Chapter 1403: Chapter 1403

When Lin Qi heard Ding Fan's words of gratitude, he felt a bit uncomfortable. In Lin Qi's mind, Ding Fan was a Grade Nine Alchemist, not an ordinary existence. Was the other being so polite to draw a line with him? Lin Qi felt extremely tense and directly interrupted Ding Fan's words, saying:

"Please! Don't be so formal with me! This is what I should do, right? You're the champion of the Great Alchemy Competition, this reward must be delivered to you, and even if you didn't participate in the competition back then, if I, Lin, knew you, I would still have given you this Golden Silk Protective Clothing, hehe..."

It was clear that Lin Qi was subtly trying to please Ding Fan with his words.

Ding Fan felt helpless about this and really couldn't believe that the other was the Lord of Dancheng. One must know that Dancheng is not an ordinary city; even some Great Gate Sects may not be as powerful as Dancheng, and the strength of Lin Qi, the City Lord, is beyond doubt! The other is a cultivator at the mid-stage of Spirit Severing, and Ding Fan could even tell that the other's cultivation level was soon to reach the late stage of Spirit Severing! Such cultivation in the Cultivation World is practically invincible; for ordinary cultivators seeing someone , they would undoubtedly worship and look up to them.

But seeing Lin Qi's current appearance, it's really hard for Ding Fan to believe the other is an almost late-stage Spirit Severing cultivator, much less the grand Lord of Dancheng! Instead, in front of Ding Fan, he seemed like a little brother tagging along. For a moment, Ding Fan also felt quite helpless.

If outsiders saw Lin Qi's current appearance, they would probably vomit blood on the spot. Is this still that severe Lin, the city lord, known for strictness?

"Alright, I owe you a favor. If you need anything, I will definitely not refuse if I can do it."

Ding Fan sincerely said while looking into the other's eyes. Ding Fan knew that if it weren't for Lin Qi's timely arrival today, he might not have survived, so Ding Fan truly owed him a favor, a favor that Ding Fan kept in his heart, and in the future, if Lin Qi needed him, he would never refuse.

"No need to be formal, right, brother! Alright, I remember! From now on, we're good brothers!"

Lin Qi was deeply moved upon hearing the other's words, knowing that having Ding Fan's word was a tremendous help to him; after all, being able to know a Grade Nine Alchemist was such an incredible thing, even if Lin Qi knew he was a mid-stage Spirit Severing cultivator, but he also understood that to a Grade Nine Alchemist, his level of cultivation was clearly insignificant.

Afterward, Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran exchanged a few pleasantries with Lin Qi before bidding farewell and leaving.

At this moment, Ding Fan was eagerly looking forward to spending time alone with Zhou Ruoran, after all, both Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran had not seen each other for a long time and missed each other dearly. It wasn't easy for them to find each other in the vast sea of people in the Cultivation World. There were naturally many topics between them.

But before Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran could catch up, Ding Fan knew someone else was waiting for him, and that was He Qianyao. Ding Fan wasn't sure if He Qianyao was still waiting at the Jade Maiden Sect's entrance, as it had been a long time since they parted, and Ding Fan had previously agreed with He Qianyao that if he couldn't come out for a while, she should wait for him at an inn in Dancheng.

At this moment, Ding Fan didn't know if He Qianyao was still at the Jade Maiden Sect's entrance, so he took Zhou Ruoran's delicate, smooth, boneless hand and began looking for He Qianyao near the Jade Maiden Sect's entrance. After a search, Ding Fan did not find He Qianyao, so he led Zhou Ruoran and left directly.

Ding Fan knew He Qianyao was likely waiting for him at the inn in Dancheng, as they had previously agreed.

"Who were you looking for just now?"

At this moment, Zhou Ruoran, hand in hand with Ding Fan, smiled faintly and looked at him, her eyes showing a hint of curiosity.

Zhou Ruoran felt very happy and fulfilled at this moment. Being with Ding Fan was such a blissful thing, they had been apart for a long time, during which Zhou Ruoran missed Ding Fan so much that during the clear moonlit nights, she would find it hard to sleep, tossing and turning.

Now that Ding Fan was here, so real by her side, Zhou Ruoran's mind would momentarily feel like she was dreaming, but she quickly realized it wasn't. Ding Fan really was beside her, holding her hand, ready to walk a long, long way, maybe even a lifetime. Though distant and occasionally arduous and terrifying, as long as Ding Fan was by her side, Zhou Ruoran wouldn't feel the journey was long or arduous. Instead, she felt it was endlessly sweet.

"A friend of mine, her name is He Qianyao. Have you been well during this time, Ruoran?"

Ding Fan looked at Zhou Ruoran's face, her nose, eyes, mouth, even her strands of hair, feeling everything was so wonderful, the sense of happiness was overwhelming! Zhou Ruoran missed Ding Fan deeply, and Ding Fan, in turn, missed her profoundly. Ever since Ding Fan arrived in this Cultivation World, he had been busily searching for Zhou Ruoran and the others, sparing no effort to find them.

Now that Ding Fan had finally found her, how could he not be excited and happy?

