Deng Jun managed to gather himself and connected the call. He placed the cell phone near his ear and as he listened, nodding from time to time. In the end, he hung up the phone and, after a couple of seconds of pause, he turned to Chen Fan.
“I am sorry… Mr. Chen… I didn’t know that….”
“Deng Jun, what are you doing? Go after him!” Brother Wu shouted. However, he got a solid slap on the face as a reply.
Brother Wu was stunned by the development. He covered his cheek and was not sure what to do.
Everyone was dumbfounded by the development as they wondered what had happened. Could it be that the caller really was Baldy Liu?
Then and only then, realization finally dawned upon Brother Wu. He knew that he had ticked off the wrong person this time; the burning hand mark on his cheeks was the proof.
He hurried to drop to both knees to the ground and kowtowed to Chen Fan. “I am sorry, please forgive me. Please forgive me!”
Deng Jun plastered on a conciliatory smile and said: “Mr. Chen, he is an idiot, he has always been. Don’t let him bother you.”
Chen Fan kept his silence. However, Tong Shan took a step forward and kicked Brother Wu’s legs with great force.
“AHHhh!”
Brother Wu bent over doubled and hugged his knees close to his chest as he let out a painful howl.
Life drained away from Deng Jun’s face and the faces around him. However, no one dared to say a word.
“Fine, that will be it.” Chen Fan shook his head slightly and decided to call it quits. These are lowly scum and, if not because of Lord Wu’s involvement, he would have already left the scene a while ago.
However, Chen Fan would not so easily forgive Deng Jun and other perpetrators. He had told Liu Guodong on the phone that he didn’t want to see these people again. He was confident that Liu Guodong would be smart enough to understand what he really meant.
“What a shame that I was unable to meet Lord Wu.” Chen Fan heaved a sigh before he started back to the bus.
As he passed Zhang Qiang, he paused a second and then said lightly: “Go back and tell Wu Xiuyan that I will be visiting him in person very soon.”
Afterwards, he disappeared into the bus. Lu Yanxue hesitated for a second and quickly caught up with him. Zhang Qiang wasn’t able to gather himself until the bus had disappeared at the end of the road.
“Wu Xiuyan? Isn’t that Lord Wu’s name?” Zhang Qiang furrowed his brows and asked: “So he asked me to leave a message for Lord Wu, but who the heck is he?”
He glanced at Brother Wu, who was still howling out his pain as a light bulb moment hit him. “He has a connection with Boss Liu and, his last name is Chen. He is also very young. Could he be the legendary Master Chen?”
With that thought in mind, Zhang Qiang started to tremble uncontrollably.
He had thought that Master Chen was an urban legend.
He thought of the rumors about the bad blood between Lord Wu and Master Chen, and the thought gave him jitters. He hurried back to the vehicle and drove away to deliver the message.
When Chen Fan was back on the bus, passengers gave Chen Fan fearful glances. Miao Xiaoqian was pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. Chen Fan was able to overcome the group of angry mobs with just a phone call.
Lu Yanxue held up her chin with pride. She muttered to herself. “Humph. Liu Guodong is no big deal. His power is only mediocre compared to members of my family.”
Chen Fan heard the girl’s words and was amused. He reckoned that her bark was worse than her bite.
Afterward, the three chatted along the way. When they finally arrived at the Lin City, Miao Xiaoqian felt it difficult to say goodbye. Before Lu Yanxue bade farewell with him, she said with a solemn face: “Hey kiddo, don’t try to be a hero next time. Although you are under your Big Cousin’s protection, he was no match against real powerful fighters despite his tough looks. Just stay out of trouble, will you?”
She paused a second as a hint of hesitation surfaced on her face. “If you do get yourself into trouble, tell them my name and tell them you know people from the Lu family.”
“Thanks, but that’s fine. I am not afraid of anyone.” Chen Fan said with his hands linked behind his back, it was as if he was a Martial Arts master.
“Tough guy.” Lu Yanxue rolled her eyes at him. After they exchanged each other’s phone numbers, they bade each other farewell and parted ways.
Chen Fan sauntered out of the bus station with Tong Shan trailing closely behind.
“Lin City, I have arrived!”
He scanned the flow of traffic around him and then reached out with his Immortal Will. To his surprise, he sensed the presence of a Martial Artist; it was a good sign.
“I would be hard pressed to find even just one Martial Artist in a month, yet they are everywhere here. I am in the right place!”
Chen Fan didn’t ask Huo Donglai the location of the conference since he was confident that he could be able to locate it by himself.
He locked his Immortal Will onto the martial artist he had spotted and followed his signal. The Martial Artist traveled fast, weaving in and out of the crowd like a herring swimming in a cluster of corals. On the other hand, Chen Fan’s steps were slow, but his strides were wide, so much so that he had no problem catching up with the swift-moving martial artist.
The cat and mouse game went on for a while until the Martial artist led Chen Fan into a dead end. As soon as Chen Fan rounded a corner, he saw the man was standing against a wall, waiting for him.
“May I know who you are? Why have you been following me?”
The martial artist’s face was yellow and waxy. He was a slender build and tall, middle-aged man. Despite his thin limbs, his hands were gigantic. A white light glowed faintly at the tip of each finger. He fixed his gaze on Tong Shan, in part due to the fearsome sight of Tong Shan’s large body.
“You were able to detect me?”
Chen Fan was taken aback, but he quickly found out the answer.
