Lord of the Desert

Chapter 291
February 24.

It's past half past nine o'clock in the morning (a little after six o'clock in the morning).

Hong Fan woke up from a deep sleep and heard the patter of rain outside the window.

Since annihilating the river-blocking ghost, his cultivation has become more sophisticated and he is able to distinguish finer sounds.

The sound of rain falling in the atrium is even and low, with the smell of earth.

The sound of rain hitting the green tiles is clear and solid, like the moisture hitting the face.

Outside the window lately.

The water that gathered on the eaves lost its identity as rain and hit the stone floor like a flying spring.

As soon as Hong Fan closed his eyes, the faint smell of blood floated in his nose, and he thought of the 35 corpses lying across Duanjiazhuang.

He knew he couldn't sleep anymore, so he simply got up and stood in the courtyard to catch the rain.

Raise your head, open your eyes, and think.

The dark clouds are as thick as a city, and a ray of light shines through.

It's like the sky is cracking.

After the rain washed his whole body, he came to a conclusion.

[It’s not that we killed too much, but that we didn’t kill enough. 】

Hong Fan felt clear for a moment.

At this time, Aunt Liu walked into the courtyard along the rain corridor with breakfast - Jin Hai's large army had returned in early February.

When she saw the young master caught in the rain, she didn't say anything. She just put down the dinner plate and silently prepared clean clothes.

Hong Fan went back to his room to change clothes and finish breakfast.

Soon Shen Hong came to report that Master Lu Yun was here.

The reception room is inside the study room.

The two sat down separately as host and guest.

"After the first month, the situation in Xijing has been reversed."

Master Lu Yun started talking as soon as he sat down.

"The Fubo Gang is the Liu family's arm. Ever since Gu Qianshi led the team to defeat their chief, our state branch is equivalent to sitting on Jin Ziming's side."

"Coupled with the fact that the Governor's Office obtained the real account books, many of the Liu and Shen families have begun to waver."

"Yesterday, I also heard that someone saw the Chief Envoy's servant entering and leaving the Governor's Mansion in the middle of the night..."

He drank several cups of tea and talked a lot.

Hong Fan only replied with three words in the end.

"What a coincidence."

The audience was silent for a moment.

Master Lu Yun hesitated.

However, when he saw the Mid-Autumn Festival moon-viewing picture hanging on the wall, he became determined again.

"Hong Fan, there is something I don't know whether to say or not."

Master Lu Yun's tone was solemn.

"You are all here, and you have asked questions. That is what I really want to talk about."

Hong Fan replied.

Master Lu Yun was stunned when he heard this, and then drank all the tea.

"Five days ago, I met Ao Zhixian in the Shen Family Wuxi Garden."

He said it clearly.

There was a click.

It was Hong Fan who crushed the tea cup in his hand.

"Could they look alike?"

he asked looking up.

"Absolutely not."

Master Lu Yun replied in a deep voice.

"Her name is Shen Zhiyin, but not only her appearance, but also her demeanor and voice are the same person - she clearly recognizes me, but she just insists that this is her first time in Xijing and that she is Shen Tiexin's cousin."

Hongfan sat up straight.

"Did you tell the state department?"

he asked.

"I told Commander-in-Chief Jian on February [-]th and said I would report it to Qian."

Master Lu Yun didn't hide it either.

"But now I'm twenty-four!"

"Master Yun, I'm very grateful!"

After Hong Fan heard this, he stood up and bowed to Master Lu Yun.

And not just for this news.

He knew that the Lu family was in decline and was often ridiculed in the aristocratic circle.

Not to mention how I got the invitation.

Master Lu Yun didn't know how much embarrassment he had to endure just to attend the Shen family's three-day banquet, the most prestigious gathering of nobles in Xijing.

Regarding the news about Ao Zhixian, it is actually not difficult to confirm whether it is true or false.

In the evening, Hong Fan received side confirmation from several channels.

First, the other children of the Shen family, including Shen Yubo and others, have never mentioned that there is such a beautiful cousin in so many years.

Second, the Shen family has no in-laws in Hongyi City.

