The battle was a resounding victory.
Every last member of the Black Death Sect was wiped out.
Afterward, everyone searched the villains' lair beneath Cyan Yang Manor and found a great number of skeletal remains.
The remains were piled high as a mountain; it was impossible to know how many had lost their lives at the hands of the Black Death Sect.
The situation was far more grim than it had first appeared.
They also found many of the Black Death Sect's records, letters, and secret manuals.
Among them, a manual called the Cyan Corpse Record particularly caught Fang Shuwen's attention.
He flipped through it and was fairly certain that the two people with ghastly green faces and red eyes he had encountered at the Sun Family's estate had cultivated this very Martial Art.
However, the cultivation method for this Martial Art was exceptionally cruel. From a young age, practitioners had to soak in medicinal potions before scouring their bodies with iron sand.
Their healthy skin would be scoured to shreds, allowed to heal, and then scoured to shreds again.
This process was repeated endlessly until they developed a layer of blue-green skin. Only then was it considered a minor success, which matched the level those two from before had achieved.
According to the manual, if this Martial Art were cultivated to the Great Success Realm, being impervious to blades and spears would be a trivial matter. One could even swallow gold and eat iron, becoming Indestructible. The body itself would become the most terrifying weapon, capable of slicing through gold and shattering jade with a mere sweep of the fingernails.
However, the copy of the manual left behind by the Black Death Sect only contained the contents for cultivating up to the 'blue-green skin' stage.
The book did not describe how to cultivate beyond that.
Aside from these items, there was also the gold, silver, and jewels the Black Death Sect had amassed over the years.
Da Xuan Bank might not have been large, but it had accumulated considerable wealth.
Now that this branch had been wiped out, Da Xuan Bank had no one left to run it and would naturally have to shut its doors for good.
But the common folk who had deposited their silver in the bank were the ones who would truly suffer.
This gold, silver, and jewels could be used to compensate them.
However, Fang Shuwen didn't need to worry about how these matters would be handled. Fang Mingxuan would contact the City Lord's Mansion, report the situation regarding the Black Death Sect, and take care of all the other details.
With that, the matter was considered temporarily closed.
They brought the rescued young women back to Guangning City. After their origins were ascertained, arrangements would be made to send them home.
Not all of the young women were from Guangning City; most had been abducted from elsewhere, and some had even been purchased from human traffickers.
The Black Death Sect's Black Death Demon Technique was an offense against nature, but there was one small mercy... its requirements regarding blood meant the young women had not been sexually violated, though they had endured immense torture.
If they could return home and recuperate properly, they would be fine.
Only, the wagging tongues of others were a fearsome thing...
And that was something no one could do anything about.
The next day, Zhou Qingmei and Fang Shuwen bid each other farewell.
She and Zhang Fang had to return to Zhuji Pavilion.
She needed to report these events to her sect and, moreover, find out what had happened to Zhou Feixiong.
She invited Fang Shuwen to visit Zhuji Pavilion as a guest, but he declined.
For one, with the Black Death Sect matter concluded, she no longer needed him as a guard.
For another, he had to make a trip back to Julu City first.
He had left on this trip in too much of a hurry and hadn't had time to inform his senior brother or the school. He needed to go back and let them know he was safe.
When it was time to part, the one most reluctant to say goodbye was Fang Lingxin.
She held Zhou Qingmei's hand, talking for what felt like an eternity. Along with Fang Mingxuan, she escorted her for a full ten li before finally, at the edge of the Ten-Mile Pavilion, waving a reluctant farewell.
...
...
On the main road, the sound of hoofbeats drew closer.
A man and a woman spurred their horses onward, galloping at full tilt.
As the sun reached its noon peak, they finally pulled over to the side of the road.
After tying the horses to a tree, Zhou Qingmei took some dry rations from her pack and tossed them to Zhang Fang.
Zhang Fang took a bite.
"These rations are bone dry. Junior Sister Zhou, what's Brother Fang's story, anyway?
"Martial Arts like his aren't something an ordinary person possesses. How much do you know about him?"
"Not much," Zhou Qingmei said.
"He's just a guard my father hired for me. At most, I'd say he's a guard with exceptional Talent and a quick mind, wouldn't you?"
"You've fallen for him, haven't you?"
Zhang Fang said with a grin.
"Don't be shy. It's just the two of us here. If you really have taken a liking to him, I can ask Master to be your matchmaker when we get back.
"A man of his caliber is worthy of being my brother-in-law."
"It's not like that between us! Just eat your food. Can't even that shut your mouth for a second?"
"Still denying it?"
Zhang Fang said, his grin widening.
"I saw the way you two looked at each other when you said goodbye, so full of longing.
"He didn't follow us in secret, did he?"
As he spoke, he stood up and glanced around.
"Let me see... where is he?
"Brother Fang! Brother Fang!
"Come on out! I see you!!"
"Oh, honestly!"
Zhou Qingmei's head throbbed with annoyance.
"Senior Brother Zhang, would you please be quiet for a moment? He's already on his way back to Julu City!
"There's no way he could be here."
"He's gone back already?"
Zhang Fang's voice suddenly dropped, his playful expression vanishing completely. He spoke softly.
"If he's gone back... then there's no one left to protect you.
"Junior Sister... that night, did you really not notice anything?"
"Huh? Notice what?"
As Zhou Qingmei answered, she lowered her head, her eyes looking somewhat vacant.
'Looks like she really doesn't know...'
Zhang Fang sighed, his right hand moving to the hilt of his sword.
"What a pity. To be honest, I'm quite fond of you. It's not every day one meets a girl as beautiful as you are.
"But since the Young Sect Leader wants you dead... you have no choice but to die!"
VMMMM!!
The longsword flew from its sheath like a viper's tongue, reaching Zhou Qingmei's throat in a fraction of an instant.
CLANG!!!
The blade rang out!
Zhou Qingmei had drawn her Broken Sword and blocked the fatal strike.
The force, however, sent her sliding back several feet. The hand gripping her sword trembled, a sharp pain shooting through the webbing between her thumb and forefinger. She looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Senior Brother Zhang... you're trying to kill me?!"
"Junior Sister Zhou, you can't blame me for this," Zhang Fang said, his sword angled toward the ground.
"It's not that I want to kill you. It's you... Why couldn't you just have a nice, quiet visit home? Why did you have to be so nosy?
"What does Fang Lingxin have to do with you?
"It was her fate to be abducted. Why did you have to save her?
"The Young Sect Leader is a very cautious man... Even though you didn't recognize him, he's not willing to gamble his future on your powers of observation.
"So, he had no choice but to order your death—and the deaths of everyone in the Zhou Family!"
Zhou Qingmei's face went pale.
"Zhang Fang... you're really one of the Black Death Sect!?
"Who is the Young Sect Leader?!"
"What's the point in asking that now?"
Zhang Fang said coolly.
"Now that Fang Shuwen isn't here to protect you, you're as good as dead.
"Junior Sister Zhou, you're no match for me. Why not make it quick and kill yourself?"
Zhou Qingmei slowly exhaled, then suddenly smiled.
"Fine. You're right, I'm no match for you.
"But I can't bear the thought of dying in ignorance...
"For the sake of us growing up together... can't you at least let me die knowing why?"