8: Chapter 8 Old Deng, I have a Daoist partner.

A long, pitch-black aircraft broke through the air and landed steadily on the temporary landing pad outside the Shi Shui Secret Realm, its Aura imposing.

The cabin door slid open slowly. Wen Xinran turned her head to glance at Li Fan, her eyes filled with a mix of resentment and lingering attachment, but she turned back and stepped into the cabin without saying a word.

"Holy crap, that's a Xuan Tian luxury airship! Whose Young Miss is that?"

"Duh, can't you see the 'Wen Family Pharmaceutical Group' on the side? Are you blind?"

The nearby personnel from the Secret Realm Administration Bureau whispered among themselves, but Li Fan didn't care in the slightest.

Even though he knew Wen Xinran, like Qian Zhenzhen, came from a wealthy and prestigious background, he believed in taking things as they came.

He looked up at the setting sun on the horizon and sighed softly.

He probably wouldn't be able to go to his newly assigned Advanced apartment for the time being. Breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm ahead of schedule violated the rules of the Xuan Gui Department, so he had to go through the procedures at the Judgment Division first; he might even have to spend the whole night there.

Before long, Li Fan stood in front of a tall, imposing building.

The entire building had little decoration, looking like a giant black steel box that radiated a cold, unapproachable air. It was the headquarters of the Judgment Division in charge of the Yan Region.

He had already submitted an explanation application on his student terminal, and following the terminal's guidance, he passed through multiple identity verifications.

He was finally guided to a spacious room and sat down on a chair facing a huge glass window.

Li Fan had already seen the relevant procedures while surfing the web.

The room looked like it only had one chair, but behind the walls were countless information collection and scanning instruments, running continuously to analyze his every move.

Behind that one-way glass, there were probably a dozen Judgment Division personnel sitting, each performing their duties.

They were conducting a comprehensive assessment of him, including psychological, safety, and behavioral aspects, based on various data.

The entire assessment process would last three or four hours, and during that time, no one would communicate with him.

Li Fan simply slumped into the relatively comfortable seat, his thoughts drifting.

"I wonder what Qian Zhenzhen and Wen Xinran are doing right now?"

On the other side, at the Qian Family mansion.

After leaving Li Fan's old apartment, Qian Zhenzhen had wandered outside with a group of guards for most of the day before returning home.

By now, the sky was dark, and Mr. Qian had already returned home.

When she passed the main hall, she deliberately walked lightly, tiptoeing, for fear of disturbing her father sitting inside.

"Zhen'er, you've been busy outside for so long; don't you want to see your father when you return?"

An old and dignified voice rang out. Qian Zhenzhen's heart skipped a beat; she knew she couldn't hide anymore. With a glum face, she shuffled into the main hall very reluctantly.

In the center, sitting on a sandalwood chair, Mr. Qian was holding a teacup, sipping tea, his eyes fixed on her with a heavy gaze.

Qian Zhenzhen calculated in her heart that the old man would know sooner or later, so she decided to just give up and break the pot—she was about to speak...

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the Wen Family mansion.

Wen Xinran had just stepped out of the airship. Under the octagonal pavilion not far away, Mr. Wen had been waiting there for a long time.

Seeing her return, he immediately used spiritual power to transmit his voice, his tone full of concern.

"Did you get hurt in the Secret Realm?"

Wen Xinran shook her head gently, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

"Nothing serious. On the contrary, my cultivation has even improved a bit."

Mr. Wen nodded upon hearing this, his eyes full of relief.

"Xinran is still sensible, unlike your sister, who is always away from home after growing up. Who knows which man she's been abducted by."

"It's also my fault for being too strict with her when she was young."

Wen Xinran just smiled, but Li Fan's image suddenly flashed in her mind, and she couldn't help but feel a bit hesitant.

Mr. Wen was very sharp; he saw his daughter's hidden thoughts at a glance. He immediately put down his teacup and asked softly,

"What's wrong, Xinran? If you have any difficulties, just tell Dad; Dad will support you."

