"Is he your sworn brother?"
As soon as they entered the main hall, a voice rang out. The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Lu Fan.
"That's right, he is Brother Lu." Tao Maocheng nodded. "This is my father, and the head of the Tao family!"
"Uncle Tao!"
Lu Fan cupped his fists slightly, feeling even more nervous. In front of this middle-aged man, he felt as if he were being seen through, a feeling so strong it made him uneasy.
The head of the Tao family’s mere glance was enough to inspire awe in him, which spoke volumes about the realm of his power.
"From now on, you will live with my Tao family. Since you are Cheng'er's sworn brother, you are one of us!"
The head of the Tao family smiled. "If anyone gives you trouble in the future, my Tao family will not stand by!"
"Thank you, Uncle Tao!"
Lu Fan clasped his fists, a warmth spreading through his heart. Since arriving in the Spirit Realm, he had been without support. Hearing the young master Tao's words now deeply touched him.
"No need to thank me. You are my sworn brother, and naturally, you are part of the Tao family."
Young Master Tao smiled. "However, I truly didn't expect there to be such a good person within the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu, someone who would let you go!"
"He's also a brother from the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu." Lu Fan chuckled. "If it weren't for his help, I wouldn't have been able to leave."
"Brother Lu truly makes friends far and wide!"
Young Master Tao smiled. "Let me show you around my Tao family."
Lu Fan nodded slightly, not refusing.
Meanwhile, at the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu, Old Master Chen was quite anxious. Chen Xian'er's sudden disappearance had left him worried.
"Grandpa Chen, don't worry. Xian'er is a saint; she'll be fine!"
Xu Fei said, "I expect she'll be back before long!"
"To leave the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu at a time like this is not a good omen!"
Old Man Han remarked, "You young ones, hurry and search outside. Don't let Xian'er meet with any misfortune."
Many of the younger generation nodded, not daring to delay further. At the same time, Sister Zhao and Xu Fei exchanged glances, seemingly having a suspicion.
"I saw Chen Xian'er earlier, heading out of the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu. Could she have gone after Lu Fan?"
Xu Fei said, "If that's the case, how will we ever find her!"
"Regardless, let's go out and look!" Sister Zhao shrugged. "Maybe Xian'er is out there."
Xu Fei nodded slightly and then led the disciples of the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu to search outside, but they found no trace of Chen Xian'er.
"It seems Xian'er isn't here. Let's go back!" Xu Fei said with a wry smile. He now suspected that Chen Xian'er had left with Lu Fan, otherwise, why would she be missing?
"Here, Miss Xian'er has met with misfortune!"
A startled cry rang out. Following the sound, everyone looked up and saw a figure lying on the grass not far away, covered in blood.
Xu Fei rushed forward and examined her carefully, his expression instantly turning grim. "How could this be? What happened?"
"Xian'er!"
Sister Zhao cried out loudly, disbelief etched on her face. Chen Xian'er was the pride of their younger generation, with countless admirers within the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu. She never expected her to die tragically.
Everyone present gasped, their hearts filled with grief and indignation. They did not know who was responsible, but if possible, they would make them pay.
"Could it be Lu Fan?"
Sister Zhao frowned. "If that's the case, wouldn't that be a grave mistake? The Eighteen Sects of Kyushu would never let him off!"
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have acted on my own and let him go!" Xu Fei said in pain. "Otherwise, Chen Xian'er wouldn't be dead!"
"But we haven't fully investigated yet, so we can't be sure it was him!" Sister Zhao stated frankly. "I, for one, don't think Lu Fan is that kind of person!"
"Besides him, who else could it be? This is the territory of the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu. Who would dare to be so presumptuous here!"
Xu Fei said coldly. "Xian'er must have wanted to bring him back to the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu, and he was displeased, so he took her life!"
Sister Zhao remained silent. At this point, even she felt lost and unsure of what to do. This was the direct descendant of the Chen family, and now she had died tragically. How could Old Man Chen let this go?
"Xian'er, my Xian'er!"
Old Man Chen rushed over, his eyes filled with sorrow. Looking at the fallen Chen Xian'er, he was grief-stricken. Someone dared to act within the territory of the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu, and how could they accept this?
"This..."
Old Man Han and the others arrived, their brows furrowed. They had never expected things to escalate to this point, it was truly unforeseen.
"Who dared to do this? They are truly audacious, daring to lay a hand on someone from our Eighteen Sects of Kyushu. We will make them pay!" Old Man Han's expression was icy.
"It was Lu Fan. It couldn't have been anyone else!" Xu Fei's eyes were bloodshot as he spoke to the elders.
"Lu Fan?"
Old Master Chen suddenly stood up. "Wasn't he locked up in the courtyard? How could it have been him!"
"That's right, the brat is still in the courtyard. How could he be outside the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu!" Old Man Han said with slight surprise.
"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, this wouldn't have happened!"
Xu Fei suddenly knelt down, his eyes filled with unwillingness and regret.
"Tell us exactly what happened!" Old Man Han frowned. "Is that brat no longer within the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu?"
"That's right, he's not in the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu!" Xu Fei nodded. "To prevent a conflict between the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu and the Desolate Ancient Family, I let him go. Xian'er must have witnessed this, which is why she went after him, leading to this incident."
"Insolent fool!"
Old Master Han was furious. He struck Xu Fei with a palm, sending him flying. "How could you do such a thing? The eighteen sect leaders hadn't made a decision, and you took it upon yourself to release him. Now that a great disaster has occurred, how will we resolve it?"
Old Master Chen's heart was filled with grief, but he felt powerless. The most tragic thing in this world is for parents to outlive their children. Now that Chen Xian'er had died tragically, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He had failed to protect his granddaughter.
"This matter started because of me. I will make him pay!" Xu Fei said coldly.
After speaking, Xu Fei turned and left, not returning to the Eighteen Sects of Kyushu. Instead, he prepared to find Lu Fan and settle the score. He had kindly let Lu Fan go, and Lu Fan had killed Chen Xian'er. How could he endure this?