Chapter 342 - 339: Rumor
Chapter 342: Chapter 339: Rumor
Fang Han picked up his chopsticks and started with a piece of braised beef.
The beef was rich with flavor, tender yet firm, and perfectly salted.
He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor as the food melted in his mouth, a sense of satisfaction welling up inside him.
Next was the braised pork knuckle, stewed until it was fall-apart tender, rich but not greasy, melting in his mouth.
The steamed sea bass was fresh and sweet, its flavor enhanced by just a touch of soy sauce, making it exquisite.
He ate at a steady pace, savoring every single bite.
He paired the rice with the dishes, eating one mouthful after another, as if trying to replenish all the fats and calories he had missed over the past five days.
The warm wine slid down his throat, bringing a wave of warmth that dispelled the chill he’d picked up from sleeping in the mountain forest.
As he was eating, the conversation from a nearby table of customers faintly drifted over.
Four people sat at that table. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be traveling merchants or wealthy residents with businesses in the city. A few side dishes and a pot of wine sat on their table as they ate and chatted.
"Have you all seen this month’s Celestial Pride List?"
a slightly raspy male voice asked.
"Saw it. Not much has changed since last month. The rankings barely moved."
another person chimed in.
"What about True Inheritor Fang Han of the Qingxuan Sect? Doesn’t his rank change every month? It didn’t move this month either?"
the third person asked.
"It didn’t. He’s still at sixty-eight."
the raspy voice replied.
"Speaking of which, ever since this True Inheritor Fang got on the Celestial Pride List, his rank has climbed every single month without fail. It’s strange that there was no change this month. That breaks the pattern."
"What’s so strange about that? You can’t just keep climbing the Celestial Pride List rankings by relying on Cultivation alone."
"I heard he didn’t seem to have any recorded fights last month. I’m guessing his rank didn’t improve because he has no new achievements to his name."
the fourth person analyzed.
"That makes sense, but... I think it’s more likely he’s hit a bottleneck. Think about it. No matter how great his Talent is, everyone hits a bottleneck eventually. There has to be a time when he slows down."
"In Martial Dao cultivation, the further you go, the harder it gets. He’s at sixty-eight now. The ones ahead of him are all top-level prodigies from various sects. How could they be so easy to surpass?"
the raspy voice said.
"A bottleneck? I doubt it. How can we possibly fathom a prodigy like him? He might not even have bottlenecks."
the third person retorted.
"Speaking of Fang Han..."
The raspy voice suddenly lowered, taking on a hint of mystery.
"A friend of mine who came over from the Commandery City a few days ago told me a rumor about him."
"What rumor?" The other three were instantly intrigued.
"I heard... that this True Inheritor Fang, relying on his status as a prodigy of the Qingxuan Sect, acts like a tyrant. He seizes things by force, and if he covets some family’s business or treasure, he’ll find a pretext to ruin them and wipe them out."
"The Lin Family, one of the five great families of Liangshui City, and the Gong Family, who were annihilated not long ago... I heard he’s connected to both."
The raspy voice spoke with great conviction.
"The Gong Family?" one person exclaimed. "You mean the Gong Family that was planning to move their entire clan out of the county, but got wiped out on the road? Fang Han did that?"
"That’s what the rumors say. They say Fang Han had his eyes on the Gong Family’s wealth. The Gong Family knew they couldn’t resist and tried to flee abroad, but he hunted them down. Everyone in the Gong Family, including their guards, was slaughtered, and all their possessions were plundered."
the raspy voice sighed.
"That... can’t be, right? Fang Han is a True Inheritor of the Qingxuan Sect, after all. He has to follow some rules. The Qingxuan Sect is a righteous and prestigious sect. How could they allow their disciples to act so recklessly?"
Another person was skeptical.
"Rules? Heh, my friend, in this world, strength is the only rule. Fang Han is number sixty-eight on the Celestial Pride List. The Qingxuan Sect probably treats him like a treasure. As long as he doesn’t go too far, they’ll just turn a blind eye."
the raspy voice said with certainty.
"If what you say is true, doesn’t that make this True Inheritor Fang a ruthless villain who bullies others with his power?"
The fourth person’s tone was complicated, as if he didn’t want to believe it but also felt the rumors might not be entirely false.
"Prodigies, right? Which of them doesn’t have a temper? He’s a young man who suddenly gained power, so it’s normal for him to be a bit arrogant. As long as we don’t get on his bad side, what does it have to do with us? Let’s drink, let’s drink."
The raspy voice chuckled and raised his cup.
The other three also raised their cups, and the conversation quickly shifted to other topics. But the recent discussion about Fang Han seemed to leave a subtle trace in the air.
’Someone is targeting me?’
Fang Han’s hand, holding his chopsticks, paused slightly.
The light from outside filtered through the window paper, casting faint shadows on his face.
His expression was calm, but his eyes were as still as a deep pool—unrippled, yet unfathomably profound.
He had indeed wiped out the Gong Family.
But the reason was that Gong Xing had hired assassins to kill him first, and the Gong Family had fled with their entire clan to escape his revenge afterward.
His pursuit to eradicate them root and stem had been tacitly approved by the Sect, and what’s more, it was revenge. How had the rumors twisted it into him "seizing by force" and "coveting the Gong Family’s business and treasures"?
Rumors.
And targeted ones at that.
They deliberately distorted the facts to paint him as a tyrant who ran rampant, using his Talent and Sect backing to bully and steal.
