455: Chapter 455 Surprise, My Good Brother

Woo—Whoosh—

At Dongdu International Airport, a Gulfstream G550, as sleek as a falcon, accelerated low across the ground before lifting its nose and charging into the sky.

Unlike the lengthy queuing and waiting of commercial Flights.

This private airplane only made a brief stop at the exclusive apron before taxiing and taking off directly from the runway.

Accompanied by the dull roar of the engines, the plane pierced through the grayish mist over Dongdu and plunged headfirst into the azure firmament.

When the fuselage stabilized, the scenery outside the window had already transformed into a magnificent sea of clouds.

Fang Cheng sat in the soft and comfortable leather seat, withdrawing his gaze from the rapidly shrinking city map outside the porthole.

Then, he turned to inspect the private jet cabin, which could well be called an "air palace".

Unlike the compact layout of commercial Flights, this place looked more like a luxuriously appointed and elegantly decorated living room.

Soft beige high-pile carpets, delicately textured polished walnut finishes, and embedded wall lamps exuding a warm yellow halo.

The air was also filled with a faint scent mixed with leather and a certain Advanced aromatherapy.

"Having money is indeed great..."

Fang Cheng leaned his body back into the spacious seat, feeling the just-right sense of enclosure, and silently praised in his heart.

No crowded terminals, no long waits—this was the purest efficiency brought by money.

Diagonally across from Fang Cheng, Lin Chuqiao was quietly reading a thick hardcover book, its pages printed with strange foreign characters.

On the seat beside her, Bailing appeared somewhat constrained, her nimble eyes curiously looking around.

Clearly, just like Fang Cheng, it was her first time experiencing such a luxurious journey.

The reason Bailing appeared here was Lin Chuqiao's decision after weighing the options.

Ever since talking with Fang Cheng that night and guessing that the professor and Crow might be in trouble, this girl had been restless, finding Lin Chuqiao—the team's strategist—at the very first moment to seek her help.

Upon learning the situation, Lin Chuqiao acted quickly, using her own channels to purchase intelligence and launch a preliminary analysis.

Then she contacted Fang Cheng to jointly discuss the plan to go to Tiannan Province for a field investigation.

She originally wanted to act alone with Fang Cheng, but she really couldn't resist Bailing's persistence.

At the same time, considering that Bailing's disguise ability might come in handy during the investigation, she ultimately agreed to her request to accompany them.

As for the other two in the team, Dachui was obsessed with the casino poker table, while Monkey had returned to his hometown to visit the orphans of his comrades-in-arms.

Lin Chuqiao and Bailing tacitly chose not to disturb the two, lest it increase their worries to no avail.

Moreover, according to Lin Chuqiao's words, having Fang Cheng alone act as a martial backup was enough to put their minds at ease.

Fang Cheng's gaze lingered on the two companions for a brief moment before casting it back toward the sea of clouds outside the window.

At this moment, the partition door of the front lounge unlocked with a click and was gently pushed open to slide to both sides.

A tall and robust figure, clustered by two Flight attendants in exquisite uniforms and graceful postures, walked out with bold strides.

"Surprise! My good brother, surprised or not, unexpected or not?!"

The newcomer had a robust build, wearing a floral shirt, and was none other than the fitness coach he hadn't seen for a long time, Pan Wendi.

He opened his arms, revealing a smile that was somewhat exaggeratedly brilliant, his bronze chest muscles looming vaguely under the open silk shirt.

"Pan Wendi, how old are you, still playing such childish tricks."

Lin Chuqiao didn't even raise her head as she turned a page, her crisp voice carrying a hint of helplessness.

She then closed the book, turned to Fang Cheng, and smiled apologetically:

"I originally wanted to tell you over the phone, but my cousin insisted on pulling this stunt, calling it a welcome ceremony."

Fang Cheng suddenly understood, and then he also started to smile.

So the "friend" going to Tiannan Province for vacation that Lin Chuqiao mentioned was this guy.

No wonder when boarding earlier, he was still wondering why only Lin Chuqiao and Bailing were traveling together, yet the generous owner of the plane was nowhere to be seen.

"It really is a surprise."

Fang Cheng stood up and shook hands with Pan Wendi.

The other party's palm was broad and powerful, full of the traces of exercise.

"Haha, I knew it!"

Pan Wendi vigorously patted Fang Cheng's shoulder, his eyes filled with undisguised excitement:

"Brother, ever since coming back from Yongan Island, I've missed you to death!"

"If it weren't for you back then, my cousin and I probably would've met our end at the hands of those bastards from the Noah Organization."

He smacked his lips, seeming still immersed in the memories of that thrilling breakout, wearing a look of reflected glory.

"Sigh, thinking back now, you alone forcibly dragged us out from among hundreds of people and carved a bloody path..."

"That scene, tsk, simply put, I can still dream about it to this day, it was truly fucking exhilarating!"

After a pause, he said with some regret:

"After returning to Dongdu, I originally wanted to go find and play with you immediately, but my mom insisted that I suffered 'shock' and needed quiet recuperation, forcibly locking me at home for a full three months!"

Pan Wendi wore a look of indignation, intentionally flexing his biceps, the solid contour almost bursting through his shirt.

"Look at this physique of mine, does it look like I need to nurse an injury?"

"I'm telling you, these past two months at home I haven't been idle, lifting weights every day, feeling even stronger than before!"

This guy was still the same as before; once his chatterbox opened, it couldn't be closed.

Fang Cheng patiently acted as a listener, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

"Right."

Pan Wendi slapped his thigh regretfully again:

"If there had been an airport on Yongan Island back then, I would have flown my 'War Eagle' right over. Who would need to take that lousy boat?"

"Fang Cheng, if you plan to go back to visit those monsters of the Zhenxiang Society in the future, let me know, and we'll go together..."

"Cough cough."

Lin Chuqiao gently coughed twice, interrupting Pan Wendi's endless stream of words.

Pan Wendi immediately understood, gave a chuckle, and scratched his head, saying:

"Of course, being able to come out this time is mainly thanks to my cousin."

"If she hadn't said she was going to Tiannan to attend some academic seminar and take a casual vacation, complaining that being alone was too lonely and insisting on dragging me along as company, my mom wouldn't have been willing to let me out!"

"So, you have to remember my goodness."

Lin Chuqiao picked up a cup of lemonade, took a slow sip, and said:

"When we arrive in Tiannan, behave and obey, don't cause me trouble."

"You should know the rules of the Pan Family better than I do. If Aunt and Grandpa find out you're messing around outside, your days probably won't be easy in the future."

"Got it, got it."

Pan Wendi immediately restrained himself a lot, sitting on a nearby sofa, while still muttering under his breath:

"I definitely don't want to go back to that lousy Secret Realm to Cultivate; going inside is like being in prison. I really don't know how those old guys manage to stay there..."

Fang Cheng listened quietly, understanding in his heart.

It could be seen that as a great family, the Pan Family had very strict rules.

Pan Wendi seemed to want to complain a few more times, but catching a glimpse of his cousin's half-smiling gaze, he immediately brushed it off with a laugh.

His eyes rolled, and suddenly he grew interested again, intentionally sweeping his gaze back and forth between Fang Cheng and Lin Chuqiao, dragging out his tone to say:

"However, being able to come out this time, besides thanking my good cousin who is both accomplished and pure-hearted, I also have to thank brother Fang Cheng."

"After all, people... whom she can care about so much and make a personal trip to Tiannan for are quite rare."

The hint between his words made even Bailing cover her mouth and giggle secretly.

A faint blush quietly flew onto Lin Chuqiao's cheeks. She glared at Pan Wendi, her gaze extremely penetrating.

Pan Wendi shrank his neck and immediately raised his hands to surrender, daring not to continue this topic.

Then, he cleared his throat, stood up, and imitated the tone of a professional Flight attendant:

"Cough cough, dear distinguished passengers, welcome aboard this 'Wendi Airlines' Flight WD888."

"This Flight is flying from Dongdu to Cui City, with an estimated airborne Flight time of three hours and twenty-five minutes, and a Flight altitude of twelve thousand meters. During this period, we will provide you with the most distinguished service..."

His vivid and lifelike imitation once again made Bailing giggle happily.

Having finished fooling around, Pan Wendi Xiaosa snapped his fingers, and instructed the two Flight attendants who had been smiling and standing quietly:

"Alright, go prepare some drinks for our distinguished guests. Remember to take special care of this handsome big guy Fang Cheng; he is our most important VIP."

"Alright, Young Master."

One of the Flight attendants with chestnut wavy curly hair walked over with elegant steps.

She slightly leaned down, a delicate and elegant fragrance of perfume drifting into their nostrils, her voice so soft it could almost drip water:

"Mr. Fang, what would you like to drink? We have freshly ground Blue Mountain coffee, as well as whiskey cellared for thirty years..."

The Flight attendant's gaze was bold and direct, as if carrying hooks, wanting to scrape a layer of something off Fang Cheng's extremely Yingjun face.

Before Fang Cheng could answer, Lin Chuqiao had already walked over holding a cup of freshly brewed hot tea, impartially blocking right between the Flight attendant and Fang Cheng.

A flawless smile hung on her face, yet her gaze was as calm as a deep pool.

"His stomach is bad; he can't drink irritating things."

Lin Chuqiao gently placed the white porcelain teacup in her hand onto the tabletop in front of Fang Cheng, her tone as natural as if recounting a very ordinary matter in the capacity of a girlfriend:

"Just drinking some hot tea is fine."

The smile on that Flight attendant's face froze slightly, and she immediately bowed and retreated tactfully.

