“Why would Fan Zhuo know about the Black Jade Rock and Black Silver? This really puzzles me. I do not mean to be suspicious of him but the fact that he knows about those things seems rather queer.” Hua Yao and the others had lived in the Lower Realm for quite a period of time and they are aware of what things the people of the Lower Realm know and what they do not know.
Fan Zhuo’s knowledge had definitely crossed the boundaries of what a person from the Lower Realm would know.
Although they had not known each other for long, but Hua Yao and the others had felt that Fan Zhuo was a rather nice and this was the only thing that they did not understand.
“Hmm….. he is the son of the Headmaster of the Zephyr Academy, could it be possible that the person in the Zephyr Academy that the Twelve Palaces are in contact with is the Headmaster himself? Hence, Fan Zhuo had heard a few things about the Middle Realm from those people?” Qiao Chu was really reluctant to think of Fan Zhuo in a bad light as he had found Fan Zhuo to be rather pleasing to his eye. Fan Zhuo was even running all around to help them forge their spirit rings and suspecting him was something he did not want to do.
“That might be possible.” Hua Yao nodded his head. If that was the case, it would justify how Fan Zhuo came to know of Black Jade Rock and Black Silver and it would answer all their doubts.
Previously, the person in the Qing Yun Clan that the Palace of Fire Demons was in contact with was Ke Cang Ju and didn’t Ke Cang Ju gain possession of the Lone Smoke?
“If it really is with Fan Zhuo’s father, we will have to remember to be a bit more polite when we go ask for it in the future.” When Qiao Chu was speaking those words, his eyes had inadvertently turned to look at Jun Wu Xie.
He could still remember vividly what kind of atrocities Jun Wu Xie had been capable of in the Qing Yun Clan.
But Jun Wu Xie seems completely unaffected, her face a sea of calm.
“But, before we are sure of the facts, we should not speak a single word of it to Little Zhuo.” Qiao Chu said consciously. Fan Zhuo had been a great companion so far and if Fan Zhuo realised that the real reason they all were here at the Zephyr Academy was to steal his father’s map, he would definitely be heartbroken.
Hua Yao nodded in agreement and even Fei Yan approved of it.
Obviously, they saw Fan Zhuo as a sickly and weak, naive and innocent little youth.
However…..
Jun Wu Xie secretly bit on her lips.
How naive…..
Volume 6
Chapter 557: “Heaven’s End Cliff (4)”
The few companions finalised their plans and made preparations to set aside time for a trip to the Heaven’s End Cliff after the forging of their spirit rings.
But before that, they had to heal up Mu Qian Fan’s body.
And that important task fell once again upon the shoulders of Jun Wu Xie.
In order to extract the Black Silver such a large piece of Black Jade Rock, it required a quite a long period of time. After Fan Zhuo and Rong Ruo negotiated on the price, they left the Black Jade Rock at the smithy and left.
No one would recognise what that was anyway and they were not worried that anyone would want to steal it.
After they returned to the inn, they all busied about with their own tasks and no one mentioned a word about the Heaven’s End Cliff.
Just as it was getting dark, Jun Wu Xie went out and searched everywhere for things she needed to concoct her medicines and elixirs. But as no one cultivated elixirs in the Zephyr Academy, so such items were not too popular in Chan Lin Town, and not many people carried those goods.
After much searching, Jun Wu Xie finally managed to find a small and simple stove for cultivating elixirs in a tiny shop. The stove was only palm sized and made out of pure copper. It was poorly made but would serve its purpose temporarily.
After making another trip to the medicinal shop where she purchased some herbs, Jun Wu Xie went back to the inn and started on her study of the poison in Mu Qian Fan’s flesh.
She worked through the night, without rest. When Hua Yao knocked requesting to enter her room in the morning, he found her standing with a few medicinal bottles in her hands when she came to answer the door. She gave him one quick glance and went on with her tasks.
“Qiao Chu wanted me to come ask you when would we be going over to the auction house again.” Hua Yao was highly interested in what Jun Wu Xie was busying herself with as he had never seen Jun Wu Xie concocting her medicine. He had always been deeply curious about this young tiny sized youth, who possessed such exemplary medical skills and was even able to cultivate amazing elixirs.