This wasn’t a simple case of misinformation spreading. Someone, or some faction, was intentionally spreading these rumors to ruin his reputation.
’Who could it be?’
Fang Han put down his chopsticks, picked up his wine cup, and took a slow sip. The warm wine went down his throat, but his thoughts flowed like ice water.
The first one that came to mind was, naturally, the Netherworld Pavilion.
His feud with the Netherworld Pavilion ran deep. Gong Xing was a True Inheritor of the Netherworld Pavilion. He had killed Gong Xing, then consecutively killed two of their Fourth Grade Stewards, and thwarted their plan to seize the Xuanwu True Skill.
The Netherworld Pavilion had more than enough motive to slander him.
But... something felt off.
The Netherworld Pavilion had always been ruthless and direct, favoring methods like assassination and ambushes.
If they wanted revenge, they were more likely to send experts to assassinate him or make a move during a Celestial Pride List challenge.
This method of spreading rumors to ruin his reputation, while insidious, didn’t quite match the Netherworld Pavilion’s tyrannical and sinister style.
They preferred to crush their opponents with sheer strength, not use this kind of "soft knife" approach.
’If not the Netherworld Pavilion, then who?’
He didn’t have many open enemies within Qingyang County.
Chu Feng was dead, the Chu Family had fallen, Gong Xing was dead, and the Gong Family was annihilated. Who else was there?
’Yan Lv?’
That Elder from the Law Enforcement Hall held a grudge against him because of Chu Feng. But given his status, even if he was dissatisfied, he probably wouldn’t dare use such tactics against a Celestial Pride True Inheritor who was rising like the midday sun.
The risk was too great, and it would harm others without benefiting himself.
’Tu Baichuan?’
The Dean of the Shen Courtyard. He might also have a poor opinion of him because of Chu Feng, but for the same reason as Yan Lv, the risk was too great and offered no personal gain.
’Other than them, I don’t seem to have made any mortal enemies who would need to resort to spreading rumors to target me, do I?’
Fang Han’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before relaxing again.
He stopped listening to the idle chatter from the next table and picked up his chopsticks again, slowly chewing his food.
His gaze swept over the table full of dishes, but his appetite seemed to have waned slightly.
However, he didn’t stop.
He continued eating methodically, a bite of food, a mouthful of rice. Only now, his pace was even slower, and the light of contemplation flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Regardless, it was a fact that someone was deliberately targeting him.
The goal was also clear: to tarnish his name and damage his reputation within Qingyang County.
For a Sect prodigy, reputation was sometimes a part of one’s strength.
A good reputation could bring more support and connections, while a bad one could attract unnecessary trouble and hostility, even affecting the Sect’s opinion of him.
He had to find out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Having made his decision, Fang Han no longer dwelled on it. He refocused his attention on the food.
’Since I ordered it, I can’t let it go to waste.’
His chopsticks moved like lightning as he cleared every dish on the table.
When he swallowed the last piece of chicken, he let out a soft breath. He felt full and warm all over, as if the hearty meal had dispelled much of the fatigue from the past few days.
The slight gloom in his spirits was also suppressed.
"Waiter, the bill."
After paying, Fang Han slung the Cloud Splitting Sword onto his back again and left the restaurant.
The sky had completely darkened, and lights began to flicker on throughout the city.
He didn’t linger on the streets, instead finding a clean and tidy-looking inn and renting a superior room.
He closed the door and bolted it shut.
Fang Han first inspected the room to confirm nothing was amiss, then removed his belongings and placed them within easy reach of the bed.
He had the inn attendant bring hot water, took a comfortable hot bath, and changed into a clean set of underclothes.
Lying on the soft, dry bed, with a thick cotton mattress beneath him and a pillow stuffed with cotton under his head, he could smell the faint scent of sun-dried linen.
It was a world apart from the hard rock and cold ground of the cave, and the damp chill of the bushes and grass along the way.
Fang Han closed his eyes, letting the feeling of relaxation spread through his entire body.
Once his mind relaxed, the accumulated exhaustion washed over him like a tide, quickly submerging him as he fell into a deep sleep.
He slept very soundly, without dreams.
...
「Meanwhile, in Qingyang Commandery City, deep within the Ten Thousand Treasures Building.」
The luxurious Quiet Chamber was brightly lit.
Wan Yuntian was still reclining on a soft couch draped with a snow-white fox fur, toying with a Nightlight Cup in his hand. The amber liquid inside swirled gently.
His steward, Wanfu, stood before the couch with his hands clasped, reporting in a low voice.
"Young Master, as for those rumors about Fang Han, this old servant has already arranged for men to discreetly spread them in the teahouses, taverns, and marketplaces of the county’s major cities."
"By now, many have heard them, and they are being widely discussed."
Hearing this, Wan Yuntian’s narrow, phoenix-like eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cold smirk.
"Well done. Fang Han ruined my plans and saved that bitch Lan Yuexin, causing all my efforts to fail at the last moment. If he were an ordinary Jianghu Traveler, his bones would have been dust long ago. Unfortunately, he’s a True Inheritor of the Qingxuan Sect, a figure on the Celestial Pride List."
He gently swirled the wine cup, watching the liquid cling to its sides.
"I can’t afford the price of moving against him openly, but I can’t find peace in my heart if I just let it go. Since I can’t take his life, I’ll ruin his reputation first. Let him have a taste of what it feels like to be condemned by a thousand accusers and entangled in rumors."
"A tyrannical genius who bullies the weak and seizes whatever he wants... Heh heh, that title will surely make him squirm for a long time."