Chapter 165: Fairy, I’m Not a Good Person!

Gu Fan and Ruo Xi both became serious upon seeing the situation.

After exchanging a glance, Gu Fan quickly took Ruo Xi and left the inn to be safe.

The two then entered a nearby alley.

“The situation seems a bit tricky. What do you think?”

Ruo Xi nodded in agreement and looked at Gu Fan, saying:

“I’m not sure either… I wanted to hear your opinion first.”

Gu Fan fell into thought for a moment before speaking:

“Firstly, the way that server reacted, I suspect there are two possibilities. These two depend on how he interpreted our identities.”

“I don’t really get it…”

“It’s simple!”

Gu Fan pointed at himself and said:

“If I were that server, there are two situations where I would act the way he just did. First, mentioning the Qiao Family must currently bring trouble to oneself. This would happen if the Qiao Family is in serious trouble, such as being hunted by enemies, bullied by a more powerful family, and anyone associated with them would get dragged into misfortune. That’s why he avoided us so quickly—he wouldn’t want a reward at that risk.”

“And the second possibility is that the Qiao Family already holds hegemonic status in Xuanguang City, and ordinary people don’t dare offend them. Since we mentioned their surname in such a noisy environment, the server might have feared getting involved and being unable to explain himself later, so he decisively refused, afraid of Qiao Family’s retaliation.”

Ruo Xi admired him with some amazement.

“Gu Fan, you’re so smart! You can analyze so many possibilities from one thing!”

“But I’m still curious, what if the Qiao Family he’s thinking of isn’t the same as my uncle’s family?”

Looking at the slightly dazed Dragon Girl before him, Gu Fan sighed.

“Why do you think that server ran off the moment he heard the name ‘Qiao Family’?”

“Of course, like you just said—he’s afraid of trouble.”

Gu Fan rubbed his forehead.

“Didn’t you think, if there were two Qiao Families in Xuanguang City, why would he flee just hearing that surname? It’s obvious there’s only one Qiao Family here. If your uncle’s family is still in this city, then it must be the very Qiao Family that server wanted to avoid!”

After hearing the explanation, Ruo Xi fell into contemplation, then forced a bitter smile.

“Hearing you say this, now I’m not even sure whether I should be hoping my mother’s Qiao Family is really here or not…”

It was reasonable for Ruo Xi to think this way. If Gu Fan’s second guess was correct, then it meant the Qiao Family still held a strong position, and her mother’s natal family had some status.

But if it were the first possibility, the Qiao Family’s current situation could be very dire.

Gu Fan smiled slightly and said:

“Since we’re already here, let’s take it as it comes. Whether the Qiao Family here is your mother’s or not, let’s first find out.”

“How?”

“Let’s wait until nightfall. For now, let’s pretend we’re just tourists and get to know Xuanguang City better.”

Time flew, and night fell.

The Fulai Shun Inn, which operated until midnight, finally closed its doors. The inn’s staff finished cleaning up and headed home.

The server who was questioned by Gu Fan and Ruo Xi earlier also smiled and bid farewell to everyone before heading toward his nearby residence.

On the way, as he passed an alley, he suddenly saw a black figure appear at the alley entrance, making his heart skip a beat.

A sense of foreboding welled up in his chest. He pretended nothing happened and muttered to himself:

“What’s wrong with me, forgot to bring my keys. Gotta run back.”

As he said this, he immediately turned and began walking back the way he came.

But just as he turned around, he saw another black figure appear behind him. With the light behind them, he couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.

At this moment, the server’s face turned pale. If he had known, he wouldn’t have taken this shortcut through the alley. Now it was too late—he didn’t even know if he’d make it home alive tonight.

The two shadows from both ends slowly approached. Finally, the server couldn’t bear the terrifying atmosphere and collapsed to his knees.

“Good sirs, good heroes, I’m just a lowly inn server, with no power or wealth. Please, I beg you, spare me!”

“At least you were smart enough not to run.”

At this moment, a somewhat familiar male voice rang out. Under the faint moonlight, the server recognized the man’s face.

