87: Chapter 87 Women only slow down the speed at which you draw your gun!
"Captain Lin Fan."
Su Yuyan stepped forward, a faint fragrance wafting towards him.
She leaned forward slightly, a glimpse of snow-white skin appearing and disappearing, "The night view of White Tiger City is beautiful tonight. I wonder if my sister and I might have the honor of inviting Captain Lin Fan to... go for a stroll?"
"A stroll?"
Lin Fan glanced at the sky outside, "It's the middle of the night; it's not safe for two girls to be out."
"Exactly, that's why we wanted to ask Captain Lin to protect us."
Her younger sister, Su Yuhan, blushed, her voice very soft, yet she boldly reached out to tug on Lin Fan's sleeve, "I heard that the 'Nightlight Lake' in White Tiger City is beautiful, and... it's very quiet, with no one to disturb us."
Hiss—!
Wu Cang, Master, and the others, who were hiding behind the door eavesdropping, had their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, twisted with jealousy.
"Beast!!"
Wu Cang bit his handkerchief, heartbroken, "He just won the championship, and now a pair of sisters is throwing themselves at him? Is there any justice in this world?"
"Is this the privilege of the strong?"
Master adjusted his glasses, his face full of grief and indignation, "I want to protect them too! I'm not afraid of the dark!"
Even Li Lingyun looked sour, clutching his long spear and snorting coldly, "Superficial! Women only affect the speed of drawing your gun!"
Lin Fan naturally heard the muttering of those bad friends behind him.
He looked at the pair of delicate and charming sisters before him. To be fair, as a normal man, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
"Ahem."
Lin Fan coughed tactically twice and said with a righteous expression, "Protecting young ladies is an unshirkable duty for our generation. Since the two of you have so kindly invited me, I will reluctantly accept."
"Really?"
Su Yuyan's eyes lit up, and she took the opportunity to link her arm with Lin Fan's left arm.
"That's great!"
Su Yuhan wasn't to be outdone and hugged Lin Fan's right arm.
Feeling the soft touch on both sides, Lin Fan was secretly delighted, but on the surface, he maintained a serious expression, as if to say, "I am going to do serious business."
He turned his head and waved at the few pairs of glowing green eyes in the door crack.
"Go to sleep early, don't wait up for me."
"Brother Fan! What are you going to do?!"
Wu Cang clung to the door frame, issuing a soul-searching question.
Lin Fan was ushered away by the two sisters and, without looking back, dropped a sentence:
"Nothing much, just finding a quiet place to play... Landlord."
"..."
Behind him came a chorus of heartbreak.
Play Landlord?
Three people?
You're trying to fool ghosts!!
As for whether Lin Fan was really "playing Landlord," no one knew except for the parties involved.
Anyway, early the next morning, when Lin Fan appeared at the assembly point, he looked refreshed and radiant.
In contrast, the Su sisters, while also looking rosy-cheeked, had faint dark circles under their eyes, and their gaze towards Lin Fan was full of resentment.
"He's simply a blockhead!"
Su Yuyan gritted her teeth and cursed in a low voice.
"Sister, actually... Brother Lin Fan's card skills are quite good."
Su Yuhan defended him in a whisper.
Everyone: "..."
You guys actually played cards all night long?!
"Assemble! Depart for the Wanbing Family!"
Wu Jianba's booming voice shattered everyone's gossip.
As a championship reward, entering the "Wanbing Family" to select a divine weapon was an opportunity every martial artist dreamed of.
Under the guidance of Wu Jianba, the group took a special vehicle to the core forbidden area of White Tiger City.
Accompanying them was a heavyweight figure.
The City Lord of White Tiger City, the head of the Chu family—Chu Wentian.
This big shot, standing at the peak of power in Yan Country, wore a Tang suit. Although he was over fifty, his aura was profound, and every gesture carried the majesty of a superior.
Following behind him was the arrogant genius of the Chu family, Chu Feng.
"Little Friend Lin, did you rest well last night?"
Chu Wentian looked at Lin Fan and smiled, though his eyes carried a hint of profound meaning, "It's a good thing for young people to have good health, but you must pay attention to moderation."
"Ahem! City Lord Chu is joking."
Lin Fan didn't blush or skip a beat, "Last night, I was exchanging card skills with the Su sisters, discussing probability and psychological game theory, and benefited greatly."
Chu Wentian was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, "What a great 'probability theory'! Little Friend Lin is truly a fascinating person!"
While talking, everyone had arrived in front of an ancient bronze gate.
The gate slowly opened.
A desolate, ancient aura rushed towards them.
"This... this is the Wanbing Family?"
When they saw the scene inside, everyone was stunned.
The treasury they imagined, filled with gold and jade and lined with divine weapons, did not appear.
What met their eyes was a ruin.
Broken walls, charred earth, and everywhere were shattered furnaces and broken weapons.
The air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur and rust; this place had just experienced a fierce battle.
"Why does it look like a junkyard?"
Wu Cang couldn't help but complain.
"Shut up!"
Wu Jianba glared at him, his expression solemn, "This is the dojo of the Sage of Artifact Forging, Luban, and also the place where he perished together with the alien array Master. Every brick and tile here is stained with the blood of the sage!"
Chu Wentian nodded and sighed, "That battle back then shook heaven and earth. Although the Sage of Artifact Forging fell, he left behind these 'artifact forging remains.' This place looks dilapidated, but it actually contains countless opportunities. Those things that look like scrap metal might just be dust-covered divine weapons."
"Alright, everyone go find your own opportunities."
"Remember, divine weapons have spirits; do not force them."
Following Chu Wentian's order, everyone scattered.
Chu Feng, familiar with the path, headed straight for an intact furnace in the central area.
Wu Cang and the others also ran towards areas emitting a faint glow.
Only Lin Fan remained standing still.
In his eyes, golden runes flowed.
[Bright Heart Dharma Eye, fully activated!]
In his field of vision, this ruin changed its appearance.
Those seemingly chaotic scrap metal and broken stones actually faintly formed a vast and complex array.
And the core of this array was not in those bright and beautiful areas, but in...
A pile of trash in the deepest part?
"Interesting."
Lin Fan smiled, avoided the crowd, and walked alone towards that ignored corner.
This place was full of artifact forging waste; not even a blade of grass grew here.
Lin Fan walked up to a pile of rusty scrap metal, bent down, and dug out a worn-out iron hammer.
This iron hammer looked ordinary; the handle was cracked, and the hammerhead was full of notches. If thrown on the side of the road, even a scavenger would probably find it too heavy.
But the moment Lin Fan touched it, his heart skipped a beat.
"Hum—!"
The iron hammer in his hand suddenly began to vibrate.
Those mottled rust stains came to life, transforming into ancient patterns that flowed along Lin Fan's arm and surged frantically into his mind.
Boom!!
Lin Fan only felt his vision go dark, and he was instantly pulled into a vast river of time and space.
"This is..."
Lin Fan opened his eyes and found himself floating in the void.
Below him was a huge furnace, with flames reaching the sky, burning even the firmament red.
A burly man with a bare chest and a full beard was holding an iron hammer, frantically striking a star-like ore.
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"
Every time the hammer fell, it was accompanied by the roaring of the Great Dao.
"That is... the Sage of Artifact Forging, Luban?!"
The scene shifted.
The firmament cracked, and countless alien races descended.
An old man with a snake body and human face, leading them, held an array disk and set up a peerless killing array, intending to refine the entire human territory.