Fang Shuwen was actually being quite polite.
"I thought about it... but it was too late."
Long Qingzhi sighed softly.
"Before it all happened, my father must have sensed something was wrong, so he arranged a marriage for me.
"I didn’t want to, but I didn’t dare disobey him. I could only agree to marry the man he chose.
"But on my wedding night, they attacked.
"I never even saw my fiancé’s face before he was killed...
"After I fell into their hands, I thought about doing what you suggested.
"But they held me under such tight security that I never had a chance.
"It wasn’t until Dugu Han took me out alone that I finally found an opportunity to escape... To be honest, when I first saw you, I did consider..."
Fang Shuwen cleared his throat, cutting her off.
"That’s enough. I get it."
’Just goes to show, a man traveling the Jianghu needs to be careful.’
’You can’t just be wary of sect leaders; you also have to be careful of orphan girls whose families were just wiped out.’
"So what’s your plan now?"
Fang Shuwen asked.
"Now... I need you to protect me on the way to Cold Valley Town.
"I’ll ask Zhao Kuangtu to help me...
"The Glazed Saint Body prevents me from practicing any martial arts, but he might have a method that could make it possible for me."
"...So you just need to destroy the Glazed Saint Body?"
"No. If I did that, my Talent for cultivation would be far weaker than an ordinary person’s.
"But I’ve heard of a method that allows someone with a Glazed Saint Body to take that coveted property and make it their own.
"After that, no matter what Martial Arts you cultivate, your progress will be incredibly fast.
"That’s the real reason it’s called the Glazed Saint Body."
Hearing this, Fang Shuwen felt that it finally made sense.
’Otherwise, the so-called Glazed Saint Body would just be a damn curse. What part of that is ’Saintly’?’
Still, he had one question.
"If Zhao Kuangtu has a solution and owes the Long Family such a huge debt, why didn’t he offer it sooner?"
"Shortly before my family was destroyed, he wrote a letter to my father telling him to have me go to Cold Valley Town personally, saying he could help me convert my Glazed Saint Body.
"But by then, it was already too late..."
As Long Qingzhi spoke, her expression grew somber.
Fang Shuwen nodded.
"Okay, that’s more or less everything I need to know. It’s getting late. We should get going."
"Okay."
Long Qingzhi nodded.
Fang Shuwen looked her over. Her clothes were in tatters and her face was smudged with grime. It was obvious she had been through a lot.
"When we get to the next town, I’ll buy you a couple of outfits. I need to get a couple of spare sets for myself, too."
As he spoke, he glanced down at his sleeve.
He’d gotten more blood on it from his clash with Dugu Han.
Long Qingzhi’s eyes reddened.
"Thank you, young master... May I ask your name?"
"My name is Fang Shuwen."
Fang Shuwen smiled faintly.
"You can call me whatever you like. No need for formalities."
...
...
They continued north, but no new towns appeared for a long time.
Long Qingzhi explained that this was normal. The Northern Domain was vast and sparsely populated. On top of that, constant conflict between the various powers meant that towns were few and far between.
Hearing this, Fang Shuwen asked her about the state of the Northern Domain’s Jianghu.
Long Qingzhi thought for a moment before replying to Fang Shuwen.
"There are many powers of all sizes in the Northern Domain. Snow Eagle Castle and Uncertain Hall, for example, are among the more formidable ones.
"All the powers are constantly fighting one another for resources and territory, so battles are frequent.
"But the five most powerful forces are Sword God Palace, Heaven-Slaying Sect, the Saintess Sect, the Ascetic Sect, and Thousand Snow Pavilion."
These were the Five Great Forces of the Northern Domain. Sword God Palace was renowned for its swordplay, and the Northern Domain Sword God, Ye Wufeng, was a living legend in the Jianghu—that went without saying.
Zhao Kuangtu, the Sect Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Sect, was no less of a master than Ye Wufeng with his Seven Emotions and Seven Sins Heaven-Slaying Saber.
The disciples of the Heaven-Slaying Sect were known to be incredibly domineering, adopting an attitude of "submit and prosper, resist and perish."
However, they tended to keep to their own territory. As long as you didn’t provoke them, they rarely involved themselves in the affairs of the Jianghu.
The Saintess Sect was seen in the Jianghu even less frequently, but their conduct was considered to be righteous.
The Ascetic Sect, however, had members everywhere. This sect was said to be an offshoot of the Buddhist Sect, using asceticism to temper their bodies and minds. The disciples’ Martial Arts were all incredibly profound.
This sect was quite strange. With other powers, you wouldn’t have any trouble as long as you didn’t provoke them.
But with this group, you could go so far as to provoke and insult them, and they still wouldn’t retaliate.
They were the most mild-mannered of the Five Great Forces.
"Finally, there’s Thousand Snow Pavilion...
"This power has only risen in recent years. Its Pavilion Master is a complete mystery and has never appeared in public.
"During their initial expansion, they killed countless people.
"Now, however, they seem to be recuperating. Their disciples have withdrawn from the world, so as long as you don’t set foot in Thousand Snow Pavilion’s territory, you’re unlikely to encounter them."
Besides these Five Great Forces, there were also many unaffiliated masters in the Northern Domain Martial World.
It’s just that no one had come up with a catchy phrase for them like the Eastern Domain’s "Three Immortals, Two Kings, and One City Madman."
But Long Qingzhi could still casually name several famous figures, such as "Buddha’s Mouth, Demon’s Heart," the "Saint Sect’s Mad Scholar," and "Residual Snow Black Sword."
It’s said that some of them don’t even give masters like Ye Wufeng and Zhao Kuangtu a second thought.
But it’s as if this group has some kind of unspoken agreement. They rarely clash with one another, so no one really knows who is superior.
’If Chen Yan were here, he could probably provide more detailed information.’