Chapter Nineteen Standing on the High Embankment

  Zhou Guanjia fell to the ground with a thud, his face covered in peach blossoms, spitting out several pieces of jade, still in a daze, his weak eyes filled with fear and horror as he stared at Fan Xian.

  Fan Xian said in a low voice, "I really don't understand what you people are thinking. Do you really think I'm reluctant to hit you? You seem to have forgotten your own identity. Maybe a well-bred master wouldn't lay hands on his servants, but unfortunately, I've already hit you. Can you still hit back? So since it's done, just accept it and bear with it. Smile or go cry to the old lady or the capital... But from now on, don't enter the backyard again. I don't like seeing you."

  After saying that, he brushed off the dust on his pants, turned around and went up the stairs, and whispered to SiSi, who was staring blankly at the bench, that he wanted to go out, and then left the Earl's estate.

  Behind him, the faces of the people below involuntarily revealed expressions of fear, no one could have imagined that this gentle and lovely boy would also have such a violent side, this contrast shocked everyone's mind, so it felt especially terrifying.

  At this time, the old lady also came to the backyard, looking at the butler who was lying on the ground covering his face and crying out in pain. She thought of that child, and a meaningful smile appeared in her eyes.

  Last year, he was driven out of the house by Da Ya, but today, with one slap, he slapped Zhou Guanjia to the point where he didn't know heaven from earth. Twelve-year-old Fan Xian finally managed to establish some authority in the Earl's residence.

  ……

  ……

  Ten miles west of the port of Dongzhou, there is a treacherous area with dense reefs along the coast. The sea wind rolls in blue water and crashes against the hard rocks, shattering into a large patch of foam.

  There was a very narrow path on the east side, which appeared and disappeared among the strange rocks. Fan Xian walked over from that path, turned his body around, with his back to the direction of the sea, listening to the deafening sound behind him, and looked up.

  In front of him was a steep cliff, and the seaside mountain peak rose abruptly from the ground, created by heaven and earth. Behind the mountain were hundreds of miles of original forest and swamp, making it impossible to take a detour to climb to the top. If you want to get to the top, you can only climb up from this side of the cliff.

  Fan Xian glanced at the surface of the cliff, his brow furrowed, and instantly recalled the route he often climbed in his mind. However, with strong winds by the sea these past few days, some originally protruding rocks on the cliff face that could be used for support had become loose. If he were to climb up today, he would have to be extra careful.

  The waves behind crashed against the black reefs, but couldn't get over the impassive and cold barriers of the rocks, only sending some seawater to the shallow beach, making the gravel here appear much wetter than elsewhere. His feet were in the gravel, with his shoes slightly wet, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

  He took off his shoes and placed them in a small, clean pit at the foot of the cliff. Fan Xian then found some dry sand to wipe his palms with, and began to regulate the true energy within his body. With preparations complete, his right hand stably rested on an inconspicuous protrusion on the cliff face, exerting a slight force, his entire body floated upwards, lightly drifting as he ascended.

  He crawled at a very fast speed, his entire body tightly attached to the cliff face, looking like some kind of rock-climbing animal, every time he reached out, landed, and exerted force, it seemed extremely smooth and free, without feeling any effort.

  Before long, he was almost at the top of the cliff. The sea breeze whirled around him and blew away the heat and sweat his body had generated from exercise, making him feel very comfortable.

  "Jing Gege probably didn't climb as fast as himself, but that blind guy on the mountain top is much more ruthless than Ma Yun..."

  Fan Xian was climbing while thinking about what had just happened in the garden of the mansion, feeling that something was off. The housekeeper who was the confidant of the second madam had been honest for over a year, so why did she make a mistake today and give him an opportunity?

  The sea breeze carried moisture, so the rocks outside were a bit slippery. Fan Xian looked up at the peak he was about to reach and his mind relaxed a bit, thinking of things back home, but as he walked, his right hand slipped and he almost fell off.

  It seemed perilous, but Fan Xian was not particularly panicked. He channeled the true energy of his body's dominant path into his left hand, and with three fingers tightly grasped the only stone corner he could rely on for support. His slightly trembling fingers seemed to be deeply embedded in the stone, impossible to dislodge.

  A wooden stick stretched down from his head, indicating for him to grab it.

  Fan Xian seemed to be avoiding the wooden stick, not even looking at it. His body swayed back, his toes pushed off the cliff face, and he leaped up, barely making it to the top of the peak.

  "Lack of focus can be fatal."

  On the cliff edge at the summit, Wu Zhu stood in a coarse linen shirt, facing the sea breeze, with his eyes still covered by that piece of black cloth.

  Fan Xian ignored him and sat down cross-legged, adjusting himself for a moment before standing up to tell him about the events at the Earl's estate today, as well as his own doubts, hoping to find a definitive answer from Wu Zhu.

  Wu Zhang said coldly: "Do you think your slap can make the housekeeper behave?"

  "Enough, as long as Grandma stands on my side." Fan Xian said with his head down, although he didn't use his true energy just now, the powerful strength hidden in his slender and weak body over the years was really terrifying. And most importantly, the gloomy temperament he showed at that time was truly frightening.

  "That's it." Wu Zhu seemed reluctant to discuss this topic further.

  "I'm just puzzled, why would the housekeeper cause trouble today. He's been tucking his tail in Dongzhou Port for a year and a half, normally there's no reason to show his true ugly face at this time, unless... he thinks he's endured enough hardship, and something is about to happen in Dongzhou soon, in his eyes, I'm no longer a threat to that little master in Kyoto, so it's not necessary to deliberately try to please me."

  Fan Xian's self-deprecating smile floated on his tender young face, looking very out of place.

  It's really strange to say that Fei Jie had some doubts and fears about Fan Xian's precocity, but Wu Zhu was completely indifferent to this issue. It seemed that as long as Fan Xian was still Fan Xian, even if he became an old tree demon, Wu Zhu wouldn't have any reaction at all.

  Fan Xian thought that it was probably because the other person was blind, so he couldn't see the expressions that Fan Xian often unintentionally revealed, those expressions that shouldn't appear on a child's face.

  Wu Zhu suddenly said: "This is a small matter." Apparently he felt that Fan Xian's analysis just now was too serious.

  "I'm guessing someone will come to kill me, is that also a small matter?" Fan Xian chuckled.

  Wu Zhu replied coldly: "If I and Fei Jie have taught you so much, and you still can't handle such a small matter, that would be the real big deal."

  Fan Xian thought for a moment and accepted this fact, understanding that Wu Zhu would not handle this matter on his behalf.

  "Let's get started."

  "Yes."

  ……

  ……

  After a long time, on the secluded cliff top, Fan Xian's upper body was exposed, pitifully facing that direction and moaning: "Come again..."

  His words had just floated off the cliff when a wooden stick came out of nowhere and slammed into his back, making a dull thud.