This seemingly casual probing was what Wen Chaoshen truly wanted to ask.

  To him, the important thing wasn't the person, but the letter.

  With such a hint, Wang Kun didn't have the slightest doubt. He nodded vigorously, saying there was one, or perhaps he was too concerned about his son's life and death. Wen Chaoshen didn't even have to ask before Wang Kun hurriedly searched his pockets for the key, opened the door, and led Wen Chaoshen into the residence.

  Like Mi Fang, Wang Kun also kept the letters sent by his child in excellent condition.

  Wen Chaoshen took out three to five of them, and under Wang Kun's eager questioning, he casually said that when he saw his son, the tter just had more traces of hardship on him, was darker, but had grown stronger and more robust.

  Wang Kun spared no effort in using his imagination, envisioning his child, whom he hadn't seen in over a decade, growing into a big tree. His face, full of pockmarks, was brimming with longing and pride, smiling so widely that his mouth couldn't close.

  Wen Chaoshen quickly skimmed through the letters. He wasn't familiar with Wang Kun and didn't have children, so his empathy shouldn't have been strong. Yet, the smile of an old father on Wang Kun's face made Wen Chaoshen's guilt towards him grow even stronger. He discussed with Wang Kun and took one of the letters, reminding Wang Kun not to tell anyone about his visit today, to which Wang Kun agreed.

  "I'll return the letter in a couple of days."

  As he was leaving, Wen Chaoshen looked at the thin yer of white covering Wang Kun's head and asked:

  "Did he ever send you money?"

  "Or did you send him any?"

  Wang Kun nodded:

  "Yes, both."

  "In the early years, he said the border was tense with wars, and those nomadic bandits often caused trouble, so he asked for some money for emergencies. Later, when the wars eased, he sent some money back, though it was little. But as parents, knowing our child is alive and well is enough..."

  As his voice trailed off, Wen Chaoshen's hand holding the letter tightened into a fist. He turned decisively.

  He didn't want to stay any longer.

  "I'm leaving now."

  "I'll return the letter in a few days."

  Wang Kun responded, watching Wen Chaoshen leave, the smile on his face gradually fading into the wind carrying fine snow.

  Wen Chaoshen hurried back, his mind occupied, his expression somewhat cold.

  As he passed an alley, he suddenly stopped.

  Ahead, in the snowy night, stood a figure in red.

  It was a man dressed in red.

  The two were a hundred steps apart. Wen Chaoshen couldn't clearly see the man's face, yet he had a clear intuition that the man was smiling at him.

  The moment he saw this man, he felt something was wrong.

  Could it be that the events of that night were exposed?

  It shouldn't be.

  That old man was ruthless, and Wen Chaoshen could tell at a gnce that he was an old hand in the Martial World. Such people rarely left any loose ends.

  Moreover, even if there were loose ends, no one should come looking for him.

  After hesitating for a moment, Wen Chaoshen chose to turn around.

  The sense of dread the man in red gave him was too strong; he didn't want to approach.

  However, things weren't as simple as Wen Chaoshen thought. As he turned, he saw a thin man in bck, carrying a single-edged bck iron broadsword.

  The man was very close, so close that if he made a move, the single-edged broadsword would instantly sever Wen Chaoshen's head.

  The crisis of death spread, and from the bck-cd man's eyes, Wen Chaoshen sensed a strong threat.

  "Go back."

  The thin man in bck said calmly.

  Wen Chaoshen's hand moved towards the hatchet hidden at his waist, but as soon as he moved, the sound of the bde slicing through the flying snow made his ears ring and his vision blur. His neck felt icy cold, and in an instant, he realized that the bck-cd man's single-edged broadsword was already at his throat!

  His pupils contracted, understanding the vast difference between himself and the man in bck!

  The bck iron broadsword weighed at least a hundred pounds, and the man's physique looked no more than a hundred and twenty or thirty pounds, yet he could wield it single-handedly and control it with precision. Such strength was beyond Wen Chaoshen's comparison!

  "I'll say it one st time, go back."

  The bck-cd man's cold words carried a hint of killing intent.

  Wen Chaoshen's gaze lowered, carefully moving his neck away from the bck-cd man's bck iron broadsword. Then he slowly exhaled a breath of white mist and turned to walk towards the man in red in the distance.

  Feeling the cold around him, Wen Chaoshen racked his brain, thinking about how to escape this predicament. But in such a dire situation, no matter how calm he remained, the result was a bnk.

  A Shui wasn't by his side, Mr. Lü wasn't there, and the old man from that night wasn't there either.

  There was no possibility of resistance.

  For now, he could only adapt to the situation.

  He walked step by step to the man in red, who stood with his hands crossed in front of him, a peaceful smile on his face, harmless to humans and animals.

  "Qian Lv, put the knife away."

  "Why scare the young man for no reason?"

  He reprimanded the bck-cd man behind Wen Chaoshen, who obediently sheathed the bck iron broadsword back onto his back. The man in red beckoned to Wen Chaoshen:

  "Come closer, young man. Don't be afraid, I won't eat you."

  Wen Chaoshen silently took a few steps towards him. The man in red pced a warm hand on Wen Chaoshen's shoulder, yet it made Wen Chaoshen's hair stand on end.

  "Have you eaten?"

  Faced with his warm greeting, Wen Chaoshen blinked and tentatively asked:

  "Have you?"

  The man in red shook his head:

  "Not yet."

  Wen Chaoshen nodded:

  "Then I haven't either."

  The man in red paused for a moment, then burst into ughter, squeezing Wen Chaoshen's shoulder, causing him to grimace in pain and break out in a cold sweat, yet he ughed along.

  "You've got some nerve."

  "Interesting."

  He repeated with a hint of meaning, releasing Wen Chaoshen's shoulder.

  "Let's go, I'll treat you to a meal."

  "Mandarin Duck Tower."

  "Have you been there before?"

  Hearing the name, Wen Chaoshen's heart skipped a beat. He remembered his earlier conversation with Si Xiaohong outside the county city and immediately shook his head:

  "Never been, no money."

  The man in red praised:

  "I like your honesty, though you don't seem like an honest person."

  "I'm Lu Chuan, and you?"

  Wen Chaoshen:

  "Wen Chaoshen."

  Lu Chuan:

  "Who do you work for?"

  Faced with this question, Wen Chaoshen naturally hesitated. Considering his current situation, he had no reason not to respond to Lu Chuan. Such smiling tigers were the most difficult to deal with; they appeared amiable but could take a life at any moment.

  Especially for someone as insignificant as him.

  His hesitation wasn't about whether to lie, but about not wanting to bring any trouble to Lü Zhiming.

  kant202323