Fan Xian's first, and only, glimpse of Ye Liuyun occurred when he was twelve years old.

That year, he lay prone on the cliff, eyes filled with wondrous light, watching the lone half-boat below, the myriad pits on the beach, the two peerless individuals, and that clash of titans – swift as a fleeting touch.

One was Ye Liuyun, Grandmaster of Qing Kingdom, and the other, his own uncle.

At twelve, Fan Xian's domineering nature was only just beginning to blossom. His eye wasn't yet keenly discerning, so he merely marveled at the battle's scale, failing to grasp its essence. It was only in the years that followed, occasionally reminiscing on that time and place, that he gradually unearthed glimpses of beauty, terror, and lessons from his memory.

The more he recalled, the more he admired the extraordinary skills of his Fifth Bamboo Uncle and Ye Liuyun. Sometimes, he even felt that Ye Liuyun's figure, riding the half-boat across the sea, still lingered in his mind, and the archaic song still echoed in his ears.

Yet, he never imagined that this Qing Kingdom Grandmaster, revered by the masses, would be on the highest floor of a brothel, becoming someone he had to confront.

…

…

Fan Xian was the most afraid of death in the world, so he had conducted thorough research and analysis on every potential enemy he might face alone.

He considered and weighed his own strength and background, and in this world, the ones he needed to be most wary of were Si Gu Jian of Dongyi City, the most unfathomable was Ku He of Northern Qi, and the most troublesome were naturally those within the imperial palace.

However, while Si Gu Jian was an idiot who could kill him without a second thought, everyone knew that idiots don't like venturing to unfamiliar places.

As for the unfathomable Ku He, the ascetic master who enjoyed eating human flesh, he had finally been brought down to earth after his dear Fifth Bamboo Uncle personally intervened – someone who could be injured was, in feeling, less terrifying.

As for those in the Qing Kingdom imperial palace, they were relatives, so he would consider them later.

Fan Xian was truly wary of individuals at the Grandmaster level, which showed he was either overly confident or somewhat arrogant. But then again, with his strength and his blind uncle, he really only needed to consider these people.

And among the Four Grandmasters, Fan Xian had never worried much about Ye Liuyun.

Firstly, his childhood memory was too profound. He always felt that the Ye family's ancestor possessed the elegant beauty of flowing clouds. He traveled the world constantly, a truly "mobile" person with a free and cheerful spirit, unlikely to involve himself in these tedious worldly struggles.

Secondly, the state of the Ye family in Kyoto allowed Fan Xian, with his keen eye, to clearly see that Ye Liuyun was a man of deep feeling. Otherwise, the Emperor couldn't have maintained the balance between them. The fire at the Suspended Temple had caused the Ye family to suffer great losses, such a despicable tactic, yet Ye Liuyun could endure it without returning to Kyoto, showing that he valued the happiness and safety of his Ye family descendants and the continuation of the Ye clan above all else.

Ye Liuyun's absence from Kyoto influenced the balance of power, so the Emperor wouldn't truly harm the Ye family. This was an unspoken understanding, naturally formed between imperial authority and Ye Liuyun's transcendent martial power.

So Fan Xian couldn't understand how Ye Liuyun would act because of the Junshan Association's affairs, or why he would so resolutely come to face him, using his life to threaten him.

Wasn't this foolish? Even if the Black Knights withdrew this time, wouldn't the Emperor know about the relationship between the Ye family and the Junshan Association? Wouldn't this balance be broken anyway?

But so be it. Fan Xian had accurately assessed the Grandmaster's weakness, which was why he dared to be so sarcastic, so "outrageously" acid, because he knew:

If you were Ye Liuyun, how could you dare to kill me?

…

…

Fan Xian stared at the eyes beneath the bamboo hat, as still as autumn waters, trying to discern the Grandmaster's true intentions in suddenly arriving in Suzhou. Deep down, he was even prepared for Ye Liuyun to immediately retort: "How dare I not kill you?"

