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Chapter 912: This Is Your Uncle, Fang Chen
Ye Wenxiu gazed at the bustling streets and occasionally spotted a few cultivators passing by. A hint of awe appeared in his eyes. "The fifth-tier empire, Grand Qian.... If I hadn't followed my master here, a trip from Flame Empire to Grand Qian would have taken several years."
Not far off, a large crowd had gathered, watching a duel between the two young cultivators.
"Fang Chen, as a member of the Fang Family, do you dare to face me in a fair duel today? Don't let your fiery-tempered mother interfere with our grievances!"
"Why wouldn't I dare? Do you really think I'm afraid of you just because you're a prince? Your father, Qian Jiuye, owes it to the Fang Family that he is sitting on the throne. Otherwise, more than fifty years ago, Grand Qian would have perished!"
"Old matters need not be mentioned. Whether what happened back then is true or not, who can say for sure? It may have just been a rumor. Enough talk, let's see your sword!"
Ye Wenxiu and the others exchanged puzzled glances.
They had run into someone with the same name as Fang Chen?
A smile appeared on Fang Chen's face.
A middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh. "This Grand Qian..."
Fang Chen looked at the man and smiled. He asked, "Brother, are there many sword cultivators in Grand Qian?"
"You're from out of town, aren't you?" the middle-aged man replied.
He glanced at Ye Wenxiu and the others before turning his gaze to Fang Chen. He smiled faintly and continued, "Among the younger generation of Grand Qian, nine out of ten practice the sword. Do you know why?"
Before Fang Chen could respond, the middle-aged man, still watching the duel between the two young men, continued, "More than fifty years ago, a sword cultivator from Grand Qian emerged, one whose sword could even cut down Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. He had saved the empire from disaster.
"Unfortunately, I was too young back then to witness it. Otherwise, I would have seen that sword that could cut through the cycle of life. Since then, more and more of the younger generation in Grand Qian have taken up the sword, hoping that one day, a sword cultivator might take them as a disciple. Nowadays, if you can't even perform a few sword moves, you'll be laughed at."
More than fifty years ago, a sword cultivator....
Ye Wenxiu and Liu Mu exchanged glances and then looked at Fang Chen.
They could guess who the middle-aged man was referring to.
By now, the duel between the two young cultivators had concluded. The young cultivator named Fang Chen, Fang Yun's son, had won by a slight margin. His opponent's spiritual energy had been completely exhausted, and he stared at Fang Yun's son with a look of frustration, his lips trembling with fury.
Fang Chen nodded. Fang Yun's son was still young, but his foundational skills weren't bad. He was even at the seventh stage of the Qi Refining Realm already. He was probably among the best of the Fang Family's younger generation.
"How about it? Does my sword technique impress you? Don't forget my surname. My uncle once struck with a sword, and even the heavens trembled. It could be said to have moved the world and made ghosts weep. You're still too inexperienced to fight me with a sword."
"He's him, and you're you. Don't think that just because you beat me with a sword, it means you've truly won. Do you dare to face me again? This time, I won't use a sword."
"Again? Fine, I'll accompany you to the end."
The two continued their duel. Suddenly, the young cultivator who had just lost raised his hand. Spiritual energy gathered, and a cylindrical black box on his wrist glowed with a faint eerie light.
With a faint glimmer, an arrow, imbued with dense spiritual energy, shot straight toward Fang Yun's son. The power of this arrow was such that even an early-stage Foundation Building Realm cultivator would need to be cautious, let alone a seventh-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator. If this struck Fang Yun's son, he would either die or be severely maimed.
Fang Yun's son was utterly bewildered. With his level of cultivation, there was no way he could dodge it. He could only watch helplessly as the arrow was about to pierce his heart.
His opponent suddenly showed a hint of regret. If the other party died, he would also be in great trouble. If it weren't for the loss of face today in public, he wouldn't have impulsively used this deadly weapon.
