Chapter 759 - 708: Qin Fan Has Arrived! (4)
Dragging his desolate and heavily wounded body, Hua Xiaotian slipped into an inconspicuous, domestically produced car. His pallid complexion, however, betrayed an inner turmoil that was not just physical but psychological. With trembling hands, he started the engine, slowly releasing the footbrake and pressing the accelerator.
A drama that had left countless onlookers trembling in confusion thus came to a close. Fortunately, no one overheard their conversation; otherwise, it would have sparked a frenzy of discussion. As the main players departed, the crowd of spectators quickly dispersed, and the area outside the airport returned to its usual frantic hustle and bustle.
Meanwhile, a private jet bearing a distinctive emblem began its gradual, arcing descent over the Beijing airport. After the plane came to a smooth stop, a young man swiftly opened the cabin door. Next, Li Tiandao, with his shock of white hair and matching white attire, calmly descended the boarding stairs. Behind him, Xiao Er, whose only job was to open the door but not close it, followed closely.
"Huaxia, it’s been a long time!" The moment he disembarked, Li Tiandao let out a laugh laden with deep emotion.
"Master, should we inform those people of your return to Huaxia?" Xiao Er asked from behind.
"There’s no hurry. Let’s take it easy," Li Tiandao said, his steps light and even. "First, I want to properly tour the magnificent landscapes of Huaxia. It’s not time to use them yet."
"Yes, Master! However, in the last two years, some of them have gotten bolder. At times, they even dare to feign compliance while secretly scheming!" Xiao Er scoffed, a cold sneer in his voice as if recalling something unpleasant.
Their wings have grown stiff? Feigning compliance while secretly scheming?
Hearing Xiao Er’s bleak, low voice, Li Tiandao gave a noncommittal smile. "They’re merely puppets. If they dare to struggle against their master’s control, we simply eliminate them. It’s no great loss."
"Yes, Master! Should I go take care of it now?" Xiao Er quickly asked.
"I said there’s no hurry. Calm down. For now, just accompany me on a nice tour of our homeland’s beautiful scenery," Li Tiandao said, waving his hand with a smile.
After acknowledging the order, Xiao Er said no more.
The master and servant walked through the VIP channel, one after the other, and exited the airport. They stepped into a pre-arranged Rolls-Royce and leisurely drove away.
...
「Over the next three days.」
Following a pre-set itinerary, Qin Fan visited nearly every famous scenic spot and historical site in Beijing. He had always longed to see the city. In his past life, he had repeatedly postponed his travel plans, and by the time he ascended to the Cangqiong Continent, he still hadn’t had the chance to properly appreciate Beijing’s splendor. Now, several months after returning to this world, he had finally fulfilled that old wish.
The Great Wall was the final stop on Qin Fan’s list.
Standing on the Badaling section and gazing at the magnificent wall stretching for thousands of miles, he smiled with sincere, heartfelt emotion. He walked forward, bought an entrance ticket, and with a rare sense of relaxed contentment, headed for the ascent to the Great Wall.
At that same moment, two men who had also made the Great Wall their destination suddenly stopped outside the ticket office. The white-haired young man in the lead drew many sidelong glances as a playful, wicked smirk appeared on his face.
It had to be said that his spotless white clothes and his full head of hair, without a single black strand, inevitably made him a focal point in any crowd.
"Young Master, what is it?" Xiao Er asked in surprise, noticing the sudden change in Li Tiandao.
Li Tiandao had ordered him to change his form of address from "Master" to "Young Master." After all, Huaxia was different from other countries, and a title like "Master" would attract far too much attention, which was not what Li Tiandao currently wanted.
Smiling faintly, he did not immediately answer Xiao Er. Instead, Li Tiandao retrieved a thin, skin-like mask and a strange green herb from a wooden box in his inner pocket, handing them to Xiao Er. "Eat the Hidden Breath Grass, then find a place to put on this mask."
Without questioning why—there was a good reason Xiao Er was Li Tiandao’s personal attendant—he accepted.
"Yes, Master!"
Xiao Er took the Hidden Breath Grass from Li Tiandao and quickly chewed it. Then, holding the mask that looked exactly like human skin, he headed for a nearby restroom. Two minutes later, Xiao Er emerged with his appearance completely changed. The mask blended seamlessly with his flesh, making the disguise impossible to discern. If he were in a crowd, no one would likely give him a second glance. Even Qin Fan wouldn’t waste True Qi to activate his Eyes of Golden Flame to inspect someone without a specific reason.
One mask altered his appearance. One stalk of Hidden Breath Grass made Xiao Er the most ordinary, inconspicuous person in the vast sea of humanity.
Only after this was all done did Xiao Er return to Li Tiandao’s side and finally ask, "Mas—Young Master, has something happened?"
"Qin Fan is here," Li Tiandao said leisurely.
The answer, however, startled Xiao Er. "Qin Fan is here?"
"Yes, right here on the Great Wall. I’ve already sensed his aura. Since you’ve met him before, we must avoid a premature confrontation. That’s why I had you conceal your aura and temporarily change your appearance," Li Tiandao explained.
As he spoke, he conjured a hat as if by magic and placed it on his head, instantly concealing his full head of white hair.
"Xiao Er, go buy the tickets," Li Tiandao said with a smile, looking at the still-dazed Xiao Er.
"Yes, yes, Mas—, yes, Young Master!"
Snapping back to his senses, Xiao Er hurried to the ticket window and bought two tickets. The master and servant pair then began walking toward the Great Wall’s entrance, blending into the flow of people. With Li Tiandao wearing a hat and Xiao Er’s features altered, they seemed to have lost their attention-grabbing quality, appearing no different from the other ordinary tourists.
"What is the status of the people from the Heavenly Dao Institute?" Li Tiandao asked softly as they walked.
"Young Master, they have all begun to enter Huaxia," Xiao Er explained, keeping his voice low enough for only Li Tiandao to hear. "I held them back previously because Qin Fan had gone to Europe to purge the Vampires. I never thought that kid would actually survive the combined efforts of the Wolf King and Geman! Young Master, should we mobilize them now? The Huaxia Martial Arts World is currently in a fragile state, suffering from a generational gap. If our Heavenly Dao Institute were to make a move, we could overturn the existing order in less than three days!"
"Let them move," Li Tiandao said, his tone light and carefree. "Stir up the entire Martial Arts World, and sow some chaos and conflict into the current order. That will suffice. There’s no need for a large-scale slaughter. Those worthless fools can only serve as troublemakers; killing them is unnecessary. Besides, if we truly force out those reclusive old-timers, our Heavenly Dao Institute would likely suffer heavy casualties. The losses would outweigh the gains. The first level of the game I’ve designed for Qin Fan is to make him the target of public criticism. Let’s see how he handles being pushed into the eye of the storm, and how the Forbidden City responds. Heh."
"Yes, Young Master! I will give the orders at once!"
"Good. You can handle the details; you don’t need to consult me on everything. Now, enough of this. Let’s go. We’re going up to meet my rival. I’ll get a taste of his martial prowess and, while I’m at it, see what he’s like in his daily life."
With a soft laugh, Li Tiandao quickened his pace.