Top-tier Unruly Master

"As for the remaining matters, I think you should be more capable of handling them than I am," Ding Fan said lightly to the two police officers.

"Mr. Ding, we understand," the two police officers responded, standing at attention.

Ding Fan pondered for a moment and then pulled out his military ID. "Here's my ID. If there are any difficulties in handling the situation, you can look for me."

As he spoke, Ding Fan casually tossed his military ID from the 3567 unit to a nearby police officer.

The police officer caught Ding Fan's military ID. "Mr. Ding, are you…?"

"Just hold onto this ID for now. It's fine to return it to me after you've handled everything," Ding Fan said.

In the end, these two police officers were just ordinary cops, while Luv Juntao and Wu Shen were people of substantial standing. With just a word from him, these officers took action against them, clearly lacking in forcefulness.

Regardless, Ding Fan's ID was from unit 3567, and having this ID would make the handling of matters concerning Luv Juntao and Wu Shen trivial.

After pondering a moment, the police officer ultimately accepted Ding Fan's ID and then led away Wu Shen, Luv Juntao, and others in a grand procession from Liang Si En's hospital room.

"Brother-in-law..." Seeing Wu Shen, Luv Juntao, and Lao Dai being taken away by the police, Liang Si En's eyes reddened at the moment.

Liang Si En knew that if things had turned out this way, it was definitely because of Ding Fan's intervention; otherwise, how could Luv Juntao have met Ding Fan and immediately addressed him as brother or young master...

"Brother-in-law, thank you..." Liang Si En said to Ding Fan.

Liang Si En's thanks were sincere. If it hadn't been for Ding Fan, he really wouldn't know what to do.

Firstly, he would have had to cover the medical costs for those who had beaten him, and he would have been taken to the police station… It's safe to say, if Ding Fan hadn't shown up, Liang Si En would certainly have gone mad from the ordeal.

Brother-in-law? Ding Fan was slightly taken aback.

Although Ding Fan was Song Tao's godfather, he had no relation whatsoever to Li Shuying. This current address as brother-in-law was indeed too serious.

Ding Fan glanced at Li Shuying, whose cheeks were flushed at the moment.

However, although Li Shuying was extremely shy, she showed no intention of correcting the term.

Seeing that Li Shuying didn't mind, what could he, a grown man, say in response? "Appreciated, appreciated..." Ding Fan said to Liang Si En.

Li Shuying's aunt was also full of thanks to Ding Fan. If Ding Fan had not intervened this time, their Liang family would probably have been utterly oppressed.

"I have some other matters to attend to, so I'll step out for a bit," Ding Fan said, overwhelmed by Liang Si En and his mother's words of gratitude, momentarily unsure of what to do. After dropping this remark, he turned and walked out of the hospital room.

"Su Ying, the boyfriend you found is really reliable..."

"Sister Su Ying, thank you. If it weren't for you and your brother-in-law here, I really wouldn't know how to get through this."...

As soon as Ding Fan left the room, Liang Si En and his mother directed their words of thanks toward Li Shuying, quickly overwhelming her with their gratitude.

Upon hearing these words, Li Shuying's face turned even redder, unsure of what to say...

At this point, the situation had essentially drawn to a close, with Luv Juntao and Wu Shen already confined in a detention center, ready to face legal judgment.

As for such matters, Ding Fan was completely unconcerned; the fates of these two insignificant figures did not matter to him at all.

Now, Liang Si En no longer needed to worry about medical costs or being driven out by others; since Wu Shen had been driven away, no one else had tried to evict Liang Si En.

Moreover, the hospital had specially assigned a caretaker for Liang Si En, and the cost of this care was also not something Liang Si En and his family needed to bear.

Ding Fan had completely healed Liang Si En's broken leg. If nothing unexpected happened, Liang Si En could be discharged within three days, though he still needed time to recover during this period.

Regardless of Ding Fan's profound skills, such a severe fracture required time to heal after being set.

Walking out of the hospital, Ding Fan strolled aimlessly along the road.

"Hey? Have you heard? There's a strange tree that has appeared at Qiu Mountain..."

"I heard. That tree is said to be as hard as steel, and you can't pierce it with a knife. Just imagine, they say if an old man eats one of its leaves, his hair instantly turns from white to black."

"Yes... They say this tree wasn't around before, and it only appeared recently."

"Some people are saying it's as if the tree has been sent down from heaven."...

As Ding Fan walked, he overheard some people chatting nearby.

A tree as hard as steel? Ordinary people's hair turning black from white after eating it...

Ding Fan's eyes lit up at the moment. During his time in the Cultivation World, he had heard of such a thing, called Penetrative Stone Wood, a superior type of Spirit Grass.

Ordinary people who ate this Spirit Grass could rejuvenate, and cultivators who consumed it could significantly enhance their cultivation with the right techniques.

This was truly a rare treasure too good to miss.

At this point, Ding Fan felt a surge of excitement. If what those two people mentioned was indeed Penetrative Stone Wood, then he had struck it rich.

Ding Fan walked straight over and stopped the two people who were talking.

The speakers, both middle-aged housewives, were taken aback and instantly looked wary when Ding Fan blocked their path.

"What do you want..." one of the women, as stout as a barrel, said, eyeing Ding Fan suspiciously.

"Hello, I just heard you mention a strange tree on Qiu Mountain. I would like to ask about that tree," Ding Fan responded.

The middle-aged woman paused, then said, "Oh, so you're asking about that strange tree. We only heard it from someone else. It seems that the tree is quite remarkable, capable of rejuvenating people."

"Then, may I ask, where is Qiu Mountain?" Ding Fan inquired.

"Oh my... you could just buy a map to find out where Qiu Mountain is. We need to go back and cook," the woman replied, somewhat annoyed.

Seeing the two women about to leave, Ding Fan immediately pulled out several red hundred-yuan bills from his pocket.

"Where is Qiu Mountain?"

Seeing Ding Fan's generous offer, the two middle-aged women took his money and hurriedly said,

"Qiu Mountain is very far from here. If you want to go there, you'll probably need to take a vehicle..."

"Young man, it looks like you're out to find that strange tree, but I must warn you." Perhaps because she had taken Ding Fan's money, the woman seemed more enthusiastic.

Ding Fan looked at the woman, signaling her to continue.

Said the woman, "Since the appearance of that strange tree, many people have headed to Qiu Mountain. However, those who go there find that the tree can't actually be found... Moreover, many people speculate that the tree is a hoax. And I've heard that because suddenly many people are going to that place and the roads are quite perilous, a group of Vietnamese bandits have been lurking around there. They specialize in robbing passersby and are rumored to commit murder as well..."

Ding Fan nodded upon hearing this. According to the woman, Qiu Mountain was indeed in a state of chaos.

"Alright, thank you..." Ding Fan, having learned what he needed to know, turned to try his luck.

"Young brother, that strange tree might not be real, and Qiu Mountain is dangerous, so think carefully," the woman called out from behind him.

Unconcerned with the dangers, Ding Fan ignored the warning. The path of Cultivation was inherently full of thorns, a journey against fate. If one feared danger, then there was no point in pursuing cultivation.

Though it was still uncertain whether the strange tree was the Penetrative Stone Wood, Ding Fan decided to try his luck. If it turned out not to be, he would consider it a learning experience. If it was indeed the Penetrative Stone Wood, it would be a significant find.

Currently at the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation, if he found the Penetrative Stone Wood, he might be able to leap directly to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Ding Fan decided to look for a car. Although traveling by Sword Control would be faster, in such a technologically advanced era, being noticed could lead to complications.

Thus, it seemed better for Ding Fan to just find a car.

However, what puzzled Ding Fan was that after asking several taxis to take him to Qiu Mountain, none of them were willing to go. This left Ding Fan speechless.

Presumably, the issue was the Vietnamese gangsters the woman had mentioned, which likely scared off the drivers.

"Brother... are you heading to Qiu Mountain?" Just as Ding Fan was considering traveling by Sword Control that evening, someone spoke up behind him.

Ding Fan turned around. The speaker was a man in his forties, dressed plainly, with a cigarette tucked behind his ear, clearly someone accustomed to dealing with events.

It seemed the man had overheard Ding Fan asking about transportation to Qiu Mountain and had come over to chime in.

"Yes, I'm going to Qiu Mountain..." Ding Fan replied, not hiding his intentions.

"I have a car going there..." the man said while taking the cigarette from his ear, lighting it, and taking a deep drag.

Ding Fan remained silent, just observing the man.

If no one else dared to go, there was likely a catch with this man daring to go.

The man exhaled a puff of smoke and declared, "Going to Qiu Mountain will cost ten thousand per person... no bargaining!"

Ding Fan nodded, "Alright, I'll give you ten thousand."

The man was momentarily startled. Typically, when he mentioned the price, people would be shocked and haggle, but Ding Fan seemed unconcerned.

"Also, I'll tell you, I only take cash. I don't know how to use checks or anything, so that's useless," the man added.

Ding Fan happened to have just over ten thousand in cash on him, which he had intended for hiring a ride to Qiu Mountain.

Seeing the money handed over, the man's eyes lit up, and he took the cash from Ding Fan's hand, then counted it while holding his cigarette.

"Just right!" Having counted the money, the man waved to Ding Fan. "Alright, follow me. My van is just up ahead."

As he said this, he led Ding Fan to a white minivan parked nearby.

Upon entering the van, Ding Fan was surprised to find that, including himself, the vehicle was already full.

"Driver, why are there other people? We've all paid for the ride," a bearded burly man complained.

"Big brother, whether it's one person or a whole van, it makes no difference to you. Having one more person doesn't affect you guys, and I can earn a bit more. Qiu Mountain is very chaotic right now, and the money I make is like having my life hanging by a belt..." The man explained as he took another deep drag of his cigarette, then flicked the butt out of the van.