448 Death of a Friend

The sound startled Tang Yifei and Tang Yuanqin. They both jerked their heads to the side toward the direction of the speaker.

They watched as a young man with his hands linked behind his back descended upon them. He flew over the tall walls with protruding barbed wire that encircled the mansion and stepped down from the sky as if walking on an invisible stairs. Rain droplets shattered against an invisible shield that surrounded his body and formed a halo of silvery mist around the young man's body.

"Please accept my humble greetings, Master Chen. "

Tang Yuanqin's body started to shake uncontrollably as soon as he recognized Chen Fan. Fear mixed with joy roiled inside of his heart. Meanwhile, the sight of Chen Fan had stunned Tang Yifei as she turned into a statue and gaped at Chen Fan. Her eyes were filled with infatuation and adoration.

"You are finally back."

The girl's eyes glazed over by tears of joy as they let out a soft glow that was reminiscent of the dreamy drizzles of Jiang Nan.

"Rise." Chen Fan glanced over Tang Yifei and landed his gaze on Tang Yuanqin who was kneeling before him. "I was back five days ago, didn't you know?"

Tang Yuanqin rose to his feet and let out a wry smile. "You thought too highly of my abilities. I am but a local tycoon in Jiang Nan Province. Although I have heard rumors of your return in bits and pieces, I didn't believe in them. There had been too many… rumors of late."

"Ok."

Chen Fan nodded as he murmured to himself.

Tang Yuanqin was right. He was not nearly as well connected as the secret agencies of powerful nations. He was a local force and his influences couldn't even reach outside of Jiang Nan Province, much less outside of China. Therefore, he would not be among the first ones to learn about his return.

"Just a heads up. I killed General Scherchen in Russia five days ago. I think you will hear about it soon."

Chen Fan finally landed inside of the pavilion where the father and daughter pair were standing.

This pavilion by the shoreline was commissioned by Tang Yuanqin for his personal use. From the pavilion, he had a sprawling view of the mighty river. The sight was even more breathtaking during the night when the river bank on the other side lit up with sparkling lights of all colors.

"So those rumors are real."

The realization made Tang Yuanqin quivered a little and he kneeled before Chen Fan again: "Master Chen. You have single-handedly defeated an entire army and killed the leader of the Russian North Division amidst the thick of danger. News of your deeds will take the world by storm, and the world would tremble at your might!"

Tang Yuanqin exclaimed vehemently.

Of all the living beings on Earth, who else could have defeated an army of ten thousand strong? Not even the legendary Immortal State warriors who lived a few hundred years ago could have pulled off Chen Fan's unimaginable achievements.

"What?"

Tang Yifei covered her mouth to stifle a cry.

This was the first time she heard the news.

"Tang Yuanqin, I am not here to listen to your compliments. Explain to me what had happened while I was gone, and why you failed me, or else…"

Chen Fan tapped the Blade Strengthening Gourd, making a crisp clank that sounded out for a few long seconds.

"Master Chen, I can explain!"

Tang Yuanqin's face suddenly paled as he bowed deeply. Tang Yifei also hurried to put in:

"Chen Fan, it's not our fault! As soon as you disappeared, the Hong Sect had found themselves a new ally; a Grandmaster called Lin Tashan from the Lin family of Southeastern China. They had consolidated power in Jiang Bei and killed those who opposed them, including Xu Ao. They have Jiang Bei in their tight grasp and a powerful ally, what do you suppose we could do? "

"If not because of General Li and Miss Red Sparrow, you wouldn't even stand here talking to both of us because we would have both been dead! By now, Lin Tashan controlled nearly half of Jiang Nan Province. We barely managed to deter him from digging his claws into Jin City."

Tears welled in Tang Yifei's eyes as she vented her anger and indignation.

It was evident that she had to swallow down a lot of humiliation throughout the year. She had been a proud queen of the underground world in Jiang Nan Province, but she was defenseless before Lin Tashan's overwhelming strength and had to stay low and endure the hardship.

"Xu Ao is dead?"

Chen Fan was taken aback.

Xu Ao's refined appearance and his unyielding personality suddenly appeared in his mind.

Xu Ao of Hai Dong.

He was Xu Rongfei's father, the former leader of Jiang Bei. He had always been loyal to Chen Fan.

Xu Ao had presided over Jiang Bei on behalf of Chen Fan and unified Jiang Bei's tycoons under one banner. Chen Fan barely visited Jiang Bei, yet the tycoons remained loyal to him thanks to Xu Ao's effort. Xu Ao also managed the sales of Yun Wu Spirit Water and saw hundreds of billions of cash coming into the company coffers each year. However, he remained impervious to corruption.

Much to Chen Fan's dismay, Xu Ao was dead.

"What would happen to Xu Rongfei?"

Chen Fan's first thoughts went to Xu Rongfei, his former classmate. Fate had been cruel to her and taken her father away from her for the second time. The girl's life hit Chen Fan's soft spot as it was reminiscent of the hardship in his past life.

"I have thought that I could offer you some peace and comfort during this life. But look at what I have done? Because of me, your father is dead. It would never have happened if your father didn't know me."

Chen Fan looked up into the sky and heard Tang Yuanqin's voice drifting in and out of his ear

"…Even the Wei Family of the North Bank had to stay put when Lin Tashan and the Hong Sect arrived Jiang Bei. Most tycoons switched their alliance almost immediately, but Xu Ao refused to give in. He was killed on the spot by Lin Tashan."

Tang Yuanqin heaved a sigh.

Even Tang Yuanqin was impressed by Xu Ao's tough bones.

If Xu Ao was not such a tough nut to crack, Tang Yuanqin would have already taken over Jiang Bei.

