Chapter 250

Evening, old city district.

When Zhang Fan and Fang Changle returned to the old house, the sky was already dark, and the sky was full of stars.

The cold courtyard was covered with fallen leaves.

"A-Wang... A-Wang..."

Zhang Fan walked into the courtyard and called out twice, but there was no response; the noisy sound of a television came from the small room.

"Let go and do it; life or death depends on this one chance of the fire-prevention period..."

"First burn down Luoshan County, then let the financial crocodile bring the dollars to buy the land; as soon as it's bought, start construction for me immediately. I want the venue completed this year..."

"Little Pavilion Elder, if this matter of burning houses and land reaches Congress..."

"What's there to fear about one or two counties? The President's heart is filled with the fifty states and ten thousand directions."

The sound from the television echoed in the cold courtyard, accompanied by the buzzing electromagnetic sound.

"Brother A-Wang... Brother A-Wang..."

Zhang Fan leaned forward, raised his voice, and called out twice more.

Immediately after, Zhang Wang finally stepped out of the room in slippers.

"You're back?"

"What are you watching? I called you for a long time and no one answered," Zhang Fan could not help but say.

"Great Beauty Dynasty 2025, it's very interesting; the volume was too high, I didn't hear you," Zhang Wang scratched his head and smiled lightly.

"A-Wang, we are leaving today," Zhang Fan greeted.

"Ah? Today? It's already so late," Zhang Wang looked at the sky.

"Why not stay one more night? I'll give you a twenty percent discount."

Zhang Fan heard this and twitched his eyes; a twenty percent discount was still more expensive than staying in a hotel. If it weren't for the fact that this guy saved Su Shiyu and he specifically let him earn some as a repayment of gratitude, no ghost would want to stay in this dilapidated courtyard.

"No need, our business is done," Zhang Fan refused Zhang Wang's "kindness."

Li Kongxing is dead, and Qin Shi is finished.

Although the black rat could not come back, Zhang Fan's trip could be considered an explanation to him.

The road to immortality is long, and the calamities of cultivators are much greater than those of ordinary people; no one knows where their end is, or whether tomorrow or the calamity will arrive first.

"Brother A-Wang, thank you for your hospitality this time; remember to come find us next time you go to Yujing City..."

Two days ago, Zhang Fan had arranged for Shi Shougong and Su Shiyu to leave Annan City first; by now, they had long returned to Yujing.

Now that things were settled, they packed up a little and headed straight for the high-speed rail station to return home.

This trip could be considered successful.

Zhang Fan patted Zhang Wang's shoulder and smiled lightly: "I will definitely treat you well."

"Why do I feel a chill on my back?" Zhang Wang shivered.

"Let's go."

Just at this moment, Fang Changle walked out of the room with his luggage.

"We're leaving," Zhang Fan grinned, hooking Zhang Wang's shoulder, and smiled lightly: "Remember to come to Jiangnan to play..."

"I'll wait for you in Yujing."

"Too polite, I'll see you off," Zhang Wang laughed dryly, walked to the door, and pushed open the courtyard gate.

Boom—

Just at this moment, a series of roars echoed through the hazy night, and cars drove from afar, surrounding Zhang Wang's courtyard tightly.

"Old friend, you're leaving before we've even reminisced?"

An indifferent voice echoed slowly in the moonlit night.

The next moment, a familiar figure stepped out of one of the cars.

"Song Yunqi!?"

Zhang Fan was stunned when he saw the person; he had never dreamed that he would meet such an old acquaintance in Huizhou Province, in Annan City, at Zhang Wang's door.

At this moment, Ji Huanshan also stepped out of another car, accompanied by more than a dozen men in black suits, who all looked like cultivators.

"Mountains and waters meet; it's no coincidence that things happen. I really didn't expect that we would meet again so soon after parting in Yujing City," Zhang Fan smiled lightly.

"But we have to catch the train; the eight-ten high-speed rail..." Zhang Fan raised his hand and pretended to look at his wrist, which had no watch.

"Time is too tight, no time to reminisce."

"Who has the time to reminisce with you?"

Beside him, Ji Huanshan sneered: "Zhang Fan, you killed Qin Shi, and you think you can do it without anyone knowing and just walk away?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Fan's expression did not change, but a cold intent flashed in his eyes.

It must be said that these members of the Supernatural Association really had some skills; he had his soul-aspect leave his body to kill from a distance, leaving no trace, yet the other party was able to deduce that he was the murderer and find him so quickly.

