Blink, and half an hour had passed.
"You... didn't you just say that if I told you the information you wanted, you'd spare my life?"
Inside the forest, the still-living man looked panicked.
He didn't want to die.
Therefore, when Chu Fan spoke earlier, he had asked multiple times if he would be spared just by divulging the information he knew, and Chu Fan had nodded in affirmation.
But now, seeing Chu Fan about to attack him, he was terrified.
Chu Fan nodded and explained, "I said I'd spare your life, but I didn't say I'd let you leave easily."
"If you can leave here alive, then it means your time has not yet come!"
With that, Chu Fan's fist struck the man's lower abdomen heavily, turning him into a cripple.
At the same time, his legs were paralyzed, rendering him immobile.
With his legs unable to move, his survival in this deep mountain forest would depend entirely on fate.
"You broke your promise!"
"May you die a terrible death!"
...
The man cursed angrily.
Chu Fan, his expression calm, left the forest and headed straight for Shanhai City.
Along the way, he was analyzing the information obtained from the man.
Both of them were just pawns, their mission being to find the dragon-shaped jade token and take it back.
As such, they hadn't obtained much useful information about the dragon-shaped jade token.
What surprised Chu Fan slightly was that the instigators behind both of them, like Minister Zhang before, were all someone named冥王 (Míng Wáng - Underworld King).
Regarding 冥王 (Míng Wáng), ever since he had learned of him, Chu Fan had tasked Ji Ningyue with collecting relevant information, but the clues obtained were minimal.
According to the man, only 冥王 (Míng Wáng) knew the secret hidden within the dragon-shaped jade token. As for 冥王's (Míng Wáng's) appearance and strength, their ranks were too low, and they had never seen him.
Ascending to the mountain peak and overlooking the entire Shanhai City, Chu Fan murmured, "Who exactly are you?"
He stood on the mountaintop, lost in thought, until dusk before returning to Tianfan Pharmaceutical.
As Chu Fan entered the office, Nan Zi'an was questioning the newly returned Nan Baixuan, asking if she and Nan Baishan had staged the kidnapping to extort ransom money to help the Nan family.
Nan Baixuan's severed fingers had been reattached due to timely treatment. While there were some functional impairments, it was at least more aesthetic than losing them entirely.
Nan Baixuan, who had intended to quibble, saw Chu Fan suddenly enter and knew he already knew everything. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken to her that way when they met earlier that day. She could only nod silently in admission.
"You..."
Nan Zi'an, enraged, raised his arm as if to slap the young girl.
However, he ultimately couldn't land the blow. He snorted and left Tianfan Pharmaceutical, preparing to find his father and elder brother to discuss telling them to stop struggling.
Regarding the attitude towards the Nan family, Qin Xue had already made her stance clear to Nan Zi'an: do not expect to use her money to make a comeback.
As long as the Nan family remained law-abiding, she wouldn't say they could live as prosperously as before, but she could at least guarantee that their lives wouldn't be too difficult, and they wouldn't have to worry about sustenance.
If they truly wanted to make a comeback, they should find funds on their own and not expect to receive a single cent from her. If they continued to mess around, she wouldn't show any leniency.
This time, Nan Baixuan had colluded with Nan Baishan in their misdeeds. Although her father and elder brother had patted their chests assuring they were unaware of this matter, Nan Zi'an's intuition told him they couldn't possibly not know.
He knew Nan Baishan's character very well; he was utterly without his own opinions.
Such matters would definitely have been discussed with family members.
The unexpected turn of events meant his father and elder brother had to swallow their pride and feign ignorance. After all, if junior members were acting out, and elders were involved, it was hard to say how Qin Xue would retaliate against the Nan family once she found out.
After narrowly escaping danger, her father wasn't offering comfort or concern but was about to hit her?
Nan Baixuan cried out in distress.
Qin Xue acted as if she saw nothing, not uttering a single word of comfort. She was already forcing herself not to indulge her, making the young girl cry even more sorrowfully.
As for Chu Fan, he was too lazy to offer any comfort.
After finishing her tasks, Qin Xue thought about Chu Fan's sudden departure and got up to ask, "Xiao Fan, where did you go when you left earlier?"
"I went to find the people who kidnapped Xuanxuan!"
It was indeed as she suspected.
When Nan Baixuan was brought back, Chu Fan had left in a hurry. She had already guessed that he most likely had a way to find out where the kidnappers were and had gone after them.
Although she knew the opponents were not easy to deal with, Qin Xue did not want this hidden danger to remain.
If the perpetrators were not dealt with, further kidnappings could occur.
"What was the result?"
Qin Xue asked curiously.
"It's been handled!"
Upon hearing the result, Qin Xue's worries finally subsided.
Thinking about the upcoming plans, Chu Fan said, "Auntie, Tianfan Pharmaceutical's development is almost complete. My continued presence in Shanhai City won't be of much help. I'm planning to travel outside in a few days."
There was no point in staying in Shanhai City any longer.
There was still no news from Qinglong in the south, so he had to go there personally.
"Where are you going?"
Qin Xue reacted intensely.
Her intuition told her that Chu Fan wouldn't leave without reason; his departure must be for a specific purpose.
She knew his most pressing desire at the moment was to find his sister.
Earlier, she had promised that person to suppress Chu Fan and prevent him from investigating the past events.
However, Chu Fan wasn't as weak as she had expected; his development was rapid. Now that he was in Shanhai City, he had not only befriended influential figures but also the Qinglong Consortium, making him less vulnerable to threats.
Continuing to live in Shanhai City was the safest option.
Outside, he could encounter danger at any moment.
Knowing what his aunt was worried about, Chu Fan smiled and said, "I don't know where I'm going either. I just want to travel around. I can't stay in Shanhai City forever, can I?"
Qin Xue smiled helplessly and said, "Xiao Fan, Auntie wishes you could stay in Shanhai City your entire life."
"Please don't leave Shanhai City, okay?"
To change Chu Fan's mind, Qin Xue used her ultimate weapon, fixing him with a pleading and expectant gaze.
However, this time, the tactic didn't work.
But to prevent his aunt from nagging him further on this matter, Chu Fan smiled and said, "Then I'll consider it!"
Announcing it in advance was merely a precaution, to give his aunt some preparation in her heart.
Otherwise, by Chu Fan's principles, if he decided to leave, he wouldn't tell anyone and would simply depart.
Whether Chu Fan's words were genuine or merely to appease her, Qin Xue still said, "Xiao Fan, don't think Auntie is nagging. Auntie truly doesn't want you to venture outside. You know my current situation; I have very few people left who will stand by me if something happens!"
As an orphan from a small mountain village, she had very few remaining relatives.
As for her husband, given the intervening events, Qin Xue was unsure if Nan Zi'an would still stand with her if something else happened.
Her daughter was too young and lacked decisiveness.
Therefore, the only person who would stand by her side when trouble arose was Chu Fan.
However, Chu Fan was not a child whom she could simply restrict. Qin Xue could only resort to emotional appeals.
After a perfunctory response to Qin Xue, Chu Fan returned to Shanhai Pavilion and began to fully absorb the Dragon Vein energy.
Leave.
No one could stop him.