…He would immediately unleash his trump card for navigating the pugilistic world to explain.

If you kill me, Fifth Bamboo Uncle will naturally kill everyone in your Ye family – a simple and plain truth that Ye Liuyun would definitely believe and not accept.

--------------------------------------------------

"So… you were hiding on the cliff, eavesdropping back then."

Unexpectedly, Ye Liuyun didn't continue Fan Xian's line of thought, but slowly re-sheathed his sword, sighed as he looked at Fan Xian's handsome face.

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless, remaining calm.

"Don't understand?" Ye Liuyun asked.

Fan Xian really didn't understand, so he nodded, and the ferocity and confidence he had deliberately put on faded slightly.

Ye Liuyun smiled and said, "If you weren't on that cliff, how could you recite those two lines? How could you know that I am me? How could you guess that I know you are his you? How would you know I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

It was complex, it sounded complex, so Fan Xian was really a bit dizzy. Fortunately, his enlightenment had come more than a decade earlier than the average person, and he had lived two lives, so his foundation in basic knowledge like logic was much more solid than others. After circling it in his mind a few times, he finally understood Ye Liuyun's words.

Ye Liuyun wanted to express a simple idea – in this world, at least for now, at least in Jiangnan, there aren't many people who recognize him.

And this idea made Fan Xian feel incredibly astonished. Does no one really recognize the Qing Kingdom's Grandmaster?

…

…

He subconsciously released the paper fan he was holding tightly, and a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of his lips. "Don't think you can imitate my uncle by acting cool, don't think you can imitate Ku He's bald head by wearing a bamboo hat, don't think you can make people believe you're Si Gu Jian by carrying a broken sword."

"You are Ye Liuyun. Whether I recognize you or not, you are ultimately Ye Liuyun."

Si Gu Jian's whereabouts were a top priority for the Overwatch Council to monitor, and there was no way Ye Liuyun could imitate him. So this was something Fan Xian didn't understand. Was Ye Liuyun really trying to break with the Emperor?

He mocked, "Although Si Gu Jian is indeed a bit of an idiot, and we Qing people have put countless pots on his head, your performance is too sloppy."

…

…

"Who I am is not important." Ye Liuyun looked coldly at Fan Xian. "I'm just here to remind you that since you came to Jiangnan, too many people have already died in Jiangnan."

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, looking unblinkingly at one of the only four remaining super-strong individuals in the world, and slowly said, "How can any goal be achieved in this world without someone dying?"

"What goal do you want to achieve?"

"I am a subject… my responsibility is to protect the Emperor's interests from the slightest damage." A strange light flashed in Fan Xian's eyes, and he smiled. "Besides that, I have no other thoughts."

"Even if it means death?"

"No, I will not die."

Ye Liuyun fell silent, and after a long while, he said, "Your… mother didn't seem to be this kind of person back then."

Fan Xian wasn't surprised that the other party would mention his mother, but his face was as cold as frost. He coldly replied, "Don't use my late mother to pressure me. And speaking of killing, I believe you remember clearly that my mother was no worse than I am."

"I'm talking about temperament and innate qualities." Ye Liuyun's voice suddenly deepened. "How can someone who enjoys killing hold great power?"

The atmosphere in the building, which had become slightly more relaxed due to the reminiscing, suddenly became cold and tense again.

"You're in Kyoto, and you have those pitiful people who worry about you, so I won't talk about that." Ye Liuyun sat straight at the table, his whole body as unyielding and stubborn as the pine trees of Dongshan. "You come to Jiangnan, and Jiangnan is in turmoil. How many people have died because of your clever schemes?"

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, feeling extremely annoyed, and lowered his voice. "If I don't come to Jiangnan, will the people of Jiangnan not die? Will the bastards in the Internal Treasury no longer be bastards? Will the Ming family's nest of rotten mice turn into sable mice?"

