Chapter 682: Chapter 682
Has Bian Zhimu already left?
Ding Fan's eyebrows knit slightly with concern. From the Peiyuan Stone, to the affairs of the Quanzhen Xuanmen, and now the struggle between the Sankou Group and Red Spider, he had been searching for this Bian Zhimu all along.
This time, upon coming to Mali Island, Ding Fan thought he'd finally find Bian Zhimu, but to his surprise, Bian Zhimu had left again.
"Mr. Ding, Bian Zhimu no longer has any ties with the Sankou Group. The Sankou Group has already chosen a new leader... The war against Red Spider was all Bian Zhimu's decision. If you have any grievances, it's better to seek out Bian Zhimu," said the middle-aged Japanese man beside him.
Ding Fan looked disdainfully at the middle-aged Japanese man.
Originally, after the Sankou Group leader was executed, chaos reigned within the group. It was later through sheer force that Bian Zhimu managed to reconsolidate the group.
Later on, when the Sankou Group was in conflict with Red Spider and things were going smoothly, the members were happy to take advantage of the situation. But when things turned sour, they promptly kicked Bian Zhimu to the curb.
To call these people of Japan dogs would be an insult to dogs; after all, dogs do not abandon their poor homes. Even in times of dire straits, dogs would not betray their masters and leave.
Without any further ado, Ding Fan called over Huang Can to lead a team to rescue Zhao Gang's daughter. This update ıs available on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
The elite forces and main strength of the Sankou Group in Mali had almost all been dealt with by Ding Fan. If Huang Can couldn't rescue her now, then it was time for Ding Fan to replace him with someone else.
When instructing Huang Can to rescue Zhao Gang's daughter, Ding Fan also informed Yu Ming and Yu Sihan through Zhao Gang.
Rescuing Zhao Gang's daughter from the hands of the Sankou Group in Mali would certainly make headline news.
The reason Ding Fan was offering this favor to Yu Ming and Yu Sihan was first, he was moved by their dedication to their journalistic pursuits.
Moreover, once the news was released, exposing the Sankou Group for such a vile and lowly kidnapping incident would also further damage the group's reputation.
In time, the Sankou Group would be unable to maintain a foothold in the Chinese World, and even enterprises that had once relied on the Sankou Group would sever their ties with them.
Ding Fan let Zhao Gang go with Yu Ming and Yu Sihan. Zhao Gang was, of course, more than willing – after all, he worked in media. Such a major news story could expand the market for the war documentary he was filming.
It was, in essence, a free media stunt orchestrated in cooperation with the Sankou Group.
Huang Can, demonstrating the decisive nature typical of a military man, quickly assembled his team and led them to rescue the hostages under the guidance of the middle-aged Japanese man.
Meanwhile, Ding Fan didn't join them. Instead, he intended to thoroughly inspect the Ronin Bar.
This was the Sankou Group's stronghold in Mali, and Ding Fan was convinced that there must be treasures hidden here.
Immediately, Ding Fan released his Divine Sense to meticulously scan the bar.
On the second floor of the bar, inside the manager's office, Ding Fan discovered a built-in safe.
The safe was embedded in the wall and hidden by a secret door. If it weren't for Ding Fan's Divine Sense, it would have been quite difficult to find this safe.
Because Ding Fan's Selfless Flying Sword had been snapped by Gusu Qingwen in the Immortal Realm, he could only arbitrarily pick another longsword from his storage ring.
Having killed no small number of Earth Level Experts, Ding Fan indeed had several well-graded flying swords.
Ding Fan selected a longsword and channeled his True Qi directly into the blade. Then, with a swing of the longsword in his hand,
he pierced the safe several times, excavating a hole in it. In no time, the thick door of the safe was completely opened by Ding Fan.
Inside the safe, there were gold bars and US dollars. Ding Fan roughly estimated that there must be a few hundred thousand worth of US dollars.
Beyond the money, atop the contents of the safe was a jade ring which, to Ding Fan's practiced eye, was of excellent quality. The craftmanship was superb as well, likely making it quite valuable.
These riches didn't interest Ding Fan. After a thorough inspection, he found a document bag hidden at the very bottom of the safe.
Opening the document bag, Ding Fan was surprised to find no documents inside, just a key.
The key was crafted of pure gold, with a lifelike wolf head carved into it. Such solemnity for a mere key indicated to Ding Fan that it was no ordinary object.
After pondering for a moment, although clueless about the key's origin, Ding Fan ultimately decided to take it.
Having secured the key, Ding Fan continued his search around the bar and eventually discovered a hidden passage leading to a small room in one corner.
Upon entering this small room, Ding Fan was taken aback to see it crammed with numerous treasures.
A small room scattered with gold coins in a heap as large as a small hill. Amongst these coins were interspersed gold vessels and other gold-made items which seemed dazzling to the eyes.
To Ding Fan, such wealth was of no significance.
Just as Ding Fan turned to leave, he turned back and saw an ugly piece of black wood thrown in a corner of the room.
