March 10, 2010. Zhong Hai International Airport…
Chen Fan emerged from the airport with flowy long hair. He linked his hands behind his back and didn’t seem to have any luggage with him. Following him closely was an attractive young woman with short hair and leather pants.
Their extraordinary appearance quickly grabbed the attention of the travelers.
They didn’t much mind the attention as they walked out of the airport and hopped into a car sent by the National Security Bureau. Once they were inside the car, Chen Fan gave Red Sparrow a sidelong glance and said: “We are in China now, why don’t you fill me in on what had happened in my absence?”
The Russian gave Chen Fan and Red Sparrow a ride to the airport at the border and from there, they flew directly to Zhong Hai. They could finally allow their guard down and didn’t have to worry about Russia’s desperate attempt to kill Chen Fan using nuclear bombs. Knowing he was safe, Chen Fan’s mind turned to the safety of his family.
“Umm…..”
Red Sparrow hesitated and letting her words stick in her throat.
“What happened? Did anything happen to Xiao Qiong and my parents?” Chen Fan furrowed his brows as tension grew in the vehicle. Already, two golden flames danced deep inside of Chen Fan’s eyes.
The temperature in the car seemed to have dropped a few degrees and it was as cold as an ice cave.
The driver was a rookie who had just been enlisted recently. The tension in the air had escaped him at first, but as soon as he caught a glance of the deadly intent burning inside of Chen Fan’s eyes, he quickly looked away and felt a chill down his spine.
“Holy shit! This man is more terrifying than then Azure dragon. That look should only belong to a mass murder! No wonder everyone made such a big deal about his return.”
Red Sparrow raised her eyebrows and then plastered on a placatory smile.
“Don’t worry, your family, and your little girlfriend are under our protection, so of course they are safe. But they were not exactly… thriving either.”
“Oh? Who would ruffle the Chen family’s feathers?”
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and grinned at her.
The Chen family had claimed the seat power in Jin City ever since Chen Fan brought the Han Family of Yan Jin and Song Family to heel. The Chen family should have wielded enough prestige to tame the other family clans, not to mention its powerful allies such as the Su Family of Wu Zhou City, Wei Family of the North Bank and the Tang family of Jiang Nan. No one should have threatened the Chen family.
“That’s if people think you are still alive. You have been missing for a year so many had assumed that you are dead. Therefore…” Red Sparrow let out a wry smile without finishing her sentence.
Although the prominent family clans did not have close ties with the Underground World, they eventually learned of Chen Fan’s disappearance through their connections with the military. Both Cang Dragon Unit and Li Wuchen were well aware of what happened at the Warg Valley.
The Chinese Martial arts community rarely meddled in International affairs, but over time, they had also learned about Chen Fan’s battle against the Western Dark World and his presumable death by the Father of All Bombs. The news had taken the Dark World by storm and therefore was hard to miss.
One way or another, the elite class of the Jiang Nan Province slowly came to the realization that Chen Fan was dead.
At first, no one dared to act differently, but as Chen Fan’s disappearance dragged on, more and more people become restless.
“Humph! Mortals.”
Chen Fan cracked a smile, but the glinting light in his eyes prevented the mood from cheering up.
Chen Fan was the benefactor of many great families. The Tang family, Wei Family, Su Family and the Chen Fan had all tied their prosperity with Chen Fan.
No one would even think of crossing the Chen family as long as Chen Fan was live.
Evidence of his boundless prestige was plentiful: that the great lords of Jing Bei were at his beck and call; that Tang Yuanqin had to bow to him like a pupil; that the Wei Family of the North Bank would do whatever they could to please him; that the Su Family had to swallow the humiliation and remain silent. That this, and that, all of them spoke the same message: Don’t mess with the Chen family.
However, once Chen Fan was dead, everything was bound to change. Such was the untrustworthy nature of mortals.
Although Red Sparrow didn’t spell it out loud for him, Chen Fan knew that the Su Family of Wu Zhou City had regretted the marriage arrangement and tried to walk away from it.
“I only care about my parents and Xiao Qiong’s family. The fools who dare to cross the Chen family will get what they deserve in due time.” Chen Fan cracked a cold smile as his eyes glinted.
After he had said that he turned to Red Sparrow and asked: “Is there anything else I need to know?”
“Not really? Please be rest assured that your family will be safe under our protection.” Red Sparrow paused a second and replied to Chen Fan with a slight bow
“Very well.”
Chen Fan nodded.
Suddenly, he realized what had been missing in the conversation, so he furrowed his brows and asked: “You didn’t mention Sister An, how’s she doing?”
Chen Fan’s words turned Red Sparrow into a bundle of nerves.
Chen Fan pulled a dark face and gave Red Sparrow a questioning look: “What happened to Sister An?”
