"Chrysanthemum! Stop your nonsense!" Duan Qingling gently chided her maid.
She smoothed her dress, walked gracefully toward Chu Fan, and gave a slight bow. "Chu, now that the Seven Stars Gang is about to disband, what are your plans for the future? If you’d be willing, the Duan Family is prepared to offer you a handso reward and an esteed position."
Chu Fan smiled faintly and said, "My apologies."
Those two simple words made Duan Qingling sigh.
’So in the end...’
’Even that last sliver of hope is gone.’
’Then again, a genius of his caliber and character... how could he ever abandon the Seven Stars Gang?’
’When a great roc spreads its wings, its eyes see the boundless mountains and seas. How could it be confined to one small corner of the world?’
’It’s a sha we t so late.’
’And that so much has happened since.’
’Otherwise, even knowing her chances were slim, she, Duan Qingling, would have mustered the courage to confess her feelings.’
Liang Yuhen walked over. "Are you interested in joining the Iron Armor Sect? If you..."
"Get the hell out." Chu Fan’s three words made Liang Yuhen’s face flush with rage, even redder than Duan Qingling’s!
’This guy... He’s completely ungrateful!’
’And...’
’Why was he so polite and courteous when he rejected Duan Qingling, but so crude and vulgar when it ca to ?!’
With a flick of his sleeve, Liang Yuhen stord off. He didn’t go far, however, and stood nearby, glaring viciously at Chu Fan.
"Fan..." Fatty wiped the tears from his face. "A few of us talked it over. We’re planning to head to Qing Province together."
Chu Fan looked toward Liang Qiu and the others.
Liang Qiu nodded. "It’s not just us. A lot of the others want to go to Qing Province as well."
"We don’t want to stay in this damn Cyan Yang City any longer."
"The Moon Worship Sect is running rampant, but the Governnt Office is just sitting there like a dead pig, doing absolutely nothing..."
"We all know you’re heading to Qing Province too, so..."
Chu Fan looked at the crowd behind Liang Qiu.
The eyes of the Seven Stars Gang disciples were filled with determination.
The road to Qing Province was long, and there was no telling how many dangers lay ahead.
But these Seven Stars Gang disciples had already made their choice.
Chu Fan nodded. "You don’t need to give the money from selling the Boxing Manuals. Just divide it among everyone for their travel expenses."
"Be careful on the road."
Liang Qiu, Fatty, and the others nodded emphatically.
Fatty said, "These days, everyone in Cyan Yang City is practicing the Mountain-Splitting Fist. It’s gotten hard to sell any more copies..."
"We were thinking that once we get to Qing Province, we can make another killing selling the Mountain-Splitting Fist manual there."
Chu Fan was speechless.
’Are they trying to spread the Mountain-Splitting Fist across the entire Great Yan Dynasty?’
’It’s strange, though. How could a single manual for the Mountain-Splitting Fist generate so much profit...’
’And now Fatty and the others are thinking of taking it to Qing Province to make a killing!’
anwhile, Fang Qingqing, who had seen Duan Qingling get rejected, grew even more hesitant. She had just managed to work up the courage to approach Chu Fan and discuss recruiting him.
But Chu Fan rely gave her a nod before turning and walking straight toward the Seven Stars Gang’s main gate.
Fang Qingqing froze, ultimately stomping her foot in frustration.
She was never good at these sorts of social pleasantries.
...
Ignoring the commotion behind him, Chu Fan visited a few apothecaries, successfully purchasing the dicinal herbs and several basic poisons he needed before returning ho.
Following the thod Yue Mankong had taught him, he carefully mixed the ingredients, finally concocting a colorless, odorless, and stable poison: Phantom Kill.
He also used the thod to prepare an antidote.
He poured an entire gourd of ordinary sand into the poisonous liquid to soak. Then, he carefully dried it over a low fla and spread it out on a black cloth.
Compared to normal sand, the sand soaked in the poison looked completely identical.
The color and sll were indistinguishable.
Chu Fan nodded in satisfaction. With a slight movent of his palm, he activated the Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique.
A dark light flashed. As if summoned, all of the treated Poisonous Sand flew precisely back into the gourd.
The only drawback was that the Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique consud a vast amount of Primordial Energy, and controlling the sand for extended periods was ntally exhausting.
Chu Fan put the gourd of Poisonous Sand away, walked into his courtyard, and resud practicing the Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step.
His Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step had only recently reached the Perfection stage; cultivating it to the Breaking Limit realm in a short ti would be difficult.
However, as his Experience Points increased daily, the Martial Arts he practiced would also advance.
The hundred or so Experience Points gained from several hours of practice might be nothing compared to the jump from Great Success to Perfection, or from Perfection to Breaking Limit. But every little bit counted, and it would be enough to raise this Step Technique to another level within a few days.
As night fell, Chu Fan hung the gourd of Poisonous Sand at his waist, slung the Thunder Blade and Sunset Bow over his back, and hid Cyan Snake Xiaobai in his sleeve. He then moved stealthily toward the sparsely populated North City Wall.
As for Zhao Tianxing, his speed was no match for Chu Fan’s, so he had already left Cyan Yang City ahead of ti and was on his way to Seven Stars Castle.
Once at the foot of the wall, Chu Fan scanned his surroundings. After confirming no one was watching, he circulated a small amount of Primordial Energy. His body beca as agile as a monkey. With his toes tapping against the vertical surface—TAP TAP TAP—he scaled the high wall in a few bounds and landed in the wilderness outside the city.
After getting his bearings, he took a deep breath and suddenly accelerated. Aided by the southerly wind, he shot off toward Seven Stars Castle like an arrow from a bow.
[Running Technique Experience Points 3]
He moved faster and faster, his robes whipping in the wind as the scenery on either side blurred past.
The Cyan Snake in his sleeve couldn’t resist poking its head out. Feeling the breakneck speed, it exclaid, "Your Qinggong is truly profound! It’s as if you’re riding the wind... But you’re only in the early stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm. How can your Primordial Qi sustain such a rapid pace for so long?"
Chu Fan didn’t bother to explain.
His Running Technique possessed the "Light as a Feather" Trait, so his consumption of vital energy and Primordial Qi was far lower than a normal person’s.
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