Chapter 109: The Purpose of the Man in the Blue Robe

“Young Master, don’t leave just yet,” the man in the green robe called out urgently, a wry smile on his face. “Your temperament is really just like the head of the family.”

Fang Mu stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing suspiciously as he stared at the man. “What did you just call me?”

If he heard correctly, the man had addressed him as “Young Master.” That sounded more like a bandit’s title—something from a mountain stronghold run by outlaws.

The man in green suddenly snapped to attention, giving his own face a light slap in embarrassment. “I just slipped up. I’m an aide to Director Wu.”

He then handed over a small plaque, with the character “Wu” on the front and “Director” on the back.

Fang Mu gave a knowing nod and patted the man’s shoulder with a hearty laugh. “Ah, so you’re one of us. Looks like the floodwaters have washed away the temple of the Dragon King—family not recognizing each other. By the way, why call me ‘Young Master’?”

“Director Wu was once a chieftain of a mountain stronghold in the martial world,” the man explained. “I’m his strategist, so old habits die hard.”

Fang Mu was speechless. This Heavenly Surveillance Division seemed to have no normal people at all. Their director was a former bandit chieftain.

But heroes don’t ask about origins, so he let it slide and asked about the man’s purpose.

“More importantly…” The man glanced at the corpse of Zhao Wuquan. “Did you kill Zhao Wuquan, Young Master?”

Fang Mu didn’t deny it and nodded, recounting Zhao Wuquan’s actions.

The man fell silent for a moment before leaning in and whispering, “Young Master, this isn’t right.”

Fang Mu frowned. “He was acting under orders against me. What’s wrong with killing him?”

The man shook his head. “Not that. I mean there’s no evidence.”

He then pulled out paper and ink and began writing rapidly, his movements practiced and sure.

Fang Mu peered over and felt a wave of frustration.

The document was written entirely from Zhang Liu’s perspective, outlining how Zhao Wuquan had tried to trap Fang Mu.

The man in green tucked away the paper, nodding with satisfaction. “I used to do this myself when I was on the run. When I served the old master, I often reviewed such reports and recognized Zhang Liu’s handwriting instantly.”

Fang Mu’s eyes lit up. “Clever. That means Zhang Liu won’t get away, right?”

“I’ll take this to the old master when I return and see what he decides,” the man said, folding the paper. “Don’t worry, Young Master. This won’t be a big problem.”

Fang Mu nodded. “Thanks. So, what brings you here this time?”

He didn’t believe the meeting was a coincidence.

The man smiled. “The old master was worried and sent me to check on how things are being handled. Also, I have something to tell you.”

“Something strange?” Fang Mu recounted the matter of Xuyang.

The man frowned. “I see. Using possession to transform from a strange practitioner into a profound one… Xuyang’s trick did fool the Heavenly Surveillance Division, but you saw through it. If this reaches the division, the old master will be proud.”

The man then took a document and finished writing the incident’s details before putting it away.

“What did you want to tell me?” Fang Mu asked.

He remembered the man said there was something else.

The man sat down at the table. “The Mysterious Ruins are about to open. There’s a small one right here in Shengge County.”

“A small one?” Fang Mu’s interest piqued more at the implication. “You mean there are bigger ones?”

The man nodded. “The Mysterious Ruins appear periodically, some large, some small. I’m here to handle a large one, but I wanted to show you the location of the Shengge County site.”

He handed over a piece of paper.

Fang Mu skimmed it and quickly grasped the situation. “What exactly are these Mysterious Ruins?”

The word ‘ruins’ implied they once existed in the past. Fang Mu, relatively new to this world, still had many questions.

“Phenomena both divine and strange,” the man explained, placing his hand firmly on the table. “We’ve researched this, but our knowledge is limited. In short, these ruins benefit both profound and strange practitioners but are extremely dangerous.

Before each appearance, some profound and strange practitioners feel a disturbance, including the Heavenly Surveillance Division.

The old master’s meaning is simple: though the Shengge County site is small, it’s like a stepping stone for you, Young Master, and offers benefits.”

Fang Mu stroked his chin, genuinely intrigued.

Just the word ‘strange’ in ‘Mysterious Ruins’ stirred his curiosity.

“Young Master, I must be going,” the man stood. “I need to report Zhang Liu’s matter to the old master and let him decide. The ruins will attract many forces. The old master’s instruction is simple: you act as you see fit.”

Fang Mu nodded and stood as well. “Then I won’t see you out.”

The man waved off the offer and exited the shop. “Young Master, wait. I’m off. Oh, and you don’t need to keep this.”

Outside the shop, the man waved his hand toward Zhao Wuquan’s corpse, which vanished without a trace.

Watching him leave, Fang Mu returned to his seat, lost in thought.

He would have to visit the Mysterious Ruins. Originally, he planned to use the four threads of strange energy he had accumulated, but now it seemed wiser to hold off.

If danger arose in the ruins, those four threads could be a trump card.

If he wasted them on mastering a skill now, it would be awkward if he needed them later.

Fang Mu went to the door, looked out at the dark street, then closed it before returning to the table.

He had found an old map among the strange artifacts he studied earlier but never had time to examine because of recent events. Now was the moment.

A yellowed sheet unfolded in his hands. Dense lines sprawled across it, leaving him bewildered.

Upon closer inspection, the place names and routes were unfamiliar. Only one small red dot stood out vividly.

He compared it to the address the man in green gave him but found no match.

“I’ll visit that address tomorrow,” Fang Mu decided.

As night deepened, he extinguished the lamp’s flame and settled in for rest.