Both of them leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, sweat rolling down their cheeks.
After finally catching their breath, Hei Wa suddenly stood up straight, looking at Lu Fan with an extremely serious expression, and said, word by word:
"You saved my life, so I owe you a life!"
"From now on, you are my Fan Ge! I will definitely repay you this life later.
If anyone dares to harm you, I will kill their whole family to avenge you! I say…"
The first two sentences warmed Lu Fan's heart, but the last sentence made his eyes twitch, and he quickly interrupted: "Stop! I just saved you, and you're already cursing me to die? Is that appropriate?"
Hei Wa was stunned, then scratched the back of his head and chuckled foolishly:
"I... I just spoke without thinking... Fan Ge, of course I wish you a long life!"
Looking at his honest and direct manner, Lu Fan shook his head helplessly:
"Let's go, come stay at my place. I don't feel comfortable letting you go back alone right now."
Judging from the luxurious young Master's entourage and the discussions of the people around, the other party clearly had some influence in the city.
It was too dangerous to let Hei Wa be alone at this moment.
"Alright! Fan Ge, I'll listen to you!"
Hei Wa's call of "Fan Ge" came naturally, and Lu Fan didn't refuse, quickly leading him back to the inn where he was staying.
On the way, Lu Fan asked about the cause of the conflict, and Hei Wa recounted everything without hiding anything.
It turned out that after the two parted ways, Hei Wa returned to the inn to Cultivate until dark. When he went out to find something to eat, he sensed a special item at a roadside stall and bought it for two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he got it, Tan Cheng, the second young Master of the Tan family, who was passing by, saw it. The other party insisted on buying it, and when refused, he directly tried to snatch it.
Hei Wa originally wanted to run, but he was caught and surrounded by the other party's guards. Lu Fan had witnessed the rest of the events himself.
"Fan Ge, that guy was too infuriating! I told him I wouldn't sell it, but he kept pestering me! I knew it was a good thing, so I wouldn't give it to him!"
As Hei Wa spoke, he proudly pulled out a stone the size of a baby's fist from his embrace.
The stone was dark, but its surface was covered with blood-colored vein-like patterns, faintly exuding a strange Qi.
Just as Lu Fan was examining it carefully, the Pagoda Spirit's voice suddenly rang out:
"This dark-skinned boy has good luck! It's actually a blood essence stone... Try to buy it, this item will be of great benefit to you."
No sooner had he spoken than Hei Wa directly handed the stone to Lu Fan.
"Fan Ge, this is for you!"
Lu Fan was stunned, and the Pagoda Spirit also exclaimed in wonder: "How generous! This blood essence stone is priceless, and he just gives it away? Since he's giving it, take it!"
However, this time, Lu Fan did not obey, but instead pushed Hei Wa's hand back.
"This is your Opportunity, and it must be useful to you too. Keep it safe yourself.
Remember, it's called a 'blood essence stone,' its value is extraordinary, so don't let anyone else see it again."
Seeing that Lu Fan actually pushed away the Opportunity that was offered, the Pagoda Spirit immediately said in an ill-tempered tone:
"Do you, boy, know how precious this item is? If you refine it, your Physique will definitely be able to unlock a trace! This is a huge benefit, and you actually..."
"Pagoda Spirit," Lu Fan calmly interrupted in his mind, "Hei Wa is my friend. Since he recognizes me as his Fan Ge, I absolutely cannot take his things. If I were to covet this Opportunity, I would never be at peace in this life."
Since he knew the blood essence stone was precious, he would never take it.
This was Hei Wa's good fortune, and he could not snatch it.
..."Alright, as you wish. This item is indeed more suitable for him."
Seeing Lu Fan insist on not accepting it, Hei Wa was first stunned, then stubbornly handed it over again: "Fan Ge, if it weren't for you, this stone would have been snatched away long ago! I..."
Seeing him being stubborn again, Lu Fan deliberately put on a stern face: "Hei Wa, didn't you just say you'd listen to me?"
"If you don't listen, then don't call me Fan Ge. From now on, we go our separate ways."
Hei Wa immediately panicked and quickly put the stone back into his embrace: "I'll listen! I'll put it away! Fan Ge, don't be angry!"
Only then did Lu Fan smile, wanting to pat his shoulder, but found that the other party was a full head taller than him and he couldn't reach.
Seeing this, Hei Wa immediately bent down, half-squatting to offer his shoulder, and chuckled foolishly: "My grandpa said there are bad people outside, and good people too... Fan Ge, you are a good person."
Lu Fan managed to pat his sturdy shoulder as he wished, helped him up, and whispered: "Your grandpa is right."
Once upon a time, his parents often said the same thing.
But in those years, he begged with his sister, enduring countless cold stares, and never encountered any "good people."
Those people would rather feed stale steamed buns to dogs than give them a single bite.
Until he met Master, met Aunt Li, Aunt Jiang, Er Hu, and Zhi Yu...
Now, he was willing to believe that statement.
The two teenagers, one tall and one short, walked side by side on the dimly lit street, their figures stretched long.
...
Tan family's front hall.
"Useless! All useless! You can't even catch two people, what's the use of keeping you!"
Tan Cheng roared, smashing a vase to the ground.
Porcelain shards flew, and the guards kneeling on the ground trembled, their heads bowed extremely low.
Half of it was out of fear, the other half was afraid that if they looked up, they would not be able to help but laugh at the young Master's current appearance.
Tan Cheng was bruised and swollen, disheveled, his luxurious clothes tattered and marked with several shoe prints, looking exactly like a beggar who had fled back.
A guard on the left bravely looked up and cautiously said: "Young Master, those two must be here to participate in the Lingyuan Sect's new recruitment assessment tomorrow!"
"You should attend the assessment as usual tomorrow, and we will keep a close watch on the periphery! As soon as they appear, we will make sure they can't escape!"
Tan Cheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately became excited, gritting his teeth: "Good! That's what we'll do! If I fail again this time, I'll skin you all alive!"
"Yes! Young Master, don't worry!" The guards quickly assured him, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
After Tan Cheng left in a huff, the few of them retreated with a sense of relief.
On the other side, Lu Fan and Hei Wa had already returned to the inn.
Hei Wa was burly, and the originally booked single room simply couldn't fit two people, so Lu Fan booked another room.
After a brief conversation, the two returned to their respective rooms to rest, conserving their energy for tomorrow's assessment...