No matter how fast it was, it couldn't outrun bullets. Its defenses were its weakest point, and if Lin Fan hadn't deliberately avoided its vital spots, it would have been dead already!
"Come on, let's go down!"
Lin Fan guided the helicopter into a slow descent. When they were a dozen or so meters above the ground, he put it away, and they all landed safely.
"Zhuqing, hurry and finish it off!"
Even without Lin Fan's reminder, Zhu Zhuqing had already taken a dagger and walked over.
"I'm sorry!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked reluctant, but she knew this wasn't the time to hesitate. She closed her eyes and plunged the dagger in.
Before long, a dazzling purple Soul Ring appeared above the Phantom Civet's body.
"Absorb the Soul Ring without worrying. I'm here, and no one will disturb you!"
Lin Fan's words put Zhu Zhuqing completely at ease. She nodded, then sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
Chapter 29: Meng Yiran
Hiss!
Suddenly, the sound of leaves and branches rubbing together came from the left, as if something were quickly approaching!
Lin Fan tensed from head to toe, the Soul Power in his body ready to surge into action. He was prepared for anything!
Whoosh!
The sound drew closer and closer. A shadow more than a dozen meters long suddenly shot out of the woods. Lin Fan took a closer look and saw a snake-shaped Soul Beast with a red comb atop its head!
"Looking for death!"
Lin Fan, who had been bracing for a formidable enemy, relaxed. The snake looked fierce, but it was only about two thousand years old and posed no threat to him!
As his shout rang out, Lin Fan activated Lingbo Microsteps and appeared at the snake's side in an instant. His right hand clamped around its seven-inch mark and squeezed hard!
Bang!
With a muffled thud, most of the snake's body exploded into a cloud of blood. It died without even making a sound.
"Grandpa, hurry! The snake is up ahead!"
Lin Fan wiped the blood from his hand. He was just about to turn his attention back to guarding Zhu Zhuqing when a girl's voice called from far away!
A moment later, amid the sound of rushing wind, three figures appeared not far from Lin Fan!
On the left stood an old man of about seventy. Though his beard and eyebrows were white, his back wasn't the least bit stooped. His eyes, especially, were clear and sharp, with not a trace of cloudiness. He held a dragon-headed cane in his hand!
On the right was a slightly hunched old woman of about sixty, holding a snake-headed cane!
Between them stood a young girl. She wore a fitted, light-blue top, and though she looked only fifteen or sixteen, she was remarkably full-figured!
Her short, light-blue hair paired with delicate features, and her heterochromatic eyes, like a snake's, gave her a strikingly exotic beauty!
Below her short skirt, which reached her hips, was a pair of long, snow-white legs that dazzled the eye!
"Pervert. Hmph!"
Lin Fan was staring so intently that he didn't come back to his senses until Ning Rongrong let out a cold snort beside him. Her eyes were full of disdain for him!
"Ah! My Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!"
When the girl saw that only half the snake's body remained at Lin Fan's feet, anger surged across her once-delighted face!
"You rotten brat! We chased that snake for more than half an hour and had finally almost caught it, but you killed it! You'd better pay me back!"
The moment she spotted the blood still on Lin Fan's hand, the girl knew who was responsible. She ran over, puffed up with anger, and pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Yiran!"
The old man beside her interrupted. He stepped forward and looked at Lin Fan, his brows drawing together.
"Little friend, did you really kill this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?"
The old man asked.
"These two old folks must be the Peerless Dragon Snake Couple, and the pretty girl is probably Meng Yiran!"
Lin Fan kept his expression neutral, but he had already figured out who the three were!
Lin Fan wasn't the type to fear the Peerless Dragon Snake Couple. If this had been anyone else, he might even have held them responsible for disturbing Zhu Zhuqing while she absorbed her Soul Ring!
But with Meng Yiran here, he had to be a little more polite. A beauty like a thorny rose would make a fine addition to his harem!
"Senior, I'm Lin Fan. My friend was absorbing a Soul Ring here when the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent suddenly appeared. I was afraid it would disturb her, so I killed it in the heat of the moment!"
"I didn't realize it was this beautiful young lady's prey. I'm very sorry!"
Lin Fan bowed to Dragon Duke and explained everything calmly, neither servile nor arrogant!
At his words, Dragon Duke's expression softened considerably, and surprise flashed in his eyes!
"This boy named Lin Fan looks only twelve or thirteen, yet he can kill a two-thousand-year Soul Beast. Though I'd wounded the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent earlier, it still shouldn't have been something a boy could handle. Could his strength already have reached Soul Elder?!"
Dragon Duke felt a little excited. If that were true, Lin Fan could certainly be called a genius. If he could join their family...
"Grandpa, we finally found a suitable Soul Beast, and this guy killed it! If we have to look for another one, who knows how long it'll take!"
Seeing that Dragon Duke seemed to be softening, Meng Yiran hurried over and tried to coax him.
At the way Lin Fan had called her "beautiful young lady," some of Meng Yiran's anger had faded. But Phoenix-tail Crested Serpents were rare in the Star Dou Forest, let alone ones that were the right age for her. She was extremely reluctant to give this one up!
"Miss Yiran, it really was my fault. If you want compensation, just say the word. I'll do whatever I can!"
Lin Fan spoke up.
"Fine, then let's spar. If you could kill that snake, you must be pretty strong!"
"If you win, we'll forget about what happened today. But if you lose..."
"If you lose, you'll join our family. We'll give you the best cultivation resources!"
Just as Meng Yiran was still hesitating, Dragon Duke suddenly spoke.
"Grandpa! Th-that's not a punishment..."
Meng Yiran ran to Dragon Duke, so angry that she jumped up and grabbed his beard!
