Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 18 The Mysterious Study

"Brother Du, although we have only known each other for a short time, I know you well. You would not do such a thing without a reason. There must be a cause. In any case, come back with me and explain to the patriarch. He is wise and will surely make the right decision." Han Daniu slowly approached, staring at Du Fan, and said word by word.

"Brother Hu, I never intended to just leave. I only hoped that Ruoxi and Xiaohu would leave. I will go back with you now and explain everything to the family head." Du Fan took a deep breath and looked directly at the other person.

"The patriarch has ordered that the three of you be taken back." Hu Daniu stared intently at Du Fan.

"Brother Hu, you're not the only one who came, but you're the only one here. You must have sent the others away. I believe you also have some doubts about my actions and what happened a few days ago, so you want to give me a chance to explain. I thank you for that." Du Fan spoke slowly, clasping his hands in a bow.

"However, it's better if Brother Hu doesn't know about this. All I can say is that if Ruoxi is taken back by you, she will face a fate worse than death." Du Fan continued, his eyes fixed on Hu Daniu, and the atmosphere became eerily calm.

Hu Daniu also stared at Du Fan, seemingly scrutinizing him, or perhaps pondering. After a long while, his expression softened, and he sighed silently, "I've watched Ruoxi grow up since she was a child. She's clever, witty, innocent, and kind. I like her very much. She's always been active, especially fond of playing with weapons. I even gave her a Golden Goose Knife. How could I bear to see her end up in such a tragic situation? But Brother Du, I can't help you anymore."

As soon as Hu Daniu finished speaking, sparse footsteps sounded behind him, and a moment later, five or six figures appeared beside Hu Daniu.

"Senior Brother Hu, there's no one in the other directions!" said one of the fit young men dressed in the Yao family's disciple's attire.

"Capture Du Fan! The young lady fled in that direction. Everyone else, go after her immediately!" Hu Daniu pointed in a direction and shouted in a deep voice.

"yes!"

One of the disciples captured Du Fan first, while the others shot off in the direction Hu Daniu pointed.

When Du Fan saw the direction Hu Daniu was pointing, he felt relieved, gave Hu Daniu a grateful look, and then remained silent.

……

Three days later, at dusk, on the southern edge of this jungle, a man and a woman leaped out of the forest. They looked somewhat tired, but their excitement was undeniable.

"Little Tiger, we've finally made it out. We didn't expect this jungle to be so much bigger than we imagined. It took us four whole days to get out of this hellhole after we parted ways with Du Fan."

These two were Yao Ruoxi and Xiao Hu, who had separated from Du Fan three days ago. It was Yao Ruoxi who was speaking at this moment.

"Sister Ruoxi, will Brother Du be alright?" Xiaohu breathed heavily, the excitement on his face disappearing, replaced by intense worry.

"He'll be fine. He's very familiar with the jungle environment and will definitely shake off his family. Let's go to Xinghuo Town. We'll meet again there!" Yao Ruoxi was also full of worry, but she didn't show it on her face. Her eyes were firm as she pulled Xiaohu forward.

……

In a dimly lit secret room, which was pitch black, the scene inside could be vaguely seen thanks to the light from two braziers.

The cold walls on all sides were bare except for an iron door; there wasn't even a window. The interior was sparsely furnished, containing only a wooden cross frame and two braziers. On the frame were iron chains, and tightly bound to the chains was a person with disheveled hair and wounds on his body and face, making his features unrecognizable.

The flames flickered in the brazier, accompanied by the sizzling sound of burning, illuminating the entire secret room with intermittent light and shadow, making it appear eerie and terrifying.

The iron gate slowly opened, and a man walked in. He was tall and straight, with piercing eyes and an imposing presence. He was Yao Batian, the current head of the Yao family.

"Du Fan, I have always treated you well, why did you do this? I will only give you one chance!" Yao Batian glanced at the man on the wooden frame, snorted heavily, and was furious.

The man bound to the wooden frame slowly raised his head, and through his disheveled hair and wounds, one could vaguely make out a resemblance to Du Fan.

"Master, I won't waste any more words, just listen carefully!"

Du Fan was weak and powerless, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he said something that surprised Yao Batian. However, after a glint of light flashed in Yao Batian's eyes, he did not interrupt him.

"That day, when I stayed overnight at the Zishan Sect, I noticed a female disciple named Chu Qian acting suspiciously. I followed her to Wu Hao's residence..."

