Chapter 125: Male by Gender, Lover of Women.

After the figures of Fang Xu and his two companions completely vanished from sight, Old Wu’s gaze sharpened.

“Inspect everything carefully! No mistakes allowed!” Old Wu instructed the guards who had appeared behind him as he handed over the toys.

Clearly, Old Wu was worried that these toys might conceal something sinister. After all, they were still within the jurisdiction of the Murong family in Danyang County.

Fang Xu had recently offended both the governor of Danyang and Murong Fu. Could Murong Fu and Zhang He possibly choose to swallow their pride and let it go?

To Old Wu, that seemed utterly impossible.

Sure enough, the guards discovered numerous luminous pearls hidden inside one of the dolls.

It was well known that genuine luminous pearls were exceedingly rare in the Qin Empire; most were either royal decorations or tributes.

The luminous pearls found now were of exceptional quality, judging by their texture and radiance, though each was quite small.

Concealed within the doll, they naturally went unnoticed.

Upon seeing this, Old Wu’s eyes grew even sharper.

“Looks like they really don’t intend to let my young master off the hook. Well then, I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed,” Old Wu said with a smile, though his hand tensed slightly.

Then, the luminous pearls in Old Wu’s palm crumbled into powder. Approaching the edge of the inn’s window, a strong wind swept the powder away.

“Get ready; guests will be arriving soon,” Old Wu told the guards behind him before heading upstairs to the private rooms.

In Old Wu’s mind, given the circumstances, it was best to inform Fang Xu—better to be prepared.

Inside the private room, Fang Xu and his two companions had already begun eating.

Since Old Wu had prepared the meal, Fang Xu didn’t suspect anything; after all, if he couldn’t trust Old Wu, who else could he trust?

But when Fang Xu saw Old Wu, curiosity got the better of him.

Old Wu leaned close to Fang Xu’s ear and whispered. Fang Xu listened silently, a faintly fierce smile creeping onto his lips.

Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Fang Xu bowed slightly to Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian in apology.

He sensed that some unwelcome visitors were about to arrive.

He didn’t want these intruders to spoil the hard-earned good mood of Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian, so he chose to face them alone.

Since Fang Xu had rented the entire inn, it wasn’t a big deal for Zhuge Jun.

Even purchasing the whole inn would be a trivial matter for him.

This arrangement also helped avoid attracting unwanted attention during the upcoming incident.

Fang Xu then instructed Old Wu to bring him a pot of warm wine and a small plate of edamame.

He settled down, sipping the warm wine slowly, peeling the edamame shells, savoring their sweetness.

Indeed, edamame was the perfect accompaniment to wine, he thought.

After three cups, the bustling noise outside signaled the arrival of the awaited guests.

Casually stretching his limbs, Fang Xu rose with a calm anticipation.

Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian, who had been curious, emerged from the private room, watching Fang Xu with interest.

Originally, Shangguan Lian intended to stand by Fang Xu’s side, but Zhuge Jun stopped her.

He told her that Fang Xu’s decision to face the situation alone spoke volumes.

Obviously, Fang Xu didn’t want them to get involved. Didn’t that clearly reveal his intention?

Shangguan Lian quickly understood but couldn’t help worrying about Fang Xu.

Yet Zhuge Jun, standing beside her, felt the same anxiety. Despite his words, he forced himself to keep his emotions in check.

Outside, the commotion died down, and several familiar faces stepped into the inn.

It was Governor Zhang He of Danyang County, standing at the back.

In front of him were Murong Fu and Murong Bai.

Murong Bai glanced at Fang Xu, who was calmly drinking and eating edamame, a flicker of inner conflict in his eyes. Did Fang Xu truly not fear Murong Fu?

Upon seeing Fang Xu, Murong Fu clenched his teeth in rage.

He had planned to deal with Fang Xu long ago, but feared the status of Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian.

Otherwise, Fang Xu might have died countless times already.

But now, since Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian seemed absent, shouldn’t he give Fang Xu a proper “welcome”?

A slight, cruel smile tugged at Murong Fu’s lips.

“Fang Xu, it seems fate really ties us together,” Murong Fu sneered as he stared at Fang Xu.

But Fang Xu appeared deaf to his words, continuing to drink quietly.

“Fang Xu! I’m speaking to you! Don’t pretend you can’t hear me!” Murong Fu’s anger simmered.

“Oh? So it’s Young Master Murong? What a coincidence! I wonder what advice Young Master Murong has this time?” Fang Xu turned his head, speaking while still peeling edamame.

“Hmph! Fate really has bound us, hasn’t it?” Murong Fu repeated spitefully, but Fang Xu’s gaze was complex.

“Does Young Master Murong have some special preference? Why do you think this is fate? I’m sorry, but I’m a man who loves women,” Fang Xu said earnestly.

Murong Fu was stunned.

“A man? Loving women? So you think I like men?!” Murong Fu shouted in fury, causing Zhuge Jun and Shangguan Lian upstairs to chuckle quietly.

“Hmm? That’s hard to say, isn’t it?” Fang Xu replied nonchalantly, while Murong Fu seemed about to explode.

Murong Bai looked at the two with complicated feelings. His earlier doubts vanished.

It seemed that, as Fang Xu had said before, the relationship between Fang Xu and Murong Fu was truly bitter beyond measure.

(End of chapter)