Chapter 234: Lost the Trail
A deafening BOOM exploded in the vast underground chamber, knocking Fan and Chen Yao unconscious. The shockwave caused Bai Zhi to spit out another mouthful of blood, worsening her already grievous injuries. If she hadn't just taken a Recovery Pill, she likely would have died right there on the spot!
As for Zhou Fan, who was at the very center of it all, he slowly fell from mid-air and crashed heavily onto the ground, passing out instantly.
The Big Python exploded outright, dissipating in a puff of black smoke as if it had never existed.
For a moment, the underground chamber fell eerily silent.
But then, a petite figure slowly materialized. She wore her hair in two pigtails and held a stick of candied hawthorn. It was Wan'Er!
"Hee hee, Little Brother is related to *that person* after all. Though, you really aren't very good at using this move!" Wan'Er giggled, skipping over to Zhou Fan. She looked at the unconscious Zhou Fan, hesitated for a moment, then pulled a single hawthorn berry from her skewer and fed it into his mouth.
"Little Brother, you're growing up way too slowly. I can hardly wait anymore. Let me give you a little help!" As she spoke, Wan'Er's form seemed to turn illusory before slowly fading away, leaving behind only a baffling question. "Old man, what are you trying to do?"
An unknown amount of time passed before Zhou Fan gradually regained consciousness. He recalled the voice that had echoed in his mind just before he passed out, at the moment the Big Python died: "You dare kill this master's avatar? When I emerge from my seclusion, I will surely kill you!"
'Dammit, could that Big Python really be some kind of Snake Emperor?'
'Otherwise, how could it have an avatar?'
He slowly opened his eyes to complete darkness. After sensing his surroundings, Zhou Fan relaxed. 'I must be in a bed.'
He hastily checked his physical condition and froze, completely dumbfounded.
'If I remember correctly, I should have been severely injured. Even with a Recovery Pill, there's no way I could have healed this quickly from wounds that severe, right?'
'Have I been unconscious for a long time?'
But that wasn't even the most shocking part. What truly stunned him was that his Inner Strength was more abundant than ever before. His meridians were completely filled with it, and in his Dantian, the Longevity Technique had officially broken through to the first level. This meant that from this moment on, he was a true master who could generate Inner Strength through normal cultivation!
"You're awake?"
Just then, the bedroom door opened and the lights flickered on. A beautiful figure walked in. It was Chen Yao.
"Little Yaoyao, how long was I out?" Zhou Fan asked, looking at Chen Yao carefully, almost fearfully. He was terrified the answer would be something like a week.
"Five or six hours, I think. It's just after three in the afternoon now," Chen Yao said softly after a glance at the time. "Oh, right. It was that guy Fan who carried you back. Bai Zhi is awake now too, she's just still a little weak."
'It's only been a few hours?'
Zhou Fan was lost in thought. He threw back the covers, intending to go over to the window to think things through, but the instant he did so, he pulled them right back on.
"Uh... don't tell me... you were the one who... helped me... take my clothes off?" Zhou Fan stammered. He had just realized he wasn't wearing anything at all.
"Who else would it be? Would you have preferred Fan to do it?" Chen Yao gave Zhou Fan a coquettish glare. 'He's making such a big deal out of nothing. After all the liberties he's taken with me these past few days, can't I at least get a look?'
"Ahem, definitely not. Anyway, did anyone come looking for me while I was unconscious? Or did Qian Rong and his guys find you?" Zhou Fan coughed awkwardly. 'It's definitely better to have a beautiful woman help with this sort of thing than a man,' he thought, but quickly changed the subject.
"Qian Rong just got back, too. He's downstairs. Do you want to go down and see him?" Chen Yao's expression dimmed slightly, but she forced a smile as she asked.
"Yeah. Can you grab me some clothes? I can't exactly go downstairs like this!" Zhou Fan nodded. After changing, he left the room with Chen Yao and went downstairs to the main hall of Divan.
Fan and Bai Zhi were there as well. Just as Chen Yao had said, Bai Zhi still looked pale, but it didn't seem to be affecting her ability to move.
When the others saw Zhou Fan come downstairs looking completely fine, they were all rather stunned. Fan, in particular, had just taken a sip of tea and sprayed it everywhere.
"I know I'm handsome, but you don't have to stare at me like that," Zhou Fan joked, earning a collective eye-roll from the group as he sat down on the sofa across from Qian Rong.
"Any news?" Zhou Fan didn't waste any time, getting straight to the point.
"The three of us brothers were tracking them together, but we lost them in Jiang Province. All we know is that an old man with a few people met Ah Lian and Chen Feng," Qian Rong said in a low voice, his expression grim. 'For the three of us to go and still lose the trail... it's a huge embarrassment.'