But before he could speak.
Several whistling sounds came from the mountain forest behind him.
A flash of saber light.
These burly men were instantly chopped into several corpses.
Several figures arrived swiftly.
The leader was a fat, wealthy man with a bulging belly.
He was smiling.
He had the look of a cunning old schemer with a smile hiding a dagger.
Beside him was a rich young master whose nostrils were positioned on top of his head.
Several other martial arts experts followed behind them.
The strongest among them had reached the mid-stage of the Xuan Gang realm.
It was this person who had unleashed a qi slash earlier, killing those burly men.
The young woman was clearly terrified of these people.
Seeing them arrive, she shivered in fear.
The fat man in the lead cast a sinister glance at the young woman.
Then he looked at Ling Fan.
"How dare these wicked servants commit such acts worse than beasts! Fortunately, this young master lent his righteous assistance, otherwise, Shao Niang would have been insulted by those ruffians. I offer my respects!"
"I am the master of Guo Family Manor, my name is Guo Defu. This is my son, Guo Shuqian, and this is the captain of our manor's guards, Lei Youyi. The lady this young master saved is a villager from our Guo Family Manor, named Bai Shao."
"May I know the young master's esteemed name and where you are headed."
The portly rich man said amiably to Ling Fan.
Ling Fan frowned slightly.
This Guo Manor Master, who was as fat as a pig, confused him.
They were clearly in league with those burly men.
Not only did they kill their own men.
But they were also so polite to him.
When things are out of the ordinary, there is bound to be a trick.
Ling Fan said, "My surname is Ling, and I am going to Miyun Mountain."
"Oh, so it's Young Master Ling! My apologies, my apologies," Guo the Fatty said with a smile.
"Young hero, do not be deceived by their appearance. These people are all inhuman beasts! They want to take all the children of the villagers..."
The young woman said anxiously.
But before she could finish her words.
Guo Manor Master glared at her fiercely and interrupted, "Shao Niang, you mustn't speak carelessly outside, or your old mother will blame you."
The young woman trembled.
As if her throat had been grasped by an invisible hand, her words stopped abruptly.
Ling Fan looked at the young woman and said, "Say what you wanted to say, there's no need to be afraid."
The young woman bit her lip and just shook her head.
Guo Manor Master seized the opportunity and said, "Young Master Ling, please forgive her. Shao Niang's child has a strange illness, and she is too worried, so her mind is a bit confused. She often doesn't know what she's saying. Allow me to speak for her."
"We are from Guo Family Manor, hundreds of miles away from Miyun Mountain. Shao Niang and the others are all villagers from my manor. Recently, many villagers' young children have contracted strange illnesses for unknown reasons, and many have died inexplicably."
"Therefore, I have specifically brought these children and their parents to Miyun Mountain to implore the powerful and divine beings on Miyun Mountain to help these children recover from their illnesses and avert disaster."
Ling Fan glanced at the infant in Bai Shao's arms.
He immediately knew that this fat man was talking nonsense.
The infant was clearly extremely healthy.
She showed no signs of illness at all.
This young woman was clearly threatened by the fat man, which was why she dared not speak the truth.
Ling Fan pondered for a moment and did not expose their lies.
Since he was going to Miyun Mountain anyway, he wanted to see what Miyun Mountain was up to.
"Since Young Master Ling is also going to Miyun Mountain, why don't we travel together?"
Guo the Fatty suggested enthusiastically.
His face was full of amiability.
Ling Fan ignored the young woman's head shake of warning and nodded faintly.
Guo Defu and the guard captain's eyes flashed with joy.
"Is Young Master Ling going to Miyun Mountain to seek apprenticeship? With Young Master Ling's talent, reaching the Xuan Gang realm at such a young age, there is a good chance of success!"
"Coincidentally, I am also planning to send my son to cultivate on Miyun Mountain. Perhaps in the future, you two can become fellow disciples."
Guo Defu said with a smile.
Then he sternly reprimanded his son, "You little brat, you are a bit older than Young Master Ling, yet you have only cultivated to the peak of the Qi Refining realm. You must learn from Young Master Ling in the future! Do you understand?"
