Huang Yu's Strength and Purpose?

Chu Fan stepped out of his parents' room and raised his head to look at the sky.

Lead-gray clouds hung overhead, like a torn cotton sack spilling goose-feather snow. In an instant, the flakes were twisted into a vast white curtain by the North Wind.

Between heaven and earth, only the fine sound of falling snow remained, as though Creation itself were painting everything pure white.

This house couldn't be sold.

If he wanted to sell it, he would have to wait until he could refine the Demon Suppression Stele.

Chu Fan didn't know whether the Demon Suppression Stele counted as the legendary Magic treasure secret weapon.

But the "Demon Dragon Celestial Gang Scripture" inscribed on the stele was absolutely beyond comparison with martial arts such as Twelve Forms Boxing and Blood Soul Nine Swords.

No matter what, he had to get his hands on it.

Unfortunately, refining the Demon Suppression Stele required one thousand five hundred points of Spiritual Essence.

How could he possibly save up that much Spiritual Essence without a year or two?

Chu Fan's expression shifted slightly as he thought of Huang Yu, and of the Blood Saber Sect.

He had never met Huang Yu.

But ever since he had begun fishing two years ago, he had already suffered bullying and extortion at the hands of the Blood Saber Sect. Deep in his heart, he had long harbored a bone-deep hatred for them.

That vicious and overbearing Blood Saber Sect—finding even one good person among them would be a miracle!

Every one of those people deserved to die!

A sudden impulse surged through Chu Fan's heart.

Deep within him, it was as if a voice were tempting him to slaughter the Blood Saber Sect's disciples without restraint.

I'm a law-abiding citizen, after all...

Chu Fan sighed inwardly once more and forced that impulse down.

Even if he broke through to Blood Nourishment, he would only be at the level of an Entry disciple from one of the major gangs.

He had better keep a low profile for now.

With this level of strength, beating a few minor lackeys might not be a problem.

But if he encountered someone stronger, he would probably be reduced to taking a beating and waiting to be killed.

Chu Fan thought of the Huang Family and Huang Yu again.

It was said that Huang Yu was a Minor Leader of the Blood Saber Sect.

A so-called Minor Leader was a leader beneath a Hall Master, and his strength was certain to exceed Blood Nourishment by a wide margin.

He might already have reached Blood Refining.

There was even a possibility that he had already reached Tendon Tempering.

He had to find a way to learn Huang Yu's cultivation realm.

It wasn't that Chu Fan was being conceited and wanted to kill Huang Yu right away...

The main reason was that Huang Yu had his eye on his family's ancestral home and definitely wouldn't let the matter rest.

There was a saying about being a thief for a thousand days, but where was the sense in guarding against a thief for a thousand days?

He would first find out Huang Yu's true strength, then make his plans.

Once the gap in strength was no longer too great, he would find an opportunity to kill this guy and wipe out the Huang Family, putting an end to everything once and for all!

Chu Fan took the silver he had obtained from killing Liu Da and the others the previous night from a hole in the wall. Then he went outside and brought Zhao Hu over.

Although Liu Da and the others, along with that Constable, hadn't noticed anything unusual about his parents' room, he still wanted to verify his suspicion, just to be safe...

Chu Fan found an excuse and asked Zhao Hu to help clean the trash from his parents' room while he hid outside the door and watched for any movement inside.

Uncle Zhao was kindhearted and had always looked after him. Even if he really discovered something strange inside, he would keep the secret for him.

If it had been anyone else, Chu Fan wouldn't have dared try this.

Watching Zhao Hu bustle about inside the room and slowly approach the spot where the Hexagram Pattern was located, Chu Fan held his breath and focused his mind.

The Hexagram Pattern didn't appear!

Zhao Hu was already standing on the spot where the Hexagram Pattern should have been, yet nothing unusual happened!

Just as he had expected...

That Hexagram Formation could probably only be activated by him—or, more precisely, by the bloodline of the Chu Family.

When other people walked across it, nothing unusual would happen.

Only then did he relax.

If other people could activate the formation as well, Chu Fan might return after spending several days at the Seven Star Gang to find his home robbed. By then, it would be too late for regrets.

"Uncle Zhao, could I discuss something with you?"

Chu Fan didn't enter the room. He only waited until Zhao Hu stepped outside before saying, "Sell your house and move your whole family here to live with me."

"Huh?" Zhao Hu froze for a moment.

In his eyes, given Chu Fan's circumstances, selling the house outright was the wisest course of action.

Once the house was sold and the money was in hand, Chu Fan could go wherever he wanted.

Whatever the Huang Family planned afterward would have nothing to do with him.

