ragginovel Chapter 11 Family Mission
Chapter 11 Family Mission
Under the blazing sun at noon, Du Fan was studying a spiritual herb in the herb garden when he was interrupted by a voice.
"Brother Du!" Little Tiger ran over from a distance.
"Why are you here instead of focusing on your cultivation? How's your Golden Life Technique coming along?" Du Fan was a little surprised to see Xiao Hu, but he quickly put on a smile.
"Never mind me, Brother Du, something terrible has happened! Sister Ruoxi... she's being forced into marriage!" Xiao Hu ran up to Du Fan, panting heavily.
"Forced marriage? Tell me slowly." Du Fan frowned as he listened to Xiao Hu's rambling words.
"I just heard the news myself, this morning..."
Xiao Hu then slowly recounted the whole story, and Du Fan gradually understood the whole situation. It turned out that the white-robed youth who tested the spiritual roots of the Yao family members last time was named Wu Hao, a prodigy among the younger generation of the Zishan Sect. At a young age, his cultivation had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.
Ever since Wu Hao met Ruoxi at the Yao family's house, he had fallen in love with her at first sight.
Wu Hao's father was a high-ranking member of the Zishan Sect. Upon learning of his son's situation, he readily agreed and prepared betrothal gifts to propose marriage to the Yao family in accordance with worldly customs. The Yao family head accepted the betrothal gifts and agreed to the marriage.
However, upon learning of this, Yao Ruoxi refused to agree and even threatened to confront Wu Hao to clarify the matter. The Yao family head was furious and confined her to her room, forbidding her from leaving.
Yao Ruoxi refused to back down and even threatened to go on a hunger strike. This enraged Yao Batian, and the relationship between the father and daughter became quite tense.
"If Ruoxi could marry him, that would be quite good."
The image of the white-clad youth flashed through Du Fan's mind. In terms of appearance, speech, demeanor, temperament, personality, and character, he was definitely a perfect match.
Moreover, judging from his appearance, the other party's cultivation aptitude is exceptional, and he also has a distinguished background, indicating a limitless future. If Ruoxi could marry him, it would be the best choice by any measure. However, everything ultimately depends on Ruoxi's own willingness.
"So Ruoxi really went on a hunger strike?" Du Fan asked again with some concern.
"That was just for show for others and the head of the family. Sister Ruoxi is so smart, how could she really do such a thing! She has already secretly discussed it with me, and I will secretly send her food every night." Xiaohu looked smug.
"You guys..." Du Fan was both amused and exasperated, truly at a loss with these two. However, he felt that this wasn't a long-term solution.
"Steward Du, how have you been lately?"
Du Fan looked up and saw that the person who came was none other than Steward Xiao. He dared not be negligent and stepped forward to greet him.
Although Xiao Hu was already an inner disciple of the Cultivation Academy and usually acted arrogantly, he still respected Steward Xiao and hurriedly paid his respects.
"Steward Du, I have a task for you. You need to accompany us to the Purple Mountain Sect for this year's distribution of spiritual herbs. We'll depart tomorrow." Steward Xiao wasn't surprised to see Xiao Hu there. He nodded to him and then said this to Du Fan.
"Every year, Brother Hu only needs to lead the team, so why do I have to go with him this year?" Du Fan asked, puzzled.
"Little Tiger, hurry back to your cultivation. Don't forget the inner disciple assessment in two months." Steward Xiao didn't reply immediately, but instead glanced at Little Tiger expressionlessly and said indifferently.
"Yes, Little Tiger will take his leave." Little Tiger stuck out his tongue and turned to leave.
"Manager Du, I'll be frank. Since you modified these spiritual herbs of the Zishan Sect three years ago, the production has increased significantly. Naturally, my Yao family did not report this increase to the Zishan Sect, but secretly handled it to gain benefits."
This matter is of great benefit to my Yao family, but it also carries certain risks. If the Zishan Sect finds out about this, although it won't lead to the immediate extermination of the entire family, it will definitely not be a good thing.
From now on, we will never again have the trust and protection of the Zishan Sect. Even if the Zishan Sect forgives us for the past contributions of the Yao family over the years, without the support of the Zishan Sect, the Yao family will be wiped out sooner or later due to the grudges we have accumulated over the years and our decline.
Tianxiang Kingdom is not just a cultivation sect like Zishan Sect; the forces involved in various aspects are intertwined, and the slightest carelessness could lead to utter destruction.
"Sending you over there this time is just in case. Your knowledge of plants is profound. If the other party has any doubts during the inspection, you can smooth things over. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be any problems, so you don't need to worry too much." Butler Xiao said something that greatly surprised Du Fan.
Du Fan actually knew the reasoning behind it, but he didn't expect Butler Xiao to tell him so directly.
"Thanks to the trust of Steward Xiao and the Yao family, I will do my utmost to accomplish this task," Du Fan replied solemnly.
"Hmm, good. You have a calm personality and are loyal to the Yao family. I trust you. Leave things here to your subordinates. Go back and prepare as soon as possible."
