Chapter 017: A Deceptive Plan

The afternoon sky darkened at some point, with wind bringing layers of clouds that nearly blocked all light. In the forest, without sunlight, everything appeared extremely gloomy. It was already quite remarkable to be able to see clearly within a few meters under such conditions.

Du Fan rode his horse, absentmindedly drawing his bow to shoot arrows. His archery skills weren’t exceptional, but he possessed the two essential elements for mounted archery—vision and strength—so he had managed to achieve some results along the way.

Landy followed behind him in silence. Whenever Du Fan caught prey, Landy would carefully pick it up and hang it behind his saddle, just like a most loyal servant would do. However, as he did all this, Landy seemed to deliberately lead Du Fan deeper into the forest. Du Fan wasn’t sure if he had noticed this, but he followed slowly, curious about the surroundings.

Finally, the view cleared up. In the center of the forest lay a large open area. Seeing Du Fan led there, Landy seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his gaze slowly lowering.

Du Fan, on the other hand, looked around for a moment before softly sighing and saying, “Young Master Landy… is this the place you and Garfield chose for me?”

Landy was clearly stunned and didn’t know what to say for a moment. When he looked up at Du Fan’s half-smiling expression, he suddenly felt uneasy. But after all, Landy was a capable man, and he quickly dismissed those strange thoughts. He instinctively stepped back a few steps before smiling lightly and saying, “What are you saying, Duke? It’s an honor for me, Landy, to be able to choose a burial site for the Duke!”

Du Fan’s expression was indistinguishable between anger and confusion. He simply stared at Landy, then sighed slightly, showing a look of regret. “There’s one thing I’ve always not understood… For example, when I last visited Silo Province, your Lionheart family allied with Garfield to take my life… And it’s the same this time… I just can’t figure out what advantage this brings to your Lionheart family.”

Randy smirked coldly and said, “Duke Du Fan, there are many things in life for which no reason is needed… Our Lionheart family always thinks ahead and prefers to nip threats in the bud. A hundred years ago, we failed to see the threat posed by the Green family, but this time, we definitely won’t make the same mistake!”
Du Fan shook his head and smiled bitterly. “It seems I really should feel honored—after all, I couldn’t even figure out what threat I might pose to you… But since the Lionheart family values me so highly, it seems I can’t escape this time, can I?”
Randy shook his head. “It’s hard to say. Duke Du Fan is extremely skilled. I’m not even confident I can keep you here this time. But without trying, who knows what the outcome will be? I suppose, with your intelligence, you must have realized already that today’s ‘hunt’ is a bad idea. If that’s the case, how dare you come alone without any preparation?”
Du Fan smiled. “No matter how well prepared I am, it can’t compare to yours… Young Master Randy, it seems now isn’t the time for idle talk, is it? The gift you prepared for me doesn’t seem as calm as I thought!”
Suddenly, rapid breathing sounds began to come from all directions, filled with murderous intent, as if capable of freezing a person instantly.
Hearing this, Randy sighed inwardly. He gave Du Fan a faint smile and said, “I’m sorry, Duke!”
Then he waved his hand sharply and ordered, “Go!”
With a soft sigh, the sound of horse hooves came from all sides of the jungle. In the blink of an eye, dozens of black-armored cavalry riders emerged from the jungle!
Both the riders and their warhorses were clad in heavy armor. Each of these riders held a three-meter-long spear, charging at Du Fan from all directions.
Du Fan shook his head slightly and sighed, “Using such tactics to keep me, Du Fan? You really underestimate me!”
With that, he gently pulled on the reins, and his horse rushed toward the center of the air. At the same time, he turned and swung his sword—“Whoosh!”—a streak of lightning shot toward Randy.

Randy casually drew the long sword at his waist; in the next instant, lightning flashed as he chopped the opponent to dust. Then he shook his head slightly, gazing at the scene, and let out a low sigh audible only to him, saying, “Du Fan, oh Du Fan! I hope you don’t die so quickly… At least let me know what kind of strength Garfield really has!”
Du Fan had already reached the center of the air. With a faint bitter smile, he said in a low voice, “I was going to ask whether you wanted to attack one by one or all at once. It seems there’s no need to ask now!”
With that, he waved his hands, and soon several wind blades, fireballs, ice shards, and other spells flew in all directions. But the black-armored knights charging forward simultaneously raised their long spears. A glow of combat energy flashed, followed by a clanging sound, blocking most of Du Fan’s spells. The remaining few hit the crowd and had no effect.
After this wave of attacks, Du Fan didn’t move at all. The fastest black-armored knight had already reached him. With a roar, he swung his spear, creating a storm-like vortex that rushed toward Du Fan’s chest. Given the power of this strike, it seemed intended to pierce Du Fan through in one go.
But Du Fan neither dodged nor avoided. Instead, he looked at the spear with a strange expression on his face.
Seeing this, Randy wasn’t pleased at all; instead, his gaze took on an even more peculiar tone…
“Kill!!!”
The black-armored knight at the front shouted loudly. His spear had already struck Du Fan’s chest. With a “thud,” Du Fan couldn’t even block the first strike and was sent flying into the air!
The black-armored knight, laughing maniacally, sharply spurred his horse. The horse leaped vigorously, carrying him at high speed toward Du Fan. At the same time, a dark shadow surged from his hand as the tip of his spear pointed downward at Du Fan’s head.
A fatal blow!
Seeing this, even the black-armored knights charging forward pulled back on their reins, because in their eyes, Du Fan was no different from a dead man!
The spear pierced Du Fan’s head, and with a “boom,” he was smashed deep into the ground. The black-armored knight landed nearby, holding the reins tightly, staring intently at the deep pit just formed…

This black-armored knight didn’t know why he had such strange behavior. Logically, anyone who was injured in both the chest, abdomen, and head should not be able to survive. Yet, he felt something strange—as if all his attacks had hit a sponge, leaving a sense of emptiness and softness… This feeling sparked a strange fear in him… Fortunately, it seemed the opponent was truly dead… The black-armored knight was just relieved when, suddenly, a “whoosh” sound came from the debris in the pit ahead, and Du Fan slowly stood up. He wore a peculiar smile, his clothes still spotless, as if he hadn’t been hit at all. Then he shook his head slightly and said gently to the black-armored knight in front of him, “If I’m not wrong, you must be the strongest among these people, right?” At that smile, the knight felt icy cold all over, and cold sweat poured down instantly. Normally, he should have continued attacking, but for some reason, he replied in a trembling voice, “Yes, that’s right.” Du Fan nodded and smiled, saying, “I see… Garfield is really kind to me. Knowing he wants to have a good fight with me later, he had to find something to warm me up first. These knights at level five or six make a decent warm-up… Well, I’ll just obey!” Then, Du Fan suddenly raised his hand slightly and pointed at the knight’s head; a blade of energy emerged from his fingertips… With a “pop,” a blood spray erupted from the knight’s head, and his body slowly collapsed to the ground, still twitching slightly… Seeing this, Du Fan smiled again, as if speaking to the black-armored knights around him or to himself, and said softly, “See? Actually, I, Du Fan, am not someone who shows mercy. If someone wants my life, I certainly won’t hold back… But if no one bothers me, I won’t go to such lengths either… So, will you keep attacking, or just turn and leave?”