Tong Shan was too large to be missed by even ordinary people, much less a well trained martial artist.
“I don’t mean you harm. I just want to ask about the location of the Martial Arts Conference.” Chen Fan answered readily.
“That’s it?” The middle-aged man squinted doubtfully. After a while, he replied without rancor: “I can take you there, do I get paid?”
“Payment?” Chen Fan furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. Then he produced a Physic Refining Pill.
He made these pills for the Cang Dragon soldiers. Although its effect couldn’t compare with Arcane Pills nor Essence Gathering Pill, it was an ideal supplement for martial artists to strengthen their body and refine their inner energy.
The middle-aged man took the pill, but the doubt didn’t leave his face. He sniffed it and then he asked with surprise: “Is this an elixir?”
He glared at Chen Fan and asked: “Do you have more, I will take them all. I will pay.”
“If you help me, I can spare a few more pellets for you.” Chen Fan shrugged.
“Agreed!” The middle-aged man answered. However, the glinting greed on his face didn’t escape Chen Fan’s sharp eyes.
Afterward, the two introduced each other. Chen Fan learned that this middle-aged man was called “Xin Chou” and people call him “Second Lord Xin.” He was from the Xin family of Zhong Zhou. According to him, the Xin family clan had always been a traditional martial arts family. However, the family had fallen apart recently and Second Lord Xin had become the most powerful martial artists even though he had only reached initial success in his Internal Force Cultivation. He wanted to purchase a few elixirs to enhance the younger generation’s training.
“Are elixirs like these rare to find?” Chen Fan asked.
Only the Essence Gathering Pill and Arcane Pills called for numinous treasures in their ingredient list, but Physic Refining Pill needed only readily available herbs. If followed the instructions correctly, anyone could have made it, much less a martial artist.
“Yes, what you give me is indeed very rare.” Second Lord Xin explained.
Most recipes of the elixirs were passed down through generations in martial arts families. Some of the elixirs required herbs that had already gone extinct. Even for those common herbs, the recipes often required seasoned and high-grade ingredients which could also be difficult to come by. In addition, many recipes came with long instructions and, many of which were lost over time. Missing just one ingredient or one small step would render the recipe useless. Therefore, there had been fewer and fewer elixirs available each year. By then, any elixirs would be considered rare treasures.
“I see.” Chen Fan nodded.
The Physic Refining Pill he offered to the military was a modified version of the original recipe. He changed it so that it only required readily available herbs. However, those archaic secret recipes from the Martial Arts families were extremely complicated, worse, they were also less effective.
“I have heard that the Li Family of Green Vines as well as the Medicine God Vally Sect will be at the conference as well.”
“Li Family of Green Vines? Medicine God Vally Sect?” Chen Fan furrowed his brows.
“You got it! Li Family was the most well known for its traditional Chinese medicine remedies. They teach martial arts while selling traditional herbs, and by doing so, they control over ninety percent of the high-end traditional medicine market.” Second Lord Xin explained.
“The Medicine God Vally Sect was even more influential. Rumor had it that the Dao Sect from the ancient time had passed down the method of Elixir Brewing to them. They practically had a monopoly over the elixir market in China.”
Chen Fan nodded. He wagered that his only hope of acquiring thousand-year-old ginseng would have to rely on these guys.
When Second Lord Xin spoke with Chen Fan, his eyes didn’t leave Tong Shan for a second.
To him, Chen Fan was just an ordinary person.
However, Tong Shan looked like a powerful fighter. Every step he took carried so much weight that it threatened to send a tremor through the pavement.
The Martial Arts Conference was hosted at a small manor near a lake. They walked along the lake and before long they had arrived at the venue. Two muscular men in traditional Chinese suits stood in front of the entrance. Their dark eyes glinted under the sun and under their shirts, one could trace their chiseled muscles. It was apparent that the two were powerful Internal Force users of phenomenal success.
“The host of this years conference seemed pretty powerful.” Chen Fan exclaimed.
Phenomenal Success in Internal Force cultivation was no small feat. Their power was at least on par with the sergeants’ at the Cang Dragon unit. However, here, they could only be a doorman.
“Of course! It was the Lu family of Lin City. The most powerful martial arts family of our time. They have a transcendent master among their ranks, that’s why.”Second Lord Xin said enviously.
“Lu family?” Chen Fan paused a second as he recalled what Lu Yanxue told him. He was amused by the coincidence that they shared the same last name and wondered if Lu Yanxue was from the same Lu family.
Second Lord Xin walked over to the doorman and gave them his name.
One of the men nodded and said: “Xin family of Zhong Zhou. Welcome, sir.”
Chen Fan trailed behind Second Lord Xin, but he was stopped by one of the muscular men. “Sir, I am sorry but you can’t enter here without an invitation.”
Chen Fan said: “I am here for the Martial Arts Conference.”
“You are a martial artist?” Both men asked in unison.
They studied Chen Fan carefully, and couldn’t find any sign of martial arts training in his wimpy arms and smooth skin. He looked like a high school student—no, he IS a high school student. Second Lord Xin crossed his arms and smiled at Chen Fan gloatingly. He, too, wanted to see how the powerful Chen Fan could persuade the two dutiful doormen.
Chen Fan furrowed his brows and was about to display his strength to prove himself. He heard a surprised voice calling out at him. “Chen Fan?”
He turned toward the voice and saw Lu Yanxue and Miao Xiaoqian, both surprised to see him.
“What a small world.”
Chen Fan lamented.