Guo Shuqian, with his nostrils flared, snorted coldly, "Why should I learn from him? My status allows me to enter Miyun Mountain without an examination. Whether this kid can enter Miyun Mountain is still unknown. Once I enter Miyun Mountain, surpassing him will be a matter of minutes. What is he?"
"You scoundrel!"
Guo Defu cursed.
Then he smiled and apologized to Ling Fan, "Young Master Ling, please don't mind. I've spoiled this son of mine."
"You've misunderstood, I'm not going to seek apprenticeship."
Ling Fan said faintly.
"It doesn't matter whether you are or not, as long as you are going to Miyun Mountain."
Guo Defu was stunned for a moment and then smiled.
-------------------------------------
Soon.
Everyone returned to the main group.
Ling Fan looked at the hundreds and thousands of infants and frowned slightly.
But he said nothing.
Guo Defu thoughtfully arranged an empty carriage for Ling Fan.
Ling Fan did not refuse.
...
Guo Defu and the others sat in a luxurious carriage.
His son, Guo Shuqian, said with dissatisfaction, "Father, this kid dared to meddle in Guo Family Manor's affairs. You didn't let Uncle Youyi kill him, but instead let him travel with us. What were you thinking?"
Guo Defu smiled shrewdly.
The guard captain, Guo Youyi, said with a smile, "Young master, you still don't understand the master's intentions. This kid has strong talent. Let's keep him stable. When we reach Miyun Mountain, we can offer him to Elder Luo Su, the disciplinary elder of Miyun Mountain who loves to refine puppets of martial arts geniuses. Wouldn't that be a great merit? Then, it will be a sure thing for you, young master, to enter Miyun Mountain for cultivation!"
Guo Shuqian's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap his hands in approval.
"Manor Master, I heard that the young master Ling Fan has already set off for Miyun Mountain. We might even encounter him... Could it be that this person really has the courage to fight the Master of Miyun Mountain?"
The guard captain said.
"It's not certain if he has indeed come, but if he does, he will surely die. Miyun Mountain is not a place of peace, but a true dragon's pool and tiger's den!"
"Let alone a young master like him, even three to five masters working together might not be able to retreat from Miyun Mountain unscathed."
Guo Manor Master shook his head.
Although Guo Shuqian had not yet been accepted into Miyun Mountain, he already considered himself half a member of Miyun Mountain and looked down upon this Ling Fan with great disdain.
He snorted contemptuously from his nostrils, "What kind of 'young master' is he? I'm afraid that by the time he reaches the foot of the mountain, he'll be so scared by the sight of Miyun Mountain's formation that he'll flee."
Then, with a hint of sourness, he said, "Father, you mentioned this Ling Fan, and today's Ling surname. They both have the same surname, Ling. Whose talent is stronger?"
Guo Manor Master sneered, "Son, your question is a bit redundant. One is comparable to a master, and the other is just a mere early-stage Xuan Gang realm. Is there any comparison?"
...
Ling Fan sat with his eyes closed in the carriage.
Suddenly, a woman's muffled groan of pain was heard from outside the carriage.
Ling Fan opened his eyes.
He lifted the carriage curtain.
Indeed, it was the young woman, Bai Shao.
Her ankle had been injured earlier, and she was bleeding as she walked.
Ling Fan said, "Come up and sit."
Bai Shao initially wanted to refuse.
But after glancing at the infant in her arms, she bowed gratefully to Ling Fan and shyly sat opposite him.
A moment later.
The infant began to cry.
Her small mouth tried hard to nuzzle against the young woman's chest.
Bai Shao secretly glanced at Ling Fan, her cheeks turning completely red.
She was at a loss.
Fortunately, Ling Fan kept his eyes closed the entire time, as if indifferent to everything around him.
Only then did Bai Shao slowly relax.
She lifted her clothes.
The sound of the infant suckling vigorously immediately filled the carriage.
This time, the roots of her ears turned completely red.