Chapter 002: Exploitation

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!” The moment Xue Lan stepped out of the room, she completely collapsed. “I’ll tell you everything, but please, don’t—don’t… don’t!”
Du Fan nodded and sighed, “If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have done what I did in the first place. Come back! Remember to close the door behind you…”
Xue Lan closed the door and slowly walked back to Du Fan. Due to his orders, she couldn’t do anything unnecessary; otherwise, who knew what crazy things she might do.
Du Fan looked at her and smiled faintly, saying, “Although you don’t have to do striptease, it’s impossible not to punish you a little. Take off the hem of your dress too—it’s really distracting. After that, move around a bit. It wouldn’t be good if your body stiffens later. After all, it’s still early spring!”
Xue Lan staggered, screaming as she pulled down the hem of her dress, revealing what was underneath. Du Fan glanced at it and smiled slightly, saying, “So there’s a name embroidered on your underwear? Come, let’s see what it is. If I’m not wrong, it must be your sweetheart, right? Hmm… what’s the name?”
Xue Lan screamed again. Due to Du Fan’s orders, she could only move slightly. She covered her chest with one hand while desperately trying to cover the name on her underwear with the other.
But Du Fan seemed to find this very amusing. He examined her from head to toe before sighing softly, “Alright, I’ll give you a chance. I won’t look at those words, but can you now answer properly? Weren’t your companions dead? How come they’re all alive again?”
Xue Lan slowly crouched down, her face pale. With a sobbing voice, she said, “My… my companions took a poison that induces a state of apparent death. Within 48 hours, they seem dead, but they’ll wake up on their own… But if they’re buried while in this state, it turns into actual death.”
Du Fan said coldly, “I see. It seems you had planned to assassinate me long ago. What about the others? Didn’t you set fire to your residence? Are they still alive?”

Xue Lan whispered, “Beneath… beneath the house, there is a basement created using elven magic arrays. It cannot be detected by the magic of Roland Continent… The rest of the group is hiding down there.”
“Hmph, elven magic again?” Du Fan curled his lips. “Then why have you been lurking in this Moduo City for so many years? Surely not just to wait to assassinate me?”
“There are our people in every city in the north. We exist for our master’s grand ambitions. So… so it’s not to assassinate you…”
“Is that so?” Du Fan smiled faintly. “It seems your master really intends to achieve something great. As for what these ambitions are, I won’t ask. But could you please give me a list of these people in the north? I think I need to send someone to invite them all over and have a good cup of black tea together!”
“I… I can’t…”
“You’ve already said so much. What more can’t you do?” Du Fan sneered. “What you should do now is tell me everything you know. Forcing you won’t help at all. If you confess honestly, maybe I’ll feel generous enough to send someone to save your companions. It’s just a matter of saying a word for me. How about that?”
Xue Lan hesitated for a moment before stammering, “Okay… I’ll tell you, but you must promise me you won’t harm their lives.”
Du Fan snorted. “I promise.”
With that, Du Fan rummaged in his storage ring for a while before pulling out a quill and a scroll of parchment, placing them in front of Xue Lan. “Start writing now. It’s best not for me to find any omissions. Otherwise, I can promise to spare their lives, but I can also make you kill them yourself.”
Xue Lan slowly picked up the quill from the ground. After hesitating for a moment, she began writing quickly. After a while, she handed the scroll to Du Fan, but he didn’t even take a close look before stuffing it into his storage ring. “Since you’re honest, I’ll ask you one last question. If you answer it in detail and accurately, I’ll go save your companions right away. How about that?”
Xue Lan gave a bitter smile. “Ask away. At this point, there’s nothing left unsaid.”

“You’re very smart. I like that. If you don’t mind, work under me from now on.” Du Fan seemed to smile slightly. “Very well, one last question, the most crucial one—who exactly is your master?”
“It’s… it’s… it’s Belinger…”
“The Belinger family?” Du Fan smiled. “Then the name embroidered on your underwear must be Ordas, right? That kid Ordas is really lucky in love! There’s Kris by his side, and now Miss Xue Lan is also thinking of him!”
Xue Lan looked bitter and said, “Don’t… don’t talk nonsense. I’m just a traitor now; I have no right to mention Master Ordas’s name.”
“Master Ordas?” Du Fan touched his nose. “If I’m guessing correctly, it hasn’t been even half a month since your Master Ordas ordered you to assassinate me, huh? Or should I say, he gave the same order to all his subordinates in the Northern Kingdom?”
At this point, Du Fan couldn’t help but touch his nose again and murmured, “The Belinger family is truly not simple. It seems that getting out of the Northern Kingdom alive this time will indeed be a bit difficult!”
With that, Du Fan glanced at Xue Lan again and said, “I suppose you don’t know what your Master Ordas plans to do next, either?”
“I… I… I don’t know…”
“Then can you get in touch with him?”
“I… I… I…”
“Enough, stop with the ‘I’s…’” Du Fan smiled faintly. “You surely know how to contact your Master Ordas, right? If you swear to be loyal to me, Du Fan, from now on, I’ll give you a chance—a chance to be with Ordas for life. How about that? Since you’ve already told me so much, you’re undoubtedly a traitor. Wouldn’t it be better to just become one outright?”
Xue Lan shuddered and sighed, saying, “Kill me then!”

Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll give you time to think, plenty of time. I believe you understand by now that politics is a very interesting game. Although Lord Aldas wants my life, we both know it’s impossible. The only thing he can do is give me a warning. As a response, I’ll also give him one… Of course, my plan requires your cooperation. Rest assured, I won’t take Aldas’s life, but I want to destroy his combat energy… From then on, he’ll become an ordinary person, yet his life will be safe. And after capturing him, I won’t harm him. I’ll send people to escort you both to the Lanxi Empire, where you can live a peaceful life together. Miss Xue Lan, what do you think of this outcome? Of course, you don’t have to answer me now… Although I don’t have much time, I can spare a few days for Aldas… Miss Xue Lan, take your time to think. Let me know when you have an answer, okay?”
“Very well. I’ll go save your companion now. As for you, it’s best if you stay in the room and don’t move… I think you’re at least safe with me…”
With that, Du Fan clapped his hands and slowly walked away.
Xue Lan felt a wave of relief, as if all her strength had returned. Watching Du Fan’s retreating figure, she suddenly asked, “Why… why do you want to help me?”
Du Fan turned around and smiled. “Did I say I would help you? If you agree, I still have one condition…” He glanced at Xue Lan from head to toe and said in a low voice, “For example, the first night of Modo’s most beautiful woman could be a good condition… I’m really very interested in helping Aldas get cheated…”
Xue Lan was stunned and collapsed to the ground. Her eyes lost their luster, and her teeth almost bit through her red lips…

Du Fan laughed heartily, but he had already left the room. A cold smile played on his lips, yet inwardly he exhaled in dismay: Aldas, oh Aldas! Who would have thought we would meet again? It’s a pity that now it’s a fight to the death between us. You underestimated me before, and you underestimate me now… Do you really think I, Du Fan, am still the same Du Fan? Since you sent a woman to take my life, you shouldn’t forget a woman’s nature—women in love are blind, and those who seek their lovers’ love are even more so. Aldas! Do you think that woman will agree to my conditions?
And as for the Belinger family! You want to keep my life under the skies of this northern land… Can’t I, Du Fan, keep your family’s most important heir trapped in this icy wilderness? My revenge, Du Fan’s revenge—has only just begun!