"Alright! I'll wait for your news!" Bai Xuemei knew this was no small matter and that Lu Fan needed time to consider it carefully. She nodded and went about her business.
Lu Fan left the hotel and headed straight for the driving school. Principal Luo had told him to pick up his driver's license today.
He hailed a taxi as soon as he stepped out, and the cab sped towards the driving school. Lu Fan leaned back in the rear seat, closing his eyes as if to doze, but his mind was occupied with the Bai family's hotel venture.
Suddenly, Lu Fan felt the car slow down and then come to a stop.
Lu Fan opened his eyes. With a whoosh, the car door opened, and an elderly man, dressed ordinarily and appearing to be around sixty, smiled and nodded at Lu Fan before getting into the car.
Lu Fan didn't mind. It was common for taxis to pick up multiple passengers. Everyone was just trying to earn a few extra yuan to support their families. He wasn't in a hurry, so there was no need to fuss over such minor things.
The taxi started again, and Lu Fan closed his eyes once more.
Suddenly, a faint fragrance wafted over. Lu Fan's brow twitched slightly, and then his head lolled to the side.
"Young man! Young man? You're almost there!" the driver suddenly called out a few times.
Lu Fan's body lurched, and he slumped onto the seat.
"Hahaha! Steward Mo is indeed brilliant. He took down this brat so easily," the driver suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hmph! Just an arrogant, ignorant fool. Nothing to brag about! Drive faster!" Mo Xiong snorted with disdain.
The taxi took several turns and left the county town. Before long, it drove into a small patch of woods outside the town. Calling it woods was a bit of an exaggeration; it was more accurately a cemetery, and next to it was a garbage dump.
After the taxi stopped, Lu Fan was dragged out of the car by the driver and two burly men who had been waiting there. He was unceremoniously thrown onto the ground with a thud. Lu Fan felt groggy and weak, as if all his strength had drained away.
Soon, Lu Fan was tied up, and a basin of cold water was splashed onto his face.
With a jolt, Lu Fan woke up. He found his hands tied behind his back and his feet bound. He was lying on the ground, looking disheveled. Four people stood before him: the driver, the old man who had gotten into the car midway, and two stout men.
"Are you trying to rob me? I still have a few hundred yuan on me; you can take it. I won't press charges!" Lu Fan said calmly, lying on the ground without moving.
"Kid! We originally intended to kill you. But I've suddenly changed my mind. Tell me, it's one thing that you can be a little miracle doctor and heal people, but how did you produce such delicious mushrooms, and how did you make the peaches ripen early and taste as heavenly as immortal fruit?! Tell me, and I might spare your life," Mo Xiong said to Lu Fan calmly.
"Oh! You want to know quite a lot! But I just want to know one thing: who are you? Who sent you?" Lu Fan blinked and asked.
"Are you deaf? That's two questions!" A large man next to him suddenly lunged forward and kicked Lu Fan in the stomach.
"Ugh..." Lu Fan groaned and curled up on the ground.
"Hmph! Speak quickly, and you can avoid physical suffering!" Mo Xiong said with a cold smile.
"Right, you used a knockout drug, didn't you? It smelled quite pleasant!" Lu Fan suddenly looked at Mo Xiong again and asked.
"Hmph! Kid! Are you a masochist? Fine, I'll indulge you and let you enjoy yourself," Mo Xiong snorted and nodded at the two big men.
Whoosh... The two big men immediately rushed towards Lu Fan again, unleashing a barrage of kicks.
Bang, bang, bang... After a round of kicking, Lu Fan remained curled on the ground, completely unable to resist. Soon, he was bruised and battered. Fearing they might kick him to death, the two men finally stopped and retreated to Mo Xiong's side.
"Pah... Old man! You're quite tight-lipped! You won't say anything. But if I'm not mistaken, you were the one who made Xu Sanhuai and those other three thugs do bad things, weren't you?" Lu Fan spat out the dust in his mouth and asked again.
"Hmph! Knowing too much won't do you any good! It will only make your death more miserable!" Mo Xiong snorted again, then drew a soft whip from his waist. The whip was woven from several extremely fine steel wires. He believed that if this were to strike someone, they would be flayed alive, if not killed outright.
"Since you're so stubborn, let's have some fun!" Mo Xiong raised his hand and threw the steel wire whip to one of the big men.
Crack... The man casually swung the whip, instantly snapping a tree branch beside them.
"Kid! You're quite tough, aren't you? Now we'll play a game!" the man said, raising the soft whip.
Swish... A dagger instantly appeared in Lu Fan's hand. With a flick of his wrist, he cut through the rope binding his wrist.
Crack... The steel wire whip swung down towards Lu Fan.
Whoosh, Lu Fan suddenly rolled, narrowly dodging the whip. The whip struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Whoosh... Lu Fan suddenly lifted his legs forward, and with a swipe of the dagger, swish... the rope around his feet was also severed. Whoosh... Lu Fan sprang up with a powerful roll.
"Kid! You've got some skill. Kill him for me!" Mo Xiong's face twitched, and he roared loudly, quickly retreating backward.
Whoosh, whoosh... The two big men and the taxi driver lunged at Lu Fan almost simultaneously.
"Hmph! You guys were quite energetic with your kicks just now, weren't you? Now let me show you my feet!" Lu Fan snorted coldly, and whoosh... he unleashed two kicks.
Whoosh...! Whoosh...! The two big men were sent flying instantly.
As Mo Xiong reached the taxi, two sounds echoed, bang... bang... The two big men crashed onto the taxi. They fell from the taxi back to the ground, unable to get up.
"Hmph! I originally wanted to get some information out of you, but I didn't expect you old fellows to be so tight-lipped. It seems I'll have to take matters into my own hands," Lu Fan said, grabbing the taxi driver by the collar. He spoke as he advanced step by step towards Mo Xiong.
The driver's neck was held tightly by Lu Fan's collar, making it difficult to breathe. His face turned red.
"Hmph! Do you think you can defeat me?" Mo Xiong suddenly let out a cold laugh and, with a swish, produced another soft whip, two to three meters long.