Chapter 40: The Only Way

“You’re still sending out letters?! You still…” Shu Wan was almost speechless, not knowing whether she should be angrier at Fang Nandan for being such an oddball or more furious with herself for writing such a ridiculous person.

Fang Nandan gave Shu Wan a displeased glare, his small eyes shifting as he excitedly suggested to Yi Chenlan:

“Master, how about we go according to what I wrote in the letter? After all, we can’t take her to Snowy Night Mountain. If you want to repay the life-saving grace, it won’t be a problem! I have many torturous poisons here, but they won’t kill her…”

Fang Nandan stopped himself as soon as he said that, clearly seeing the murderous intent flicker in Yi Chenlan’s eyes.

Yi Chenlan’s gloomy gaze left Fang Nandan, and he lowered his head to look at Shu Wan. She wore a worried expression, her brows furrowed with concern: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, you must not let him capture you. We should quietly slip away. Once we leave Jinghe, we won’t take the main road; we should still make it in time.”

Though she said so, Shu Wan couldn’t be entirely certain in her heart. Shu Qi held a very high position in the Jianghu, and his influence spread everywhere. They had to be cautious and act according to the situation.

Yi Chenlan thought for a moment, then turned to Fang Nandan and said: “To the south of Jinghe is Rong Town. It’s remote, with fewer people. We can detour through there and avoid the main city of Jinghe.”

Fang Nandan cleared his throat and immediately agreed to Yi Chenlan’s suggestion. He pointed to the carriage. “You can get on now, anyway, this carriage… haha, it’s not broken, hahaha! We’ll follow the official road. We’ll be in Rong Town in no time.”

…

Although Fang Nandan claimed the carriage wasn’t broken, the wheel had been damaged from the bump, making the ride quite bumpy. Yi Chenlan continuously reminded Shu Wan in a gentle voice to sit properly and avoid any jolts.

Shu Wan snapped out of her thoughts from the unexpected meeting with Fang Nandan and began to think about the Heavenly Forging Pill that Yi Chenlan had given her earlier. Her heart ached: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, you were fine just now. Why did you give me the Heavenly Forging Pill? It’s such a waste… that, that’s a rare Elixir!”

Yi Chenlan chuckled lightly. “I’ve been wanting you to take it for a while. This thing can protect against countless poisons. It’s just a precaution. But I can’t defeat you, and if I told you to take it, you definitely wouldn’t listen to me. I had no choice but to use my wits.”

Shu Wan blinked, unable to suppress a sly smile. But amidst her happiness, she still felt the sting in her heart. “Sigh… such a good thing, wasted just like that.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Yi Chenlan looked at her disapprovingly. “Fang Nandan has poison on hand. If you hadn’t taken it, you wouldn’t have been able to defend against him earlier. With this, I don’t have to worry about you falling victim to any hidden tricks in the Jianghu. How could it be a waste?”

Before long, Fang Nandan knocked on the carriage wall from outside. “Master, we’ve reached the checkpoint to enter Rong Town, but… I didn’t dare go forward. The city gate is guarded, and they’re checking people.”

“You wait here. I’ll go check it out.” Yi Chenlan said as he stood up to leave.

Shu Wan grabbed him by the arm. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, I’ll go with you.”

Yi Chenlan smiled faintly and gently persuaded: “If both of us go, we’ll attract too much attention. Stay here and wait for me. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

“Then… then I’ll go.” Shu Wan said, becoming even more uneasy after hearing Yi Chenlan’s words. “What if you’re recognized? It’s too dangerous.”

Yi Chenlan laughed softly, unable to resist reaching up to ruffle her little head. His gaze softened even more. “You can’t go. You don’t know what they’ll be looking for. I’m already worried enough. If you stay here, you’ll be helping me.”

“Oh… alright.” Shu Wan nodded reluctantly.

Yi Chenlan glanced at her, suddenly smiling. “No sneaking after me. If you do, I’ll be distracted.”

Shu Wan froze for a moment. She hadn’t realized that her thoughts were so easy for Yi Chenlan to read. Now that he had said this, she truly feared that her following him would distract him and cause him trouble.