A sharp shout rang out as Fang Yun rushed over at an incredible speed. "Qian Shun, how dare you!"
However, she wasn't fast enough to outpace the arrow. It was too late.
Seeing her son about to lose his life, Fang Yun panicked, "Chen'er, dodge!"
In the crowd, an old eunuch sighed softly. "The prince is in big trouble..."
The next second, his eyes suddenly widened. Fang Yun also instinctively stopped in her tracks. The crowd watching were surprised as well.
At some point, a figure had appeared in the field and caught the arrow effortlessly. The arrow, which could threaten an early-stage Foundation Building Realm cultivator, gradually turned to dust in his hand, scattering into the wind.
Seeing that he had been saved, Fang Yun's son wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and expressed his gratitude. "Brother, thank you so much!"
Then, he angrily shouted at his opponent. "Bastard, we were supposed to be sparring, but you tried to kill me! You're despicable, shameless!"
His opponent flushed red with anger at the scolding. While relieved, being insulted like that to his face was too damaging to his pride. He couldn't help but snort coldly. "In sparring, casualties are inevitable. You're just not as skilled as I am. You lost this match, so be more polite when you see me in the future."
With that, he turned to Fang Chen with eyes filled with anger. "Who are you? Can't you see I'm in a fair duel? How dare you interfere and destroy my treasure!"
That arrow was no ordinary magical treasure; it was an extremely valuable mid-grade, yellow-rank protective treasure given to him by his father. His heart ached at the thought of it having been destroyed.
By then, the old eunuch and Fang Yun had already recognized Fang Chen.
The old eunuch, upon hearing Qian Shun's words, was so frightened that his legs trembled.
Fang Yun, however, was filled with joy and quickly ran to Fang Chen. Before she could speak, her son grinned and said, "Mother, this brother just saved me. Let's invite him to our manor for a meal."
Qian Shun's gaze wavered, and he instinctively took a few steps back. His gaze swept through the crowd, and when he saw the old eunuch rushing over, he immediately felt relieved.
Nearby, a few rogue Foundation Building Realm cultivators secretly regretted their inaction.
"That guy is really lucky. If I had known earlier, I would have intervened. If I could establish a connection with the Fang Family, I could practically do as I please in the Grand Qian Empire."
Everyone knew that the Qian Family were the Grand Qian Empire's founders. However, these days, the Fang Family held a slightly more exalted status than them. The presence of two Golden Core Realm ancestors was enough to inspire awe, not to mention the fact that a sword cultivator had once emerged from their ranks.
"Chen'er, cut it out. Don't you remember? This is your uncle, Fang Chen."
Fang Yun glared at her foolish son in annoyance, then she turned to Fang Chen and said respectfully, "Brother Fang Chen, it's been many years since we last met."
Ye Wenxiu and the others suddenly understood. "So, he's the master's nephew...."
The nearby crowd was stunned.
His uncle, Fang Chen? Could it be that legendary figure...?
Soon, it hit the crowd, and they realized who this was, looking shocked. Glancing at Fang Chen again, reverence and curiosity filled their eyes.
Fang Yun's son stared blankly at Fang Chen. "Uncle... Fang Chen?"
Recalling the memories of the past, he realized he had met this man once before.
He looked exactly the same as how he remembered him. He was perhaps even more handsome now!
A faint smile appeared on Fang Chen's face. "Fang Chen...."
He couldn't continue.
Fang Yun's son quickly clasped his hands and bowed. "I, Zhijian, pay my respects to you, Uncle!"
"Brother Fang Chen, Zhijian is his courtesy name," explained Fang Yun, bitterly smiling. "You can call him that."
"Zhijian..." murmured Fang Chen.
He nodded. "In the future, don't recklessly engage in duels or sparring matches. If you must fight, make sure you're fully prepared. Have multiple trump cards ready, and only step onto the field if you're at least 99% certain you can kill your opponent. Today, you were lucky. Otherwise, you would already be dead."
