Chapter 165: Fire and Blood
Chapter 165: Fire and Blood
“This…”
After listening to the Divine Queen’s words, Fang Cun found himself at a loss for how to reply.
First, he thought Path of Heaven really was an assassin organization with no professional ethics—they even killed their employers…
Second, it somehow sounded as though Path of Heaven had truly treated his brother as one of their own?
This matter was too important, so he dared not speak carelessly. He remained silent for a while, sorting through many questions in his mind instantly. Only then did he slowly lift his head to look at the Divine Queen, saying earnestly, “Divine Queen, this idea of yours—is there any other evidence supporting it?”
“If there were evidence, it wouldn’t be a guess but fact!”
The Divine Queen sighed softly, “Many people don’t believe this theory, because your brother’s history is clearly traceable, each step taken openly and honestly. When could he have had time to serve Path of Heaven? However, two things are indeed hard to explain clearly. One thing is that some people hired Path of Heaven assassins to kill your brother, but Path of Heaven ended up wiping out their entire families instead…”
Fang Cun’s expression turned solemn, lifting his head, “What’s the other thing?”
The Divine Queen’s expression became more serious. After a moment, she said, “Your brother seemed to understand Path of Heaven’s sword techniques!”
“Path of Heaven’s sword techniques?”
Fang Cun was slightly stunned; this phrase truly surprised him.
“Yes, a very powerful sword technique…”
The Divine Queen nodded gently.
As she spoke, she lifted her delicate slender fingers together and pointed them softly toward Fang Cun’s forehead.
The movement was slow, yet at that instant, it seemed to produce endless changes and imagery.
Facing this finger, Fang Cun felt his mind snatched, unable to even think of dodging.
It was as if this finger naturally belonged at his brow.
The fingertip tapped lightly on Fang Cun’s forehead once. The Divine Queen withdrew her hand, smiling, “Can you understand it?”
Fang Cun was shocked. He didn’t rush to answer but silently recalled it in his heart.
But soon, he gave up.
He realized that however he tried to remember, only that simple finger gesture came to mind.
Its profound mysteries and changes seemed to leave no trace in his thoughts.
“That sword was used by your brother!”
The Divine Queen said softly, “Still, even with all my divine focus, I could only mimic a tiny bit of the form, never grasping its true meaning. If you truly want to know, only the Sword Empress of Path of Ascension—who calls herself the greatest in sword techniques and once fought your brother—might answer it. What she said about your brother was that his sword wasn’t of this world. Though he wielded it honorably, its very essence was utterly Demonic Evil. It seemed to come from the same source as the swords wielded by Path of Heaven assassins, yet in some ways surpassed those assassins!”
Fang Cun sensed this issue was crucial, asking gravely, “That Female Sovereign, she also fought against Path of Heaven assassins?”
“Hers wasn’t a fight!”
The Divine Queen said coolly, “She did it to practice her sword techniques, chasing after Path of Heaven assassins to slaughter them for a while!”
Fang Cun was at a loss for words.
“Though that woman wasn’t likable, she was always serious about her sword techniques. She saw that your brother’s sword shared the same essence as Path of Heaven, and your brother didn’t deny it. Of course, something even more suspicious was your brother’s sword techniques. They could compete in skill with the Sword Empress of Path of Ascension. Yet oddly, he had no lineage of teachers in sword techniques…”
“His sword skills were deep, yet he had no lineage, and they shared the source with Path of Heaven. If he hadn’t learned them from them…”
“How else to explain it?”
“… ”
“… ”
Hearing the Divine Queen’s words, Fang Cun found himself puzzled.
Even he couldn’t unravel these things.
This world wasn’t a time of information overload like the previous life, where various skills were all over the internet. Here, any sword technique, divine power, or method of inheritance was seen as precious. Everyone’s abilities could be traced back to their origins. How could his brother’s immense sword talents have truly fallen from the sky…
… But even so, making him believe his brother had ties to Path of Heaven was incredibly difficult.
He kept thinking: he believed his brother wasn’t the type to kill for silver.
Of course, this problem puzzled the Divine Queen and so many great people of Great Xia. He couldn’t figure it out quickly. Perhaps if he had time, he might return to Willow Lake and ask that Master Qin…
… ”
“Since my brother’s sword techniques were so high, his other skills must also be great…”
Fang Cun was silent for a long time before suddenly lifting his head, looking earnestly at the Divine Queen, “How did he die?”
The Divine Queen turned to look at Fang Cun.
Facing her gaze, Fang Cun didn’t avoid it; he only showed earnestness.
A complex expression crossed the Divine Queen’s face. After a long pause, she said, “What have you heard?”
Fang Cun said, “I heard he went deep into Desolate Wasteland to subdue another Dragon Vein. He met endless demonic beings and died at the Fourth Monument Realm!”
The Divine Queen shook her head slowly, “All nonsense!”
Fang Cun’s expression turned earnest, saying softly, “I want to know!”
In that moment, she looked toward him. An unplanned sense of pressure seemed to radiate from her, making Fang Cun feel a tide-like pressure rushing upon him. This evoked fear deep in his soul, and he wanted to avert his gaze instinctively. But he gritted his teeth, looked up intently, gazed straight into the Divine Queen’s eyes, and waited earnestly for her answer…
“Actually, my purpose in coming was to see you and ask a question!”
“Go ahead!”
