Chapter 708 - 659: Dragon Energy? (3)
Ah!
Qin Fan froze, stunned by Ji Yuchen’s "I miss you."
"Darling, who are you calling so early?" At the same time, Jiang Yino, who was lying on Qin Fan’s chest, also opened her eyes and asked drowsily. Her voice happened to travel right through the phone’s microphone.
On the other end of the line, Ji Yuchen was utterly thunderstruck.
There’s a woman with Qin Fan this early in the morning? Even if she were a complete fool, she understood what that meant.
"It’s nothing, just a classmate! She called me in the middle of the night yesterday, but my phone was on silent so I didn’t hear it. I’m just calling her back now. What’s wrong? Are you rested enough, Yino?" Qin Fan replied with a light, unconcerned laugh.
Yino? Jiang Yino? He brought her home?
Listening to the voices from the phone, tears instantly streamed down Ji Yuchen’s face. She bit her lip, desperately covering her mouth to stifle her sobs. In that moment, her heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. In that moment, the heart that had been so full of fantasies shattered into a million pieces.
Without another word, she held back her cries, her trembling fingers pressing the button to end the call. Then she buried her head in her blankets and began to wail softly.
At No.1 Villa, although Qin Fan didn’t know why Ji Yuchen had suddenly hung up, he could guess the reason. He shook his head with a private sigh and decided not to dwell on it.
"I’m still a bit sleepy!" Jiang Yino murmured softly, like a purring cat, as she watched Qin Fan put down his phone.
"Then sleep a little longer!" Qin Fan said with a smile.
"No, if I laze around in bed, won’t I give your mom the impression that I’m a total slob? No way!" Saying this, Jiang Yino lifted her head from Qin Fan’s chest. She quickly got out of bed and began to wash up.
After a warm and playful morning routine, the two of them walked out together.
"Good morning, Classmate Qin Fan, and the beautiful Yino!" The moment Qin Fan appeared at the top of the stairs, a teasing laugh echoed from the living room below.
Hmm?
At the sound, Qin Fan and Jiang Yino both looked over. They saw Ji Yi lounging on the sofa, looking completely at ease and without a hint of ladylike grace. One hand held a Spirit Fruit No. 1, the other a bottle of Spirit Water No. 1.
It had to be said, enjoying Spirit Water No. 1 with a Spirit Fruit No. 1 was an unbeatable combination.
"Ji Yi, what are you doing here?" Qin Fan called out, pleasantly surprised.
"Hello, Sister Yi!" Jiang Yino also chimed in with a laugh.
"Hey! Yino, sweetie! Come, come sit with me! We can go check out No.1 Group together later. Don’t pay any attention to this ungrateful little rascal!" Ji Yi said, smiling warmly at Jiang Yino while gesturing with the water bottle in her hand.
With a giggle, Jiang Yino, despite a faint lingering discomfort in her body, walked gracefully down the stairs and sat on the sofa next to Ji Yi.
Qin Fan, however, was left dumbfounded on the stairs.
What the hell! Ungrateful? How am I ungrateful?!
"My dear lady, you have to take responsibility for your words. How am I ungrateful?" Qin Fan protested.
"Are you not? I treated you so well in the past, pouring my heart out for you, yet you never let your big sis properly enjoy divine items like Spirit Water No. 1 and Spirit Fruit No. 1! Don’t you know women are naturally vain and want to stay young? And while I’m a natural beauty, that’s no excuse for you to forget about me! You tell me, if that’s not being ungrateful, what is?" Ji Yi said, slyly teasing him as she put an arm around Jiang Yino.
"Ji Yi, Yino is right here. Give me a break and let me save a little face, can you? Let me make my persona a little more perfect, please? I’m telling you right now, you can have as much Spirit Water No. 1 and Spirit Fruit No. 1 as you want! You can bring a truck to load it up for all I care!" Qin Fan said with a helpless, wry smile as he descended the stairs.
