Lin Fan carried a man over each shoulder as he headed back toward Qingshan County, a raging blaze behind him. Killing people and setting fires-he already knew the ropes.
There were no living people left in the manor anyway. Steward Cheng and the household guards had all been killed by the bandits.
Once he was far from the manor, Lin Fan set Yang Kuan and the other inner courtyard disciple down, then pinched the spot between Yang Kuan's nose and upper lip.
Yang Kuan slowly came to, and a familiar face came into view.
"Junior Brother Yang, did you fall victim to them too? You even waited for me on the road to the Yellow Springs. How thoughtful of you." Yang Kuan's face was full of rueful emotion.
Lin Fan's face darkened. I fucking saved your life, and you're cursing me to die?
"Senior Brother Yang, this isn't the road to the Yellow Springs. We're not dead," Lin Fan said, speechless.
"Uh..."
Yang Kuan froze, only then noticing that he was in the town. He was astonished, then delighted. Who would want to die if they could live?
After the excitement came confusion. He had clearly been captured. How could the bandits have let him go?
"What... happened?"
"Here's what happened. I figured the most dangerous place was the safest, so I didn't run far. Instead, I hid in a resident's woodshed near the manor. When I saw the manor catch fire, I thought I had to find you alive or see your body if you were dead, so I went back to look for you. Luckily, the fire hadn't reached you yet, so I brought you and this senior brother out." Lin Fan had already prepared his story.
Gratitude showed on Yang Kuan's face. He knew Lin Fan made it sound easy, but he had actually taken an enormous risk.
In an age of selfishness, someone actually valued loyalty and friendship this deeply.
He clapped Lin Fan heavily on the shoulder. "Junior Brother Lin, words of thanks can't repay a life-saving debt. From now on, your business is my business. I won't hesitate to plunge into boiling water or tread through fire for you!" he said with utter solemnity.
"Senior Brother Yang, you're being too serious. You've looked after an outer courtyard disciple like me in every way. I've remembered all of it," Lin Fan said earnestly.
From the moment Yang Kuan chose to save him from the bandits, he had resolved to bring Yang Kuan back if he had the chance.
Their eyes met, and sparks of gay love... no, friendship flew.
Yang Kuan woke the other senior brother. The three took a long detour out of town, bought three horses in another town, then spurred their mounts on and raced back to Qingshan County.
The moment they entered the county town, their taut nerves finally relaxed. Lin Fan had been very worried that the Green Snake Bandits' experts would notice something amiss and pursue them. Fortunately, that had not happened.
The three returned to the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall. Yang Kuan and the other senior brother went to report to the hall's higher-ups, while Lin Fan naturally returned to his dormitory to sleep. Once he relaxed, overwhelming exhaustion washed over him.
He slept until dawn and woke feeling refreshed and full of vigor.
He went to the dining hall. Before he finished breakfast, someone sat down across from him. It was Yang Kuan.
"Junior Brother Lin, I told Master last night about how you saved me. He said he's willing to take you as a nominal disciple, but you must first achieve greater mastery of Iron Cloth Shirt. That's the hall's rule, and it can't be broken." Yang Kuan brought good news.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Yang."
Lin Fan was delighted. He knew Yang Kuan's master was the renowned Yue Shan, who had cultivated two martial techniques to the Intent Realm Level and was a famous expert in Qingshan County.
If he could receive Yue Shan's guidance, his martial techniques would surely advance by leaps and bounds. He had long drooled over the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall's signature martial art, the Mountain Suppression Fist.
Yang Kuan waved a hand. "With our relationship, there's no need for thanks. I look forward to you achieving greater mastery of Iron Cloth Shirt soon. If anyone here bullies you, remember to give them my name."
"All right." Lin Fan nodded.
Yang Kuan left without staying long. So many disciples had died on this mission that the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall would naturally retaliate. He would accompany the hall's experts to seek vengeance against the Green Snake Bandits and wash away their hatred.
The dining hall buzzed with heated discussion of this major incident. Many outer courtyard disciples looked relieved, thankful they had not been selected for the mission.
Their gazes frequently fell on Lin Fan. Of twenty outer courtyard disciples, only Lin Fan had returned alive. They were very curious how he had managed it.
Moreover, Senior Brother Yang Kuan had made a special trip to see Lin Fan, and he had not lowered his voice just now. At the thought of Lin Fan becoming Yue Shan's disciple, they were filled with envy and jealousy, as though every one of them had caught red-eye disease.
Han Feng rushed into Zhang Yu's training room, his face anxious, forgetting even to knock.
"You bastard! Han Feng, who gave you the right to barge straight into my training room?" Zhang Yu raged.
"Eldest Senior Brother, something terrible has happened!" Han Feng said urgently.
"What kind of conduct is this, being so flustered? Is the sky going to fall?" Zhang Yu scolded.
"Eldest Senior Brother, Lin Fan is going to become Head Steward Yue Shan's disciple!" Han Feng's voice was full of panic.
"What?" Zhang Yu shot to his feet. "Nonsense! How could Head Steward Yue Shan possibly think highly of Lin Fan?" His expression also turned flustered and ugly.
"It's true. Senior Brother Yang Kuan just..." Han Feng recounted the scene in the dining hall.
Zhang Yu's expression was utterly grim. He had never expected the mud-legged peasant he looked down on, the ant he could crush at any time, to soar into the sky and transform into a flood dragon.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what do we do? Lin Fan will definitely take revenge on us." Han Feng was frantic, like an ant on a hot pan.
Bang! Zhang Yu slapped the table. "What are you panicking for? He hasn't even become the head steward's disciple yet, and so what if he does? Junior Brother Li Feng can become Hall Master Ma's disciple," he snapped coldly.
Thinking of Li Feng, he immediately set off for Li Feng's training room.
"Junior Brother Li, that's what happened. What is your opinion?" Zhang Yu cupped his hands and asked for Li Feng's view.
Li Feng's expression was very ugly. Time and again, he had wanted to crush Lin Fan to death, but Lin Fan had evaded him each time. Moreover, each time he had turned misfortune into a blessing.
He did not believe in fate, yet he kept feeling that Lin Fan was his destined nemesis. If he did not eliminate him soon, Lin Fan would become a great threat to him in the future.
His eyes narrowed, and his expression turned vicious. "Since he needs greater mastery of Iron Cloth Shirt to become the head steward's disciple, then make sure he never achieves greater mastery of Iron Cloth Shirt. You don't need me to teach you exactly how to do that, do you?" he said with utter indifference.
"Junior Brother Li, I understand." Zhang Yu withdrew respectfully, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Lin Fan, once you're a cripple, I'd like to see how you become the head steward's disciple!" Zhang Yu's sinister voice dissolved into the wind.
Remembering that the disciples who had gone to provide disaster relief would return tonight, he formed a plan and found Han Feng.
"Han Feng, when Lu Hao returns tonight, he'll certainly break Lin Fan's arms and legs, but that's not enough. Take Lin Fan to Elder Chen for treatment afterward, and find a chance to add Bone-Eroding Powder to his medicine. Remember, don't let Elder Chen discover it," he instructed.
Han Feng's heart tightened. He gained a new understanding of Zhang Yu's audacity.
Of course he knew about Bone-Eroding Powder. After entering the body, it would corrode the bones, making them as brittle as rotten branches. Never mind practicing martial arts-even walking a little too fast could break a bone.
Zhang Yu's move was ruthless indeed, but Han Feng had boarded Zhang Yu's ship long ago. He had no choice.
Lin Fan, if you must blame someone, blame yourself for offending Eldest Senior Brother and Junior Brother Li Feng, he thought, then accepted his orders and left.