Chapter 206

Early morning, sunlight filtered through the blinds and scattered across the bed.

Zhang Fan lay with one arm covering his forehead, eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

Last night, the light and shadows that appeared in his inner soul-aspect were like brands, flashing incessantly in his mind, unable to be shaken off.

With the elevation of his realm and the strengthening of his cultivation, his soul-aspect was undergoing constant transformation. Even without harmonizing his spirit, he could always recall some things and remember some fragments.

"Jiang Lai..."

Zhang Fan whispered, bits and pieces of his acquaintance with Jiang Lai flashing through his mind.

Their encounter on Mount Zhenwu was no accident; their fate could be traced back ten years, beneath Long Hu Mountain, with the Red Moon hanging in the sky.

That night, many things happened; various parties gathered, and powerful figures vied for supremacy.

That night, the previous generation's Xiao, Zhang Fan's own mother Li Linglong, died beneath Long Hu Mountain.

That night, Zhang Fan and Li Changgeng clashed for the first time—both young and promising, both with the potential of hidden dragons—ending in a mutual defeat.

That night, Zhang Fan entered the Great Night Without Light tribulation and mastered the Soul-Splitting Great Art.

That night, Zhang Lingzong retreated unscathed from Long Hu Mountain, bringing out a little girl.

That girl was Jiang Lai.

She was even more mysterious than Zhang Fan had imagined. Through a twist of fate, it seemed one could trace back even further; she had extremely special connections to many people and many things in this world.

At this moment, an strange feeling couldn't help but rise in Zhang Fan's heart.

Zhang Lingzong had hidden many things from him—about the Long Hu Zhang family, about Jiang Lai... and perhaps about himself as well.

"Daddy's daddy is a monster, daddy's mommy is a monster..."

Just then, a sharp ringtone from his phone sounded, pulling Zhang Fan's thoughts back.

"Rabbit!?"

Zhang Fan looked at the caller ID and answered the phone. The note he had for Lin Jianyue was "Rabbit."

"Hello..."

"Did you see the commotion in Yujing City last night?"

Lin Jianyue's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I saw it," Zhang Fan said indifferently.

How could he not have seen it? Perhaps in all of Yujing City, no one had seen it more clearly than he had.

"Do you have any news?" Lin Jianyue asked.

"No. Do you have any news?" Zhang Fan countered.

He didn't know how Lin Jianyue had been subdued by Zhao Jiexuan, but given that she was the Mao Rabbit, one of the thirteen zodiacs, in Zhang Fan's eyes, their alliance was only temporary and had to be guarded against.

"I heard that the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance was sealed off by Luoshan Mountain early this morning," Lin Jianyue said after a slight hesitation.

"Your information is quite well-informed," Zhang Fan said with hidden meaning.

It seemed Lin Jianyue also had eyes inside the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance.

Sui Chunsheng had said that because of those two Wu Wei monsters, Fang Changying and Jiang Li, the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance had already undergone a major purge. Now it seemed the purge hadn't been thorough, and there were still fish that slipped through the net.

From this, one could see how formidable the Wu Wei Sect's infiltration of the Daoist sects was.

"What are you trying to say?" Lin Jianyue said calmly.

"So you're saying your Vice Sect Master caused this? He wouldn't really be about to break free, would he?" Zhang Fan said in a deep voice.

After what happened last night, he had completely lost any good feelings toward this Marvelous View Master.

Perhaps the other party just wanted to use him to test the bottom line of his missing father, but endangering Zhang Fan's life meant trampling on his bottom line.

This grudge was now set.

"I don't know either," Lin Jianyue said noncommittally, and one couldn't tell how much of that sentence was true or false.

After all, she had come to Yujing City on behalf of the Wu Wei Sect precisely for this Marvelous View Master.

"Try to keep a low profile recently and don't move around casually," Zhang Fan urged.

With such a commotion last night, he feared Yujing City would be extremely lively next, with all sorts of people and mixed company.

At a time like this, with an identity as sensitive as the Mao Rabbit, she naturally had to keep a low profile.

After all, since coming to Yujing City, she had already made contact with Zhang Fan and even shown her face at the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance. If things were exposed, Zhang Fan really wouldn't be able to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

"I understand."