"Hypocrite! Such a phony! You only say that now because Yino’s here, right? But whether you said it or not, now that I’ve stormed your fortress, I’m definitely walking away with some loot!" Ji Yi declared.
"HAHA!" With a hearty laugh, Qin Fan changed the subject. "Ji Yi, when did you get here? Did Aunt Lan come with you? And where are my parents?"
"My mom came with me! Do you know how much trouble we went through to spend New Year’s Day with your family? We even had to catch a flight at the crack of dawn! As for Uncle Qin and Aunt Wei, they took my mom out for a morning jog!" Ji Yi replied.
"So when did you and Aunt Lan arrive?" Qin Fan asked again.
"A little over an hour ago. As soon as my mom got here, she changed clothes and went for a run with Uncle Qin and Aunt Wei. Meanwhile, I’ve been sitting here waiting for an hour! If Aunt Wei hadn’t told me Yino was here with you, I would have dragged you out of bed myself!" Ji Yi said irritably. After a quick tour of No.1 Villa, she had been sitting there bored for an hour, with nothing to do but chat with the housekeeper, Mrs. Wang, and stuff her face with fruit and water.
Just as Ji Yi finished speaking, voices could be heard from outside. Qin Chu and Wei Shuying, along with Ji Lan, walked back in with towels draped over their shoulders.
"Dad, Mom, Aunt Lan!" A wide smile instantly bloomed on Qin Fan’s face as he called out to them.
"Oh my, it’s been just over a year since I’ve seen this little rascal, and look how much you’ve changed! Come, let Auntie Lan get a good look at you. Tsk tsk, getting more and more handsome! HAHA!" Leading the way, Ji Lan, who was so young and beautiful she could have been Ji Yi’s sister, grabbed Qin Fan’s arm and looked him over with a laugh.
"Of course, Auntie Lan! I’m counting on this face to make a living!" Qin Fan joked with a roguish grin.
He was genuinely grateful for his mother’s best friend. The help she had given his family over the years was immeasurable, and she had never asked for anything in return. Because of this, he held a deep sense of gratitude for Ji Lan and her daughter. Outside of his parents, Auntie Lan was the only person he felt comfortable showing his playful, devil-may-care side to. To him, Ji Lan was practically a godmother.
"You cheeky brat, you’ve learned to crack jokes and play the fool, haven’t you! But all joking aside, seeing you so successful now makes me happy from the bottom of my heart. Your parents are proud, and so am I!" Ji Lan said, her eyes filled with affection as she poked him gently, her voice thick with emotion.
Not wanting to dwell on sentimentality, she then turned to Jiang Yino, who had stood up from the sofa. "You scamp, you’ve already brought a girlfriend home, have you? Aren’t you going to introduce her to your Auntie Lan?"
"Hello, Auntie Lan! My name is Jiang Yino!" Jiang Yino promptly introduced herself with a bright, easy smile.
Ever since gaining the approval of Qin Fan’s parents, she had unconsciously begun to see herself as part of the family, shedding all her previous nervousness. Seeing the composed and cheerful Jiang Yino, Ji Lan couldn’t help but nod with a satisfied smile.
At that moment, Wei Shuying returned from a quick trip to the kitchen and said to Ji Lan with a smile, "Alright, Sister Lan, Mrs. Wang is almost done with breakfast. Let’s go shower and change first. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later!"
The sun rose high in the sky, bathing everything in brilliant light. Amidst Ji Yi’s increasingly shameless teasing, Qin Chu, Wei Shuying, and Ji Lan emerged from the bathrooms on either side. A joyful and harmonious breakfast, filled with laughter and cheerful chatter, began.
Half an hour later, everyone except for Qin Fan left No.1 Villa and headed for the No.1 Group headquarters. Although it was New Year’s Day, business at the company had not stopped.
After his parents and the others left, Qin Fan, who had been away from Jiangzhou for several months, got into his Bentley to head out.
However, before he could start the engine, his phone rang shrilly. Qin Fan glanced at the screen. It was Amber.
