With her keen hearing, Lin Fang had actually noticed someone approaching from afar while she and Sima Rusu were discussing roses earlier, but she hadn’t paid it any mind. Unexpectedly, this group of men had chosen to intrude upon her little sanctuary. The one who addressed her—clearly their leader—had changed so much in appearance over the past decade that she could barely recognize him, yet she was certain of his identity.
Lin Wu, trailing at the back of the group, spotted his younger sister and fiancée and hurried forward. “Sister, Rusu,” he said anxiously, his large frame casting a shadow over them, “why are you two out here in this scorching heat? You should be resting in the pavilion—you’ll get heatstroke!”
“People say a girl changes eighteen times before she grows up, each time more beautiful than the last,” one of the men remarked. “Miss Lin, it’s been years. You look nothing like the ugly little girl covered in blood tumors. If Lin Wu hadn’t called you ‘sister,’ I wouldn’t have believed it was you.”
Lin Fang smirked. “Ah, so it’s *Shi* Gongzi. Indeed, the past is best left unmentioned. If you hadn’t brought it up, I might not have recognized you either. Weren’t you the one who, because of your lustful ways, got beaten half to death and couldn’t leave your house for three months? And then, after causing trouble at school, your father was dragged into the street and slapped in public—what a disgrace! So furious he nearly ended his own bloodline. Truly, what a legacy.”
The saying goes: *When scolding, don’t expose flaws; when hitting, don’t strike the face.* Yet Shi Binhua had openly mocked Lin Fang’s childhood appearance the moment they met. Though Lin Fang didn’t care about her past looks, she had never liked Shi Binhua and was quick to retaliate.
Despite her sharp tongue, Lin Fang was puzzled. Before her father became town chief, Shi Liaoliang had framed him with spoiled rice to eliminate any future threat. She had once told Tan Liu about Shi Binhua, and given the Qi family’s ruthlessness, Shi Binhua should have been dead or at least rendered harmless. Yet here he was, not only alive but attending the county magistrate’s mother’s birthday banquet, seemingly respected by the men around him. His influence appeared substantial.
The incidents Lin Fang mentioned had happened when Shi Binhua was eight—she had only been five at the time and left Liangping Town before turning six. Shi Binhua had assumed she wouldn’t remember, but she recalled everything with startling clarity. Stunned, he stood frozen, unable to respond.
“Audacious!” a man beside Shi Binhua suddenly roared, his voice so powerful it made Lin Fang’s ears ring. Though she had no martial skills herself, she came from a martial family and recognized the technique—a *roaring strike*. Had he used full force, she might have died on the spot, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Lin Wu immediately shielded his sister and fiancée, his body tensed for combat.
With her brother protecting her, Lin Fang wasn’t afraid. Despite his bulk, Lin Wu was agile—trained since childhood by their father, grandparents, and others. He had absorbed the fierceness of Qi Biao, the cunning of the old monk, the trickery of Tan Liu, and the subtlety of Qi Shi. Even Shen Fuzi’s experimental medicinal baths had strengthened his body and skills.
Calming herself behind Lin Wu, Lin Fang reached into the bag Liu Ma had handed her. Inside were the flying needles Qi Biao had gifted her and the throwing needles she practiced with.
Before returning to the capital, Qi Biao had advised her to carry the needles for self-defense. Today, Liu Ma had packed both, though Lin Fang had dismissed the precaution, thinking a banquet harmless. Now, she might actually need them.
She pulled out a few throwing needles, their silver glinting sharply in the sun. Behind her, two figures blended seamlessly into the surroundings. Lin Fang sensed their presence but saw nothing when she turned.
Blocked by Lin Wu, she didn’t see the roaring man’s face pale, his steps faltering before he collapsed dead.
A death at a birthday banquet was the worst omen. Guests offered condolences and left. Lin Fang returned with her mother to their family’s inn in town and sent for Tan Liu.
When Tan Liu arrived that evening, he knelt and kowtowed, confusing Lin Fang.
“You don’t know?” Tan Liu said. “Those throwing needles aren’t mere toys—they’re one of Young Master Qi’s tokens to command his hidden guards. Seeing them is like seeing him.”
Lin Fang was stunned. “So when I showed them today—”
“Yes. The man died because of it.”
That explained the eerie feeling of being watched. Did this mean she had no privacy?
Tan Liu reassured her: “Today was a coincidence. Hidden guards don’t linger nearby unless summoned. They only act on explicit orders.”
Relieved, Lin Fang asked about the difference between hidden and shadow guards.
Tan Liu hesitated. “Forgive me, Miss, but without my master’s permission, I cannot answer.”
Understanding his position, Lin Fang didn’t press further.
Given Shi Binhua’s vengeful nature, she expected retaliation. Yet, after that day, he busied himself with herb trade, poetry gatherings, and music parties—as if nothing had happened.
Soon, praise for Shi Binhua spread across Duoling County: the Marquis of Zhenwu’s beloved thirteenth son, talented and handsome, humble and generous. Even his unmarried status became common knowledge.
Wealthy, accomplished, and now celebrated, Shi Binhua became the object of many young women’s affections. Some arranged meetings through family, others staged “chance” encounters, and some even sent matchmakers, willing to be his concubine.
Listening to Tan Liu’s reports, Lin Fang sneered. *A dog can’t stop eating filth.* All his charm and generosity? Just a prelude to his true nature—lust.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage