Han Xiaoxiao squatted beside Lin Fan. She felt that the guy her older sister called a villain didn't seem bad at all.
"Ants are amazing, you know?" Lin Fan asked with a smile. He had learned this from Old Zhang. Showing off his knowledge in front of children didn't seem excessive, right?
"Are they really that amazing, even though they're so small?"
Han Xiaoxiao was skeptical. She felt that these ants could be crushed with a single finger. How could they be as amazing as Lin Fan claimed?
Lin Fan pointed to an ant carrying food. "Look at this ant. Its body is so small, yet it can carry things much larger than itself. They are very strong and can lift things a hundred times their own weight. If they drag something, they can pull things six hundred times their own weight. Isn't that amazing?"
"Really?" This was the first time Han Xiaoxiao had heard someone tell her this. She was surprised, as if she had discovered a new continent.
"Of course it's true. Look, this ant is doing it."
Lin Fan enjoyed being with children and was willing to share his knowledge with them. The most fulfilling aspect of knowledge was sharing it with others.
"Wow, you know so much! My sister doesn't know any of this," Han Xiaoxiao praised.
Lin Fan smiled modestly. "It's nothing. I actually don't know much. It's all things others have told me. Sometimes, observing these things is really interesting. I have a friend who likes to watch ants, and sometimes I'll spend the whole day with him watching them."
Han Xiaoxiao said enviously, "Your friend is so lucky to have you. My sister won't accompany me to watch 'boring' things. She always says I'm wasting my time."
"Hmm... If you want to watch 'boring' things in the future, you can call me. I can watch with you." Lin Fan felt that nothing was truly boring. Everything was interesting in its own way. Just like Old Zhang, he could spend a whole day watching ants and find it interesting. And when he cultivated, Old Zhang would also accompany him for a whole day, finding it interesting as well.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Han Xiaoxiao felt that Lin Fan wasn't as bad as her sister said. In fact, he was very nice. Every day, she got to eat delicious food. If he were a bad person, how could that be possible?
"It's going to rain today," Lin Fan said.
Han Xiaoxiao looked at the sky. "The weather is so nice. How could it rain?"
Lin Fan smiled. "Ants' sense of touch is very sensitive to environmental changes. When it's about to rain, the ground humidity increases. We can't feel it, but ants can. That's why they move their homes, to avoid the rain."
"I don't understand." Han Xiaoxiao shook her head in confusion. She didn't understand what Lin Fan was saying, but she felt that it was amazing. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan gently stroked Han Xiaoxiao's head. "It's okay if you don't understand. Just observe more in the future."
Just at that moment, a voice rang out.
"Let her go!"
When Han Yan woke up, she found that she had slept deeply. Her younger sister wasn't around, and she anxiously searched everywhere. Then she saw Lin Fan stroking her sister's head, which startled her and she rushed over.
"Sister!" Han Xiaoxiao happily went to her sister's side.
"Did he do anything to you?" Han Yan looked at her carefully, afraid that something had happened to her sister.
Han Xiaoxiao shook her head. "No, Brother Lin took me to watch the ants move their home and told me a lot of things. Although I don't understand much, I learned a lot."
Lin Fan stood up and smiled at Han Yan. He always felt like there was some misunderstanding between them.
Han Yan's face was grim. "Lin Fan, we had an agreement. Whatever you have to do, do it to me. If you hurt my sister, I won't let you off."
"Xiaoxiao, let's go."
Han Xiaoxiao wanted to say something, but her sister pulled her away without giving her a chance to speak. She still secretly turned back and waved goodbye to Lin Fan.
Night.
The mountain villa was quiet.
"Sister, we don't need to open the window. It's going to rain," Han Xiaoxiao said.
Han Yan turned around. "The weather is so nice. How could it rain?"
"But Brother Lin told me that since the ants are moving today, it will rain." Han Xiaoxiao believed Lin Fan's words and kept this knowledge in her mind.
Hearing her sister mention Lin Fan and even call him "Brother," Han Yan had a bad feeling. Her expression became serious.
"Xiaoxiao, don't go near him again. He's not as simple as you think. You're still a child, and you mustn't be fooled by his appearance."
Han Yan couldn't believe how insidious Lin Fan was, targeting a child. Was this something a human being would do?
"Sister, Brother Lin isn't as bad as you say."
Boom!
A bolt of lightning split the sky, followed by a clap of thunder.
"See, I told you it would rain!" Han Xiaoxiao jumped up happily, clapping her hands. The light in her eyes was bright. She hadn't expected it to really happen, and her trust in Lin Fan deepened.
