Looking at the cave entrance, Lu Fan and Lin Fang exchanged glances, surprised that Elder Fan's house had a basement.
Elder Fan asked Fan Xueer to lock the door, then led the group down to the basement. As the lights came on, Lu Fan and Lin Fang's eyes widened in astonishment. The room was lined with two rows of shelves, laden with all sorts of gold, silver, and jade.
"Xueer! This is the Emperor Jade Necklace they spoke of. I made it myself. It's my most prized creation." Elder Fan suddenly walked over to the shelves and picked up a jade necklace radiating a red glow. The necklace was exquisite, beautiful, and exuded an air of high-class elegance.
Lu Fan gasped, taking in a breath. Was this the Emperor Jade Necklace worth tens of millions that Elder Fan had mentioned? It actually existed.
"Two years ago, a mysterious guest brought me a rough stone and asked me to craft a Double Fish Jade Pendant for him. When the stone was opened, I was stunned. It was a peerless Emperor Jade, a Sun Red Jade. Alas! It was my own greed. I immediately agreed to make it, but on the condition that the scraps would be mine. So, I made a Double Fish Jade Pendant and this necklace.
In truth, the value of this necklace has surpassed that of the Double Fish Jade Pendant. Knowing how incredibly expensive it was, I feared it would bring disaster if revealed. Thus, I kept it hidden here. I never imagined that secrets couldn't be kept forever, and eventually, people found out. This is the calamity born from my insatiable greed!"
Elder Fan sighed deeply and gently placed the necklace into Fan Xueer's hand. He continued, "Xueer, you lost your mother when you were young. Your father inherited my craft and was a very skilled artisan. Tragically, he died mysteriously at home one day.
After your father's death, your second uncle and second aunt came around frequently, stealing and snatching my treasures and selling them off, squandering the proceeds. However, they never knew about this secret basement in our ancestral home.
At that time, I was heartbroken, knowing that the ancestral craft would end with me. I also worried for your safety. I knew they would be jealous of you due to the inheritance, so I sent you abroad. I've called you back now because I want to entrust everything to you. There are jewels here worth two hundred million!"
"Holy cow..." Lu Fan nearly collapsed onto the floor. Old Fan was a tycoon! Such an unassuming old man possessed assets worth two hundred million. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would ever believe him?
"Young friend Lu Fan! Xueer is still a young girl. I hope you and young lady Lin Fang will look after her. I also have two more rough stones here. Based on my years of experience, they should be very good jade. I'll gift one to each of you."
As Elder Fan spoke, he walked to the wall where two head-sized rough stones were placed. Lu Fan couldn't help but rub his eyes, as he thought he saw a faint green glow. How could these two stones emit a green glow? Could there be green jade inside?
Lu Fan rubbed his ears again, suddenly remembering that outside the main gate earlier, Lin Quan and Fan Jian hadn't been very close to him, and their voices hadn't been loud. Yet... he seemed to have heard every word.
And during the fight, the men Lin Quan brought seemed very formidable, but their movements were so slow... Could all of this be the effect of his Shen Nong Yang Sheng Gong cultivation?
Lu Fan felt a surge of surprise and joy!
"Young friend Lu Fan?" Elder Fan suddenly noticed Lu Fan's dazed expression and called out.
"Elder Fan!" Lu Fan snapped back to reality.
"Young friend, are you not satisfied with these two rough stones?" Elder Fan asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Elder Fan! These things are too precious, how can we possibly accept them!" Lu Fan said hastily.
"Yes! Elder Fan! Please rest assured, I will treat Xueer as my own daughter from now on. But please take these things back!" Lin Fang chimed in urgently.
"Alas! I've been collecting these two rough stones for a long time. If my judgment is correct, once jade is extracted, their value will not be less than several million. I naturally trust your character, otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you here. But if you accept these two rough stones, I can finally rest easy! After all, there's a saying: 'Accepting someone's wealth means taking on their troubles!'" Elder Fan said with sincere eyes, looking at Lu Fan and Lin Fang.
"Then... alright!" Lu Fan nodded. It seemed that to put Elder Fan at ease, and since he needed these things, he wouldn't be polite.
"Good! Young man, you're straightforward! Now I can truly relax!" Elder Fan smiled and turned to retrieve two identical suitcases from behind the shelves. Opening the cases, one contained property deeds. The other was empty.
...
Night fell, and a crescent moon quietly hid behind the clouds.
In a room, Lu Fan sat cross-legged on the bed, cultivating the Shen Nong Yang Sheng Jue. Fan Xueer and Lin Fang shared a room, sleeping in the adjacent one. The innermost room was Elder Fan's, where he slept peacefully. Beside his bed was a suitcase.
*Click... click... swish...* The sound of a door lock being opened, though faint, was exceptionally clear in the silent night.
The main door was pushed open, and two figures tiptoed towards the main house. Their silhouettes indicated they were Fan Jian and Zhao Chunhua!
The two of them went straight to Elder Fan's room. Gently pushing the door, it opened. Fan Jian took out a small bottle given to him by Lin Quan.
"Idiot! Why are you taking out that useless thing? Didn't you see everyone's asleep? Get to work!" Zhao Chunhua punched Fan Jian and directly entered Elder Fan's room.
In the past, when they came in, they'd half-steal and half-rob, even using sleeping powder. The old man was so old, what was there to fear?
Fan Jian thought about it and felt Zhao Chunhua might be right. At worst, they'd be gentle and not disturb anyone. After all, the sleeping powder was for the young man, but he could vaguely see only Elder Fan on the bed. He didn't have time to find out which room the young man was in.
The two entered the room and used their phone flashlights to search. Suddenly, Zhao Chunhua spotted the suitcase beside Elder Fan's bed.
"Shh... shh... come here!" Zhao Chunhua beckoned to Fan Jian.
"Holy cow! I've never seen the old man with a suitcase before. It feels quite heavy to carry. It looks like he's preparing to transfer assets! The goods must be inside," Zhao Chunhua whispered to herself, thinking she was being clever.
"Then take it!" Fan Jian picked up the suitcase and started walking out. Zhao Chunhua quickly followed.
As the two just reached the courtyard, several figures in black, with masked faces, suddenly appeared outside the main gate.
"Fan Jian! Did you get it?" a voice asked in a low tone. It was Lin Quan.
"Heh heh! Young Master Lin! I got it, I got it!" Fan Jian, startled, recognized Lin Quan's voice and was overjoyed. He was about to open the suitcase to search for the contents.
Lin Quan suddenly retreated, and a person beside him lunged forward. *Pfft...* A sharp knife was directly plunged into Fan Jian's abdomen.
"You...!" Fan Jian's eyes widened, but before he could utter a word, he was kicked and fell to the ground, motionless.
"Ah..." Zhao Chunhua let out a startled cry and turned to flee.
*Bang...* She was suddenly kicked away by a flying kick from the side, her head hitting the ground.
"Go in and kill that brat, and bring out that girl." Lin Quan cursed. The thought of Fan Xueer's appearance filled him with inexplicable excitement. This girl was no less attractive than Bai Xuemei. He hadn't expected Old Fan to have such an outstanding granddaughter.
Two men in black rushed towards the main house. Lin Quan, along with another person, carried the suitcase and left the courtyard.
*Bang... bang...*
Suddenly, two sounds, followed by two figures tumbling and scrambling out of the courtyard.
"Ah..."
"Lin Fang, Fan Xueer! Are you alright?" Lu Fan was about to chase after them when he heard a startled cry from the room. *Bang!* Lu Fan pushed the door open and rushed in.
*Whoosh...* Suddenly, a figure lunged at him, wrapping around him like an octopus.