This child still values his feelings too deeply. He can't bear to sell the ancestral home he's lived in since childhood...

Zhao Hu sighed inwardly.

Chu Fan continued, "I'm not planning to sell the house for now. My house is large, with plenty of rooms. The three of you can move in without feeling cramped."

"Besides, the Huang Family has their eye on your house too. You might as well sell it directly. Whatever silver you can get for it, take it."

"I see..." Zhao Hu stroked his chin, looking somewhat tempted. "Then... how much rent?"

"No rent," Chu Fan said. "Uncle Zhao, you watched me grow up. I may not be capable of much, but I'm not the sort of person who forgets a debt of gratitude."

"When my parents passed away, you were the one who gave me food and kept me alive."

"When my house was smashed and my fishing nets were ruined, even my bedding was torn to shreds... You and Auntie immediately brought over bedding, along with sweet potatoes and eggs."

"That kindness is as heavy as a mountain."

"Offering charcoal in the snow is something no small amount of rent could ever compare to."

"So please, don't stand on ceremony with me."

"Xiao Fan, you..." Zhao Hu's eyes reddened slightly.

"Then it's settled," Chu Fan said. "From now on, I'll live in my parents' room. You can use the other rooms however you like."

"Also..."

Chu Fan pulled four taels of silver from his robes and said, "It doesn't matter if the door has a few large holes when I'm living alone. But now that you're moving in, leaving it like this would be unacceptable."

"Take this silver and have the door replaced."

"..." Zhao Hu's eyes widened.

In the past, Chu Fan had been so poor that even the slightest jingle would have sounded loud. Though he fished every day, he couldn't necessarily eat his fill at every meal.

Half a month ago, he had even chopped firewood for Zhao Hu's family in exchange for food.

Where had he gotten such a large sum of silver now?

Zhao Hu seemed to think of something, and his heart jolted. Yet he immediately calmed himself.

Seeing this, Chu Fan added, "This silver was given to me by Cao Feng, the Chief Instructor of the Seven Star Gang. Perhaps he saw that I had some talent, so he's been looking after me."

Zhao Hu nodded and accepted the silver from Chu Fan. "You can rest assured. Your Uncle Zhao will handle it properly!"

The two exchanged a smile.

Suddenly, Chu Fan seemed to remember something and asked, "Uncle Zhao, earlier I heard you say that Huang Shouliang's son, Huang Yu, is a Minor Leader of the Blood Saber Sect. Is that true?"

"Do you know how strong Huang Yu is?"

"..." Zhao Hu was startled the moment he heard this. He stared at Chu Fan with wide eyes.

Could this child be planning to go after Huang Yu?!

He wore a mournful expression as he said, "Xiao Fan, you... you..."

"I've never practiced martial arts, and I don't understand anything about martial cultivation realms. But last month, when I was selling baskets on Dragon Gate Street, I heard some passing Blood Saber Sect members mention Huang Yu."

"He seemed to be at the 'Blood Refining' realm, and they also said he was going to break through to some kind of 'Tendon' realm?"

"Tendon Tempering?" Chu Fan raised an eyebrow, and a trace of pressure rose in his heart.

He would be able to break through to Blood Nourishment in the next few days.

But Huang Yu had already begun attempting Tendon Tempering last month.

The gap between their strength was worlds apart!

"Oh, right! It was Tendon Tempering!" Zhao Hu hurriedly said. "Those Blood Saber Sect members said that Huang Yu was deeply valued by the Hall Master and had extraordinary strength, so people should associate with him more often."

"Xiao Fan, I know you're gnashing your teeth with hatred because of everything that happened to your family..."

"But that Huang Yu is terrifying! Look at Liu Da. He was nothing more than someone thrown out of a martial arts school, yet he could shatter bluestone with a single palm and make all of us neighbors utterly helpless. Huang Yu is ten or a hundred times stronger than Liu Da and the others!"

"Moreover, he has the Blood Saber Sect backing him... Whatever you do, don't do anything foolish!"

"I won't." Chu Fan smiled. "I was just asking casually."

When he turned around, a completely undisguised killing intent flashed in his eyes!

"Blood Refining"?

Even if Huang Yu had reached Tendon Tempering—or Bone Tempering—he still had to die!

But Chu Fan would never do something as foolish as throwing an egg at a rock.

He would let Huang Yu live for a few more months.

Chu Fan turned back around and said, "Uncle Zhao, sell that house to the Huang Family."

"If they offer too little, I'll make up the difference."

Chu Fan narrowed his eyes.

Only by having Uncle Zhao sell the house to the Huang Family could he monitor Huang Yu's movements.

He truly wanted to know what Huang Yu was trying to do by buying houses everywhere!