Chapter 119: Lita

Bennett sighed and shook his head: “That just scared the life out of me—thankfully, Fang Young Master’s personal guard was strong enough, or the consequences would’ve been dire.”

Zhao Ya smiled and resumed the journey, but this time he specifically assigned someone to wait outside the carriage, ready to obey Fang Lu’s orders.

After that little incident,

everyone in the caravan grew curious about the luxurious carriage and its occupant, Lu Fang—some believed he was a high-ranking noble of Da Zhou, others claimed he was a disciple of some half-saint, and still others insisted Lu Fang himself was a half-saint.

The rumors only grew wilder with each telling.

For a day or two, these whispers became one of the few entertainments in Zhou Yiyi’s life; she occasionally spat out the water she’d just drunk.

Clearly, she’d imagined some absurd theory.

But since then, except when absolutely necessary, Lu Fang rarely left the carriage; three days later, the caravan finally entered the borders of the Buddha Kingdom.

In a roadside inn in the city,

“Fang Young Master, what are your plans from here? I have many business contacts in the Buddha Kingdom’s capital—if you need anything, perhaps I can help.”

Zhao Ya sat on a chair on the first floor and asked with a smile.

Lu Fang thought for a moment and said: “Do you know anything about the Buddha Kingdom?”

Zhao Ya chuckled dryly: “Fang Young Master, you don’t understand—merchants like us never stay in one place longer than half a month; most of our time is spent on the road.”

“I know little of either Da Zhou or the Buddha Kingdom, but I do know a few people with good connections—should I send for one?”

Lu Fang hesitated: “Is there a Shen family auction house—or any Shen family business—in this city?”

It wasn’t that Lu Fang doubted Zhao Ya’s character; it was simply that the information he sought was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Zhao Ya exclaimed in surprise: “You mean the Shen family of Half-Saint Shen Kangbo?” Seeing Lu Fang nod, he smiled: “Yes, there are many Shen family establishments in this city.”

…

After seeing Zhao Ya off,

Lu Fang instructed Zhou Yiyi to guard Lu Ling, then went alone to the nearest Shen family herbal shop. Without preamble, he simply pulled out a golden-white token.

The shopkeeper had been ignoring Lu Fang entirely—until he saw the token, then immediately bowed deeply: “Young Master, how may I assist you?”

Lu Fang tucked the token away, surprised by its effectiveness—it had been left in his storage pouch by Shen Kangbo when he returned to the capital, beneath the ten thousand dao stones.

There was also a note: if he ever needed help, he could present this token at any Shen family shop anywhere and receive assistance.

Lu Fang stated plainly: “Find me all available information on a noblewoman from the Western Regions named Lita.”

The shopkeeper picked up pen and paper and wrote carefully: “Young Master, you may return tomorrow to collect the information.”

Lu Fang nodded and stepped out of the herbal shop.

You wouldn’t believe how efficient the network was—in the morning, Lu Fang returned to the shop and finally received all the leads. The Shen family’s intelligence network was indeed formidable.

Lita Tewen—the surname Tewen is legendary in the Western Regions.

But heaven envied talent: Lita died at barely thirty.

Everything was true!

So the old drunkard’s words had been genuine all along.

“Huh?”

Lu Fang noticed a red circle drawn in red ink on the document, with the bold words: “Alive or dead? Mystery in the mind.” A thousand thoughts surged through him.

Could it be that the deceased Lita was truly trapped in the Buddha Kingdom’s trial grounds, held captive by a demon?

Regardless, after seeing this, Lu Fang had made up his mind: he must break through successfully and enter the Sixth Rank realm—only then could he gain entry to the Lesser Upper Realm.

Back at the inn,

With Zhao Ya’s help, Lu Fang and the other three switched to a new caravan—one that would take them directly to the Buddha Kingdom’s capital.

This time, the monstrous camel cart was replaced by a large horse-drawn carriage.

Inside the carriage,

Lu Ling and Xiao Tao yawned and stretched, weary from their stay; during their time here, she had again sought clues about the figure in the painting.

“Actually, I already had clues about the figure in the painting before.”

After much deliberation, Lu Fang finally decided to tell Lu Ling everything.

Lu Ling frowned: “Brother, you’re lying to me, aren’t you? How could she be trapped in the Buddha Kingdom’s trial grounds?”

Lu Fang sighed—he knew she wouldn’t believe him immediately—so he pulled out the portrait and documents about “Lita” that he’d obtained from the Shen family’s intelligence network.

After reading them, Lu Ling sighed: “If all this is true, I wish I could enter the Buddha Kingdom’s trial grounds.”

Lu Fang gently rubbed her shoulder and said: “You silly girl—you can’t enter the trial grounds, but I can, can’t I? Maybe I’ll even find something incredible.”

“But the ascetic said the place is dangerous—there’s a powerful demon there,” Lu Ling worried.

Lu Fang struck a bodybuilder pose and grinned: “What’s to fear? Who am I? The current Marquis of Literary Excellence of Da Zhou! Even if it’s a demon—or a god—that dares to harm my sister’s mother, I’ll punch its head off.”

Lu Ling laughed and nodded firmly.

After comforting her, Lu Fang watched the three women fall asleep for their afternoon nap, then sat cross-legged and began cultivating with the ten thousand dao stones.

As days passed,

the number of ten thousand dao stones he had left dwindled.

Yet Lu Fang still felt no sign of reaching the peak of Seventh Rank, Third Stage—let alone breaking through, which was beyond difficult.

The only positive was that, with the spread of the Da Zhou Literary Gazette, the scholarly aura on his person surged dramatically—he now had a full hundred strands of scholarly aura.

Lu Fang resolved: even if he exhausted all his mid-grade ten thousand dao stones without breaking through, he would use his scholarly aura instead—no matter what, by the time the Lesser Upper Realm opened, he must enter the Sixth Rank Confucian realm.

To claim unclaimed destiny energy for himself,

to help Lu Ling find her biological mother,

he was determined to enter.

…

The Western Regions were not as vast as Da Zhou’s lands; after three days traveling with the caravan, Lu Fang and the others finally arrived at the Buddha Kingdom’s capital.

The people here were mostly a mix of native Western Region ethnicities; Han Chinese from Da Zhou were rare—mostly just merchants.

After parting ways with the caravan,

Lu Fang led the three women to a Shen family inn. Before they could enter, a middle-aged man in Western Region attire blocked their path.

The man stared at Lu Ling’s face, frozen stiff, murmuring: “You… Miss Lita?”