Douluo Continent.
Southern Lands.
The same evening
"Tomorrow, we will get Yun Ming." [Fan Lin]
"Okay." [Leng Yaozhu]
"You both can have any discussion. It should just be lengthy. I will handle the rest." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin said while sending a voice message to Qiangu Dongfeng without hiding anything from Leng Yaozhu.
<
"This should work fine as the secondary bait." [Fan Lin]
"Due to a change of plans, we don't have to talk today." [Fan Lin]
"That's good." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Indeed." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin flew to do his observation of the heaven and the earth while Leng Yaozhu sipped her morning tea in peace and silence of the evening.
"This has turned into a vacation now."
...
Somewhere at 10 pm in the night.
"What happened President?"
Fan Lin answered the call from Qiangu Dongfeng.
{I did not agree to this!}
{What happened now?}
"Things are going to become bigger. Pay more to know about it."
{*Sigh* Give me the reason why this might be important and I will think about it.}
"We are past the stage of 'think about it'. Yun Ming and the Seagod Pavilion will be meeting with Leng Yaozhu tomorrow."
{B.S! Seagod Pavilion will never interfere in outside affairs!}
"You don't even know what the meeting is about."
{What is it about?}
"I don't know as well. The meeting hasn't happened yet and they obviously haven't told me anything. I should have acted nicely."
{...}
{How can I trust you on this? You should know th3 Seagod Pavilion's oath. They will never interfere with the world matters.}
"I don't know about that. I just know one thing that I will be the part of the meeting and that they desperately need my help. For what, I don't know. Do you not trust me on this? Again. Even though the last time you ran away."
"I have given you so much and you can't even trust me for something so small. Are you getting paranoid? Senile? Your age getting to you? Or is the fear dethronement that much worrying to you."
"Have no fear then. I will protect you. You have a lot that needs to be reaped upon and Leng Yaozhu isn't as flexible as you."
{No. Not that. What happens to you every now and then?}
{I am just wondering why would they need to personally meet Leng Yaozhu outside of the Shrek city and out of nowhere at that?}
{They could have just done a secret meeting or have a video conference.}
"Maybe to rid you~ I don't know. It might be that they want to change their minds over world domination. It could be anything. The thoughts of you all pervades me."
{No, it can't be. Nothing on me has been known. And it's definitely not because of you, they do not like you at all. And if it was regarding you, then the other Elders would have definitely been involved.}
{As things are, they are going to protect you from everyone, including myself. If only they know about this side of yours, their zeal might cool down a bit.}
{I just can't think of anything that may involve them and Leng Yaozhu's personal rendezvous, especially that Yun Ming, that sly fox is hard to defend against.}
"That's where I am coming from, with double the price, you get new information else I keep my mouth shut. I will have my things to me and we will both be happy. So much happy. We will be, right?"
{I will prepare the things.}
"I will come to get them. We have a lot of talk anyways. Later."
The call was shut, Fan Lin quietly flew away to the horizon.
The next day.
8 am in the Morning
Southern Lands
Fan Lin looked at Leng Yaozhu. Leng Yaozhu looked at him. They were both waiting for Yun Ming's call. It was awkward.
"He has a family to bid farewell too. He might be late." [Fan Lin]
"I see." [Leng Yaozhu]
A not so good conversation starter.
"Anything I should avoid talking." [Leng Yaozhu]
"None. Talk about anything, I don't care. You don't know much anyways." [Fan Lin]
"Thanks for the assurance. I will avoid talking about you then." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Although I see no reason for you to do so, I would be happy for that as well." [Fan Lin]
"Do you want some tea?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"No. I won't drink tea that you create. Those are disgusting." [Fan Lin]
"He is ready." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Ok. Would you like to come?" [Fan Lin
"What would it even matter?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"In the case he got angry due to Na Er, I might kill him. You might intervene in such a situation." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin said in all seriousness. Looking at his emotionless face, carrying his emotionless eyes and voice, Leng Yaozhu was truly perturbed on how he could say things like this when he was fully capable of talking decently.
"Sometimes, you do make good jokes." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Are you coming then?" [Fan Lin]
Not letting her sarcasm get to him, he asked again.
"No need to." [Leng Yaozhu]
"En." [Fan Lin]
Spirit Rings rose and combined as Fan Lin sped to the skies and disappeared into the blueness. A minute later, he was in front of Yun Ming at the designated location far away from Shrek.
"Hello." [Fan Lin]
"Hi." [Yun Ming]
"Let's go." [Fan Lin]
"Wait a bit. Let's talk for a little first." [Yun Ming]
"I have no interest in talking to you though." [Fan Lin]
"I do. What are you planning from all this?" [Yun Ming]
"Not telling. Come on now, we have to hurry. I have places to be." [Fan Lin]
"Only when you tell me." [Yun Ming]
"I will tell you along the way then. Should that suffice?" [Fan Lin]
"It will." [Yun Ming]
"Okay, grab onto my hand and do not show resistance during the flight or else I will drop you." [Fan Lin]
"Who do you think I am? You?" [Yun Ming]
Yun Ming grabbed the extended hand of Fan Lin and something magical happened. Fan Lin upgraded the skill to the max and a moment later, they were above the skies in the Southern Lands, just a few kilometres away from Leng Yaozhu who appeared in front of them after a quick sense.
"The journey ends, see yaa." [Fan Lin]
"Huh!" [Yun Ming]
Fan Lin said and fleww away. Only a befuddled Yun Ming was left behind, still seething in the experience he just witnessed along with Leng Yaozhu who gave him some time to ponder whatever he was thinking.