Zhou Ruoran looked at Ding Fan, filled with deep love as she gazed at him, and they both stopped in their tracks, each filled with intense love in their eyes as they looked at one another. At that moment, Ding Fan's world only contained Zhou Ruoran, and Zhou Ruoran's world only contained Ding Fan. The entangling longing between them surged forth.

They slowly closed their eyes, at which moment any sweet words seemed powerless, only a deep, long kiss could satisfy the strong love in their hearts for each other...

Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran talked about the things that happened to them in the past six months on their journey together. After hearing Ding Fan's stories about the Dayang Sect, Zhou Ruoran couldn't help but feel worried for Ding Fan at the time, but thankfully Ding Fan was still unharmed and by her side.

Including some of the events related to the Great Alchemy Competition, what Zhou Ruoran heard made her very excited. Clearly, she did not expect Ding Fan to be not only outstanding in cultivation but also so skilled in alchemy. One must know that Ding Fan was already a Ninety-Nine Grade Alchemist; it was simply incredible!

Zhou Ruoran had been in the Cultivation World for half a year and had learned a lot about the world. Naturally, she understood what being a Grade Nine Alchemist meant in the Cultivation World! For a moment, Zhou Ruoran looked at Ding Fan with eyes full of confidence and admiration, feeling lucky to have such a husband.

During Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran's conversation, Ding Fan couldn't help but feel sympathy for Zhou Ruoran's experiences in the Cultivation World over the past six months. Previously, from Ye Ningbing, Ding Fan learned that when Zhou Ruoran and the others arrived in the Cultivation World, they encountered a powerful Beast Tide that scattered them.

Ding Fan had always worried about Zhou Ruoran being in danger during that Beast Tide, but now Ding Fan was no longer so worried. From Zhou Ruoran, he learned that she had been taken away by the sect leader of the Jade Maiden Sect, who discovered Zhou Ruoran's excellent cultivation talent and took her back to the sect. Since then, Zhou Ruoran had stayed at the Jade Maiden Sect.

Ding Fan was evidently proud of Zhou Ruoran too. Zhou Ruoran had made the fastest progress in cultivation within the Jade Maiden Sect in just a few months and was deeply loved by the sect leader, naturally becoming a core disciple of the sect. What Ding Fan didn't know was that Zhou Ruoran worked so hard in her cultivation just to look for Ding Fan.

Of course, Zhou Ruoran didn't say this, but Ding Fan could imagine it. For a moment, Ding Fan couldn't help but hold Zhou Ruoran tightly, his face full of heartache, and said:

"With me here, you won't have to work so hard anymore. I will always be by your side."

"No! I can't hold you back, but let's never be apart again." Content orıginally comes from 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥

"Absolutely! Never apart forever!"

Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran spoke affectionately, hugging each other tightly. In their hearts, they deeply loved each other, and at this moment, they felt very content, very happy...

The two of them walked through the forest, and at this time, Dancheng was not very far away. Along the way, Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran had a pleasant conversation, and the initial longing they felt for each other gradually turned into sweet companionship.

As they walked, a sudden smell of blood caught Ding Fan's attention, making him more alert. Holding onto Zhou Ruoran, he extended his divine sense and discovered a corpse not far away in the woods.

Ding Fan felt somewhat curious as to who the deceased person was and why they died here. Holding Zhou Ruoran's hand, he walked towards that small forest. After all, Zhou Ruoran had spent half a year in the Cultivation World and was used to seeing life and death. After all, this Cultivation World lacked the legal protections of the Earth, where people frequently died. Hence, Zhou Ruoran remained calm, closely following Ding Fan.

When Ding Fan reached the side of the corpse, he was unexpectedly shocked upon seeing it!

The corpse was none other than Elder Wang, the chief judge of the Great Alchemy Competition and the one who had gifted Ding Fan with many precious spiritual materials. Ding Fan was shocked, clearly not expecting that the deceased here would be Elder Wang. Elder Wang was a Spirit Severing cultivator and a Grade Eight Alchemist, possessing significant influence in Dancheng.

Elder Wang was second only to the City Lord in Dancheng, yet he was found dead just outside the city. Ding Fan felt very shocked and a hint of sadness. Though Ding Fan didn't have much interaction with Elder Wang, he knew this elder was highly respected, with not only notable cultivation and alchemy skills but also a good character.

After all, Ding Fan had interacted with him before, and during the Great Alchemy Competition, Elder Wang had helped Ding Fan. In the first round of the Great Alchemy Competition, most of the judge elders thought Ding Fan was messing around and wanted to terminate his participation and expel him. It was Elder Wang who stood by him, believing in him. As a result, Ding Fan had enough time to refine a Supreme Quality Medicine Pill.

After the first round of the Great Alchemy Competition, Elder Wang brought Ding Fan to his estate, not only giving him many Supreme Quality Medicine Pills but also discussing alchemy knowledge with him for a long time. Although Elder Wang felt that Ding Fan's knowledge was like a treasure at the time, Ding Fan also found Elder Wang's insights immensely beneficial.

It could be said that although Elder Wang and Ding Fan didn't interact much, they could be considered half friends.