Seeing her eyes widen, Yi Chenlan slightly raised the corners of his lips. “I’ll take that as a promise. No breaking it.”

He then got out of the carriage and looked at Fang Nandan. “Stay here and don’t wander off. You’re quick-witted, so keep an eye on Wan Wan. Don’t let her get hurt.”

Fang Nandan nodded obediently, then turned to the empty space beside him and sneered. Tch, she knows the Blazing Sun Manual; who could hurt her?

After giving his orders, Yi Chenlan looked back at Shu Wan. He saw that she was behaving exactly as he’d hoped—leaning against the carriage door, looking at him with a trace of reluctance.

Yi Chenlan’s gaze softened, and he smiled gently at her before turning to leave.

Once he was gone, Fang Nandan cast a glance at Shu Wan, wrinkling his brow in disdain. “Did you hear that? The young master said your brain isn’t good enough, that you don’t even know what they’ll be checking, can’t help him, so he has to do it himself.”

Caught off guard by his bluntness, Shu Wan was both shocked and angry. “You think your brain is better? Why don’t you go help Senior Brother Ah Lan, then?”

“I’ve got work to do. I have to protect you.” Fang Nandan rolled his eyes. “The young master sees how clever I am. Didn’t you hear him?”

Clever? Shu Wan thought. He was clearly a burden. She couldn’t be bothered with his misguided confidence. Rolling her eyes, she was about to turn away and ignore him. But then, something crossed her mind, and she couldn’t help but ask in confusion: “Fang Nandan, you seem to really respect Senior Brother Ah Lan? You call him ‘young master’ all the time. I can’t help but feel… you’re not like this…”

Shu Wan had been wondering about this for a while. In the book, Fang Nandan’s attitude toward Yi Chenlan had been cold and distant, even harsh and cruel. Yet now, in real life, Fang Nandan was so respectful toward Yi Chenlan. Why was there such a stark difference?

Fang Nandan exploded the moment he heard her words. “What do you mean by ‘you feel’? Who do you think I am? As expected from someone taught by Shu Qi, your words are so unpleasant! And calling me Fang Nandan like that—don’t you know I’m a few years older than you? I’m even older than your father, and you just call me by my name like that. Really, how inappropriate!”

“Since he’s my young master, who else am I supposed to respect? Do you think just because his martial arts are lacking, I’ll look down on him? No way! The moment I saw him, I felt admiration. He looks composed, with an air of decisiveness and ruthlessness. His actions are always firm and decisive, inheriting the mountain master’s legacy. That’s the kind of man a real man should be. But you wouldn’t understand any of this.”

As he spoke, Fang Nandan gave Shu Wan a disdainful look. “I can’t stand kind and gentle people. They’re soft and weak, of no use at all. I just want to dig out the ruthlessness in them. Take you, for example. Your martial arts may be high, but I really don’t respect you. And I couldn’t care less about teaching you either.”

Shu Wan didn’t expect him to throw in that last jab. She shot him a glare and immediately retorted: “I don’t respect you either.”

She furrowed her brows, thinking for a moment. She still couldn’t understand how Fang Nandan could see Yi Chenlan as someone “ruthless” and “decisive.” From their first meeting, the difference between the version in the book and reality was too stark.

She had helped Senior Brother Ah Lan avoid many dark turns, and he still treated others gently, like a gentleman with a noble character. How could he possibly be as vicious as Fang Nandan described?

“Um… well… Fang Senior, Senior Brother Ah Lan is very gentle and kind right now. How did you get that impression of him?” Shu Wan couldn’t help but ask, perplexed.

Fang Nandan clearly didn’t want to talk to her. He snorted through his nose, ignoring her.

Shu Wan pouted and stopped asking, instead hugging her knees and watching in the direction Yi Chenlan had gone.

After a while, Fang Nandan spoke up again, for some reason. “Hey, girl, what was your name again? Shu something, Wan?”

“Shu Wan.” Shu Wan glanced at him and answered.

“Shu Wan, huh? When are you planning to leave? Our young master’s identity is special, so it’s inconvenient. You, on the other hand, don’t care. You could just go straight to Jinghe to find your father, right? You can’t come with us to Snowy Night Mountain. You’re not married, and being by our young master’s side like this—how inappropriate.” Fang Nandan squinted his eyes, shaking his head as he spoke.

