In the direction Lin Fan was looking stood a youth of sixteen or seventeen, roughly his age. The youth wore an arrogant expression and looked down disdainfully at the fortune-tellers by the roadside.
“Interesting. I thought I’d be able to rest for a while after coming back, but I didn’t expect to run into a layman so soon. Though he’s only a first-grade layman.”
Those who studied the Dao were divided into strict ranks, a tradition that had developed over a thousand years within Daoism. Those capable of dealing with demons to some extent were called laymen.
Only after becoming a layman could one be considered qualified to call oneself a true Dao practitioner.
Above laymen were Daoists. Those who reached the level of a Daoist could practically hold down an entire region.
Above Daoists were perfected. Upon reaching the strength of a perfected, one was qualified to establish a sect and create one’s own school.
As for what lay above perfected, Xuandaozi had never mentioned it to him.
Lin Fan was naturally curious and had asked Xuandaozi about it, but Xuandaozi had said that with his current cultivation, he was not yet qualified to learn about that level.
Before studying the Dao under Xuandaozi, Lin Fan had been a model young man who firmly believed in science. Yet the year he spent following Xuandaozi had completely overturned his worldview.
There were countless demons hidden in this world, and it was these Dao practitioners who suppressed and dealt with them.
Whether laymen, Daoists, or perfected, they were all divided into seven grades.
The seventh grade was the highest, and the first grade was the lowest.
Lin Fan was currently a third-grade layman. Of course, one shouldn’t underestimate him. After all, this world had countless sects and powerful families.
Those people began cultivating from childhood. At Lin Fan’s age, being able to become a layman was already considered fortunate. This youth might well be one of them.
It was a little shameless to admit it, but Lin Fan had to acknowledge that he was a genius. That old Xuandaozi hadn’t misjudged him back then.
The youth also sensed Lin Fan’s gaze. His brows drew together slightly as he looked over with a hint of hostility in his eyes, as though he disliked being stared at like that.
Lin Fan smiled at him, then shook his head and continued strolling.
The youth, meanwhile, remained where he was, waiting for something.
Before long, a Mercedes-Maybach drove onto the street. Everyone on Divine Street stared at it, their mouths practically watering.
They looked as if they had taken some kind of drug and just seen an absolute beauty.
A middle-aged man in his forties opened the car door and stepped out. He was dressed in a suit and had an excellent bearing.
“Mr. Bai, sorry to keep you waiting.” The middle-aged man addressed the youth before him with a hint of respect.
The youth nodded arrogantly and headed toward the car. The middle-aged man then said, “Mr. Bai, Old Master instructed me that since you’ve come, we should invite a few more masters over as well, just in case.”
The youth surnamed Bai said coldly, “What? You don’t trust the Bai family?”
The middle-aged man hurriedly shook his head. “I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that this was Old Master’s order.”
“Then hurry up.” The youth surnamed Bai sounded impatient, and he climbed into the car.
The middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead, clearly afraid of offending the youth. He raised his head and shouted, “A few of you with genuine skills, come with me!”
Lin Fan felt a flicker of curiosity and walked forward. A fortune-teller nearby saw him actually approaching and hurriedly warned him, “Little brother, do you value money more than your life? Do you know who that is? That’s the Du family. This is Du Yu, the future successor to the Du family. He isn’t easy to fool.”
The Du family?
Lin Fan paused. How could he not know about the Du family? The Du family owned one of Qing City’s major enterprises and ranked among the city’s top five wealthiest families.
Moreover, his aunt’s husband, Huang Zhongshi, was a minor executive in the Du family’s company.
As he thought about this, Lin Fan had already reached Du Yu.
Du Yu frowned and glanced around. Any old Daoist picked at random from this street looked more like an otherworldly immortal than Lin Fan did.
And Lin Fan was even wearing a school uniform.
The fortune-tellers on the street were all seasoned operators. None of them were fools. They knew that although the Du family was wealthy, they were not easy marks, so no one dared approach casually.
Du Yu frowned at Lin Fan, who was wearing a school uniform. “Little brother, you’ve come to the wrong place, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t.” Lin Fan smiled faintly, opened the car door, and climbed inside. Du Yu felt that this kid was just fooling around and wanted to make him get out, but he was going to be the Du family’s successor in the future.
He had to keep his word in public. He had just said that people should come along, so could he really change his mind and send the kid away now?
With that thought, Du Yu shook his head. He could simply have the kid leave once they arrived.
Sure enough, Old Master’s order had been unnecessary. They had already managed to get someone from the Bai family to take action, so why bother inviting anyone else?
Once inside, Lin Fan curiously examined the luxury car. It must have cost at least two or three million. He had never ridden in such an expensive car before.
“Hello, my name is Lin Fan.” Lin Fan greeted the youth surnamed Bai beside him.
The youth surnamed Bai swept a cold glance over him and ignored him.
Lin Fan curled his lip. Curiosity was not the only reason he had come along.
He needed to make money.
He had been forced to prepare to set up a stall by the roadside, but he had not expected the Du family to hire someone.
Why would the Du family hire a layman?
Could they have invited this Bai fellow home for a meal?
Naturally, they must have encountered a difficult problem.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, the car soon reached the outskirts of Qing City.
Beside a lake stood a huge villa. Although it had been built in the suburbs, numerous security guards patrolled the area, and security was extremely tight.
The car soon slowed to a stop outside the villa.
The youth surnamed Bai got out without saying a word, and Lin Fan quickly followed.
Du Yu respectfully led the youth surnamed Bai inside, with Lin Fan trailing behind them.
Only then did Du Yu remember that a kid was still following them. He said, “Little friend, I’ll have someone take you home.”
“I’m here to help,” Lin Fan said.
The youth surnamed Bai snorted. “Do you even know what we came here to do?”
A faint smile appeared on Lin Fan’s face. “If you can do it, I think I can too.”
“You think you can compare with Mr. Bai?” Du Yu’s expression turned awkward. If he brought some kid to meet Old Master, wouldn’t Old Master be furious? Would he ever trust Du Yu’s ability to handle things again?
Suddenly, cries of alarm came from inside, followed by screams of agony.
Du Yu’s entire body shuddered, and fear appeared on his face. “This is bad.”
The youth surnamed Bai immediately ran inside. Du Yu no longer had time to worry about Lin Fan and followed after him.
Lin Fan said helplessly, “It’s just a worthless little demon causing trouble. Is there really any need to panic like this?”
With that, he walked inside as well.