The black wood was extremely ugly, and it was unclear how long it had been since anyone had touched it. A thick layer of dust had settled on it.
Ding Fan felt like he had found a treasure and immediately rushed over to it, then he picked up the wood. He lovingly wiped off the dust that covered it.
Others may not recognize this ugly black wood, but Ding Fan knew the value of this treasure.
When his Divine Sense detected the black wood, Ding Fan could distinctly feel the vitality of the wood.
This ugly black wood felt ice-cold to the touch, just like Mysterious Iron. Holding the black wood, when he infused it with True Qi, Ding Fan could feel a resonance with it from within.
In the Cultivation World, this ugly black wood was called Nine Profound Iron.
This Nine Profound Iron possessed a Sword Spirit, and if properly cultivated, the Sword Spirit could be released. Then, during battle, the Nine Profound Iron would not merely be a simple Offensive Artifact.
When man and Sword become one, the combat Power would increase more than twofold.
Nine Profound Iron was exceedingly rare in the Cultivation World, and Ding Fan had not expected to stumble upon such a treasure. It was nothing short of incredibly good luck.
Ding Fan cherished it greatly and carefully stored the Nine Profound Iron away.
Although Ding Fan had obtained quite a bit of gold in the Ronin Bar, it seemed insignificant compared to the Nine Profound Iron.
Afterward, Ding Fan continued to search meticulously until he was certain there were no more treasures to be found in the Ronin Bar, only then did he stop searching.
Now, Ding Fan was considering whether he should craft a Flying Sword for himself.
Originally, his Selfless Sword had been snapped in two by Gusu Qingwen's mere two fingers in the Immortal Realm. Currently, Ding Fan indeed had no suitable weapons on hand.
Later, when Ding Fan was in the Human-Level Cave Dwelling, he acquired Tie Shu, and now that he had obtained this Nine Profound Iron, he could refine a Flying Sword even more powerful than the previous one.
The most difficult part about Artifact Refining for Ding Fan now was not finding materials but rather that he lacked something to cut the Nine Profound Iron with. Although the Ancient Cauldron and Nine Luminaries Fire he had obtained were both treasures of Artifact Refining, neither could cut and temper the Nine Heavens Profound Iron.
As Ding Fan pondered about how to refine his Artifact, Huang Can came back with some people to report.
"General Ding, Mr. Zhao's daughter has been rescued," said Huang Can. "The place where Miss Zhao was held has been completely eradicated."
How could Ding Fan not know what Huang Can meant by "eradicated"? The place that was used to hide Zhao Gang's daughter must have been thoroughly wiped out by Huang Can.
Although Huang Can's approach seemed a bit extreme, this was Mali, a land rife with all sorts. Mercy towards an enemy is cruelty to oneself, so Huang Can's decisive actions could be considered correct.
"Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Ding," said Zhao Gang as he walked out from behind Huang Can, his face full of gratitude.
When Zhao Gang came to Mali, he had been prepared for a life or death situation since the Sankou Group was notoriously ruthless. Zhao Gang's plan was simple; if he could rescue his daughter, that would be enough...
However, after meeting Ding Fan, there was a turn in the tide. First in the Ronin Bar, Ding Fan alone crushed the Sankou Group's hideout. If it weren't for Ding Fan, Zhao Gang would probably have died there and then. Not to mention standing here now, alive and well with his daughter.
Therefore, Zhao Gang's words of thanks were truly heartfelt.
"You are too kind, Mr. Zhao..." Ding Fan replied with a nod.
"My daughter is currently in a daze and cannot express her gratitude for Mr. Ding's great kindness. But from now on, whatever Mr. Ding needs, I, Zhao Gang, will do my utmost to assist," Zhao Gang said, patting his chest.
If someone else heard Zhao Gang's promise, they would surely be envious of Ding Fan.
Who was Zhao Gang? He was a ruthless man from Xiangcheng who had built up Zhao's Film and Television, a company that influenced the entire Chinese film and television industry, with his own strength.
Even the central authorities of Huaxia showed him great respect. Wherever there were Chinese People, there were few who would not give face to Zhao Gang.
Having Zhao Gang's promise was worth more than having mountains of gold and silver.
At this moment, Ding Fan did not dwell on Zhao Gang's words; he glanced at the bewildered girl standing beside Zhao Gang.
She appeared to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. Despite some dirt on her face, one could tell she was a beauty based on her features and figure.
However, Ding Fan's scrutiny was not out of the ordinary; he was mainly concerned about the injury to the girl's brain.
The girl had forgotten her past due to a severe blow to the head. Using his Divine Sense to examine her, Ding Fan wanted to know if there was any hope of healing her brain injury.
Since he had already intervened to rescue her, saving her only to continue living half-dead was not his intention, so he wanted to cure the girl's brain injury.
"Your daughter's brain injury is not a problem. I have a Pill here that, once ingested, coupled with daily massages to the back of her head, should completely heal her condition before long," Ding Fan said as he took out a Pill from his embrace.