"What’s the situation?" he asked bluntly as he answered.
"Master, we have found sixty-eight people. However, almost none of them have any Martial Arts Cultivation. What are your orders?" Amber’s respectful voice came from the other end.
"It doesn’t matter if they have no Martial Arts Cultivation. What I require is a heart burning with a mad desire for revenge! As for their cultivation, just you wait. I will mass-produce a batch of Transformation Realm Martial Artists! Since we have over sixty people, you can stop recruiting for now. Your next step is to train them. Use the most extreme, demonic methods to force out their latent potential. If any of them want to quit, let them go. I need a squadron of soldiers who see death as a homecoming. I will inform you about the rest later!" A cold smile touched Qin Fan’s lips as he spoke in a firm voice.
"Yes, Master!" Amber replied resolutely. After a moment’s hesitation, she bit her lip and added, "Master, there are rumors circulating in the Martial Arts World that the werewolf and vampire clans have started a countdown to their crusade against you. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You don’t need to concern yourself with them. Just focus on training my people. Soon, I will set foot in Europe myself. For those damned werewolves and vampires, their own doomsday clock has just started ticking!" Qin Fan said with a wild laugh, then added, "Anything else? If not, get back to the training! I’m giving you one more week. When it’s over, I don’t want to see a single cowardly piece of trash in the ranks!"
"Yes, Master! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Amber responded with a stern voice.
With that, Qin Fan ended the call. He started the car, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the Bentley shot forward.
「Lingnan Fengshui Association」
The Bentley glided to a smooth stop at the entrance. With a stylish flair, Qin Fan stepped out of the car and walked inside, drawing looks of awe from all around. An hour earlier, during breakfast, Lai Zhuge had called him, saying he needed to see him about an urgent matter.
"Master Qin!"
"Master Qin!"
"Master Qin!"
As Qin Fan stepped into the solemn and dignified discussion room of the Geomancy Association, the assembly of highly esteemed and world-renowned Magicians all stood and greeted him in unison.
"Mm," Qin Fan nodded, raising his hands in a downward gesture to have them sit. As everyone took their seats, he turned to Lai Zhuge. "Lai Shenxiang, is there an emergency?"
"Master Qin, please, take the seat of honor first," Lai Zhuge said, his expression grave as he gestured to the head seat.
Seeing Lai Zhuge’s serious demeanor, Qin Fan knew they were facing a major problem. Without any ceremony, he strode to the main seat and sat down.
"Alright, speak. What’s this all about?" Qin Fan asked, his brow furrowed.
"Master Qin, have you ever heard of Dragon Energy?" Lai Zhuge began, a rare look of profound worry on his face.
Dragon Energy?
Qin Fan’s brow furrowed even deeper. "Go on."
"Two days ago, we received word from Xiangjiang. They’ve discovered a source of Dragon Energy with an incredibly high concentration. According to their reports, this source was originally under a seal, but for some unknown reason, the seal was broken. This has caused a massive leak of Dragon Energy.
"This isn’t the so-called national fortune we talk about in folklore. Based on historical records, the descriptions match the breath spewed from the mouth of an actual dragon—and a Demon Dragon, at that. The Xiangjiang Association requested our help, so the Lingnan Fengshui Association dispatched a team of our accomplished Masters. But last night, we received terrible news from Xiangjiang. Before our people could even devise a countermeasure, they all perished, consumed by the Demon Dragon’s breath.
"It’s as the old saying goes: ’to die before the battle is won.’ Master Qin, with this grim precedent, I have no confidence that we can handle this. That is why I’ve asked you to come. Based on the rate of the leak from the seal’s opening, the Demon Dragon’s breath will begin to spread uncontrollably in five days. The devastation that follows will be unimaginable. Moreover, due to Jiangzhou’s geographical proximity to Xiangjiang, it’s highly likely the Demon Dragon’s breath will spread here. We cannot simply stand by and do nothing!"