Chapter 14

A few low-lying shacks and the stench of sewage were all the scenery in Lu Fan's eyes.

He couldn't help but frown; this was completely different from the mine pit he had imagined.

"Young Master Lu, don't look at how unappealing this place is; the real treasures are underground. I'll take you to see them."

Han Zhen saw Lu Fan's confusion but didn't offer much explanation, excitedly pulling Lu Fan toward the mine entrance.

"Stop!"

At this moment, a shirtless middle-aged man walked out, looking at Han Zhen with hostility.

"Foreman Li, what is the meaning of this? What, I bring a friend to see the mine, and I need your permission?"

Han Zhen's expression turned cold instantly, his fists clenched tightly, seemingly restraining himself.

Foreman Li curled his lips and laughed in a strange, mocking tone, "Young Master Zhen, when the old master was alive, he ordered that no idlers were allowed in the mine. Don't make things difficult for me."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhen's face turned completely black, but he seemed to have some unspeakable difficulty, so he forcibly restrained himself and dared not act out.

"And what if I make things difficult for you? This mine is under Han Zhen's name; you, a hired foreman, want to occupy the magpie's nest?"

Lu Fan stepped forward slowly and sneered. As he spoke, an aura radiated outward; as a peak powerhouse from his past life, he looked down upon the world, and even a single glance was more than the person before him could bear.

"Thump, thump, thump," Foreman Li retreated several steps, nearly stumbling into the mine, his face deathly pale, his heart filled with inexplicable terror.

"Get lost!"

Han Zhen shouted loudly. With Ye Fei backing him, he seemed to have let go of the pressure in his heart and no longer needed to swallow his anger.

Foreman Li was startled, as if he had seen a ghost; Han Zhen, whom he had toyed with in the past, actually dared to yell at him.

He should have scolded him and fought back, but he found he didn't even dare to breathe loudly, and could only step aside to let them pass.

"Wait!"

At this moment, a muffled shout rang out. Foreman Li, who had just lifted his foot, suddenly put it down and blocked the mine entrance again, his face filled with joy.

"Second Master, you've finally come. These two little beasts wanted to enter the mine, but I stopped them!"

Lu Fan turned slowly, his expression changing. Seven or eight people had arrived behind him; Han Jiuling and Qian Shirong were among them, but the leader was a middle-aged fat man.

"Han the Second, it's you!"

As soon as Han Zhen saw the middle-aged fat man, his entire expression turned ferocious; he gritted his teeth and his whole body trembled, clearly hating him to the extreme.

"Hmph! You beast, you really have no upbringing. My deadbeat older brother didn't teach you well either, letting my Han family produce a degenerate like you!" The middle-aged fat man snorted coldly, looking at Han Zhu as if looking at a stray dog.

"Dad! It was him who hit me, you must stand up for me!" Han Jiuling, covered in bandages and clutching his broken arm, bared his teeth and glared fixedly at Ye Fei.

The middle-aged fat man did not respond, but turned his head to Qian Shirong and said, "Young Master Qian, you stood up for my son and unexpectedly met with a vicious hand. The Han family owes you a favor; I will help you get it back right now!"

As soon as his voice fell, four burly men walked out from behind the middle-aged fat man, their bodies covered in thick muscle, swaggering toward Lu Fan.

"Young Master Lu, be careful! These men are famous Martial Masters in town!"

Han Zhen's expression changed, and he shouted urgently at Lu Fan.

"Bullshit Martial Masters, the strongest is only a middle-stage Gathering Essence Realm Martial Warrior; I can't even be bothered to take action!"

Lu Fan laughed contemptuously. The four men opposite changed expressions and lunged forward.

"Where did this brat come from? How can you insult the four of us brothers? If we don't beat you until you're spitting teeth all over the floor today, we four brothers won't need to stay in Shanjin Town anymore!"

Before the words had even finished, only "Bang, bang" sounds were heard as Lu Fan threw out several punches in succession.

Red light flickered, flame fist shadows surged out, and the liquid light clusters exploded, sending the four burly men flying backward.

Dust flew and gravel scattered. The men who had been showing off and acting fiercely a moment ago were now lying on the ground like dead dogs, wailing and howling.

"This... how is this possible?" Han the Second's expression changed drastically, filled with shock.

The four most vicious thugs in Shanjin Town were actually no match for a fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid; he couldn't understand it at all, thinking he must be dreaming.

