Chapter 217: How Do You Want Me to Welcome You?
Zhou Fan paid no mind to the shocked crowd. While they were still questioning their very existence, their worldviews completely shattered, he had already led Chen Yao inside Nanjiang Tower.
"How did you manage that?" Chen Yao whispered, gently tugging on Zhou Fan's arm as she watched the staff member lead them forward. She was incredibly curious.
"As the Master once said, 'It cannot be told!'" Zhou Fan gave a mysterious smile, tilting his head up and ignoring Chen Yao's threatening glare.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou. You can take this elevator straight up. If you need anything, just use this walkie-talkie to call us. We'll be on duty in the ground floor lobby." The staff member opened the elevator and spoke politely to Zhou Fan, handing him a walkie-talkie.
"Alright, thank you." Zhou Fan smiled and nodded, then led Chen Yao into the elevator. They rode it all the way to the top floor.
"Wow, the view is amazing! Standing here, you can look out over the entire nightscape of Nanjiang City. It's so beautiful!" Once the elevator doors opened, Chen Yao bounded out, spreading her arms wide. She gazed into the distance, overcome with emotion.
"It really is beautiful," Zhou Fan agreed, standing to the side and watching Chen Yao's enraptured expression. It was unclear whether he was talking about the scenery or the person.
"We should have brought a couple bottles of wine up. Sitting here, watching the nightscape, feeling the evening breeze, sipping some red wine… how perfect would that be?" Chen Yao said softly, walking over to a seat and sitting down.
"Yeah, and then after you've had too much to drink, you could have a little accident and fall off the edge. That would be even more beautiful," Zhou Fan said, completely ruining the mood. He walked to the side and stared into the distance, his gaze seemingly piercing through space itself, looking in the direction of Capital City.
'Capital City… Elder Witch said he was waiting for me there.'
'What exactly is his plan?'
Suddenly, Zhou Fan felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, hugging him from behind. A moment later, a cheek pressed against his back.
Zhou Fan didn't turn around. He knew it was Chen Yao. He didn't ask what was wrong—sometimes, words are simply inadequate.
Neither of them spoke. They just held each other in silence.
Suddenly, the elevator began to ascend. Zhou Fan's brow furrowed. He turned, pulling Chen Yao into his embrace, and stared grimly at the elevator doors.
"Is someone else coming up besides us?" Chen Yao asked, confused.
"It should be a… friend," Zhou Fan said, his voice low. Despite his words, the blood in his veins began to boil.
"A friend? Then why do you look so tense?" Chen Yao tilted her head up. Seeing Zhou Fan's solemn expression, she was filled with confusion.
"There are friends, and then there are 'friends'," Zhou Fan said, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. With a single thought, the Li Hen Sword appeared in his hand.
In that instant, Chen Yao knew not to say another word. She was gradually coming to understand that Zhou Fan would never use this sword unless he was facing an exceptionally dangerous or powerful enemy. This meant the person ascending in the elevator was someone Zhou Fan considered a serious threat.
DING!
The elevator arrived at the top floor. As the doors slid open, a man around thirty years old, dressed in a long cyan robe and about the same height as Zhou Fan, slowly walked out.
"Long time no see. Is this how you welcome an old friend?" The man smiled faintly upon seeing the Li Hen Sword in Zhou Fan's hand. He stopped ten meters away, his gaze fixed on Zhou Fan as if Chen Yao didn't even exist.
"How else would you have me welcome you? This is the highest honor I bestow upon a 'friend'," Zhou Fan sneered, his eyes filled with killing intent. "Cyan Dragon. I never thought you'd show your face in Nanjiang City."
Cyan Dragon. One of the Eight Elders of Dragon Soul and the leader of the Four Elders groomed from within. His power was immense. Years ago, Zhou Fan had met him once. They had exchanged a single blow, and Zhou Fan was defeated in that one move.
If that were all, Zhou Fan wouldn't be reacting this way. A loss was a loss, after all; he had simply been outmatched.
But the reason Situ Xin could no longer bear children—a condition even he could not heal—was because on that same mission, Cyan Dragon had run her through with his sword.
Therefore, if one were to list the people Zhou Fan wanted to kill most, Cyan Dragon would undoubtedly be in the top three.
"I really didn't want to come, but what could I do? Two of the eight Elders are dead, and Vermilion Bird lost an arm. I have to at least make an appearance, even if it's just for show," Cyan Dragon said with an air of resignation, either oblivious to Zhou Fan's hostility or simply unconcerned by it.
"So, you're in league with Elder Witch, then?" Zhou Fan gently pushed Chen Yao aside, gesturing for her to stand back. Then, with his sword angled toward the floor, he stood tall and defiant.
"Elder Witch, you say? It seems you know quite a lot. Are you telling me that Elder White Tiger and Lingling Daoist were both killed by Elder Witch?" Cyan Dragon's eyes locked onto Zhou Fan, and the aura around him began to slowly intensify.