Chapter 706: Chapter 706

Old Master Qin detailed the events one more time at this point.

In the years of war, when Old Master Qin was still at home, the two brothers enlisted in the army together. However, the two factions they joined were not the same.

After many years of conflict, the foreign invaders were expelled from Huaxia Country, and the two dominant factions began an intense struggle. Ultimately, Old Master Qin's faction triumphed, but his brother's faction was forced out of Huaxia Country, ending up on Taiwan Island.

Ever since then, Old Master Qin had repeatedly written to his brother, asking him to come back, but his brother was extremely stubborn and unwilling to do so.

For years, Old Master Qin longed to see his brother but was never able to, until yesterday when he received an urgent message from his brother's family.

They reported that some Martial Artists from Huaxia Country had abducted Old Master Qin's brother, and since then, there had been no news of him whatsoever.

Having listened to Old Master Qin, Ding Fan pondered for a moment; he couldn't understand why these Martial Artists would want to kidnap an elder.

"Do you know where they might have taken him?"

Old Master Qin said, "My brother's family mentioned that they seemed to be headed for a place called Haijiao."

"Haijiao?" Ding Fan was taken aback; he hadn't expected Haijiao to come up again.

Old Master Qin nodded on the side. "Yes, Haijiao. It is said that my brother once led guerrilla warfare in that area and is quite familiar with it. Those Martial Artists took my brother there, apparently to have him search for something..."

At this point, Ding Fan roughly understood the situation; they needed Qin's brother for his knowledge of the terrain. These people were likely motivated by a strange celestial phenomenon.

"I can go," Ding Fan replied without hesitation.

After all, Ding Fan was planning to head to Haijiao anyway, so he might as well take care of this matter along the way.

Old Master Qin hadn't expected Ding Fan to agree so readily.

"Give me a copy of your brother's information, Old Master Qin, so I can more easily find him," Ding Fan said.

Old Master Qin nodded, and then he instructed Qin Manshu, who was beside him, to fetch the information from the car outside.

Qin Manshu immediately left the villa to retrieve the documents, and it wasn't long before she brought them back.

Ding Fan flipped through the materials, which included a recent photo of Old Master Qin's brother. Old Master Qin's brother bore a resemblance to him.

The brother, named Qin Jingguo, was a retired Major General. He had spent his retirement in peace on Taiwan Island.

"I will set out tomorrow," Ding Fan declared.

Old Master Qin nodded, then joked with Ding Fan, "You're almost my grandson-in-law now, so I won't stand on ceremony with you..."

Ding Fan simply smiled, while Qin Manshu's face turned a deep shade of red.

"Grandfather, please don't tease us anymore. I'm going to get some refreshments and tea for you," Manshu said, standing up to make the preparations.

Ding Fan and Old Master Qin engaged in a wide-ranging conversation which included amusing childhood stories about the brothers, as well as some of Old Master Qin's life experiences...

After sharing tea with Old Master Qin for a while, it was time to say goodbye.

As he was leaving, Old Master Qin didn't forget to admonish Qin Manshu to strike swiftly and decisively, hinting that a man like Ding Fan was a rare find and shouldn't be lost.

After seeing Old Master Qin off, Qin Manshu and Ding Fan prepared to rest.

Last night, because Qin Manshu had needed to keep warm, she and Ding Fan had shared a bed, but that wouldn't be the case tonight.

Ding Fan decided to sleep on the sofa.

Recalling the warmth of the previous night, Qin Manshu wished Ding Fan would join her in bed again, but her modesty kept her silent.

The night passed without words.

As dawn broke the next day, Qin Manshu knew Ding Fan was departing. She wanted to wake up early to prepare some food for him.

However, by the time she went to the living room, she discovered Ding Fan had already left, leaving a note on the coffee table.

Qin Manshu unfolded the note, which bore a line of elegant script.

"I have set forth, worry not for me, await the day of my return, when we shall recount our meeting... Fan."

Qin Manshu held the note, gazing out the window at the slowly rising sun.

Where could he be now...

Ding Fan had departed while Qin Manshu was still asleep.

He couldn't bear the sorrow of parting or watching tears and affection during a goodbye, so he found it easier to leave early.

Ding Fan arrived at the train station and bought a ticket to Zhangzhou.

Zhangzhou was already close to Haijiao, which had a subtropical climate, high humidity, dense forests, and difficult-to-develop marshland. As such, there were no direct trains or flights to the region.

After waiting a few hours, Ding Fan boarded the train.

Once aboard, he immediately upgraded to a sleeper berth.

Finding it more convenient to rest and read in the sleeper than in a regular seat, Ding Fan was pleased with the soft berths, which only had two levels, and he was on the second level.