The Divine Queen looked seriously at Fang Cun and spoke slowly, “Two paths. First, you come back to South Phoenix with me, bring your family too. I’ll ensure the Fang Family lives without worry for lifetimes. I can even teach you divine powers. But with one condition: from then on, never try to investigate the cause of your brother’s death. You could even forget him and act like you never had such a brother!”
Fang Cun frowned slightly, “Why?”
The Divine Queen said calmly, “Because if you follow me, no matter how hard you work, the most you’ll ever become is a second version of me. With only that status, you’d have no right to probe this matter. Knowing it would only be harm to you…”
Fang Cun breathed out slowly, “What’s the second path?”
The Divine Queen said softly, “The second path? That’s for me to tell you all I know!”
Fang Cun said, “I choose the second path!”
The Divine Queen was slightly stunned, “Don’t treat my words as a joke!”
Fang Cun suddenly smiled. He stood up and bowed deeply to the Divine Queen, “I’m his only younger brother!”
The Divine Queen gazed at Fang Cun’s face as if bewildered.
After a moment, she suddenly smiled, seemingly at herself, and shook her head gently, “As expected of the Fang Family…”
She picked up the wine jar, took a slow sip, then sat upright. Her brows knitted slightly, making her seem like the lofty Divine Queen she was when she first appeared. She looked lazily at Fang Cun and chuckled lightly, “Certain things about your brother—not everyone has the right to know them. It’s not about status. It’s just that some burdens are too heavy to hold in heart; they crush a person…”
“So, before I tell you, go do one thing first—come back and ask me once it’s done!”
Fang Cun frowned, “Why?”
The Divine Queen smiled lazily, “Because I need to see how capable you are. Could knowing too much end up killing you?”
She stared at Fang Cun, “The more you prove your skills, the more I’ll reveal—of course, don’t think of bargaining with me. Because honestly, not telling you anything right now might be for your own good!”
After a long silence, Fang Cun nodded gently and smiled, “Divine Queen, what would you have me do?”
The Divine Queen looked at him, “At Crow Mountain, there’s a Demon Hound. Go kill it!”
“Crow Mountain? Is it that Demon Hound?”
Fang Cun pondered, looking at the Divine Queen, “Why that one?”
The Divine Queen gazed into Fang Cun’s eyes, whispering, “Because it represents the humiliation brought upon your Fang Family!”
…
After learning this, Fang Cun fell silent.
He knew that when his brother was buried, some mourners had come from Zhaoge. He also knew the ones who came representing Immortal Palace couldn’t have been just a steward. Xiao Qingliu’s abilities weren’t enough to uncover the identity of those people. But he could guess pieces of it—he’d wondered if they just disliked the Fang Family mildly, but never imagined they’d acted so severely.
The Divine Queen also looked at Fang Cun.
She said softly, “That Demon Hound is quite savage now. If you think it’s too hard, you needn’t do it.”
Fang Cun’s expression returned to normal, smiling, “It’s nothing major. No need to sound so solemn.”
“This spirit is somewhat decent!”
The Divine Queen glanced at Fang Cun, sighed lightly, and placed the wine jar aside, “I should go now.”
“I’ll see you off!”
Fang Cun hurriedly stood up, asking with a smile, “Divine Queen, where are you heading?”
“You have things to do, I have mine too!”
The Divine Queen smiled, “Someone harmed the General Lord under me. Of course, I must go question him!”
“General Lord?”
Hearing this, Fang Cun’s mind raced, thinking of many things instantly, “The General Lord under her should be the one Master Qin killed? Surely she won’t question Master Qin… No. That blame falls on me. Also, she told me right upon arriving that it wasn’t her who sent the General Lord. So, someone must’ve used the General Lord under her?”
“So the person she’s seeking now is the very one who wanted our Fang Family harmed?”
…
Seeing Fang Cun’s expression, the Divine Queen knew he understood her hint. She smiled faintly, saying softly, “Looks like you’re smarter about these things than your brother was—he never caught hints. Perhaps you’ll live longer than him.”
Fang Cun smiled, “How will you question them, Divine Queen?”
A hint of a smile touched the Divine Queen’s face, “If it were my old habit, if someone killed one of mine, I’d kill at least ten of theirs. Your brother spoke to me several times while living, telling me not to kill so many…”
Fang Cun was slightly taken aback, “Divine Queen, did you take his advice?”
The Divine Queen looked at him, smiled thinly, “From then on, I made sure to kill at least twenty!”
Fang Cun: “… ”
“But your brother is dead now!”
The Divine Queen chuckled, “Since he’s gone after troubling him when he lived, I’ll give him a bit of face. Maybe I won’t need to kill so many—nine will do!”
Hearing this, Fang Cun sighed helplessly. His brother’s face… quite potent!
“Second Son! Live well!”
The Divine Queen said no more. She let out a light hum, her crimson robe fluttering as she soared into the air.
Fang Cun also bowed toward the sky, “Divine Queen, do take care!”
The Divine Queen glanced down at Fang Cun. Without a word, in a burst of flickering flames, her figure vanished into the sky.
Fang Cun stood on the deck, gazing at the night sky and clouds beyond the rail. After a long silence, he let out a soft sigh.
At that moment, the Divine Queen in her phoenix-patterned crimson robe appeared over a hundred miles away. Under only a huge bright moon, she walked slowly through the air. As she walked, her eyes moistened; tears slipped down her cheeks.
Those tears fell to the ground, turning into drop-shaped red beads.
Like fire!
Like blood!