Of course, Zhang Fan also knew that even if these two had grasped some clues, at most it was just a deduction; they could not produce any powerful evidence sufficient to convict him.

"What are you talking about? I'm just here for sightseeing; don't go around pinning labels on me," Zhang Fan said lightly.

"Saying I killed someone? Killed who? If you have evidence, bring it out, and I'll go with you; if you can't, then move aside."

As soon as these words were spoken, Song Yunqi's gaze sank, and he said coldly: "Whether you killed someone or not, come back with us to assist in the investigation, and the truth will come out."

"We will not wrong a bad person, and naturally, we will not let a good person go."

"Cough, cough..."

Before the words were finished, Ji Huanshan, standing to the side, coughed involuntarily.

"We will not wrong a good person, and naturally, we will not let a bad person go," Song Yunqi corrected.

"Zhang Fan, you should be clear yourself; this time the one who died was the son of the Qin family, and it's not something that can be settled so easily."

"I don't know a damn thing; I only know that if you don't move aside, I'm going to miss my high-speed rail."

Zhang Fan took a step forward, and a terrifying aura soared into the sky; the wild energy surged, and the gale turned into waves, actually blowing up dust all over the ground, startling everyone into retreating one after another.

"You want to make a move?" Song Yunqi's gaze narrowed like a killing sword.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered the day at the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance, where a small test resulted in him suffering a secret loss at Zhang Fan's hands.

"Zhang Fan, this is not Jiangnan Province, and there is no Maoshan to back you up."

Song Yunqi's voice was cold, his gaze sweeping over Fang Changle intentionally or unintentionally.

"Tsk tsk, what are you looking at?" Fang Changle raised an eyebrow and said coldly.

"Fang Changle, he is so lawless, already close to the demonic path; as a successor of Maoshan, associating with such a person simply throws away the face of your Maoshan ancestors."

Speaking of this, Song Yunqi's gaze shifted to the side.

"Zhang Fan, who do you think you are? The Three-Corpse Daoist who was invincible in the world in the past, or the current Pure Yang Limitless Transcendental True Person? And you're acting lawless?" Song Yunqi sneered, every word and sentence ringing with force.

"I'll stand here today and wait for you to make a move; I want to see if you can walk out of Annan City, walk out of Huizhou Province."

Song Yunqi stood still, and a vast momentum arose.

As a member of the Supernatural Association and representing the Daoist Alliance Headquarters, he indeed had the confidence to say this on Huizhou territory.

"Zhang Fan..."

Fang Changle frowned, showing a worried expression.

Huizhou Province is Qiyun Mountain's territory, and the other party has the Qin family behind them; making a move here, even if they could kill their way out temporarily, would be too passive.

"Since we are fellow Daoists, why be at daggers drawn?"

Just at this moment, a loud, clear voice came from afar.

Zhang Fan looked up and saw a young man walking slowly from the outermost car; the person's eyes contained light, as if hiding stars and moons, his aura hidden and not dissipated.

"Qin Ming!?"

Fang Changle's gaze narrowed slightly, but he recognized the person.

Zhang Fan was somewhat moved; he had heard Fang Changle say that the most promising of the young generation of the Qin family was this Qin Ming, who had entered Qiyun Mountain to practice since childhood, and even Meng Qinghuan, who had awakened supernatural powers, was his junior sister.

"Successor of Qiyun Mountain!"

"Brother Daoist Qin."

Song Yunqi and Ji Huanshan saw Qin Ming walking over, their expressions softening slightly, and they went up to meet him.

"Fang Changle, long time no see."

Qin Ming bowed and whispered, clearly knowing Fang Changle.

Both were outstanding among the new Daoist talents; one was a Maoshan successor, the other a Qiyun Mountain successor, so naturally, they had met.

It was just that, at the moment, Qin Ming seemed to have a higher cultivation, having already realized the mystery of the Great Being Realm.

First, he had extraordinary talent and extraordinary opportunities, and the legacy left by the Qin family ancestors; second, Fang Changle had been imprisoned for two years because of the matter of infiltrating the Wu Wei Sect, wasting quite a few years.

Otherwise, at this moment, how could he be suppressed by the other party?

"Brother Daoist Qin..." Song Yunqi walked up and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Qin Ming raising his hand; the latter's gaze fell slowly on Zhang Fan. "I already know about the matter."

"I heard that this fellow Daoist Zhang is a disciple of Zhenwu Mountain, a descendant of a famous family, and has a deep relationship with the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance; my brother's death may not necessarily be related to him," Qin Ming said righteously, every word and sentence clearly standing on Zhang Fan's side.