His face immediately collapsed like a bitter melon.

“So it was you, sirs… I have elders above and children below, please don’t kill me, I’ll do anything you ask!”

He instantly recognized the two who had blocked his path as the ones who had questioned him about the Qiao Family during the day.

“Hm… whether or not we kill you depends on whether your answer satisfies us. Speak, what is the current situation with the Qiao Family? Why did you avoid them like they were venomous snakes?”

Hearing this, the server let out a breath of relief. As long as they didn’t plan to kill him, it was fine.

These two clearly looked like they had just arrived in this territory. Assuming he hadn’t offended them fatally, they wouldn’t recklessly kill and bring trouble to themselves.

Thinking this, the server quickly said:

“Please don’t be hasty, sirs. I’ll tell you everything I know right now, as long as I can live.”

At this moment, Ruo Xi added cooperatively:

“Speak honestly, everything and without omission. If we find out you’ve lied to us, believe me, no matter where you run, we’ll find you!”

“Yes, yes, I understand. You two are clearly immortals, how could I dare deceive immortals?”

As he spoke, the server wiped his cold sweat and said:

“Sirs, you may not know, I wasn’t being disrespectful to you during the day. It’s just that the Qiao Family is quite a sensitive topic in Xuanguang City right now.”

“You must have just arrived in the city and don’t know that Xuanguang City is currently in a power struggle for the position of City Lord after the previous one passed away.”

“There have always been four major families in Xuanguang City: the Qiao Family, Bai Family, Xun Family, and Dongye Family. Due to the contest for the position of City Lord, these four families have been fighting for the past two years.”

“Recently, for some unknown reason, the Bai, Xun, and Dongye Families formed an alliance and set a trap in a certain secret realm, killing ten Divine Moon Realm cultivators from the Qiao Family. Even the Qiao Family Old Ancestor was seriously injured!”

“The Qiao Family Old Ancestor and the remaining experts fought desperately to break out of the siege and escaped. But since the city gates are under control, they are currently hiding somewhere within the city.”

“Lately, the three families have surrounded the Qiao Family’s residence, not allowing anyone in or out. They even released word that if the Qiao Family Old Ancestor and the experts didn’t show themselves, they would kill all the Qiao Family disciples!”

“So right now, no one dares get involved with anything related to the Qiao Family. If a word gets out to the three families, even if you don’t die, you’ll be skinned!”

The server bitterly summarized the situation.

Ruo Xi’s expression darkened. This was precisely what she feared most.

Ever since being betrayed by the entire Ruo Family, even her own father involved, her last hope had been her mother’s family.

If something had happened to even these last blood relatives, she truly might be left all alone in this world.

“A mere server like you sure knows a lot.”

Gu Fan narrowed his eyes, looking at the server suspiciously.

The server’s face changed drastically at those words, and he immediately kowtowed in explanation:

“Sirs, every word I said is true! This matter is known throughout the city. Our inn is a place full of people and chatter, naturally we hear more than others. As for what’s true or not, I can’t say, but I’ve told you everything I know. Please, spare me!”

Gu Fan narrowed his eyes, spiritual sense constantly pressing down on the kneeling server.

Eventually, the server let out a muffled groan, unable to bear the invisible pressure and collapsed to the ground.

Ruo Xi’s expression changed slightly.

“You killed him?”

“He knew we’re investigating the Qiao Family. That makes him a risk.”

“But he didn’t do anything wrong and told us so much. If you killed him… what about his family?”

Gu Fan didn’t reply. He just looked at Ruo Xi with a half-smiling, half-mocking gaze.

“Seems I forgot to tell Fairy Ruo Xi—I’m not a good person. Aren’t your moral expectations of me a little too high?”

Ruo Xi paused, her expression turning stiff.

Then Gu Fan suddenly changed his expression and chuckled:

“Relax, I just forcibly erased his memory. He’ll wake up soon.”

With that, Gu Fan casually tossed down a few reward coins and turned to leave.

“Not going? Want to wait until he wakes up?”

Ruo Xi let out an awkward “oh”, and quickly followed.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep