Chapter 497: Chapter 226: 5 Times?

Luo Shuqing flinched, shrinking back from Fang Shuwen’s gaze.

Her hands fidgeted, unsure of where to put them. Finally, she just wrung the hem of her dress. After Xu Zhiyin shot her a sharp look, she quickly spoke.

"T-to apologize!"

"For what?"

Fang Shuwen looked down, picked a book at random, and began flipping through its pages.

"Yesterday..."

Luo Shuqing forced herself to gather her thoughts, about to explain.

But Fang Shuwen cut her off.

"Let him say it."

Zuo Xuan’s expression darkened. ’If it weren’t for the young lady, would I be groveling like this?’

However, after a glance at Luo Shuqing, he finally took a deep breath.

"Yesterday, I was ignorant of my station and lost my composure before Hero Fang."

"I ask Hero Fang not to stoop to my level."

Hearing this, Fang Shuwen glanced at Luo Shuqing.

"He’s your man. Can you control him?"

"I... I think so... Yes, I can!!"

Luo Shuqing had been hesitant, but after meeting Fang Shuwen’s gaze, she immediately straightened her back and answered loudly.

Her posture was as if Fang Shuwen would strike her down where she stood if she didn’t agree.

Fang Shuwen gave Luo Shuqing a faint, unreadable smile.

Xu Zhiyin noticed the look but thought nothing of it.

But Zhou Qingmei, who was beside them, was taken aback. ’A look like that from Fang Shuwen... that’s not right.’

’That wasn’t the look of a man interested in a woman. It was the look of someone who had seen through a pretense...’

At this thought, she looked again at the people before them.

But even after looking them over twice, she couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.

Just then, Fang Shuwen began to speak slowly.

"I like to get the unpleasantries out of the way first."

"I haven’t decided whether to take your case yet. I’ll consider it after you’ve explained the details."

"But if I do take your case, I expect what happened yesterday to be a one-time occurrence."

"If it happens a second time... and if you can’t control your man, don’t blame me for stepping in to do it for you."

"I... I understand."

Luo Shuqing stammered, her voice trembling.

"S-so, can I explain now?"

"Go ahead."

Fang Shuwen waved his hand dismissively.

The old man standing behind Xu Zhiyin took the cue and closed the main door of One Square House.

The windows faced the sun, so the room was filled with light and wasn’t dim at all.

Luo Shuqing took a deep breath before she began.

"Y-you already know my background. I am the daughter of the Pavilion Master of Qingxiao Pavilion, one of the Eight Forbidden Areas of the East Sea."

"I also have a younger brother..."

"He is the Young Pavilion Master of Qingxiao Pavilion."

"I-I was always... always good to my brother growing up... but for some reason, he never liked me."

"The older he got, the more difficult he became. His temperament... well, it’s hard to describe."

"In any case, as the older sister, I always had to yield to him."

"Until... until my brother poisoned my food. T-that’s when I realized, to my horror, that he... he was trying to kill me!"

Luo Shuqing sounded like a total pushover.

In a quavering voice, she slowly laid out the whole story.

In short, her younger brother wanted to kill her, so she got scared and ran away.

She fled to the Eastern Domain to seek refuge with her best friend, Xu Zhiyin, the Young Tower Master of the Golden Bell Tower.

Everything had been fine until half a month ago. A letter suddenly arrived from across the sea with news that her brother was plotting to usurp the position of Pavilion Master of Qingxiao Pavilion. The old Pavilion Master—Luo Shuqing’s father—had already been placed under house arrest by his son.

Luo Shuqing immediately decided to return to Qingxiao Pavilion to rescue her father. She also felt she had to set her brother, who had clearly gone astray, back on the right path.

The problem now was a rumor spreading across the East Sea, its origin unknown.

The rumor claimed that Luo Shuqing had run away to the Eastern Domain because she couldn’t get along with her brother.

It also said she had taken a supreme treasure from Qingxiao Pavilion: the Profound Celestial Iron Mirror. This was no trivial item; it was known as the greatest marvel of the East Sea.

It had disappeared centuries ago, and no one ever expected it to have fallen into the hands of Qingxiao Pavilion.

Rumor had it that whoever could unlock the secrets of the Profound Celestial Iron Mirror could unite the entire East Sea.

Whether the rumor was true or not remained to be seen, but it had already captured the attention of many.

As a result, Luo Shuqing’s situation had become extremely precarious...

The obstacles she would face on her journey back to Qingxiao Pavilion, especially now, were simply unimaginable.

Having said all this in one breath, Luo Shuqing couldn’t help but look at Fang Shuwen.

"I... I know this is very difficult... That’s why I wanted to ask for your help, Hero Fang."

"Rest assured, as long as... as long as you can get me to Mi Yin Island, I... I have my own ways of handling everything else."

After listening to her story, Fang Shuwen turned to Xu Zhiyin.

Xu Zhiyin nodded.

"Her story is true. I can vouch for her."

"As for the Profound Celestial Iron Mirror, that’s a complete fabrication. Her brother must have made it up as an excuse to have her killed."

"Oh?"

Fang Shuwen asked with a smile.

"And what, I wonder, is the Young Tower Master willing to put up as a guarantee?"

"If Shuqing is lying about this, I’m willing to... give you an additional ten percent... no, five percent of the profit share."

Xu Zhiyin huffed.

"It’s a deal."

After saying this, Fang Shuwen accepted the mission.

The next moment, a system prompt appeared.

[Acceptance Successful!]

[Current Guard Mission: Escort Luo Shuqing to Qingxiao Pavilion on Mi Yin Island, until the escort is successfully completed!]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. For the duration of this mission, you have received a five-fold bonus to your Talent and comprehension. This effect will be automatically canceled if the mission is abandoned or completed.]

When Fang Shuwen saw this notification, his brow couldn’t help but twitch.

’Five-fold!?’

’On the mission with Long Qingzhi, he had killed countless people, and that had only granted him a four-fold bonus.’

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