Chapter 49: The Shennong Gang!
A mountain path on Wuliang Mountain.
The three of them—Fang Han, Cheng Lingsu, and Zhong Ling—were slowly making their way down, each casually munching on sunflower seeds.
Fang Han praised, “These seeds… bitter and bland at first, but after a few more, they leave a sweet aftertaste. Truly excellent.”
The key was, eating these often indeed helped improve vision.
“Really? Then Big Brother should have some more~”
Zhong Ling was overjoyed by the compliment and eagerly pulled out another handful from her pouch to offer Fang Han.
Fang Han thanked her, then added, “Miss Zhong, my surname is Fang, given name Han. This is my wife, Cheng Lingsu. Just now, there were too many people and too much noise—my wife and I didn’t want to make a scene, so we didn’t give our names. I hope you’ll forgive us.”
Big Brother, you stirred up such a ruckus—if that’s not making a scene, then what is? Zhong Ling thought.
But hearing him give his name, she was delighted. She quickly nodded, “Mm-hmm! No need to apologize! I don’t mind at all, haha~”
After a pause, she added, “But I’ll still call you Big Brother.”
She turned to Cheng Lingsu and chirped, “Sister Cheng, your name is so pretty~”
“And look! Both our names have the character ‘Ling’ in them—heehee, what a coincidence~”
Cheng Lingsu chuckled softly, “Indeed, quite the fate. You call me sister, and I’ll call you little sister—is that alright?”
Zhong Ling agreed immediately, then muttered, “Actually, calling me Ling’er is fine too~”
Fang Han laughed, “But that’s your courtesy name—you shouldn’t have people calling you that in public so casually.”
Cheng Lingsu smiled sweetly, “Only the closest people can call you that. Like your parents. Or perhaps… your husband…”
As she spoke, she cast a subtle glance at Fang Han.
Zhong Ling’s face instantly turned crimson, her fair, round cheeks glowing bright red.
She had no idea such rules existed.
Her parents—Zhong Wanchou and Gan Baobao—were martial world folk through and through. They never cared much for these manners, so naturally, they hadn’t taught her any of this.
Now, being suddenly made aware of it, she felt immensely shy.
All this time, I kept asking Big Brother to call me Ling’er. Isn’t that… isn’t that…
The thought alone made even her normally mischievous nature fall apart—her face burned hotter.
She stammered, “I-I didn’t know…”
Cheng Lingsu found her bashfulness quite amusing. She reached out to gently pat the girl’s head and said softly, “That’s alright. You’ll learn little by little.”
Zhong Ling gave a small “Mm,” and stuck close to Cheng Lingsu’s side, now much quieter than usual.
Clearly, she hadn’t fully recovered—loading, please wait.
In the midst of their chatter and laughter, they had unknowingly descended the mountain and reached the pass at the foot.
Ahead, a few men in yellow robes stood guard.
Upon spotting the three of them, they immediately drew their swords and stepped forward, shouting, “Wuliang Sword Sect scum! You’re not allowed down the mountain!”
As they spoke, they caught sight of the two young women behind Fang Han—both beautiful and charming, with delicate figures.
Their breathing quickened, and their expressions shifted.
They exchanged glances with each other—and began to snicker with lewd intent. “Didn’t expect to get a little bonus today. Kid, you hand over those two—”
BANG!
Before he could finish, everything blurred before his eyes. A sharp pain tore through his chest, and he was sent flying back, crashing hard to the ground.
When he finally looked down—he was coughing blood, his vision fading. After a few convulsions, he fell silent.
A longsword was buried in his chest.
The rest were stunned speechless by the suddenness of the attack—unable to react.
By the time they managed to draw their weapons…
There was no next step.
By the time Cheng Lingsu and Zhong Ling reached them, the yellow-robed guards were already lying dead on the ground, their corpses twisted and gruesome.
Neither girl seemed frightened. They merely wrinkled their brows at the scene.
Zhong Ling even huffed indignantly, “Hmph! Serves them right! Disgusting pigs!”
She didn’t fully understand matters between men and women, but she had some vague awareness.
And those men’s lecherous gazes just now—utterly revolting.
“Big Brother, nice work!”
Zhong Ling looked up at Fang Han with admiration. Big Brother’s martial skills are incredible! He might even be stronger than my own dad!
Cheng Lingsu guessed, “These men—are they from the Shennong Gang?”
“Most likely,” Fang Han replied.
He could feel his internal energy surge again—thicker, stronger than before.
Strange…
Leaving aside the first one who died, the rest of these guys had decent cultivation—about the same as Gong Guangjie or Yu Guangbiao.
But on second thought—that made sense.
After all, to be stationed at such a critical mountain pass near Wuliang—they had to be skilled, or else they wouldn’t be guarding anything.
Technically, Fang Han had no real dealings with the Shennong Gang.
Not in the first simulation, nor in the present.
In the first simulation, his only connection was being mistaken by the Wuliang disciples as a Shennong Gang spy.
Originally, Fang Han had no intention of meddling with them.
Let them do whatever they want. If they want to fight the Wuliang Sect to the death, that’s their business—not mine.
Unfortunately, when people go looking for death, there’s nothing anyone can do to save them.
These fools had thoughts they shouldn’t have had—Fang Han wasn’t going to tolerate that.
So he acted immediately and resolved the issue with a sword.
🍃🍃🍃
📌 Footnotes:
- 闺名 (guī míng)
Literal: “Boudoir name”
Explanation: A private or courtesy name used among close family or loved ones. Not appropriate for public use.
- 闺名 (guī míng)
- 读条中 (dú tiáo zhōng)
Literal: “Loading progress bar”
Explanation: Internet slang meaning someone is mentally processing or stunned. Like a computer loading screen.
- 读条中 (dú tiáo zhōng)
- 作死 (zuò sǐ)
Literal: “To court death”
Explanation: A slang term meaning to bring misfortune upon oneself through foolish behavior. Often used when someone knowingly provokes danger.
- 作死 (zuò sǐ)