I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 114 - 100: Shocking Turn Below the Cliff, Bloodshed in the Herb Garden
Before, when Chu Fan brought home two roast chickens, it was already a meal most common families couldn’t afford.
Yet today, he had brought so much...
"Th-this... how much silver did this cost?"
Mrs. Zhao’s voice was filled with distress over the cost.
"Fan, it’s not easy for you to earn money in the Seven Stars Gang. Why spend so extravagantly?"
But Doubao couldn’t contain himself, clapping his small hands and hopping by the table.
"Meat! Lots of meat! Brother Fan is the best!"
Chu Fan smiled and ruffled Doubao’s head, gesturing for Zhao Hu and his wife to sit down.
"Mr. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao, have a seat."
"If you hadn’t looked after me all these years, I would have starved to death on the streets."
"This is nothing."
Suddenly, the eerie sound of a bell drifted from the distance.
It was crisp yet carried a sinister chill, echoing faintly in the twilight.
Zhao Hu’s expression immediately darkened. "The bell of the Moon Worship Sect again..."
"Sigh, ever since those people from the Blood Saber Sect died, this area has become more and more chaotic."
"The Moon Worship Sect wanders around here every day, trying to recruit people."
"Many of our neighbors have already sold their houses and moved elsewhere."
Mrs. Zhao shuddered and quickly cut him off. "Why are you talking about this? Don’t scare the child."
Chu Fan remained silent.
He had come back today precisely because of this.
When he thought about it yesterday, cold sweat had instantly broken out on his back.
That was why he had rushed home first thing this morning.
Initially, he had asked Zhao Hu to sell his house to the Huang Family and then invited the Zhao family to live in his own ancestral home, all to investigate why the Huang Family was buying up so much property.
Only later did he learn that Huang Yu was tracking the Moon Worship Sect.
And the Moon Worship Sect, it seemed, was looking for some "key."
Chu Fan couldn’t be sure if the Demon Suppression Stele beneath his ancestral home was the thing the Moon Worship Sect was looking for.
But what if it was?
In that case, hadn’t he put the Zhao family in mortal danger by having them live here?
If the Moon Worship Sect really did find this place, the Zhao family would be the first to suffer!
At this thought, Chu Fan felt a chill shoot up his spine to the crown of his head.
His original intention was to repay the Zhao family for their kindness back then.
If he ended up harming them instead, he would never be able to forgive himself.
"Mr. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao," Chu Fan said with a solemn expression, "you should move to the Inner City."
Zhao Hu and his wife were stunned, their faces falling.
Mrs. Zhao’s eyes reddened. "Fan, is-is it something we did wrong?"
"If you feel it’s inconvenient for us to live here, we can..."
"That’s not it!" Chu Fan hurriedly interrupted. "Mrs. Zhao, you’ve treated me like family. How could I possibly drive you away?"
"It’s just that the Outer City is getting more and more dangerous, with bloody incidents happening frequently..."
"The Inner City is much safer. Not only are there officials on patrol, but even the gangs wouldn’t dare cause trouble there."
"That’s why I want you to move to the Inner City."
"How could we possibly afford a house in the Inner City?" Zhao Hu shook his head with a bitter smile. "I’ve heard even a tiny mud hut there costs more than this entire house."
"If you really find it inconvenient, we could buy a house from one of the neighbors who moved... A lot of people are selling their houses cheap now, and there’s a lot of empty space nearby..."
"Don’t worry about the money; I’ll cover it," Chu Fan said in a firm tone. "The Inner City isn’t just safer, it’s also more prosperous."
"You could start a small business there and no longer have to be bullied by those gangs."
"Doubao is also old enough for school. The private schools in the Inner City are better, and he might even be able to earn an official title in the future."
Zhao Hu and his wife stared blankly at Chu Fan, momentarily speechless.
Moving to the Inner City was something they had never dared to dream of.
Having Doubao earn an official title was something that only happened in their dreams.
The two exchanged a glance. Zhao Hu’s voice trembled, "Fan, how can we accept this?"
"It’s not easy for you to earn money either, and you need it even more for your martial arts training. How can we let you spend so much?"
"Mr. Zhao..." Chu Fan’s expression was serious. "Back then, when I was about to collapse from hunger, you were the one who gave me a few sweet potatoes every day, allowing me to survive."
"Mrs. Zhao stayed up through the night mending my clothes, pricking her fingers raw."
"When Liu Da and his men trashed my house and tore my fishing nets, you were the ones who brought me a quilt on a cold winter night..."
"I have never forgotten these acts of kindness."
"My abilities are limited right now... but I can still manage to ensure your safety and well-being."
Zhao Hu and his wife could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down their faces.
Wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, Mrs. Zhao choked out, "B-but this house was left to you by your ancestors. If we leave, who will look after it?"
"I have my own arrangements," Chu Fan reassured them. "I’ll be selling this house in a while anyway."
"I’ll give you two hundred taels of silver first. Go find a broker today and look at houses in the Inner City."
"The sooner you move, the sooner I can rest easy."
"If it’s not enough, just let me know."
"T-two... two hundred taels..." Zhao Hu and his wife stared, stunned, at the silver notes Chu Fan produced.
They had lived for the better part of their lives and had never seen so much money.
But Chu Fan didn’t let them say another word, simply shoving the silver notes into Zhao Hu’s hand and striding quickly out the door.
After leaving through the North City Gate and meeting up with Zhao Tianxing, the two of them followed the forest along the Black Water Riverbank.
Half an hour later, Zhao Tianxing followed Chu Fan to the base of a cliff.
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing exchanged a look, retreated several yards, then suddenly charged forward.
BANG!
His foot stomped on the ground with a dull thud, and he launched himself into the air.
Zhao Tianxing watched in disbelief—Chu Fan’s foot landed on a protruding rock, and he propelled himself upward again, scaling the cliff face as if he were walking on level ground!
’When did he learn Qinggong? And he’s so good at it!’
Zhao Tianxing grinned with a hint of envy.
The two of them lived together at the Seven Stars Gang, yet he had no idea Chu Fan’s Qinggong had become so formidable!
Just then, Chu Fan, now at the top, threw down a rope he had prepared.
