Chapter 368 - 114: Methods (Part 3)
"Hoo..."
Exhaling lightly, Fang Zheng slowly opened his eyes, a gleam in his eyes flashing and disappearing.
"Just a little bit more!"
"On the day I fought Lin Can, I clearly felt that I was on the verge of a breakthrough, but why, after a few days, has that feeling faded away?"
"Do I need to fight him again?"
Shaking his head, Fang Zheng looked back.
"The elixirs made from Golden Carp are finished, and there are three portions of Ginseng Essence Treasure Protection Soup left. Without a generator here, the cultivation base cannot continue to rapidly advance."
"I still need to leave the city!"
In just a few days.
The situation in the city has drastically changed.
The rebels have already drawn close to the city, and several small-scale skirmishes have occurred nearby. Zhaonan Prefecture’s gates are tightly shut, no longer allowing passage.
The army is coming!
It seems the battle to defend the city is unavoidable.
The Ling Family has already agreed to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office’s conscription, ready and waiting, unlikely to send anyone out.
The Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion is the same.
When asked how to leave, they only say to go back and wait for news. They’ll inform once it’s possible, but they won’t say when specifically.
"Ah!"
Fang Zheng sighed lightly:
"If I still can’t leave, I might as well go back to modern society to avoid the chaos, and come back in a few months to see how things stand?"
This is undoubtedly a bad move.
The situation is unclear; rushing to leave only to return not knowing what awaits?
Perhaps...
Zhaonan Prefecture has already been occupied by rebels.
This place could already be the rebel’s base, with a host of masters present, appearing and immediately being thrust into the rebel nest.
Extremely humiliating!
Black Market.
The whole city is under martial law, affecting even here. The usual bustling crowds have become sparse, and nine out of ten shops have their doors tightly shut.
"Young Master Fang!"
"Brother Qi."
"Brother Mu is here too."
"..."
Fang Zheng entered a venue, cupping his hands towards a few familiar faces, greeting each other.
"Have you heard? The Ghost Daoist lately has been unlucky, maybe he’s even dead." The speaker’s voice had a hint of schadenfreude:
"That guy’s aura is eerie, I’ve long suspected he wouldn’t meet a good end."
"What happened?"
"The Ghost Daoist’s strength isn’t bad, and he’s skilled in Ghost Control Technique. Even a Flawless Martial Artist might not be able to take him down, so what’s happened?"
"You don’t know?" The speaker replied:
"The death of the Qian Family’s Qilin Child, Qian Fusong, is rumored to be related to the Ghost Daoist. To take him down, the Qian Family sent out two Flawless Martial Artists."
"And there was a Mage accompanying, just in case. He’s unlikely to escape this disaster."
"What?" Someone in the crowd exclaimed:
"The Ghost Daoist killed Qian Fusong?"
"Not necessarily!"
"But surely related, otherwise why would the Qian Family refuse to let go of him? And the Ghost Daoist, how could he dare provoke the Qian Family?"
"Indeed!"
?
Fang Zheng turned his head, eyes flashing slightly.
The death of Qian Fusong, actually connected to the Ghost Daoist?
With the Celestial Secret Compass to help cover, unless one is a Master skilled in the art of Divination, it’s impossible to trace it back to him.
Therefore, Fang Zheng wasn’t worried, but...
Ghost Daoist?
Serves you right!
’The Innate Divine Calculation has a saying: Cause can turn, but cannot vanish.’
’Once something happens, called cause, it will inevitably lead to subsequent events, called effect. Once cause and effect arise, even immortals and Buddhas are powerless.’
’There’s fate in this!’
’Mortals fear the effect, Bodhisattvas fear the cause, that’s the principle.’
’Even the Celestial Secret Compass left by Master Jiuyuan can only alter cause and effect, but cannot eliminate the impact of the event.’
’The Ghost Daoist, because of his involvement in cause and effect, might have his cause and effect fall on himself in the future...’
Fang Zheng’s thoughts were moving, then he shook his head.
’As soldiers come, block; as water flows, cover with earth. He never believed in fate anyway, no need to overly care about cause and effect, thinking too much is just inviting trouble.’
"Brother Chu!"
A fleeting figure in his vision caused Fang Zheng’s eyes to flash, approaching with cupped hands:
"Long time no see, how are you?"
"Young Master Fang." Chu Nan Sheng looked clearly at the person coming, smiling:
"Brother Chu is still the same."
"Brother Chu?" Fang Zheng gestured:
"Shall we sit and talk?"
"Oh!"
Chu Nan Sheng raised his eyebrows:
"Sure."
They went to a secluded area, and Fang Zheng spoke directly:
"I heard that Soaring Dragon Martial Arts Hall has recently taken a big business, to escort someone out of the city. Don’t know if you’d be willing to add one more person?"
"The price is negotiable!"
"Young Master Fang wants to leave the city?" Chu Nan Sheng frowned.
He’s the vice premier of Soaring Dragon Martial Arts Hall, which aside from teaching martial arts for a fee, also does escort business like an Escort Agency.
Indeed, a few days ago, they accepted such a mission.
"Yes." Fang Zheng nodded:
"Adding one more person shouldn’t be troublesome, right?"
As he said,
he pushed over a heavy money pouch.
"This..."
Chu Nan Sheng’s eyes flickered, then he pushed the pouch back, seeing Fang Zheng’s frown, he quickly explained:
"Brother Fang, don’t be offended, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t make the decision here. With your strength, it would be better for us if you could join."
"But the client’s status is honorable, the martial arts hall only assists, so really cannot make decisions on adding members."
"Hmm..."
He thought for a moment, then said:
"Brother Fang wants to leave the city, you might want to ask the Zheng Family. Though they’ve fallen over the years, they still have control over the southern gate."
"Currently, only the Zheng Family might be able to offer a way out of Zhaonan Prefecture by spending money."
"Zheng Family?" Fang Zheng understood, pushing the pouch over again:
"Thank you!"
"Brother Fang?" Chu Nan Sheng touched the money pouch, showing surprise. He hadn’t expected that just introducing a way out would earn such generosity.
Biting his lip, he took out a Copper Token from his body:
"The Zheng Family owed Chu a favor; take this and they’ll surely give face."
"Thank you!"
Fang Zheng cupped his hands in gratitude.