"However..."

Just at this moment, Qin Ming changed the subject and said: "The one who killed my brother was no ordinary master; Fellow Daoist Zhang's cultivation is where it is, and he happened to appear at the crime scene. In a melon field or under a plum tree, it is reasonable for Fellow Daoist Song to have suspicions."

"So that means I did it?" Zhang Fan said coldly.

"My meaning is, perhaps it has nothing to do with Fellow Daoist Zhang, but since there is suspicion, the Daoist should stay behind to clear his name, lest he fall into people's mouths, and it would also damage the prestige of the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance and Zhenwu Mountain."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Fan's gaze became increasingly gloomy.

This Qin Ming seemed selfless and partial to Zhang Fan, but every sentence had a subtext, every word had a hidden meaning, directly using moral kidnapping to tie the reputation of the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance and Zhenwu Mountain together with Zhang Fan.

In reality, this is a group of people.

Song Yunqi and Ji Huanshan play the red face, and this Qin Ming plays the white face.

With both threats and persuasion, he directly put Zhang Fan on the fire to roast; he can neither leave nor stay now.

Not one mistake, not one word, not one hair, not one content—look at it all!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang and Brother Fang staying behind are not suspects, but guests of our Qin family, just assisting in the investigation and upholding justice."

Just at this moment, Qin Ming said in a loud voice, pushing Zhang Fan again.

First soldiers, then courtesy, one advance, one retreat; he played it to perfection.

"Furthermore, in a few days, our Qin family will join forces with the Daoist Alliance Headquarters and Qiyun Mountain to do a big thing concerning the Ren Xiao of the previous generation of the Wu Wei Sect; Brother Zhang and Brother Fang happened to meet it, and if they can contribute some effort, it will also be a great achievement and bring glory to the family."

Speaking of this, a look of justice appeared on Qin Ming's face.

"We Daoist disciples should be duty-bound."

"Ren Xiao of the previous generation?" Zhang Fan's heart moved; just these four words completely seized his mind.

Qiyun Mountain, the Daoist Alliance, and the Qin family, a tripartite alliance—what big thing are they going to do? And it's related to his mother!?

"Good, I will sell Brother Daoist Qin a favor," Zhang Fan nodded.

"I'll tell my family first; two days ago, True Person Chaoran was still mentioning that I should go back to see the old man."

Zhang Fan said casually, taking out his mobile phone in front of everyone.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's faces twitched slightly, revealing an indescribable expression.

"True Person Chaoran? Is that the Pure Yang Limitless old immortal from Zhenwu Mountain?"

"He even has True Person Chaoran's WeChat?"

"How old is True Person Chaoran? He should be over a hundred, right? Does he know how to use WeChat?"

"Nonsense, that's a True Person, not a dead person; how could he not know how to use it?"

Just at this moment, the crowd surrounding the courtyard could not help but whisper.

Qin Ming's expression tightened slightly, watching Zhang Fan show off in front of him.

True Person Chaoran's WeChat—how many people in the world have it today?

Regardless of whether they can talk or not, even if it's just lying in the friend list for worship, that is definitely a great event to bring glory to the ancestors.

"Let's go."

Zhang Fan stuffed his phone into his pocket in a fake manner; he only discovered when he took it out that he had run out of credit and was disconnected.

"I want to bring this brother of mine."

As he spoke, Zhang Fan hooked Zhang Wang, who had sent them out.

The Qin family people had seen Zhang Wang with them, and they could also find out that Zhang Fan had been living in Zhang Wang's house these days.

If they left and they arrested the person, wouldn't Brother Zhang Wang suffer an unprovoked disaster?

Zhang Fan had already planned to take the person with him and find a chance to send him to Jiangnan Province to avoid the limelight first.

"Can."

Qin Ming nodded and arranged a car for Zhang Fan, Fang Changle, and Zhang Wang.

A moment later, the mighty motorcade left this old city district.

On the way, Zhang Fan gave a wink, and he and Fang Changle started chatting on WeChat.

"This Qin Ming is insidious enough; stabilizing us for now, once we are in his hands, he can knead us at will," Zhang Fan transmitted.

"Then why are you still going?"

"You saw the situation just now; I can only retreat to advance. Besides, I've already greeted my family, so they should have some scruples," Zhang Fan replied.

"What was that kid saying about a big thing just now?" Fang Changle asked.

