Chapter 550 - 243: The Old Story of Tingtao
Chapter 550: Chapter 243: The Old Story of Tingtao
Suhe Chen quickly shook his head.
"I just heard Second Sister was making tea here and wanted to come snag a cup... What if I’d come too late and you’d drunk it all without saving any for me?"
Suhe Lan gave Suhe Chen a helpless look, righted a clean teacup, and poured him some tea.
"You glutton. Of course we saved you some."
"You’re the Young Pavilion Master now, and you’re still fooling around like this."
Suhe Chen grinned, took an absentminded sip of his tea, his gaze shifting back and forth between Suhe Lan and Fang Shuwen.
His eyes darted about, and it was impossible to tell what was on his mind.
The small group continued to chat idly.
The great ship sailed with the wind, cutting through the vast sea and leaving a trail of waves in its wake as it gradually receded into the distance...
Meanwhile, out on the vast, open sea, a small, covered boat was riding the wind and cleaving through the waves.
A figure wearing a mask, a straw raincoat, and a conical bamboo hat stood on board, his hands clasped behind his back.
He wasn’t rowing, yet the boat moved with incredible speed, as if powered by lightning itself. It cut through the wind and waves... and soon, an island appeared before him.
Black Island!
Before he even drew near, the man’s gaze suddenly fell upon the water’s surface.
A dark shape was bobbing in the water.
The man steered the boat closer, and his pupils immediately constricted.
It was a corpse... the corpse of a Black Guard!
With a surge of his Inner Breath, he urged the boat to turn again, picking up even more speed.
But the closer he got, the more bodies he saw floating in the sea. By the time he reached the docks, he found them completely deserted. Not a single boat, large or small, remained.
"What... What in the world happened here?"
His aged voice was thick with confusion and shock.
Without bothering to moor the boat, he leaped into the air and shot directly onto the island.
His feet barely seemed to touch the ground as he quickly arrived amidst a stretch of crumbling walls and ruins.
In an instant, he froze as if struck by lightning, standing there completely motionless.
"Go... Gone... It’s all gone..."
He muttered to himself, his entire body trembling.
But in the next instant, his grief transformed into a towering rage.
"Who was it? Who did this!?"
He used his Lightweight Technique to search every corner of the island, from dawn till dusk, and then from dusk till the next dawn.
Black Island wasn’t large to begin with, and using his Lightweight Technique, he covered virtually every inch of it.
Eventually, he found a clue.
A handprint was seared into the trunk of a tree.
He stared at the handprint for a long moment before speaking through clenched teeth.
"Tingtiao Divine Palm!"
"Tingtiao Pavilion... How ruthless of you!!"
...
...
There’s an old saying about flying a tiger’s skin as your banner.
Using the name ’Tingtiao Pavilion’ as that banner certainly made traveling the East Sea a comfortable experience.
Several days passed in a flash. Fang Shuwen even felt that his first few days in the East Sea must have been a fluke.
From the moment he’d boarded the ship to sail east, he hadn’t had a moment’s peace.
It was one ambush after another, one robbery after the next... Yet, sitting on Tingtiao Pavilion’s great ship, he encountered nothing at all.
The journey was completely smooth sailing. Every day was spent either drinking tea with Suhe Lan or discussing Martial Arts with Suhe Chen.
If not that, he was fishing for gossip.
Fang Shuwen had managed to get the story on Suhe Jing.
The whole affair was indeed quite strange. Apparently, Suhe Jing had never even left Tingtiao Pavilion.
One night, an intruder broke into Tingtiao Pavilion, and afterward, Suhe Jing was nowhere to be found.
Tingtiao Pavilion sent out search parties, but they found nothing.
There wasn’t a single clue as to how the intruder got on the island or how they left.
The entirety of Tingtiao Pavilion was turned upside down, but the search yielded nothing.
It was as if she had simply vanished into thin air.
They said Suhe Chen had originally been a little rascal, always bouncing around at his two older sisters’ heels. Suhe Jing’s disappearance hit him hard.
After a period of listlessness, he suddenly became fiercely determined. His Martial Arts improved by leaps and bounds, as if he had been completely reborn.
Gradually, he became worthy of the title ’Young Pavilion Master’.
In that sense, it was something of a blessing in disguise for Tingtiao Pavilion.
But ultimately, it was another family’s business. Fang Shuwen was only interested in the gossip and didn’t take it to heart.
The rest of the journey was uneventful. After about ten days at sea, they finally reached Tingtiao Pavilion.
Tingtiao Pavilion, one of the Eight Forbidden Lands of the East Sea, was also situated on an island that wasn’t particularly large.
The island’s shape was rather unique, like a crescent moon. It was encircled by mountains on three sides, enclosing it almost completely, with only a single opening to the northwest where ships could dock.
As the great ship arrived, disciples from the pavilion were already waiting.
Fang Shuwen’s party had joined Suhe Chen and the others on deck early. Once the ship was moored and the gangplank was in place, they all disembarked.
"Greetings, Young Pavilion Master!!"
"Greetings, Second Miss!!"
The Tingtiao Pavilion disciples were lined up on both sides, their coordinated shouts creating an impressive display.
"Brother Fang, after you."
Suhe Chen gestured with his arm, inviting Fang Shuwen to disembark first.
"Please."
Fang Shuwen nodded and didn’t stand on ceremony with Suhe Chen.
The group quickly disembarked one after another.
Now that they were back here, Fang Shuwen could clearly sense Suhe Chen letting out a sigh of relief.
In truth, Fang Shuwen was well aware that ever since learning his identity, Suhe Chen had been on edge. He might have seemed unchanged on the surface, but he was holding his breath every time they were together.
It wasn’t that he was being overtly timid, but he embodied the very essence of caution down to his bones.
It was a completely different story from the straightforward and outspoken Daoist Wuyi.
’So now that he’s back on his own turf, he can finally relax... Does he think he’s completely safe now?’
A subtle, knowing smile played on Fang Shuwen’s lips.
The group passed through the main gates and, under the watchful eyes of the Tingtiao Pavilion disciples, arrived at Bolan Hall, which stood in the center of the main courtyard.
Once Fang Shuwen had taken a seat, Suhe Lan spoke with a smile.
"Young Master Fang is our esteemed guest; we must not be discourteous."
"My brother and I will go report to our father. Please, Young Master, remain in the hall and enjoy some tea."
"Please, go ahead."
Fang Shuwen waved a hand dismissively, unconcerned.
The two then turned and left.
Luo Shuqing watched them leave, then let out a slow sigh.
"F-Fang... Hero Fang..."
"Did... did we just walk into the tiger’s den?"
"Hm?"
Fang Shuwen blinked in surprise.
"Did we?"