Chapter 91: Where is the Apprenticeship Gift?
"What if I told you that, based on the clues from our investigation, the people behind Li Yang and Wang Yun are the same group that targeted the Chen Family? What would you think?"
Fan spoke, seemingly to himself, his gaze fixed on the distance.
Zhou Fan's eyes narrowed. He slowly turned his head to look at Fan.
'Targeting the Chen Family, willing to go as far as bankrupting them!'
'Infiltrating the Chu Family and meticulously planning for twenty years!'
'Who on earth is this group?'
'What's their objective?'
"And?" Zhou Fan's voice was low. For some reason, his intuition told him these events were connected to him in some unseen way.
"There is no 'and.' We still don't know this group's objective. But one thing is certain: the Witch Race is definitely one of the factions backing them. However, it's absolutely not as simple as just the Witch Race."
Fan shook his head and turned to look at Zhou Fan.
"Your Wolf Fang is too damn weak. You can't even find the Witch Race? You can't find who's working with them? You can't figure out their objective? Besides, the Chen and Chu Families are just two ordinary families. What's so special about them that's worth all this trouble?"
Zhou Fan shot Fan a contemptuous look as he fired off the string of questions, but he realized the guy was completely unfazed. Fan just tilted his head and stared back at him.
"If you're so smart, you go investigate. It's not like you know anything either, right?" Fan rolled his eyes at Zhou Fan, glanced at the sky, then turned to make arrangements.
"Master, there's so much I don't get. Like, what's 'circulation'? What's 'qi'?" Xu Ruonan opened her eyes, looking at Zhou Fan with an innocent expression.
"You don't even get that?" Zhou Fan feigned surprise. "It's fine. You'll figure it out. I'll teach you during the real fight in a bit." He then patted Xu Ruonan's head, and they walked over to where Fan was.
'Zhou Fan felt helpless. He didn't understand any of the things Xu Ruonan was talking about either, but he couldn't admit that!'
"Master, I heard from Qian Rong recently that when a master takes on a disciple, they're supposed to give a welcoming gift. You know, like a weapon, some healing medicine, or even a life-saving treasure…"
Xu Ruonan tilted her head back, looking up at Zhou Fan with a completely innocent expression, but every single word she spoke was like a dagger twisting in his heart.
"Didn't I already teach you the Heart Method?" Zhou Fan said, trying to placate her while mentally cursing Qian Rong.
"Oh, that's right! Master did give me the Heart Method," she said. "Though, it seems like the Heart Method is something they *always* give you!"
"Quiet. I'll give you something when we get back."
When Zhou Fan and Xu Ruonan came downstairs, Fan turned around and almost jumped in fright. Zhou Fan's face was as black as thunder, like someone owed him a huge debt, while Xu Ruonan was struggling to stifle her laughter.
"Is the situation inside clear?"
"Aside from Li Yang and Wang Yun, there are six other masters. Shouldn't be a problem."
"Then let's move. The six of you, take one each. I'll watch the fake couple."
As soon as Zhou Fan finished speaking, the group headed inside. No one objected to his plan. Since Zhou Fan was the strongest among them, his watching from the sidelines meant he could immediately step in if anyone ran into trouble.
They all suppressed their auras, moving silently. Xu Ruonan stuck close behind Zhou Fan, her heart pounding a little. It was her first mission of this kind.
BAM!
Reaching the door, Fan listened for a moment before punching the lock directly. An instant later, the group swarmed inside.
The moment they rushed in, the fight erupted.
Zhou Fan scanned the strength of the combatants in the room, then stood quietly by the door.
"In the corner. Don't move, or I'll throw you out the window," Zhou Fan said, kicking both Li Yang and Wang Yun as they tried to flee and pointing to the corner.
The two knew better than to mess with Zhou Fan, so they obediently squatted in the corner without daring to say a word.
Zhou Fan kept one eye on the situation downstairs while focusing on Xu Ruonan's battle. A hint of satisfaction surfaced in the depths of his eyes.
'The kid is decisive and vicious,' he thought. 'Her attacks are ruthless, never sloppy. Every move is a killing blow aimed at her opponent's life, and she's not afraid to trade an injury for a kill.'
'However, against an experienced, ruthless, and powerful opponent who also has a weapon, her lack of a proper weapon of her own is becoming glaringly obvious.'
Gradually, Xu Ruonan was forced back again and again by her opponent.
Seeing this, Zhou Fan stepped forward. He wrapped his left arm around Xu Ruonan's slender waist as his right hand swept out.
SPLURT!
Blood sprayed through the air. The opponent, who had been so aggressive just a moment ago, now had his right wrist cleanly severed!
"Aaaargh…!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the room, making the others instinctively glance in their direction. Thankfully, Zhou Fan had closed the door; otherwise, the entire building would have been woken up.
One strike. It took only a single strike for the opponent to lose a hand. And that was with Zhou Fan holding back. Otherwise…
Suddenly, Zhou Fan's focus shifted. He turned his head toward the closed door—or more accurately, toward what was on the other side…