"Qi Ling"
Su Fan called out Qi Ling's name softly.
Qi Ling's body trembled. Seeing Su Fan behind her, she immediately rushed forward and hugged him.
Uh…
Su Fan's body stiffened, feeling a bit lost.
Qi Ling couldn't speak, she just held Su Fan silently.
Long Die, who had followed behind Su Fan, saw this scene and immediately pouted, feeling very displeased with Su Fan.
"Cough, cough!"
Long Die coughed twice, reminding them that she was still there.
Su Fan felt extremely awkward and quickly pushed Qi Ling away.
"Your situation is very dangerous right now. Don't go out recently. If anyone comes to search, you must hide well."
Su Fan said to Qi Ling solemnly.
This concerned their lives, no, the lives of four people. If Qi Ling were discovered, Long Die and Xiao Yan would also be implicated.
Qi Ling nodded.
As long as Su Fan was alive, she would listen to whatever he said.
"What happened?"
Long Die, listening from behind, was completely bewildered.
Su Fan was silent for a moment. As a friend living under the same roof, Su Fan felt there was no need to hide anything from Long Die.
He explained Qi Ling's identity and confessed their previous plan.
"Why don't you go back to Baiyue Villa? It's too dangerous here,"
Su Fan suggested.
Baiyue Villa was detached from worldly affairs and was very safe. Even war did not affect Baiyue Villa.
"What are you talking about! Do you see me as someone who only seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages?"
Long Die glared at Su Fan angrily.
"I didn't mean that."
Su Fan quickly explained. He just wanted Long Die to be safe. The plot had already deviated from what he knew, and he didn't know how it would unfold, nor could he guarantee Long Die's safety.
"I don't need your protection. Your strength is not even as good as mine, hmph!"
Long Die snorted disdainfully.
Su Fan shook his head helplessly. Long Die was telling the truth; her current strength surpassed his.
That afternoon, large numbers of soldiers began searching house by house in Tianlong City under the pretext of apprehending rebels.
Su Fan and the others were located in the southern district, close to the center, so the search had not reached them yet.
Su Fan frowned. He still had to go to the Grand Tutor's mansion to meet the Third Prince and advance the plot.
Su Fan arrived at the Grand Tutor's mansion. It was still desolate, and Xu Fengnian's funeral had not yet concluded.
"Young Master Su, you've arrived."
The butler said with a bow upon seeing Su Fan.
"Is the Third Prince still here?"
Su Fan asked the butler.
"The Third Prince has already left."
Su Fan was disappointed; he had rushed here in vain.
"However, before leaving, the Third Prince asked me to tell you to meet him at Huasheng Tower in three days."
The butler's next words made Su Fan's eyes light up.
He knew it. The system wouldn't give him an unsolvable quest.
"Understood, thank you for your trouble."
Su Fan nodded. Since he had received the information he wanted, there was no need to stay at the Grand Tutor's mansion any longer.
After returning to reality that night, Su Fan cultivated for an entire day in reality. Then, he returned to the game and went out to kill monsters and level up.
He spent the next three days like this, until three days later, Su Fan went to Huasheng Tower to keep his appointment.
"My apologies to His Highness the Third Prince for keeping you waiting."
The Third Prince was already waiting for Su Fan at Huasheng Tower. Su Fan had arrived relatively early, but the Third Prince had arrived even earlier.
"Sit."
Xiao Zhihong didn't pay much attention to Su Fan's tardiness, but he himself had arrived too early.
Su Fan nodded and sat opposite Xiao Zhihong, unsure why the Third Prince had summoned him.
"May I ask what business His Highness the Third Prince has with me?"
Su Fan asked, puzzled.
"You were close to Brother Fengnian, but I haven't met you before. How did you two become acquainted?"
After returning, Xiao Zhihong felt something was amiss. He had never heard of this Su Fan before, nor had he seen him around Xu Fengnian. He had suddenly appeared, and then Xu Fengnian died. This naturally made him suspicious.
"I met Young Master Xu at the Martial Arts Tournament. We had a minor disagreement over some trivial matter at the time. Later, I personally went to apologize to Young Master Xu, and after that, we became friends through conflict. I never expected that after only a few days of acquaintance, before we could deepen our friendship, we were separated by death. Alas!"
Su Fan slowly recounted how he and Xu Fengnian met, sighing deeply as if regretting meeting him too late.
Xiao Zhihong stared intently at Su Fan, but he couldn't discern any issues from his expression.
"Alas! Indeed, it's too regrettable that Fengnian left like this,"
Xiao Zhihong also sighed.
"I didn't invite you here solely because of Xu Fengnian's matter. You are the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament, aren't you? I heard you defeated the previous champion?"
Xiao Zhihong asked Su Fan.
In fact, Xiao Zhihong had already thoroughly investigated all of Su Fan's information in Tianlong City. Asking this was merely a courtesy.
"It was just a stroke of luck. Chen Fang is also very strong."
Su Fan replied humbly.
Chen Fang hadn't used his full strength at all. If he had, Su Fan might not have been his match.
"There's no need to be modest. Becoming the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament means you fought your way through. Your strength is genuine. Do you have a residence yet?"
Xiao Zhihong continued to ask.
"I bought a small courtyard with my own money. It's enough for me to live alone without any worries."
Su Fan didn't hide the matter of the courtyard. With the Third Prince's status, it would be simple to investigate him.
"Hmm, if you need anything, I can bestow a mansion upon you. Just say the word."
The Third Prince seemed to be taking great care of Su Fan, even offering him a mansion.
"Your Highness, I appreciate your kindness, but a large mansion would feel too lonely for me alone. That small courtyard is quite good."
Su Fan politely declined.
Xiao Zhihong nodded.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince has arrived downstairs,"
Xiao Zhihong's guard suddenly whispered in his ear.
With his astonishing hearing, Su Fan clearly overheard their conversation.
"Hmm."
The Third Prince nodded, stood up, and went to greet him.
"Greetings, Imperial Brother."
Upon seeing Xiao Zhiyi, who was ascending the stairs, Xiao Zhihong cupped his hands in greeting.
"What a coincidence? Third Brother is also dining here?"
Xiao Zhiyi feigned surprise.
However, his eyes kept darting towards Su Fan.
His arrival here was no coincidence. He had learned that Xiao Zhihong was meeting a mysterious person at Huasheng Tower and had come to see who it was.
Because Su Fan was not famous enough, Xiao Zhiyi treated him as the mysterious person.
Xiao Zhihong, having been born into royalty, naturally understood the Second Prince's intentions and didn't mind.
"I am merely entertaining a friend. Allow me to introduce, this is Su Fan, the adopted son of Grand Tutor Xu. This is my Imperial Brother."
Instead of being bothered, Xiao Zhihong introduced them to each other.
"Su Fan pays his respects to His Highness the Second Prince."
Su Fan cupped his hands and bowed to Xiao Zhiyi.
Xiao Zhiyi smiled slightly, his intentions unclear.
"You may dispense with the formalities. Your friend, Third Brother, is quite interesting."
Xiao Zhiyi merely smiled and did not engage in further conversation with Su Fan.