Han Zhen was also stunned, then filled with wild joy, "Young Master Lu, so you are this powerful! Now I can rest easy!"

Lu Fan shook his head slightly and smiled faintly, "Hmph! Why aren't you rolling away yet!"

He snorted coldly, and the four men immediately crawled up tremblingly, not daring to say a single harsh word, and left while supporting each other.

Only at this point did the middle-aged fat man come to his senses, his eyes becoming panicked, cold sweat streaming down.

"Han the Second, my father and you were brothers. It's a pity you are unbenevolent and unrighteous, disregarding our kinship to seize my family property. From now on, you and I have no more ties; get out of here quickly!"

As soon as Han Zhen finished speaking, the middle-aged fat man gave a start and turned to run. He strode away, not even caring about his injured son, fearing that if he left too late, he would be entangled by Lu Fan, this god of plague, and lose his life.

"Qian Shirong, others can leave, but you cannot!"

Just at this moment, Lu Fan suddenly shouted violently. Qian Shirong's heart skipped a beat, his legs went soft, and he sat down on the ground.

Han Zhen was slightly stunned, feeling a bit confused, but he saw Lu Fan grab a handful of soil from the ground, rub it a few times, and then turn to stare coldly at Foreman Li.

"Young Master Lu, Young Master Zhen, if you two want to go down into the mine, I will prepare it for you."

Foreman Li was sweating coldly; he had thought his savior had arrived, but he hadn't expected them to be chased away in a few moves. He regretted it deeply.

"Hmph! You still dare to play dumb with me!" Lu Fan frowned, took a step forward, and lifted Foreman Li up by his collar.

"Confess honestly, what exactly have you been doing in the mine these days?"

Lu Fan's fifteen or sixteen-year-old body lifting a middle-aged miner looked quite comical.

But the person involved was so scared that his whole body trembled, and he was so terrified he couldn't even speak a word.

"What? So you were lying to me, you've been secretly mining these days, where did the income go?"

Han Zhen only then came to his senses; the mine entrance was at a higher elevation, but the ground was quite damp and full of fresh soil, meaning mining had been going on all along.

"The, the mine... was taken by the Second Master, it has nothing to do with me!"

Foreman Li stammered, but Lu Fan remained unmoved. With no other choice, he pointed at Qian Shirong and said, "It's all with him!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Shirong's face turned deathly pale. He wanted to open his mouth to argue, but Lu Fan didn't give him the chance, waving his large hand and grabbing him through the air.

"Let's go! You two lead the way in front; I want to see what's so strange about this mine!"

The mine was winding and rugged, extending in all directions like a spider web.

Coupled with the dim light, if someone unfamiliar came in, they would likely get lost before long and never be able to get out.

Han Zhen couldn't help but look at Lu Fan again, his face filled with relief.

If he had come in by himself, he certainly wouldn't have thought to make Foreman Li lead the way, and even if he had, the other party certainly wouldn't have been willing. At that point, coming in would likely have been a dead end.

"Is this the Blue Gold Stone vein? This kind of inconspicuous art refining material is actually being mined here!"

Lu Fan was slightly incredulous; fluorescent dots were everywhere, like a galaxy in the dark night.

"Young Master Lu, this mine tunnel is an old pit that was abandoned long ago. If my father hadn't accidentally come down here two years ago and found another vein, today's events wouldn't have happened!"

Han Zhen's expression was slightly joyful, yet also filled with grief; his emotions were complex.

Lu Fan heard it immediately and was just about to offer a few words of comfort when his expression changed, and he shouted suddenly.

"Hmph! We've been here before; what kind of tricks are you two playing?"

Before his voice fell, he suddenly threw two punches, knocking Qian Shirong and the other man, who had just managed to lift their legs, to the ground, and was about to step on them again.

"No, no, no, Young Master Lu, I was wrong!"

Qian Shirong was so scared he hugged his head tightly, fearing Lu Fan would step on his face again.

"Then why don't you speak up?" Lu Fan's expression changed; he hated others lying to him the most, especially these small characters who overestimated themselves, acting clever and making a laughingstock of themselves.

"Foreman Li, lead the way! We can't hide it anymore!"

Qian Shirong said weakly, while Foreman Li's expression was inexplicable and slightly suspicious. However, he didn't dare say anything more and walked honestly in front.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the four arrived at the end of a mine tunnel. The fluorescent Blue Gold Stone was nowhere to be seen, but instead, some white crystalline stone grains were dotted all around.

"This is? Secret Silver Stone!"