Chapter 003: Unexpected Turns

After leaving the room, Du Fan headed outside the cathedral. Xiao Yulong had already gone to carry out his mission, so no one was around for the time being. After hesitating for a moment, Du Fan ordered one of the Temple Knights to bring back the bodies of the dead girls from the governor’s residence, claiming that Young Master Du Fan felt pity for their fate and wanted to pray for them, hoping their souls could return to God’s embrace after death.
The Temple Knight who received Du Fan’s order looked puzzled—Du Fan, after staying in the room for a while, actually came up with such an order, which was both amusing and ridiculous. But given Du Fan’s status, the Knight couldn’t say much and simply selected a few people to fetch the bodies. Likely, the governor wouldn’t want to upset Young Master Du Fan over such a trivial matter.
After giving this order, Du Fan felt somewhat more at ease. Although he was certain that Xue Lan would ultimately have to follow his commands, having these hostages in hand would force her to think twice before doing anything. As for the people in the basement, there was no rush to capture them—once his own men arrived, dealing with them wouldn’t be difficult. If his guesses were correct, after these two incidents, the members of the two major factions would hurry to reach Modu City as soon as possible to ensure their safety. Even if it took a couple of days, it wouldn’t matter much. If those in the basement couldn’t hold out for two or three days, they could be captured anyway; their presence or absence wouldn’t make much difference.
After thinking for another moment, Du Fan sent someone to bring Ling Yin over.
Ling Yin’s expression was icy, like frozen ice that hadn’t melted in a thousand years. Only when she saw Du Fan did her expression change slightly.
Du Fan gave her a slight nod, then waved his hand to dismiss those around them before smiling faintly and saying, “Well? Are you getting used to living here?”
Ling Yin didn’t reply. Instead, she sized Du Fan up and said coldly, “If I heard correctly, Young Master Du Fan went to the governor’s residence early in the morning for some banquet and encountered assassins?”
Du Fan glanced at her and stepped forward a few steps, saying calmly, “Are you concerned about me?”
Ling Yin raised her head and glanced at Du Fan, her tone still icy, “I’m not concerned about you. It’s just that if you die, how will our deal proceed?”

Du Fan crossed his arms and sighed softly, saying, “Do you think I, Du Fan, am someone who dies so easily? If it were that simple, I would have died countless times by now… Well, I guess you know a bit about what happened this time. What’s your opinion?”
Ringtone thought for a moment before saying, “I don’t know, dear Master Du Fan. Didn’t you say yourself that my understanding is shallow and nowhere near yours? So why ask me about such a complicated matter?”
Du Fan smiled oddly and said, “Since you have no opinion, forget it. I originally wanted to ask you and also assign you some tasks, but given your attitude now, I think it’s better not to.”
Ringtone looked up at Du Fan and said, “You don’t need to deliberately provoke me. I know very little about you or the Gavin Empire. Under these circumstances, it’s impossible for me to make any guesses.”
“Is that so?” Du Fan touched his nose. “Alright, then I’ll give you a task. Keep an eye on the woman in my room. No matter what she does, you must report it to me. Most of the things I need to do next depend on her completing them.”
Ringtone frowned and asked, “The woman in your room? Is it that assassin?”
Du Fan replied calmly, “Since you already know, why ask?”
She asked coldly, “What do you mean?”
Du Fan smiled softly and said, “Whether I live to return to the capital depends entirely on her. You must be clearer about this than I am. No matter what our deal is, the most important prerequisite is that I, Du Fan, won’t die… And, Miss Ringtone, don’t you think this is a very interesting situation?”
Ringtone huffed but said nothing more.
Du Fan thought for another moment, about to send Ringtone away, but the Temple Knight he had sent out earlier rushed in quickly, knelt down, and announced loudly, “Master Du Fan, those corpses have been brought back. I’m not sure what to do with them next.”
Du Fan thought for a while and said, “Temporarily gather all the corpses in one place—somewhere hidden, like a warehouse or a dungeon. I still have things to do now. After I finish these, these corpses will still be useful to me. All you need to know is to act as if this never happened.”
The Temple Knight didn’t dare ask further and simply replied, “Yes,” before quickly leaving.
Ringtone frowned and looked at Du Fan, asking, “What do you want those corpses for?”

