novelraw Chapter 419 - 409: The Number One Person in Huaxia?
Chapter 419 - 409: The Number One Person in Huaxia?
He was blind, making it inconvenient to come down the mountain. This wasn’t an excuse, but it was better than one.
Seeing Hua Xiaotian’s solemn yet expectant expression, Qin Fan paused. The hint of mockery in his heart dissipated. After a moment of thought, a mischievous smile played on his lips. "Interesting. Fine! I’ll go with you. Since it has come to this, I’m actually curious to meet the person who nurtured Huaxia’s number one!"
"Master Qin, could you please not mention ’Huaxia’s number one’? In front of you, I’m terribly ashamed!" Hearing Qin Fan bring up the title again, Hua Xiaotian’s old face couldn’t help but turn red. Out in the world, facing others, perhaps he could remain indifferent to the phrase. But in front of Qin Fan, he truly felt ashamed.
COUGH, COUGH. He coughed to mask his awkwardness, then continued, "So, Master Qin, when would be convenient for you?"
"Right now!" Qin Fan replied without much thought, glancing at the wall clock.
"Good, then let’s set out immediately. I’ll have a helicopter called over!" Hua Xiaotian said.
After receiving a quiet grunt of approval from Qin Fan, Hua Xiaotian quickly pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, gave a few concise instructions, and hung up.
In less than ten minutes, a helicopter cut through the night sky, flying rapidly toward the hospital’s rooftop helipad. The two men, who were already on the rooftop, didn’t exchange many words. When the helicopter was still over ten meters from the ground, they shot up from their spots and leaped through the open cabin door.
At that, the helicopter didn’t linger. With its propellers spinning furiously, it continued its high-speed flight.
Inside the cabin, Hua Xiaotian took out two bottles of Spirit Water No. 1 from a storage compartment and passed one to Qin Fan. "Master Qin, could you unveil the secret of this Spirit Water No. 1 for me?"
"Knowing too much about certain things isn’t always a good thing. So, if you have something to drink, just drink it. It seems the benefits at the Guardian Institute aren’t too shabby. You even get to drink Spirit Water No. 1, which costs ten thousand a bottle. Is this taxpayers’ money?" Qin Fan didn’t stand on ceremony, immediately unscrewing the cap and taking a large gulp.
Knowing Qin Fan was joking, Hua Xiaotian subconsciously glossed over the taxpayer remark. Instead, he steered the topic back to the Guardian Institute. "Since Master Qin finds the Institute’s benefits agreeable, may I ask if you’re interested in joining? As long as you join, the top seat will be yours for the taking!"
"Benefits? Do you think I’m short on money? Heh! All right, let’s be direct and stop playing dumb. I have no time to bother with the Guardian Institute. I’d rather spend it chatting with family and friends or having dinner with them," Qin Fan scoffed bluntly, leaving no room for discussion.
"Is there any room for negotiation? If you have conditions, feel free to state them! I’ll fulfill any condition I can. Even if some are beyond my authority, I will fight to have them approved!" Hua Xiaotian persisted, unwilling to give up. The old blind man’s words had really gotten to him. Although he knew that in their eyes, the Guardian Institute was at best a worthless band of rookies, as its leader, Hua Xiaotian felt a pang in his heart. But now, if he could recruit Qin Fan, who would dare call them a worthless band of rookies? Who would dare to look down on the Guardian Institute again? For that, Hua Xiaotian was willing to give up his own top seat without a single regret.
"Not interested means not interested. There’s nothing to negotiate, so save your breath," Qin Fan said, shaking his head dismissively. With that, he leaned back against the cabin’s sofa and closed his eyes. It was a clear signal, one that told Hua Xiaotian to shut up.
Seeing this, Hua Xiaotian gave a bitter smile and said no more. But the look in his eyes as he watched Qin Fan grew increasingly complex.
A young man not even twenty years old. The creator of Spirit Water No. 1. Capable of slaying Lan Xiaosheng, a master of the Transformation Realm, with a single sword stroke. He even pushed me back with one blow during our spar. What kind of monster is he? As a witness to the battle at the Golden Summit of Emei Mountain, I can clearly sense that Qin Fan is much stronger now than he was back then. But how did he advance his strength so much in such a short time? For no reason, he thought of the recent strange phenomenon in the Southwest. But no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn’t find a single logical thread.
「Two hours later.」
As dawn approached, the helicopter did not fly directly to the peak of Kunlun Mountain for them to jump down. Instead, it landed at the foot of the mountain.
As they disembarked one after the other, Hua Xiaotian said somewhat awkwardly, "Master Qin, my apologies. Out of respect for the Elder, I hope you can understand and don’t mind walking up the mountain."
"It’s fine. We can treat it as a chance to watch the sunrise. The timing should be about right if we walk," Qin Fan replied with a casual smile. With that, his Divine Sense spread out. After sensing the aura on the summit, he clasped his hands behind his back and started walking ahead of Hua Xiaotian.
At this, Hua Xiaotian let out a slight sigh of relief. He said no more and followed behind.
On the summit, at the edge of a cliff, the old blind man who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed suddenly snapped open his sightless eyes. A look of excitement appeared on his face.
"Could that little rascal have brought him here?" he murmured to himself, his breathing quickening. At the thought, he leaped up with a whoosh, landing on the solid ground nearby. His sightless eyes darted about as his ears twitched, sensing the distance.
One thousand meters... eight hundred... five hundred... three hundred... one hundred!
When a rustling sound finally reached his ears, the old blind man suddenly shouted, "May I ask if young friend Qin Fan has arrived!"
"Well now, old sir, your ears certainly work better than your eyes!" Qin Fan called back with a laugh from a distance. He wasn’t surprised at all. How could the man who trained the Grandmaster known as Huaxia’s number one be an ordinary person? He had likely sensed them not just from a hundred meters away, but the moment they stepped out of the helicopter and onto the mountain path.
"Young friend Qin Fan, my eyes are failing me, so I can’t give you a proper welcome. Please forgive my rudeness!" the old blind man shouted excitedly toward the direction of Qin Fan’s voice.
"Haha, you’re too kind, old sir!" Qin Fan replied, his impression of the old man improving because of his humble attitude.
"Xiaotian, my boy, you can leave. Go wait at the foot of the mountain. You have no more business here," the old blind man said with a pleased nod after hearing Qin Fan’s modest words.
"Wait at the foot of the mountain?" Hua Xiaotian was stunned.
But before he could say anything, the old blind man spoke again. "What are you still dawdling for? Get lost! I haven’t even settled accounts with you. You could have landed on the summit, so why did you make me wait so long?"
"Yes, Master. I was wrong. I’ll go down and wait now." With a frustrated, bitter smile, the helpless Hua Xiaotian quickly turned and walked back down the mountain.