Chapter 48: 1 Breath of Fresh Air Against the Trend!

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: 1 Breath of Fresh Air Against the Trend!

At a tavern in the town, Fang Xu knocked on the door. After he made it clear that an esteemed guest wanted to drink the most authentic Maple Brew, the terrified Shopkeeper brought out all of his best, carefully hoarded Maple Brew and had someone prepare some exquisite appetizers.

Fang Xu attentively broke the mud seal on the wine jar, poured a bowl for Li Xun, and then filled bowls for Yun Wan and himself.

"I don’t drink," Yun Wan said flatly, directly refusing the bowl placed in front of her.

Li Xun held his bowl, sniffing the wine’s aroma with great intoxication. Then, he glanced at Yun Wan and sneered, "Such excellent wine. Since you don’t like it, Miss Yun, Fang Xu, drink some with this Crown Prince."

Hearing this, Fang Xu hastily picked up the bowl in front of him and bowed. "To the Crown Prince."

Li Xun paused for a moment and looked at him. "Ordinary lowly peasants would probably be unable to even stand straight when they meet this Crown Prince. You, on the other hand, are quite interesting."

Fang Xu’s expression shifted slightly, and he immediately smiled. "Forgive me, Crown Prince. I believe that acquaintance is a matter of fate, and those brought together by fate are friends. Therefore..."

"Friends?" Li Xun gave a playful smile. "A lowly peasant like you wants to be friends with this Crown Prince?"

"This... Crown Prince, please forgive me! I misspoke!" Fang Xu hurriedly set down his bowl, apologizing in panic.

"Enough. There are plenty of slaves who bow and scrape before this Crown Prince. You’re somewhat of an exception, so I won’t blame you. Come, let’s drink!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu finally stood up, picked up his wine, and downed it in one gulp.

Seeing Li Xun finish the wine in his bowl as well, he quickly sank his consciousness deep into his mindscape. Sure enough, another friend had been added to his friend list.

Friend 7: Central State - Li Xun (75%)

Following the deaths of Wang Erhu, Chu Li, and Wu Ningxue, Fang Xu’s friend list had dropped from nine people to six.

These six were all the Landlord Strongmen of Fenglin Town whom Lu Zhiyuan had invited on the day the Blood Food Shop opened.

Now that such a long time had passed, the "Life Value" trailing behind these people’s names had all dropped to around 20%.

After so many days, there was finally a newcomer on the friend list. He realized that this person’s name was Li Xun.

"This Crown Prince is talking to you!"

Fang Xu was immersed in his mindscape observing his friend list when he heard a cold voice ring in his ear. He immediately jolted and cupped his hands. "Forgive me, Crown Prince. I have never drunk such excellent wine before, and I was briefly intoxicated by it."

Hearing him say this, Li Xun sneered, "This Maple Brew isn’t really considered good wine, it just has a unique flavor.

"If there’s a chance, this Crown Prince will take you to the Central State to taste true Immortal Brew.

"Don’t just stand there, pour the wine!"

Fang Xu hastily grabbed the wine jar and filled his bowl again.

To the side, Yun Wan watched Fang Xu’s groveling manner and turned her head away in slight disgust, busying herself with picking up and chewing the appetizers on the table.

They drank for a full hour before Li Xun finally stood up in satisfaction and looked at Yun Wan. "Where are you staying, Miss Yun? Do you want me to walk you back?"

Yun Wan bowed slightly. "I wouldn’t dare trouble the Crown Prince. Wan’Er is staying at the inn right next door."

Li Xun curled his lip upon hearing this. He turned his head and cast a glance at Fang Xu, who had already collapsed onto the table from drinking. "Get to the Government Office early tomorrow to wait for this Crown Prince. If you’re late, I’ll take your little life!"

Slumped over the wine table, Fang Xu groggily lifted his head and said, "Yes!"

Li Xun left.

Yun Wan looked at Fang Xu slumped on the table, then at the dozen or so empty wine jars. She fished a fingertip-sized gold nugget from her waistband and tossed it to the tavern’s Shopkeeper, asking, "Is this enough?"

The Shopkeeper nodded repeatedly. "It is enough! Thank you, Miss!"

Having paid for the wine, she was hesitating over how to get Fang Xu back when she saw him slowly raise his head. There was not a single trace of drunkenness on his face.

"You were faking?" Yun Wan asked in astonishment.

Fang Xu cupped his hands slightly and smiled. "Naturally, I couldn’t steal the Crown Prince’s thunder."

Li Xun’s slight tipsiness was real. If they had continued drinking, Li Xun would inevitably have been the first to fall.

