Chapter 19: The Violet Sword

"Feifei, you really overthink things. What happened just now only proves your brother’s acting skills are top-notch. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll win Best Actor. Besides, if I hadn’t done that, how could I have fooled that guy?" Lin Fan rolled his eyes, a bit helpless as he spoke. In truth, Feifei had no idea—deceiving that man was just a pretext; Lin Fan’s real motive was to take advantage of Zhao Ying under the guise of revenge, but he would never admit that. To say so would be to shatter the "gentleman" image he had in his sister’s heart.

Feifei looked up, suspicion in her eyes. "Really?"

"Really," Lin Fan replied, nodding firmly as he drove.

"Brother, was it you who killed Hong Tianxiong? Is his death connected to Dad’s death?" Feifei suddenly recalled the question Zhao Ying had asked earlier, which Lin Fan hadn’t answered directly.

Hearing Feifei ask this, Lin Fan frowned and said nothing. He had no intention of involving Feifei in these matters. In his eyes, Feifei was still a child, and besides, she was still in university—some things were better left unknown.

"Brother, what have you been doing all these years? Why don’t you tell me?" Seeing Lin Fan remain silent, Feifei pressed on, already guessing much from his demeanor.

She had already heard from Lin Yan that her father’s death was tied to Hong Tianxiong. This morning, the news and newspapers all reported Hong Tianxiong’s gruesome death the previous night. Combined with Lin Fan’s actions on the yacht, where he killed several men to rescue her, Feifei was nearly certain her brother was hiding a great deal from her.

After parking the car at Feifei’s school gate, Lin Fan patted her head and said, "You’re still studying. Why bother with these questions? Don’t worry—when the time is right, I’ll tell you everything."

Looking at her brother’s earnest expression, Feifei nodded, indicating she understood. Lin Fan, serious as he’d been when they were children, spoke to her gently and patiently.

Judging the time was right, Lin Fan and Feifei got out of the car together. "Brother, be careful," Feifei called out, turning back with concern after walking a few steps.

Her worry was plain to see—Lin Fan could not miss it. Clearly, this girl had figured out something. Well, sooner or later, Feifei and Lin Yan would learn the truth; it was only a matter of time. With this thought, Lin Fan smiled and nodded to Feifei.

"Boss, I’ve finished investigating what you asked," came Xu Qiang’s call just as Lin Fan closed the car door.

Now that he’d returned to China, Lin Fan naturally wanted to understand the current underworld powers in T City. So, that morning, he’d assigned the task to Xu Qiang, who had been local for four years, making it relatively easy for him. With the power of Dragon Soul, uncovering these facts would have been trivial, but Lin Fan didn’t want to go that route. If those guys found out he’d returned quietly, they’d probably rush over all at once, and he’d be left with a headache.

"Boss," Xu Qiang was already waiting at the door when Lin Fan arrived. He glanced at the underlings behind him and barked, "What are you standing around for? Call him Boss!"

"Boss!" the little gangsters shouted in unison. Xu Qiang’s abilities were well known among them, and now even he called Lin Fan "Boss," proving Lin Fan was superior. Not to mention, several of these men had witnessed Lin Fan kill Hong Tianxiong and Fujino Ichiro in the villa that night—his imposing presence had long awed them, leading to this scene.

Lin Fan nodded slightly, saying nothing, but he already guessed Xu Qiang had subdued the Soul Collector Gang. He mused, "Looks like people from Falcon adapt well to the underworld."

Xu Qiang’s success was mainly due to Lin Fan having killed Hong Tianxiong—when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; who would avenge a dead man? Moreover, the Soul Collector Gang was only a second-rate group in T City. With their leader dead, the rest posed little threat. Xu Qiang already enjoyed good relations with the small-time thugs, so when he rallied, many naturally followed.

…

"The most notorious criminal organization in T City is the Pujiang Group. Besides their legitimate business, they smuggle weapons and drugs, and their entertainment enterprises are highly irregular. They also have good relations with T City's largest gang, the Green Gang, making them players in both worlds. The most mysterious group is Dongxing Group, which deals almost entirely in legitimate business, but its backing is secretive; all that’s known is its boss is an elderly man, nearly eighty. As for Zhentian Group, Boss, you know better than I do," Xu Qiang explained, sitting on the sofa and summarizing his findings to Lin Fan. That night, Lin Fan had already told Xu Qiang he was the real boss behind Zhentian Group, so his words came as no surprise.

Dongxing Group... wasn’t that the company Lin Yan had mentioned, where Tang Rui worked? At that thought, Lin Fan recalled the scene when Tang Rui had seen him "naked," blushing shyly…

"By the way, Boss, one more thing. Pujiang Group recently announced they’re offering a high price for a thousand-year-old blood jade and an ancient short sword. They say price is no object if the goods are genuine," Xu Qiang continued when Lin Fan didn’t speak.

"An ancient sword?" Lin Fan frowned, as if remembering something.

"Yes, I think it’s called the Purple Sword," Xu Qiang replied, seeing Lin Fan’s attention drawn to the sword.

When Song Yashi died, she told Lin Fan his parents’ deaths were likely connected to an ancestral sword passed down in the Lin family. If someone took that sword years ago, then his parents’ deaths must be related to that person or the organization behind them. If not, where was the sword now? Eight years had passed; Lin Fan truly had no idea where to begin searching. Now, with Pujiang Group seeking such a sword, could it be the same one? Lin Fan’s doubts multiplied.

Xu Qiang, of course, didn’t know Lin Fan’s train of thought. He knew Lin Fan’s parents had been murdered, and that Lin Fan was searching for the killer, but he would never connect a sword to their deaths. If not for Song Yashi, Lin Fan wouldn’t even know his family had an heirloom, which might well be the root cause of his father’s fatal accident and his mother’s murder.