Lin Jianyue naturally knew the stakes. Having failed to obtain useful intelligence from Zhang Fan, she soon hung up the phone.

"Ding..."

Just then, a message popped up. Zhang Fan opened it, and his eyes lit up.

"Eight hundred thousand has been deposited."

"Good, this black rat is indeed more useful alive than dead," Zhang Fan grinned.

Bai Buran had said the black rat also had an identity in the secular world and could easily produce eight hundred thousand, so he perhaps had some assets and could indeed be kept around to be slowly drained dry.

Of course, what Zhang Fan valued most was the black rat's strength.

Such a great monster was definitely a master no matter where he was placed, far more useful than small monsters like Shi Shougong or Su Shiyu.

Ever since Zhang Fan awakened his soul-aspect and came down from Mount Zhenwu, his circle had undergone earth-shaking changes.

He had friends like Jiang Hu, Wen He, Yu Fu, and Jiang Lai by his side, and elders like the Nine-Fingered Talisman Demon Liu Fusheng and the Yinshan Ghost King Xiong Sanqi behind him.

Furthermore, his relationship with the Yinshan Xiong family and the Baidou Wang family was also extremely good.

Especially Xiong Ba and Wang Xuangang, these two close friends of Zhang Fan, were almost tacitly accepted by the two great families as the next generation of heirs.

As for his capable helpers, on the surface, he had the two brothers Liu Xingchui and Liu Xingyu, and behind the scenes, the two small monsters Shi Shougong and Su Shiyu, all of whom had been tempered and tested.

Besides that, his relationship with the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance was also good; it could be said he had quite a network in both the black and white paths of Yujing City.

Not to mention, Zhang Fan also had somewhat ambiguous relationships with the Wu Wei Sect's Si Snake Bai Yujing and Mao Rabbit Lin Jianyue.

Now, with the addition of the black rat, it could be said his strength had greatly increased.

As long as he was in Yujing City, he was definitely capable and could walk sideways.

Of course, Zhang Fan's biggest trump card was still that deepest-hidden evil god, Zhao Jiexuan.

If Zhang Fan were just an ordinary cultivator, possessing such a network and foundation, within ten years, Yujing City would probably belong to the Zhangs.

Unfortunately, he had too many "thunderbolts" on him that could explode at any time.

His father, his mother, his Jiang Lai, himself... no matter which thunderbolt exploded, he would face endless trouble. Let alone Yujing City, he feared that even in the vast world, there would be no place for him to stay.

"I hope these peaceful days can last a little longer," Zhang Fan thought silently to himself.

The more time he had, the more his strength would improve. Even if the thunderbolts exploded in the future, he would have the ability to protect himself and wouldn't be too passive.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan opened his messaging app and made an appointment with Hong San.

With eight hundred thousand in hand, he could naturally buy that hundred-year-old ginseng king.

316 Guangming Road.

Unseen Mountain Cafe.

"Brother Zhang's actions are truly extraordinary. Seeing a beloved object, you are determined to obtain it."

Hong San grinned and pushed the wooden box containing the hundred-year-old ginseng king toward Zhang Fan.

Opening the wooden box, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out. This ginseng had already grown into a human shape and was at least a hundred years old. If it fell into the hands of an ordinary person, even if they were terminally ill, having not eaten or drunk for three days and nights, and at the end of their rope, drinking a mouthful of ginseng soup could pull them back from the brink. It was a treasure used to sustain life.

Of course, if it fell into the hands of a cultivator like Lin Jianyue, who specialized in external elixir arts, who knew how many precious medicines and spiritual pills could be refined.

Even if used to nourish and circulate the heavenly cycle, it could improve cultivation and refine spells.

With this hundred-year-old ginseng king, combined with the 【Fire Character Slip】, Zhang Fan's 【Fire Dragon Elixir Sword】 should see a significant improvement, perhaps advancing from a minor success technique to a major success technique.

"Brother Zhang, there's no problem with the item, right?" Hong San asked.

"With Brother Hong's treasure, naturally there is no problem," Zhang Fan closed the box.

Money and goods cleared, once you left this table, you couldn't come back to settle accounts if any problems arose. This was the rule, so treasures had to be verified on the spot. Some unscrupulous merchants would show one item, but trade another; if you were careless, you could only suffer the loss yourself.

