"Mr. Chen, stop!"
When Aunt Liu and the others looked back, it was Ping Yihong who hurried over, appearing behind them.
Ping Yihong had previously seen the guests off and was nowhere to be found, but he had likely returned after seeing them out.
Chen Fan turned back indifferently.
"Brother Bai, please step aside. I will escort Mr. Chen to see our host."
Ping Yihong walked over and said to Mr. Bai.
Mr. Bai had no intention of engaging in a serious fight, so he moved aside.
"Please return, everyone!"
Ping Yihong turned back and cupped his hands towards Tao Xiaoyan and the others, saying, "The Fish Dragon Secret Gathering has concluded. Mr. Chen is a distinguished guest of our host. We ask that you please leave according to the rules. We will have someone escort you back!"
Gu Zi'an and Shen Tinghao's expressions sank.
"Since your host is willing to see Mr. Chen, why not see us as well?" Shen Tinghao said, "Shen Tinghao of the Shen family in the capital, requests an audience with the Master of the Fish Dragon Society."
Upon hearing Shen Tinghao's request, Ping Yihong shook his head. "Young Master Shen, I am very sorry, but our host will only see Mr. Chen alone."
"Can you tell me why?" Shen Tinghao asked with a dark expression.
"Young Master Shen, please return and do not break the rules!" Ping Yihong's voice was not loud, but it contained an invisible dignity that made it impossible to underestimate.
Shen Tinghao turned and left, flicking his sleeves.
Gu Zi'an gave Chen Fan a deep look, feeling very unwilling.
He had wanted to see Chen Fan suffer a setback in front of this mysterious Fish Dragon Master, but instead, the Fish Dragon Master had yielded?
Indeed, was it the powerful martial strength that even the omnipotent Fish Dragon Master feared?
It was a pity that the Gu family did not have such a master?
"Let's go, Xiaoyan!" Aunt Liu tugged at Tao Xiaoyan.
"Chen Fan, I'll find you later!" Tao Xiaoyan giggled, waved goodbye to Chen Fan, and turned to leave.
The others, full of anticipation to witness the spectacle, could only turn and leave.
Chen Fan was not surprised by this outcome.
Using the fragments of the Dragon Pattern Compass as bait to lure him here was meant for a meeting from the start.
Besides, the elder from the Hua family had also said that the Fish Dragon Master would give him answers.
The fact that he was kept waiting was more like a test.
"Mr. Chen, please follow me!"
Ping Yihong led the way.
They passed through the main gate and walked a short distance before reaching a staircase between the cliff faces. After proceeding for over a hundred meters and rounding a protruding rock face, Ping Yihong stopped.
Melodious zither music drifted from ahead.
"Mr. Chen, our host is in the pavilion ahead. You may go over."
Ping Yihong said.
Chen Fan looked up. Not far ahead, at a junction of the cliffs, was a hidden pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, a person in white, with their back to them, was playing the zither.
Without further ado, Chen Fan strode forward.
The music was ethereal, like a spring in a secluded valley, with the tinkling of jade pendants, making one forget their worries.
As Chen Fan approached, the music stopped.
Chen Fan entered the pavilion. The person playing the zither was indeed a woman, but her face was covered with a white veil, obscuring her features.
"Mr. Chen, forgive my rudeness."
The woman stood up, pointed to a sandalwood box on the side of the zither, and said, "What you are looking for is inside this box."
To his surprise, the woman was so straightforward. He walked over and picked up the box.
Upon opening it, he found a fragment of a Dragon Pattern Compass.
"With this one, Mr. Chen has obtained five fragments. Congratulations!"
The woman's voice was clear and ethereal, with a hint of transcendence, as if she were detached from the mortal world.
This fragment was not a fake; it was indeed what Chen Fan had been searching for.
However, the fact that the Fish Dragon Master had produced it so readily and given it to him left Chen Fan somewhat surprised.
His mind raced, and he asked, "You're just giving it to me, with no conditions?"
"Of course, there are conditions," the woman said with a radiant smile. "When you have collected all nine fragments and go to the place indicated by the compass, you must take me with you. This condition is not unreasonable, is it?"
"It's not unreasonable," Chen Fan replied after a moment of thought. "You deliberately used a fake to test me, and then invited me to the Fish Dragon Secret Gathering, all for this?"
"Is that not enough?" the woman's voice was incredibly ethereal.
Chen Fan was momentarily stunned.
After a moment of silence, the woman spoke softly again, "Mr. Chen, or should I call you Mr. Long, or perhaps Chen Tianjiao?"
