Chapter 552 - 244: Suhe Zhen
Chapter 552: Chapter 244: Suhe Zhen
This time, Luo Shuqing didn’t fidget with the hem of her skirt. Instead, she grabbed onto Fang Shuwen’s sleeve.
Fang Shuwen glanced down at where she was clutching his sleeve and furrowed his brow slightly.
’Yu Yaoguang bought this outfit specially for me... She has a fondness for moon-white, so all the clothes she gets me are in similar colors. And who knows if this girl’s hands are even clean? If she keeps grabbing it like that, she’s going to leave smudges all over it.’
Still, after a moment’s thought, he gently patted her wrist to calm her down.
"They’re just baseless rumors. They aren’t necessarily true."
Fang Shuwen offered her a word of comfort, then turned to Suhe Zhen.
"Pavilion Master Suhe, do you happen to know how Pavilion Master Luo is faring?"
Suhe Zhen shook his head.
"I do not know the specifics, but I imagine nothing too terrible has befallen him. In two months, Qingxiao Pavilion will be holding its succession ceremony.
"If Luo Shuyang doesn’t want anything to go wrong with that ceremony, Pavilion Master Luo must be kept safe and sound."
Fang Shuwen wasn’t convinced.
’If Luo Shuyang was determined, it wouldn’t be hard to find someone skilled in the Disguise Technique and create a convincing double of Pavilion Master Luo...’
But of course, he couldn’t say that out loud right now.
Besides, Fang Shuwen found Luo Shuyang’s move rather peculiar.
’He’s staging a coup for the title of Pavilion Master of Qingxiao Pavilion, so why bother holding a succession ceremony?’
’He seized his position illegitimately, yet he’s trying to make it look legal and proper?’
Luo Shuqing, on the other hand, breathed a small sigh of relief after hearing what Suhe Zhen had to say.
"Thank you... Pavilion Master Suhe."
Suhe Zhen smiled and said,
"I imagine the matter of the Profound Celestial Iron Mirror is pure fabrication.
"It is only natural that Miss Luo wishes to return home.
"Since fate has brought you to Tingtiao Pavilion, why not allow our disciples to assist Hero Fang with the escort mission?"
He paused briefly, then added, speaking to Fang Shuwen,
"Hero Fang, please don’t misunderstand. After all, Miss Luo is a public target right now.
"Those rumors, wherever they came from, were spread with malicious intent.
"The road ahead is fraught with danger, and Tingtiao Pavilion is willing to lend a hand."
Fang Shuwen chuckled.
"There’s no need to explain, Pavilion Master Suhe. I’m simply a man paid to solve a problem.
"As for the final decision, that is beyond the purview of a mere guard such as myself... Miss Luo, what do you think?"
Luo Shuqing didn’t even have to think about it, shaking her head like a rattle.
"No, that won’t be necessary, really!
"With... with Hero Fang—Fang, Guard Fang protecting me, it’s more than enough."
Suhe Zhen didn’t insist. He simply nodded.
"Very well. In that case, we shall drop the matter.
"However, since you have come all the way to our Tingtiao Pavilion, you must stay for a few days and allow me to properly play the part of the host."
"I’m afraid we must disappoint you, Pavilion Master Suhe."
Fang Shuwen said with a smile,
"As you know, Miss Luo is in no small amount of trouble, and this is a matter that must be resolved by returning to Qingxiao Pavilion as soon as possible.
"Your generous offer is hard to refuse, but... we can stay for one night at most. We must trouble you, Pavilion Master Suhe, to arrange a boat to see us off tomorrow morning."
"This..."
Suhe Zhen hesitated for a moment, then finally let out a sigh.
"Very well. In that case, it would be wrong of me to delay Hero Fang’s important business.
"However, once this business is concluded, Hero Fang, you absolutely must return to Tingtiao Pavilion for a longer stay."
"Certainly."
Fang Shuwen smiled and nodded.
After that, their conversation drifted to various pleasantries.
Suhe Zhen was an eloquent man, and his words were a mix of truth and feint. What sounded like a jest would often carry a deeper, hidden meaning.
And though Fang Shuwen had killed countless people, he was a social chameleon, able to speak the language of men to men and the language of ghosts to ghosts.
As the two of them conversed, it was as if they were old friends who regretted not having met sooner.
Eventually, it was Suhe Lan who couldn’t bear it any longer. She interjected that the travelers must have had a difficult journey. Now that they were at Tingtiao Pavilion, they shouldn’t be kept for idle chatter; rooms should be prepared for Fang Shuwen and his companions so they could get some proper rest.
Only then did Suhe Zhen rise and apologize, saying that the rooms had already been made ready. Seeing that it was getting late, he had Suhe Lan lead them to their accommodations.
After Fang Shuwen expressed his gratitude, the group left one by one.
Soon, only the father and son, Suhe Zhen and Suhe Chen, remained in Bolan Hall.
The two exchanged a glance. The faint smile on Suhe Zhen’s face faded, and he spoke softly,
"Chen, what do you think?"
"To what are you referring, Father?"
Suhe Chen replied, choosing his words with care.
Suhe Zhen shook his head slightly.
"If you’re not sure, then speak of your general impressions."
"..."
After a moment of contemplation, Suhe Chen began to speak.
"This Fang Shuwen is not as savage and unreasonable as the rumors claim.
"However, his skill in Martial Arts is truly a rarity in this world.
"The men on Black Island were hardly a threat, but he annihilated them all single-handedly... When I first met him, he captured me in a single move. I was completely unable to fight back."
A chill ran down Suhe Chen’s spine as he recalled the encounter.
Suhe Zhen nodded.
"If he didn’t possess that level of genuine skill, how could he have possibly earned a name as fearsome as the Demon Evil God?"
Suhe Chen continued,
"I don’t believe he was lying about his purpose for coming to the East Sea. He is indeed here for Luo Shuqing.
"It’s just... the more one thinks about it, the more peculiar the situation seems.
"For someone with Fang Shuwen’s level of Martial Arts to take on a bodyguard job... that might have been plausible back when he was still obscure.
"But now, both his reputation and his Martial Arts have reached the very pinnacle of the Eastern Domain.