nothing. The place was as clean as if a cow had licked it.
Having found nothing, the three of them had no choice but to backtrack. After fumbling for a mont near where they had landed, they found the chanism to open the exit. Fang Shuwen led the girls in a single leap back up into the Mountain God Temple.
Afterward, they returned to the small courtyard. Fang Shuwen gathered the remaining disciples of the Celestial Water Palace, explained the situation with Ironman, and then dispatched them to the Celestial Wolf Institute.
Given Ironman’s precedent, Fang Shuwen didn’t trust any of them. He couldn’t be bothered to sort through them, so he sent them all away for the ti being. Once he found Shui Qianliu, he would let the siblings handle their own house affairs.
Unfortunately, thanks to Shui Qianliu’s bloody rampage, all leads had now gone completely cold.
Fang Shuwen found himself with nothing to do for the ti being, so he waited for the Flower-Picking Conference to begin while teaching Fang Lingxin martial arts.
And it was because of Fang Shuwen’s instruction that Fang Lingxin finally realized just how good she’d had it in the past.
Fang Mingxuan had never been particularly strict with her; he would let things slide if they were passable. But Fang Shuwen was different.
He held a stick in his hand, and as he taught her the Great Black Heaven God Palm, he would strike her wherever she made a mistake. His blows were rciless.
After a full day of training, she was covered in several new bruises.
It got to the point where the little girl’s eyes would be brimming with tears, a truly pitiful sight.
Even Chen Yan’s donkey seed unable to bear the sight. During a break, it would approach Fang Lingxin and gently nudge her hand, as if offering silent comfort.
In truth, Fang Shuwen didn’t have the heart for it either, but when it ca to Fang Lingxin, he felt an indescribable sense of responsibility.
An older brother couldn’t protect his sister for her entire life. He had to ensure she had the ans to stand on her own two feet before he could rest easy.
Being strict now was better than letting her suffer at the hands of the Jianghu in the future.
The only other thing Fang Shuwen could do was entrust Xiao Yanyu with buying a batch of the finest bruise dicine, ensuring that the welts from today’s training would be gone by tomorrow.
But the effort paid off. After a few days, Fang Lingxin’s Great Black Heaven God Palm was already starting to take shape. Although she was still a long way from mastering it, if she continued to practice diligently, it wouldn’t be long before she saw real results.
One day, as the sun shone brightly, a voice suddenly called out from beyond the gate:
"Strange. Who dug a pit in the doorway?"
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