The Legend of Fangren

That's it.

The moment Fang Shi regained consciousness, he thought this.

But when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, lying on the bed, with his master Qu Yang sitting at the table, drinking tea, which was unusual for him.

"Master..." He tried to get up, but found himself weak.

Qu Yang took a sip of tea and glanced at him sideways: "Lie down. Those old guys from Xuanbing Pavilion treated you like a thief. They didn't hold back when they hit you with that stick. Luckily, you're tough enough that you only fainted."

"That……"

"Which mountain are you talking about?"

Qu Yang put down his teacup, turned around, and asked expressionlessly, "Tell me honestly whether this has anything to do with you."

"this……"

Just as Fang Shi was about to make a sophistry, another stranger entered through the door.

This man looked to be about the same age as Qu Yang, and although he stood up straight, he exuded the air of an elder.

Qu Yang was not surprised by the man's arrival. He sat down, bowed, and introduced him to Fang Shi, saying, "Young Fang, come and greet the sect leader."

"Huh?" Fang Shiren was dumbfounded.

What's going on? This is only the first volume! According to the tropes of cultivation novels, shouldn't the sect leader at this stage be an elusive figure, rarely seen? How could he possibly see him?

Could it be that he has really caused a huge disaster this time? Could it be that he has punched a hole in the sect's protective formation?

The sect leader walked to his bedside, his eyes neither angry nor smiling, revealing no hidden thoughts.

Still physically weak, Fang Shi could only sit and bow: "Disciple Fang Shi greets Sect Master."

"Hmm... Qu Yang and I aren't that much older. He calls you 'Little Fang,' so I'll call you that too. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Fang Shi was taken aback.

He had assumed that the sect leader was just young in appearance and must be quite composed in his words and actions, but when he opened his mouth, he thought it was his master speaking.

Seeing his surprise, the sect leader smiled and sat down opposite Qu Yang, taking a bowl of tea and saying, "What, did you think I, the sect leader, would be so pretentious?"

"This disciple dares not presume to speculate."

"Hahaha…"

Seeing how nervous the boy was, the sect leader smiled at Qu Yang and said, "Didn't you say this boy is usually very mischievous?"

Qu Yang replied, "If you stay here for a few days, you'll see what happens to this kid once he gets to know you."

"It seems we'd be a good match."

The sect leader continued, "Young Fang, there's no need to be so reserved. The path of cultivation is inherently free and unrestrained. The position of sect leader is a duty, a constraint. Although I have assumed the position of sect leader, if I were to lose my mind because of a duty, it would be putting the cart before the horse."

As expected of the sect leader, the level of thought of an enlightened person is indeed different.

Was Fang Shi nervous because of this?

Given his status as an outer sect disciple, neither the Hall Elder nor the Sect Master were superior to him.

The problem is, we're the ones who caused this trouble. We're in the wrong, so how can we not feel guilty and nervous?

The master knew some of his abilities. Even though he hadn't seen any new abilities from him later, he wasn't stupid. How could he not guess?

Listening to the two chatting, Fang Shi was in agony, wishing they would quickly confront him so he could sincerely beg for forgiveness by doing a full-on seated forward bend.

However, Qu Yang and the sect leader seemed to have completely forgotten about the matter, chatting while drinking tea, and eventually talking about the disciples going down the mountain.

"Qu Yang, the first batch of disciples from the sect are setting off today. Didn't you say that young Fang was going too? Perfect, how about I ask him to do something for me?"

Oh? The sect leader actually has something to ask him to do; this is a great opportunity.

He immediately pricked up his ears, carefully eavesdropping.

Unexpectedly, the two looked over at him at the same time, which made him sweat with guilt. He turned back and pretended that nothing had happened.

Children are the most nervous when adults speak.

At this moment, Qu Yang said, "If there's something to be done, just ask the elder in charge to do it. Don't be afraid of letting Fang boy get away with it."

"Haha, it's nothing important, just a letter from an old acquaintance of mine, a simple greeting, young Fang..."

"Yes, sir!"

