Chapter 162: Chapter 161: Double Reversal (Please Subscribe)
Chen Fan saw this scene and secretly laughed.
He thought the old man had resigned himself to death; there’s an old saying, "There’s no greater sorrow than a dead heart." If that were the case, he wouldn’t have had any good solutions.
Turns out, this old man still wants to live.
"Little brother..."
The old man’s plea for mercy continued.
"Enough."
Chen Fan frowned and said impatiently, "Considering you kept your promise this time, I won’t hold past grievances against you. But if you pull that trick again, don’t blame me for being ruthless."
"It won’t happen, it won’t happen."
The old man felt a sense of relief as if he’d had a brush with death, looking at the three corpses on the ground with lingering fear.
He just wanted Chen Fan to break these three men’s legs to vent his anger. Who would have thought this young brother would be so ruthless and directly took their lives?
But, to be fair, these three beasts deserved it. They relied on their physical strength to collect protection fees in the shantytown and did more evil deeds like bullying men and women and acting recklessly. Each of their hands was stained with several lives.
Just...
"Hey? Little brother?"
The old man glanced at Chen Fan turning around and asked in a panic, "Are you leaving already?"
"What else?"
Chen Fan looked back at him, "I’ve solved your problem. Why stay here? You’re not thinking of having me clean up this mess, are you?"
"Not that, little brother."
The old man looked troubled.
"These three could act so boldly here because they had backing. Most of the protection money they collected went to those people. If you killed them, it won’t be long before this news reaches their superiors. And then..."
"What?"
Chen Fan’s voice turned cold, "You want me to take care of their superiors too?"
"No, no."
The old man trembled, tearfully saying, "I don’t have that kind of guts. I’m saying, little brother, why not complete the good deed and take me in?
You see, I live here alone, destitute, without anyone to rely on. I don’t have enough to eat, and my leg is broken. Just getting up to go to the bathroom is a hassle."
"This old man."
Chen Fan felt speechless.
When he left earlier, he wanted to ask if the old man wanted to come with him? The stronghold was vast, finding someone to take care of the old man wouldn’t cost much.
Considering the secret manuals he could obtain, it was definitely worth it.
But the old man said he wanted to be left alone.
Now, things have flipped completely.
He looked at the old man and asked, "Weren’t you afraid of me earlier? Aren’t you worried that coming with me could be worse than staying here?"
"How could that be?"
The old man smiled fawningly, "Little brother, you clearly distinguish right from wrong. How could you do such a thing? Besides, I won’t come empty-handed."
"Oh?"
Chen Fan’s lips curled slightly, "So how won’t you come empty-handed?"
"Every seven days, I’ll give you a genuine secret manual fragment."
The old man wore an extremely pained expression.
"Fragment?"
Chen Fan sneered, "A week for a full manual wouldn’t be too much."
"Little brother, I want to too."
The old man cried out, "You know, I left in a hurry back then and didn’t have time to bring much. Later, hiding here and there, I lost many ancient texts. The two I kept cost me a lot of effort."
"Heh."
Chen Fan chuckled.
He’s dealt with this old man several times; others’ words may be nine truths and one lie, but this guy’s are nine lies and one truth.
"Alright then, every three days I want a secret manual fragment, every five days a complete one. If you agree, I’ll take you to the stronghold. If not, then forget it."
"Five days, this this..."
The old man anxiously said, "Little brother, I really don’t have that many ancient texts!"
"So, you don’t agree?"
Chen Fan turned to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey."
The old man cried, "Alright, alright, little brother, I agree. But I must say, I don’t have many complete manuals and won’t be able to keep up with five days forever."
"We’ll talk about that when the time comes."
Chen Fan coolly replied.
In any case, he’ll first extract all the knowledge from this old man.
"Alright, alright."
The old man finally felt relieved.
He didn’t want to leave unless utterly desperate.
And desperate times were now.
Rather than wait here for trouble from Wang Li’s superiors, it’s better to leave while he can. Following this young brother is the best choice.
Firstly, he has what Chen Fan wants. Secondly, Chen Fan is reasonable and can be trusted.
"Little brother, come help me pack. Don’t worry, I don’t have much to take, won’t take long."
The old man said cheerfully.
Chen Fan reluctantly walked over to help him stand up.
