Chapter 120: Looking Precisely for Fang Can

At noon, the towering city walls of Cangren City stood high on all sides.

As a wealthy city in the heartland of the Central Plains, its gates stood wide open, welcoming merchants and travelers from all directions.

Pedestrians came and went along the streets paved with bluestone, lined with shops, creating an atmosphere of extraordinary bustle.

On the bustling street, a man and a woman walked side by side through the crowded market, occasionally stopping before stalls to carefully select small trinkets with serious expressions.

Though they were merely strolling casually, the man possessed extraordinary temperament with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, while the woman in her flowing green dress was more beautiful than a celestial fairy; simply pausing there, they unconsciously drew the gaze of passersby.

Inside a nearby teahouse, the scent of tea wafted gently as a storyteller vividly recounted a fabricated tale.

The content of his story unconsciously caught the attention of the couple.

"Distinguished audience, today we shall not speak of the glorious histories of kings and ministers, nor mention the fantastical tales of demons and monsters; instead, let us tell of a heroic young man named Fang Can within Yanggu County."

"Hey, A-Can, someone is telling a story about 'Fang Can'." Ye Qingshi smiled and tugged at Fang Can's sleeve, saying, "Let's go over and take a look."

Looking at the old man in the teahouse whose voice rang like a great bell, Fang Can roughly estimated that the man must possess martial arts skills, likely at the first to second level of the Profound Gate, which explained why his voice could carry so far.

Not only Ye Qingshi, but Fang Can himself also felt intrigued by the storyteller's tale and smiled, saying, "Let's go take a look together."

As they drew closer, they saw the storyteller strike his wooden clapper and speak with animated eyebrows, "Last time we spoke of how Fang Can, wielding a spear, defeated the Ten Directions crowd, and accidentally entered the Tiger Fiend Hall."

"Picking up where we left off, due to Fang Can's lofty spirit and dissatisfaction with the evil deeds within the Tiger Fiend Gate, after lying low for a few days and mastering his divine arts, he unhesitatingly killed the villains in the hall one by one, but this also earned him the enmity of a group of evildoers."

"Thus, they devised a scheme to trick Fang Can, claiming the Gate Master urgently summoned him to the Tiger Fiend Hall to test his martial arts. Believing it to be true, Fang Can led his troops into the military secret grounds of the Tiger Fiend Hall..."

Entering the teahouse, they ordered a pot of Longjing tea, sat opposite each other, and listened to the story alongside other patrons to relieve their fatigue.

Regarding the content the storyteller presented, he could only say that apart from the incorrect parts, everything else was accurate; it was simply fabricated according to the commentary provided by the Heavenly Secrets Tower.

Hearing the latter part, even Ye Qingshi could not suppress her laughter, her phoenix eyes occasionally stealing glances at the protagonist, wanting to see what Fang Can himself thought of it.

In the storyteller's eyes, Fang Can had directly become a chivalrous hero who swept away evil and eradicated crime.

But reality is understood by those who know: which chivalrous hero stalks a young lady to her private room on the very first day of acquaintance and embraces her to sleep the very next day?

Although she now had the habit of actively hugging Fang Can to sleep every day, that did not mean Fang Can's initial actions were those of a chivalrous knight.

As for Fang Can's feelings, they were somewhat novel; for the first time, he, who had previously lived a plain life following a set trajectory, had become the positive protagonist in someone else's story, and he felt a secret sense of satisfaction, how to say it.

"It is indeed interesting." Fang Can looked at the teahouse patrons sitting full to capacity, sipping tea while listening to the story.

Having traveled through time for so long, he had hardly experienced the scenery of ancient times; this was a perfect opportunity to take some time to experience it.

If it were not inappropriate to have a young girl accompanying him, Fang Can might have even wanted to visit a brothel and try listening to songs in a pleasure house.

Meanwhile, outside the city, Fang Can's caravan was resting and purchasing supplies within the city; after finishing the purchases, they would set off again.

Regarding such a massive procession, and the sedan chair carried by martial artists, curious onlookers gathered around to watch.

Facing those who came forward to inquire, the believers politely explained and began proselytizing to the public.

Even if passersby refused, they would still hand out a scripture to deepen the impression, hoping they might consider joining the faith in the future.

Just as the caravan was resting, another caravan of over a hundred people slowly approached from a distance.

Inside the red phoenix sedan, a white-robed girl with bright eyes and white teeth gazed through the curtain at the distant caravan and asked curiously, "What is that? Why does it look more magnificent than ours?"

"Princess, that should be a worship caravan of common martial artists."

The young maid accompanying her explained, "It is the caravan prepared by believers for martial artists who have appeared on the Heavenly Secrets List when they travel."

After the maid's explanation, the girl nodded in confusion; she had been frail since childhood and possessed a quiet personality unsuited for martial arts, so she had little contact with matters of the Jianghu.

This time, returning to her maternal clan to visit relatives, halfway through the journey, news arrived that the Emperor had passed away, forcing them to turn back to the capital.

"Princess, the Great Competition among nations is about to begin soon; young martial artists from all over the country are rushing to the Imperial Capital. There are many such caravans, but one of such massive scale is truly rare." The maid also expressed some surprise.

"Then let us go up and ask." The girl inside the sedan smiled faintly.

Not long after, the maid returned with news, her face filled with shock: "Princess, it is that Fang Can who ranks first on the Ascending Dragon List; those believers say he has already reached the ninth level of the Profound Gate and is preparing to participate in the Great Competition among nations."

"That Fang Can who ranked first on the Ascending Dragon List in the previous issue?" The girl, hearing this, also covered her mouth in surprise: "Wasn't he only at the first level before? Could he have taken some spiritual elixir?"

"I do not understand this; it is also possible they are lying." The maid speculated.

While the two women spoke, the caravan continued moving toward the Imperial Capital without pause; after all, with the Emperor and the Crown Prince having passed away, a few words of discussion would suffice, and this was not a leisurely tour.

Regarding the possibility of returning to the palace this time, the girl also had a rough guess.

After all, as a member of the imperial family, she had certainly heard of the contents of the Martial Restriction Order, and she perfectly met its requirements.

However, among the imperial relatives, she was not the only one who had not cultivated; she had no desire for the throne, so when questioned, she would simply state her refusal clearly.

But before they had taken a few steps, the caravan was forced to stop because two imposing caravans were approaching head-on from a distance.

Each group numbered over a thousand people; the honor guard played the stirring music of Miss Jiang with their mouths, while behind them came the faint sound of chanting scriptures, making them look like no good people.

It was a special period; seeing the two groups surge forward, thousands of people surrounded the national road from all directions, trapping them. The head of the guard unconsciously reacted defensively.

"Bold! What are you doing! What do you intend to do!"

A loud roar burst from the guard captain's mouth; this middle-aged man drew his waist sword and pointed it directly at the crowd, speaking with murderous intent:

"How dare you, with such audacity, surround the Princess's procession? Do you not want your lives?"

Facing the roar, the two groups behind were first stunned; the music and chanting stopped, and then the youth being carried by the crowd spoke wordlessly:

"You are a bit too narcissistic; who cares about your Princess or not? Do not give yourselves too much credit, okay? Can your Princess withstand my three punches? If not, move aside."

"I am looking for a Fang Can from the Ascending Dragon List, not your so-called Princess; move aside quickly."

(End of Chapter)