He smiled disdainfully. "Old man, I said earlier not to use my late mother's name to pressure me. Adding a phrase about righteousness now won't have any effect on me either."

Ye Liuyun's expression didn't change, and one couldn't tell his joy or anger. He only heard him say quietly, "Regarding the killing of Yuan Meng, you knocked out all the maids and servants in that residence, seemingly showing some tenderness, but those unconscious people were all captured and killed by the Suzhou government afterwards to silence them."

He looked gently into Fan Xian's eyes and continued, "When you left, you should have guessed that under the pressure of the Overwatch Council, those innocent people would only have one way out: death. You don't kill the innocent, but the innocent die because of you."

"I only need to bear the responsibility that I should bear."

Fan Xian responded lightly with the shameless words of a certain coach from his previous life, but in his heart, a great shock surged!

It wasn't, of course, because those innocent people died because of him, although that also made his heart dim slightly. This great shock came from Ye Liuyun's words, which seemed to vaguely reveal… details of his entry into the residence to kill people. The other party knew clearly.

Fan Xian stared into Ye Liuyun's eyes, not knowing how much this Grandmaster actually knew. If the other party knew that he had learned Si Gu Jian's swordplay, then he would be in trouble… This was one of Fan Xian's secrets, and if it was known by His Majesty in Kyoto, the entire Overwatch Council would be crushed because of the Shadow and the Suspended Temple affair.

The other party could completely use this to threaten him, but looking at Ye Liuyun's expression, he didn't seem to know the details.

But why was Ye Liuyun mentioning Yuan Meng, who was of no importance, when he wasn't mentioning anything else?

A sharp light flashed in Fan Xian's eyes, and he quickly regained his composure, giving up the idea of ​​killing people to silence them – today's situation was different from the past. In the past, he was the knife, and the world was the fish meat. Today, he was struggling to death on the chopping block. Killing the bamboo-hatted man in front of him was basically an impossible task while Fifth Bamboo Uncle was healing.

So… Fan Xian slammed the table and roared angrily, "You can't be fastidious about minor details when accomplishing great things! If I don't strike with thunderous force and let Jiangnan be the same as in previous years, how many people will the Ming family kill? How many people will those pirates kill? Will you fill the Treasury's deficit for me?"

Without waiting for Ye Liuyun to reply, his offending fingertip reached out again, extremely boldly and rudely jabbing at Ye Liuyun's nose, and cursing, "And that Junshan Association? Are they cleaner than I am? What kind of person are you… How can you condescend to work for them? You are a Grandmaster of my dynasty. If you don't stand on my side, why are you standing on their side?"

The last sentence skillfully turned, pointing directly at people's hearts.

Ye Liuyun frowned slightly and slowly said, "The Junshan Association is not what you think it is."

Fan Xian sneered, "Of course I understand. You are a high and mighty Grandmaster, but you are still a person after all, and you always need to enjoy things. Traveling the world? Roaming the world is happy, but if you are exposed to the sun and rain, where is the feeling of being unrestrained? Every time you reach a state or region in the world, if someone is there to respond, serve, and worship you… You are naturally happy. And who can support you with the entire world except for that Junshan Association?"

Ye Liuyun looked at him with a smile, seemingly not expecting that this young man could so easily see through his relationship with the Junshan Association.

Things were originally so simple. Ku He had the Northern Qi offering, Si Gu Jian had the Dongyi City offering, and the one in the imperial palace was naturally supported by the Qing Kingdom. But what about the dignified Ye Liuyun? Traveling the world and not returning home, blowing the wind on the sea, stroking the pine trees of Dongshan, crossing rivers and swimming in lakes, all of these always needed someone to manage and take care of.

Grandmasters also need to eat and stay in inns, especially people of this status, who definitely don't like the routine flattery and prefer to live in quiet gardens and associate with some reclusive guests hidden in the mountains?

Gardens cost money, and visiting friends in the mountains also requires travel expenses. Traveling and circling the world is actually the most extravagant kind of life.