“Today.” Jun Wu Xie replied simply.
Upon saying that, she put down all the things in her hands, and retrieved some elixirs and spirit stones out from her cosmos sack before dumping them on the table. She pointed at the elixirs and gave a simple explanation of their effects to Hua Yao, before she wrapped them all up in a bundle and shoved it into Hua Yao’s arms.
“Sell all of them.” Jun Wu Xie said curtly.
Just selling off the spirit stones might not really be enough to cover her expenses. After Jun Wu Xie returned to the Zephyr Academy, she intended to acquire a complete set of tools for the cultivation of elixirs and since the Chan Lin Town did not have a store specialised in that, she would have to have them custom made and that would cost her another tidy sum.
With the additional cost that the herbs required would bring, the expenditure would come up to be rather significant.
Hua Yao’s face was looking rather confused as he stared at the bunch of elixirs that Jun Wu Xie had shoved into his arms. After hearing her introduction of them, he stood rooted to the ground and did not move a single step.
“You….. really want to sell all these?” All these elixirs, if he were to judge, were rather good. Although they could not compare to those Heaven defying ones that Jun Wu Xie had sold before the gates of the Zephyr Academy before, these elixirs nevertheless still had very rare and exemplary effects.
So many elixirs and she was willing to sell them all off without even blinking?
“Mmm. I only have this much now.” Jun Wu Xie nodded. Her stock of elixirs were running a bit low and she would not sell the good ones to others anyway. She would much rather leave them for people that she treasured and that would make more sense to her.
In the Zephyr Academy, the expenses were exorbitant and she intended to use the time she was in the academy to casually cultivate some elixirs and sell them off at the Chan Lin Auction House. She intended to run an initial trial run first this time.
If the results were good, she would then carry her plans further.
As she did not have a good grasp on the concept of money in this world, Jun Wu Xie was really easy with it.
Jun Wu Xie was being easy with it, but it was impossible for Hua Yao. If he did not know that all these elixirs clutched within his arms could be reproduced by Jun Wu Xie, he really wouldn’t have wanted to part with a single elixir there.
Volume 6
Chapter 558: “Heaven’s End Cliff (5)”
“Go alone, and remember to alter your looks.” Jun Wu Xie did not forget to give Hua Yao that last reminder.
He Chang Le had known all of them in the Chan Lin Auction House the day before. If they were to appear once again in their real identities, many rumours would definitely begin to spread about them.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Jun Wu Xie had to remind Hua Yao of that at least.
“I will.” Hua Yao said, rubbing at his face. He was thinking what kind of a look he should assume that would be suitable for the situation.
After all the preparations were made, Hua Yao transformed himself into a middle aged man and made his way towards the Chan Lin Auction House, where he entrusted all the items to He Chang Le.
By the time he got back, it was already lunchtime and all the companions gathered in Jun Wu Xie’s room as if in tacit understanding and waited for lunch.
“Brother Hua, all settled?” Qiao Chu asked upon seeing Hua Yao, walking over to him with a big smile on his face.
Fan Zhuo was greatly surprised though, when he saw the unfamiliar middle aged man and heard Qiao Chu address the man as “Brother Hua”.
Hua Yao did not feel he needed to hide before Fan Zhuo and raised his hand to cover his face slightly. The bones beneath his skin immediately started to change and in a blink, he had changed back into the alluringly handsome young youth once again.
Fan Zhuo’s eyes widened and his lips trembled, as his eyes looked at Hua Yao queerly.
“Little Zhuo. Calm yourself. Brother Hua’s art in altering his looks has always been so easy for him.” Fei Yan reassured Fan Zhuo, patting him on the shoulder, with a “this is perfectly normal” expression on his face.
“Bone Shifters’ Tribe…..” The three words suddenly tumbled out of Fan Zhuo’s mouth.
At that moment in the room, with the exception of Jun Wu Xie, the expression on all the faces of everyone present changed.