A father's love is like a mountain, which instantly strengthened Wen Xinran's determination. She was also about to speak...

In the two mansions, two voices rang out simultaneously, though the tones were completely different.

"Old man, I have a Dao Companion!"

"Dad, I have a Dao Companion."

In the Qian Family main hall, with a crisp "clatter," the white jade teacup in Mr. Qian's hand smashed heavily onto the floor, and shards scattered everywhere.

He stood up, pointed at Qian Zhenzhen, and was so angry that his beard bristled.

"I've introduced so many Outstanding Talents from the Yan Region to you, and you wouldn't even meet them! You've only been out for a few days, and you dare to say you have a Dao Companion?"

His furious gaze swept over his daughter. Seeing her indifferent expression, as if she hadn't listened to a word he said, Mr. Qian was even more enraged.

"Did I indulge you too much, making you lawless?"

Qian Zhenzhen pursed her lips and didn't make a sound. Anyway, she had done plenty of things to anger her father since she was a child.

Mr. Qian suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, and asked in a deep voice,

"Who is it? When did you become Dao Companions? What is his family background?"

"A student from Yan High School. He's currently just a prospective Dao Companion. Thirty days from now, either he becomes my Dao Companion in my palm, or... anyway, sooner or later he'll be mine!"

Qian Zhenzhen mumbled, thinking of the bet in thirty days. She was determined to win against Li Fan and make him obediently yield.

Hearing that it was only a "prospective Dao Companion" and not officially decided, Mr. Qian's anger dissipated by more than half.

Looking at this only precious daughter, he couldn't bring himself to scold her too harshly, so he said earnestly,

"Are those men that Dad found for you not good enough? Each of them has the same [Elite Talent] Aptitude as you, and their family backgrounds are well-matched with our Qian Family. What's wrong with them?"

"Why do you have to choose such a boy of unknown origin? Don't be fooled by his sweet talk!"

Qian Zhenzhen immediately stood up for Li Fan.

"What 'unknown origin'! He is a formal student of Yan High School. His family background is a bit ordinary, but his Aptitude is much better than those Outstanding Talents you mentioned! He has an [Outstanding Talent] Aptitude!"

"[Outstanding Talent]?"

The remaining anger in Mr. Qian's heart instantly vanished, replaced by intense curiosity and surprise.

There were very few [Outstanding Talent] Aptitudes in the Yan Region; you could count them on both hands.

He had thought his daughter was bewitched by some young punk, but he didn't expect there to be some substance to it.

You must know, the few well-matched Outstanding Talents he had selected for his daughter were no joke.

The [Elite Talent] Aptitude rating was held by only about a hundred people out of millions in the Yan Region.

"He is an [Outstanding Talent] who was just evaluated right in front of me. Your daughter's judgment isn't that bad."

"He's actually a newly evaluated [Outstanding Talent]?"

Mr. Qian coughed twice, raised his hand towards the teacup shards on the floor, and with a surge of spiritual power, the shards were restored and fell back into his hand.

He poured tea, even pouring a cup for Qian Zhenzhen, his tone instantly softening.

"Come, my good daughter, drink some tea to moisten your throat."

Qian Zhenzhen glanced at him with disdain and waved her hand.

"Too lazy to drink, it's bitter. I've been running around all day, I'm going to wash up."

After saying that, she turned and left, leaving Mr. Qian watching her back as he sipped his tea.

"She's exactly like her mother when she was young."

Thinking of this, Mr. Qian smiled helplessly. If it weren't for her mother's fierce personality, they might not have been able to stay together against the opposition of her family back then.

...

Under the octagonal pavilion of the Wen Family mansion, the atmosphere was quite different.

Hearing Wen Xinran's words, Mr. Wen seemed calm. He sipped his tea and asked leisurely,

"What kind of person is he? Tell your dad about him."

