Chen Fan didn’t want to spend too much time in the main hall, so he left with Lu Yanwu and entered the backyard.
His only purpose was to show some support for the Lu family and he had done enough of that tonight.
Just yesterday, Chen Fan had subjugated the entire Zhong Hai and therefore many people who lived in Lin City also heard of what had happened. Therefore, Chen Fan wagered that would be enough to deter anyone from making a move on the Lu family.
“Mr. and Mrs. Qiu, Immortal Master wishes to see you.”
By the end of the banquet, Qiu Zhenqin was stopped on his way out of the banquet hall.
“Mr. Chen?”
Qiu Zhenqin and Qiu Yilun exchanged a knowing glance with each other.
They followed the servants and quickly arrived in the backyard.
The “backyard” turned out to be the size of a park with a small gurgling creek running through it in the middle. There were painted pavilions and miniature bridges dotted here and there throughout the manicured garden. Many servants bustled about in the garden, wearing plain traditional style Qipao dresses and their hair was up in buns. Despite their swift steps, their cotton shoes made no sound on the ground. It made the visitors feel as if they walked into a nobleman’s garden a few hundred years ago.
“Such culture and wealth!”
Qiu Zhenqin exclaimed in his mind.
The inner sections of the Lu family residence were never open to visitors, regardless of their rank in the government or their total wealth. Therefore, it was the first time Qiu Yilun ever set foot into this opulent labyrinth.
They arrived at the entrance of a small building. Qiu Zhenqin saw that the two vases that flanked the entrance as decoration were genuine relics from the Qin dynasty. Each one of them was worth over a hundred thousand to two hundred. Such treasure was placed outside of the building by the Lu family as if it was worth nothing.
“They must be insanely rich! Us from the Qiu family simply couldn’t compare. Yilun, behave yourself while you talk to Mr. Chen, be humble and don’t act like a brash teenager.”
Qiu Zhenqin heaved a sigh and warned his son sternly.
“Yes, father.”
Qiu Yilun nodded.
Meanwhile, Qian Lulu and Lady Qiu were enamored by the exquisite fineries scattered around the garden. There were so many of them that they weren’t sure where to place their eyes.
They kept reaching deeper into the garden and went through a few more fences until they saw guards standing by another entrance. These guards all bore an overbearing demeanor and even the air around them had an intimidating quality to it. They were powerful warriors, the cream of the crop among martial artists.
Qian Lulu and the others were still clueless as to the extent of Chen Fan’s real strength.
However, when the leaders of the Lu family, including many leaders, treated Chen Fan with utmost respect, they, too, felt a deep respect for Chen Fan.
“Immortal Master is waiting for you. This way please.”
The servant led the Qiu family to a magnificent pavilion and said.
Qiu Zhenqin cracked the door open and saw Chen Fan was sitting in an arm hair, sipping a cup of tea. Old Man Lu sat across the table with his back hunched over. Meanwhile, the Queen of Lin City, the CEO of the Lus Group, was pouring more tea into Chen Fan’s cup. Yukishiro Sa sat alertly behind Chen Fan.
“General Chen.”
Qiu Zhenqin plastered on a smile and bowed deeply to Chen Fan. Meanwhile, lady Qiu who was high on her horses also gave Chen Fan an ingratiating smile.
“Boss?”
Qiu Yilun was overtaken by a mix of strong yet complicated feelings.
Two years ago while they were in Hong Kong, Qiu Yilun didn’t notice nearly as big of a gap between him and Chen Fan as it was now. Chen Fan’s illustrious achievements sounded almost unbelievable to him.
However, Qiu Yilun was quickly convinced of Chen Fan’s unimaginable power once he saw reputable tycoons and government officers, such as the immeasurably wealthy Lu family, bow to Chen Fan with deference.
“There is no need for such formality. I am Yilun’s classmate, so just call me Chen Fan.”
Chen Fan said readily.
Despite Chen Fan’s words, Qiu Zhenqin had eventually settled on “Mr. Chen.” He would never dare to call the mighty figure by his name.
Chen Fan left it at that and didn’t insist them to drop the formality. He knew that it was unreasonable to expect people to treat him as an ordinary fellow human being. Not even his childhood friends or college roommates could have done that.
“I just wanted to chat with you guys. It has been a while since the last time Yilun and I talked with each other. I wonder if you have any news from school?”
Chen Fan said lightly.
“Ah… yes… yes. Please chat with Yilun and Lulu. My wife and I will excuse ourselves for now.” Qiu Zhenqin bowed a few times and retreated from the room with his wife.
Even after his parents were gone, Qiu Yilun still wore the “Humble” expression in his face as per his father’s instruction.
“What are you doing there? Come over here! Have you already forgotten about your boss?” Chen Fan threw banter at him.
“Your hoity-toity-ness has scared me.” Qiu Yilun heaved a sigh as his face finally softened. He sauntered over to Chen Fan and sat down.
“Boss, did you know how bossy you were? I feel like I should call you ‘my lord’.”
“You can think of Immortal Master Chen as the Kokushi or Grand Preceptor during the ancient time. Even kings had to show respect for him.” Lu Yanwu said calmly.
“Indeed! I would never expect Boss to be so far ahead of us in life already.”
