Chapter 010: Pursuit

In the jungle outside Modo City, there was a group of people dressed in black. Each of them looked exhausted, and the way they walked made one worry terribly, fearing they might fall at any moment.
Yet every one of them showed determination. Though many had grievous wounds, none dared take another step. At the front of the group was Xue Lan. Her expression was neither sad nor happy, only an unnatural paleness, so pale it seemed almost transparent. Fine beads of sweat covered her face, and her veins were faintly visible beneath her skin, giving her an almost otherworldly beauty.
Behind her followed an old man dressed like a butler. His face was filled with sorrow, yet he still asked in a low voice, “Miss Xue Lan, why did Du Fan let us go? Why aren’t there any other ladies? Could it be… that you betrayed Young Master Aldas?”
“What are you saying!” Xue Lan almost roared, though she no longer had the strength. Her legs trembled as she walked, as if she couldn’t muster any force at all.
There were traces of blood on the hem of her clothes, adding to the desolate scene. Suddenly, she let out a soft sigh, glanced at the man, and said, “Do you really want to know what price I paid?”
The man suddenly noticed the blood on Xue Lan’s clothes. His expression changed, and he exclaimed, “Could it be! That’s it! I understand! I understand! Hahaha!!! Oh gods! Why did you do this to us? Why? Just because Du Fan is your follower?”
Xue Lan glared at him weakly and said, “Are you shouting so loudly hoping all our pursuers will find us? Although I paid the price to let everyone escape, Du Fan didn’t promise that others won’t chase after us!”
The man was stunned and couldn’t say a word.
Xue Lan’s heart ached. With a bitter smile, she thought to herself, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Young Master Aldas. I didn’t want this either… but there was no other way. To save my sisters, this was the only solution! Besides, after this, I will take good care of you. Everything will be perfect.”
At these thoughts, her body trembled suddenly as she remembered last night.

Everything was white, even the wooden bed inside the house was covered in white. That demon-like man sat there, smiling slightly, and said, “Miss Xue Lan, do you really agree to these conditions?”
Xue Lan trembled slightly and whispered, “Young Master Du Fan, I… I… I agree to them, but please definitely keep your word…”
Du Fan laughed heartily and said, “Who am I, Du Fan? When have I ever broken my word? At most, I’ll swear in the name of the Supreme God of Light—if I, Du Fan, break my promise, may thunder strike me and I may never live peacefully!”
Xue Lan hesitated and said, “If that’s the case, then I agree to you.”
“Good,” Du Fan said calmly. “After this is done, I’ll also keep my word and give Aldas to you. Then you can do whatever you want. But if you dare to violate even the slightest part of our agreement, don’t blame me, Du Fan, for turning against you. I’ll let you take your servants first. As for your sisters, I’m sorry, but I’ll keep them as hostages… Of course, don’t forget—only I am the one who’s letting you go. People like Governor Brandon don’t know you’re in my hands. If he finds your trace, he’ll definitely hunt you down. Whether you can escape is up to you. There’s still only one thing you need to remember: no matter what happens, you must keep our agreement. Besides, aren’t you also looking forward to what I’m about to do?”
Xue Lan nodded slightly, a strange smile appearing on her face.
Du Fan laughed heartily and said, “Good! Very good. Then this should be the most exciting part of this deal—will you take the initiative or be passive? Putting a green hat on Aldas? It’s exciting just to think about it!”
Xue Lan’s face turned as cold as frost!
Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “It seems Miss Xue Lan is still shy? Don’t worry, I don’t have much experience either. At most, we can experience it together. Then let’s not waste time! A night of love is worth a fortune!”
As he spoke, Du Fan waved his hand slightly, and a gust of wind blew. Xue Lan’s body fell into Du Fan’s arms like falling snow.
Du Fan’s hands, like venomous snakes, climbed onto her chest. He said calmly, “As the most beautiful woman in Moduo, you truly are excellent. Let’s start with your mouth! Come on, I guess I don’t need to teach you how, right?”

