The next morning, the biting northwest wind slowly receded. Lu Fan emerged from his tent, gazed up at the sky, and stretched. He then retrieved a barbecue grill and a small wild chicken from his storage ring, commencing his grilling session.
From a nearby mountain hollow, Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin poked their heads out. The aroma of Lu Fan's roasted chicken made them swallow hard. They took out two compressed biscuits and a bottle of water from their storage rings, chewed a few bites, and took a sip of water. "Damn it! This stuff is truly inedible for humans."
*Snap...* The biscuit was tossed aside. Big Long Face hopped out of the hollow and ambled towards Lu Fan with a grin.
"Little brother! Heh heh! It smells so good! Can I have a chicken leg? I'll trade you a treasure map!" Big Long Face said, his mouth watering.
"Your treasure map isn't real, what use do I have for it!" Lu Fan scoffed, turning his head away dismissively.
"Re... real, absolutely real! I'll stake my head on it!" Big Long Face immediately declared, thumping his chest.
"That place is the immortal realm. No one who goes up there has ever returned alive. If I go, I'll just die on the mountaintop!" Lu Fan stated calmly.
"???"
"???"
Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin, who was approaching, were both stunned. They hadn't expected Lu Fan to say such a thing. How did this kid know about this?
"Are... are you joking? In this... this world, where are there any immortals!" Big Long Face said, feeling rather awkward.
"Ri... right! Who has ever seen an immortal in this world? Those are just legends! Today, we brothers will go again, hmph! I don't believe we can't reach that peak!" Round Face Without a Chin said, patting his chest with apparent bravado.
"Have you ever heard of Yuan Shizi? He is a rogue immortal on this Kunlun Mountain! I've seen him!" Lu Fan said with a serious expression.
"Yuan Shizi?" Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin exchanged glances, then looked at Lu Fan suddenly and asked, "Have you really seen Yuan Shizi?"
"Yes! Of course, I have! Otherwise, how would I know so many things." Lu Fan replied with a serious look.
"Then... where is he now?" A flicker of surprise flashed in Big Long Face's eyes as he quickly asked.
"He..." A cold smile flashed in Lu Fan's eyes. He suddenly said, "He's behind you!"
*Whoosh...*
*Whoosh...*
Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin spun around abruptly, instinctively adopting a defensive stance. Seeing no one behind them, they let out a sigh of relief. But after just a sigh, the two suddenly remembered something, spun back around, and stared tensely at Lu Fan.
"Are you from the Shadow Organization?" Lu Fan asked casually, tearing off a chicken leg and taking a bite.
"You... how did you know?" Big Long Face's face instantly turned extremely grim. They had been acting so well that they almost believed themselves. How had this kid seen through them?
"You want to trick me into going up that mountain, because no one who has gone up that mountain has ever returned alive. But I didn't die yesterday, and you were very surprised, so you want me to go up again!" Lu Fan continued to gnaw on the chicken leg in his hand, speaking with an air of nonchalance.
"You..."
"You..."
Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin were both at a loss. Although they maintained a wary posture, they knew that someone who could kill a powerful expert of Han Shixuan was not someone they two could handle. Their only course of action now was not to flee, nor to resist, but... how to die a little more comfortably!
"I'll go," Lu Feng suddenly said again.
"You... go?"
"You...?"
Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin were completely bewildered. What did those two words mean? Did it mean: I'll go... or: I'll go... or: Oh my god...
"I said I want to ascend Jade Void Peak! I want to know what connection that mountain has with Han Shixuan! I know you two don't know much, otherwise the Shadow Organization wouldn't have sent you two. You're just taking and doing missions." Lu Fan said calmly.
"Yes... yes, yes! We don't know anything. We don't know anything!" Round Face Without a Chin immediately sensed a glimmer of hope for survival, almost crying with joy, and said repeatedly.
"Let's go! We're going to climb Jade Void Peak!" Lu Fan suddenly stood up, continuing to gnaw on the wild chicken.
"Do... do we still have to go?" Big Long Face asked doubtfully.
"Go...!" Lu Fan said, walking ahead.
Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin hesitated for a moment, then followed Lu Fan with trepidation. They dared not run, nor did they believe they could escape.
They hadn't gone far when the gale wind reappeared. Moreover, it grew stronger the closer they got to Jade Void Peak. To avoid the gale, Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin stayed close behind Lu Fan.
The three arrived at the foot of the mountain. Lu Fan did not stop and directly began to ascend.
"Follow me!" Lu Fan simply said.
Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin reluctantly followed. Fortunately, Lu Fan used his sword to block the gale, so the two were not injured.
Lu Fan ascended the mountain at an unhurried pace, checking the time as he went. Finally, the three had climbed more than halfway up the mountain. The path ahead disappeared, replaced by a barrier.
"Do you know why I brought you up here?" Lu Fan suddenly turned back and asked.
"No... no, we don't know!" Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin said, somewhat bewildered.
"Actually, I just wanted to verify whether the people who ascended this mountain and never returned alive, as you said, passed through this barrier or not." Lu Fan said calmly, looking at the barrier above.
"What... what is this?"
Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin clearly had no idea what a barrier was. They couldn't see it, but when they reached out to touch it, they found something blocking their way.
"You'll know soon enough." Lu Fan smiled faintly, stuffed two small paper balls into his ears, and then suddenly raised his fist, smashing it towards the barrier.
*Boom...* A muffled sound like a deep thunderclap immediately followed.
"Ah...!"
"Ah...!"
Then came two exclamations. Big Long Face and Round Face Without a Chin were instantly sent flying from the mountaintop. *Whoosh, whoosh...* They plummeted down the mountainside like two swallows.
"Heh heh! Good luck to you two! It seems you were talking about this! However, your so-called 'people above' clearly underestimated my strength! The Heaven-Shaking Thunder set on this barrier still can't do anything to me." Lu Fan grinned. He glanced at the sun, realizing it was nearing noon. "Alright, I'll wait a bit longer!"