Sensing the presence of Lai Zhuge and the woman inside the nanny van, Qin Fan couldn’t help but let a playful smile touch his lips. He was genuinely surprised they had waited for several hours, which only made him more curious about their intentions.
Amidst the bustling crowd of students, Lai Zhuge, who had been constantly watching the school gate, suddenly exclaid, "Master Qin is out!" He quickly continued, "Miss Li, are you coming down with to invite Master Qin?"
"Do I have a choice?" Li Wenxuan asked, biting her lip and shaking her head helplessly.
"If your Li Family truly wishes to go to that place to find that thing, then no, you have no choice," Lai Zhuge replied grimly.
"Since there’s no choice, let’s get out of the car," Li Wenxuan sighed, her gaze fixed on Qin Fan’s face through the window.
Her reason for not getting out earlier was partly to maintain an air of importance, but mostly, she was worried about the consequences. After all, far too many people recognized her. If she appeared at the gates of Qi Middle School with Lai Zhuge to et a student, the news would spread like wildfire. There was no telling how it might be interpreted. More importantly, if soone with ulterior motives were to read sothing into the situation, it would certainly not bode well for the entire Li Family. But now, given the gravity in Lai Zhuge’s voice, she no longer had a choice.
The two got out of the car, one after the other, and hurried toward Qin Fan, who had just stepped through the school gates.
"Master Qin, may we have a word in private?" Lai Zhuge asked in a low voice, getting straight to the point without waiting for a reply.
The mont he finished speaking, a commotion erupted. "Look, isn’t that Li Wenxuan? The international supermodel! What is she doing here?" "Holy crap! Li Wenxuan! That’s the daughter of Macau’s Gambling King, Li Donghuo!" "Hey, isn’t that guy Qin Fan? Is the goddess here for him?" "Who’s that old man? Why does he look so familiar?"
A wave of shocked cries erupted from the students, and the incessant snapping of phone caras filled the air.
Li Wenxuan could only shake her head helplessly at the commotion. "Master Qin," she said quickly, "now you see why I didn’t get out of the car."
If he hadn’t heard the words "daughter of Macau’s Gambling King," Qin Fan would have scoffed at her statent. That title, however, made him consider the situation on a deeper level. "Then let’s talk sowhere else," he replied calmly.
With that, he strode toward the nanny van. Without any pretense or hesitation, he pulled open the door and sat inside. Lai Zhuge and Li Wenxuan quickly followed. At Li Wenxuan’s command, the driver started the engine, and the nanny van sped off.
"Speak. What do you want with ?" Qin Fan asked.
"Master Qin, allow to introduce you. This is Miss Li Wenxuan, the daughter of Macau’s richest man, the Gambling King Li Donghuo," Lai Zhuge introduced hastily.
Qin Fan simply gave a slight, indifferent nod. "Who she is doesn’t matter, and I have no interest. State your purpose. For you, the great Lai Shenxiang, to humble yourself like this, I imagine it’s no small matter."
"You’re right, Master Qin. We have indeed co to seek your help," Lai Zhuge said solemnly.
"Then get on with it," Qin Fan urged.
"Master Qin, over a decade ago, I ca to owe the Li Family of Macau a great favor. Now, the family is in trouble. The Gambling King, Li Donghuo, is afflicted with a strange illness that causes him to age rapidly. According to ancient texts, only a certain fruit called the Life Extending Fruit can cure him," Lai Zhuge explained.
Li Wenxuan imdiately picked up where he left off. "However, after extensive searching, we learned from an old man that this Life Extending Fruit can only be found deep within Shennongjia’s Primordial Forest. I originally asked Lai Shenxiang to accompany , but he said he had no confidence about succeeding in that place. With you, however, he believes success would not be in question. So, Master Qin, I sincerely implore you to help . I will offer a reward that is sure to satisfy you. Furthermore, if we can truly obtain the Life Extending Fruit, the Li Family will owe you a personal favor."
A reward? A favor?
Qin Fan chuckled.
As if I need any of those things.
Shaking his head disdainfully, he looked at Lai Zhuge. "Master Lai, what’s the story? Is there really a place in this world that even you are not confident about?"
"You flatter , Master Qin. To be honest, I have been to that place once before. That single visit haunts with terror to this day. Eight years ago, the geography of Shennongjia shifted overnight. I organized a group of Fortune Tellers and Magicians to investigate. We followed the feng shui currents deep into the Primordial Forest, where we discovered a place protected by an Array. Determined to see what was inside, our group spent three days and two nights breaking the formation. But the mont we entered what seed like a veritable Paradise, the nightmare began.
"The entire area was ruled by herds of beasts that had awakened their Spiritual Wisdom. The second they saw us, they treated us as invaders and attacked relentlessly. We lost more than a dozen highly skilled Fortune Tellers and Magicians before we managed to escape by a sheer stroke of luck. Once we were out, we spent another five days painstakingly reconstructing the broken Array from its original traces to prevent those beasts from ever escaping. Since then, I’ve never set foot in there again. It’s not that I don’t want to; I don’t dare. For people like us, entering that place ans certain death."
Lingering fear was visible in Lai Zhuge’s eyes as he recounted the tale, his face betraying his unyielding panic. rely speaking of it eight years later was enough to unsettle him. If not for the need to repay his debt to the Li Family, he would never have considered returning to that place. Even so, repaying the debt was contingent on persuading Qin Fan to go with them. Otherwise, he would just be sending himself to his death.
Listening to his story, Li Wenxuan’s brows drew tighter and tighter. "Lai Shenxiang, is that place truly so perilous?"
"It’s not perilous; it’s certain death," Lai Zhuge imdiately replied, shaking his head. "Our escape was a complete accident. We only got out alive because the beasts suddenly abandoned their attack and retreated. Otherwise, every last one of us would have perished there."
"If that’s the case, Lai Shenxiang, why did you agree to my request?" Li Wenxuan asked.
"Because of Master Qin!" Lai Zhuge said, his gaze fixed firmly on Qin Fan. "With his Divine Skills to aid us, we might be able to navigate that place. Whether the Life Extending Fruit is actually there, however, remains to be seen."
Master Qin’s Divine Skills? What on earth could a teenager do to earn such reverence from Lai Shenxiang?
Suddenly, Li Wenxuan, who had never once questioned Lai Zhuge, found herself looking at the young man before her as if he were a complete enigma. Her gaze on him grew complex and intense.
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