Everyone knew Fang Qiong as an independent and strong-willed girl. Therefore, the sight of her breaking into tears had stunned her classmates around her. Sensing the other students’ glares, she quickly gathered herself.
What? Did the campus flower of Jin City University just offer herself to that random dude??
This was going to be a piece of explosive news on campus.
Suddenly, someone shouted in surprise.
“Uh? Isn’t that Professor Chen from the Biology department who went missing a year ago. Now he is back and is seeing Fang Qiong?”
Professor Chen was a much more popular sensation on campus. He easily charmed the students and teachers with his depth of technical knowledge, his breadth of wealth, and his godly appearance.
Sensing the sizzling excitement of the crowd, Chen Fan decided to leave with the two girls.
As soon as he was out of the Library, he cast an illusion art and changed his appearance back. The two girls watched in disbelief as Chen Fan transformed his look, “Hey, what did you do to Professor Chen? I don’t want to look at your face.”
Zhong Yaoyao complained.
“Then don’t look and buzz off.”
Chen Fan flung back at her.
North Mystic Celestial Lord was a godly existence and even a Dao Reunion level Immortal Cultivator had to bow to him with great respect. It was an affront to treat him as frivolous eye candy.
“Make me…”
Zhong Yaoyao held onto Fang Qiong’s arm tightly and refuted coquettishly as she followed the two closely.
The three of them finally arrived at a quiet restaurant around noon where they caught up with each other over lunch. Fang Qiong did most of the talking while Chen Fan listened on attentively, nodded from time to time.
“Did the Su Family get on your back again?”
Chen Fan furrowed his brows and clasped his fingers. “I had taken Su Yanghao for a wise old man, but he disappointed me by spoiling his arrogant children. I think it is time for him to learn a lesson.”
“Just so! Chen Fan, you have no idea how disgusting those Su Family members are, especially that bitch called Su Qian. She had embarrassed Xiao Qiong before the entire family many times.”
Zhong Yaoyao chimed in.
“That’s enough.”
Fang Qiong shot her BFF a hot glare and then gave Chen Fan a placating look. “That’s not important. The important thing is that you are back now.”
Fang Qiong and just turned 20 this year, already she looked much closer to the Zi Qiong Goddess that Chen Fan had remembered.
“I will visit Wu Zhou with you in a couple of days.”
Chen Fan said firmly.
“Thank you.”
Fang Qiong knew she couldn’t change Chen Fan’s mind, so she nodded. However, she couldn’t hide the flash of joy in her eyes.
Lunch was over, Chen Fan saw the two girls to their dorm and left the campus. He felt relieved after seeing Fang Qiong was safe and sound. They were going to spend endless eons together, and therefore there was no need to cling onto each other now.
Plus, there was something more urgent to deal with as of now.
“Wei Family of the North Bank, Su Family of Wu Zhou City, Ji Family of Zhong Hai, Han Family of Yan Jin and the Lin family of Southeastern China will all have to pay for what they have done. But my first and foremost task is to get Sister An back.”
Chen Fan calculated in his mind.
Chen Fan’s disappearance had made the other regional forces restless.
The Han Family, for example, had released Second Lord Han thinking Chen Fan was dead. Worse, they also supported the Song Family to antagonize the Chen family. For this, they would have to pay a heavy cost.
However, at this moment, Chen Fan was not only concerned about his own family, but also the Lu family, A’Xiu, the Medicine God Valley Sect, and Zheng Anqi at Hong Kong.
If the Hong Sect had made their way to Jiang Bei, they must have also visited the Lu family and found the Medicine God Valley Sect.
“sigh… lesson learned. My cultivation in my last life had been smooth sailing thanks to the protection of the True Martial Celestial Sect. I never had to be on guard all the time. Therefore, I have spread myself too thin all over the earth and without uniting the scattered forces together, my enemies could easily pick them off one by one.”
Chen Fan heaved a sigh and said wistfully: “That’s it then. In order to protect my family and the people that followed me, I need to unite everyone together under one banner.”
Chen Fan thought to himself.
Chen Fan had been a perfected cultivator and reached the Tribulation Transcendence level. Therefore, when he finally regained his former level of attainment, he could use many dharmic arts to create a legion of deadly fighters that would fight for him. Tong Shan was an example of the fighters that would make up such an army. He only needed ten fighters as powerful as Tong Shan to annihilate the lord of the Lin Family.
However, that wouldn’t happen for a while.
Building such a formidable force took time and patience. Once all the requirements were met, the spirit herbs at the Green Dragon Grand Array would be more than enough to sustain such an army.
That being said, Chen Fan reckoned that he should focus his attention on the task at hand: to reach the An family and bring Sister An back.
With that thought in mind, Chen Fan looked to the North as his eyes lit up with a cold light.
The An family of Don He Province was one of the most prominent family clans in Northern China.
