"..."
This old fool, here he goes acting all loopy again; Xu Fan rolled his eyes and, without hesitation, crumpled up the piece of paper he had in his hand.
"Let's go."
Treating the old man as if he were a stranger, Xu Fan called out to the Xia sisters and, without hesitation, headed for the door.
"Ah, lonely old man with no one to care for him, this elder's heart is truly aching."
...
Logically speaking, they should have rested in Banan Village for a day before hitting the road, but there was no time left to delay; Xu Fan, leading the two sisters, set off immediately.
Upon reaching Dianzang City after traveling, they immediately booked the earliest flight for that day.
Fortunately, the Xia family had contacts in Miaojiang, and even before the three of them boarded the plane, arrangements were being made to have locals serve as guides for the group upon their arrival.
After enduring a flight that lasted seven hours, the plane finally landed at the airport in Sichuan Province. Following the gentle reminders of the flight attendants, the three, along with other passengers, disembarked from the plane.
"Sister, I..."
After exiting the airport's main entrance, Xia Xiaodie looked unwell as she turned to Xia Yanyu.
Seeing her distressed expression, Xia Yanyu quickly supported her.
"Sister, what's wrong?"
Unsure whether her younger sister was just unwell from the flight or if the Gu Poison in her body had begun to inflict harm, Xia Yanyu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot at that moment.
"I... I..."
Seemingly unable to catch her breath, Xia Xiaodie couldn't finish her words, and her eyes rolled back as she fainted outright.
Xu Fan rushed over immediately, grabbed Xia Xiaodie's wrist, and began to check her pulse.
"We must find someone quickly."
Xia Xiaodie's circulation was in utter chaos, Xu Fan stated grimly.
He suspected that before Hong Po died, she had played one last trick on him.
The onset of the Gu Poison in Xiaodie's body was likely not limited to a month's deadline but rather an even shorter time frame!
"I... I'm making a call now!"
Xia Yanyu, panicking, turned on her cellphone and quickly contacted someone locally.
Fortunately, the people Xia Yanyu contacted were reliable, and after discussing over the phone, Xia Yanyu hung up and said, "Xu Fan, they're already on their way here. They should be at the airport entrance now."
"Alright, let's go meet them now."
Xu Fan nodded, then supporting Xia Xiaodie, walked with Xia Yanyu towards the airport's main gates.
Once outside the airport, looking around, they saw several men in suits waiting near the entrance.
Clearly, Xia Yanyu recognized them, and she immediately ran over to greet them.
After a brief negotiation, it seemed everything was settled. Xia Yanyu came back and said, "Xu Fan, let's get on their car first."
Before boarding the plane, they had already provided the address of Old Man Liu and his wife to the locals. During the negotiation, they informed Xia Yanyu that they had arranged for several seasoned local drivers who were familiar with the mountainous roads to serve as their guides.
Xu Fan nodded, then carrying Xia Xiaodie, got into the other party's car.
After driving from the airport to the city center, the arranged contacts were already waiting for them.
In Miaojiang, the region is predominantly mountainous. The secluded residence of Old Man Liu and his wife was deep within these mountains, virtually inaccessible by public roads.
The mountain roads were rough and treacherous, where a single misstep could send someone plummeting into the abyss. Without an experienced driver, one might simply perish on the way.
The Xia family members got out of the car and after updating the drivers who had been sent, they approached Xia Yanyu.
"Miss, everything is ready here, we can set off at any time."
"Hmm, let's set off now then."
Xia Yanyu nodded, and since her sister's life was in danger, she was extremely anxious, as every second counted. At once, she boarded the car with Xu Fan.
After preparing, the convoy set off and soon left the provincial capital's territory, and the road became incredibly rugged. The three of them trudged along a long journey, first by plane, and now by car, with almost no rest.
Having endured for several hours without seeing any signs of human habitation, the three of them finally rested a bit in the car.
It was unclear how much time had passed when Xu Fan suddenly heard someone calling him.
"Mr. Xu? Mr. Xu?"
Xu Fan opened his eyes, by then it had completely become dark.
The convoy seemed to have stopped in a forest, and outside, the person calling him was from the Xia family, Xia Zhuo.
Looking at Xia Yanyu who was still sleeping in the car, Xu Fan carefully opened the car door and after getting out, asked, "Xia Zhuo, have we arrived?"
Xia Zhuo forced a smile and shook his head, saying, "Mr. Xu, it's still quite far. The village you are looking for is very secluded. We have covered less than one-third of the distance, and the road ahead will only get tougher. It will take at least two more days to get there..."
"Alright..."
Xu Fan nodded and sighed.
The darkness surrounded them, and the road was difficult. If they hurried on the journey, the entire convoy could accidentally go off a cliff.
Xia Zhuo had set up tents in the forest while Xu Fan was resting, planning to continue the journey after daybreak.
Xu Fan said to Xia Zhuo, "Alright, you all have been busy all day, go rest now. I can keep watch here alone."
"How can that be..."
Xu Fan shook his head and said, "There's no need to be polite with me, go rest now, so we don't delay tomorrow's journey."
"Okay then, Mr. Xu, thank you."
Xia Zhuo and others went to rest while Xu Fan sat alone near the campfire Xia Zhuo had built before.
This was a deep mountain forest which might attract wild animals at night, so it was essential to have someone keep watch.
With the Xia sisters both in the car, Xu Fan wasn't worried. Sitting alone by the fire, he stirred the fire with a stick, pondering the next steps.
The campfire crackled and popped, and as his shadow flickered continuously in the light of the fire, Xu Fan's thoughts grew more chaotic.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed, seeming extremely harsh in the quiet forest!
Xu Fan frowned and turned around, then he heaved a sigh of relief.
It was just Xia Yanyu waking up.
She wrapped herself in her clothes and walked over to Xu Fan.
Sitting beside Xu Fan, Xia Yanyu glanced at him and asked, "Xu Fan, how much longer until we arrive..."
"At least two more days."
Knowing how tired Xia Yanyu was from the journey, Xu Fan had not wanted to wake her, but seeing her anxious expression, he smiled and comforted her, "Alright, don't worry. You're completely exhausted, you should head back to the car and rest."
"I'm fine here watching."
"No..."
For some reason, whether it was due to the campfire or something else, Xia Yanyu's cheeks appeared slightly flushed. She shyly looked at Xu Fan and said, "I... I want to keep you company..."
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