Chapter 148: Zhang Fan

Late at night, the lonely moon hung high, like a bowstring.

In the dim room, Zhang Fan looked at the empty box in his hand and casually took out his phone, dialing Li Yishan's number.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

A prompt sound came, followed by the harsh, urgent busy signal.

"Mm!?"

Zhang Fan's eyelids drooped, looking at the time; it was already past eleven.

"Asleep?"

Li Yishan had a very strange habit; generally, after eleven o'clock at night, you almost couldn't find him.

According to Li Yishan, eleven o'clock at night is the Zi hour in ancient times, the time when heaven and earth's Yang energy is weakest and Yin energy is blazing...

This is the time for mortal rest and ghost activity; good families should be asleep.

At that time, Zhang Fan wondered if Li Yishan was studying folklore until he was obsessed.

"If no one answers, I should sleep too."

Zhang Fan curled his lips and dialed Li Yishan again.

At this time, Jinfeng Building rooftop.

"Rat rat, squeak squeak squeak, ox ox, moo moo moo, tiger tiger..."

A pleasant, nursery-rhyme-like phone ringtone echoed in the lonely night, reverberating on the cold rooftop.

In the corner, a phone lay on the ground, glowing in the dark night. The screen showed the caller: Zhang Fan! The faint light illuminated a figure not far away. Under the eerie moonlight, that figure stood by the rooftop, arms spread wide, as if a little bird yearning for freedom, letting the night wind whistle in its ears.

Suddenly, that figure jumped, actually jumping down from the thirty-seventh-story rooftop.

Whoosh...

The wind of the midnight hour was even more violent, as if a wild beast were roaring and growling, ferocious and terrifying, stirring the black clouds to cross, pressing the string moon to hide.

Bang...

Finally, with a loud sound, everything seemed to have a full stop drawn.

The wind stopped, the clouds left.

That pleasant, nursery-rhyme-like phone ringtone also came to an abrupt end, the lingering sounds scattering on the rooftop that had returned to coldness.

The next morning, early morning.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and sunlight shone into Zhang Fan's room through the window.

He was like an owl, eyes wide open, hair messy, looking like he hadn't slept all night.

"Spirit full, not thinking of sleep... I'm not yet escaped from the tribulation, am I?"

Zhang Fan squinted his eyes and scratched his head.

"Dad's dad is a monster, Dad's mom is a monster, Mom's..."

Just then, a pleasant phone ringtone broke the silence of the morning, pulling Zhang Fan's thoughts over.

He drooped his eyes, fumbled on the bed, finally touched his phone, picked it up, and looked; the caller ID was Li Yishan.

"Hello..."

"Why were you looking for me last night?"

Li Yishan's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding weak.

"Why do you sound like that?"

"Damn, don't mention it. I slept on a stiff pillow last night..."

As he spoke, Li Yishan sucked his teeth, taking a cold breath, clearly in quite a bit of pain.

"Were you sleeping alone last night?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask subconsciously.

"Mm? You're not right, you're very not right. What do you mean by that?"

"I was just asking casually. You've always been orderly when sleeping," Zhang Fan grinned.

"Didn't sleep well last night, fell off the bed. Woke up this morning, and my neck was stiff."

On the other end of the phone, Li Yishan's voice suddenly strained, as if stretching his neck in pain.

"What was the matter looking for me last night?"

"Oh, nothing much... I just wanted to ask you if you remember when I first brought you home when we were kids, and we saw a box..." Zhang Fan asked casually.

"Box? What box?"

"A bit like the box for Angong Niuhuang Wan."

"Oh oh oh... I remember now. Is it that box for holding yellow discs!?" Li Yishan suddenly became excited.

"..."

Zhang Fan was speechless, but thinking about it, it made sense. The seal on the box said, minors please open in the company of parents...

According to Li Yishan's train of thought, it was indeed easy to think crookedly.

"What's wrong?" Li Yishan's voice pulled Zhang Fan's thoughts back.

"The stuff in the box, do you remember?" Zhang Fan asked casually.

"Stuff? What stuff? The box was empty when we opened it back then."

Li Yishan's voice came from the phone, echoing in Zhang Fan's ears.

"Empty!?" Zhang Fan was stunned.

"Was it hidden by your parents long ago, secretly watching..."

"Get lost!" Zhang Fan squinted his eyes and cursed.

"No... how long ago was this? You called me just for this?" Li Yishan expressed confusion.

"Otherwise, what else could it be?"

"I thought you were for Xu Zhixia's matter."

Li Yishan's voice revealed a hint of malicious laughter.

"What could I have with her?" Zhang Fan rolled his eyes.

Ever since the old Zhang residence matter, he hadn't seen Xu Zhixia again.

"She looked for me," Li Yishan suddenly said.

"What did she look for you for?" Zhang Fan asked strangely.

"She wanted to ask you out for a meal, but you didn't make a sound," Li Yishan laughed lightly.

Zhang Fan remained silent. During this time, Xu Zhixia had indeed looked for him, but times had changed, and he no longer had the heart to deal with it. Some things, once passed, should be let go.

