Chapter 239: The Hidden Trouble of the An Family

Apart from the eye-catching golden Stone Lions at the entrance, An Fu's gate also had a row of over thirty guards, patrolling back and forth in three groups outside the door. The equipment on every one of them gleamed with a polished shine — whatever their actual strength, at least in terms of gear they were armed to the teeth.

This defensive force was even tighter than Lang Fu's!

So this is what rich people are like! Envy, jealousy, and hatred!

"Who are you? Don't loiter around An Fu's entrance!"

The guard standing at the gate noticed Fang Yue and immediately shouted loudly.

The loud voice immediately drew the attention of the others. A few exchanged glances, silently reaching for the weapons tucked at their waists, and slowly began to surround Fang Yue in an encirclement.

From their practiced movements, one could tell they did this kind of coordination often.

Well-trained and skilled at teamwork — practically a copy of the Guard Team, just far weaker in actual strength.

That's right — although these guards all looked tall and burly, muscles bulging, in reality Fang Yue could tell that their strength was utterly ordinary.

"I'm here to see An Shenyi. Please announce me — just say Captain Ye is visiting."

Fang Yue hadn't come to cause trouble. Before those men could do anything inappropriate, he had already spoken calmly.

"Captain Ye?!"

The leading guard froze, then suddenly jolted as if remembering something. He carefully sized up Fang Yue, then waved at the others to stand down, and stepped forward warmly.

"So it's you, sir! Our master instructed us long ago — if you came, you could enter the residence directly."

Saying so, he led Fang Yue straight into An Fu.

Just like the lavish decorations outside, the inside of An Fu was also gorgeously appointed in gold and splendor.

Once again, Fang Yue deeply felt the terrifying money-grabbing ability of An Shenyi.

He even suspected An Shenyi might be richer than Chief Captain Lang Wu and the others.

Entering the main hall, the guard captain immediately had a servant attend to Fang Yue, then hurried off himself.

Though Fang Yue was a little puzzled, he didn't think much of it.

Sipping tea and waiting for a while, a rapid patter of footsteps soon sounded outside, growing from far to near, until a group of figures came into Fang Yue's view.

This group had men, women, old and young among them. Once inside the hall, they immediately dispersed and took their seats, but their gazes fixed on Fang Yue, studying him — none of them spoke.

"You are…"

Just as Fang Yue was about to inquire, a servant outside suddenly called out loudly: "The master arrives!"

As the words fell, a familiar figure walked in from outside, his face lighting up with joy at the sight of Fang Yue.

"Yeye! Haha! I knew it was you coming!"

An Shenyi strode up to Fang Yue, gave him a hug, then sat down beside him with a smile.

"An Shenyi, how is your health now?"

"Much better, already fully recovered!"

An Shenyi chuckled, then said: "It's been ages since we last met. After entering the village, I just kept lying around healing. Only recently could I get out of bed. How about it — did the matter you handled in Mo Cun go smoothly?"

"All went smoothly. Everything that needed doing got done. In a few more days I should be heading back to Gu Yue Cun."

"Going back, huh… going back is good. When you do, please pass along my regards to Lord Han."

"I will. This time An Shenyi did Gu Yue Cun a huge favor. If you ever run into trouble in the future, come find us at Gu Yue Cun."

"Hehe!"

An Shenyi didn't make excuses — clearly he knew that the price he paid would bring him not just the rewards Lord Han promised, but also Gu Yue Cun's friendship!

"By the way, the formation trembled a few days ago — what exactly was that about?"

"You don't know?"

Fang Yue was a little surprised.

"I do know, but it was Captain Wu who came and told me. His attitude wasn't great — he only briefly said a few things, then left once he was done. As for Lang Wu, he's been busy the whole time. I had just recovered from a serious illness and it wasn't convenient for me to move around, so I didn't go ask in detail."

Although An Shenyi was Mo Cun's Divine Doctor, his relationship with every captain wasn't that harmonious.

He was good friends with Chief Captain Lang Wu, but with the younger Captain Wu, he had no deep connection.

Fang Yue frowned slightly, glancing at the men and women in the hall — he didn't mind going into Mo Cun's recent major events in detail with An Shenyi, but with these outsiders present…

An Shenyi immediately understood.

"Alright, you've all met Yeye now. You may withdraw."

"Yes!"

Everyone rose and took their leave in unison.

In no time, only Fang Yue and An Shenyi remained in the hall.

Fang Yue didn't beat around the bush, and directly told An Shenyi everything clearly — Captain Huo's death, the slaying of the anomaly, the depletion of the formation, and so on.

These pieces of news made An Shenyi's brows knit tightly, his head shaking nonstop.

Fang Yue sighed along with him. Mo Cun really had been going through troubled times lately.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Yue asked: "Those people who just left — what's their situation?"

