Chapter 758: Endless Sight of Wu Manyue

Jiang Fan took out a jade box, placed the blood-red key inside, and put it into his spatial storage device.

He then instinctively reached for his Turtle Breath Cloak. Only then did he remember he had already returned it to Gu Huaxi. There was nowhere left to hide.

The other party's voice quickly drew nearer. A thought flashed through his mind. He took the key out and tucked it into his sleeve, just in case. Then, he boldly stepped out from behind the stone and casually headed towards the spatial teleportation array that led to the next level.

The two parties were now less than a hundred zhang apart. Jiang Fan's sudden appearance naturally caught their attention. The tall, burly male disciple with a composed expression merely eyed the unfamiliar Jiang Fan with slight surprise. The woman wearing a form-fitting, wine-red dress that accentuated her striking figure was, of course, Wu Manyue. She was as striking as ever. Her face was delicately powdered, exquisite and beautiful. Her peach-blossom eyes, which could convey deep affection even when looking at a dog, were full of smiles.

However, when she saw Jiang Fan approaching, her smile suddenly froze. She gently rubbed her eyes, looked closely again, and confirmed she hadn't been mistaken. The woman who had just moments ago been all smiles and captivating immediately let out a furious roar: "Jiang Fan! How dare you show your face at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?"

That day, Jiang Fan had tricked her out of everything, sending her back to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion empty-handed! How could he still dare to come here?

Jiang Fan pretended as if he had only just recognized Wu Manyue. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Senior Sister Wu! Oh, Junior Brother has missed you terribly!" This was his sincere thought. Many times when he encountered danger, he wished Wu Manyue could be by his side. That way, someone could take the blame for him. Seeing Wu Manyue again after so long, Jiang Fan felt an unprecedented sense of security.

He quickly stepped forward. This action made Wu Manyue calm down. Her mind rapidly replayed all the nightmares she had experienced with Jiang Fan. It seemed that every time she was with Jiang Fan, something bad would happen. And every single time, she suffered a huge loss. Without exception! Remembering this, she looked at Jiang Fan, who was rushing towards her, once more. She couldn't help but shiver, hugged her arms, and backed away, saying, "Don't come closer! Stay away from me!" She was a little afraid of Jiang Fan now. She didn't want anything to do with Jiang Fan anymore. Not at all!

Uh-oh— Senior Brother Ren, standing nearby, looked at Wu Manyue with a strange expression. It was his first time seeing Wu Manyue afraid of someone, and it was a young man clearly younger than them.

"Senior Sister Wu, who is this?" Senior Brother Ren was a bit curious.

Wu Manyue stared intently at Jiang Fan and said, "Senior Brother Ren, don't ask. Listen to your Junior Sister's advice, stay away from this guy. As far away as possible! Because he's not even human!"

Jiang Fan touched his nose. *Am I really that bad?* He cupped his hands and said, "Senior Brother Ren, I am Jiang Fan, a new disciple who just joined the Heavenly Secret Pavilion today. Senior Sister Wu has many misunderstandings about me; please excuse her for making you laugh."

Wu Manyue grew anxious and tugged at Senior Brother Ren's sleeve: "I'm not joking! He's really not human!"

Senior Brother Ren was a bit speechless. *How could a new disciple make you this scared?* He cupped his hands and said, "I am Ren Guhong. You've just arrived, so you probably don't know me, but you'll hear my name soon enough."

*There aren't many disciples in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion who could say that with such confidence, are there?* Jiang Fan understood, saying, "So it's Senior Brother Ren, one of the Four Mythical Prodigies. I've long admired your reputation."

Ren Guhong was surprised and looked Jiang Fan up and down, saying: "You figured that out already? Junior Brother Jiang, you are exceptionally sharp."

Wu Manyue, beside them, gritted her teeth and said, "What's so great about that? He has many more cunning tricks up his sleeve. Senior Brother Ren, let's go look for the key and stay away from this guy." As she spoke, she subtly glanced behind the large black stone. A sense of unease filled her heart. Jiang Fan seemed to have just emerged from behind that large black stone. *This guy, he couldn't have found the key, could he? No way? Even a dog's nose isn't that sensitive, is it?*

Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of a tattered cloth pouch. Instantly, her blood pressure shot up. Jiang Fan!!! You scoundrel!!! *I finally managed to hide my treasure, and you dug it up the moment we met?*

Ren Guhong nodded and said, "Junior Brother Jiang, we still have matters to attend to. Farewell." Just as he was about to leave, he saw Wu Manyue frozen in place, her expression shifting.

"Junior Sister Wu, what's wrong?"

Wu Manyue snapped back to reality. She adopted a smiling demeanor and said, "Junior Brother Jiang, may I ask if you happened to pick up a key on your way here? It's red, and very noticeable." She deliberately emphasized the word "picked up." Her implication was that Jiang Fan absolutely should not reveal that he had dug it out from under the stone.

Jiang Fan pondered for a moment. Wu Manyue discovering he had the key was within his expectations. He had emerged from behind the large black stone; it would be hard for Wu Manyue not to suspect him. If he concealed it now, there was no guarantee Wu Manyue wouldn't try every possible method to get the key back, making him vulnerable to both overt and covert attacks. Furthermore, Jiang Fan had no idea what the key was or what it was for. Rather than keeping it pointlessly in his hand and inviting trouble, it would be better to take it out and exchange it for something tangible.

"Are you talking about this?" He took out the jade box and showed it to them.

Ren Guhong's face lit up with delight: "You really picked it up? This belongs to us. Junior Brother Jiang, please return it quickly."

Jiang Fan tucked the jade box into his sleeve and said, "Senior Brother Ren, let's be straightforward. I can't just pick up this key for nothing."

Seeing Jiang Fan clearly stating his intention to make a deal, Ren Guhong didn't want to complicate matters. Who knew who this new disciple's master was? What if he was a new disciple under a Vice Pavilion Master, or even under his own master? If they were to fight, wouldn't future encounters be troublesome or awkward? With a shift in his gaze, he said, "How about this: I'll give you some mid-grade spirit crystals. Outside, only low-grade spirit crystals are common. Only the underground world produces some mid-grade spirit crystals. They contain rich spiritual energy and are sought-after cultivation resources for many high-level martial artists."

Jiang Fan shook his head. He had several Heavenly Secret Pavilion crystal tokens with a hundred thousand limit each in his spatial storage device. If he wanted spirit crystals, he could exchange for them anytime. "How about this: this key probably opens a certain place, right? How about Senior Brother takes me there? Junior Brother just wants to broaden his horizons; the amount of gains doesn't matter."

Hearing the first two sentences, Ren Guhong's brow furrowed deeply. This key led to a rather dangerous secret chamber that likely contained treasures. With one more person, he would inevitably have to share a portion of the gains. But upon hearing the last sentence, he slightly came to a realization. It would be difficult for a disciple like Jiang Fan to even protect himself in such a place. How could he have any spare energy to compete for treasures with them? Therefore, his brow relaxed, and he readily agreed: "Alright, but it's very dangerous there. I cannot guarantee Junior Brother's safety."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan immediately said, "Senior Brother Ren only needs to open the place; you don't have to worry about me afterward."

With that assurance, Ren Guhong was completely at ease. *What a good Junior Brother—trouble-free and easy to talk to. What was wrong with Wu Manyue that she was so wary of him?*