Du Fan recounted everything he had heard and seen while hiding outside the window that day: the affair between Wu Hao and Chu Qian, Wu Hao's marriage to Ruoxi in order to keep her as a pet and thus obtain her primordial yin to seek a breakthrough, Wu Cangyuan's plot to seize the position of leader of Zishan Sect, and the collusion between Yao's second master and Wu Cangyuan.

After saying that, Du Fan let out a soft breath, lowered his head again, and remained silent. He thought to himself that he had no regrets in this life, but it was a pity that he died like this, and his soul had no chance of returning to Earth.

Yao Batian remained silent, neither erupting in fury nor roaring, nor questioning Du Fan. After a moment of uncertainty on his face, he suddenly raised his arm, and several beams of light shot out from between his fingers, severing the iron chains on the wooden frame after a buzzing sound.

Without the chains to hold him back, Du Fan collapsed to the ground, exhausted. But then he suddenly looked up at Yao Batian, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

"I'm so grateful for what you've done. I appreciate it very much." Yao Batian took a deep breath and said solemnly to Du Fan, his words sincere.

"You believe what I just said?" Du Fan was genuinely surprised.

"Hmph, do you really think I'm senile? I can still distinguish right from wrong! What you said is logical and reasonable, without any flaws, and it has also resolved my doubts for many years. Let me tell you, I have long suspected the Wu family father and son, and I have my own plans." Yao Batian snorted heavily, his eyes widening.

"Take this pill and come with me."

A blue pill suddenly appeared in Du Fan's hand. After a moment of surprise, he grabbed it without hesitation and put it in his mouth. It melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a warm current coursed through his body, rapidly healing his external wounds.

Du Fan let out a comfortable sigh, then his spirits lifted, and he got up to follow Yao Batian.

After a short while, Du Fan followed Yao Batian to a study.

Yao Batian walked to one end of the bookshelf, opened a page of one of the books, and a curtain of water appeared on a wall about ten feet away after a blur.

Yao Batian walked over and reached into the water curtain. When he pulled his hand out, a small package, about the size of a palm, wrapped in golden silk cloth, suddenly appeared in his hand. He tossed the package to Du Fan.

Du Fan subconsciously took the item; it was extremely light, which startled him.

"Master, what's going on?"

"You must not open this item. Keep it safe. When you see Ruoxi in the future, hand it to her personally and say that it is a family heirloom of the Yao family." Yao Batian waved his hand to stop Du Fan from asking questions and gave this order without allowing any further explanation.

Yao Batian returned to the book he had just read and turned to the second page. Not far from Du Fan, a rumbling sound suddenly rang out on the floor, and soon a passage leading underground appeared.

"Leave here immediately. The exit is the jungle you visited before," Yao Batian said solemnly.

"Patriarch, although I don't know how deep the waters of Tianxiang Kingdom are, I do know that your situation is not good at the moment. Why not take your trusted confidants and leave together, live in seclusion, and enjoy family life with your daughter in the future? Wouldn't that be better? Are you reluctant to give up your current status?" Du Fan mustered his courage and said the words that made Yao Batian's eyes light up.

"You... are very good! However, things are not as simple as you think. I still have unfinished business to deal with. I was once caught off guard and was schemed against. Now, if they want to harm me again, it won't be so easy. It's time to clean house. Even if the Purple Mountain Sect is involved, I will fight them!" After staring at Du Fan for a long time, Yao Batian showed appreciation, but at the same time, his expression was disdainful.

"Since the patriarch has already considered this, then I need not say more. I hope you take care." Du Fan clasped his hands in a bow and was about to turn and leave.

"Du Fan, you must take good care of Ruoxi. If she agrees, you can marry her. I will then entrust Ruoxi to you." Yao Batian's eyes flashed, and he suddenly said this.

"Patriarch, I only ever thought of her as a younger sister. I never thought about what you said, and I never will. But I will do my best to take care of her." Du Fan was taken aback by what he heard, then smiled bitterly, shook his head, and turned to walk into the underground passage.

Watching Du Fan's disappearing figure, Yao Batian's eyes revealed a hint of relief. Something seemed to be in his palm, which was tucked into his sleeve. It flashed with a cold light and then disappeared.

If Du Fan had harbored even the slightest covetousness back then, he would probably be dead by now.

"This boy is not bad. With him around, I can go about my business with peace of mind." Yao Batian's expression was calm, but his words were cold, and his aura suddenly erupted.