Chapter 94: Fang Xun Visits Li Shun’s Door Six Times

The long street lay silent and deserted as Li Shun walked alone, his thoughts racing.

“So the Qian Emperor no longer possesses the ability to oversee the entire world.”

“In that case, as long as I stay out of the Sacred Capital, I should remain safe.”

What Li Shun feared being exposed was naturally not the matter of borrowing two hundred years of lifespan, but the secret of the Fangcun Space hidden within him.

Everything he had experienced within the Imperial Mausoleum's sealed earth, along with Elder Mu’s abruptly interrupted warning, had left him with a vague feeling that the Qian Emperor might be even more terrifying than he had originally imagined.

With those concerns weighing on his mind, he had sought out Wei Wuqi for advice.

“Wei Wuqi’s words may not be entirely accurate, but he is still one of the people closest to the Qian Emperor in this world.”

“Come to think of it, I used to regard Elder Wei as an unfathomable senior expert, and I had no idea how to deal with him. But after hearing the echoes of his past voice within the Imperial Mausoleum's sealed earth, I gained a rough understanding of his character.”

“Though many years have passed and he has experienced countless things, the core of his personality seems largely unchanged.”

“Once you've grasped someone's nature, dealing with them becomes much easier.”

Li Shun silently reflected.

The next day, the first day of the eighth month of the Mausoleum Calendar.

As agreed, Li Shun went to Elder Wei’s courtyard to continue learning the sword.

Meanwhile, Fang Xun received a reply from Zhao Cheng.

Ever since he had sacrificed his disciple and helped Zhao Cheng obtain Lu Tinglan’s inherited armor, their relationship had grown considerably closer. Even the formalities in their correspondence had gradually disappeared, replaced by a far more casual tone.

Opening the letter, Zhao Cheng’s voice slowly emerged from within.

“The upheavals within the Imperial Mausoleum have already reached my ears. Junior Brother Fang need not worry.”

“Thanks entirely to your tremendous assistance, Master has successfully broken through today. Our Confucian Spring and Autumn Brush lineage now possesses another Creation Realm powerhouse!”

“You have rendered a tremendous service this time. Master will certainly reward you generously in the future.”

“As for your disciple, Li...”

“You might as well humble yourself and pay him a visit. Offer an apology.”

“If you can take him back under your tutelage and resolve your past grievances, it would make for a fine story.”

“If he remains stubborn and refuses to return...”

“Then Junior Brother need not dwell on it. Simply avoid his edge for the time being.”

“The Imperial Clan of Great Qian may appear noble and prestigious on the surface, but in truth...”

Zhao Cheng let out a cold laugh.

“Besides, you are still a court official. As long as you leave no evidence against yourself, no matter how much resentment he harbors, he cannot easily act against you.”

As his words ended, Zhao Cheng’s voice gradually faded away.

The letter suddenly burst into flames without any apparent source of fire.

A glint flashed through Fang Xun’s eyes.

With a casual motion, he stored the letter within his Fangcun Space, forcibly suppressing the flames.

After all, traces remain wherever a goose passes. One never knew when this letter might prove useful in the future.

“You want me to apologize and admit fault? Hah...”

Fang Xun snorted coldly.

It was obvious that Li Shun’s status as a blood relative of the Great Qian Imperial Clan had caused the Spring and Autumn Brush lineage to entertain thoughts of recruiting him.

Though those thoughts did not seem particularly strong.

“You all reaped the benefits while I handled all the dirty work.”

His eyes shifted slightly before a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

“No matter. I'm merely apologizing to myself. There's nothing embarrassing about that.”

“A mere imperial bloodline relative is nothing special.”

“But an imperial bloodline relative who is also a disciple of one of the Three Excellencies? That might allow him to go anywhere beneath the heavens.”

“In the end, it's nothing more than putting on a performance.”

Having made his decision, Fang Xun immediately changed clothes and made preparations.

Although the Blood Armored Guards had placed the entire region under martial law and temporarily stripped him of his duties as commander, he still held an official rank. Unlike ordinary citizens, he was not completely restricted in his movements.

