A few people sat together and had so drinks. As it was already ti for Hua Yongshui's daughter's birthday banquet, everyone headed toward the banquet venue.
After sitting and chatting with them briefly, Ding Fan realized the eting wasn't a waste of ti. Several people ended up exchanging phone numbers with Ding Fan, and Hua Yongshui even directly promised at that mont that all of Yongfan Island's grain supply would henceforth be handled by the Zonghua Chamber of Comrce in Turkhan Country.
Turkhan Country was now a major agricultural nation, and most of the Chinese people working there started off in agriculture-related endeavors. Therefore, when it ca to grain, they indeed had a lot to offer.
This agreent resolved a major issue for Ding Fan. Previously, Yongfan Island's grain relied entirely on transport from Myanmar, Vietnam, and Huaxia Country.
The grain was not only expensive but also of poor quality. Hu Jin had ntioned this issue to Ding Fan before. Unexpectedly, by sheer luck, the matter was now resolved.
According to Hua Yongshui, the grain price they offered was rely in line with the standard market price, yet the quality was the best available. With this arrangent, the issue of food security for the people was effectively resolved.
Returning to the banquet, Ding Fan's identity had already been revealed, making it impossible for him to remain low-profile.
All the notable figures of the Zonghua Chamber of Comrce surrounded Ding Fan, causing him to steal the spotlight from Hua Yongshui's daughter and beco the most prominent figure at the banquet.
Shu Xin and Shu Ying never expected that the man their father had brought ho was soone even the president of the Zonghua Chamber of Comrce would treat with great respect.
The rest of the banquet was as formulaic as ever. Although Ding Fan disliked socializing, he stayed until the banquet concluded.
After the banquet ended, Ding Fan did not return to Du Jun's farm. Now that his injuries had healed, his trip from Yongfan Island this ti was initially intended to purchase weapons. The subsequent search for the Seal Stone in the desert and his clash with Gui Xing were all unexpected events.
Furthermore, it was still unclear whether the Immortal Sect's female disciple carrying the Seal Stone had managed to evade the Ghost Sect's pursuit. Ding Fan needed to investigate this further, as it directly related to whether the Immortal Sect's passageway could be reopened…
Before leaving, Ding Fan, accompanied by Hua Yongshui, Qu Yongguang, and Smith, t with Shu Xin and Shu Ying.
No matter what, Ding Fan had received the care and hospitality of Du Jun's family during this ti. Before leaving, he felt it necessary to express his gratitude.
"Brother Ding Fan, are you really leaving just like that?" Shu Ying's eyes reddened when she heard Ding Fan say he was leaving.
Ding Fan had always been fond of Shu Ying, a simple and pure-hearted girl. "Don't worry; if I have the ti, I'll co back to visit you," Ding Fan said with a smile.
Shu Ying nodded. She knew well that soone as prominent as Ding Fan would always have nurous matters to attend to. How could he have so much ti to spend with her?
"Brother Fan, be sure to co back when you're free," Shu Xin chid in from the side.
Ding Fan nodded slightly.
While Shu Xin had a bit of a spoiled personality, Ding Fan believed that she had matured after the incident with Mao Duo.
"President Hua," Ding Fan then turned to Hua Yongshui.
"Mr. Ding, is there sothing you need?" Hua Yongshui walked over respectfully.
Hua Yongshui was rely a president of a chamber of comrce in Turkhan Country, while Ding Fan was a dominant power in his own right. Even without considering Smith's presence, Hua Yongshui would still have to show Ding Fan the utmost respect.
"From now on, all grain procurent arrangents for Yongfan Island will be entrusted to the Du family farm. I'll assign soone to liaise directly with them. Your job will simply be to assist the Du family with logistics and coordination," Ding Fan said calmly.
"Understood," Hua Yongshui replied eagerly, nodding repeatedly.
It was obvious to the perceptive individuals present that Ding Fan intended to help elevate the Du family's status and wealth.
Consequently, several prominent businesspeople around them promptly handed their business cards to Shu Xin and Shu Ying.
Seeing the respectful expressions on the faces of these prominent businesspeople, Shu Xin and Shu Ying both understood that this was all thanks to Ding Fan.
Du Jun's farm had always been at the bottom of Turkhan Country's overall Zonghua Chamber of Comrce ecosystem. Yet, with just one sentence from Ding Fan, it had now risen several levels in status.
All of this was because of Ding Fan…
After arranging everything necessary, Ding Fan ordered that Shu Xin and Shu Ying be escorted back ho.
After seeing the two sisters off, Ding Fan and Smith boarded a helicopter and returned to East City.
Upon arriving in East City, Ding Fan made a few adjustnts before using his flying sword to travel to the desert no-go zone.
However, upon reaching the no-go zone, Ding Fan found no trace of the Immortal Sect's female disciple, nor even any sign of the Ghost Sect mbers.
Ding Fan searched the edge of the restricted zone several tis using Sword Control but ultimately found nothing. Only then did he leave the no-go zone.
Reflecting on what had happened that day, Ding Fan felt confident that he had delayed Gui Xing long enough for the Immortal Sect's female disciple to escape.
It seed likely that the female disciple had found a place to hide.
If that was the case, there was no point in lingering. Once the disciple of the Immortal Sect decided to hide, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to find her.
Ding Fan decided to first return to Yongfan Island and then slowly search for the female disciple's whereabouts.
On that sa day, Ding Fan returned to Yongfan Island on his flying sword.
By the ti he arrived at Yongfan Island, it was already nightti. Ding Fan didn't disturb anyone but headed straight back to his private villa.
