Chapter 020: Ah

Chenchen smiled slightly and said, “There is still some, but now isn’t the right time… Alright, your dear barbarian thug has arrived. I won’t disturb you any longer…”
With that, Chenchen stepped back to a corner of the room and waved her hand—several quill pens slowly began dancing on the table.
Du Fan smiled faintly. “It’s not the right time” was just an excuse; the real reason was the hint of jealousy, or rather, love, in her heart… No matter how strong a woman might be, she remained a woman. Perhaps no one had ever entered her heart before, but that didn’t mean it would stay that way forever.
Chenchen’s mystery and strength cast a shadow over Du Fan’s mind. Though he knew that if Chenchen wanted to harm him, she wouldn’t have waited until now, the more one understood the power of mystery, the more afraid one became of the unknown. Du Fan suddenly remembered a phrase from the Holy Scripture: What we fear is ultimately the unknown!
Ringtone came in from the door. After bathing, she seemed more energetic. Though she still felt a bit awkward around Du Fan and Chenchen, she was much better now.
Du Fan pointed to a chair and said casually, “Sit down.”
Ringtone sat down but said little.
Du Fan sized her up for a moment before smiling softly and saying, “Spend some time getting dressed up tomorrow. Dress as a mysterious magician… Since you’re going to work for me now, you can’t always stay hidden behind the scenes. For our purposes, you need to walk in the light. Being a magician is a great disguise—no one will dare look down on you, and it’ll also make it easier for you to gather information. Do… do you understand what I mean?”
Ringtone took a breath, glanced in Chenchen’s direction, and replied after a moment, “Okay.”
Du Fan nodded slightly. “That’s good! Well, it’s already night… Choose a room outside to rest in… As for the other things, you can prepare when you understand better. Since we’re already in the capital, there’s no need to rush.”
Ringtone nodded. Half a month of traveling by carriage had left her back and waist aching. After all, she was just a shaman priest, not a barbarian warrior.
After packing up, Du Fan didn’t go to bed either. Seeing that Chenchen was still busy, he didn’t disturb her and instead went to the second floor of the basement to practice the myriad arts.

After allowing combat energy and magic to flow through his body at the same time, Du Fan slowly opened his eyes. Over these past days, both his combat energy and magic skills had grown rapidly. Under his strong mental power, their intensity and control were excellent. Even now, after just a brief session of cultivation, there were already signs of progress… Yet still, the number of spells and combat techniques he knew was limited. It seemed he needed to find more things to learn; otherwise, in times of conflict, he would always rely on the same few moves, which wasn’t very impressive.

By the time he finished cultivating, it was already late at night. Du Fan slowly opened his eyes, feeling an abundance of mental energy and heightened senses. He could detect various subtle elemental fluctuations in the vicinity without any deliberate effort.

Du Fan took a deep breath. The benefits brought by that trace of divine essence were immeasurable. He had never experienced such a thing before, but after just a short period of focused cultivation, he already felt this way, proving the strength of his mental power.

Back on the third floor of the basement, Chenchen was nowhere to be seen. Only a stack of magic scrolls lay spread out on the table.

Du Fan glanced at them, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward slightly.

He casually stuffed the magic scrolls into his storage ring, then reached out to turn off the crystal lamp that had been glowing. In the darkness of the basement, only the faint sound of wind could be heard. Du Fan stepped out of the hall, about to head upstairs, when suddenly a faint light came from a room to his left.

After hesitating for a moment, he pushed open the door. Inside, there was only a simple small bed. Ling Yin was lying on it, still in her clothes, already fast asleep.

Du Fan slowly approached her and gazed at her beautiful face in sleep. Her usually icy expression now showed a touch of softness and rosy cheeks, as if she had completely let go of all her worries.

Yet from time to time, she would frown, seemingly having a not-so-perfect dream.

Du Fan reached out and gently rubbed her brows, then sighed slightly, about to leave.

