Ling Fan had practically bought out all the rare water-attribute materials, spirit items, and medicinal herbs from the Ten Thousand Merchants Pavilion.
His two hands couldn't carry it all.
In the end, the Ten Thousand Merchants Pavilion had to specially dispatch a carriage, driven by a coachman, to deliver the goods to Ling Fan's residence.
It was already nearing dusk.
The coachman suddenly veered to the side, and the carriage entered a secluded alley.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Ling Fan looked up at the coachman.
"Please do not worry, honored guest. I am taking a shortcut to send you back."
Ling Fan withdrew his gaze and didn't say anything further.
A hint of disdainful amusement flickered across the coachman's face.
Just a mere good-for-nothing from the Lan family, wasn't he at his mercy?
Soon, the carriage had driven into this deserted alley. The houses on both sides showed no sign of light, clearly indicating that this place had been abandoned for a long time.
Suddenly, the coachman yanked hard on the reins and jumped down from the carriage.
"Everyone, the fat sheep has been delivered. You can come out now!"
As soon as the coachman finished speaking, several figures emerged from the dark corners of the alley, each holding bright blades and spears, surrounding the carriage and Ling Fan.
The one leading them had a pale face, looking as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. It was Hu Mao, who had been given fifty heavy lashes.
His greedy gaze shifted from the carriage to Ling Fan, and an expression of immense hatred immediately appeared on his face.
"Ling, you finally fell into my hands! If I don't chop you into tiny pieces today, I'm not a Hu!"
The others chuckled, "Old Hu has finally settled his grievances."
"Offending Young Master Hu Hao and Old Hu, let alone a mere son-in-law of the Lan family, even if you were the young master of a true great family, you would die without a burial place!"
"Old Hu, cheer up. Although you lost your job at the association, this carriage full of rare goods worth a million, even if Young Master Hu Hao takes the lion's share, the rest is enough for us to live in luxury for a lifetime."
"Don't forget me, Old Du!" the coachman urged.
"You won't be forgotten. You are the great contributor."
Only then did the coachman feel relieved.
He was friends with Hu Mao and the others. Upon learning that he was assigned to deliver goods to the Ling residence, Hu Mao immediately contacted him, asking him to lure Ling Fan to this secluded and deserted place.
Hu Mao could no longer wait, his eyes filled with fierce malice. He stared intently at Ling Fan and shouted, "You good-for-nothing caused me to be beaten so badly. Why don't you quickly kneel and accept death!"
Hu Mao's body emanated a glow of true qi, his clothes billowing, revealing a powerful aura.
The others were the same, all of them being cultivators at the Meridian Opening Realm, close to the Great Perfection of twelve meridians.
"It seems Master Wang's punishment wasn't enough. He should have beaten you to death with sticks. Now I have to trouble myself to deal with you."
Ling Fan's expression was as calm as water, without a trace of panic. He said indifferently.
"Did I hear that right? This good-for-nothing claims he can deal with us?" Hu Mao and his group burst into disdainful laughter as if they had heard the greatest joke in the world.
"This good-for-nothing is truly courting death without realizing it. We are all true cultivators who have successfully opened our meridians, just one step away from the Qi Refining Realm. Even a true fierce tiger here would be killed by our casual sword strike, let alone a weakling like him who can't even lift a chicken."
"Has this kid gone mad from fear? I really don't know where he gets the nerve to talk such big words."
"It's possible. He's probably scared himself into wetting his pants and is just bluffing, hahaha."
Ling Fan said nothing, his gaze like that of someone watching a clown, as he looked at the laughing group.
This look instantly infuriated Hu Mao and the others.
"Damn it, what's with this kid's look? Does he look down on us?"
"Brothers, we're being looked down upon by a good-for-nothing. Can we tolerate this? Let me gouge out his eyes first."
One of Hu Hao's subordinates immediately leaped out, forming his fingers into a claw. True qi faintly glinted, making the air whistle as he lunged towards Ling Fan's eyes.