"It's a pity Brother Sui is away on official business, otherwise we could have set up a gathering and called him out for a couple of drinks," Hong San said, squinting.

Zhang Fan's heart stirred. The Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance was now empty; anyone with any cultivation had been sent away.

Clearly, the commotion last night had been too big, and there was already a sense of being spooked by shadows.

"They are quite busy," Zhang Fan said casually.

"Of course, it's almost the end of the year, and the civilized city evaluation is coming up. None of the departments can afford any slip-ups at this time."

Hong San lowered his voice. "I heard that last night, some masters were dueling, and it got a bit out of hand."

"President Lou's blood pressure spiked on the spot. I heard he almost blew his skull open."

"That exaggerated?" Zhang Fan showed an strange expression.

Cultivators, who nourish their bodies and refine their forms, generally don't have minor ailments. Once a problem arises, it's no small matter.

But high blood pressure blowing a skull open was a bit too exaggerated.

"If I don't exaggerate, I'm afraid you won't believe me."

Hong San grinned. "I'll rub two special blood-pressure-lowering pills later and send them to the old president."

"May Brother Hong's business flourish," Zhang Fan whispered in a deep voice.

After chatting for a bit, Zhang Fan left with the hundred-year-old ginseng king and headed toward the Yinshan Xiong family.

To save him, Zhang Beijiang had been cut in half at the waist by the Black Wind Bead, leaking his true yang and leaving only two tattered skins.

Zhang Fan was an outsider when it came to corpse refining; if he wanted to repair it, the Yinshan Xiong family were the experts.

Outside Yujing City.

Xiong Family Village.

This was the ancestral land of the Xiong family. They did big business in Yujing City, covering many industries, even venturing into emerging fields like new energy and artificial intelligence. However, this village remained their foundation, and ordinary clansmen were simply not qualified to live here.

"Brother Fan, you should have told me earlier so I could have sent someone to pick you up."

Xiong Ba had been waiting at the village entrance for a long time.

Back then, he was just an inconspicuous disciple of the Xiong family's outer branch, not even having a "character" name. If he hadn't met Zhang Fan, how could he have his current status and opportunity? "Tsk tsk, Xiong Ba, your cultivation is becoming more and more extraordinary."

As soon as Zhang Fan got out of the car, he saw that the current Xiong Ba had light hidden in his eyes, his spiritual energy restrained, and his every move carried an unusual momentum, completely different from his previous timid, ghost-fearing self.

He practiced both the Yinshan method and the Taiyi method, refining ghosts and delivering the dead. With both approaches, his realm and cultivation were naturally not what they used to be.

Now, among the younger generation of the Xiong family, even the former proud daughter of heaven, Xiong Qianqiu, was no longer his match; he could be said to be firmly seated in the position of the number one person.

"Meeting a noble person, there must be a time to soar. This is all thanks to you."

Just then, Xiong Qianqiu walked over from afar. Her long hair hung to her waist, and she wore tight, form-fitting sportswear, which was hot and eye-catching.

"Long time no see," Zhang Fan chuckled.

"Follow me, the elders are already waiting for you," Xiong Qianqiu whispered in a deep voice.

Before Zhang Fan came, he had already explained his purpose.

A moment later, in the front hall of the Xiong family ancestral hall.

Ordinary juniors were not qualified to enter here, let alone meet the 【Treasure-character generation】 and 【View-character generation】 figures of the Xiong family.

"Nine-Refinement Living Corpse, such a technique must be a secret transmission, and it has been lost for a long time... The one who refined this corpse is truly extraordinary," Xiong Guanchen said, hunched over, looking at the two halves of the skin, unable to help but sigh.

"Senior, can it be repaired?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"If we wanted to refine such a spiritual corpse, our Xiong family couldn't do it, but just repairing it is still possible," Xiong Guanchen chuckled.

Zhang Fan was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Then if it needs repairing, Senior, please name your price."

The Xiong family originated from the Yinshan Sect and were experts in driving ghosts and refining corpses. They also had business in this area, helping outside Daoist priests refine ghosts and corpses. Depending on the materials consumed and the level of the corpse or ghost, the fees naturally varied.