Better not to see than to see!

"Tsk tsk, you are now a toad eating jumping candy, shaking up."

Li Yishan's laughter came from the other end of the phone: "You weren't like that half-dead look back then. I should have recorded you back then and eaten you for a lifetime."

"That wasn't me; you recognized the wrong person."

As he spoke, Zhang Fan hung up the phone.

"Wait, Xu Zhixia left yesterday, did you know?"

"I know, she sent me a message," Zhang Fan said indifferently.

Yesterday, Xu Zhixia left Yujing and returned to Shangjing, greeting Zhang Fan and telling him to definitely look for her if he had time to go to Shangjing.

"You are really not human. At least you were in love once, and you didn't even send her off," Li Yishan laughed lightly.

"Do you have anything to say or not? If not, don't chat hard."

"Tell you a serious matter," Li Yishan changed the subject and suddenly said.

"What matter?"

"The dog meat hot pot has new goods. Let's go eat together tonight," Li Yishan said seriously.

"..."

"You are also afraid of being replenished to death," Zhang Fan rolled his eyes.

"Better to be over-nourished than to be drained to death!"

"Look behind you," Zhang Fan suddenly said.

"What? Ouch... damn..."

A painful wail came from the other end of the phone, as if Li Yishan's neck had been twisted off.

Zhang Fan laughed loudly, hung up the phone, and went out after washing up.

Beep beep beep... Just then, Zhang Fan's phone rang again. He opened Super Letter and saw it was a message from Sui Brother Chunsheng.

"Do you have time? Come to the Dao Alliance; your bonus is down."

Seeing this, Zhang Fan's eyes lit up.

He had heard Sui Brother Chunsheng say before that because of the Mysterious View trip, he had contributed, and the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance had specially approved a bonus for him. He didn't expect it to come down so quickly.

"Just transfer it directly. Why run an errand," Zhang Fan muttered in his heart, but having money to take, he didn't care too much. He went out, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance.

Just entering the door, Sui Brother Chunsheng greeted him in the courtyard.

"You say you are really polite. Contributing to the Daoist cause is what we should do, and you give money... really... how much?"

Zhang Fan leaned into Sui Brother Chunsheng's ear and asked in a low voice.

"Follow me."

Sui Brother Chunsheng took Zhang Fan, turned and entered the small room next to him. Zhan Xinyue was holding a camera, seemingly waiting for a long time.

"Come, your bonus."

Zhang Fan took the envelope, couldn't wait to open it and take a look...

One thousand yuan in cash, plus two hundred yuan in shopping vouchers!? Zhang Fan was stunned and then squinted his eyes, looking at Sui Brother Chunsheng.

Could the Dao Alliance be any stingier!? If it were before, Zhang Fan would naturally accept it happily. Now, he could be considered someone who had seen "big money." The courtyard in Suzhou City left to him by Si Snake collected over thirty thousand in rent every month.

One thousand yuan, and using shopping vouchers to make up the number, is this also a bonus!?

"The bonus is secondary," Sui Brother Chunsheng shook his head.

"Could there be any other reward?" Zhang Fan's flame that had just extinguished rose again.

"There is also honor!"

"..."

As he spoke, under Zhang Fan's unbelievable gaze, Sui Brother Chunsheng actually took out a banner from the table behind him, on which was written:

Yujing City Daoist Excellent Worker!!! Inscription: Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance General Association.

Time: September 27, 2024.

"Come, this is the honor that belongs to you, and it is also the Dao Alliance's affirmation of you. Don't feel like you are unworthy,"

Seeing Zhang Fan standing in place, as if petrified, not even taking the banner, Sui Brother Chunsheng hurriedly persuaded.

As he spoke, he stuffed the banner in his hand into Zhang Fan's hand.

"Look here."

Just then, Zhan Xinyue lit up the camera, greeting the two to pose.

"Look at the lens, shout with me, Fushang Wuliang!"

As the words fell, only a "click" of the shutter was heard, the picture froze, and Zhang Fan received the first banner of his life. 【148-11

"What's wrong? How do you feel?" Seeing Zhang Fan remain silent, Sui Brother Chunsheng could not help but ask.

When he first joined the Daoist Alliance and received his first honor and affirmation, his mood had also been exceptionally excited.

"It's hard to say!" Zhang Fan squeezed out a faint smile, feeling quite overwhelmed with emotion.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going first."

Zhang Fan hugged the silk banner and held the bonus money, striding away; had he known, he wouldn't have made this trip specifically.

"Zhang Fan!"

Just as he stepped outside, a familiar voice came from the side, calling him to a halt.

Zhang Fan stopped in his tracks, turned his head to look, and could not help but be stunned for a moment.

"Ma Buting!?"

Zhang Fan had not expected to encounter this person again.

This kid had taken a hit from his 【Fire Dragon Elixir Sword】 in the courtyard of the old Zhang family mansion; he had heard he was severely injured and had nearly lost half his life. How much time had passed, yet he looked like nothing had happened? His skin even seemed more radiant and fair, and even his pores were hard to see.