Everything he said was true.
Trust was built just like that.
Lin Fan stayed inside, looking at the little figures. Many books were placed on the bookshelf in the room. Some were full of text, which he wasn't interested in at all; he even found them a bit boring.
He found a book with illustrations and read it with relish.
Boom!
Thunder rumbled outside, and the wind rustled the branches.
A flash of lightning illuminated the figure outside, faintly visible through the door.
"It's raining so hard outside. Why don't you come in and take shelter?"
Lin Fan put down the book. He had noticed someone standing outside for a while. He thought the person would knock, and then he would let them in. But the person just stood there, motionless. It was very strange.
He had no choice but to ask.
Crash!
The door suddenly burst open, as if forced by a surge of energy.
Lin Fan looked at the person. It was raining outside, but the person was dry. The rain couldn't touch them, repelled by an invisible force. It was both magical and peculiar.
"May I ask what you need?" Lin Fan inquired.
"Hmph! Do you really not know, or are you pretending? My Second Brother infiltrated your Lin family for so many years, but I didn't expect him to die tragically. I was careless." The old man said slowly.
His eyes were like an eagle's. Those locked in his gaze felt like prey, with little chance of escape.
Lin Fan said, "I don't know who you are. I have no memory of you. And who is your Second Brother? I haven't harmed anyone."
"Shut up! My Second Brother is your old housekeeper!" the old man roared.
He had long heard that Lin Fan had mental problems and was insidious and cunning, but he hadn't expected him to pretend in front of him. It was simply courting death.
Lin Fan suddenly realized, "So your Second Brother is the old housekeeper. I apologize for this. Your Second Brother was frail and sickly. I didn't expect his condition to worsen. I was truly powerless. I hope you can accept my condolences."
Another misunderstanding. He hoped the other party could know the truth. Things weren't as they seemed.
"Who cares whether he's dead or not? His death only proves that you've obtained what I want. I've come here to get that thing from you." The old man was gloomy, his expression showing determination.
They had known for decades that half of the jade pendant was in Lin Fan's possession.
And Lin Fan had been searching for the other half.
His initial plan was simple: kill Lin Fan and snatch the jade pendant. But his Second Brother had told him, "Since someone is willing to search for it for us, why not let him do the work?" Thus, he infiltrated Lin Fan's household for decades, eventually becoming the old housekeeper.
All to make it easier to obtain the jade pendant in the future. The old housekeeper had painstakingly modified Lin Fan's cultivation technique, preventing him from reaching higher realms.
"You want something from me? I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what you need. Could you be more specific?" Lin Fan said.
He understood the other party's pain. The death of his Second Brother must be heartbreaking. Lin Fan was willing to compensate him. Material possessions were just external things; it didn't matter who had them. He didn't care at all.
The old man's eyes shifted, landing on the jade pendant hanging at Lin Fan's waist.
"If you don't want to die, give me that jade pendant."
Seeing the jade pendant, his eyes lit up. But he knew that getting it from Lin Fan wouldn't be easy. A fight was inevitable. It was best to snatch it before the guards noticed and then quickly leave.
Lin Fan looked down at the jade pendant hanging at his waist, then took it off and tossed it to the old man.
"Here."
The old man caught the jade pendant, clearly stunned and incredulous.
Immediately afterward, the old man flew into a rage, throwing the jade pendant back at Lin Fan. "Are you playing with me? It seems I have to teach you a lesson before you'll tell the truth!"
Lin Fan's casual and decisive action made the old man disbelieve that it was the real pendant. He even thought it was a trick.
Anyone in this situation would feel the same.
No one would casually give away such an important item.
It was like a group of robbers being surrounded and taking hostages, initially demanding five million, then lowering the price to ten thousand. This was the robbers' bottom line, but the negotiators wouldn't believe it, insisting there must be a trap because the demand was too low.
Lin Fan's situation was similar. He didn't even bother pretending. His behavior was baffling. Moreover, this old man was a seasoned veteran, a renowned figure who had seen countless situations.
He was rich in experience.
Lin Fan's actions clearly defied expectations, making them highly suspect and difficult to believe.
"You're strange and baffling. I don't understand what you're trying to do." Lin Fan put the jade pendant back on his waist. He didn't understand what the old man wanted. He had given him the item, but the old man threw it back, accusing him of playing tricks. This wasn't how one framed someone.
The old man's face darkened to the extreme. Black mist swirled around his palms.
"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. I'll grant your wish."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man appeared in front of Lin Fan as if teleporting, striking a palm towards Lin Fan's forehead.