"Brother Lu Fan! Who was on the phone just now? Was it your wife?" Hong Xiaojiao asked Lu Fan with curiosity.
"No, it was our village chief, who is also the manager of my company!" Lu Fan glanced at Hong Xiaojiao and then said, "We are heading back now. Once we get to Liancheng, you can go home."
"What?" Hong Xiaojiao was clearly surprised, and then asked in astonishment, "We... we're not going anywhere else?"
"There's no need to go anywhere else. After the Xue family was wiped out, the news spread throughout the country. All the major families have started contacting us proactively. So, we just need to wait at home. The money will be delivered to me willingly, so there's no more fun to be had," Lu Fan said with a slight smile.
"Hmph! But I don't want to go home." Hong Xiaojiao pouted. She hadn't had enough fun yet.
"Heh heh! You haven't had enough fun? Your aptitude is good. Go back and solidify your foundation properly, and you'll be a fine material in the future. Perhaps you can even visit Huarong Prefecture and meet your Hong family's previous generation ancestor," Lu Fan teased. It was already difficult to reach the Qi realm, let alone break through it. Those old ancestors only reached the Bian realm after they were over a hundred years old. As of now, there was no one else in the world like him who had reached the Bian realm in his twenties.
"Really? How about you take me to Huarong Prefecture now?" Hong Xiaojiao's eyes darted, and she suddenly said.
"Outsiders are not allowed to enter Huarong Prefecture! That's an old rule from hundreds of years ago," Lu Fan shook his head and said.
"Tch...!" Hong Xiaojiao pouted again.
In Liancheng, at the foot of the Hong family's mountain, Lu Fan parked the car. Hong Xiaojiao, with a pout, reluctantly got out of the car. The moment she stepped out, two large pearls rolled down her watery eyes.
"Alright! Go back and practice diligently. When I come to Liancheng again, I'll check if you've made any progress! If you haven't improved, I won't talk to you anymore!" Lu Fan waved his hand at Hong Xiaojiao.
"You can't lie to me, you must come and check my homework!" Hong Xiaojiao's tears turned into a smile.
"It's a deal!" Lu Fan waved his hand, stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped away.
"Xiaojiao!? You're back!? Where is the recruitment envoy?" Hong Zhancheng, who had just come down from the mountain, stopped his car and called out upon seeing Hong Xiaojiao.
"The recruitment envoy has left!" Hong Xiaojiao pouted and went up the mountain. Once on the mountain, she focused on practicing, thinking that the next time she saw Lu Fan, he would surely praise her and wouldn't ignore her.
Lu Fan's car sped along the highway. After receiving Wang Yan's call, Lu Fan felt a great deal of complexity. He suddenly felt that he should be by Liu Ruyan's side. Wang Yan was a young widow and could only accept her fate. But he shouldn't have left Liu Ruyan alone at home. If she felt wronged, who would she turn to?
Additionally, he had received news from Jiang Chao that due to continuous online posts of various clues and comments, the relevant authorities had intervened. Some of the "Buds" had already been tracked down.
The lower levels were being dealt with, and the upper connections had also been severed by Lu Fan. The "Buds" plan would ultimately be thwarted. Lu Fan no longer needed to run around under the guise of debt collection.
In the provincial capital, at the Bufan Teahouse, in Liu Ruyan's room, Liu Ruyan and Li Jingjing were meditating and cultivating.
The teahouse had entered a mature operational state. Liu Ruyan no longer needed to be present for every matter. With a manager, waiters, tea artists, and others, Liu Ruyan was completely free to be a good proprietress or do other things, such as practicing swordplay and cultivation.
*Thump thump thump...* A sound of footsteps approached. Liu Ruyan suddenly opened her eyes. Normally, no one was allowed on the floor where she lived, except for Lu Fan and Li Jingjing. If there was any issue with the teahouse, they would use their phones or internal landlines.
*Swish...* Li Jingjing also opened her eyes and looked towards the door.
"Ruyan!" The room door was suddenly pushed open, and a voice followed.
"Xiaofan!"
"Fan Gege!"
Liu Ruyan leaped up and threw herself into the arms of the person who had entered.
Li Jingjing also jumped up, but seeing Lu Fan and Liu Ruyan embracing, she stopped herself and pouted.
"Mom! I want to go home..." Li Jingjing sat down dejectedly.
"Little brat! Go... do whatever you need to do!" Lu Fan, holding Liu Ruyan, directly ordered Li Jingjing to leave.
"Don't you guys even chat for a bit before getting straight to the point? How annoying! You can't even sit for a while! Hmph!" Li Jingjing stood up again, huffing.
"Xiaofan...! Jingjing has grown up, you can't talk to her like that anymore!" Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes at Lu Fan and broke free from his embrace.
"Jingjing! Don't listen to Fan Gege! Come on, let's go have a big meal!" Liu Ruyan said, taking Li Jingjing's hand.
"Hmph! I'll be good with Sister Ruyan from now on, and I won't be good with you!" Li Jingjing immediately became happy and said to Lu Fan with a哼.
"Ruyan..." Lu Fan felt a flame rising in his stomach. He hadn't expected Liu Ruyan to suggest going for a big meal! Didn't they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?
"Endure it!" Liu Ruyan gave Lu Fan a glare and walked out, holding Li Jingjing's hand.
"Alright! I'll have some water!" Lu Fan swallowed hard. Fine, he would endure it! Who told him not to give a heads-up before returning! Everything required an appointment!
At a large hotel, in the biggest and most luxurious private room, lobsters, abalone, large crabs, sea cucumbers, young pheasants, large pork knuckles... a table full of delicious delicacies.
Besides Liu Ruyan and Li Jingjing, Jiang Ruoxin and Zhantai Ruomei had also arrived. Also present to enjoy the feast were the academy principal Meng Jun and several teachers. It was a rare gathering, so they had invited everyone. It had been a long time since they had met. Lu Fan also wanted to see his little beloved disciple, Zhantai Ruomei.
Everyone's faces lit up when they saw Lu Fan. They chatted and laughed happily. The main reason was the incredibly lavish spread on the table, along with the finest Maotai wine.
"Big Brother Master! I passed the Chinese Medicine Practitioner Qualification Exam and opened a private clinic. Am I amazing?" Zhantai Ruomei said proudly, sitting next to Lu Fan.
"Ah?" Lu Fan was so surprised that he almost dropped the abalone he had just brought to his mouth. Zhantai Ruomei managing to get a medical qualification certificate was quite unexpected.
"This child is simply too intelligent. She studied Chinese medicine at the academy while attending school. What others take years to complete, she finished in two months. Moreover, she obtained her graduation certificate with excellent results.
Her uncle was so happy that he opened a private clinic for her. Fearing any accidents, he hired an old Chinese medicine practitioner to be present, allowing her to gain experience in the clinic. Coincidentally, you were busy outside during this time, so I didn't tell you," Jiang Ruoxin explained from the side.
"Yes! This child is a medical genius. Despite her young age, she has already treated many people, and her skills are even envied by doctors in major hospitals," Meng Jun chimed in with admiration from the side.
"That's great! Ruomei is so capable! She will definitely become a top physician in the future!" Lu Fan immediately gave Zhantai Ruomei a thumbs-up.