You can't let a dignified Grandmaster become a highway robber.

Fan Xian hadn't finished speaking. He sneered and said, "But the relationship between your filial sons and virtuous grandsons and the Junshan Association is not that simple… It's not so easy to save people from the hands of this official. The Junshan Association is protecting those girlish hands for you. Do you plan to use those hands to support the sky for the Junshan Association?"

As he spoke, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally fell on the hands that Ye Liuyun was resting on the table.

Those hands were like white jade, without a single wrinkle, not at all like the hands of an old man, but like the hands of a young lady who had never seen the sun and only knew how to embroider flowers and birds in her boudoir.

This was the sign that Ye Liuyun had abandoned his sword and achieved the perfection of hand techniques after the first great battle between Fifth Bamboo and Ye Liuyun when Ye Qingmei pushed Fifth Bamboo into Qing Kingdom's Kyoto many years ago. It hadn't changed in the slightest over the years.

Hearing Fan Xian describe his hands as girlish, a boiling intention gradually appeared in Ye Liuyun's eyes that were as still as autumn waters.

…

…

The key to negotiation lies in controlling the other party's emotions, even if the other party is a high and mighty Grandmaster. So, as soon as Fan Xian discovered that the true anger in Ye Liuyun's heart was about to erupt, he immediately changed the topic and slowly said, "The Black Knights' time to act should still be a while away… If you really care about the filial sons and virtuous grandsons in that garden… shouldn't you give me Master Zhou?"

Ye Liuyun looked at him with a smile that wasn't a smile, seemingly mocking him, or seemingly looking at an ignorant young whelp. "Are you willing to accept my conditions at this time?"

Fan Xian lowered his eyes slightly, but his heart skipped a beat. He had originally thought that since Ye Liuyun had taken the trouble to bring the Junshan Association's treasurer, Master Zhou, to Baoyue Tower, he was naturally planning to use Master Zhou to exchange for the descendants of the Ye family in the Junshan Association.

Could it be that the other party didn't have this intention at all?

"I never accept any conditions under duress…"

He raised his head, his tranquil eyes looking very sincerely at Ye Liuyun's ancient and unadorned face. "But that doesn't mean that I am unwilling to reach some kind of agreement with a respected senior."

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun finally showed some emotion and sighed, "Indeed, shameless…"

Fan Xian smiled slightly. "You use force to coerce people, and I use people's lives to coerce people. If you say shameless, there's not much difference."

Ye Liuyun slowly stood up.

Fan Xian's heart tensed, his face calm. He opened that poor fan that was already deformed by sweat and waved it randomly.

Ye Liuyun looked at the fan in his hand, a smile flashing in his eyes, seeing the true tension deep in this young man's heart.

…

…

"Don't think that you understand everything, that you can control everything."

Ye Liuyun said.

"Otherwise, one day, you will die very regrettably."

Ye Liuyun sighed.

"You are a clever person, but don't be too clever."

Ye Liuyun instructed.

…

…

"You should know how to handle the subsequent matters." Ye Liuyun slowly lowered his head, letting the bamboo hat cover his ancient and unadorned face. He held the sword bound with rough cloth upside down, walked to the railing, and grabbed Master Zhou's collar with his backhand.

At this time, Fan Xian finally felt a trace of helplessness and confusion. If the dignified Ye Liuyun wasn't here to send Master Zhou to him, why would he condescend to talk to him for so long?

Ye Liuyun turned his head, and the smoke in his eyes gradually intensified. A light yet heart-palpitating supreme killing intent shocked Fan Xian's body. He finally said slowly, "Carrying a sword isn't imitating that idiot Si Gu Jian. You kid might have forgotten that I originally used a sword."

As he spoke, he slowly drew his sword. The snow-bright blade had no reflection at this time, as if all the light had been absorbed into that steady and pure white palm.