Shu Wan was startled when she heard this, and for a moment, she couldn’t find any words to rebut. Before Fang Nandan spoke, she hadn’t even thought of this point—Senior Brother Ah Lan had Fang Nandan as a relative, so did he still need her to send him to Snowy Night Mountain? But… but she felt a little reluctant to part from him, yet what reason did she have to follow him?

Shu Wan pursed her lips, determined not to lose face. She stared at Fang Nandan with what seemed to be a confident expression, forcing a smile, and said: “I’m not leaving. I want to go to Snowy Night Mountain with you. I’m afraid you’ll poison him, and the people from Snowy Night Mountain might bully him.”

“Ha, poison?” Fang Nandan laughed heartily: “Do you know how much poison powder I used just now? You all are fine, so clearly, whatever precious Elixir you took, you needn’t worry about me poisoning you, right? Besides, if he were to have your personality, of course, I would use my skills to deal with him properly, but the young master is very good. He doesn’t need me to bother with him.”

“The others from Snowy Night Mountain might try to probe his limits. But what does that have to do with you? Our two factions are mortal enemies, and you’ve been brother and sister for several years. You shouldn’t really think you’re special, right?”

Shu Wan opened her mouth, wanting to retort: “I am special.” but she realized she didn’t really have any grounds for it. Fang Nandan wasn’t being tactful, but he wasn’t wrong either.

She couldn’t find any words to counter him, feeling a little frustrated. She glared at his back several times before hugging her knees and saying nothing.

Not long after, Yi Chenlan returned. When he saw that Shu Wan had curled up into a small ball and wasn’t injured, he was slightly relieved. He then spoke to Fang Nandan: “The city gate in Rongzhen is heavily guarded. More than ten people were checking us, and they even had our portraits.” he glanced at Shu Wan before continuing: “Fang Nandan, you’re skilled in disguise. If you help us alter our appearance, we should be able to evade the search.”

Fang Nandan let out an “Ah” and said, stunned: “But… but I don’t have the tools. After I finished this face mask, I threw everything away, fearing it would be discovered. Without tools… there’s no way to disguise ourselves…”

Yi Chenlan hadn’t expected him to say this, and it completely blocked their way out of Jinghe. He tightly pressed his lips together and stared at Fang Nandan with an unfriendly look, which made Fang Nandan feel quite uncomfortable.

“I-I can figure something out. As long as we get into the city, I’ll buy all the tools we need. But it’s better to go to Jinghe. The supplies there are guaranteed, and since there are more hidden paths, there will be fewer guards. It should be easier to find a way in.”

In other words, they still had to take the risk of entering the city. Yi Chenlan remained silent for a moment, then walked over to Shu Wan’s side. “Wan Wan?”

“Hmm… Senior Brother Ah Lan.” Shu Wan looked up. Her expression appeared normal, but Yi Chenlan felt that her usually bright, smiling eyes seemed somewhat lackluster.

His heart tightened, and he immediately sat down beside her, speaking gently: “Wan Wan, what’s wrong?”

Shu Wan looked at him and shook her head, asking: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, are we going to Jinghe?”

“Yes.” Yi Chenlan frowned slightly. “We’re already within the Jinghe territory. If we don’t enter the city, we won’t be able to disguise ourselves, and we won’t be able to reach Snowy Night Mountain. Though it won’t be easy once we enter, we must try.”

“Then, once we enter the city, will we have to separate? I’ll have to go find my father, won’t I…” Shu Wan spoke a little nervously, secretly tugging at the corner of her clothes, waiting for Yi Chenlan’s response.

Yi Chenlan remained calm, his voice even softer: “Wan Wan, are you missing Father?”

Shu Wan shook her head. She certainly didn’t miss Shu Qi, but the thought of parting from Yi Chenlan, him going to Snowy Night Mountain while she returned to Zhongshan Sect, made her realize that it might be hard to meet again in the future…

She had already begun to miss him.

Yi Chenlan remained silent for a moment, recalling the people at the city gate earlier, holding portraits, one of which had a young girl smiling charmingly—it was Shu Wan.

