"Knock, knock, knock..."
At one o'clock in the morning, the door was knocked.
Chu Fan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.
From the heavy breathing outside the door, he knew it was Nan Baixuan.
Why was she knocking on his door in the middle of the night?
After a moment's thought, Chu Fan knew why the little girl had come to visit so late.
Her purpose was, no doubt, to seek clarification because she couldn't accept what had happened in the evening.
Chu Fan disliked revisiting past events, so he naturally ignored her.
"Cousin, are you asleep?"
Nan Baixuan continued to knock, while Chu Fan closed his eyes and cultivated.
"Cousin, are you asleep?"
"I have something I want to talk to you about. If not tonight, I might not be able to sleep."
"Don't worry, I won't ask too much. Please open the door, okay?"
Nan Baixuan's voice was slightly choked with tears and pleading, hoping to move Chu Fan to open the door.
Little did she know, even kneeling would be useless.
After persisting for a few more minutes and still hearing no movement, Nan Baixuan could only return to her room with a face full of disappointment.
Tonight, she was destined to be sleepless.
Early morning.
Before leaving for work, Nan Baixuan knocked on the door again.
This time, the door opened automatically with the first knock. Seeing that Chu Fan had already disappeared, the little girl looked crestfallen.
At this moment, Chu Fan was hiding within the trees of Wanshu Mountain.
In the early morning, all things were reviving.
Wanshu Mountain possessed the脈 of wood element, and as dawn broke, the wood element was most concentrated and most suitable for absorption.
As soon as Nan Baixuan left, Chu Fan returned to his room.
Thinking of Nan Baixuan's stubborn nature, and that she wouldn't stop until she got something from him, Chu Fan packed his things and prepared to stay at the Shanhai Pavilion for a long time.
Although his aunt's house was large and had many rooms, it was not too much for him to live alone.
However, for a long-term stay, Chu Fan felt it was inappropriate.
The reason he had remained in the first place despite Nan Baixuan's pestering was because of the wood element脈 here, and he needed to absorb wood energy at any time.
Now that he had the Shanhai Pavilion, the power of the dragon脈 there was even stronger than the wood element, so there was no need to stay here any longer.
Furthermore, by staying out of his aunt's sight, many things would be more convenient to do.
Seeing his aunt coming downstairs, Chu Fan, who had been waiting in the living room, stood up and said, "Aunt, I'm planning to move out from here. I wanted to let you know."
"Move out?"
Qin Xue looked at him with surprise. "Are you not used to living here?"
Chu Fan shook his head. "I'm very used to it."
Qin Xue's eyes darted, her expression turning cold. She stared at Chu Fan and asked sternly, "Xiao Fan, tell your aunt honestly, did Xuanxuan say something again?"
"This little girl is becoming more and more lawless. I'll see how I deal with her tonight."
Qin Xue had long noticed that Nan Baixuan and Chu Fan were always at odds.
But on one hand, it was her own daughter, and on the other, her nephew. It was difficult to side with either, leaving her in a bind.
Fortunately, Chu Fan never lost his temper whenever he was targeted, so she hadn't worried much.
Now that he was living well and suddenly proposed to leave.
She felt that Nan Baixuan must have said something extremely harsh, and Chu Fan couldn't tolerate it, which was why he suddenly wanted to move.
Seeing his aunt genuinely angered, Chu Fan hurriedly explained, "Aunt, this has nothing to do with Xuanxuan, really. I'm moving out on my own!"
Nan Baixuan already disliked him. If she took the blame for this, wouldn't she curse him all the time?
Although Chu Fan ignored her existence, he didn't want to be targeted.
"Why?"
"Aren't you living well here?"
"Where are you moving to?"
Qin Xue knew that Chu Fan had always wanted to investigate those matters from the past.
Allowing him to escape her sight made her uneasy deep down.
Only when Chu Fan was under her watch could she feel less worried.
"It's like this, Shangguan Hongyu is going to take me with him to do things."
"He wants me to move to his place, so it'll be more convenient for going out and communicating."
To prevent his aunt from dwelling on it, Chu Fan had no choice but to bring up Shangguan Hongyu.
The effect was surprisingly good.
Qin Xue was delighted to hear that the King of Lou was going to take Chu Fan with him. She nodded and said, "Since that's the case, you go ahead!"
"However, you must keep in touch with your aunt at all times and let her know what you're doing."
"If you encounter any difficulties, you can also find your aunt!"
Finally, he managed to stop his aunt from questioning further, and Chu Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then packed his belongings and left Wanshu Mountain.
In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.
Information from various investigations continuously flowed into Chu Fan's hands, but none of it was of substantial use.
At noon.
Guan Hongyun paid a visit.
Upon seeing Chu Fan, he was full of pleasantries and was extremely polite.
"Just say it directly if you have something to say. Hesitating like this, are you even a man?"
Chu Fan suddenly spoke, startling Guan Hongyun, who tensed up.
His intentions exposed, the old man looked embarrassed.
"Sir, it's like this, my daughter has always admired you greatly."
"She is hosting a gathering tonight and would like to invite you to attend."
After a slight pause, Guan Hongyun continued, "I know my daughter's idea is a bit fanciful, so I'll go back and warn her not to daydream."
Chu Fan rolled his eyes and stared at Guan Hongyun. "Old Guan, using a self-serving excuse combined with playing hard to get, is that interesting?"
"Your little tricks, it's best to put them away and don't try to show them off in front of me anymore."
To think an elder would play such tricks, and not be ashamed.
Did he really think Guan Ziqi's invitation to the gathering was a daydream, and why else would he come to Shanhai Pavilion to curry favor?
Guan Hongyun broke out in a cold sweat and nodded submissively.
He had thought Chu Fan was terrifying enough, but now he seemed even more terrifying than imagined.
"What time, and where? I might be able to go for a bit if I'm free, but if I'm busy, then never mind."
Seeing that Chu Fan had actually agreed, Guan Hongyun's nervousness turned to joy, and he quickly stated the time and place. kanδん
Before speaking, he hadn't really expected Chu Fan to be so accommodating.
Little did he know, Chu Fan also had his own plans.
The days of rest and the various pieces of information gathered had led him to much contemplation.
The Eternal Palace was indeed very powerful, its tentacles already extending to every corner of the world that could be seen.
As for its financial resources, there was no need to mention them; they were frighteningly vast.
However, human efforts had their limits.
Many things could not be bought simply with money.
Before entering the Dragon God Kingdom, he didn't think much of this place, and hadn't even taken it seriously; he thought he could easily flatten it.
But upon actually stepping into it, and facing obstacles in his investigations, he realized he had underestimated the situation.
This ancient Eastern kingdom hid many unknown things, even things that the Eternal Palace could not reach.
Only by integrating into it and digging slowly could he obtain the truth he desired.
He was destined to spend more time in the Dragon God Kingdom.
Secondly, the pain that befell his mother had always been an unresolved issue in Chu Fan's heart.
His mother, due to her background, had suffered disdain and schemes from the Chu family.
Before coming to the Dragon God Kingdom, Chu Fan's plan was to directly destroy the Chu family.
But now, his thoughts had changed.
Using the Eternal Palace to eliminate the Chu family, which had forced his mother to flee, was too merciful to the Chu family, allowing them to feel no pain at all.
Chu Fan planned to take action himself, to slowly pull the Chu family down from their position as the head of the hundred clans, step by step, and let the Chu family despair. That would be the superior strategy for revenge.
The starting point for his development would be in Shanhai City.
This matter required the use of Guan Hongyun and Shangguan Hongyu, among others.
Therefore, he didn't mind giving Guan Hongyun some face.