Chapter 994: Scholar

"My Sword Duel Palace is not far from here. We can arrive within three days."

On the immortal boat, Long Ruo walked over to Fang Chen's side, looking at the clouds that were steadily moving behind them with a faint smile on her face.

On the boat, in addition to Long Ruo, there were over a hundred sword cultivators led by Fu Donghai. They stood around, constantly keeping an eye on the surroundings.

Fang Chen said casually, "Since you're a member of the Long family, why are you still afraid of being schemed against?"

When he first saw Long Xuan, there were also many sword cultivators by her side, as if the Long family members were always afraid of encountering a plot whenever they went out.

Long Ruo explained, "You don't understand. Prison Wind Lands is not peaceful. There are countless people trying to scheme against the direct descendants of the Long family, but they usually hide and lurk in the shadows."

Fang Chen asked, "Let's get straight to the point. Are you really a disciple of the Killing Spiritual Division?"

Long Ruo smiled. "The Division Head said you are good at hiding your intentions. I didn't expect you to give in so quickly. It seems that woman is very important to you?"

Fang Chen remained silent, simply watching her quietly.

A few moments later, Long Ruo nodded. "I only joined in recent years."

Seeing Fang Chen slightly furrow his brow, Long Ruo smiled. "You don't believe me? Or do you think someone of my status wouldn't have joined the Killing Spiritual Division?

"After all, the Spirit God Sect is too mysterious, and their actions are quite strange. As long as I perform my role as a direct descendant of the Long family, I can live a carefree life. Why would I need to join the Killing Spiritual Division and go against the Spirit God Sect?"

Fang Chen nodded. That was indeed what puzzled him.

However, Long Ruo's appearance had confirmed certain speculations in his mind.

The Division Head of the Killing Spiritual Division could not only send him to the True Martial Realm but could also come to the Prison Wind Lands to recruit members. This indicated that the Killing Spiritual Division was much stronger than he had imagined.

"Some years ago, my father sought a husband a son-in-law for me, and that's when I met him. He's not as handsome as you. To be honest, he's not as good-looking as most people. If you tossed him into a crowd, you probably wouldn't even notice him."

Long Ruo smiled. "He's a humble person, and I'm too proud of my temper, so after we got married, I would often bully him. But he never got angry. The more he acted like this, the more upset I became. I wanted him to show some temper, rather than always being so docile. Even when he met my father, he would stutter when speaking. Because of this, people from other branches of the family often mocked me behind my back."

Fang Chen listened attentively.

Long Ruo paused for a moment. Seeing Fang Chen's expression, she couldn't help but nod slightly. "The angrier I got, the more I troubled him. Sometimes I'd hide half-read ancient texts from him. Other times, I'd deliberately pick fights with him while he was meditating in silence.

"But no matter what I did... he never lost his temper. I even began to wonder if he was simply incapable of anger. Until one day, he suddenly came to me with reddened eyes and said he was going on a long journey, shortest three to five years, longest eight or nine before he'd return."

"Something felt off, so I secretly followed him. But I lost track halfway. By the time I found him, he was already hanging on by a thread."

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Long Ruo smiled softly. "He was lying in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood—some belonged to the Killing Spiritual Division's cultivators, others to the Spirit God Sect's disciples. When I arrived, he was hurling every curse imaginable at the already-dead Spirit God Sect members. I'd never seen him like that before. Back when I used to tease him, he wouldn't even let out a peep.

"But the moment he saw me, he froze. Just like that, he reverted to his old self. He smiled in his usual way and told me that he had slain two Tribulation Realm cultivators.

"It turned out that his cultivation was actually incredibly high—he had long been a Tribulation Realm cultivator. I asked him, 'If your cultivation is this high, why have you been hiding it all this time? If the Long family knew your true strength, how could they ever dare to look down on you? Even when I teased you, you pretended not to notice.'"

"What did he say?"

Long Ruo's smile grew. "He said... he didn't mind."

Fang Chen glanced at her. Though she was smiling, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

"I thought I didn't love him at all. But the moment he took his last breath, I realized how much my heart ached."

Long Ruo shook her head lightly. "He was truly foolish. He was always patient with me, but did I ever really deserve it?"

"You may think it wasn't worth it, but he did. Isn't that enough?" Fang Chen said coolly. "Not everything needs to be weighed like a business transaction. Now, tell me—what do you need from me?"

"Later, a scholar approached me and asked if I was willing to join the Killing Spiritual Division," revealed Long Ruo, glancing at Fang Chen. "After some thought, I agreed. My goal is different from yours. I simply... wanted to kill a few more Spirit God Sect cultivators for him."

"Not long ago, that scholar came to me again. He said you were skilled in traversing the Underworld and that you could be trusted. He told me that if I helped you find your woman, you could help me find my man."

Fang Chen's gaze flickered. "Was that scholar the Division Head?"

"Probably. That's my guess, at least." Long Ruo chuckled. "He said that within the Long Family, there are many Spirit God Sect cultivators. My man wasn't supposed to die, but he slipped up and walked right into their trap.

"So when I learned you had arrived, I deliberately found a reason to take you from Long Xuan's hands. Don't worry, I don't care about the feud between the branches. Who wins or loses means nothing to me. The only thing that matters is whether the scholar's words were true."

Fang Chen said, "If you want to retrieve someone from the Underworld, I can help. But... how exactly are you going to help me find the person I'm looking for?"

"The scholar said the person you're looking for is in the Great Luo Heavenly Desert," Long Ruo answered. "Coincidentally, the Long Family has some business dealings there. With a description of her, I can have my people search for her."

Fang Chen mused, "To be honest, she has some connection with a certain figure in the Spirit God Sect. If we search for her too openly, it might alert them."

The Division Head seemed to know many things, even the whereabouts of Fairy Yu.

Could he have already detected Wang Chongsong's presence?

Suppressing his thoughts, Fang Chen turned to Long Ruo.

Long Ruo smiled softly. "Don't worry. Some things don't need to be done openly. Finding someone is just a matter of sending a few trusted agents. Even if they're noticed, they won't utter a single word. As for you, if you can really help me find my man, even if you're a sword cultivator, I can ensure no one dares to bully you in the Prison Wind Lands from now on."

"As long as I'm unwilling, no one can bully me." Fang Chen shook his head. "Now, about finding your man—give me his portrait."

As long as you're unwilling, no one can bully you?

"So the rumors are true. The sword cultivators from your side are a bit different from those here."

Long Ruo chuckled and handed Fang Chen a jade slip.

Fang Chen also passed her one, imprinted with Fairy Yu's appearance from when she last departed.

Fang Chen asked casually, "Should we still go to that Duel Sword Palace?"

"The act must be played out fully. If they found my man's weakness, it means they've been watching me all along."

Long Ruo smiled faintly, glancing at Fu Donghai not far away.

The man was also observing them and nodded slightly upon meeting her gaze.