By the time Li Shun returned home after sword practice, Fang Xun had already arrived at his doorstep.

“Disciple, I know resentment fills your heart.”

“But in that situation, your master truly had no other choice...”

Standing beneath the steps, Fang Xun wore an expression of sorrow and regret, speaking as though choked with emotion.

Li Shun merely looked at him coldly.

Then he shut the front gate with a bang.

Leaving Fang Xun standing outside.

Embarrassment flashed across Fang Xun’s face, yet he remained rooted in place, refusing to leave.

Only when Li Qing appeared through a crack in the gate and sneered mockingly did he finally retreat.

“Commander Fang, you should go.”

“My brother's temple is too small to accommodate a great deity like you.”

Fang Xun’s face alternated between pale and flushed before he departed in humiliation.

Inside their homes, the residents of Dongshan Town listened intently to the unfolding drama and could not help discussing it amongst themselves.

“Commander Fang has truly disgraced himself this time.”

“Serves him right, if you ask me! I heard he personally sent his own disciple into the Imperial Mausoleum's sealed earth just for wealth and glory. Now the disciple not only returned alive, but somehow even commands the Blood Armored Guards. Clearly he's obtained some incredible opportunity. That's why Fang Xun is shamelessly trying to cling to him now.”

“I don't think Commander Fang was entirely wrong. It was an opportunity for his elder to break through. If it were me, I'd willingly trade a single life for the advancement of a Celestial Phenomena cultivator.”

“After being humiliated like this today, I wonder how he's going to salvage the situation.”

To the astonishment of the entire town, Fang Xun returned the very next day.

When Li Shun came back carrying his sword, he saw Fang Xun standing outside, his face weathered and miserable.

For a brief moment, he seemed slightly moved.

Yet in the end, he remained unmoved.

He entered the courtyard and shut the gate behind him.

Once more, Fang Xun stood outside for a long time.

And once more, Li Qing eventually emerged to drive him away.

The third day.

The fourth day.

And every day after that.

At first, the townsfolk watched with amusement.

But as Fang Xun continued showing up day after day, only to be turned away each time, public opinion gradually began to shift.

“No matter what, Commander Fang is still a court official and was once his master. Even if he made a mistake, after apologizing in person for so many days, shouldn't the matter be settled already?”

“When someone is killed, all it takes is a nod of the head. Li Shun keeps humiliating him over and over. That's honestly a bit heartless.”

“If it were me, after being turned away once, you couldn't drag me back even with an eight-man sedan chair!”

The endless gossip failed to affect Fang Xun in the slightest.

Like clockwork, he continued visiting every day to apologize.

Until the sixth day of the eighth month of the Mausoleum Calendar.

Li Shun had now spent seven consecutive days studying the sword under Wei Wuqi.

“Tomorrow, you don't need to come anymore.”

As they finished putting away their swords, Wei Wuqi suddenly spoke.

“And don't think about using that time-reversal technique of yours to make this old man teach you again.”

Li Shun’s body stiffened slightly.

He could not help but stare blankly.

“You've learned faster than I expected.”

“But the Sword of Regicide is different for every person. A thousand practitioners produce a thousand different swords.”

“If you continue blindly following my teachings, you'll only forge Wei Wuqi’s Sword of Regicide, not your own.”

“That would do more harm than good.”

“The timing is perfect as it is.”

Wei Wuqi calmly explained.

Li Shun nodded slightly.

“What do you think of that bargain-bin master of yours, Fang Xun?”

Wei Wuqi suddenly changed the subject.

Li Shun frowned.

A trace of hesitation appeared on his face, and he remained silent for a long time.

“Hmph. If this had happened when I was young, and someone schemed against me like that, I'd fight him to the death.”

“But now...”

Wei Wuqi’s gaze passed over the courtyard wall and drifted toward Li Shun’s residence in the distance.

There, Fang Xun stood motionless like a weathered stone, quietly waiting for Li Shun to return.

“This Fang Xun...”

Wei Wuqi paused briefly.

“...isn't actually all that bad.”