The Bone Shifters’ Tribe had been one of the major races of the Middle Realm. They possessed the ability to control the shape and size of the bones within their bodies. And that name was only known to people from the Middle Realm.
When they realised that Fan Zhuo knew about the Black Jade Stone and about Black Silver, they were still able to treat it as if Fan Zhuo had heard about them from the people of the Twelve Palaces who were in contact with his father. But he had even shown that he was able to recognise that Hua Yao was from Bone Shifters’ Tribe! Bone Shifters were few in numbers now and not widely seen even in the Middle Realm. Although people from the Twelve Palaces knew about the tribe but they would have no good reason to mention it to others here.
So how did Fan Zhuo know about it?
All their eyes were fixed onto Fan Zhuo. The surprise in Fan Zhuo’s eyes slowly faded and he lowered his head slightly. His pale handsome face was shrouded in shadow and they could not see the expression on his face.
However, just when everyone was getting anxious, Fan Zhuo suddenly covered his face with his hands, and a series of delirious laughter erupted from his throat.
“No wonder….. No wonder when I mentioned about the Black Jade Stone and Black Silver, you guys gave such a reaction….. No wonder all of you are so interested in the Heaven’s End Cliff….. I should have guessed it earlier…..” Fan Zhuo could not stop laughing, his shoulders heaving with his unstoppable bout of laughter.
Suddenly, Fan Zhuo raised his head. There was no trace of the mirth that had just overtaken him. His clear eyes shone, but a chilling malice now filled them. Those eyes swept across Qiao Chu and each and everyone of them, his lips curled at the corners devilishly.
“Which of the Twelve Palaces do you guys belong to?”
Qiao Chu and the others froze in place. Fan Zhuo’s words were sending all of them a signal…..
He knows of the Middle Realm, and he knows of the Twelve Palaces!
“Little Zhuo, what is happening here…..” Seeing the abrupt change on Fan Zhuo’s face, Qiao Chu did not know how to react at that moment.
That softspoken and gentle youth was suddenly able to show such strong malice in his eyes!
Fan Zhuo stared with those eyes at the expressions on Qiao Chu and the others. Suddenly, his expression changed again and reverted back to his usual gentle and amicable smile.
Volume 6
Chapter 559: “Heaven’s End Cliff (6)”
Fan Zhuo stared with those eyes at the expressions on Qiao Chu and the others. Suddenly, his expression changed again and reverted back to his usual gentle and amicable smile.
“I’m sorry if I frightened you guys.” Fan Zhuo looked at everyone apologetically.
Qiao Chu’s expression was rather wooden as he didn’t know how to react.
Hua Yao was frowning as he stared at Fan Zhuo. He had not wanted to mention it but Fan Zhuo’s reaction had been completely different from what he expected. If he had only heard things about the Middle Realm, then why did he react so strongly? And if he was not mistaken, Fan Zhuo eyes had earlier been filled with pure murder and hatred.
He hated the Twelve Palaces?
Why?
Hua Yao finally said: “You are from the Middle Realm.”
Fan Zhuo did not hide the fact and nodded his head. He looked at Hua Yao and the others and said smiling: “As you all are, am I wrong? Brother Hua, Dumb Qiao, Little Yan, Little Ruo….. and Little Xie? No no no….. Little Xie is not, because Little Xie did not react to my words in the slightest.”
Fan Zhuo rubbed his chin, his face split into a smile.
“Your guess is correct.” Hua Yao nodded and said.
“You hold a grudge against the Twelve Palaces?” Hua Yao asked, feeling a little puzzled. Why had the strong aura of malice earlier suddenly disappeared completely without a trace of it present now? The hatred within those eyes earlier were in no way less than what they all felt. But, why had it faded so fast?
“We cannot coexist.” Fan Zhuo’s smile grew wider but there was no joy in his eyes.
“Why?” Hua Yao persisted.
“For the same reason as all of you here. Isn’t that right?” Fan Zhuo said, laughing.
Hua Yao was surprised.
