Chapter 357: The Strange Old Man

After entering the house, Lin Fan really wanted to ask the old man what he was doing there. He thought, "If you have any questions, you can ask me directly. If I know, I'll definitely tell you."

However, he held back these thoughts and didn't speak, deciding to wait for the old man to initiate the conversation.

The old man stood before the bookshelf and casually picked up a few books. They were all the secret techniques left by Lei Gongfeng for Lin Fan. In the old man's opinion, as long as Lin Fan cultivated diligently these past few years, he should have achieved some mastery.

"Have you read the secret techniques on these bookshelves?" the old man asked.

Lin Fan replied, "I've looked at some of them."

The old man wasn't satisfied with this answer.

Looked at some? He should have read them all, given the ample time he'd been given. How could this be? However, he didn't dwell on it. Perhaps Lin Fan had studied the ones he read with great detail.

"Have you cultivated them?" the old man asked.

Lin Fan said, "No, I usually just flip through them. I find the illustrations of the human body in these books quite fascinating. I look at them when I'm bored."

He still hadn't figured out who the other party was. The old man spoke to him as if he cared about him, which was strange. Lin Fan had no memory of ever encountering this old man before.

Suddenly, the room fell silent.

"What did you say?" The old man stared at Lin Fan in astonishment, as if he hadn't expected him to say he hadn't cultivated the techniques. It seemed impossible.

Lin Fan asked, puzzled, "Did I say something wrong?"

He found the old man's reaction strange and exaggerated.

The old man looked intently at Lin Fan. "You haven't cultivated these secret techniques?"

"No," Lin Fan replied. He wasn't interested in the techniques. Only the little figures drawn in the books held any interest for him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's aura suddenly surged. Dust swirled around his feet as he struck out at Lin Fan with a palm. The palm wind whistled, carrying astonishing power.

Such power could easily split mountains and crack rocks. If this palm landed, Lin Fan would likely be torn apart. There was killing intent in the old man's move. He wanted to force Lin Fan to reveal his abilities. Ordinary probes wouldn't suffice; only a move imbued with killing intent would do.

He wanted to make it clear that this was no joke. He was serious. If Lin Fan didn't defend himself seriously, the consequences would be dire.

To others, this palm strike would be terrifying, but to Lin Fan, it felt weak, like a gentle breeze. There was no need to dodge. Even if it landed, it would be like being tickled.

"Aren't you going to make a move?" The old man's expression was grave. He wanted to know if Lin Fan was genuine or had been joking with him all along.

Soon, the palm stopped just a hair's breadth away from Lin Fan's face.

Lin Fan looked puzzled. Why hadn't the palm landed? He'd been wondering what kind of trouble the old man would cause him, but now it seemed there wouldn't be any.

The old man glared at Lin Fan, slowly clenched his fist, and then withdrew his hand.

"You have truly disappointed me."

"If Lei Gongfeng, who took you in, knew about your current state, he would not rest in peace."

"With countless secret techniques laid out before you, you haven't cultivated any of them. Tell me, what have you been doing all these years?"

The old man was truly disappointed. Lei Gongfeng's only hobby was collecting secret techniques from the world. Although he hadn't cultivated many of them, the techniques placed here were treasures that outsiders would fight tooth and nail to glimpse.

Yet, this boy hadn't learned any of them. It was infuriating.

Lin Fan didn't understand why the old man was so angry. He didn't even know him. Nevertheless, he answered honestly, "All these years, I've been farming, repairing the house, living a comfortable life, carefree and happy."

He felt his answer was perfectly reasonable.

But when the old man heard these words, a burst of anger erupted from him, making his white hair practically stand on end.

"You… you're wasting your life! Surrounded by treasures, yet you don't utilize them. You are truly disappointing!"

The old man wanted to beat Lin Fan to death.

Lin Fan said, "Although I don't know who you are, I don't agree with what you're saying. I don't feel like I'm wasting my life. I live a fulfilling life every day, and I feel good about it."

He wasn't angered by the old man's harsh words. He was just confused. What was wrong with the old man? Perhaps he was in a bad mood and needed to vent. If that were the case, Lin Fan was willing to be the target of his venting. As long as the old man could release his anger, it would be worthwhile.

The old man's breathing grew rapid. He snorted coldly, flung his sleeves, and left, looking furious. It seemed he couldn't bear to stay any longer, lest he kill Lin Fan.

"Strange old man," Lin Fan muttered, watching the old man's retreating figure. He was lost in thought, unable to understand the old man's behavior. It all felt bizarre.