"My Three Sovereigns Sect still has some foundation."

Ma Buting seemed to see Zhang Fan's confusion and spoke in a low, soft voice.

Every Daoist sect had its own unique spiritual elixirs and secret medicines, and there were no shortage of methods for shedding one's mortal coil and changing one's skin.

Ma Buting came from the Three Sovereigns Sect and had obtained the true transmission of the 【Three Yin Demon-Slaughtering Blade】, and had also refined the 【Three Sovereigns Spirit-Summoning】 method; with such a talent, the sect naturally would not spare the cost to treat him.

"This time, I really owe it to you," Ma Buting walked up close and said indifferently.

"Are you being sarcastic!?" Zhang Fan glanced at him sideways.

"No, I'm sincere..."

Ma Buting shook his head, his expression solemn as he said: "If I hadn't suffered this tribulation at your hands, I fear I would never have been able to take this step..."

As he spoke, a brilliant light seemed to flow in Ma Buting's eyes, distinct in color, as if water and fire were merging.

"I am about to enter the 【High Merit】 rank."

Once these words were spoken, Zhang Fan's expression changed slightly, and even Sui Brother Chunsheng and Zhan Xinyue beside him looked somewhat unnatural.

Ma Buting had originally practiced the 【Three Yin Demon-Slaughtering Blade】, which was of an extremely Yin nature. That day, he had been struck by Zhang Fan's 【Fire Dragon Elixir Sword】, and with the True Fire entering his body, he had nearly died. Who would have thought that in the face of this great tribulation, he would break through the barrier of life and death with the help of the Three Sovereigns Sect, realize the true meaning of Yin and Yang, and take this crucial step.

"Only by crossing a thousand tribulations can one truly understand the path to immortality," Ma Buting murmured softly.

This life-and-death tribulation seemed to have transformed him quite a bit.

No wonder they say that tribulations are both the executioner's blade for the practitioner and the elixir of longevity.

"I thank you for this."

As he spoke, Ma Buting actually bowed, performing a salute toward Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan could also see that this expression of gratitude was sincere and from the bottom of his heart.

"If I achieve 【High Merit】, I may have to ask for your guidance, fellow Daoist."

A terrifying light flickered in Ma Buting's eyes; he seemed to have recovered his former confidence.

After the words fell, Ma Buting performed another salute and turned to take his leave.

"What's the meaning of this? Is he truly thanking you, or is he here to intimidate you?" Sui Brother Chunsheng walked over and could not help but ask.

"The thanks are genuine, but he must also be harboring a grudge in his heart," Zhang Fan said indifferently.

He had no life-or-death enmity with Ma Buting; because of him, the latter had broken through the life-and-death barrier and seen the hope of achieving 【High Merit】. Strictly speaking, Zhang Fan was both the person who brought him his tribulation and the person with whom he shared a karmic connection.

Life and death transform, fortune and misfortune rely on each other; this corresponds to the true meaning of Daoism.

Therefore, Ma Buting's gratitude toward Zhang Fan was naturally heartfelt; past grievances would surely dissipate as he stepped into a higher realm.

However, a person of his character, with such a temperament, having been defeated by Zhang Fan, would naturally harbor a grudge. Breaking through to a higher realm, he would naturally want to ask for guidance again and regain his pride!!! "High Merit, huh!?"

A surge of longing welled up in Zhang Fan's eyes; that was the realm he had long been anticipating.

At this moment, the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance was already busy, setting up the Dharma altar and arranging the incense stands... Someone was even walking into the building holding an exquisite jade box, which was sealed with talismans and bore the mark of the Three Sovereigns Sect.

Zhang Fan knew this was the 【Incense of Truth-Descent】; those with high Daoist merit who enter this realm must use this incense to summon the various True Ones.

Only by burning this incense, paying respects to the ancestors, and summoning the True Ones could the soul-aspect be baptized and sublimated, thereby breaking into that 【High Merit】 rank.

"I'm jealous!"

Zhang Fan curled his lips and left in a huff.

Although the failure rate for attempting the 【High Merit】 rank was extremely high, Zhang Fan knew that with Ma Buting's natural talent and foundation, and with the help of the 【Incense of Truth-Descent】, achieving the 【High Merit】 rank was almost a certainty.

Zhang Fan rolled up the silk banner, tucked away the bonus money, and returned to 【Night Without Light】. Just as he entered the door, he was stopped by Wen He.

"The boss wants you to go to his office."

"Work first thing in the morning!?"

Zhang Fan had a forehead full of black lines; weekday mornings were for slacking off, and normal work should start in the afternoon.

But who made him a workhorse? Putting down the silk banner, Zhang Fan turned and went to the door of Bai Buran's office.

"Knock... knock... knock..."

"Come in!"

Bai Buran's voice came from inside the door, as lazy as ever, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

"Boss, are you looking for me?"

Zhang Fan entered the door and asked.

"The 【Incense of Truth-Descent】 from True Martial Mountain has arrived..."

As he spoke, Bai Buran pursed his lips, his gaze falling on the package on the desk.

(End of chapter)