Chu Fan’s consciousness had actually awakened three days ago. However, his injuries had yet to heal—especially the damage his internal organs had sustained—and his body still hadn’t adapted to the changes brought about by the Juntian Mirror’s improvement of his bones.
Even though he was conscious, he had yet to physically awaken.
But he had heard everything that happened on their journey, as well as the conversations between Ye Xiaohan and Qi Wei.
From their conversations, he had pieced together a general understanding of the kind-hearted young man’s plight.
Ye Xiaohan was the young master of the Ye Family in Xingyuan City, and damn, what a tragic story he had.
The Ye Family raised warhorses for a small, secular kingdom called Da Zhao. To the north of Xingyuan City was a vast expanse of pastureland, all of which was Ye Family property.
The Ye Family not only raised warhorses for the Da Zhao Kingdom, but when Da Zhao traded warhorses with other kingdoms and empires, those animals were also procured from the Ye Family.
Thus, in a secular place like Xingyuan City, the Ye Family was considered a rather influential family.
The Ye Family’s Clan Leaders had passed down a White Jade Bone Flute from generation to generation. By playing a melody on the Bone Flute, the Clan Leader could communicate with horses. As a result, the warhorses raised by the Ye Family were not only stout and strong, but their Combat Power was far greater than other warhorses, and they were also perceptive of human nature.
Not long ago, the Ye Family Patriarch passed away from illness. He originally had two legitimate sons. The eldest was ambushed and killed over a decade ago while delivering warhorses to the Daqi Kingdom, and the murderer has yet to be caught.
The second legitimate son was serving as a political hostage in the Da Zhao Country Capital City and was not permitted to leave.
With the Patriarch dead, his position as Clan Leader should have naturally been inherited by the posthumous son of his eldest son—namely, Ye Xiaohan.
However, after the Patriarch’s death, his younger cousin seized control of the Ye Family with an iron fist.
It’s unclear what kind of warning Ye Xiaohan received, but he fled Xingyuan City with the Bone Flute, escorted by Qi Wei and Wang Xing.
In other words, if the usurping new Patriarch didn’t possess the Bone Flute, he could not be considered the true Ye Family Patriarch, nor could he raise high-end warhorses.
’So, Ye Xiaolin must be the grandson of that usurping new Patriarch.’
’The internal strife within these secular families is no cleaner than what you’d find in the Major Sects!’
For the past few days, the three of them had carried Chu Fan over mountains and across ridges. Even in such a desperate situation, Ye Xiaohan had been unwilling to abandon him. It would be impossible for Chu Fan not to be moved.
If the three of them hadn’t carried his unconscious body over the mountains, never giving up on him, he might have already become food for wild beasts.
This was a debt equivalent to having his life saved.
When Ye Xiaolin first appeared, Chu Fan had actually been extremely anxious. He wanted to wake up, but his body was completely out of his control.
He tried everything he could think of, until he finally managed to touch the Juntian Mirror in his Dantian with his consciousness, at which point he at last regained control of his body.
But even so, the injuries to his internal organs were still not fully healed.
The power of that single strike from Yan Qi of the Divine Separation Realm was simply too immense.
Even so, with his current abilities, dealing with these secular Martial Artists was more than child’s play.
"Kill him!"
At Ye Xiaolin’s command, four men in black drew their blades and charged toward Chu Fan.
Chu Fan had no intention of wasting words on them. He casually retrieved a Sword from his Storage Ring, and with a single wave of his hand, a blast of Sword Gang sliced the four charging men in half at the waist.
The bloody scene stunned everyone present.
No one could have imagined that this sickly-looking man could strike with such ferocity, wielding a power far beyond their comprehension.
The remaining men in black also drew their swords and daggers, but none dared to step forward.
"Let them go!" Chu Fan said, looking at Ye Xiaolin. His voice was soft, but it held an unquestionable authority.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere in the Ye Family’s affairs?" Ye Xiaolin’s expression changed, and beads of sweat the size of beans broke out on his forehead. He spoke with a bravado that barely concealed his fear.