"Hong Sect, Lin Family, Lin Tashan and the tycoons of Jiang Bei. Is that all?"

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and looked into the distance in silence.

The father and daughter pair stood deferentially behind Chen Fan, waiting patiently for his instructions.

After a while, Chen Fan finally broke the silence.

"I want you to gather information on everyone involved in this, including Lin Tashan."

Master Chen, what exactly do you have in mind?" Tang Yuanqin was taken aback at first and then a flicker of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

"I will kill them."

Chen Fan said evenly, eyes gazing at the churning river.

The sword inside of the Blade Strengthening Gourd sensed Chen Fan's anger, so it hummed and was ready to taste blood again.

Lin Tashan had been Tang Yuanqin's greatest threat over the year so Tang Yuanqin had gathered very detailed information about Lin Tashan.

"Lin Tashan is from the Lin family of Southeastern China, brother of Lin Tatian. This is his first time getting involved in business outside of his family. The last time people saw him in action was a decade ago when his brother, Lin Tatian ran away from the family. People guessed that he was of Transcendent State based on his last battle. Hong Sect had entrusted the Jiang Bei region to him. He operated closely with the Dark Moon Unit of the Hong Sect as well as a few disciples of Lei Qianjue. They include the following:" "Zhou Tianhao of Chu Zhou City."

"Han Tianshen of Tian He City."

"Liu Guodong of Qin Shui City."

"Wu Qixin of Jiang Zhou City."

"Hehe"

Chen Fan chuckled after seeing the list of names, as the deadly light turned brighter in his eyes. He had just realized that all tycoons of Jiang Bei, except for Xu Ao had all turned against him.

Chen Fan didn't blame them for their betrayal. He knew they would meet the same ending as Xu Ao if they refused to turn on him.

However, Chen Fan couldn't forgive what they have did to Xu Ao's widowed wife and daughter. The tycoons had stolen every single penny from them, including much of Chen Fan's wealth as well as the Yun Wu Spirit Water.

The situation in Jin City wouldn't deteriorate so quickly If the Chen family had the income from the sales of Yun Wu Spirit Water.

"You will have to pay for your choices."

Chen Fan cracked an icy smile and taped the gourd lightly. Suddenly, the gourd sent out a powerful wave of energy that pierced the sky above.

With lightning speed, he flew himself into the sky, tracing a streak of azure glow against the dark velvety sky and disappeared. The father and daughter pair were left alone in the dark. They heard nothing except for the waves rushing against the shoreline.

"Dad, what did Chen Beixuan say he was going to do?"

Tang Yifei hesitated for a while and asked.

"You already know the answer, don't you?" Tang Yuanqin shook his head and heaved a sigh.

"I bet that not even Lin Tashan had expected him to return. Blood is going to spill and heads are going to roll tonight. Xu Ao… what a pity…"

Tang Yuanqin heaved another sigh wistfully.

"Sigh"

Jiang Bei Region and Jin City were separated only by the river and were all jurisdictions of Jiang Nan Province.

Chen Fan dashed across the river, seeming walking on water and crossed the river in a blink. As soon as he reached the other side, he picked up more speed until he was running at a couple of hundred kilometers per hour, faster than most race cars. It wasn't long before he reached Jiang Zhou City.

Jiang Zhou City was a familiar city since Chen Fan had been here many times before.

He had planned to visit Lord Wu of Jiang Zhou City while he had just made his breakout debut in Jiang Bei. However, ever since he had gained Tang Yuanqin's support, he no longer felt the need to meet with Lord Wu, so the meeting never materialized. A couple of years later, Chen Fan's journey had come full circle and was back at Jiang Zhou City.

"Wu Qixin of the Jiang Zhou City… Hehe… what a tool."

Chen Fan looked to the gleaming city from its outskirts and cracked a cold smile.

He projected out his Divine Will to cover the entire Jiang Zhou City and started the winnowing out what he was looking for in the sea of information.

"Not here… no… not here either… Must be the eastern side of the town."

Chen Fan combed through the city with great attention to detail. Lord Wu was a paranoid old man who had many enemies. Therefore, he frequently changed his living accommodations to avoid detection, which increased the difficulty of finding him out from millions of other citizens of Jiang Zhou. Whoever, with enough time, Chen Fan could find a mouse in the metropolis much less a living breathing human.

"Got you!"

Ten minutes later, Chen Fan opened his eyes and started running toward the eastern gate of the Jiang Zhou City.

Meanwhile, the mighty Lord Wu, Wu Qixin who had presided over Jiang Zhou City for decades was sitting with a guest in a living room.

His guest was a middle-aged man in a white Martial arts outfit. The man's even an imposing demeanor and the sharp glint in his eyes was a telltale sign that he was an Internal Force User.

"Master Hong, thank you for helping us getting rid of those thugs from the Tang Family."

Lord Wu cupped his fist and announced.

"Don't mention it. We both serve Grandmaster Lin, so I couldn't just stand by and not help out. Without Tang Yuanqi, The Tang family is weak and useless anyways."

"Once we have taken over the Jiang Zhou City, the Jin City would be the only city left in the Jiang Nan Province yet to come under our control. The Tang family's days are numbered since Grandmaster Lin could descend upon them at any moment. How ironic! I don't think Grandmaster Lin even cared for the Jiang Nan Province that much. He would rather stay home if the Hong Sect leader didn't task him to bring the Jiang Nan Province to their knees."

"Very well, very well!"

Lord Wu's face bloomed like a flower.

He had already forgotten the loyalty he had sworn to Chen Fan and Tang Yuanqin.

Suddenly, someone raped on the door.

"Uh? Who would visit at this hour?"

The sound alerted both men in the living room.