But at that moment, Ling Yin’s eyes opened. She glanced at Du Fan, her eyes filled with confusion for a brief instant, before she said coldly, “What do you want?”

Looking at her face, Du Fan suddenly felt anger rise in his chest. He rudely reached in, leaned close to her ear, and murmured, “What do you think?”

Ringtone said coldly, “Du Fan, I don’t mind you doing such things, but shouldn’t you choose a better time? At least you should… ah…”
…
During breakfast, Du Fan went to his room early. Although the basement was a good place, it was better not to let anyone notice anything suspicious about such activities. Soon, a servant brought breakfast and quickly cleaned the room. Remembering that the two people in the basement hadn’t eaten much, Du Fan ordered two more servings of breakfast. After sending the servant away, he personally brought the breakfast down.
In the basement, Chenchen was reading a book. When she saw Du Fan approaching, she snorted but turned away. Ringtone, on the other hand, was gloomily putting on a magically crafted robe that had been hastily sewn for her.
Du Fan smiled inwardly. Ringtone had screamed so loudly last night—Chenchen must have heard it… It’s a pity, really…
He still had other things to do. Otherwise, he would definitely take his time…
Then, Du Fan casually gave instructions on how Ringtone should leave and how to meet up with him again before leaving the basement.
After changing into his academic robes in his room, Du Fan went to pay his respects to the Duchess and Duke Green in the backyard before asking the servants to prepare a carriage.
The carriage was ready soon. When Du Fan arrived at the gate, he saw Old Mark already standing there with the brand-new carriage, surrounded by nearly a hundred cavalrymen. These cavalrymen were now dressed in warrior uniforms—clearly they had also received orders. From that moment on, they became Du Fan’s personal guards.
Du Fan felt a strange sense in his heart, but he didn’t say much. Bringing more people along, though contrary to his usual habits, was inevitable. Safety came first—otherwise, if another assassination attempt occurred, he might not be so lucky next time.
Just as he was about to get into the carriage, Daniel appeared out of nowhere. Looking calm, he stepped beside Du Fan and whispered, “Young Master Du Fan, where are you going?”
Du Fan smiled and said, “Grandpa Daniel, I’m going back to the cathedral. I guess Archbishop Anthony is already waiting for me there. I can’t keep him waiting too long.”

Daniel listened, nodded slightly, and said, “If that’s the case, the matter of the assassination earlier still isn’t resolved. If Young Master Du Fan really intends to go out, bringing just this few people is definitely not enough… So, it’s better if you bring more people.” With that, Daniel clapped his hands, and soon a group of cavalry rushed out from the depths of the alley. Daniel made a gesture and said, “Young Master Du Fan, these five hundred guards are all elite troops under the Duke. The Duke has ordered that from now on, they will be under your command. With the current uncertain situation in the capital, it’s always wise for you to have these hundreds of people with you wherever you go.” Hearing this, Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed his father really cared about him! Had to bring these five hundred people with him wherever he went? That would surely draw attention in the capital. His father must know he wouldn’t agree to this… So, what he was actually implying was that these five hundred people were all the support the family could offer at the moment. Although five hundred might be a bit few for the Green family, it was sufficient for him. It seemed his father had encountered some obstacles and had to use this method to help him! With these thoughts in mind, Du Fan kept a calm expression and simply shook his head slightly, saying, “Is it really necessary? I’m just a child. Bringing just a dozen or so guards is enough. Bringing such a large group would be too conspicuous.” Daniel shook his head and said, “No, Young Master Du Fan, you should still bring some. Otherwise, I won’t be at ease.” Du Fan smiled bitterly inwardly, knowing this was Daniel showing concern for him. Realizing he couldn’t refuse, he simply selected a dozen or so guards, rounding them up to a hundred, before getting on the carriage and setting off in a grand procession toward the cathedral in the capital. Book 17: Turbulences in the Capital