Fan Xian's eyelids jumped, and he concentrated his mind, desperately biting the tip of his tongue, the pain making him a little clearer. In the moment of life and death, any schemes and wits are fake. He desperately forced out all the surging domineering true energy from the snowy mountain behind him, and transported it to his fists, striking forward!

Striking the table.

Accompanied by a strange scream, Fan Xian was lifted up by his domineering fists. His body twisted in the air, like a wolf-like dog, frightened and miserable. He transformed into a black line with surprisingly fast speed and rushed out of the building!

…

…

Fan Xian swept onto the long street, his whole body floating in the air, but his eyes were full of horror. Even at this time, he could still feel the fierce and absolute killing intent behind him chasing after him, seeming to be able to cut him in two at any time.

So he twisted his body, flicked his legs, spat out blood, and suddenly accelerated again. He somersaulted three times in the air and kicked the green flag of the building opposite with the tip of his toes. Using the soft and elastic force, he turned into a wisp of smoke again and landed on the street.

Six Tiger Guards and the Overwatch Council's swordsmen had already rushed over, protecting him tightly in the middle, layering upon layering, fearlessly acting as human shields.

In just a moment, Fan Xian felt that he was surrounded by people, unable to see what was happening outside. A trace of emotion flashed by, and his whole body returned to its most sensitive state, ready to escape at any time!

…

…

However, the long street was quiet, eerily quiet.

Fan Xian didn't dare to act rashly, hiding behind the guards. He didn't know how long it had been before he felt a trace of oddness and ordered his subordinates to leave a small gap.

Ye Liuyun was no longer in Baoyue Tower.

Following the gap revealed by those tense, half-dead subordinates, Fan Xian looked at the end of the straight long street of Suzhou City. A cloth-clothed man wearing a bamboo hat was carrying a person, walking slowly towards the city gate.

Although he was walking slowly, each step seemed to be tens of feet away, gradually moving away.

Fan Xian swallowed a mouthful of saliva, moistened his burning throat, and crawled out of the crowd with a face full of doubt, standing on the long street, staring blankly at Ye Liuyun's back in the distance.

…

…

Gao Da had already come down from the building opposite. Seeing the unharmed Director, he was overjoyed and said in a trembling voice, "Director, are you alright?"

Fan Xian hid his slightly trembling hands behind his back and forced himself to say calmly, "What could be wrong?"

As he spoke, he watched Ye Liuyun's back disappear into the city gate.

At this moment, no one noticed that in addition to the gash cut out by Gao Da, there were some new changes gradually appearing on the top floor of Baoyue Tower. Beside the rubble of the table shattered by Fan Xian's fists, a crack suddenly appeared in the thick red paint on the thick pillars at a height of nearly half a person.

The folding fan that Fan Xian had thrown away while escaping was nowhere to be found.

The crack in the paint cracked open with a hiss, like a miserable wound, the skin turning outward, revealing the wood inside.

However… the solid wood inside also slowly cracked!

The crack was bottomless, as if it had penetrated the thick pillar!

In fact, it wasn't just this pillar. Cracks began to appear on the wooden pillars, railings, walls, furnishings, and flower stands on the top floor of Baoyue Tower, gradually spreading, stretching, and connecting into one, as if a ghostly craftsman had instantly drawn a black line along that place.

It was just that this line wasn't drawn with ink, but with a sword.

With a crisp cracking sound, what collapsed first was the flower stand placed in a corner of the top floor of Baoyue Tower. The flower pot fell on the floor and shattered into pieces.

Then there was a loud noise.

…

…

The long street had already been cleared, and there were only Fan Xian and dozens of his trusted subordinates who were surrounding him. Hearing the sound, these people subconsciously looked up to the upper right.

Then everyone was dumbfounded. Everyone's eyes were filled with shock and fear. Everyone's mouths were wide open, revealing the teeth inside that were either intact and white, or full of tea stains, or missing a few teeth. So much so that the rising dust and gravel blew into their mouths, but they had no reaction.

