Chapter Twenty-Three: An Unexpected Person

Shen Chang’an cast a glance at those people, but he didn’t believe every word they said. Claiming they’d rather never deal with one another again—if that were truly the case, how would they have known about the boy speaking of the rat infestation? Clearly, it was just jealousy and the urge to bully the weak, and now that they’d met with Shen Chang’an and Zheng Xin, they had lost their nerve.

“I don’t care what happened between you before. If I ever see you bullying this widow and her orphan again, it won’t end with just overturning your baskets. Now get out!”

The group hadn’t done anything truly excessive, so Shen Chang’an couldn’t justly punish them further; he could only threaten them verbally and later leave something for the mother and child to protect themselves.

Once Shen Chang’an had driven the men away, the woman hurriedly knelt and thanked him and Zheng Xin profusely. Zheng Xin quickly went over to help her up.

Not wanting to waste any time, Shen Chang’an got straight to the point. “May I ask, are you the family of Fang Sicheng?”

Fang Sicheng was the member of the Fang family who had exposed Lord Fang’s deeds, yet he was nowhere to be seen now, having abandoned his wife and child with no word of his whereabouts.

The woman hesitated upon hearing her husband’s name, but the child beside her spoke up at once, “Yes, my father is Fang Sicheng!”

Shen Chang’an looked at the boy. Although he had been beaten earlier and cried out in pain, not once had he called for help—he certainly had a resilient character.

“So you’re Fang Sicheng’s son? Where is your father?”

The boy lowered his head, his expression darkening. “Father was seized by that beast Fang Siyin and taken to the mountain manor. He hasn’t come back since. He must want to skin my father alive…”

“Enough!” Suddenly, the woman beside him shouted furiously.

“Mother, I’m telling the truth—”

“Enough of your nonsense! I told you not to say such things!” She rushed over and slapped the child hard across the face, leaving his cheek red and swollen.

“I—I…” The boy was overwhelmed with grievance and wanted to cry aloud, but upon seeing his mother’s expression, he dared not make a sound.

“Get inside the house!” The woman twisted the boy’s ear and dragged him toward their home.

Shen Chang’an hurriedly intervened. “Madam, we’re only here to investigate Brother Fang’s case. Please don’t misunderstand—”

“What is there to misunderstand? There’s nothing going on here. My husband is simply away on business, nothing else. Please, leave.”

With that, the woman took her child inside and locked the door.

Shen Chang’an frowned deeply. With his abilities, he could break in easily, but even if he forced the door, if they didn’t want to speak, there was nothing he could do.

“What a shame… we finally found a clue, only to lose it like this,” Zheng Xin sighed softly.

Shen Chang’an stood still, channeling his inner energy to his ears, which immediately sharpened his hearing. He caught the conversation between the mother and son inside.

“Mother, it was that scoundrel Fang Siyin who harmed father. Why won’t you let me say so?” the boy protested.

A slap rang out, then the woman’s sobs followed.

“That’s what happens when you can’t keep your mouth shut! Your father was taken because he spoke too much. Don’t you understand? If you keep talking, and you’re taken too, what will I do alone?”

“Mother, please don’t cry. I won’t say anything anymore, never again…”

Hearing this, Shen Chang’an shook his head and sighed—he had more or less pieced the matter together.

“Priest… Priest…” Zheng Xin nudged him back to his senses and asked, “What are you thinking?”

Shen Chang’an answered helplessly, “Nothing. It’s just that we’ve reached a dead end here. Fang Sicheng must have been taken to the summer manor. All the clues still lead to that place. If we want answers, we’ll have to go there.”

He sighed, disappointed that this trip had yielded nothing after all.

“Then let’s go. We should leave quickly…”

Just as they were about to set off, hurried footsteps approached—a man strode up to the house and knocked urgently on the door.

“Wife, Yi, I’m back! Open the door!”

Shen Chang’an and Zheng Xin paused in surprise. Was this man Fang Sicheng?

The door opened a crack, and the woman peered out. When she saw it truly was Fang Sicheng, she let out a terrified scream and slammed the door shut.

Shen Chang’an and Zheng Xin exchanged bewildered glances. Was this man truly Fang Sicheng?

After a short while, the woman finally opened the door.

“Husband, what’s wrong with you just now?” the man asked, his face puzzled, but there was a hint of menace in his gaze.

The woman murmured, “I… I just saw you and thought I was dreaming. I was so frightened, I feared that if I opened the door, it wouldn’t really be you…”

“You’re not dreaming. It’s really me—I’m back.” The man gave a broad smile and seemed perfectly normal.

But at that moment, the boy suddenly rushed out and kicked the man, shouting, “You’re not my father! Get out of here!”

Shen Chang’an’s eyes narrowed slightly. Was this man truly Fang Sicheng?

The man’s expression shifted, but he forced a smile. “Yi, I know it was wrong of me to leave you and your mother, but now I’m back, and I promise never to leave you again.”

The boy refused to back down, shoving the man and shouting, “Get out! Get out!”

At last, the man seemed to lose his temper. He raised his hand, about to smack the child.

Shen Chang’an’s expression shifted. With a flick of his toe, he sent a stone flying at the man.

Crack!

The stone struck the man, causing him to miss his target; his hand merely grazed the boy’s hair without harming him.

The man’s face darkened as he turned to see Shen Chang’an regarding him with a gaze filled with killing intent.

“Friend, what’s the meaning of this?” the man growled.

Shen Chang’an replied coldly, “I should be asking you the same—why strike a child with such force?”

Times had changed. After all his travels and the villains he’d faced, Shen Chang’an could see that the man’s blow had been meant to cripple the boy for life, had it landed.

“If I want to discipline my own son, that’s none of your business, is it?” the man retorted.

Shen Chang’an narrowed his eyes and replied icily, “Is he really your son, though? That’s another question…”

He drew out the Jade Dragon Talisman and brushed it beneath his nose. At once, murderous intent poured out from him like a torrential downpour.

“No wonder I smelled the stench of the sewers the moment you arrived. A rat crawling from the gutter dares to show itself?”

With a cold shout, Shen Chang’an darted forward—so quickly that it left no time to react. In the blink of an eye, he was upon the man, his hand striking like a tiger. The air crackled, and in the next instant, Shen Chang’an had the man by the throat, gripping tightly.

Zheng Xin swallowed hard. The ground where Shen Chang’an had trodden was cracked and shattered, the path behind him in ruins.

“If that damned priest had fought me like this, how could I have stood a chance?” Zheng Xin thought to himself.

“You… you…”

The man struggled, his face pale from lack of air, yet his vitality was far beyond that of an ordinary person. Even with his breathing cut off, he did not die immediately.

“Let him go! Please, let him go!” the woman cried out, her eyes red and her face still frozen in terror.

Shen Chang’an raised an eyebrow and snorted, “Madam, this is not your husband Fang Sicheng.”

“He is! He is! Please, let him go, I beg you!”

Shen Chang’an looked perplexed, but the child shouted, “Kill him! He’s not my father! He’s one of those big rats! They killed my father and wear his skin!”

“Be quiet! Be quiet!” the woman shouted, then turned to Shen Chang’an with pleading eyes. “Let him go… if he dies, my son and I won’t survive either…”

Shen Chang’an’s face twitched, a surge of overwhelming fury rising in his chest. As his murderous intent and inner energy churned, the Clear Response Method he had long trained in finally broke through to the second level, strengthening his power and control.

Yet there was no joy on Shen Chang’an’s face—only sorrow and rage.

“Madam… rest assured, as long as I am here, not a single one of these rats will survive.”