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. "Where did you find that out?"
"As long as one puts their mind to it, the identity of the sole direct heir of the Chen family is not too difficult to uncover," the woman said calmly. "Furthermore, there is also the identity of the Heaven King who guards the nation, which should also be correct, shouldn't it?"
"Who are you?"
Chen Fan fell silent for a moment.
"Three years ago, the son of the thousand-year-old royal family, Feng Qianyuan of the Feng family, died on the outskirts of the capital," the woman said unhurriedly. "This matter was kept secret in the mortal world, but in the ancient martial arts world, it is not unknown."
"And the death of that arrogant prince caused quite a stir in the ancient martial arts world. It was not difficult for me to find out!"
Chen Fan fell silent again.
"The wrath of the royal family would have led to rivers of blood. However, the one who killed their prince was an invincible war god who guarded the nation's fortune, and the heir of a powerful clan. They would have to weigh their options!"
"After all, times have changed. No matter how strong ancient martial arts are, they must consider carefully in the face of devastatingly powerful weapons."
Chen Fan's eyes began to narrow, with a hint of coldness.
The woman suddenly removed her veil, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty. She smiled at Chen Fan.
He couldn't tell her exact age, but her immortal demeanor and her smile made his heart flutter.
Even Chen Fan felt a ripple of emotion, and the icy coldness in his eyes lessened considerably.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my surname is Duanmu, and my name is Wanling," the woman said, performing an ancient bow. Her every word and action exuded an indescribable charm.
Chen Fan slowly said, "Since you know about me, you should also know how powerful my enemies are."
Duanmu Wanling chuckled lightly. "Indeed, they are very powerful. In such a situation, no matter your background, it will all be in vain."
She changed her tone and said, "However, you have obtained the Dragon Pattern Compass. I have no other choice."
"Are you very knowledgeable about the Dragon Pattern Compass?" Chen Fan asked, his interest piqued.
"The Dragon Pattern Compass was passed down in my sect for a time," Duanmu Wanling said. "Therefore, I understand it better than you think."
"Is your sect related to the Su family?" Chen Fan sensed something.
"The ancestors of the Su family have their own origins," Duanmu Wanling said. "To be precise, the ancestors of the Su family and the ancestors of my sect came from the same lineage."
"Besides that, there is another lineage, surnamed Chu, who also possesses a Dragon Pattern Compass."
Chen Fan's pupils contracted. "The Sanren?"
"It seems your influence is not small; you've uncovered some of the details," Duanmu Wanling's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, and she nodded slightly. "Yes, it is the Sanren lineage."
"The reason the Su family was destroyed was precisely due to the Sanren lineage's instigation. I will not go into the specific details, as it would be pointless to explain."
Chen Fan frowned slightly. "Why do I feel like you don't know the details either?"
Duanmu Wanling rolled her eyes. "Chen Fan, is it really appropriate to speak so directly?"
Chen Fan smiled. "Your lineage isn't doing very well, is it? The Su family was destroyed, and you only have one Dragon Pattern Compass, which you got from Hua Yunping, right?"
"Am I that old?" Duanmu Wanling asked, slightly indignant. "It was given to my master."
"Where is your master?"
"Dead," Duanmu Wanling said.
"It seems that you cultivators are not all that special," Chen Fan said indifferently. "Your lifespans are not that long either."
"How did you know I was a cultivator?" Duanmu Wanling asked.
"The Fish Dragon Secret Gathering, the items you collect are not just worldly treasures. The Linglong Stone of Taihu Lake, hundred-year-old medicinal cauldrons, jade pieces imbued with spiritual energy... Are these not enough to explain it?"
Duanmu Wanling praised him. "As expected of Mr. Long. No wonder you were able to establish a commercial empire like the Longteng Group."
After speaking, she nodded again. "Those items are useful to me, including the calligraphy you wrote."
Chen Fan, uninterested in these matters, directly said, "I just want to know where to find the remaining Dragon Pattern Compass fragments!"
"I don't know," Duanmu Wanling shook her head. "The one in the capital should already be in your hands. As for the others, I don't know."
"I only know that the current generation of Sanren definitely has one."
Chen Fan shrugged, took Duanmu Wanling's fragment, and turned to leave.
Duanmu Wanling was stunned by his decisive departure and felt a pang of annoyance.
As the Master of the Fish Dragon Society, how many people were desperate to see her, yet Chen Fan treated her with such nonchalance?