Chen Fan arrived at the company, and Gu Weidong reported to him:
"President Chen, the Xingyue Lake project department is urging us to pay. You weren't here, so I didn't dare to make a decision."
"Wasn't the second installment already disbursed? Are they now demanding the third?" Chen Fan asked.
"Yes, President Chen. The first investment was fifty million, the second was one hundred million, and this is the third, three hundred million!" Gu Weidong said. "The first investment was paid upon signing the contract, and the second was only two days ago. This is not normal."
"I've checked with the Xingyue Lake project department. Although they've started construction, they couldn't possibly be using funds this quickly."
"There might be a problem here."
Chen Fan glanced at Gu Weidong and asked, "Is Xu Yuntian the one urging for payment?"
"Mr. Xu himself hasn't personally urged, it's his financial manager."
Chen Fan said, "Transfer it to them."
"President Chen?" Gu Weidong looked worried and said, "There might be a problem here." After a pause, he continued, "This project is calculated in years. Although we signed a ten-billion contract, this pace of payment is too fast. I fear they're deliberately trying to tie up our funds."
Chen Fan smiled. "I wish he would dare to do that!"
Gu Weidong was speechless for a moment.
"Go," Chen Fan waved his hand and said, "Keep an eye on the progress of the Xingyue Lake project. If they dare to swallow my money, I'll make them spit it out tenfold."
Gu Weidong, unsure of Chen Fan's intentions, turned and returned to his office.
It wasn't long before Ye Yunchen arrived. This time, he was surprisingly alone. The secretary escorted him in. After Chen Fan signaled the secretary to leave, he asked, "You came alone, aren't you afraid the Brotherhood will send assassins after you?"
"I have people waiting downstairs," Ye Yunchen said. "Assassinating me isn't that easy, unless they send a martial arts master. I'm not worried about ordinary martial artists."
"Of course, there's no one as monstrous as you, who can even take down a martial arts master."
Chen Fan shook his head, gestured for Ye Yunchen to sit, and said, "The Brotherhood should already know your whereabouts. Haven't they taken any action against you?"
"What action can they take?" Ye Yunchen said proudly. "At this point in time, they have bigger issues to worry about. Besides, I'm precisely looking for them to cause trouble. How can the revenge for the Sihai Gang go unavenged?"
Chen Fan looked at Ye Yunchen. "What do you know?"
"The Brotherhood and the Hero Alliance are two sides of the same coin, but not entirely unified. The Brotherhood has developed to a point where there are many internal problems."
"They lack a strong figure to unite and consolidate all their forces!"
Chen Fan had already considered this issue, but hearing it confirmed by Ye Yunchen boosted his spirits.
"Do you know who the leader of the Brotherhood is?" Chen Fan asked.
Ye Yunchen grinned. "I asked you for a list of the Brotherhood's higher-ups, and now you're asking me?"
Chen Fan said calmly, "Mutual exchange of information benefits both of us, doesn't it?"
"You haven't given me much valuable intelligence either," Ye Yunchen replied. "Fine, I'll tell you anyway. The Brotherhood's leader goes by the codename 'Ziwei.' Their specific identity is unknown."
"Ziwei?" Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. That codename was quite audacious. Ziwei is a star in the heavens, the chief among stars, also known as the Emperor Star. Using this as a codename clearly indicates the ambition of the Brotherhood's leader.
The leader of the Brotherhood is not the same as the leader of the Hero Alliance, whose leader is Zuo Lizhou.
"The Hero Alliance has a very ancient history. The Brotherhood seems to have branched out from the Hero Alliance. Could this 'Ziwei' be closely related to Zuo Lizhou? Perhaps it's Zuo Lizhou's son, Zuo Tiance?"
Ye Yunchen shook his head. "Your guess isn't without reason, but there's no evidence. It's just one possibility."
Chen Fan agreed with Ye Yunchen's assessment. Without evidence, any speculation was unreliable. Preconceived notions could lead to misjudgments.
"Let's not talk about this. Let's get back to my matter. You're not agreeing even with my generous offer. What exactly do you want?" Ye Yunchen said.
"What generous offer?" Chen Fan said calmly. "If you put the Dragon-Patterned Compass fragment directly in front of me, then that would be a generous offer. We can negotiate, and I am determined to obtain the Dragon-Patterned Compass, but I won't have you dictate arbitrary terms."
"Besides, you know very well what you're hiding."
Ye Yunchen's expression stiffened. "Chen Tianjiao, you're really not a good partner. I don't like cooperating with people like you."
"Then you're welcome to leave," Chen Fan said.
"Have you forgotten the three conditions?" Ye Yunchen asked angrily.
"No. Whether I agree to the three conditions depends on my mood. We are only discussing terms; I cannot unconditionally agree to all your demands." Chen Fan said lightly. "If you don't explain the function of the item you mentioned, how can I help you?"
Staring at Chen Tianjiao, Ye Yunchen's expression flickered several times. After taking a deep breath, he finally said, "It's a magic artifact!"
"Magic artifact?"
"To be precise, it can be called a magic treasure, much like you understand it. In some novels, stories, and legends, it's an extraordinary item with very special uses and effects."
Chen Fan's body straightened. He hadn't expected Ye Yunchen to have such a card up his sleeve. "Explain in detail." The term "magic treasure" only appeared in legends. Chen Fan was hearing it for the first time and his curiosity was piqued.
"You have to promise me, then I'll continue," Ye Yunchen said, annoyed.
Chen Fan smiled. "You've come this far. Even if you keep it a secret, I can always go and inquire with the Wang family later."
"The Wang family won't tell you," Ye Yunchen said.
"That's not certain. There are always ways and means," Chen Fan said calmly.
"I don't know the specifics myself, I only saw my father have someone demonstrate it. It was a Daoist priest. He wielded that jade ruyi, and my father's Four Great Vajras, who are not ordinary people and possess exceptional skills, were all sent flying over ten meters by a wave of the jade ruyi."
"External release of qi?" Chen Fan asked.
"No," Ye Yunchen said dismissively. "If it were external release of qi, wouldn't I know? There was no airflow fluctuation at the time; it was more like an invisible force!"
"Spiritual power?" Chen Fan said.
Ye Yunchen nodded. "I discreetly asked my master about this, and he also leans towards your theory. This should be a magic artifact left by a profound cultivator. I saw it with my own eyes at the time, and it was absolutely not false."
"Have you approached the Wang family?" Chen Fan asked.
Ye Yunchen shook his head. "Not yet. The Wang family has a long heritage; they are an ancient clan, not easily approached. My current identity carries no weight with them."
"You seek my help, yet you don't approach your master or your sect? Last time you said some of your senior brothers were martial arts masters. What do you have to fear?" Chen Fan said with a smile.
Ye Yunchen's expression turned a bit awkward. "Martial arts masters aren't that common, they're not cabbage! Among my senior brothers, there are only three martial arts masters, and they've traveled far away. They might not be willing."
"Besides that, you also don't want your sect to know about the existence of this magic artifact?" Chen Fan continued, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Ye Yunchen retorted, "Just tell me, are you in or not?"
"Let's give it a try," Chen Fan said. "I can't guarantee I can make the Wang family agree to return the item. The Wang family has a thousand years of heritage and is not to be trifled with. I'll make some inquiries and see."
"Alright, I'll send someone to find out the whereabouts of the eldest young master of the Wang family. You await my news." Ye Yunchen knew that at this juncture, Chen Fan couldn't offer a guarantee. But with Chen Fan agreeing, he felt a bit more relaxed, and the possibility of recovering the magic artifact had increased significantly.