The burly man, who looked a good deal older than Jiang Xin, said with a smile.

Qin Fang’s eyes flickered, and he readily went along. "Oh, it’s Second Uncle Yuan... Is there... something you need?"

"Not at all, not at all. I just happened to run into you and wanted to say hi." The burly man laughed heartily. "You’re living here now, so if you run into any trouble and can’t find your uncle, feel free to come to me."

The man smiled enthusiastically.

Qin Fang’s eyes glinted as he smiled and nodded. "Okay. In that case, I’ll be relying on your help in the future, Second Uncle Yuan."

"Hahaha, no problem!"

The big man roared with laughter, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Qin Fang, and then led his men away.

With a flicker in his eyes, Qin Fang resumed his stroll.

He eventually found someone selling rabbits and bought one. On his way back, he passed the fish market and bought a fish before returning to the courtyard.

The courtyard had always been occupied, so everything in the woodshed, including the firewood, was ready to use.

An hour later, Qin Fang finished his meal and sat in the courtyard, gazing at the surging waters of the Nanhe River. Xile was at his feet, chewing on a rabbit bone. Despite not being fully grown, its teeth were already powerful, shattering the bone with a CRUNCH with every bite.

’I’m settled for now, but I need to find a way to contact Senior Brother. Otherwise, he’ll be worried sick.’

’However...’

’I wiped out the Fisherman’s Ganlu Hall. News of that should spread soon... After reading my letter, Senior Brother will realize Ganlu Hall might be part of the same group as that Mysterious Power. He’ll probably guess I was the one who killed the Ganlu Hall members.’

’And Xu Meng...’

’News of Xu Meng’s death should also get out soon. After all, his was the gang that occupied Fisherman City. Even though he wasn’t an Anjin Martial Artist, his death will still draw attention.’

’Senior Brother will probably realize I killed him, too.’

At this thought, Qin Fang sighed softly.

’Senior Brother was the one who introduced me to Xu Meng and even said he was trustworthy. Now that I’ve killed him, I wonder if Senior Brother will blame me...’

’But...’

’Even if he does, so be it.’

’He knew too much, and he was too big a target. Letting him live would have been a lingering threat.’

Qin Fang could not allow a liability that might endanger his senior brother and master to remain.

His eyes flashed.

Then he subconsciously touched his ribs...

’I didn’t cultivate today. With these broken ribs, it would be a huge hassle if I moved the wrong way and they got displaced again.’

’Oh well, I’ll just rest for a couple of days.’

he thought.

...

And so, Qin Fang began his life in Wanshui City.

Life in Wanshui City was more relaxed than he had imagined. Wanshui City was one of the smallest market towns in True Martial County. It seemed about the same size as Fisherman City, but it was far less crowded.

The market itself was still bustling, however, with a few hundred people coming to trade each day.

Under the guise of "Jiang Xin’s nephew," Qin Fang gradually became familiar with the members of the Nanhe Gang during this time. On the several occasions Jiang Xin found Qin Fang chatting idly with gang members, all he could do was watch, his eyelid twitching uncontrollably.

But there was nothing he could do...

That spur-of-the-moment decision had left him to swallow this bitter fruit alone. Now, he could only pray this powerhouse would leave soon.

...He wasn’t the least bit curious about the man’s identity, his background, or why he had washed up in a small market town like Wanshui!

But time trickled by. Two days, three days, four days...

The man seemed far too comfortable living there and showed no intention of leaving.

Jiang Xin was thoroughly aggrieved, yet completely helpless. He even had to put on a smile whenever they spoke...

’There’s nothing for it. I can’t beat him, so what can I do?’

’My life and livelihood are completely in his hands.’

The only good news was... this man didn’t seem like a troublemaker. At most, he just wandered here and there each day. He seemed idle, but also perfectly harmless.

And during this period, Qin Fang finally heard the news he’d been waiting for...

The news of Xu Meng’s death and the annihilation of the Fisherman’s Ganlu Hall had finally spread, and many members of the Nanhe Gang were talking about it.

At the same time, rumors about an Expert in Hidden Weapons also began to circulate.

They said the person who killed Xu Meng and destroyed Ganlu Hall was an Expert in Hidden Weapons. This expert was likely the same one who had killed numerous masters from the Iron Tiger Gang at Wang Hu’s residence in Pingze City before absconding with Wang Hu’s fortune...

Furthermore, Ganlu Hall had posted a bounty... If anyone knew the whereabouts of that Expert in Hidden Weapons, Ganlu Hall was offering a reward of one thousand taels of Silver!

...Clearly, Ganlu Hall was truly enraged.

Amidst all the hubbub, someone inevitably brought up Huichun Hall.

Many people were taken aback for a moment upon hearing the name, but they quickly remembered... Huichun Hall, once the number one apothecary in True Martial County.

But in just a few short months, it had suffered one blow after another and was already showing clear signs of decline.

Some predicted that it was only a matter of time before the century-old establishment shut its doors for good.

The recent Ganlu Hall affair provided a stark contrast.

When just one of Ganlu Hall’s small branches in Fisherman City was wiped out, they were able to offer a thousand taels of Silver for the killer.

In contrast, Huichun Hall had an Anjin Martial Artist assassinated and seven of its major market branches destroyed, yet to this day, there had been no news of any retaliation...

When compared, Huichun Hall’s prestige had plummeted, practically crushed into the dust by Ganlu Hall...

Qin Fang listened to the Nanhe Gang members chattering about these matters, but his expression remained unchanged.

’The news has spread. Senior Brother must have heard by now, right?’

he thought.

And Zhou Xing had indeed heard.

In fact, he had received the news two days prior. With his junior brother in trouble, how could he not make inquiries?

And the news he received had indeed left him speechless.

The destruction of the Ganlu Hall branch was one thing, but Xu Meng’s death left him with a complicated feeling he couldn’t quite express.

But after a long silence, all he could do was sigh softly...

From the letter, he’d had a vague sense of what Qin Fang planned to do next.

He also understood Qin Fang’s reasoning.

Now, the news had simply confirmed his suspicions...

He felt a pang of guilt for what happened to Xu Meng.

...But the man was already dead. What else could be done?

He knew where his loyalties lay.

In the end, he could only let out another sigh.

But regardless, he mostly felt a sense of relief.

The destruction of Ganlu Hall and the death of Xu Meng... it all proved that his junior brother was alive and well.

He had simply gone into hiding for the time being.

...As long as he hadn’t fallen into the hands of that Mysterious Power, it was a good thing.

...

And just like that, seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye.

Qin Fang felt his ribs, a flicker in his eyes.

...After only seven or eight days, he could barely feel any pain.

Normally, a broken rib, even one that could heal on its own, would take two or three months.

But Qin Fang was no longer an Ordinary Person; he was an Anjin Martial Artist with astonishing regenerative abilities.

After seven or eight days, he was almost fully recovered.

The same went for his ear. His master’s medicine was practically a divine remedy; its effects were miraculous. His ear no longer hurt, and his hearing had even returned to normal.

’My eardrum must be healed...’

With his body healed, Qin Fang couldn’t sit still any longer.

He looked in a certain direction, his eyes flashing.

’Old Ox Back. It’s time to pay it a visit.’