I Can Merge Techniques

Chapter 399: Chapter 144: An Elevated Status Shocks the Gang; Rapid Breakthrough to the Third Heaven of the Spirit Awakening Realm

"Young Master, I’ve waited for you so long my heart was about to break..." White Snake’s voice was bewitching as she stepped forward and naturally took Chu Fan’s right arm.

Although Cyan Snake was a bit more reserved, she too had a smile on her lips as she took Chu Fan’s left arm. "Did you have a safe journey?"

The two peerless beauties flanked Chu Fan, one on each side, their affection on full display.

This scene instantly stunned the surrounding Seven Stars Gang disciples.

The air grew thick with an almost palpable envy. Many of the younger disciples stared, their eyes wide, secretly gulping.

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out, tinged with displeasure. "All this pulling and tugging. Have you no sense of decorum?"

Everyone looked over and saw Gang Leader Cao Feng, Li Qingxue, Cao Yan, and the Guardians Chen Xuan and Wang Kaishan, along with other high-ranking members, arriving together.

The one who had spoken was none other than Li Qingxue, her pretty face etched with a frosty expression.

Hearing this, White Snake rolled her eyes without hesitation. She tightened her grip on Chu Fan’s arm and said provocatively, "So what if I am? What business is it of yours? It’s not like he’s your husband!"

"You!" Li Qingxue’s pretty face flushed red with anger, and her chest heaved.

Chu Fan felt a headache coming on and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Senior Sister, please calm down. Sister Bai and the others aren’t human and don’t understand our human customs. They’re just more direct. Please don’t take it to heart."

Hearing Chu Fan speak, Li Qingxue’s expression softened slightly.

She shot a fierce glare at White Snake. When she looked back at Chu Fan, her gaze softened considerably, and she gave a slight nod. "You didn’t run into any trouble on the way?"

"Everything went smoothly," Chu Fan said, not mentioning that he had been hunted by an Acupoint Realm expert.

Cao Feng looked at Chu Fan, the rims of his eyes turning slightly red.

Although they had only been apart for seven or eight days, so much had happened in the interim, full of twists and turns, that it felt like a lifetime had passed.

’He never could have imagined that the disciple he had taken in on a whim would, in such a short time, not only change his own fate and that of the Cao and Li Families, but completely alter the destiny of the entire Seven Stars Gang!’

A thousand words were caught in his throat, but in the end, Cao Feng said nothing. He simply walked up and patted Chu Fan’s shoulder firmly a few times. The gesture said it all.

The clan elders of the Cao and Li Families also looked at Chu Fan with a mixture of emotions.

The elderly are often the most sentimental... While others return to their roots in their old age, they had to leave their homeland.

When the Cao and Li Families moved from Cyan Yang to Qing Province, the elders had been miserable for days. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

But arriving in Qing Province—it was like a fish leaping from a wooden basin into a great river.

These past few days, they had been so busy and overjoyed, who had time to feel nostalgic or sad?

"Alright, alright, everyone disperse! If you’re supposed to be cultivating, go cultivate! If you’re on duty, get to your posts! Don’t just stand around here!"

Wang Kaishan waved his hand, dispersing the crowd of onlookers.

But the joyous atmosphere boiling within the gang due to Chu Fan’s return did not fade for a long time.

Cao Feng and several clan elders from the Cao and Li Families escorted Chu Fan toward the Seven Stars Gang’s main hall.

At the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, among a group of disciples from the Mountain Opening Boxing Hall, Deng Rong’s brow was slightly furrowed. He squinted, his face a mask of unshakeable confusion.

He muttered to himself, "Strange... really strange. Every time I see Chu Fan, I get this indescribable... feeling of familiarity."

"It feels like I’ve met him somewhere a long time ago, but my brain feels like it’s blocked. I just can’t recall, no matter how hard I try."

Hearing this, the martial brothers beside him burst into laughter.

A tall, skinny disciple nudged Deng Rong with his elbow and teased, "Well now, Junior Brother Deng, trying to claim a connection, are we? Are you saying you knew Senior Brother Chu Fan before? What’s your history together? Spill it, so we can all be jealous!"

Another round-faced disciple chimed in, grinning. "Yeah, yeah! Don’t tell me you two were partners in crime when you were kids?"

Deng Rong shot them an annoyed glare, his brow knitting even tighter. "Get lost! Am I that kind of social climber? I’m serious! It’s not just now. It was back in Cyan Yang City, the very first time I followed Master to the Seven Stars Gang on business. The day I first saw Chu Fan, I already had this feeling!"

"I just felt he was incredibly familiar, that I must have seen him somewhere before, but for some reason... I could rack my brain and still not remember!"

He paused, then lowered his voice, a hint of grievance and confusion in his tone. "Besides, haven’t you guys noticed? Ever since Master gave me a harsh beating for that mistake at the Seven Stars Gang, every time he so much as mentions Chu Fan, his eyes... he can’t help but shoot me a vicious glare! What did I ever do to him?"

The round-faced disciple stopped smiling and guessed, "Could it be... that you accidentally offended Senior Brother Chu Fan in the past? Or maybe you bullied him?"

"Impossible! Absolutely not!" Deng Rong reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His face changed instantly, and his voice jumped an octave. "Am I, Deng Rong, the kind of person who throws his weight around and bullies people? Besides, if I had really bullied Chu Fan, given how highly Master thinks of him now, he would have broken my legs and kicked me out long ago! Would he have let me stay until now?"

He carefully recalled his few encounters with Chu Fan and added, "And look, every time Chu Fan sees me, he’s all smiles and his attitude is great. Does that look like someone who holds a grudge against me?"

Just then, the Eldest Brother of the Mountain Opening Boxing Hall, who had been standing silently to the side with his arms crossed, suddenly sighed.

His tone was full of a certain resignation, as if to say, ’You finally brought this up.’ "Sigh... Deng Rong, oh, Deng Rong. I thought you would have remembered by now. I can’t believe after all this time, it still hasn’t clicked for you."

"Eldest Brother, what do you mean by that...?" Deng Rong’s heart skipped a beat as a sense of foreboding washed over him.

"Eldest Brother... you... don’t scare me! What on earth did I do? I really don’t remember ever offending Chu Fan... Quick, tell me!"

The Eldest Brother looked at him, a complicated expression in his eyes, and said slowly, "It wasn’t exactly a transgression that would cause deep-seated hatred, and you certainly couldn’t call it bullying. It’s just that..."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts to best jog Deng Rong’s memory. "About a year ago, I think. Back then, Junior Brother Chu Fan seemed to be looking for a place to learn martial arts and came to our Mountain Opening Boxing Hall. And then... you kicked him out."