Although its influence was a far cry from that of the Wang or the Xiao family, they were deep-rooted in the Don He Province and had produced many brilliant hires throughout history. The Ans Group was also one of the few Chinese private companies that made it into the world’s top five hundred corporations.
Most local tycoons of Jiang Nan paled in comparison with the An family, and only the Su Family might have been in the same league with the An family.
The An family had many branches and its members scattered all over China in many different provinces.
An Jinxiu was from of the An family’s branches in Yan Jin City. She had known Wang Xiaoyun, the female heir of the Wang family when they were just little girls. Once An Jinxiu gave birth to a girl outside of marriage, she was considered a stain on the family’s reputation.
Rumor had it that An Jinxiu’s parents had to sever their ties with An Jinxiu to contain the damage to the family clan.
In the end, Wang Xiaoyun had brought An Ya home to raise her in Jiang Nan Province.
“They were as influential as the Han Family, but for very different reasons. The Han family has deep connection in the military, but the An family was a significant local force. Since they were not as well connected as, say, the Han Family, they might not even be aware of my return. Once they know that I am on my way to them, they should kneel down before me and beg for forgiveness.”
On the plane to Dong He, Chen Fan flipped through the documents Red Sparrow had collected for him about the An family.
Although he had killed many people a few nights ago and enjoyed every minute of it, it was Red Sparrow who had to clean up his mess. Right after that she also hurried to collect information on the An family for him.
However, Chen Fan didn’t feel that Red Sparrow’s help was unwarranted.
Red Sparrow and Director Xiao had owed him a big one for not barging into the kremlin and having a “Chat” with the Russian leader as he planned to. In the end, he decided to end the conflict peacefully and made Red Sparrow’s life infinitely easier.
“In my last life, Jin Xiu Group was gone before it rose to prominence, so I doubt the An family even knew that An Ya existed.”
“However, I have prevented the fall of Jin Xiu Group in this lifetime and therefore it had risen to fame. My mom is now regarded as the Queen of Real Estate while Sister An also became famous as her assistant and CEO of the Jin Xiu Group. I think that was how Sister An came under the An family’s attention again.”
Chen Fan closed his eyes and thought to himself.
At the root of the An family’s change of heart was the value of Sister An they have newly discovered.
In Chen Fna’s last life, An Ya was a nobody, and the An family didn’t even know her existence. But In this life, An Ya was an attractive young CEO of a large corporation; she would be an irreplaceable asset to the An family.
Just as Su Family had groomed Su Xiao into a valuable merchandise to be sold for a marriage alliance, so too the An family sought to taut their own valuable assets at the market of a political marriage.
“So they plan to use Sister An as a tool for gaining an alliance.”
The thought didn’t sit well with Chen Fan. A flicker of cold light flashed in his eyes.
“Hehe. Might as well. I wouldn’t know what to do with them if they genuinely wanted to right the wrong they have done to Sister An. But if they had taken Sister An only to sell her off again, It would make things much easier for me.”
Chen Fan sneered.
The Sword of Essense Restoring hummed inside the gourd as if it had sensed its master’s anger.
Chen Fan wasn’t able to get the closure he wanted in Russia, so he returned with a belly full of festering anger. So much so that even the death of the Song Family and five hundred men and women in Jiang Bei couldn’t quell the burning desire to hurt someone. That being said, Chen Fan reckoned that he needs to wait until he talks to Sister An before making the final judgment.
Before that, Chen Fan needed to hold back his anger and control himself.
“Hooo!”
The plane landed at the Phoenix City, the capital city of Don He Province.
Just like Jin City and Lin City, Phoenix City was one of the top fifteen top tier cities in China. Its streets were filled with bustling citizens and even foreigners of all skin colors.
Once Chen Fan out of the airport, he called for a taxi.
He knew no one in Phoenix City, but it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find the family of Don He Province due to their fame. Even if he did have trouble locating them, he could pinpoint Sister An’s whereabouts by tracking the energy of the Jade pendant he had given to her.
“You are looking for the An family?” The Taxi Driver asked.
“That’s easy! The An family mansion is near downtown. Tsk..tsk… it’s so big that it could fit a few shopping malls there. But that’s the An family for ya! They are the biggest fish in our city.”
“Very well, let’s be on our way then.” Chen Fan nodded.
The Taxi took Chen Fan straight to downtown. The Taxi driver continued to fill Chen Fan in on the mighty An family.
“The An family is the one calls the shots in the city. The CEO of the Ans group is the richest man in Don He Province. Even the provincial leaders had to show respect for him, but what can you do, eh? They got the money, and no one dares to mess with them. I have heard that they are planning a marriage alliance with another big family as if they are still not powerful enough.”
“Marriage alliance?”
Two divine lights lit up Chen Fan’s eyes as he heard the two words.