Fan Zhuo continued: “I had thought that you guys were from the Twelve Palaces, but when I had so obviously displayed such strong enmity earlier, all of you had not reacted strongly to it but had looked shocked instead and did not show any intentions of killing me. In the instant that you all knew that I had strong malicious intentions against the Twelve Palaces, none of you made a move against me, and that ultimately told me that you guys were not from the Twelve Palaces and I do not believe that the Twelve Palaces would have such genuine and sincere people like you among them.”
The malicious murder initially had been a test, and the results had made Fan Zhuo heave a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, they were not the enemy.
“You said you are the same as us, what did that mean?” A guess surfaced in Hua Yao’s mind and it made him a little anxious and it filled him with anticipation.
Fan Zhuo laughed a little and said: “Long ago, in their quest to locate the Dark Emperor’s tomb, the Twelve Palaces had sent out countless highly skilled exponents and among them, only a few of them finally found it. Those few people had come from different palaces and in order to suppress and curtail each other, they had drawn a portion of the map on each others’ back and returned to report on their mission. But they had not expected that what finally awaited their return was betrayal from the powers they served respectively. All of them were killed and even their families were not spared…..”
Fan Zhuo’s smiley eyes were tinged with a slight trace of chill. His eyes swept over Hua Yao, Qiao Chu, Fei Yan and Rong Ruo once again, one after the other. “When the massacre was being carried out, one man secretly infiltrated among them and rescued the young children of those families. One among the children rescued had belonged to the Bone Shifters’ Tribe. If I am not wrong, all of you should be those children who were rescued from then?”
Fan Zhuo’s line of reasoning greatly shocked Hua Yao and the others. All of them looked at Hua Yao with a queer look, their eyes filled with shock and uncertainty.
“Then….. Who might you be?” He knew the history of the Middle Realm, and he was aware that the Twelve Palaces were searching for the Dark Emperor’s tomb. So, what was Fan Zhuo’s real identity!?
Fan Zhuo smiled bitterly.
“I am just an orphan abandoned at the Heaven’s End Cliff.”
Volume 6
Chapter 560: “Heaven’s End Cliff (7)”
The Twelve Palaces had sent out hordes of their men in those years and there had been no lack of smart and intelligent people among them. Although they had been loyal to the powers they served, they still retained a trace of rationality in their actions. Fan Zhuo’s parents had been such an example. They had reached the Dark Emperor’s tomb
a step later than the family members of Hua Yao and the others’ had but had been forced to partake in their agreement with those who had reached earlier. They all had a portion of the map tattooed on their backs before they all returned to the Middle Realm.
But Fan Zhuo’s biological father had felt that something was not right. He did not bring Fan Zhuo and his wife back together with him but had settled them down temporarily nearby the Heaven’s End Cliff.
Alas, what awaited him when he returned back to the Middle Realm was a total nightmare.
He did not have the chance to go back and see his wife and child again. His whole family line was massacred together with him and Fan Zhuo’s mother had been killed right before his eyes while he had sustained severe injuries from the attack by the people of the Twelve Palaces and his body left in the forests to become feed for the carnivorous beasts.
Fortunately, Fan Qi had made it there in time and rescued the severely injured Fan Zhuo.
Fan Qi had been beholden to Fan Zhuo’s parents and Fan Qi had wanted to repay them for the benevolence he had received and decided to raise Fan Zhuo. But the severe injuries inflicted on Fan Zhuo’s body had deteriorated daily and in order to protect Fan Zhuo, Fan Qi had portrayed his own biological son to everyone else as his adopted child and claimed Fan Zhuo as his biological child instead, to give him the best care he could.
It was also to prevent anyone from using his status as an adopted child and mistreat him in anyway.
However, Fan Zhuo’s injuries from young stayed with him, making his life as he grew up to be one filled with pain and torment. Before he came to meet Jun Wu Xie, he had thought that there was no way he would live for much longer and no matter how much hatred he held in his heart for the Twelve Palaces, he did not possess the strength or power to change his fate.
If he was not even able to retain his own life, there was no way he would be able to fight the Twelve Palaces.
Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 6 Page 16