Du Fan said indifferently, “It’s nothing. These corpses are just of some minor use to me. Alright, you may go now. Remember, keep a close eye on that woman. If she escapes, it’s your responsibility to find her for me.”
Reine nodded expressionlessly but said nothing more, leaving swiftly.
After she left, Du Fan frowned slightly and entered the sanctuary. Several Temple Knights followed quickly, only to find that this so-called most pious priest in history sighed softly in front of the statue. His faint holy light seemed incredibly dazzling.
Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, two days had gone by. Throughout Mordo City, chaos reigned everywhere; almost the entire city was turned upside down, yet nothing was found. Governor Brandon never expected that the assassin was hiding in Du Fan’s room. Probably, aside from Du Fan himself, no one else would believe this.
On the third day, Du Fan woke up late. Although he had lived a comfortable life these days, he had spent a lot of effort thinking of a plausible excuse to deceive the representatives of the two major factions. Fortunately, no matter how difficult it seemed, he could come up with a solution.
Just after breakfast that day, Temple Knights came to inform him that guests were waiting outside. Hearing that Young Master Du Fan hadn’t woken up yet, they didn’t dare disturb him and continued to wait outside.
Du Fan went out to greet them himself, but he was taken aback when he reached the door.
The visitor was none other than the governor of the Kot Province, Count Brandon.
Governor Brandon’s expression was no longer as relaxed as when he first met Du Fan. Not to mention his subordinates attempting rebellion in the square, the assassination attempt during the banquet left him utterly speechless. Du Fan knew that by now, all factions must have heard about what had happened in Mordo City. Without even mentioning others, just the Northern Legion and the Holy Church could put immense pressure on this governor.

Du Fan slowly looked over and saw Governor Brandon looking exhausted, standing there almost drowsy. But when he saw Du Fan coming out, he quickly perked up, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, “It’s an honor to meet Young Master Du Fan. It’s been days since we last saw each other. You still look as handsome as ever. I wonder if you’ve had a good rest these past days?”
Du Fan smiled faintly and nodded slightly. “It’s been alright. But these past nights, I’ve always heard the sound of horse hooves all night long. It’s quite a unique experience.”
Brandon forced a smile and said, “That was indeed my negligence.”
With that, Governor Brandon turned to the guards following him and shouted, “I ordered you to search for assassins, not to disturb Young Master Du Fan’s rest. From today on, anyone on patrol must take a detour when passing by the sanctuary. Do you understand?”
One of the guards quickly nodded in agreement and retreated.
Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “Governor Brandon, you’re too kind. The search for assassins started because of me. How could I expect such efforts to be made just for me? How about this: I’ll give orders so that if a search is needed in the future, they can search inside the sanctuary at their leisure.”
Brandon’s expression changed. “Young Master Du Fan, you’re joking. Even if I, Brandon, had great courage, I wouldn’t dare think such things.”
Du Fan said calmly, “Whether you have it or not, as long as we can find them, that’s what matters. By the way, I forgot to ask Governor Brandon—have there been any results from the searches these past days?”
“Well… not yet…” Brandon hesitated for a moment. “But my men heard strange noises coming from the ruins of Xue Lan’s residence yesterday. I’ve sent people to dig there. But do you know what I found, Young Master Du Fan? I actually found Xue Lan’s servants. They were all hiding in a basement. If it weren’t for my man’s sharp ears, they would have gotten away.”
Du Fan’s eyes lit up. “I see! So, have you gotten anything out of them?”
Brandon sighed bitterly. “No. We broke more than a dozen whips and killed a dozen of them, but these guys are stubborn as nails. Other than screaming in pain, they won’t say anything… But don’t worry, Young Master Du Fan. Since these people are in my hands, I’ll definitely find a way to make them talk.”
Du Fan nodded. “That’s best. But I wonder what brings Governor Brandon here today?”