If this claw were to hit, let alone his eyes, even a hard steel ball would be crushed.
Ling Fan seemed to have been scared stiff, his expression blank as he remained motionless.
This person's face showed a cruel smile, and Hu Mao also grinned with satisfaction, as if he could already see the scene of Ling Fan's eyes being gouged out, leaving two bloody holes.
Just as this person's five fingers were about to claw into Ling Fan's eyes.
Ling Fan then made his move leisurely.
Ling Fan's hands were very slender and beautiful, delicate like a woman's hands. In any case, they looked nothing like strength.
But it was precisely such a seemingly weak hand that clasped the attacker's hand like steel, making it impossible to break free no matter how hard the attacker struggled.
Ling Fan applied a slight force, and the attacker let out a scream. His five fingers were immediately twisted like a rope, like five bent steel bars, all deformed.
An irresistible immense force emanated from Ling Fan's hand. He grabbed the attacker's hand and forcefully thrust it into his own eye sockets.
"Poof."
The two eyeballs instantly burst.
The man let out a world-shattering wail.
Hu Mao and the others' faces changed drastically, filled with horror.
Especially the coachman, he was stunned.
They were aware of that person's strength. He had opened twelve meridians and was considered a skilled individual among the stewards of the various Arms Forging Master Associations.
He was so easily crippled by Ling Fan?
Without even the slightest ability to resist.
Was this still the Lan family's son-in-law who had abandoned martial arts and was unable to lift a chicken?
"Attack together! I don't believe that a mere cripple can withstand our combined assault. It's either he dies or we die today."
Hu Mao roared.
He brandished a large saber and charged fiercely. The others followed with fierce expressions, and even the coachman drew a gleaming dagger, ready to strike.
Facing the siege of these people, Ling Fan remained composed.
He pointed a finger forward, and a domineering and sharp cyan-gold true qi light flashed. The weapon of one person was snapped in two at the center, and a bloody hole appeared on that person's head, his expression of terror frozen on his face.
The first to die.
Then, leaning back, he dodged a saber strike, and terrifying immense force struck the attacker's chest. The sound of dense bone shattering was heard, and the attacker's internal organs were pulverized into a pulp, leaving him undeniably dead.
Snatching the weapon from that person's hand, he swung his saber down. A flash of deadly snow-white light appeared, and another person's head was cleaved open.
In the blink of an eye, Ling Fan, with a finger strike, a lean, and a saber slash, consecutively killed three people, leaving only Hu Mao and the coachman.
This strength was truly astonishing!
How could a few ordinary Meridian Opening Realm Great Perfection cultivators be Ling Fan's match?
Now that he had opened his metal-attribute meridians, he could even kill ordinary early-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivators.
If it were a life-or-death battle, with his myriad techniques from his previous life, he wouldn't even fear someone at the Profound Gang Realm.
Ling Fan's eyes were as placid as a deep well, as if he were killing three chickens rather than three people.
In his previous life, he had ascended to become an unparalleled emperor, treading on mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He had killed countless saints and great emperors. A few Meridian Opening Realm cultivators were like ants, not even qualified to make him frown.
"How is this possible... You're not a good-for-nothing, you're at the Meridian Opening Realm Great Perfection, no, even the Meridian Opening Realm Great Perfection isn't this powerful. Could you be in the Qi Refining Realm... Who exactly are you? You are definitely not the good-for-nothing Ling Fan!"
Hu Mao was already stammering in shock.
He had initially thought this trip would be an easy revenge and a chance to make a fortune, but he never expected Ling Fan to be so deeply hidden.
With such strength, even an early-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator might not be able to contend.
If Ling Fan were a good-for-nothing, then what were they?
Mud?
Under Ling Fan's overwhelming power, Hu Mao completely lost his will to fight. With a "plop," he knelt and begged, "Spare my life! I truly know my mistake this time and will never dare again!"
The coachman, also terrified, quickly knelt and kowtowed incessantly.
"It was Hu Hao who ordered you to come, wasn't it?" Ling Fan asked.