Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1911 Original
"Hand over Awan, and I might spare your life." Fang Zilan said casually, but Shang Zhongyi's expression turned serious. "I thought Miss Zixiu would say she would spare my life."

Fang Zilan straightened her sleeves and said slowly, "From the moment you sent people to kidnap Awan, you were a dead man to me."

"Miss Zixiu, you have quite the arrogance." Shang Zhongyi glanced at Fang Zilan and said haughtily, "Even if you are the best in the world, you are still just one person."

"So, Young Master Shang thinks you can capture me to claim credit?" Fang Zilan stared intently at Shang Zhongyi. "Or do you think you can kill me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a loud crash was heard, and the people hiding behind the screens on both sides of the front hall fell down one after another, their blood covering the screens.

"Young Master, run..." one of them had barely uttered a word when Fang Zilan interrupted him, "Stop talking nonsense."

She stood up, her whole being radiating murderous intent. "Tonight, none of you will escape."

“You…” Shang Zhongyi stared in disbelief at the person in front of him who looked like a demon from hell, his whole body trembling involuntarily. “If you kill me, you will never see Miss Awan again.”

"Is that so?" Fang Zilan chuckled. "I'd like to try and see if Young Master Shang's words are true or false."

"I am the young master of Yancheng Manor, how dare you..." Shang Zhongyi shouted, forcing himself to speak. Fang Zilan laughed even louder, "So it turns out that you noble families can only announce your names when you are about to die, hoping that I will let you go. I thought Yancheng Manor would be different, but it is nothing more than this."

Shang Zhongyi froze, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of humiliation, and roared, "I am different from those people you speak of!"

"What's the difference?" Fang Zilan's smile faded, and she raised her plum blossom sword, pointing it at Shang Zhongyi. "Does Young Master Shang not only know how to talk a good game, but also want to fight me?"

Shang Zhongyi's lips moved, but no sound came out. Seeing this, Fang Zilan continued, "I've heard that Yancheng Manor has swordsmanship classes, which all disciples learn. As the young master of the manor, Young Master Shang should be extremely proficient. In that case, do you dare to fight me?"

"I..." Shang Zhongyi clenched his fists. Although Fang Zilan had not drawn her sword, the Plum Blossom Sword in her hand was intimidating. Not to mention that she had just killed many people he had prepared in an instant. Even if they were not peerless masters, their skills were still above his. What ability did he have to meet her sharp edge in battle?
But given the current situation, if he does nothing, he will only become a dead soul under Fang Zilan's sword. How could he be willing to accept that?

"I am willing to fight on behalf of the young master against Miss Zixiu." A clear and gentle voice came from behind Fang Zilan. The newcomer strode into the front hall, walked straight to Shang Zhongyi's side, and stood in front of him with his sword. "Please enlighten me, Miss Zixiu."

"If you want to fight me on behalf of Young Master Shang, you'd better be qualified." Fang Zilan raised her chin. "What's your name?"

"Xiahou Qi." Xiahou Qi introduced himself, and Fang Zilan nodded slightly. "So even if you kidnapped Awan, you are doomed to die."

Xiahou Qi was taken aback, then heard Fang Zilan say, "Even if your surname is Xiahou, I will not show any mercy."

“Since you can guess even if I don’t say it, there’s no need for me to say it.” Hong Tai’s expression turned cold, and Fang Zilan’s smile faded slightly. “Boss, there’s a completely different story between you telling me and me guessing.”

“Fang Zilan, you never intended to let me go.” Hong Tai said through gritted teeth. “Did you think that by using me, I could atone for my crimes and the court could forgive and forget?” “I relinquish my power and step down, so my word is not final.” Fang Zilan neither admitted nor denied it. “But Prince Yucheng is the one who has the final say, so I handed you over to him in the hope that you will repent and start anew.”

"Repent and start anew?" Hong Tai laughed as if he had heard something ridiculous. "Fang Zilan, do you even believe that yourself? I am a wanted criminal, deserving of a hundred deaths. No one will believe me, and no one will give me a chance..."

"I believe you." Fang Zilan interrupted Hong Tai's next words and said in a low voice, "I know what it feels like to want to give your life. I also know the torment of not being able to give it up."

She laughed self-deprecatingly. "I've asked myself many times, why wasn't it me who died?"

Zhen Mi'er turned her head away, and Hong Tai opened his mouth, "Fang Zilan..."

“No matter what, the one who is alive is me, and the one who is alive is you.” Fang Zilan pursed her lips, a resolute look appearing in her eyes. “Since we are alive, we cannot live in vain.”

For the first time in her life, she spoke her heart's words: "My parents wished for the eternal stability of our land, and my conquest of the four borders has fulfilled their wish. Mo Han wants to revise the laws and restore justice to the world, so I went to Jiangnan and Feiling Mountain to collect evidence of wrongdoing, which is not in vain for him. The Ghost Gate destroyed Chu Bin, and the people of the martial world took his life, so I will eradicate the Ghost Gate and cleanse the martial world."

"Lan'er, you..." Zhen Mi'er finally understood that what Zuiyue Tower sold to Cui Hai was not only the news of his beloved senior brother, but also a favor.

Fang Zilan's actions were aimed at the future. With Cui Hai as her pawn, the Huo family of the Blade Sect, Xiaojing Lake, Wuliang Palace... all the martial arts sects would be drawn into a game of grudges and favors.

From the moment the mountain bandits and outlaws killed the first江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), these two sides were destined to never coexist peacefully. Like the black and white pieces on a chessboard, the conflict wouldn't end until one side was completely wiped out.

Zhen Mi'er felt a chill run through her body. What a brilliant tactic, what a scheme! When did Fang Zilan stop using herself as a pawn and start using everyone else as pawns?

No. Treating everyone as pawns is something only the player who moves the pieces can do.

It turns out that, at some point unnoticed by her, Fang Zilan, through a series of games, finally transcended the role of a pawn and became the one holding the pieces. However, Fang Zilan herself doesn't seem to have fully realized this yet…

"Then what do you want?" Hong Tai heard his own voice tremble almost imperceptibly, but he had no choice but to ask.

"I want a place of my own," Fang Zilan's voice trailed off, tinged with a bitter sense of helplessness. "And then, I want to go home."

“Go back to the Fang family? Or…” Hong Tai couldn’t help but ask, but received no answer.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Fang Zilan gritted her teeth, knowing she couldn't go back. It seemed as if the events that had happened in the world, with Mo Han's death, were from a past life.

Hong Tai was stunned for a moment. Seeing Fang Zilan sit up straight, he tightened his grip on the reins. "Even if I can't have a place of my own, I will make sure everyone remembers who Fang Zilan is."