"Maybe you know me, but I really don't know you."

Inside the deep palace, in a dimly lit room, several old men sat on meditation cushions. At their age, they rarely engaged in worldly activities, spending most of their time cultivating. The stronger they became, the longer they lived, so there was no need to waste energy on unnecessary matters.

"How did it go?" the surrounding old men asked.

The old man who had just returned replied, "Don't ask. Disappointing, utterly disappointing. That boy hasn't cultivated at all. He's completely useless."

"What? How can he be useless? With the secret techniques collected by Lei Gongfeng, as long as he studies diligently, he should be able to achieve something."

"That's what I thought, but the reality is that he hasn't cultivated."

Silence. No one spoke.

"Sigh…"

"Since that's the case, let's not interfere. Let him live or die on his own."

After a long while, someone finally spoke.

They had had hopes for Lin Fan. The reason they hadn't disturbed him all these years was to allow him to immerse himself in the secret techniques collected by Lei Gongfeng. They hadn't expected him to willingly become a waste. If he had some ability, he could have left the deep palace and continued to serve the imperial court.

What a pity…

"What happened to the Emperor a while ago? Why did he fall into the water?"

The speaker was Chen Gongfeng, the head of the Gongfeng, responsible for the security of the imperial city. He held a high position of power, and apart from the Emperor, no one could command him.

"The Emperor accidentally fell into the water. At the time, only the accompanying eunuch was present, and that eunuch drowned while trying to save him."

"In the end, it was a princess we never paid attention to who saved him."

"I heard it was Princess Zhenle."

Chen Gongfeng said, "Princess Zhenle?"

He clearly had no impression of her. But it was understandable. The Emperor had over a hundred children, and dozens more had been born in recent years. It was like a pig farm, so numerous that even the Emperor himself couldn't remember them all.

"The daughter of Consort Xian, the younger sister of the prince who was implicated by Lei Gongfeng."

Chen Gongfeng nodded upon hearing this, not paying much attention to the matter. To them, these were trivial matters. The current Emperor appeared healthy, but his body had long been invaded by medicinal toxins.

The various tonics he consumed all contained toxins. The long-term accumulation of these toxins in his body would have dire consequences.

In the palace, an elderly eunuch addressed a man in a dragon robe, "Your Majesty, Princess Zhenle has arrived."

The man in the dragon robe was a middle-aged man. He didn't look old, but his temples were graying. Years of consuming丹药had preserved his appearance, but his spirit was lacking.

"Quickly, let her in."

Outside the door stood a tall, elegant woman with a graceful air, delicate skin, a relaxed demeanor, and beautiful, expressive eyes. The bearing of an imperial princess was evident in every aspect of her being.

It was hard to imagine that this was the same Princess Zhenle who had suffered abuse at the hands of Consort Xian years ago.

Hearing the eunuch's voice, Zhenle slowly walked into the hall.

All these years, she had been cultivating the Nine Nether Divine Canon. Her demonic nature was restrained, and she could switch between her spiritual and demonic sides at will. There was nothing amiss about her appearance. Even the most powerful experts of the current era wouldn't be able to detect the terrifying power she possessed.

Inside the hall, "Your daughter greets Father Emperor."

Princess Zhenle bowed, her voice soft and melodious. To the Emperor's ears, it was pleasing, like a demonic melody that brought joy and increased his fondness for her.

The elderly eunuch glanced down at Princess Zhenle, who stood there motionless.

The Emperor had many children, some of whom might never see him in their lifetime, let alone be remembered by him.

But Zhenle had achieved this, and not only that, she had also made the Emperor increasingly fond of her. This was the attention many of his children dreamed of receiving.

There were many questions surrounding the Emperor's fall into the water. As a eunuch who had experienced much, how could he not know the reason? But he didn't expose it because the eunuch present at the time had already been controlled by Princess Zhenle.

Using extremely cruel demonic methods, she had destroyed his original mind, turning him into a slave.

Zhenle wanted to use the same method on the Emperor, her own father.

But the Gongfeng in the palace were powerful and discerning. They might not be able to see through some things, but they would definitely be able to tell if the Emperor's mind had been tampered with. Therefore, without absolute certainty, she had to be cautious.

Consort Xian was displeased by the Emperor's sudden fondness for Zhenle. This lowly girl, how could she have such good fortune? She hadn't even reported it to her.

And now, she had even moved out of the West Palace Courtyard. To Consort Xian, this was an act of defiance, intolerable, and she wanted Zhenle to pay the price.