Baoyue Tower collapsed!

To be exact, it should be the top floor of Baoyue Tower that had collapsed.

More accurately, it could be said that half of the top floor of Baoyue Tower was collapsing in a resolute manner, according to a perfect design, neatly, and causing a sky of dust!

As the dust gradually settled, everyone saw clearly that the top floor of Baoyue Tower was like a sky sword that had been cut open from the middle. All of the upper part had collapsed, leaving only half of the neat wallboard and furnishings.

The cut was very neat, and the fracture surface was very smooth, really like a large sword had cut it open from the middle.

Of course, everyone understood at this time that this was indeed cut open by a "person" with a sword.

The feeling from the very beginning re-emerged in everyone's hearts – this person is not a person.

…

…

Fan Xian was the first person on the long street to close his mouth. He looked at the city gate, where there was no one in sight, and then looked back at his own half-ruined building. He couldn't help but pat his face heavily, convincing himself that this was really happening.

When the people from the Overwatch Council and the Tiger Guards came back to their senses, the gazes they cast at Fan Xian were a little strange, full of shock and fear, and a little puzzled. They wondered how the Director had managed to survive.

This question… Fan Xian himself wasn't very clear either.

"Deng Ziyue." Fan Xian's voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were full of unhealthy red. While coughing, he said, "Go there."

Deng Ziyue was clearly still in a semi-dazed state at this time. He didn't wake up until Fan Xian said it twice in anger, and quickly responded.

Fan Xian beckoned him to his side and lowered his voice. "If… I mean if, someone surrenders, then be sure to protect the other party's life."

Deng Ziyue was slightly stunned and looked up at the Director.

A trace of awe flashed in Fan Xian's eyes, and he said, "Bring the person back… no, let the Black Knights send him directly back to Kyoto."

He sighed in his heart, and didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Let your elders play with your elders' affairs themselves. He couldn't bear this kind of mental torment any longer.

Deng Ziyue took the order and looked back at the half-ruined building. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva and asked in a trembling voice, "Director, who exactly is that person?"

Fan Xian glared at him and said, "Didn't Gao Da say it was Si Gu Jian?"

Deng Ziyue was indeed a confidant from the Second Division and directly retorted, "The Yuan News wrote clearly that Si Gu Jian is still in Dongyi City…"

Fan Xian directly interrupted his words and said angrily, "Look at this broken building! The other party is a Grandmaster! Can our crows keep track of his whereabouts?"

Deng Ziyue didn't understand why Fan Xian was angry and quickly took the order to find a horse and leave the city, anxious to join up with the Black Knights.

After Deng Ziyue left, Fan Xian was still standing on the long street, unwilling to return to the Hua Garden. His subordinates and Tiger Guards couldn't persuade him, so they had to stand with him.

Fan Xian couldn't help but take another look at his own half-ruined building, wanting to say something, but he held it back.

Before long, a fast horse from the Overwatch Council reported.

"Report, we have left the city gate."

…

…

After a few more hours.

"Report, we have passed Wanting Pavilion."

…

…

Finally, another rider arrived in a panic.

"Report, we have passed Qilipo."

Qilipo was more than seven *li* away from Suzhou City. It was already on the official road back to Kyoto, a full twenty *li* away. Although everyone couldn't believe that the bamboo-hatted guest could walk twenty *li* in such a short period of time, they could understand it when they thought of the other party's identity.

Confirming that the peerless powerhouse who had cut down half of the building with one sword had left Suzhou City, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tiger Guard Gao Da wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, approached Fan Xian, and said softly, "Director, should we arrange someone to stop him?"

"Who can stop him?"

Gao Da thought about it and realized that he had said something stupid. He quickly said, "We have to quickly write a secret report and send it to Kyoto."

Fan Xian frowned and said, "I'm afraid it's too late, but we always have to write it."

