Chapter 636: Dongliu Mountain (8/10, Autumn Subscription)

Hai Guanjia is dead.

When Fang Yue returned.

At the entrance of Dayang Fu, mourning banners hung high; everyone wore white robes, and the entire household was steeped in a suffocating atmosphere.

Yang Tuanzhang's death, the Third Miss's death, and Hai Guanjia's funeral all coincided—they must be handled with grandeur.

"Night Elder!"

The eldest miss, immersed in grief, saw Fang Yue's return—it was the only thing that stirred her emotion that day.

After Hai Guanjia's death, the entire household relied solely on her to hold things together.

She carried Hai Guanjia into the coffin and placed it side by side with her father's and third sister's coffins—she did not cry.

She directed the remaining wounded soldiers of Dayang Fu, maintained daily operations—she did not cry.

She sent people to procure medicinal herbs, summoned physicians to treat the wounded, and even arranged the burial of elderly guards whose injuries were too severe to save—she did not cry.

Because Dayang Fu still needed her to hold it up, still needed her to stand firm—only she could bear it all!

So she could not cry; she had to suppress all emotions, stabilize Dayang Fu after Hai Guanjia's death, and lead everyone through this dire crisis.

But this strength was fake—forced.

She felt she could not fall, could not let her father's and Hai Guanjia's decades of work—the Dayang Caravan—collapse entirely.

Her inner anguish, her pain—all were crushed deep inside, never unleashed.

And when she saw Fang Yue return, the taut string inside her snapped.

Like the final straw that broke the camel's back, the eldest miss collapsed again.

She flung herself into Fang Yue's arms and wailed uncontrollably.

Before others, she could be strong—but before the mighty Fang Yue, she did not need to pretend.

The stunned Fang Yue soothed her for a long while before finally understanding the situation.

"It's all my fault for arriving too late…"

"It's not your fault! It's the fault of those three caravan groups… this blood-deep grudge, I will repay! I wanted to report this to Lan Shan, but I can't—I don't want anyone else meddling… I must kill the enemies myself, destroy those three caravan groups with my own hands, or I will never rest!"

Having heard Fang Yue's experience last night, the eldest miss had already guessed the true identities of those three groups.

They were none other than the Fox Caravan, the Old City Caravan, and the Empty Mountain Caravan!

Capturing me alive was surely the Phoenix Organization's order—but annihilating the Dayang Caravan? That was their own greed!

This grudge must be repaid—and not a single night must pass!

"Tonight, you come with me to slaughter those three caravan groups—I will kill them all, not a single one left alive!"

In the eldest miss's eyes, wild flames burned—she would burn everything to achieve her goal.

"Don't get worked up. First, send people to watch their movements. We'll deal with tonight's business tonight."

Fang Yue had no objection to wiping out those three caravan groups—but others weren't fools; if they hadn't fled overnight, they'd likely have called for reinforcements.

For example, they might have summoned Lan Shan's people to guard and protect them—if I kill Lan Shan's people, things will become complicated and troublesome.

After all, both sides know exactly who the other is; if we file formal complaints during the day, I won't be able to operate in the city anymore.

Yet while Fang Yue was still weighing the pros and cons, the eldest miss suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud.

With a heavy crash, she slammed her forehead against the ground, blood streaming from her brow.

"What are you doing?!" Fang Yue's face showed shock.

"Night Elder! If you're willing to stand up for me, to avenge me and kill those three caravan groups, from now on I am yours! Whatever you command, I will obey without hesitation!"

"No need, no need—stand up and speak further…"

"If Night Elder refuses, I will not rise!"

Saying this, the eldest miss slammed another forehead strike—blood traced across her brow, down her nose, and dripped onto the ground.

"…If they don't leave the city by day, and the situation permits, I will help you exterminate those three caravan groups."

"Thank you, Night Elder!!"

The eldest miss rose in excitement, then her vision darkened—she nearly fainted again, but Fang Yue caught her in time, preventing her collapse.

"You haven't slept all night—rest now. I have nothing to do during the day; I'll handle all affairs of Dayang Fu for you."

The eldest miss had now regained her composure; looking at the reliable Fang Yue, her cheeks flushed slightly—until her gaze fell upon the dirty cloth wrapped around his hand, whereupon she paused, her expression dimming, sighing inwardly.

"Then I'm in your debt, Night Elder. I'll return to rest for a few hours, and come back to manage household affairs when I wake."

"Mm… Someone, escort the eldest miss back to her room."

He called out, and soon a personal maid came to help the eldest miss back to her chamber and lay her down.

Life's sudden ups and downs—Fang Yue understood the eldest miss's strange, reactive behavior.

The only thing Fang Yue regretted was that he had missed his chance last night.

Shu Zuo's escape speed was faster than he expected; though the fellow was useless in other areas, his speed specialization was nailed down perfectly.

Fang Yue unleashed black qi and activated his Shadow Step, trained to the second level—and still couldn't catch Shu Zuo.

Fang Yue chased him in a mad sprint, even scaling the city wall, rushing outside the city, and relentlessly pursuing Shu Zuo into the wilderness.

Because Fang Yue knew this might be his closest chance yet to find An Dong'er's whereabouts—so even at risk, he had to chase!

But events did not unfold as he wished.

Shu Zuo relied on pills, ignoring the accumulation of poison in his dantian, just to maintain his sprinting speed; occasionally, he swallowed some unknown drug that gave him another burst of speed, widening the gap again.

In the night, visibility was already poor.

As the pursuer, Fang Yue found it even harder to track his target—he could barely cling to the tail, just enough not to lose him.

As dawn began to lighten, Fang Yue's confidence waned.

This location was already far from Chunuan City; during the chase, the glow of the Fluorescent Bead and the commotion had drawn numerous strange onlookers, disturbances, obstructions, and attacks.

Fortunately, Shu Zuo was similarly plagued by these strange disturbances; in the chaotic battle, Fang Yue saw Shu Zuo enter a great mountain and vanish deep within.

Mountains and forests have always been synonymous with danger; with dawn already breaking and his internal energy and stamina both depleted from running, Fang Yue grew increasingly uncertain and dared not venture deeper.

After much hesitation, he instead returned along the Official Road to Chunuan City—luckily, the journey back was relatively smooth, though he encountered a few Xiao Guiyi, which he dealt with easily.

"With 【Dan Poison】 and 【Yuhan zhi shi】, even a rat clan member won't die without shedding a layer of skin!"

Fang Yue pondered deeply.

During the chase, the Rat Clan member refrained from lighting his Human Soul Torch to reduce the chance of being spotted by Fang Yue—he must have already been afflicted by 【Yuhan】, and he wouldn't be faring well.

The problem lies in that mountain…

Fang Yue had asked the eldest miss; that mountain was called Dongliu Mountain, where Night Thieves frequently appeared!

"It seems the information broker's intelligence was accurate—the Night Thieves and the Phoenix Organization indeed have close ties!"

(End of Chapter)