The man's face was obscured, but from his reaction to Chu Fan's words, it was clear he smiled wryly.
"Xiao Fan, many things are not as you imagine!"
"This isn't the place. Let's go somewhere else to talk!"
Chu Fan shook his head. "There's nothing inappropriate here. Say what you need to say right here!"
"I'm lazy. I don't want to go anywhere!"
The man took a deep breath, remained silent for a few seconds, then turned to Cui Fu and politely said, "Sir, would you mind giving us some privacy?"
Cui Fu didn't respond immediately but looked at Chu Fan. He didn't care about the man's identity; he only recognized Chu Fan. If Chu Fan nodded, he would leave. If not, he wouldn't.
Seeing Chu Fan slightly nod, Cui Fu led his daughter and Fu Piaoyao outside. Fu Piaoyao kept looking back, as if trying to see through the mask and sunglasses to identify the man.
Once only he and Chu Fan were left in the room, the man began to remove his hat and other coverings, revealing a weathered yet imposing face.
Outside, Cui Fu quietly took out his phone and opened the store's surveillance feed. Upon seeing the man's face, his brow furrowed; he felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
As he hesitated in thought, Fu Piaoyao suddenly leaned closer.
"My heavens, it's him!"
Cui Fu asked curiously, "What, you know him?"
Fu Piaoyao nodded nervously and whispered, "In our Dragon God Kingdom, which is the most powerful family?"
Cui Fu replied, "Of course, it's the Chu family!"
"Do you know who is in charge of the Chu family now?"
Hearing this, Cui Fu instantly understood why the man looked familiar. He had seen reports about this person on television.
Chu Qingtian. The most influential man in the Dragon God Kingdom. Even as a Grandmaster, Cui Fu's lips twitched uncontrollably upon learning that the man was Chu Qingtian. He had never expected Chu Qingtian to appear at the Treasure Pavilion. Coupled with the previous arrival of members of the War God Hall clearing the way, Cui Fu realized that only someone like Chu Qingtian would possess such a qualification.
Fu Piaoyao took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart and muttered softly, "He… didn't he call himself 'Wuming'?"
Cui Fu rolled his eyes. "You believed a name like that?"
"Who doesn't use a pseudonym when they go out?"
He glanced back into the room, understanding why Chu Fan's strength was so formidable. It seemed he had a significant connection to the Chu family, the foremost family in the Dragon God Kingdom. The Chu family, as the most powerful family in the Dragon God Kingdom, was rumored to be no weaker than the five hidden families; the only difference was that one stood in the open, while the other hid in the shadows. Coming from the Chu family, it was understandable that Chu Fan possessed such great strength at such a young age. However, thinking about the Chu family, Cui Fu couldn't recall Chu Qingtian having any children; he seemed to be single to this day.
Fu Piaoyao also realized that Chu Fan, who used the alias Wuming, had a profound connection to the Chu family, which explained his formidable strength and his overbearing demeanor, showing no regard for anyone.
"Old man, he came to see him personally. Aren't their relations quite unusual?" Fu Piaoyao asked curiously.
Cui Fu shook his head. "I don't know. You can ask him yourself later!"
Inside the room, Chu Qingtian, having shed his disguise, pulled a chair and sat opposite Chu Fan. He stared at Chu Fan for a moment before saying, "You look so much like him, especially your eyes. So much like him."
Chu Fan looked impatient and spoke, "If you came all this way just to say these pointless things, you can leave!"
"Don't think that just because we're related, I won't make a move!"
"I'm telling you, one day in the future, I will personally watch you witness the demise of the Chu family."
Chu Qingtian chuckled and said, "Xiao Fan, if I didn't also have the surname Chu, I would have already moved to destroy the Chu family. If you truly have this intention, we can discuss it properly later."
"Spit it out, or get lost!"
Chu Fan felt an innate aversion to this father with whom he had a deep connection but had never spoken. If they chatted any longer, he felt he would lose control and slap him out of the room.
"Xiao Fan, you actually know why I came to find you!"
"Since the past is in the past, why don't we just let it be?"
"Come back to the capital with me. With your current strength, the others in the Chu family wouldn't dare do anything to you!"
"Come back with me, and I'll immediately cede the position of family head. From then on, you'll be in charge of the Chu family and control the Dragon God Kingdom, how about that?"
"Heh!"
Chu Fan sneered dismissively and retorted, "Do you think I care about those things?"
"You know very well that my mother is here. Yet you come to talk about letting the past be the past. What are your intentions?"
"Could it be that you also wish my mother were dead?"
An invisible coldness permeated the Treasure Pavilion, causing the antiques on the shelves to be coated in a layer of frost. If not for these items being Cui Fu's treasures, they would have long since shattered into pieces.
"Sigh..."
Chu Qingtian sighed powerlessly and explained, "Xiao Fan, I know your mother is here, and I also wish to see her!"
"But you must understand that she made a very serious mistake back then. Even as the head of the Chu family, I couldn't protect her!"
"And she is safest the way she is now!"
"Please, don't look for her anymore. If you bring her out, you'll only attract countless dangers!"
"This world is not as simple as you imagine!"
Chu Fan's eyebrows shot up, and he retorted, "Are you telling me what to do?"
"Do you think you are qualified to tell me what to do?"
As he spoke, he stood up and looked down at Chu Qingtian, saying, "I'm telling you, this is my final warning: do not appear before me again, and do not try to dictate to me!"
"You are ungrateful. I am not as heartless as you!"
"If you keep yapping, I'll kill you directly!"
At this moment, Chu Fan was truly furious, so angry that he wanted to kill the man who had abandoned his wife and child right then and there.
Chu Qingtian also stood up, showing no trace of fear on his face. He said unhurriedly, "I came here precisely to stop you from investigating further!"
"Because you have already touched upon some secrets that you shouldn't know. If you continue investigating, even I won't be able to protect you!"
"You cannot plunge the entire Dragon God Kingdom, and even the whole world, into crisis for your own personal gains!"
"Even if you beat me to death, I will stop you!"
Their eyes met, filled with palpable tension.
Crack...
A crisp sound came from Chu Fan's clenched fist.
Simultaneously, the passenger door of a car parked outside suddenly opened, and an old man in a Taoist robe emerged. The old man squinted at the Treasure Pavilion, and the suppressed aura instantly plunged the surrounding fifty-meter radius into deathly silence.
Cui Fu hurriedly grabbed his daughter and Fu Piaoyao by their arms, channeling his strength to resist the invisible pressure. He looked at the old man with trepidation.
A seventh-rank Grandmaster? Or an eighth-rank Grandmaster? Cui Fu couldn't tell, only feeling that the pressure the old man exuded was no weaker than what Chu Fan had released in the ancient battlefield.
"Please, don't let them fight!" Cui Fu prayed inwardly, knowing that if they truly fought, not only the Treasure Pavilion would be devastated, but he, his daughter, and Fu Piaoyao would also be implicated.
The atmosphere at the scene grew increasingly oppressive with each passing second.