"I don't know either, but it's definitely not a good thing," Zhang Fan shook his head.

Could a good thing fall to them? I fear they are just being used as cannon fodder.

At this time, in Qin Ming's car.

"Brother Daoist Qin, you are still the clever one, hitting with a hammer and rewarding with a date, successfully holding Zhang Fan and Fang Changle," Song Yunqi smiled lightly.

"Once on my Qin family's territory, can't they be kneaded at will?" Qin Ming said lightly. "Even if my brother didn't die at their hands, these two have great use if kept."

"You mean..." Song Yunqi was thoughtful.

"Brother Daoist Chang will definitely be the leader of the Daoist Sect in the future; his bearing is like a river and sea, naturally embracing all rivers. These two are talents, and their weight in Zhenwu Mountain and Maoshan is not light..."

"If they are sensible, I am naturally willing to recruit them for Brother Daoist Chang, but if they are not sensible..."

Speaking of this, a cold light flashed in Qin Ming's eyes.

"The place of Fangya Mountain is full of dangers; exploring the place where the Ren Xiao went into seclusion is just right to use them as cannon fodder to pave the way."

"Brother Daoist Qin is clever."

Song Yunqi and Ji Huanshan looked at each other and nodded in understanding.

A moment later, the motorcade arrived at the Qin family mansion; looking from afar, it was like a manor, dignified and solemn.

As soon as Zhang Fan and his party got off the car, someone led the way, passing through a long corridor and walking through a front courtyard before arriving at the main hall.

"Truly luxurious; that courtyard just now could have been as big as a football field, right?" Zhang Fan could not help but say.

"Can you lift your chin up?" Fang Changle glanced at him.

"The three of you follow me; the guest rooms have been prepared according to Young Master Ming's instructions."

The way the staff here addressed people was very much like a big family in the feudal era.

It must be said that the Qin family is worthy of being a true Xuan Sect family; their ancestors once produced figures at the Three Tian Shi level, with deep foundations and a temperament distinct from ordinary cultivation families.

Like the Xiong family of Yinshan or the Wang family of Baidou, in front of the Qin family, they are at best upstarts!

"Xuan Sect family... logically speaking, Yujing City, such a place where tigers crouch and dragons coil, should also hide Xuan Sect families," Zhang Fan muttered in his heart.

"Hmm!?"

Just at this moment, Zhang Fan's peripheral vision swept over, only to find that Zhang Wang, who had been following behind, had stopped.

He looked up at a calligraphy and painting on the wall; his entire spirit and energy seemed to be deeply attracted by this ancient painting, his eyes unfocused, and his entire temperament seemed to have changed, appearing somewhat cold and desolate.

The decoration of the Qin family mansion was not that of a nouveau riche, and the layout and furnishings were very particular, with many displays being true antiques.

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Fan walked over and saw that the painting on the wall was of a high mountain, rolling and undulating, dividing Yin and Yang, with the momentum of a dragon and tiger.

"This is... Long Hu Mountain!?"

Zhang Fan was stunned; he had seen ancient maps of Long Hu Mountain, and it was almost exactly the same as this painting.

However, the eye of this painting was not that mountain, but a person standing on a desolate hill.

Under the lonely moon of the vast sky, that person was in a green shirt, standing alone on the desolate hill, looking sideways.

That back view revealed an eternal desolation; under its contrast, the bright moon in the sky seemed dim, and the Long Hu Mountain in the distance seemed to be suppressed.

"What kind of person is painted in this picture? What a great momentum?" Zhang Fan could not help but say.

The person who painted this picture had a technique that could be called unique, actually painting the temperament of this person, filling heaven and earth, shaking mountains and rivers.

The world is vast; from ancient times to the present, those who can have such extraordinary momentum are definitely not things in a pond.

"Brother Daoist Zhang has good eyes."

Just at this moment, Qin Ming walked over from afar, his gaze falling on that ancient painting, falling on the green-shirted guest.

"Speaking of this person, he indeed has a great background; their lineage is a thousand-year-old system, once reigning over Long Hu, and the world respected and called..."

"This is..." Zhang Fan's heart moved, as if he had guessed something.

"Where is the green cloud of the past, only remembering the moon in the sky of that year."

Just at this moment, Zhang Wang murmured softly, his eyes unfocused, looking at the inscription on the upper right corner of the calligraphy and painting.

With a soft sigh, the name of the person who wrote the inscription was about to be called out.

"The last Three Tian Shi of Long Hu Mountain..."

"Zhang Taixu!"

(End of chapter)