He was quite content with this arrangement, as being on the upper level meant less likelihood of being disturbed by others.

The tenant living in the unit across from Ding Fan, on the second floor, was a young woman, probably only 21 or 22 years of age. She was quite delicate in appearance, but it was clear she did not go out often, given the extreme nervousness she displayed.

As soon as Ding Fan got into the vehicle, the woman eyed him warily, as if she was afraid that he might devour her whole.

Ding Fan, on the other hand, was not interested in getting too familiar with this neighbor. He lay down in his bunk and closed his eyes, immediately beginning to adjust his internal breath.

Adjusting one's inner breath was actually a method of Cultivation, though it merely involved a simple sorting of one's meridians and was incapable of expanding them.

Given the noisy environment here, Ding Fan had no way to perform breathing exercises for Cultivation...

The journey from Dancheng to Zhangzhou was not a short one, requiring at least two days. From the moment Ding Fan boarded, he fell into a deep sleep, sleeping straight through two nights and a day.

Now a Ninth Level Qi Cultivator, Ding Fan obviously had not yet reached the state of Fasting, but going without food and water for several days was not a concern for him at all.

While Ding Fan was in the midst of adjusting his internal breath, he suddenly felt someone rummaging through his belongings.

Ding Fan was momentarily stunned before he promptly extended his Divine Sense outward. Soon, he caught sight of a middle-aged woman fidgeting with his belongings.

Ding Fan was speechless for a moment, having unexpectedly encountered a thief. However, he was not particularly concerned; all of his possessions were in his storage ring, and he truly had nothing of value in his pockets.

"What are you doing!" Just as the middle-aged woman was searching Ding Fan's pockets, the young girl beside him intervened, rebuking the older woman.

The middle-aged woman was taken aback, clearly not expecting someone to stand up and stop her.

The middle-aged woman glanced at the young girl lying on the second level bunk, reading a book. "This is none of your business. Don't make trouble for nothing!"

After speaking, the middle-aged woman shot a vicious look at the girl.

"You're stealing someone's stuff!" The young girl was obviously undeterred by the middle-aged woman's intimidation and raised her voice.

As the girl's voice grew louder, the other passengers began to turn their attention towards the scene.

Huaxia people, with nothing better to amuse themselves, enjoyed watching a commotion. They were on a long journey, and now that there was some excitement, they naturally turned to look.

The middle-aged woman's gaze towards the girl on the second-level bunk hardened as she gently rubbed her ears.

"Wife... I was wrong. I'll buy you that mink coat you wanted," a man who looked rather simple and honest suddenly stepped forward and walked directly to the girl on the second-level bunk.

The girl was taken aback. "Who's your wife..."

However, before she could finish her words, the simple-looking man yanked the girl down from the upper bunk. Dıscover more novels at 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕·𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎·𝚗𝚎𝚝

Completely unprepared, the girl fell.

The simple-looking man, with swift movements, tossed a pill into the girl's mouth.

Because of the man's speedy maneuvers, no one present noticed what he had done.

"What... what have you given me..." the girl cried out in shock.

However, at that moment, her vision began to blur.

Suddenly, the girl was overcome by fear.

The news had often reported about human traffickers who specifically stole people's organs, with children and young women being their primary targets...

The thought of her organs being harvested by these people made her terrified.

She wanted to scream for help, but no matter how wide she opened her mouth, no sound came out. Her throat felt as if it were blocked by something, leaving her unable to utter a word.

"Help... I don't know these people, please, someone save me..." the girl whispered in a voice so weak, only she could hear it.

Unfortunately, within the clamorous carriage, not a single person heard her cries for help.

"Er Hu, you'll have to keep a better eye on your wife, can't let her go out looking for men anymore," the middle-aged woman said to the seemingly simple man.

The man nodded and then embraced the girl.

"Excuse me, everyone, step aside. I'm going to take my wife home now, please make way," he said.

The simple man appeared so honest that no one could link him with wrongdoers, so the other passengers stepped aside to clear a passage for him.

The girl felt weak all over, unable to even twitch a muscle. All she could do was keep her eyes wide open.

Tears began to stream down her face.

She was only twenty-one years old. She hadn't even begun to enjoy her youth, hadn't witnessed the bright future ahead, and now she was about to be harmed by these wicked people...

Who could save her now...

In her heart, she struggled, calling for help, but sadly, her plea was heard only by herself.

"Put down the girl..." Just then, a detached voice came lightly from nearby.

Upon hearing the voice, the girl grasped it like a drowning person clutches a lifeline. She frantically made muffled noises, trying to call out.

The simple man turned to look in the direction of the voice.

In the man's arms, the girl could finally see clearly the person who had spoken.

It was that odd person who fell asleep as soon as he got on the train and had been asleep for two days and a night...