"In addition, I've added a squad of guards to escort the herbs, specifically to ensure your safety. You don't need to worry about your safety on the journey." After saying this, Steward Xiao left without allowing Du Fan to say anything more.
"Thank you, Steward Xiao," Du Fan said, bowing to his retreating figure.
The Imperial Guards are private soldiers trained by the Yao family with a large amount of financial resources. Their strength is above that of the courtyard guards and below that of the cultivators. They are the strongest fighting force that the Yao family can show off. Even the Yao family, the number one family in Tianxiang Kingdom, only has a few thousand of them.
The fact that the Yao family was able to send a separate team to protect Du Fan shows just how much they value him.
The next morning, Hu Daniu brought two people to Du Fan's residence. Hu Daniu was the inner disciple of the Yao family who was in charge of escorting the spiritual herbs each time, and his cultivation was at the peak of the first level of Qi Refining.
Hu Daniu, also known as Uncle Hu in Yao Ruoxi's words, once gifted her a golden goose knife. He was a burly man with a thick beard and a forthright personality, and Du Fan had a very good impression of him.
"Manager Du, let me introduce you. These two are outer disciples of the Yao family, Zhang Yan and Wang Shan. Their cultivation has reached the peak of the Quasi-Qi Refining stage, only half a step away from the first level of Qi Refining."
"With these two brothers helping us, this trip will be much smoother. As for safety, Manager Du, you can rest assured." Hu Daniu glared and spoke in a booming voice to Du Fan.
"Then I'll have to trouble you two brothers," Du Fan said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"Manager Du, you're too kind. This is our duty."
"Yes, Steward Du is highly regarded by the master of the family. It is said that he is also very knowledgeable about plants. We may have to rely on Brother Du in the future."
"Of course. Please have the three of you double-check the list of medicinal herbs to ensure everything is in order," Du Fan said with a slight smile, speaking cautiously.
……
An hour later, the Yao family's large entourage appeared on the official road leading to the Zishan Sect.
More than twenty carriages carrying medicinal herbs stretched out in a long line. Each carriage was guarded by a pair of armored guards. They were fully armored, with golden swords at their waists that gleamed coldly in the sunlight, giving them a menacing and intimidating appearance.
At the very front of these five or six hundred armored guards, there were five people on horseback. Three of them were Hu Daniu, Zhang Yan, and Wang Shan, three cultivators from the Yao family. There was also a burly young man dressed in what appeared to be a general's uniform. This man was a commander from the Yao family, surnamed Han, who was in charge of the armored guards for this mission. The remaining person was naturally Du Fan.
Behind the five people was a squad of armored guards, but there were no medicinal herbs or carriages nearby. It was a squad of armored guards specially sent by the Yao family head to protect Du Fan.
Three hours later, the group was dozens of miles away from Tianxiang City when they came to a fork in the road. One road led to an official road to a town in Tianxiang Kingdom, while the other unassuming path was the only way to reach Zishan Sect, one of the three major cultivation sects in Tianxiang Kingdom.
At the fork in the road, there is also a rather large open-air teahouse.
"Manager Du, Commander Han, how about we rest here for a while?" Hu Daniu noticed that Du Fan looked tired, and judging from his appearance, Manager Du wasn't very good at riding horses, as he looked even more exhausted, so he suggested.
"I'm in charge of the safety of this trip, so it's inconvenient for me to leave the group. Please understand, everyone. Just rest." Commander Han said expressionlessly, neither objecting to the suggestion nor showing any intention of dismounting for tea.
"Haha, Commander Han is always so dedicated to his duties, which makes us feel bad. Commander Han, please wait a moment, we'll have a cup of tea and then head back." Hu Daniu chuckled and then got up and dismounted with Zhang Yan and Wang Shan.
Du Fan gave Commander Han an apologetic smile and followed Hu Daniu and the others into the teahouse, where they chose an empty spot to sit down.
"Manager Du, Commander Han is a cautious and serious man who is devoted to the public good. He is not targeting you, so please don't take it to heart." After they sat down, a waiter poured tea for the four of them. Hu Daniu picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and explained to Du Fan.
"Brother Hu, you're overthinking it. I understand. I should thank you for getting me out of that predicament earlier. As you can see, I'm not very good at riding horses. If we had continued for a while, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to keep going." Du Fan was slightly surprised, but he still sincerely thanked him.
"It's only right that we look after each other when we're out together, so please don't be so polite, Steward Du. Although the three of us are cultivators, we're different from others. We don't have any airs of superiority. Steward Du, please don't hold back when you're with us." Hu Daniu suddenly remembered something and stared at Du Fan, speaking heartily.
"That's right, Steward Du and we shouldn't stand on ceremony."
"Yes, I think Brother Du is a man of strong character. We can easily crack dirty jokes together, haha..."
Du Fan was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but smile. He thought to himself that these three brothers must be considered oddities among cultivators, but he preferred people like them.