"Hey? Who are you?"

The lazy voice of the old man echoed through the phone, clearly having completely forgotten about Xu Fan, and he couldn't even remember Xu Fan's phone number.

Xu Fan gritted his teeth, but his voice betrayed nothing unusual as he calmly asked the old man, "Master, it's me. Did you recently take on another disciple?"

"Oh, it's you! I'm busy, no time to take on any disciples!"

"By the way, did you catch a fever? Why does your voice sound shaky? And why are you suddenly asking such strange questions?"

Upon hearing the voice from the phone, Xu Fan's annoyance erupted, and he shouted into the phone, "Old man! If you didn't take on a disciple, are you just going to ignore your disciple's life now? Didn't we agree on dealing with that Mu idiot? Why did you suddenly disappear!?"

Before entering the competition, Xu Fan had already agreed with the old man that the moment he signaled or appeared to be in danger, the old man would lead a group of strong men to perform a brutal crackdown on Mu and his trio!

Xu Fan didn't really believe the old man's words, being well aware of how unreliable his master could be.

However, the old man managed to put on a rare show of dominance at the Huang Family's hall.

Moreover, the reason Mu and his trio had been hiding in the base for decades was because of being hunted by the Three Divines Organization, of which the old man was a member!

This was why Xu Fan ultimately chose to believe that the old man would "descend from the sky" like a divine weapon!

Yet the reality was... Xu Fan waited for the old man in vain, only to be let down at the crucial moment, with his spiritual power depleted, almost being captured by the Mu clan.

Fortunately, Song Ling'er appeared out of nowhere to protect Xu Fan, allowing him to escape from Mu's grasp.

For the old man's utterly unreliable behavior, Xu Fan was extremely displeased! After hearing that the old man seemed to have completely forgotten about the matter, Xu Fan became even more infuriated.

"Ahem, actually, my actions were all well-intentioned."

"Well, well, let's just say... when the time is right, you'll naturally understand and appreciate everything your master has done for you."

Hearing the old man's evasive words tinged with a prophetic tone, Xu Fan was almost incited to rush over and fight the old man.

When Xu Fan was a child, the old man often used such words to deceive him.

"Old man! It's one thing to let me down, but now you're using these childish tricks on me? Don't you feel any guilt?"

Clearly, the old man felt no guilt.

"Hey? Who are you? The signal here is bad!"

"Hey? Hey?? Bzzzzz..."

Hearing the busy tone continuously in his ear, Xu Fan's face turned as black as charcoal.

As his master, the old man was truly something special; from childhood to now, Xu Fan had never seen the old man act seriously.

However, Xu Fan let out a small sigh of relief. Since returning from the Huang Family hall, even though the old man hid it well, Xu Fan could sense the old man's heavy heart, related to a past he didn't want to face at the Huang Family.

Now that the old man had returned to his usual self, it seemed he had overcome something, and Xu Fan was genuinely happy for him.

Moreover, despite the old man's mysterious explanation, deep down, Xu Fan believed him.

The old man remained unmarried all his life, with no children. Xu Fan was his only family, and there was no way the old man would ignore Xu Fan.

During the competition, Xu Fan faintly sensed the presence of other strong individuals and clearly received a signal from the old man.

As for why the old man didn't appear at the critical moment, Xu Fan couldn't figure it out.

But Xu Fan was convinced the old man was there! That the old man didn't take action meant there was a reason, and it definitely wouldn't harm Xu Fan!

This was the unspoken understanding between Xu Fan and the old man over the years! In trivial matters, the old man might let Xu Fan down or might be unreliable, but in matters of life and death, the old man was always Xu Fan's most dependable trump card!

The reason Xu Fan called wasn't to question the old man for letting him down but to ask why the old man didn't intervene. Since the old man didn't want to explain, Xu Fan didn't bother to press.

As the old man said, when the time is right, everything will become clear.

Phew!

Xu Fan exhaled deeply. Just moments ago, when he was truly facing death, he felt no fear, but now, away from danger, waves of fear began to rise in his heart.

However, in an instant, Xu Fan suppressed this feeling.

There was no time to be afraid; Xu Fan knew full well that in three days, even greater challenges and dangers awaited him.

Ever since Xu Fan embarked on this path, he had mentally severed all paths of retreat!

"It's all thanks to Ling'er today. Who would've thought Ling'er had such astonishing talent in alchemy!"

From the beginning, Xu Fan never revealed any of what he was facing to Song Ling'er.

On one hand, it was a form of protection for Song Ling'er, and on the other, Xu Fan never intended to solve the problem this way.

Yet Song Ling'er's appearance indeed saved Xu Fan's life.

Song Ling'er, only a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, possessed extraordinary alchemical talent but was very weak in cultivation. She was incredibly vulnerable against the Mu trio.

Nonetheless, when Xu Fan faced a crisis, this fragile girl courageously stood in front of him, using her petite body to firmly shield him.

Thinking of this, Xu Fan felt a wave of gratitude.

At this moment, Xu Fan stood up and walked outside the room.

Just moments ago, Xu Fan had exhausted his spiritual power, and his pale appearance had scared Song Ling'er. If it hadn't been for Elder Niu assuring her with his life that Xu Fan was only spiritually exhausted and in no danger, Song Ling'er would've insisted on personally making some elixirs for Xu Fan.

Gently pushing the door open, Xu Fan was captivated by the scene before him.

In the courtyard, pear blossoms were in full bloom, the white flowers looking incredibly tender.

Under the pear tree, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl sat on the steps, her face delicate and slightly pale. Her eyes were gently closed, breathing evenly, as if she was dreaming, exuding a youthful innocence that was endearingly cute.

A pear blossom drifted down and landed on her black ponytail, harmonizing beautifully without overshadowing it.

Song Ling'er, waiting outside for Xu Fan to recover his spiritual power, had fallen asleep on the steps.

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