"Deng Diwen." He called another member of the Start Year Group, the former Sixth Division swordsman who was responsible for protecting Xia Qifei a few days ago. When Deng Ziyue wasn't by his side, he was the one whom Fan Xian trusted the most.

Fan Xian didn't avoid Gao Da and said coldly, "You notify the General Governor's Office and go to the Ming Garden again tomorrow to confiscate all the Ming family's private soldiers."

Gao Da listened from the side and his heart trembled slightly. He really didn't expect that after such a dangerous moment had passed, the first thing the Director thought of was how to use this matter to seek benefits.

An assassination attempt on the Imperial Envoy was a major event. Now that the people of Jiangnan were full of grievances, everyone would definitely associate it with the Ming family… Using this opportunity to weaken the Ming family again could also slightly reduce the people's resentment towards the death of the Ming Old Madam – Gao Da admired the Director to the point of prostrating himself on the ground.

…

…

Confirming that Ye Liuyun had left Suzhou City, Fan Xian's heart also relaxed for no reason, but his heart still had great doubts and incomprehension, but he couldn't tell anyone. Looking at the half-ruined building next to him again, he couldn't help but curse with a gloomy face, "How much money will it take to repair this? This old bastard!"

Hearing these words, everyone was startled for no reason, and then stunned. No one dared to speak. The long street was quiet again. No one thought that the Director would dare to scold… a Grandmaster in the street.

Looking at everyone's strange expressions, Fan Xian was filled with anger for no reason and cursed, "This is my building. If someone else demolishes my building, can't I curse? He is just an old bastard!"

Gao Da's heart was complicated. He wanted to cover the Director's mouth, but he didn't have the courage. He couldn't help but admire the Director even more, truly a peerless figure with full courage.

Fan Xian had dealt with the situation alone upstairs earlier, which had already surprised his subordinates. Later, he was able to survive and successfully make the Grandmaster leave, and everyone admired the Director even more.

Of course, what everyone admired the most was that Fan Xian dared to scold him on the street afterwards.

…

…

In the admiring and praising eyes of everyone, Fan Xian muttered something, but no one heard clearly. They only saw his body soften, and he was about to fall into the long street.

A splash of color flashed by, and a girl supported Fan Xian's body.

Everyone recognized this person and knew that she was the Director's confidante, so they were not nervous, but a little worried. It seemed that the Director had suffered internal injuries after all against a transcendent Grandmaster.

Everyone quickly followed the pair of young men and women in front of them to the Hua Garden. At this time, the soldiers of the General Governor's Office arrived late.

Fan Xian leaned slightly in the girl's arms, smelling the faint fragrance, and couldn't help but complain, "You only dared to come out after people left."

A trace of apology flashed across Haitang's face, and she said, "I can't beat him."

Fan Xian couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Who can beat this kind of monster?"

Haitang asked worriedly, "Did you suffer internal injuries?"

"No." Fan Xian replied very seriously, "I pretended for too long upstairs, but my legs… were already weak with fear."

…

…

(The previous chapter was actually written a bit rushed, and many places were relatively rough. For example, there were more typos… so I was embarrassed to narcissistically appreciate myself at the end of the chapter, haha, this is answering a cute question from a book friend. Then, the logic of Ye Liuyun coming to Suzhou and leaving is valid, but I'm sorry that the specific reason can't be explained. The inside story is detailed in the next volume. ps: It's very cold in the south, and the whole family has a cold. The parents of a brother went south to celebrate the New Year, but they were trapped on the railway in Hunan. Another brother wanted to return north to celebrate the New Year, but the train was cancelled, so he had to be alone… What's going on? Fortunately, there is snow all over the sky that can be edified. I wish everyone good health. P again: Occasionally I think of *Chun Shi*, the story is good now, but why is the weirdness in the words less? I want to find back the part that makes me happy. P again and again: Today's word count seems to have increased. It was originally only 8,900 words, but after P it exceeded 9,000 words. I'm too lazy to change it.)