If she were captured by Shu Qi, Yi Chenlan didn’t know how she would be treated.

Yi Chenlan thought that Shu Wan was homesick, and he was at a loss for how to respond. He clenched his fist lightly, thinking for a long time, before finally speaking in a low voice: “Wan Wan, let’s leave first. Once we settle down tonight, we can talk about this, okay?”

No matter how reluctant he was, he had to explain Shu Wan’s situation to her.

—

By the time they arrived at a small, hidden gate in Jinghe, the sky had already darkened. Yi Chenlan glanced at the four guards ahead and turned to Fang Nandan, asking: “Do you have a way to handle these four with your poison?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Fang Nandan immediately agreed, relieved that there was something he could do. “I have a poison that can cause temporary memory confusion, and afterward, they won’t remember anything. I’ll poison them first, and then you can go past.”

“You won’t mess this up again, will you?” Yi Chenlan asked coldly.

Fang Nandan gave a sheepish smile. “No, no, I guarantee it won’t. I’ve got it under control, young master, don’t worry.”

Shu Wan and Yi Chenlan stayed behind while Fang Nandan moved ahead. As he got closer, the conversation of the guards became clearer:

“Hey, do you guys think the Great Hero Shu’s Jianghu order to strictly monitor people coming in and out of Jinghe and nearby towns is causing such a stir? Do you think the Demon Lord would dare to come?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Yi Chenlan has Yi Heng’s blood running through him. What good could he possibly be? But I have to say, the Great Hero Shu is truly worthy of his title. Did you guys hear? To capture his daughter, Shu Wan, I heard there’s more to it than meets the eye.”

“I know about this!” One of the guards said eagerly. “My senior brother attended the Great Hero Shu’s birthday banquet, and when he came back, he told us that the young lady Shu openly hugged and embraced Yi Chenlan in broad daylight, embarrassing her father terribly. We all guessed that what Great Hero Shu wrote in the Jianghu order about ‘having had relations’ must mean that she ran away with the Demon Lord Yi Chenlan! He’s doing the right thing by catching his daughter along with Yi Chenlan, showing that he’s not biased at all.”

Hmm? So Shu Wan ran away with the young master? No wonder the young master treated her so well. Fang Nandan slowed his pace, his energy renewed as he continued eavesdropping with more focus.

“Hiss… That Shu girl must be crazy! The daughter of the Great Hero, the heir to the Blazing Sun Manual, and she’s completely shameless? She was even betrothed to Jiang Great Hero’s son!”

“Hmph, just a little girl, probably got infatuated with the young master’s looks, acting impulsively. Great Hero Shu didn’t speak a word in her defense, showing his high moral character. If I were Great Hero Shu, I’d catch her and teach her a lesson, so she’d never dare to do something so embarrassing again.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Nandan felt displeased. Why was it so shameful to be with his young master? Did they think his young master wasn’t good enough for that little girl? Annoyed, he quickened his pace and bumped into the person who had been speaking the loudest.

“Ouch… Ouch… So sorry…” Fang Nandan held his head, pretending to be embarrassed.

“Watch where you’re going!” The person scolded. “What are you doing? Entering the city? Come over here, let us check you.”

Fang Nandan allowed them to smear all sorts of strange substances on his face, even pinching him here and there. His anger rose, but he forced himself to endure. He was confident in his disguise skills; if he wasn’t number two, no one could be number one. How could these lowly guards see through it?

After a long check, they found nothing wrong and pushed him aside. “Go ahead.”

Reluctantly, Fang Nandan walked a few steps forward. After silently counting to ten, he turned around and saw that the guards had already become dazed.

He immediately burst out laughing. Seeing that no one was looking around, he waved to Shu Wan in the distance.

Now, Fang Nandan found Shu Wan more and more pleasing to the eye. As they got closer, he raised the portrait he had just picked up from the guards’ hands, pointing at the small writing underneath:

“Little Shu Wan, if this is the case, you should come with us. Look how ruthless your father is. Once he catches you, he’ll ‘severely punish’ you, then ‘house arrest you for life.’ If you don’t repent, he’ll even ‘clean up the family.’ Tsk, tsk, tsk… And he thinks he’s worthy of being a father?”