After about five or six minutes of fussing, the old man packed what he wanted to take into a one-meter-long box, looking extremely secretive.
Chen Fan squinted his eyes. If there were any complete manuals, the odds are they’re in this box.
Of course, it’s also possible the old man’s brain contains some secrets, so it’s better to pretend not to know for now.
Because the old man couldn’t walk, Chen Fan had to carry him out of Song Family Castle.
As they left, Chen Fan expected the old man to have some sentimental thoughts, but that proved wrong.
There wasn’t the slightest sentiment; instead, he urged Chen Fan to hurry up.
Only when Song Family Castle disappeared from view did the old man breathe a sigh of relief and then asked, "By the way, little brother, I haven’t asked, where do you live?"
"Chen Family Fortress."
Chen Fan answered succinctly.
"Chen Family Fortress?"
The old man was first glad.
Nowadays, a place called "Fortress" may not be as good as Song Family Castle but should be much better than common small strongholds.
Then he searched his memory and furrowed his brow. "I haven’t heard of any fortress nearby with that name. There’s a Chen Family Stronghold, though."
"Yes, it used to be Chen Family Stronghold, now it’s called Chen Family Fortress." Chen Fan replied.
"Now it’s called Chen Family Fortress?" The old man was puzzled.
"Look ahead."
Chen Fan pointed forward.
The old man squinted and saw a stronghold in the distance, large enough to house a thousand people.
The walls stood four or five meters high and looked very sturdy. Staying inside, they shouldn’t worry about attacks from Fierce Beasts.
His heart lifted with joy but soon became anxious. "Little brother, such a large place must be hard to get into, right?"
"Indeed,"
Chen Fan chuckled, "It requires a complete manual as entry fee."
"This this..."
The old man pleaded, "We agreed earlier, didn’t we? Three days for a fragment, five days for a complete manual."
"Just kidding, don’t worry, plenty of empty houses inside, we can spare one for you."
While speaking, Chen Fan reached the fortress gate.
The old man swallowed nervously as the gate slowly descended, feeling extremely tense.
If this place couldn’t accept him, he’s doomed.
With the gate down, the old man saw a crowd of people in front, scaring him out of his wits.
What’s going on?
Why so many people?
"Xiaofan, you’re back."
"Brother Fan!"
"No troubles on the way, right?"
The voices of Chen Guodong and others echoed.
They had hurried over when they heard the bell, a couple of kilometers away.
After all, Chen Fan went to Anshan City, over a hundred miles away, fraught with dangers.
"No problem, everything went smoothly."
Chen Fan smiled, gently setting down the old man.
All eyes turned to him.
"Hey?"
Liu Yong pointed at the old man, "Aren’t you...? That old con man?"
"Ah, that’s why you look familiar. It is him!" Gao Yang and others chimed in.
"Xiaofan, what’s the deal? Weren’t you going to Anshan City? Why bring this old man here? Isn’t he from Song Family Castle?"
"Exactly."
Everyone puzzled over it.
The old man also looked at Chen Fan in shock.
What did he just hear?
Anshan City?
Did Chen Fan go to Anshan City?
No way! Didn’t he say he’d send an elder from the fortress?
From Song Family Castle to Anshan City is filled with mid-level Fierce Beasts and dangers, he barely made it successfully himself.
"Hmm, it’s quite simple actually..."
Chen Fan explained what happened in the shantytown and said some good things about the old man. After all, since the old man would stay here, it’s best if he gets along well with everyone or it might become a problem.
Of course, if the old man didn’t behave, he’d definitely show him some force.
"So that’s how it is. Seems we didn’t recognize value before." Liu Yong and others were enlightened, looking at the old man’s leg with more sympathy.
"Indeed."
The old man gratefully glanced at Chen Fan for hiding his previous deceit.
Chen Guodong stepped forward, smiling at the old man, "Sir, welcome to Chen Family Fortress. You’re one of us now, don’t worry, I’ll have someone check your leg and help you recover."
"Yes, we have plenty to eat. If you need anything, just ask."
"Those bastards did treat an old man terribly, what beasts!"
"Times have changed, and people’s hearts aren’t what they used to be."
Hearing this, the old man felt warmth he hadn’t felt in a while.