Chronicles of Daoist Fan

''Ack!''

''Aaaah- We don't know anything. We're jus- aaaaaaaa!"

Inside a dark room belonging to the Black Mantis mafia gang, their members were crying out in pain. I was holding one of the member's hands, bending it at an impossible angle.

''Where's your boss?'' I asked in a deep tone, bringing a knife closer to his neck.

''I don't know! I really-'' I slit his throat and looked around.

''I'll kill each and every one of you if I don't get the correct answer.'' I threw the blood-stained knife to the ground. It firmly stood poking the wooden floor.

The criminals around me were mortified. These were low-ranked lackeys, all below rank 5. I had recently ranked up to rank 7 and was out to hunt down a few groups that had submitted to QIn Mao.

Suddenly, I kicked the floor and shot towards one of the practitioners who was trying to run away.

'Tempest Fist.' A punch as violent as a thousand-kilogram hammer fell on the small-eyed man's face.

His body pounded the floor, sweeping dust and he didn't move at all. His whole nose seemed to have caved in and blood was coming out of his face. I didn't know if I had killed him with just that but I couldn't be bothered to know.

''Mo…monster! He should be at Meridian Op- Hicc!'' The practitioner who spoke promptly closed his mouth when I glared at him.

''Answer me or you're next.'' I smiled a modest smile, the one I showed at the Azure Wind Stupa.

The man was terrified. He backed away, looking at his friends for help but they were standing there with nervous expressions, unmoving. Their only goal was to run away and never come to this hiding place.

''Our boss is at White Rose Brothel. Yes, he frequents that-'' A crisp sound of slapping echoed as the man who was talking flew and hit a pillar.

What a lazy lie it was. I wasn't angry because he had lied to me but because he thought I would be fooled by such a lie.

''Enough charade. I have no time to torture every one of you, so I'll just kill you all...'' I cracked my knuckles. They didn't tell me about their boss because they were afraid of him but not me. The threat of death should make them talk.

To demonstrate this threat, I immediately broke someone's neck with Gold Bending Palms. Utter dread covered their faces. The exit door was so close but they knew that I was fast as the wind, they would never be able to get away from my grasp. Their minds thought of different ways to live since escape was not an option.

Holding the dead body, I gave them hope.

''Let's play a game here. There are five of you remaining now. I'll start by slowly breaking your necks. Whoever answers everything and still has his neck intact will get to live. You can hide or run anywhere in this room except the exit.'' I narrowed my eyes and smiled amiably as if I was a kind-hearted monk.

They looked at each other and I caught that distinct glint of viciousness in one scarface practitioner's eyes. He suddenly pushed a lackey close to him and ran towards the corner of the long room.

The pushed practitioner stumbled to my feet. He had a small build and a rather attractive face. Too bad, that face was going to be destroyed with a punch.

All other practitioners followed the scarface lackey, leaving their criminal friend to die who couldn't even say the words he wanted to say because of his fear.

''B-b-b-bos… is, the boss is- hic.'' I lifted him by his collar and smiled a modest smile. ''The boss is what?'' I grabbed his neck and a disturbing sound of bones crushing rang in everyone's ears.

Still, the practitioner finished shouting ''Azure Wind Stupa!'' before he died.

''Oh dear.'' I dropped his limp body on the floor. ''He was just a little bit late.''

I put an expression of pity and glanced at the four practitioners standing there nervously. The moment my eyes met with someone on the right side, he started blabbering.

''Boss went to meet Qin Mao. You're that Zui Fan guy, right?'' He slowly moved towards me. ''They are discussing how to kill you. I'm not lying!'' His sweaty face hesitated when he saw me standing there doing nothing but smiling.

''Indeed.'' My smile fell and the next words that came out of my mouth drove them insane. ''But alas, this one here told me first. I would have let him live if he was a little faster… As for you?''

I cracked my knuckles and chuckled, ''There is no meaning if you tell me now.''

…

Two days had passed since the talk with Ling'er. I was going to meet Fu Qiai tomorrow. Currently, I was inside my room at the Immortal White Hotel, practicing the breathing technique while Feng Yi was preparing the medicinal bath.

This was the last of the batches remaining and I would have to buy materials again for future brews.

I started practicing Tempest Fist and Gold Bending Palms after reaching rank 7 the day before yesterday. Contrary to my expectations, It was much easier to practice than the movement techniques.

Tempest fist was the quickest attack technique for hands and Gold Bending Palms were as the name implied, I could bend thick bars (30cm thick) of gold by using this technique.

However, my current strength didn't permit that. Reaching Meridian Opening would elevate a practitioner's overall strength, speed, and vitality by a large margin. So large that it was incomparable to those in Body Tempering and Viscera Purifying stages.

''Zuifan, it's ready!''

At this moment, Feng Yi called me. I stood up and entered the bathroom.

It was a large room whose floor and walls were covered with pearl white tiles. A tub sufficient for four people to bathe was hidden behind a curtain to the left side.

''Why is the water so cold today?'' Feng Yi complained. I could see her silhouette behind that covering, dipping her feet in the water.

The lighting was bright inside with crystal lanterns up at the ceiling. Immortal Wine hotel was really a place for the rich.

''Maybe you didn't heat it enough.'' I undressed and threw my clothes in the washing area. They were dirty with all the fighting I had done today.

I swept the curtains and the view of a bathtub filled with green water appeared in my sight. Feng Yi was standing in the middle, with her hands on her hips.

''Sit down, exhibitionist,'' I said.

''No, you're an exhibitionist! Look at that!'' She covered her eyes and splashed herself on the bathwater.

''Don't act innocent now. Haven't you seen it too many times already?'' I sat as well, submerging my body in the water. ''Weak. Did you even put anything in this?'' I took some water onto my palms and shook my head as the water slipped like sand.

''It's good enough for me. Everything is finished now so you better bring more.'' Feng Yi returned to her annoying self.

The water was ''cold'' compared to the previous baths we had. It was only lukewarm today. Still, that was good enough for a nice relaxation. However, I won't be breaking through with such a weak bath this evening.

''Hmm?'' I noticed something in Feng Yi's hand. That's a… soap?

She dipped it in the water and foam started covering the surface of it. It wasn't the same soap we had used in the Chengde river but this one seemed more expensive. Feng Yi began with rubbing her neck and went on to her shoulders.

Seeing me staring, she quickly hid it underwater. ''I won't give it to you this time.''

''No, I won't be needing that.'' I laughed loudly. She was such a high-maintenance girl. Feng Yi liked to keep herself in tip-top form and cared about her looks more than her cultivation. As someone from this world where strength was the major focus, she was an interesting character.

''But won't this soap affect the quality of the medicine?'' I asked.

''No, it's actually more beneficial- Oop.'' She covered her mouth.

I raised an eyebrow. Well well, this mischievous one had been trying to get the benefits while hiding it from me.

''You know Feng Yi, you look incredibly beautiful this evening. Must be the work of that 'soap'… How I wish I could be like you…''

Feng Yi let out a nervous laugh and slipped towards me. She felt like crying internally. Why couldn't she keep that mouth of hers shut for a while?

Feng Yi hesitantly passed me the soap and I immediately snatched it from her hands. Smelling it, I found so many scents of expensive herbs. She must have put a lot of work into making it.

''Wow, how kind of you to make this for me. Whose money did you use?'' Mine, of course. Each and every material was bought with my money. She was the ultimate freeloader here.

''Ehe, l-let me help you scrub your back..'' Without having to ask for it, Feng Yi came behind me and placed her foamy hands on my back.