Qiu Yilun cracked a smile, but he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his eyes.
“Let’s talk about something else. What’s new at school?”
Chen Fan waved a hand.
The mentioning of school lit up Qiu Yilun’s eyes and lightened his mood. He quickly stopped comparing himself with Chen Fan in his mind and started to reflect on their past. It wasn’t long before Lu Yanwu brought out two jars of wine filled to the brim with fragrant vintage.
Compared to the thirty-year Matai, these wines were much more flavourful and more true to the terraria where the grains were harvested.
Qiu Yilun lifted one of the jars and signaled Chen Fan to do the same with the other and swilled the content.
Qian Lulu watched as her mind raced. In the end, she heaved a sigh of regret.
“Qinya, you are a much better judge of character than I am. You have chosen a true dragon, while I have picked a little earthworm.”
Qiu Yilun got hammered that night, so Chen Fan had to order the Lu family to clean up a guest bedroom for him and Qian Lulu.
When Qiu Yilun finally woke up the next morning, he learned that Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa were already gone.
“Gone?”
Qiu Yilun’s mind reeled at Chen Fan’s sudden departure.
“Don’t overthink, Yilun. Both you and I are ordinary people, so let’s be content with our ordinary life. Chen Fan lives in an entirely different world now.” Qian Lulu comforted her boyfriend softly.
“Right.”
Qiu Yilun pondered for a while and nodded in the end.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan was already on his way to Medicine God Valley Sect with Yukishiro Sa in tow.
He had planned to go to Hong Kong first, but his trip to the Lu family had changed his mind.
“I need to figure out this Snow God Palace first. Someone at the Medicine God Valley Sect must know something. They have been around for hundreds of years and were well connected to all major sects. One-eyed Naga King is still guarding the fort for me in Hong Kong. He is a peak Dharma Cultivation level spell caster and could hold himself well in almost any situation, so there is no hurry to get there immediately. The Medicine God Valley Sect should be my priority.”
Chen Fan thought to himself.
“Huhuhu.”
Chen Fan’s white Ferrari 458 overruled across the highway.
Tian Nan province was a few thousand miles away from Medicine God Valley Sect. However, both Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa were able to travel round the clock without taking a rest, so they reached Dragon Head City in just two days.
The Medicine God Valley Sect was located at the Lin Shan village near Dragon Head City.
This village was on the only route to Medicine God Valley Sect so most seekers of medicine would stop at the village and rest. Over time, the quiet village had become a bustling business hub. However, when Chen Fan arrived at the village, he found the streets empty and the stores closed.
“Excuse me, sir. Where is everyone?”
Chen Fan found a villager and asked him.
“Sigh!. The Medicine God Valley Sect closed its door to medicine seekers. Once the visitors dried up, people started moving out of the town in droves.” The old man said
“Are you two going to visit the Medicine God Valley Sect? You might as well turn around right now. The sect is closed.”
“The sect is closed?”
Chen Fan was taken aback.
In the few hundred years of Medicine God Valley Sect’s history, never once did it shut its door to visitors.
Chen Fan found a hotel and checked-in his luggage and started up the mountain path with only a backpack.
It would take an average person a couple of days to reach the valley, but Chen Fan was there within a couple of hours. They arrived at the entrance to the fort that guarded the Medicine God Valley Sect before noon.
“It’s Immortal Master Chen!”
The black-clad guard recognized Chen Fan from the top of the fortification. His eyes lit up with elation and he shouted to the people inside the fort at the top of his lungs.
The fort residence took whatever they could find that would make a loud din and rushed out of the fort to welcome Chen Fan, trailing behind a cacophony of clinks, clanks, and dongs.
“Grand Elder, Fifth Elder, Jin Yi…”
Chen Fan scanned the welcoming crowd and noticed a lot of familiar faces.
“Uh? Where is the King of Elixirs?”
Chen Fan asked.
His question brought a pang of pain and regret to everyone’s face. Already, Zhou JinYi’s eyes turned red and she said, sobbing “My Lord, he died a year ago.”
“What?”
Chen Fan was shocked.
“My lord, ever since we got the news of your death at Siberia, the Ghost Witch Sect from southwest China joined forces with the Blood Witch Sect, Spirit Witch Sect, and sixteen other Witch Sects to attack us. Sect master had taken on three Perfected Cultivators at once and although he was able to kill one and gravely injure the other two, Sect master died in the evening due to the poison in his wounds. We were able to drive the attackers back, but our victory came at a heavy cost. That’s when we decided to stop receiving visitors”
Grand Elder heaved a sigh and said: “Before Sect Master died, he had named Jin Yi as his successor.”
“Ghost Witch Sect?”
Chen Fan narrowed his glinting eyes.
He had killed the young lord of the Ghost Witch Sect in order to save Yu Wenjin, and killed one more member from the Ghost Witch Sect later using Li Fire Golden Eyes. He had thought that the Ghost Witch Sect would have learned its lesson, but little did he know that they would rally the other witch sects and attack Medicine God Valley Sect and kill the King of Elixirs.
“The Witch sects had been eyeing the Medicine God Valley Sect for years. I wager that they had been dreaming of reclaiming Great Magus’s Dharma Treasure buried in the valley.”
Grand Elder put in.
“Oh? What Dharma Treasure?”
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.