As morning light spread across the land, Guangning City, silent all night, awoke from its quiet slumber.
Fragrant aromas wafted through the streets, which were lined on both sides with all sorts of vendors.
Carriages traveled down the center of the road, with pedestrians keeping to the sides.
The city's four gates opened, a bustling scene of arrivals and departures.
A young couple dressed as farmers followed the flow of people into the city.
The woman, however, had a somewhat cold expression, her gaze far sharper than that of an ordinary farmer's wife.
The man, on the other hand, showed nothing out of the ordinary. His eyes darted about with the crowd, his gaze cautious. He would occasionally tug on the woman's sleeve, as if chiding her for being too forward.
After a somewhat clumsy journey, they arrived at an inn. The man haggled stingily with the Shopkeeper for a long time before finally renting a room for half the asking price.
Once inside the room with the door closed, the woman finally let out a sigh of relief.
She walked to the table and poured a cup of tea.
"Brother Fang, those falcons in the sky really were their eyes and ears."
"After we killed them, we didn't spot anyone else from the Black Death Sect on the way here."
The farmer, who had appeared so meek and deferential on the road, straightened his posture, rolled his neck, and spoke.
"We didn't have to kill them, you know. We could have let the Black Death Sect use them to track us down again and again, leading them to their own doom."
"But that would have put us in a passive position."
"Besides, they would have known in advance that we'd arrived in Guangning City. It's better to move from the open into the shadows, reversing our roles from the hunted to the hunters."
These two were, of course, Fang Shuwen and Zhou Qingmei.
Seven days had passed since their stay with the Sun Family.
They had borrowed farmers' clothes, disguised themselves as a married couple, and traveled safely all the way to Guangning City.
Fang Shuwen sat down as well, picking up his teacup for a sip.
"Young Miss, you really need to rein in that sharp gaze of yours sometimes."
"What farmer's wife has eyes as sharp as daggers, like you do? If a perceptive person were to notice, they'd easily see through our disguise."
Zhou Qingmei blinked.
"Do I?"
Fang Shuwen nodded earnestly, then waved his hand dismissively.
"But that's not important right now."
"We've reached Guangning City, and we have two leads."
"Besides Da Xuan Bank, there's the family where you encountered that lecher."
"Do you remember where their home is?"
"Of course."
Zhou Qingmei said:
"They're one of the most prominent families in Guangning City."
"They even share your surname, Brother Fang. They're also named Fang."
"The young woman who was nearly abducted was the Fang Family Patriarch's only daughter, the apple of his eye."
"That's why they were so incredibly grateful to me."
'Named Fang…'
Fang Shuwen raised an eyebrow. 'What a coincidence,' he thought.
His childhood memories were blurry, after all. He recalled his family being quite well-off, but he couldn't remember the exact extent of their wealth.
After all, it wasn't long after that he was separated from his family while traveling to visit relatives.
Now, after nineteen years apart, how could he possibly remember all the details?
'Besides, my luck can't be *that* good, can it? To find them right after I've returned?'
Regardless, he had to pay a visit to the Fang Family.
After a moment of thought, Fang Shuwen said:
"In that case, the two of us will pay the Fang Family a visit tonight."
"The Fang Family Patriarch knows you. Ask him for Miss Fang's 'eight characters'—her exact birth date and time."
"We need to see if her chart matches what the Black Death Sect is looking for."
"If it doesn't, we can relax for a bit… But if it does, I'm afraid Miss Fang is in grave danger."
Zhou Qingmei nodded.
Both she and Fang Shuwen had read the manual for the Black Death Demon Technique. They knew just how specific its requirements were for the women it targeted.
They also knew how terrifyingly potent the Demon Technique could become with a suitable subject.
So, if that lecher from before was truly a member of the Black Death Sect...
...then they almost certainly wouldn't give up on Miss Fang.
"As for Da Xuan Bank, we can wait for your fellow disciples to arrive before we investigate it."
Fang Shuwen continued:
"Speaking of which, when are they supposed to get here?"
Zhou Qingmei replied with a sense of helplessness.
"I have no idea. It takes time for the Escort Agency to deliver a message."
"And then they have to travel all the way from Zhuji Pavilion. It's impossible to say exactly when they'll arrive."
Fang Shuwen didn't press the issue.
"Alright. We'll stick to that for now. If your fellow disciples take too long, we'll investigate Da Xuan Bank on our own."
"Okay."
Zhou Qingmei nodded.
With their plans more or less settled, she went to ask an attendant to prepare hot water for a bath.
They had been roughing it on the road, and even after changing clothes, they hadn't had a chance to properly wash up.
She wanted to take this opportunity to bathe.
Fang Shuwen was about to leave and wait outside, but Zhou Qingmei was surprisingly nonchalant about it.
"You can stay. There's a screen for privacy. It's not like you'll see anything."
"You really don't think of me as a man at all, do you?"
Fang Shuwen had no intention of staying in the room while a woman bathed. He stood up.
"I'll go sit in the main hall for a bit. If you need anything, just shout."
With that, he walked decisively out the door.
Down in the main hall, the air was filled with the boisterous chatter of patrons drinking and talking in small groups.
Fang Shuwen ordered a small dish of peanuts and two taels of white liquor.
He sipped his drink and listened to the idle gossip around him.
Inns, taverns, and teahouses—places like these were always centers of information.
Amid the noisy crowd, Fang Shuwen soon picked up on a piece of information that caught his interest.
He leaned in to listen and heard a man sighing repeatedly.
"...It's just tragic. Not even sixteen years old. I heard her family had already arranged her marriage, and she was supposed to be wed next year."
"Who would've thought something like this would happen?"
"I heard that depraved monster is despicable. When the girl was found, she was covered in blood, violated beyond recognition."
"These kinds of attacks started six months ago. To date, there have been a full six of them!"
"If you count the one from the Fang Family, it's seven. But Miss Fang was lucky; a passing disciple from Zhuji Pavilion saved her. Otherwise, she would have met the same fate."
"Sigh... Even a great and powerful family like the Fangs can't escape this. What hope do small families like ours have?"
Hearing this, Fang Shuwen's brow furrowed. He waved over the attendant and ordered two more pots of liquor.
He carried the liquor and walked directly over to their table.
The men at the table had been chatting animatedly, but they all fell silent and looked up at the approaching stranger with suspicion in their eyes.
Fang Shuwen put on a simple, honest smile.
"Greetings, gentlemen. I was sitting over there just now and couldn't help but overhear you talking about the Fang Family. You seem to know quite a bit."
"To be honest, I've come into the city on my elder brother's recommendation to find work with the Fang Family."
"I heard they're a prominent family, but I don't know what they're like as people. That's why I've taken the liberty of disturbing you. I hope you gentlemen don't mind."
As he spoke, he set the liquor pots down on their table.
"Oh, this is for you. Please, let me treat you to a drink."