"Not necessarily."
Lan Kuang's expression was equally solemn, but it lacked his father's fear. Instead, a hint of excitement flickered in his eyes.
He was a man of impulse.
He had witnessed the frantic escape of the two church bishops. Now, everyone knew that the mysterious Eastern powerhouse was the backer brought back by Asdai.
Ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, Lan Kuang walked out of the manor.
Outside the manor, Chen Fan waited calmly.
He would wait for one minute, to see if anyone from the Lanting family had the courage to step out.
Creak!
The manor gate opened, and Lan Kuang emerged.
He bowed respectfully, "Lanting family, Lan Kuang, pays his respects to Senior."
For a strong individual, the title of Senior was a must.
Chen Fan scrutinized him from head to toe, then nodded, "Not bad."
"May I ask, Senior..."
"I've come to bestow a great fortune upon your Lanting family. Do you have the capacity to accept it?"
As expected.
Lan Kuang's body trembled, and he lowered his waist even further, respectfully saying, "Senior, please command. Even if it costs the entire Lanting family, we will not fail to live up to your expectations."
"Good."
Chen Fan nodded with satisfaction. "I need your Lanting family to help me investigate all information about the Angelic Holy Assembly. Can you do it?"
Lan Kuang's expression tensed, but he quickly cast aside any doubts. He nodded solemnly, "From this moment on, the Lanting family will deploy all our hidden agents to gather the information you require for Senior."
"Good."
Chen Fan was pleased and then said, "Do you have any vacant residences? I need a place to stay."
Lan Kuang decisively stepped aside. "The Lan family manor, from this moment on, belongs solely to Senior. Apart from the servants, everyone else will withdraw."
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, looking at Lan Kuang with amusement.
This young man was quite something.
He possessed courage and decisiveness.
Very well. Since not everyone cherishes such an opportunity, this chance would be bestowed upon the Lanting family.
After all, he found Lan Kuang quite agreeable, reminding him of his younger self.
...
On the other side.
When Asdai learned that Chen Fan had not returned but had gone to the Lanting family, she felt as though the sky had fallen.
"Why?"
Asdai felt immensely wronged. "I did everything you asked me to do. Why are you abandoning me?"
She couldn't understand.
"Patriarch."
Old Bieber's voice echoed from behind her, tinged with a sigh. "Although I don't know what happened, that... must have wanted you to do something."
Asdai glanced at Old Bieber, and eventually revealed the details of the transaction between them.
After listening, Old Bieber sighed, "Patriarch, you made a mistake."
"Hmm?"
Asdai's eyebrows twitched.
Having become the Patriarch, her demeanor had changed.
Old Bieber was not intimidated and explained, "Patriarch, the information you've gathered, if that person willed it, they could find it with some effort."
"What do you mean?"
"Patriarch was too stingy."
Old Bieber also felt a sense of pity. This should have been an opportunity for the Wenmos family, but it had slipped through their fingers.
He elaborated, "What that person values is not the information itself, but the attitude. Our Wenmos family has cultivated so many hidden agents, yet we've never deployed them. Their purpose is precisely for critical moments like this."
"Even if all the hidden agents were sacrificed, we should have gathered more information for that gentleman. You hesitated to deploy the agents, clearly out of fear of loss. Little did you know, without that person's support, the losses would be far greater."
Asdai was stunned. She finally understood the meaning behind Chen Fan's departing gaze.
Old Bieber was old and had lived for many years.
Such individuals, sharp as the flick of an eyelash, analyzed everything with profound clarity.
Asdai regretted her decision.
But in this world, there was no such thing as a regret pill.
What use was regret?
Chen Fan had already left, and the Lanting family had stepped in to offer their support.
It was foreseeable that as long as Chen Fan lived, the Lanting family would soar to unprecedented heights.
And all of this should have belonged to the Wenmos family, but Asdai had single-handedly squandered it.
"Waa."
The entire Wenmos manor echoed with Asdai's sobs.
...
Chen Fan was unaware of all this.
And Lan Kuang indeed possessed his unique qualities, or rather, his boldness.
As the sole heir of the Lanting family, he had, against all opposition, mobilized all of the family's hidden agents.
In an instant, all the agents the Lanting family had embedded within the Angelic Holy Assembly were activated.
The agents were continuously eliminated, but the information kept pouring back.
The sparsely populated Lan family manor had now been renamed the Oriental Manor, signifying that the owner of this estate was an Easterner.
Lan Kuang arrived again, carrying a report from one of the hidden agents.
Chen Fan read the contents of the document carefully, and after a moment, put it down.
"You've been diligent," Chen Fan nodded.
He was aware of the Lanting family's efforts during this period.
"It is our duty," Lan Kuang's voice was filled with reverence.
"Mm."
Chen Fan then said, "What do you desire?"
The same transaction, the Lanting family had given so much, and he, Chen Fan, was not one to be stingy.
"What do you desire?" these simple five words conveyed Chen Fan's immense confidence.
If you can voice it, I can grant it.
At this point, someone else might have said, "It is my honor to serve Senior."
Unfortunately, Lan Kuang was a straightforward person. He directly stated, "I have been in the Golden Core realm for a long time. I wish to become a Nascent Soul realm expert."
"Granted."
For Chen Fan, this was a trivial matter.
But these words sent Lan Kuang into raptures.