Wen Xinran looked at her father's hands, which couldn't stop trembling as he held the tea, and asked with concern,

"Dad, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, nothing," Mr. Wen quickly put down the teacup, waved his hand, and made an excuse.

"I recently caught a cold, and my body feels a bit weak, it's nothing serious."

Wen Xinran tilted her head in confusion. Her father was a genuine Golden Core Cultivator; how could he easily catch a cold? But since her father said it was fine, she didn't ask further.

She recalled Li Fan's appearance, and a blush appeared on her cheeks involuntarily.

"He... his body is very sturdy, and also very warm, and then..."

As soon as these words came out, Mr. Wen's teacup almost slipped from his grip, and a few drops of tea spilled out. He coughed twice, pretending to be calm.

"No matter, continue."

Although Wen Xinran felt her father was a bit strange, she continued.

"His Aptitude is also very good, but he is a bit... a bit of a rascal!"

Speaking of this, she remembered how Li Fan had seen her naked in the Secret Realm and pretended to be ignorant. She immediately puffed up her cheeks, waved her little fists, and her eyes were filled with resentment.

"I must beat him up! In thirty days!"

Seeing his daughter's jumping logic—blushing one second, and fuming the next—Mr. Wen felt helpless and could only change to a specific question.

"How long have you known each other?"

"About... half a day?" Wen Xinran thought carefully. From meeting in the Secret Realm to leaving, it was only a few short hours.

"Half a day?!"

Mr. Wen could no longer sit still. He stood up, paced back and forth under the pavilion, and frowned.

He reflected on whether he was too protective of his daughter, raising her too simply, to the point where she had her heart stolen by a boy of unknown origin she had only known for half a day.

"Could it be that what her sister said was right, and I really was too strict?" Mr. Wen muttered to himself.

After a long time, he stopped, sat down again, and patiently asked Wen Xinran about everything else regarding Li Fan.

Background, school, cultivation, Aptitude, every detail.

After learning "all the information" from his daughter, while omitting certain key points, Mr. Wen let out a long sigh of relief, and his hanging heart returned to his stomach.

"That's good, that's good. At least he's not some malicious person; he's even... a good seed."

The [Outstanding Talent] Aptitude in the Yan Region was rare to begin with. Li Fan had this talent at such a young age, so his future was promising.

As for an ordinary family background? His Wen Family was a top family in the Yan Region, holding the Wen Family Pharmaceutical Group; would they care about such things?

As long as his daughter liked him and his Aptitude was outstanding, that was enough.

He didn't want to drive away another daughter.

Thinking of this, Mr. Wen actually felt that this Li Fan might really be okay.

He looked at Wen Xinran and suddenly asked, "What about this thirty days later you mentioned?"

Seeing her father ask, Wen Xinran immediately explained.

"He is currently only my prospective Dao Companion. After the bet in thirty days, I'll win against him, make him apologize to me, and vent this anger..."

Speaking of this, her cheeks flushed again, and her voice lowered a bit.

"Only after he apologizes will I let him formally be my Dao Companion."

This was her little secret. Li Fan was such a rascal in the Secret Realm; it was impossible to make him apologize voluntarily.

Only by winning against him with strength in the bet and making him willingly yield could she vent the shame and anger of being seen naked.

As for losing? Wen Xinran had never even thought of that possibility.

She was now at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, and Li Fan was just a newcomer who had just broken through to the Qi Refining Realm.

Even if he was exceptionally talented and made progress in thirty days, at most he would be at the second or third level of the Qi Refining Realm. How could he be her match?

Once she won the bet, he would have no choice but to listen to her.

Thinking of this, Wen Xinran couldn't help but curl her lips and giggle foolishly.

Looking at his daughter's silly, naive appearance, Mr. Wen's heart, which had just relaxed, inexplicably felt a bad premonition.

"Xinran wouldn't be like her mother..."

Thinking of this, Mr. Wen smiled with relief. If it weren't for her mother being silly, he wouldn't have been able to fool her back then. Children have their own fortunes, let it be.