Early the next morning, Ding Fan's first priority was to find Huang Can.
Ding Fan was eager to see how the ten ard helicopters he had acquired were doing. With powerful enemies eyeing Yongfan Island, if the military buildup didn't accelerate, they would eventually be left at the rcy of their foes.
Just as Ding Fan stepped out of his villa, he ran into Ye Tianshi and Ruan Yuan.
Ye Tianshi and Ruan Yuan had returned to Yongfan Island soon after Ding Fan had left earlier.
Over the past two days, Ye Tianshi had used telekinesis daily to sense whether Ding Fan had returned to his villa. Discovering Ding Fan's return that morning, he imdiately brought Ruan Yuan to et him.
Seeing that Ye Tianshi and Ruan Yuan had co specifically to find him, Ding Fan knew it must be sothing important, so he set aside his plans to inspect military preparedness.
"Sect Master Ding, ever since we left the Spirit Sect, Ye Tianshi and I have been investigating several sealed Immortal Sect passageways," Ruan Yuan began. Because Ding Fan was now the Spirit Sect's leader, Ruan Yuan was no longer as casual as before.
"What did you find?" Ding Fan asked with concern.
At that point, Ding Fan had no way to investigate the nature of the sealed Immortal Sect passages. His earlier encounter with the Seal Stone was only speculative, so he was eager to hear what Ruan Yuan and Ye Tianshi had discovered.
Ruan Yuan replied, "The force sealing the passageways is incredibly mysterious. We've never encountered anything like it before. However, Ye Tianshi and I suspect that the substance sealing the Immortal Sect passageways might be a type of ore."
Ye Tianshi nodded in agreent. "The energy emanating from the blockage aligns with this theory. Unfortunately, since the passage is sealed, entering it is extrely challenging. As a result, we haven't been able to identify what ore is blocking it. At present, the situation is quite complicated."
Ding Fan pondered silently for a mont. "Based on what you're saying, I think I can safely conclude that the material sealing the Immortal Sect passageways should indeed be the Seal Stone."
The Seal Stone?
It was the first ti Ruan Yuan and Ye Tianshi had heard of such a substance.
At that mont, Ding Fan briefly recounted how he had stumbled upon the Seal Stone in East City, his subsequent search for it in the desert no-go zone, his encounter with a female disciple of the Immortal Sect, and his eventual confrontation with Gui Xing.
Although Ruan Yuan and Ye Tianshi hadn't witnessed these events firsthand, they were deeply shocked by Ding Fan's account.
Ruan Yuan, for one, knew the Ghost Sect's Gui Xing far too well. In the past, even the leaders of the Immortal Sect had suffered grave injuries from Gui Xing.
Ding Fan, on the other hand, had faced Gui Xing and erged unscathed, a feat extraordinary in itself.
Ye Tianshi had also heard of Gui Xing's ruthless thods. Of those who had crossed paths with him, only one was rumored to have escaped alive: the leader of the Immortal Sect. Now, Ding Fan was the second person.
"Sect Master Ding, are you saying that the Seal Stone is now in the possession of that Immortal Sect female disciple?" Ruan Yuan asked urgently.
Ding Fan nodded. "When Gui Xing was in pursuit and the situation was dire, I entrusted the Seal Stone I had to that female disciple."
"Sect Master Ding, do you know her na?" Ruan Yuan asked with concern. If this female disciple had erged despite the sealed passageways, he needed to establish imdiate contact with her.
Ding Fan shook his head slightly. "I never asked."
Given the awkward circumstances of being alone with her, Ding Fan had refrained from asking her na to avoid worsening the tension. Thus, even at the end, he remained unaware of her identity.
Ye Tianshi added, "If the Seal Stone truly is the ore blocking the Immortal Sect passageways, then as long as we find that stone, we can analyze the origin of its energy and determine how to unblock the passageways."
Ye Tianshi, now more than anyone, was desperate to open the Immortal Sect's passageways quickly. His daughter's life hung by a thread, and obtaining the Divine Power Herb from the Immortal Sect was his top priority.
"I believe I will find her," Ruan Yuan assured them. "The Immortal Sect disciples have several secret hideouts. If she managed to escape safely, she would likely head to one of those locations for refuge."
"Then let's go search for her now," Ye Tianshi urged.
Before Ruan Yuan could reply, Huang Can strode in quickly from outside.
As the leader of Yongfan Island, Ding Fan's return was naturally reported to Huang Can by the soldiers.
"General, there's a problem," Huang Can said, his brows furrowed.
"What happened?" Ding Fan asked.
Huang Can explained, "Today, a cargo ship transporting construction materials from Huaxia Country was intercepted by a patrol boat from Vietnam. We tried to send soone on a fishing boat for negotiations, but before our personnel even reached their warship, they opened fire directly, sinking our fishing boat. Everyone on board perished."
Vietnam again!
Previously, Ding Fan had sunk several Vietnase warships in their usual operating waters. For a long ti after that, they didn't dare to venture into those waters. Now, while warships hadn't been dispatched, patrol boats had shown up instead.
"Sect Master Ding, let's go sink it," Ruan Yuan suggested from the side.
The Immortal Sect had many matters that would depend on the Spirit Sect in the future. If Ruan Yuan could render assistance, he naturally wanted to take this opportunity to demonstrate his allegiance.
Ding Fan shook his head slightly. "This matter doesn't require your intervention."
Looking to Huang Can, Ding Fan asked, "Is the helicopter squadron combat-ready?"...
...
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