"That's basically teleportation." [Yun Ming]
Yun Ming said to Leng Yaozhu. It ended before it could begin. Just a moment and he was at the destination.
"He said he will talk along the way."
A blink was all it took to go from the centre of the continent to the very edge at the south.
"He can likely go faster than that." [Leng Yaozhu]
She said, causing Yun Ming to be even more surprised as he can't fathom a speed based travel skill that could even faster.
And unfortunately for them, there was no one to correct them.
Fan Lin can't go any faster than this.
He had given his all so that he would not have to talk with Yun Ming.
"You really are raising a monster." [Yun Ming]
"You don't say." [Leng Yaozhu]
"What do we do now?" [Yun Ming]
"We discuss things. The Seagod Pavilion has been getting rusty if they had failed to still not crack on Dongfeng's secrets." [Leng Yaozhu]
"The Spirit Pagoda hasn't fare any better." [Yun Ming]
They both talked about the various things that they knew and it was all about the Seagod Pavilion and Spirit Pagoda's declining influence on the grand scale of the things.
Basically, they were criticising the inadequacies of each others faction, playing the blame game.
...
A town near the Eastcoast city.
Fan Lin found a place and went to sleep in the shade of some abandoned shop.
...
Meanwhile Starduo Forest [D-16]
"We seem to have succeeded"
Di Tian looked at the completely green land and asked in trepidation.
The Starduo Forest has been replaced and replanted.
"We should observe for a bit longer."
Gu Yue said in an equally similar tone. Things had finally started to be in their favour.
"We will try to hide it as long as we can. The only humans that regularly pay attention to the Starduo Forest are from the Spirit Pagoda, he should have a control over them, we will handle the rest of them." [Gu Yue]
"As you say, My Liege." [Di Tian]
...
Night
Qiangu Dongfeng seem to have the nights free to himself as he had made it a habit to call Fan Lin during a fixed time.
"How's tea?"
{I am drinking liquor. What's the update?}
"My stuff."
{I have it ready.}
"I am coming to get them then. We will talk after I get the things."
{I shall wait then}
"You won't need to, I am near you."
A minute later.
Fan Lin was half way through the land.
Ten minutes later.
Fan Lin arrived at the Bright City. Qiangu Dongfeng showed the way and Fan Lin followed.
"Here are your materials."
Qiangu Dongfeng handed him a storage ring and Fan Lin took it and added it to his ring collection.
"I trust you." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin said and began to gaze at Qiangu Dongfeng. Silently. Quietly. Without much sound. Waiting.
"What do you need now?" [Qiangu Dongfeng]
"You are forgetting the land deed." [Fan Lin]
"I will have it transferred to you tonight." [Qiangu Dongfeng]
"I believe you." [Fan Lin]
"The information?" [Qiangu Dongfeng]
"In a minute. Let's start with the small one. Due to my replantation, the Evil Spirit Masters are thriving from the homelessness and all, increasing their strength and numbers."
"Hence the Seagod Pavilion wants me to pipe down for a while, so as to provide them with a breathing space against the rising activities of the Evil Soul masters. More details on this later or you can just ask your buddies."
"Secondly, The Seagod Pavilion is planning on a large scale attack on the Evil Soul Masters and would require my assistance, for which they had gone to Leng Yaozhu since we share a similar relation. As for what assistance they need of me, I don't know at the moment. They spent most of the time in just talking about stupid stuff about saving humanity and all to me before getting to this point."
"Lastly, Yun Ming and Leng Yaozhu are left alone--
"AloNE!!!" [Qiangu Dongfeng]
Qiangu Dongfeng couldn't help but raise his voice at the mention of them being alone. His buried up frustration rising like a whirlwind. Some wounds have been opened at the mention of them together.
"Don't scream out of nowhere."
"What do you mean they are alone? How can they be alone? Did they talk? Were they smiling? What about Ya Li? You know her? Was she there as well?"
*Shhhh*
Fan Lin 'shh' the excited Qiangu Dongfeng and only after he acted calmly that he began to talk.
"No. There was no one except Yun Ming and Leng Yaozhu when I left. No one at all."
"And why can't they be alone? Keep your insecurities to yourself, You pathetic being. The rest of the group will gather again in a few days and with some of the Elders of the Spirit Pagoda at that."
"Till then Yun Ming will be staying here since he will be participating in whatever they are going to do."
"This is the briefing of the report. I will see you again later on. I would have talked more but seeing you like this, I don't want to anymore. Disgusting."
Fan Lin said and left without any care. He had come to play his part. He did. Now he was going to return.
From the situation, Qiangu Dongfeng was showing a lot of composure.
'I was hoping he would do something.'
He flew away to any small village and found a place to slumber.
Meanwhile back at the Bright city and to Qiangu Dongfeng who was calmy sitting while chugging down liquor, drinking his sorrows away as if a dam has burst in his mind and it was not being flooded by the memories he had buried.
"I hate that brat."
He muttered after a while. He contacted the Evil Soul Masters and relayed the message that the Seagod Pavilion were onto them due to their increased activities. He said about Yun Ming though.
Now was not the time.
The Evil Soul Master indicated that he understood and things would be different but Qiangu Dongfeng had a hunch that they were definitely going to ignore him.
"Let them die then."
He muttered and drank another bottle.
"I hate that brat. From the moment he had come to my life, everything is going the wrong way. He is a jinx. Maybe that's why the Shrek didn't stop him."
All of his anger was now directed at Fan Lin since he can do nothing to Yun Ming at the moment.
"Yeah, he is the catastrophe."
And who knew Qiangu Dongfeng was close to the truth and yet so far away from it as well.