“Miss An Ya is safe… but the An family had come and picked her up.” Red Sparrow lowered her head and replied under her breath.
“The An family? Aunty An Jinxiu’s family?”
The knot on Chen Fan’s brows became even tighter.
An Ya’s mother An Jinxiu had been good friends with Chen Fan’s mother Wang Xiaoyun since they were little girls.
An Jinxiu had given birth to a girl before she was officially married to her then-boyfriend. The baby’s dad also fled her due to the heavy burden of raising a child. An Jinxiu raised An Ya by herself for six years and struggled every minute of it. She eventually gave in to depression and exhaustion and ended her own life. The An family was a renowned household in Northern China, and they saw An Ya as a stain on the family’s reputation. After being refused by her relatives, An Ya was adopted by Wang Xiaoyun and was brought to Jiang Nan Province.
Both Chen Fan’s parents were workaholics and therefore, Sister An had become Chen Fan’s caregiver while Chen Fan was a toddler. In some way, he viewed Sister An as his second mother figure, the person closest to his heart other than his parents and Xiao Qiong.
“Yes, that’s them.” Red Sparrow’s head lowered even more.
Suddenly, a suffocating tension crept into the inside of the vehicle. The driver felt as if a heavyweight on his chest as if someone had dropped a large boulder on it.
“Is this what it’s like to be in the presence of a living legend?”
The man exclaimed in his mind.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan’s face remained stoic and indifferent. However, Red Sparrow knew that the Immortal Level Overlord was not at all impressed by what he had heard.
Even the betrayal of the Su Family didn’t get under Chen Fan’s skin as much as the An family did. He knew he would get married to Xiao Qiong no matter what, so he really didn’t care about what the Su Family thought. However, the An family had taken Sister An away from the Chen family by force, it was a blatant insult to the North Mystic Celestial Lord. Only blood could have pacified the roiling anger inside of Chen Fan.
“I see how it is. Even a second class family dares to question my authority. Someone is going to pay for this, with blood.”
Chen Fan’s lips curled into a thin smile and the lights in his eyes grew colder.
“Hold on a second, let me explain. Miss An Ya left willingly. The An family didn’t force her to—” Red Sparrow hurried to put in.
“Willingly?”
Chen Fan cut her short.
He grew up with An Ya and knew how much she loathed the An family. They were the ones who prevented the marriage from happening and they abandoned An Jinxiu when she was the most vulnerable, then they abandoned An Ya, as a six-year-old helpless little girl.
“I believe there is more than what meets the eye, but we shouldn’t come to a conclusion so early.” Red Sparrow urged on.
“Save your breath, we will see what they are going to say when I am at their doorstep.”
Chen Fan waved a hand of dismissal.
Red Sparrow let out a sigh as she contemplated if she should inform the An family right away.
Chen Fan had been missing for a year, by then, everyone was convinced that he was dead. However, he pulled the rug from under everyone and returned with even more notches on his belt. He had brought a superpower to heel and returned to China stronger than ever.
Red Sparrow conceded that she should start praying for Chen Fan’s victims right now. She hoped that Chen Fan would show some mercy for the sake of Director Xiao and Li Wuchen.
Meanwhile, people in the Jiang Nan Province enjoyed the comforts of their mundane routines like they always had.
News of Chen Fan’s reappearance had just started to spread out across the Underground World. He had killed Lieutenant General Scherchen on March fifth and only a few days later, he had done away with Andrew and defeated Oleg, bringing Russia to their knees. When he arrived in China, barely a week had gone by.
Most people in the Dark World were still oblivious about the news and only those in a position of power had learned bit and pieces of what had happened in Russia. It would take even longer for the news to reach the family clans. It usually took one month for a piece of information to find its way to the great family clans from the Dark World.
East Mountain Villas, Jin City, Jiang Nan Province…
A black Audi pulled over to the entrance as Chen Fan emerged from within. He had changed into his normal appearance and was wearing a casual outfit. Before he pushed the gate open, he looked at the East Mountain Villa in the distance and felt a warm fuzzy feeling rise inside of him.
He was finally home.
Chen Fan drew a large gulp of air, pushed the driveway gate open and sauntered toward the house.
An old man who was on his way to play chess with his friends walked past Chen Fan and caught a glimpse of him.
“Hum? That young lad looks familiar. Hold on a second… isn’t he Chen Huaian’s dead grandson?”
The thought had sent the old man’s mind reeling.
The Chen family of Jin City was the rising star in the Jiang Nan Province. They have driven the Han Family out of the city and claimed the seat of power in the province. Most of the residents of the East Mountain Villas community heard of Master Chen.
The old man’s disbelief and shock were shared by every passerby who noticed Chen Fan.
Was Master Chen of Jiang Bei back?