"Them, huh… sigh, it's a long story. But knowing your personality, you definitely don't want to hear a lot, so I'll just ask on their behalf. Yeye, you're not exactly young anymore — any thoughts of taking a wife?"

"…What?"

"Those people from earlier are my family. They… uh, after learning of your deeds and the fact that Lord Han acknowledged you, they want you to… become a live-in son-in-law."

"What!?"

If before Fang Yue had merely been surprised, now he was terrified.

Damn!

Out of nowhere, how did I become a candidate for An Shenyi's family's live-in son-in-law?!

He was so shocked he even stood up from his seat.

"If you don't want to, then you don't want to — no need for such a big reaction. Don't worry, the An family is my call. They just had the thought. As long as you're unwilling, the matter ends here and now."

"No, An Shenyi, how could anyone in your family come up with such an idea? And besides… I'm still a child!"

Looking at Fang Yue—eight feet tall, capable of killing ghosts with his martial prowess and spouting nonsense with his words, looking every inch an outstanding young man in his early twenties—An Shenyi could not for the life of him figure out how this person had the nerve to say he was still a child.

Although, by the age reckoning of the vagrants, Fang Yue really was a newborn baby less than a month old, but…

An Shenyi looked at him strangely.

"Yeye, you've just lost your memory, you're not an infant! At your age, you'd already be considered a late marriage. Take me, for example—I took a wife at twelve or thirteen, running about earning money for the family. Trust me, once you have a family, you'll become much more diligent and hardworking…"

Seeing An Shenyi about to start rambling, Fang Yuejian quickly spoke up.

"Stop, stop, stop! Having a family or whatever—that's still a distant possibility! And out of nowhere, why would I marry into your family?!"

An Shenyi said matter-of-factly: "Because my An family has money."

…Damn it! Just because you have money, can you do whatever you want?!

As if sensing Fang Yue's indignation, An Shenyi added: "Besides, for a martial artist to marry into a Divine Doctor household—that's a fine match of strong with strong. In the future, if you get hurt, I'll treat you for free."

Treat me for free, my foot!

Fang Yue glared at An Shenyi.

"I won't marry! I won't marry into your family! I'm perfectly fine on my own!"

"Is it that you don't fancy them? Just now all my younger-generation sons and daughters are here. If you don't like any of them, I can still call in distant relatives for you to take a look."

Fang Yue was exasperated, and said with a bitter smile: "It's not about the person, I really don't have such thoughts for now. And why are you suddenly asking me to marry into your family? You never mentioned this on the road at all."

That's right—on the escort journey, An Shenyi had been in such a rush to get home that he had never brought it up with Fang Yue. So this idea was most likely thought up by someone else in the An family, and had little to do with An Shenyi himself.

At this point An Shenyi glanced at Fang Yue and sighed: "…Yeye, we've been through life and death together, I won't hide it from you. I'll tell you the truth—my An family has long harbored a great hidden crisis!"

Fang Yue was taken aback.

No way—An Shenyi is the Divine Doctor of Mo Cun, and in Mo Cun his protection priority is even above that of an outside Captain like himself.

Besides, everyone gets injured or sick sometimes. Fire Captain had conflicts of class and interest with the village's elite, leading to an uneasy relationship—that he could understand.

But An Shenyi… who would want the lives of An Shenyi's whole family? People would scramble to cling to his thigh, and at a critical moment, a Divine Doctor could save one's own life!

But An Shenyi was not one to shoot his mouth off without cause. Frowning slightly, Fang Yue asked: "What do you mean? What trouble are you in?"

"This happened over ten years ago. Back then, my reputation as a Divine Doctor had reached its peak throughout our Heiqing Shanmai region, far surpassing top-tier Divine Doctors like Luo Shenyi. For a time, I was infinitely glorious.

At that time, I was addicted to the false fame, enjoying the false vanity, and did not curb the spread of my reputation. As a result, the name of Divine Doctor grew larger and larger—even claims like 'raising the dead and giving flesh to white bones' were actually believed by some.

So, people came from afar seeking treatment.

That fellow was called Er Shi. He was carried into Mo Cun by a group of people wearing uniform, splendid garments.

He was gravely wounded—his body was afflicted with over a hundred kinds of special ghost-curses. Every few minutes, a portion of his body would split open. If thick needles hadn't been used to pierce through the flesh and forcibly stitch it together, he would long since have become a pile of rotting meat.

They begged me to act and save him. I saw at once that this person was already beyond any cure.

But… they offered far too much!

So I spoke recklessly, promising that I would surely cure this person, and if I failed, my whole family would perish.

At that time, I was too arrogant! Too overbearing! Too vain! And… too greedy!

