“How is that possible? Who exactly are you? Which influential family are you from?” The young man surnamed Bai took a deep breath and introduced himself. “I’m Bai Jingyun of the Bai family!”
It was only when he mentioned the Bai family that the shock gradually faded from the young man’s face. Remembering the Bai family’s strength, he felt somewhat reassured.
“My name is Lin Fan. I’m not from any of your influential families,” Lin Fan replied.
Shock appeared on Bai Jingyun’s face. Then, cautiously, he asked, “Which sect are you from?”
In the time it took an incense stick to burn, Lin Fan had casually drawn out the demon Bai Jingyun himself had struggled to deal with. Bai Jingyun did not dare be careless in the slightest. Although the Bai family wielded considerable influence, they would never dare provoke a sect lightly. Any sect, even one in decline, was beyond the Bai family’s power to offend.
Lin Fan continued shaking his head. “Don’t overthink it. I only learned a few mediocre tricks from my master.”
Bai Jingyun naturally did not believe him. With that kind of ability, if he was not from a sect, then he was probably from an influential family. This was someone worth befriending!
Abandoning his previous arrogance, Bai Jingyun tried to ingratiate himself. “Brother Lin Fan, your strength is truly astonishing. We’re about the same age, yet you were able to drive away that demon so easily.”
“It’s not that I’m too strong. You’re just too weak,” Lin Fan said with complete seriousness.
The corner of Bai Jingyun’s eye twitched several times. He took a deep breath. Although he was somewhat furious, he did not dare offend Lin Fan before he understood his background. “Since the matter has been settled, I’ll be taking my leave.”
With that, Bai Jingyun turned and walked out without looking back.
Lin Fan watched his retreating figure and shook his head slightly. He had not meant to humiliate him, but the man really was terribly weak. Was Lin Fan supposed to force himself to praise him anyway?
A first-grade layman could not even handle a low-level demon after setting up an altar.
“Young friend, no, Master Lin, your abilities are truly extraordinary.” Du Yu was even more shocked. He had never expected that a student he had casually brought in from the roadside would actually be able to deal with an evil spirit.
And he was even stronger than the person the Bai family had sent.
Lin Fan knew little about the Bai family, but Du Yu knew very well that there were four yin-yang families in the area around Qing City, and not one of them was easy to provoke.
Any one of them, once they had produced a layman, possessed “supernatural abilities.” Their connections and influence were countless times greater than those of wealthy merchants like the Du family.
This time, the Du family had spent a huge sum to invite Bai Jingyun. Yet Lin Fan, who was about the same age as Bai Jingyun, was incomparably stronger.
Du Yu’s thoughts were much the same as Bai Jingyun’s. He believed Lin Fan might be from some major influential family.
The contempt in Du Yu’s eyes had vanished as well. In fact, he treated Lin Fan even more respectfully than Bai Jingyun had.
Lin Fan blinked at Du Yu without saying anything. Du Yu then slapped his forehead. “Look at me. This is your payment for your hard work, Master Lin.”
Lin Fan looked at the cash Du Yu handed him. Fifty thousand yuan in cash.
His eyes lit up. He accepted the money and smiled. “Thanks. If you run into another good job like this, remember to call me.”
“Uh.”
Seeing how pleased Lin Fan was, Du Yu froze. After all, disciples of influential families like Bai Jingyun regarded money very lightly.
Lin Fan did not care what Du Yu thought. He carefully put the money into his bag. “I’ll be going now.”
“Of course. I’ll see you out.” Du Yu came back to himself and specifically had his driver take Lin Fan home.
Along the way, Lin Fan hummed a little tune as he gazed out the car window. This man was far more generous than that old bastard Xuandaozi.
He had only dealt with a low-level demon, and Du Yu had given him fifty thousand yuan. Meanwhile, Lin Fan had worked himself to the bone for Xuandaozi for an entire year, running errands and doing everything asked of him, and Xuandaozi had even donated the one million yuan he had promised Lin Fan.
Whenever he thought of it, Lin Fan could not help cursing. If that old bastard was still alive, Lin Fan would definitely track him down and give him a thorough beating.
Fifty thousand yuan was enough to last Lin Fan a very long time.
After returning home, Lin Fan put the money away, cooked himself a bowl of noodles, and ate it casually. Then he went to bed, sat in meditation, and began practicing his internal cultivation technique.
In the Yin-Yang Realm, there were exorcist monks who devoted themselves to saving the world, Daoist priests who devoted themselves to the Dao, influential families and various sects existing within secular society, and demon hunters who traveled everywhere slaying demons for money.
Lin Fan was different. He was an onmyoji, a profession that had almost completely disappeared.
These onmyoji were not the third-rate practitioners from that island country. In ancient times, “onmyoji” was a general term for the people of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
Sects such as the Quanzhen Sect were still far from being comparable to the ancient Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
After Xuandaozi had been expelled from his sect, he had accidentally obtained one of the nearly lost cultivation techniques of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, the Sword Control Technique.
Unfortunately, Xuandaozi was dull-witted and could never master it. He had coaxed and deceived Lin Fan into coming with him precisely because he had seen Lin Fan’s talent and recognized him as ideal material for learning the Sword Control Technique.
After meditating for a while, Lin Fan opened his eyes and slowly exhaled. Once he circulated the Sword Control Technique’s internal cultivation method through his body, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.
Of course, the technique he had learned was not limited to the Sword Control Technique. He also knew the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts.
The powerful sword immortals of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect had been beings whom even the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect could only look up to in ancient times. Yet later, for reasons unknown, those powerful sword immortals of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect suddenly disappeared.
The mysterious techniques of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect vanished along with them.
Throughout history, whenever a technique of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect appeared, it stirred up a bloody storm.
The Sword Control Technique was one of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect’s most profound techniques. If anyone found out that Lin Fan possessed it, he would never have the chance to cultivate in peace like this.
As Lin Fan thought about these things and gazed out the window, he wondered when he would be able to set foot in the Quanzhen Sect and trample underfoot all those people who had looked down on Xuandaozi, fulfilling his master’s final wish.
But no matter how difficult it was, nothing could shake Lin Fan’s determination.
“I should get some sleep.”
Lin Fan turned off the light, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Lin Fan woke up. He took his schoolbag downstairs, boarded a bus, and headed toward school.
When he reached the school entrance, Lin Fan bought two steamed buns, tossed them into his mouth, and walked toward the gate. Just as he arrived, Xu Dong stood there yawning.
“Brother Fan!” Xu Dong hurriedly raised a hand when he saw Lin Fan approaching.
Lin Fan asked, “Why are you standing here instead of going inside?”
Xu Dong said, “I’m waiting for you. Otherwise, those guys with Wang Zhengwei might corner you and drag you away. I made some inquiries. Wang Zhengwei has already found someone, and they’re not from our school…”
“Relax. Even if I do get cornered, you being here won’t help,” Lin Fan said with a smile.
Xu Dong said indignantly, “That’s not true. I may not be able to beat them, but I can at least call an ambulance for you.”
Lin Fan was speechless. “The way you put it, well, you might have a point.”