Fang Shi jumped out of bed, startling the two of them.

"Good lad, you're really strong. You only fainted for half a day after taking a blow from that brute, and now you're all better."

He then got down to business: "You heard what we just said, is it possible to do it?"

"Yes, yes, I can." Fang Shi nodded vigorously, thinking that the sect leader probably didn't blame him.

Hey, in the end, he's just scaring himself. He always thinks everyone knows he did it, but what's the reality? It's just like when that beautiful elder suspected him during the mountain climbing trip.

Even if he has that suspicion, so what? There's nothing we can do about it, hehe.

"Alright, you should rest well. I'll come and wake you up when we come down the mountain in the afternoon."

"Thank you, Master."

After saying this, Fang Shi lay back down on the bed, while Qu Yang went out with the sect leader.

"Qu Yang, what do you think this kid's background is?"

As soon as they stepped outside, the sect leader asked, but Qu Yang did not answer. Only after walking a distance did he say, "How would I know? But it seems that his strange ability has changed again. Before, he could only clear the forest, but now he can actually open up mountains."

"Then tell me, can we still handle this opportunity?" the sect leader asked again.

"You're asking me?" Qu Yang pulled out a wine gourd from somewhere and took a sip. "Since you decided to take this opportunity yourself, then don't regret it."

"I have no regrets."

The sect leader shook his head: "Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked that kid to help deliver the letter."

Upon hearing this, Qu Yang's eyes turned cold as he said, "So you really suspect there's a traitor within the sect?"

"Why not? The foundation of the sect's grand formation has been breached. Not to mention the formation's hidden location, how could the person who breached it know the location of the formation's core? Even if it was truly an accident, more than a month has passed, and the breach in the formation has been leaking profound energy every day, yet not a single person patrolling the mountain has discovered it or reported it to me. Tell me, who can I trust?"

"It seems that many of the patrolmen are being negligent. In that case, we should investigate the patrol officers."

"If it's just laxity, that's fine. But I'm afraid someone might know but not report it... There are hundreds of patrol personnel. If you bribe a few of them, it will be difficult to investigate. If you interrogate them rashly, you might alert them."

Qu Yang took another sip of wine and said, "Since you're being so careful, how can you entrust things to Fang boy?"

"Perhaps it's precisely because he's an outer sect disciple, and his profound energy is concealed and not easily detected, that entrusting secret matters to him is actually quite suitable. Besides, I should thank that kid; if it weren't for this matter, I wouldn't have gone there personally and discovered the flaw in the formation at the foot of the mountain. As for that kid's character, since you say there's no problem, I won't worry about it."

"I was just being polite; that kid is really unruly," Qu Yang said, pretending not to care, as he raised his glass.

Unexpectedly, the sect leader burst into laughter: "You, you, we've known each other for decades, when have you ever been polite? Fine, I have other things to attend to, I'll get back to work."

After saying that, the sect leader disappeared in a flash, while Qu Yang stopped and turned back to the wooden house, startling Fang Shi, who had gotten out of bed, into hurrying back to bed.

"Master...Master, why are you back again? Is there anything else?"

"Alright, alright."

Qu Yang tapped the table and said, "What are you pretending for? Get up if you're done. Do you think I'd blame you for anything?"

"Uh, that's true."

So Fang Shi climbed off the bed and floated away again: "I just happened to be passing by the crime scene, a mere victim."

Unexpectedly, he was hit on the forehead as soon as he finished speaking. Qu Yang said angrily, "You still have the nerve to mention it? The sect leader asked you to do something so that he could give you a shield and prevent you from being implicated. Otherwise, even if the matter has nothing to do with you, you will still be involved."

Do you understand the concept of taking the blame?

Fang Shi knew perfectly well that every office worker had been scapegoated before; he had certainly experienced being blamed even when he was just passing by.

If he were just an outer sect disciple, the person who discovered him might have made him a scapegoat.

"Master, I'm going to pack my luggage now."

"Go ahead, and don't forget to take this with you."

Qu Yang handed the letter on the table to Fang Shi.

"Okay, Master."