So, the nightmare Advented.

Soon, Er Shi's injuries gradually slipped beyond my control, worsening day by day. Even though that fellow's strength was shockingly great and unfathomable, those ghost-curses and wounds ultimately claimed his life.

Er Shi died, and my promise became a nightmare.

The subordinates who had been tending to Er Shi dropped their previously harmonious faces, revealed ferocious expressions, and vowed to wipe out the more than a hundred members of my An family, high and low!

When it happened, the three Captains tried their utmost to protect me, but upon learning those people's identities, they all turned pale one after another, stepped aside, and left my An family to face those fiends head-on!

At that time, many people died.

My An family nearly faced extermination."

Fang Yue hadn't expected An Shenyi to have gone through such a perilous ordeal in the past.

He couldn't help but feel a bit curious.

"And then? You're still alive now, and the An family still exists, so you got through it."

"That's right, I didn't die—because I spoke a person's name."

"Just one name was enough to save your An family? Whose name is that useful?"

An Shenyi was silent for a moment, then said slowly: "Lord Han."

Fang Yue was instantly dumbfounded.

"What does that have to do with Lord Han? Did Lord Han vouch for you? Did you know each other over ten years ago?"

"Not at all. Lord Han and I had no real connection. I was simply bluffing, but those people believed it, feared Lord Han, and didn't dare act rashly—they just trapped us inside An Fu. Later, Chief Captain Lang Wu went to Gu Yue Cun, pleaded bitterly, and asked Lord Han to come to Mo Cun.

The result was that Lord Han had just arrived in Mo Cun when those people were scared into a frantic retreat from Mo Cun, vanishing without a trace.

They all assumed Lord Han had come to protect me, but in fact, Lord Han never promised to keep me alive. In this delicate coincidence, I gained Lord Han's shelter.

Precisely because of this, over these years, whenever Lord Han asks me to treat someone, I never miss it—even if it means traveling at night, even if it's dangerous! Because Lord Han saved the lives of my entire family!"

At this point Fang Yue couldn't help but say: "That's not right—then why did you charge such a high price when Lord Han invited you to treat my Qi Deviation earlier?"

"…Earning money through medicine—that is the principle of my life!

But if it had been anyone else, asking me to travel to Gu Yue Cun to treat a patient under those circumstances, I wouldn't have followed so resolutely, nor traveled by night—I would have refused outright.

I don't know what rumors you've heard. In earlier years I truly would do anything for money, but now, between money and life, I have found a new balance."

No way—how come it still looks to me like you're greedy as hell for money?

Fang Yue stared at An Shenyi suspiciously, until An Shenyi grew thoroughly uncomfortable under the gaze. Only then did Fang Yue shrug.

"Fine, but Lord Han being able to keep your An family safe—what does that have to do with me marrying into your An family?"

"Because I never truly received Lord Han's protection—it's only an unspoken relationship that neither side has ever broken open. If you, whom Lord Han values highly, could marry into our An family and speak up for us, obtaining a genuine verbal promise—then our An family would be completely secure!"

"Just for a promise?"

An Shenyi glanced at him: "That is Lord Han's promise—a promise worth a thousand gold! And as long as this factual relationship exists, I can launch a massive publicity campaign and completely suppress the hidden threat from that group."

Fang Yue couldn't help feeling curious—who exactly could make the An Divine Doctor's family, so powerful in Mo Cun, so afraid?

"Who exactly is Er Shi? Who did you people offend?"

"At the time, I didn't know who Er Shi was. Only after years of inquiry did I find out… Er Shi's real name is Pao Er Shi, one of the Elders of the Extreme Ice Sect! The Extreme Ice Sect is a great sect on par with the Blazing Fire Sect; destroying our Mo Cun would be effortless! Destroying my An family would be the same!

However, the Blazing Fire Sect and the Extreme Ice Sect had an agreement: in the places where the Blazing Fire Sect takes disciples, the Extreme Ice Sect cannot interfere.

Although our area doesn't belong to the Blazing Fire Sect's territory—it's a neutral zone—the Blazing Fire Sect is, after all, close to us, and they do take disciples here, so under normal circumstances, people from the Extreme Ice Sect won't show up around our area.

But according to the news I've gathered, in recent years the Blazing Fire Sect has suffered repeated defeats against the Extreme Ice Sect, losing a lot of territory. If this continues, sooner or later our Heiqing Shanmai will fall into the hands of the Extreme Ice Sect. When that time comes, only Lord Han can save my An family!"

Extreme Ice Sect…

Fang Yue's brow furrowed slightly.

He still had no real concept of these sects and factions; he only knew a little about the Blazing Fire Sect.

Besides…this whole matter felt far too distant to him; An Shenyi was worrying over nothing.

(End of this chapter)