Xue Lan gently closed her eyes. Everything from last night flashed before her like a nightmare. She had never known that a man could push a woman to such extremes. Her heels still felt extremely sore, but she no longer dared to think about it—she feared she might never be able to escape this nightmare for the rest of her life!

“Hurry up and let’s go!” Xue Lan suddenly let out a low sigh. “Don’t overthink it. Once we reach Lord Aldas’s place, we’ll be safe. Only Lord Aldas can rescue my sisters!”

The group fell silent again; no one dared speak. Though Xue Lan’s words were calm, it seemed everyone understood the price she had paid. After all, she had remained chaste all these years!

A few crows flew across the sky, and everyone in the group suddenly began to tremble slightly.

A shadow passed over Xue Lan’s eyes. She frowned slightly and said, “What an annoying spring!”

Less than five miles away from Xue Lan’s group, Ferre was carefully observing the positioning crystal ball in his hands. Although this crystal ball was less than one-tenth as effective in ordinary people’s hands, it still clearly showed Xue Lan’s current location.

“Judging from their target, it should be the northwest. The northern ice fields are definitely out of the question. Could it be Rhodes Island?” Ferre frowned slightly. “It seems this mission won’t be easy to complete!”

Ferre muttered to himself. Behind him were about a dozen Temple Knights, the only survivors from the northern ice fields expedition. They could be considered his trusted men—or rather, Du Fan’s trusted men.

In addition, Selina, dressed in leather armor, followed in the middle of the group. Ferre frowned slightly. He didn’t quite understand why Du Fan wanted him to bring this woman along, but he didn’t dare ask.

In his opinion, it would have been much better if this useless and burdensome woman had been replaced by Saint Nicholas or Sister Tasia!

Unfortunately, Du Fan’s orders were unchallengeable. After witnessing the strength around Du Fan, Ferre realized that his greatest gain from this journey was getting to know Du Fan. With the temperament of this young master Du Fan, how could he be such a simple figure as a mere white-robed priest? Even Lord Anthony valued him; likely, a hundred years from now, it would be Young Master Du Fan who occupied that position. If he remained loyal, wouldn’t he also get a share as one of the four knight leaders? Besides, Du Fan had even saved his life!

Ferre fantasized in his mind, almost laughing, but a Templar knight shattered his dream: “Lord Ferre, what should we do next? Kill them all?”

Ferre coughed and said, “No, we don’t need to kill them all at once. We must kill them slowly, just like a cheetah that catches one prey at a time but eventually catches all of them. That’s exactly what Young Master Du Fan wants us to do!”

“But what’s the point of doing that?”

Ferre replied indifferently, “I don’t know what the point is either, but Du Fan’s orders are the greatest significance. Never forget—this most devout priest in history is not only our superior but also our savior!”

“Do you understand?”

“Understood!” The dozen or so Templar knights replied in unison.

“Very well,” Ferre said with a cold smile. “The first operation begins. Remember, what we need to do this time is cut off five heads. Choose those who are most injured first—otherwise, they’ll move too slowly.”

The Templar knights nodded slightly and pulled down their masks. At this moment, they all resembled ghosts of the night. Their black leather armor was so dark that it was impossible to see clearly in the dense jungle if one didn’t look closely.

With a sharp wave of his hand, the Templar knights left to carry out their orders, leaving only Ferre and Selina behind.

Selina glanced at Ferre and said, “Lord Ferre, why not send me? I could easily take care of those people.”

Fere smiled slightly and said, “Miss Selina, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but the time isn’t right yet. What needs to be done now is to cut off five heads. We need speed, and those guys work well together—just send them. If you go, it will inevitably slow things down. If Miss Selina really wants to take action, then wait a while. Once they reach their destination, we’ll have plenty of opportunities.”
“Why!”
“No reason!” Fere threw a piece of parchment from his hand in front of Selina. “It’s Master Du Fan’s order, that’s all!”