"I said, let them go!" Chu Fan’s tone grew heavier.
"You back down, or I’ll kill him!" Ye Xiaolin tightened his grip.
Ye Xiaohan let out a dry heave as he was choked, his face turning red.
"You’re courting death!"
Chu Fan spat the words out through clenched teeth. Then, with a flick of the Long Sword in his hand, a streak of Sword Qi shot directly into Ye Xiaolin’s forehead.
Before Ye Xiaolin’s body hit the ground, Chu Fan swung his Sword again.
The men in black holding blades to Qi Wei’s and Wang Xing’s throats collapsed to the ground.
As he withdrew his Sword, Chu Fan shifted his position and caught Ye Xiaohan, whose body had gone limp with fear and was about to collapse.
Qi Wei and Wang Xing were so frightened their legs trembled uncontrollably, their eyes filled with terror.
Wang Hu, the leader of the men in black, was likely scared out of his wits. His eyes darted sideways toward the scene as he hid behind his men, stealthily trying to inch backward.
"No one move," Chu Fan barked coldly. "Swords don’t have eyes."
The shout startled Wang Hu, who froze as if struck by an Immobilization Technique, not daring to move an inch.
"What do you want to do with these men?" Chu Fan asked Ye Xiaohan. "Just say the word, and I’ll kill every last one of them for you within ten breaths."
"Kill them all! If we had fallen into their hands, they wouldn’t have spared us," Ye Xiaohan decided without hesitation.
Those close enough to overhear them scrambled to their knees.
"Young Master Ye, spare me! I was forced into this by Wang Hu!"
But in that same moment, Chu Fan had already made his move.
These men in black were, at best, a little stronger than ordinary people. They knew some basic Martial Techniques but couldn’t even be considered Martial Artists of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
In Chu Fan’s eyes, what was the difference between them and ants?
Moreover, Chu Fan found their actions utterly despicable. He felt not a shred of guilt in killing them.
In truth, Chu Fan was rather surprised when he heard Ye Xiaohan say, "Kill them all."
He was surprised because of the young man’s previously kind-hearted nature.
Of course, Chu Fan wasn’t disappointed by Ye Xiaohan’s resolute decision. On the contrary, his favorable impression of the boy grew.
It showed that while the boy was young and kind-hearted, his was not a foolish, naive kindness. He had his own principles, and he could be decisive and ruthless when necessary.
He had said ten breaths, but in reality, it only took six. Aside from the four of them, nothing was left but a field of corpses.
When Chu Fan attacked, they were completely powerless to fight back; they couldn’t even flee.
"Thank you, benefactor!"
After Chu Fan finished his work, Ye Xiaohan, Qi Wei, and Wang Xing immediately moved to kneel before him.
With a flick of his hand, Chu Fan released a wave of Palm Force that held them up.
"If we’re talking about debts, it was you who saved me. If you hadn’t tirelessly carried me all this way, I’m afraid I would have long since become a meal for wild beasts."
The three of them were once again stunned by Chu Fan’s abilities.
This was especially true for Qi Wei and Wang Xing. At first, they had been strongly against bringing along a burden like Chu Fan. They never expected that this ’burden’ would wake up and, in turn, save their lives.
The two exchanged a look, and each could see the same thought deep in the other’s eyes.
"Benefactor, please help our young master!" Qi Wei and Wang Xing pleaded fervently.
"Don’t call me benefactor anymore. You carried me for hundreds of miles and saved my life, and I’ve now saved yours. Let’s call it even. My name is Chu Fan; just use that. I know what you’re about to ask, so I’ll leave the choice to Ye Xiaohan."
Hearing this, the three of them were somewhat baffled.
"The first choice: I accompany you back to Xingyuan City right now, help you slaughter your enemies, and reclaim everything that is rightfully yours. The second choice: I teach you the Dao of Cultivation, and you can exact your own revenge in the future!"