Third, since Dahua has the same surname and is not married, since they are cousins, how come they have the surname Shen?
Too straightforward and arrogant is exactly Shen Tiexin's style.

After dinner, the rain stopped.Spring comes again and again, and the temperature drops sharply.

Hong Fan sat alone in the room for a long time.

The brown wooden floor was turned blue by the moonlight, and it looked as if it was frozen, giving it a bit of a biting coldness.

He didn't know why Ao Zhixian didn't leave Xijing with his father.

But this is not important.

This is an opportunity not to be missed.

······
The next day, February 25th.

Hong Fan went to Zhangwuyuan to meet Jian Siyuan and asked about Ao Zhixian, but received no reply.

It’s not that the state department doesn’t care about his attitude.

In the afternoon, Gu Taining later went to Hong Fan to explain.

"These are extraordinary times. I hope you don't be impatient. There will be instructions from the ministry..."

Hong Fan didn't say much.

He himself is a person who is good at doing things and can understand the difficulties of his superiors.

But this was the only thing that Hong Fan couldn't wait for.

a few days later.

Asahi Fu Yanwu Field.

I don’t know how many times the thunder sounded.

The long knife flashed and cut through the strong wind.

Hong Fan only does two things these days, one is thinking, and the other is practicing swordsmanship.

The progress of his cultivation allowed him to further push Shunpo to his limit.

Especially the accuracy.

A ladle of water was splashed ten meters away, and now Hong Fan could cut off the designated water droplets with one knife.

At noon, Taohong came to call the young master for dinner.

Hong Fan took some water to cleanse his face, left the martial arts arena, and passed by the gate of the side courtyard.

The smashed doors and windows have been restored to their original appearance.

The Lingshu Sword is enshrined in the house.

As usual, he lit three sticks of incense and observed a moment of silence.

There is freshly killed river fish for lunch.

Hong Fan ate as if chewing wax, his heart never stopping for a moment.

Over the past few days, he had thought about everything.

But to kill Ao Zhixian, there is a threshold that cannot be bypassed no matter what.

The ancestor of the Shen family, the Dibang Grandmaster Shen Maye.

To Hong Fan, heavenly beings are absolute power, possessing the ability to overturn tables.

There is only one way to deal with it.

It is to have the support of another heavenly being.

······
February 29.

The Spring Equinox has passed, and there are only five days left before Tomb Sweeping Day.

Xijing, Haishi ([-] p.m.).

Hong Fan was led by the concierge into Xu's private residence.

Xu Guinian was from Guzhou and lived here alone. The size of his former residence was only about the same as that of Asahi Mansion.

Of course, the location is much better.

This is the first time Hong Fan has seen him in private.

In the outer study room, Xu Guinian was dressed in the uniform of an admiral, with an iron hairpin tied into a high bun, showing great majesty.

If you are just meeting with your subordinates, this would be too formal.

Hong Fan bowed and saluted, then walked in and saw another person at the table.

It turned out that Xu Guinian was visiting guests.

The guest was an old man, who looked to be in his seventies. He was dressed comfortably and simply.

His hair and beard are gray, but his body is strong and strong. He is holding the tea cup steadily in one hand, and he does not look senile at all.

"Sit here."

Xu Guinian pointed at the empty seat diagonally opposite.

"His name is Hong Fan. He came to Xijing last summer and is now the most capable Tiqi under Gu Taining."

He said to the old man, but did not introduce him to Hong Fan.

"Mr. Xu is overly worried. How could he not know about the reputation of the Star Master of Sand World?"

The old man laughed.

"But I didn't expect Mr. Xu to be willing to see him at this time, which shows that he values ​​him very much."

He added a sentence.

"It's not that I think highly of him, it's that this guy really stands out."

Xu Guinian replied, pouring a cup of tea for Hong Fan and pushing it across the table.

"When Jin Ziming concocted the Wang Mincai case earlier, I didn't want to be used as a gunman, so I decided on the strategy after careful consideration."

"I didn't expect that later I heard that there was a Tiqi who understood all the details clearly, and he was exactly the same as me."

"Since then, I have looked at him differently."

(End of this chapter)