And if he truly drank Li Xun under the table, he would undoubtedly witness the other’s disgraceful behavior. Once the man sobered up, he might just kill him for it.

Therefore, he simply pretended to be drunk to let Li Xun gain the upper hand.

"You..." Yun Wan seemed to understand Fang Xu’s thoughts. She smiled somewhat helplessly and said, "Since you aren’t drunk, let’s go."

The two left the tavern one after the other. A cool night breeze blew by, and walking behind her, Fang Xu could faintly catch the light fragrance wafting from Yun Wan.

This scent was nothing like the cheap rouge fragrance used by the Wang Family.

"I’ve always felt you weren’t the kind of sycophant who knows how to bow and scrape," Yun Wan suddenly said, stopping and turning around.

Trailing behind her, Fang Xu paused slightly and cupped his hands. "You misunderstand, Miss Yun. No one likes to bow and scrape. However, in the face of survival, everything else becomes very cheap."

Having seen with his own eyes the tragic deaths of the common people in town earlier that day, Fang Xu knew that in the eyes of important figures like Li Xun, the lives of ordinary people meant absolutely nothing.

Killing him would be no more difficult for the other party than killing a chicken.

"But..." Yun Wan seemed to want to say more, but as the words reached her lips, she felt there was nothing she could actually say.

"Miss Yun, someone of your noble status may never know how hard it is for us ordinary people to live," Fang Xu said.

"Wang Ergou, a typical member of the common people in Fenglin Town, had a Government Soldier for a brother. He was supposed to enjoy a comfortable life in his later years, but he lost his life simply because he encountered a sorcerer while tilling the fields at the foot of the mountain.

"Wang Erhu spent all his family’s wealth to finally become a Martial Disciple and a Government Soldier, yet he too died a tragic death in the mountains...

"The night Fenglin Town was attacked, the common people of the town were wrongfully slaughtered, likely without even knowing what was happening!

"And today, just because the common people in the town were a bit slow to make way, dozens of people along the entire street were hacked to death!

"This... is the fate of us lowly peasants..."

Fang Xu gave a miserable smile, then shook his head and cupped his hands. "I spoke wildly under the influence of alcohol. Please don’t take it to heart, Miss.

"Farewell."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Watching Fang Xu’s retreating back as he walked further away, Yun Wan had a complex expression on her face and remained rooted to the spot.

After a long while, she murmured, "This is a man-eating world. Who can truly stay out of it?

"I only hope you can remain true to yourself from beginning to end, and become a breath of fresh air against the current."

It was nearly 9 p.m. by the time he returned home from the streets. Fang Xu took a deep breath, patted down his clothes, and straightened his back.

He mocked himself in his mind, "I still don’t like living with my back bent." He walked to the outside of Chu Muyun’s room and gently knocked on the door.

"Mu Yun, are you asleep?"

"Fang Xu, come in," Chu Muyun’s voice sounded from inside the room.

Fang Xu pushed the door open and entered. Seeing that the young girl was actually still sitting in her wheelchair, he asked in slight surprise, "Why are you still sitting here? It’s cold; hurry up and get into bed."

As he spoke, he bent over and picked Chu Muyun up in his arms.

"Fang Xu, you haven’t given me a massage yet," Chu Muyun said softly.

Fang Xu was slightly taken aback. He immediately placed her on the edge of the bed and gently rubbed her forehead. "Wait here, I’ll go boil some water for you."

Chu Muyun nodded obediently.

Inside the room, Fang Xu gently kneaded her delicate feet, his mind occupied with how to handle the upcoming situation.

"Did you drink, Fang Xu?" Chu Muyun tilted her head, smelling the heavy stench of alcohol.

"Yeah."

"Mu Yun, for the time being, try your best not to even leave your room.

"Keep the door closed when there’s nothing else going on."

Fang Xu remembered Yun Wan’s instructions clearly. That Li Xun was a lecherous person, and if he were to see Chu Muyun, there was no telling what might happen.

"Don’t worry, Fang Xu, I understand," Chu Muyun replied warmly.

Looking at the young girl’s beautiful face, Fang Xu said somewhat apologetically, "I’m sorry you have to go through this."

Making her stay inside her room all day without going out was no different from being in prison.

But it was a last resort; he currently had no ability to challenge Li Xun or the royal family.

"What are you saying, Fang Xu? I know you’re protecting me.

"Don’t worry, I understand everything."

Fang Xu nodded and gently patted her fair little feet. "Alright, go to sleep now."

After tucking her in, Fang Xu went straight back to his own room, seizing every moment to cultivate.