"Yiran, don't make a fuss. It's settled. Let's begin!"
Dragon Duke helplessly patted Meng Yiran's head, trying to calm her down!
"Fine, then I'll take this chance to learn from you, beautiful young lady!"
Lin Fan smiled faintly. He had no interest in joining any family, but he was very interested in sparring with a beauty!
"Come on, show me your Martial Soul!"
Meng Yiran snorted coldly. Two yellow Soul Rings appeared beneath her feet, and her Martial Soul was the Serpent Cane in her hand!
Meng Yiran felt somewhat resentful toward Lin Fan. She couldn't understand why her grandfather thought so highly of this boy who had appeared out of nowhere. It was as if he'd taken away some of the affection she'd enjoyed since childhood, and it made her deeply unhappy!
"You're so beautiful, I wouldn't want to hurt you. You'd better not activate your Martial Soul."
"Hmph, what arrogance!"
Lin Fan spoke politely, but everyone could hear what he meant: he thought he could beat Meng Yiran without her activating her Martial Soul!
Meng Yiran didn't waste another word. She swung the Serpent Cane, its power wrapped in Soul Power, and brought it crashing down toward Lin Fan's chest!
Lin Fan smiled faintly. He didn't dodge at all, instead reaching out with his right hand to grab the Serpent Cane!
"Does that boy want to lose his hand?!"
Dragon Duke and Snake Granny cried out inwardly. With Meng Yiran's Soul Power at level thirty, even opponents at the same level would struggle to withstand her attack!
Yet a twelve-year-old child was trying to take it head-on with his body's strength. He was practically asking to die!
Bang!
At the muffled thud, the three members of the family froze. Their eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief!
"How is this possible?!"
The scene they'd imagined, with Lin Fan's right hand mangled and bloody, never came. He didn't even budge. The moment Meng Yiran's Serpent Cane struck his palm, it was like hitting a slab of steel; it couldn't move down even an inch!
Chapter 30: The Dragon-Snake Couple's Shock!
"Let go!"
Meng Yiran puffed up her cheeks in anger and tried with all her might to yank the Serpent Cane out of Lin Fan's grasp. But even after straining with everything she had, it wouldn't budge. The cane seemed welded to Lin Fan's hand!
Lin Fan smiled faintly, then yanked hard. Amid Meng Yiran's startled cry, she flew straight toward him and crashed into his arms!
"So... so soft..."
Lin Fan muttered, unable to stop himself from swallowing hard!
"You... you pervert!"
Meng Yiran cried out in shock and shoved Lin Fan away. At the same time, she swung her hand, sending five cold flashes straight toward his chest!
"Little friend Lin Fan, watch out!"
It was Dragon Duke who called the warning. He hadn't expected Meng Yiran to use an attack like that after being taken advantage of!
Lin Fan's right hand remained in a grabbing pose, as though he were still savoring that wonderful feeling. He didn't dodge at all, letting the attacks land on him!
Clink, clink...
A series of metallic clinks rang out, and five small knives, each more than ten centimeters long, fell at Lin Fan's feet.
Dragon Duke and Snake Granny exchanged a glance, and both saw the shock in the other's eyes!
He hadn't activated his Martial Soul, yet he'd taken a level-thirty Soul Master's full-force attack with his bare hand. And when Yiran suddenly attacked him with weapons, he defended against those too. It was simply outrageous!
More importantly, Lin Fan's age: he looked only twelve or thirteen. By comparison, the fact that their granddaughter had been taken advantage of suddenly seemed much less important!
"Yiran, you were too impulsive!"
Dragon Duke's expression turned stern. Meng Yiran's attack just now had practically been a sneak attack. Even if she won, it wouldn't be an honorable victory!
"Grandpa! Why do you keep taking the outsiders' side? That brat was the one who took advantage of me first, and besides, he's fine..."
Meng Yiran looked aggrieved. Her eyes reddened, and sparkling tears rolled down, leaving a faint trail on her pretty face...
"Senior, don't blame Miss Yiran. I was the one who acted rashly..."
Seeing Meng Yiran's tear-streaked face, Lin Fan's heart ached. He couldn't bear to see girls cry, especially pretty girls!
"Miss Yiran, take this as an apology!"
As he spoke, Lin Fan took an AK47 from his Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Meng Yiran.
"Hmph! I don't want your things!"
Meng Yiran sniffled, her delicate nose twitching. She didn't want anything to do with Lin Fan.
Dragon Duke, on the other hand, looked curious.
"Little friend Lin Fan, what is this?"
"This is a type of gun called an AK47!"
As Lin Fan explained, he pulled the trigger. A rapid burst of fire rang out, and more than ten smoking holes appeared in a tree trunk not far away!
"Th-this is incredible!"
Dragon Duke and Snake Granny stared wide-eyed. It took them a long time to recover. With attacks this fast and dense, Soul Masters below Soul King would find them almost impossible to dodge!
More importantly, the weapon was powerful. Dragon Duke was certain that a Soul Master with Soul Power below level forty would die if hit in a vital spot, unless they specialized in defense!
Meng Yiran's eyes widened too, and she couldn't help swallowing!
She'd been interested in all kinds of unusual weapons since she was a child. Compared with the AK47, her old Soul-Breaking Blade was complete trash!
"If you like it, Miss Yiran, I've got other kinds too. This is an AWM, this is a Thompson, and this is a Gatling..."
If he was going to woo a girl, he had to be willing to spend big. Lin Fan kept buying all kinds of guns from the System Mall. By the time he'd demonstrated them all, not only were the three members of the Dragon-Snake Couple shocked, but Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong had their eyes wide open too!
They hadn't expected Lin Fan to have so many treasures!
"Fine. I'll forgive you, just this once, for the sake of all these things!"
Before you continue