Only then did Lin Chuqiao sit down opposite Fang Cheng with satisfaction, as if nothing had happened just now.

Fang Cheng picked up the teacup, feeling the warm cup wall, but in his heart he felt somewhat between laughter and tears.

Stomach is bad?

You must know, I even swallowed alive and devoured filthy things like the crimson eye!

On the other side, Bailing had enthusiastically pulled Pan Wendi to teach her how to play a complex card game.

The two quickly gathered together, sending out bursts of laughter and playful noises.

The corner of Fang Cheng and Lin Chuqiao became quiet again in atmosphere.

The noise seemed to be isolated at the other end of the cabin.

Lin Chuqiao took out a stack of printed documents from her carry-on leather bag as well, and the title was strikingly "Tiannan Province Chen Family Curse Case".

"It seems we thought of the same thing."

She smiled amusedly and pushed the document to the center of the table: "I also bought a piece of intelligence from Naihe Bridge the day before yesterday."

"Besides buying intelligence, I also took on the task of solving this case along the way."

Fang Cheng subsequently added a sentence.

Hearing this, a flash of understanding passed through Lin Chuqiao's eyes.

"That's fine too; it will be more convenient for us to act."

She didn't ask much more, instead opening the documents.

The two huddled together, attempting to conduct a deeper analysis of this bizarre case.

"Three victims, three ways of dying."

"One was scared to death alive, another seemed to be deprived of their mind and actively sought death, and one died silently in their sleep."

Fang Cheng slightly furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice:

"The only common point is that there was no fierce battle before death; it doesn't look like murder."

"Precisely because of this, it makes people even more suspicious. How can there be such coincidences in the world?"

Lin Chuqiao's expression was also somewhat solemn, and she continued:

"Intelligence experts from Naihe Bridge analyzed based on the course of the crime and on-site clues, believing that this was caused by an extremely vicious 'Gu sorcery' from the Nanyang region."

"Therefore, before going to the Chen Family this time, we must make some preparations in advance to guard against the unexpected."

"Mm."

Fang Cheng slightly nodded in agreement.

The two discussed for nearly half an hour without getting a clear result on this case and the whereabouts of the professor and others, so they temporarily brought it to a close.

Lin Chuqiao put the documents away, leaned her body into the soft sofa, closed her eyes, and prepared to rest with her eyes closed.

Her long eyelashes cast a shallow shadow beneath her eyelids, making her intellectual and beautiful face appear exceptionally tranquil under the soft lighting.

Fang Cheng did not disturb her, turning his head to look outside the window.

The plane had long since entered the stratosphere; outside the porthole was a magnificent and boundless sea of clouds.

Layers upon layers of white clouds were like frozen waves, inlaid with dazzling golden edges under the sunlight.

Further in the distance, the sky presented a purer azure color, as if transitioning toward the edge of the Universe.

Fang Cheng's gaze was somewhat absent-minded.

If he could soar freely between this sky and the sea of clouds without relying on any external force, what an exhilarating thing that would be?

Judging by his current physical fitness, purely static hovering had a time limit of about eight seconds.

If he jumped from a cliff or a tall building, used wind power to glide, and matched it with the minute thrust generated by True Qi erupting from the pores of his whole body for attitude adjustment and acceleration.

Perhaps he could extend this time to twenty seconds.

But after all, that was just gliding, not true Flight...

Fang Cheng sighed with emotion.

Just as he was silently calculating his own limits and immersing his mind in his yearning for the sky, a subtle feeling made him instinctively turn his head.

In an instant, Fang Cheng's gaze met Lin Chuqiao's line of sight in the air.

She had opened her eyes at some point and was looking at him without blinking.

In those bright eyes, only his figure was reflected.

That was an extremely Focus gaze, carrying a trace of exploration, a trace of curiosity, and a trace hidden in the deepest part, a tenderness that perhaps even she herself hadn't noticed.

Caught on the spot, a flash of obvious panic crossed Lin Chuqiao's eyes.

Her fair cheeks quickly stained with a layer of faint blush, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

Then she slowly closed them, her breathing becoming a bit longer than before, pretending she had just opened her eyes by chance and glanced carelessly.

Watching her appearance, Fang Cheng couldn't help but hook the corners of his mouth into a smile.

He didn't expose it, simply withdrawing his gaze calmly, picked up the teacup on the table that was already slightly warm, and took a gentle sip.

This corner had the peace and silent atmosphere of curling tea fragrance.

And at the other end came Pan Wendi's exaggerated laughter and Bailing's unwilling, coquettish huffing from losing cards.

Time quietly elapsed in the smooth Flight.

I don't know how long passed, but a Flight attendant's soft prompt sounded inside the cabin.

"Dear distinguished passengers, our airplane is about to begin descending, expected to arrive at Cui City International Airport in fifteen minutes."

"Ground temperature twenty-eight degrees Celsius, weather is clear, please fasten your seatbelt in advance..."