"You and Xiong Ba are close friends, so you can be considered one of our own. Mentioning fees would be too distant," Xiong Guanchen whispered.

"That's too embarrassing," Zhang Fan almost laughed out loud.

"Alright, you juniors go talk. This thing is a bit troublesome to repair. Come back and get it in half a month," Xiong Guanchen waved his hand, not waiting for Zhang Fan's fake politeness.

"Many thanks, Senior." Zhang Fan bowed and followed Xiong Ba and Xiong Qianqiu out.

"Father, this spiritual corpse is no small matter. Repairing it will likely be very troublesome."

Just then, Xiong Baoping spoke up. As the Xiong family head, ever since the last time Xiong Sanqi caused a scene, he had been like someone with depression; he never had a smile on his face again, as if his own father had died.

"This spiritual corpse was refined using the 【Nine-Refinement Living Corpse】 method. By repairing it, our Xiong family can also gain quite a bit of insight," Xiong Guanchen said indifferently.

"Baoping, your vision needs to be long-term. This time is also an opportunity for you; perhaps repairing it can help you break through."

"Repairing this spiritual corpse requires 【Non-Dissolving Bone】 and 【Earth Mother Skin】. Our Xiong family doesn't have much stock left," Xiong Baoping frowned.

The so-called Non-Dissolving Bone was the bone burned out after a zombie had been refined; even true fire couldn't melt it, hence it was called non-dissolving, and it was extremely precious.

Nowadays, earth burials were rare, and most were cremations, so it was already hard to see zombies. As for Non-Dissolving Bone, it was even rarer.

As for Earth Mother Skin, it came from the eight-hundred-mile Qin Ling Mountains and was a type of skin that only grew in the yin soil near large tombs. It looked exactly like human skin. It was said that using it for skin grafts had no rejection reaction, and if applied to a wound, it could instantly restore it and repair scars; it was very magical.

Repairing 【Zhang Beijiang】 required at least twenty catties of Non-Dissolving Bone and seven taels of Earth Mother Skin, worth over a million.

"Those are just external things; use this to build a good relationship," Xiong Guanchen said indifferently.

"Don't you see? This young man has extraordinary potential. Last time he came to our Xiong family, he was just a novice, but now, I can't even see through him," Xiong Guanchen said in a deep voice.

With such a terrifying growth rate, as long as he didn't die prematurely, he would definitely be a major figure in Yujing City in the future.

Their Xiong family could perhaps use this to ascend another level and protect the glory of their clan's incense.

"Father, can't you see? Why would Xiong Sanqi protect such a kid with no relation to him?"

"I think he is the seed of that man from back then," Xiong Baoping said in a deep voice.

"Great Lingzong Wang... I heard from friends in the capital that the Bai He View has been looking for him. If we hand this kid over..."

Before he could finish, Xiong Guanchen let out a cold snort, and his sharp gaze made the Xiong family head shut his mouth.

"Stupid..."

"Handing him over might not bring us any good, but it could bring a catastrophic disaster to our Xiong family," Xiong Guanchen's gaze narrowed into a line.

"Have you forgotten that man's methods? If you touch his son, how do you think he will treat you?"

"Extinction!" Xiong Sanqi's heart skipped a beat. He instantly thought of many rumors and broke out in a cold sweat.

"You... it seems Sanqi's return has caused problems with your state of mind. You are really not suitable to continue in the position of family head."

Xiong Guanchen shook his head, looking at his "good" son, unable to hide his disappointment.

"Father..."

"Go kneel before the ancestral tablets."

Xiong Guanchen waved his hand, his eyes revealing ruthlessness.

It was late at night. Zhang Fan had dinner at the Xiong village before rushing back to Yujing City.

When he returned to Hongfu Huayuan, it was already past eleven o'clock at night.

There were gradually no pedestrians on the street, and the dim residential area appeared cold and quiet.

"Daddy's daddy is a monster, daddy's mommy is a monster..."

Just then, a pleasant ringtone sounded in the dark night, echoing in the cold residential area, appearing somewhat jarring.

Zhang Fan took out his phone, looked down, and his face trembled violently. He revealed an strange expression, and his hand gripping the phone couldn't help but tighten.

"Dad!?"

Zhang Fan looked at the caller ID and hurriedly answered the phone.

(End of chapter)