Half a month later...
The Wanyan family.
Beside a clear pool, a tall and robust man stood.
The man wore black clothes, had a short sword hanging at his waist, and his long hair tied in a bundle with a silver cloud-patterned ring, hanging down to his back.
He quietly watched the clear oval pool.
Splash!
A human figure suddenly emerged from the pool.
An oval-shaped black-skinned person slowly paddled towards the shore.
Zhang Rongfang, looking at the significantly slimmer Wanyan Road, felt very gratified.
"In such a short time, youâve lost another seventy pounds. It seems you truly followed my advice without any discounts."
Wanyan Road panted heavily as she climbed ashore, then collapsed like a dead fish, unable to move.
After strenuous exercise, she was still sweating profusely all over.
Her pores were like leaking faucets, continuously flowing.
"...Huff... Huff... I... Watching myself slim down little by little every day, the joy, the sense of achievement, you canât even imagine..."
Her skin didnât have many wrinkles, but it was somewhat loose.
"Now Iâm just worried about my skin; it was stretched and cracked before. After slimming down, there might be a lot of excess skin," Wanyan Road said worriedly.
"You donât need to worry about that. Just find a place to cut off the skin later. Sew the wound with intestinal sutures, preferably in hidden areas, and cover it with a tattoo, no problem at all."
Zhang Rongfang casually suggested.
"A tattoo? Thatâs great!" Wanyan Road immediately became happy again.
She slowly got up from the ground.
Now she weighed over 400 pounds. It was obviously different, no longer a sphere.
Now she had transformed from what she was, becoming a true egg!
"Keep it up!" Zhang Rongfang initially wanted to say cheer up, but considering the other might not understand, he changed his words.
"Okay."
"By the way, my brother wants to meet you. Would you be willing?" Wanyan Road suddenly said.
"Your brother?"
"Yes, my family is very grateful for you now. Weâve tried many ways for this body of mine, but none worked. Before, I even hurt myself taking medicine to lose weight.
Now... finally see hope..."
"By the way, Iâve started martial arts training now," Wanyan Road smiled, "This body reluctantly moves, and I can do some consumption exercises now. Losing weight should be faster in the future."
"Thatâs best, but also pay attention to your left chest and heart. If you feel any discomfort, stop and rest immediately. Excessive exercise might put extra strain on your organs," Zhang Rongfang cautioned.
"Donât worry!" Wanyan Road, still the same, ordered the maids to bring buckets of food.
She and Zhang Rongfang each took a bucket, sat down, and began to eat directly.
"My brother is the Grand Commander of Tan Yang Cityâs guards. He said he wanted to meet you before."
"I have no problem with that, when?" Zhang Rongfangâs heart moved, and he replied calmly.
"Iâll take you to find him in a while."
After quickly finishing their buckets, Wanyan Road stood up, using an iron rod to support her weary body, and led the way towards the side gate of the residence.
The two got on a carriage waiting at the side gate, and after a short ride in the city.
Soon they arrived at a grey mansion slightly smaller than Wanyan Roadâs residence.
The carriage door opened, and as soon as they got off, they saw a round and fat man with a big belly striding out from the gate.
This fat man wore an oversized robe, a pointy metal helmet representing a warrior, with a colorful feather trailing behind.
His eyes were sharp and aggressive, his Essence Qi extremely full, making eye contact intimidating.
"Welcome, welcome! Brother Zhang, today we meet not by official status but as peers!" He stopped Zhang Rongfang, who was about to pay his respects, and laughed heartily.
According to the Great Spiritâs official rank, Zhang Rongfang should have paid a lower-ranking officialâs respects.
"Thank you, sir!" Zhang Rongfang smiled and bowed.
"Please come in quickly. I am Wanyan Hongda, Iâve heard about you for a long time, but this is the first formal meeting. Not easy, indeed."
"My sisterâs current good condition is thanks to your help over this period, Brother Zhang!"
"Youâre too kind, sir. I was simply exchanging fairly with Miss Wanyan Road." Zhang Rongfang also didnât take personal credit.
The three entered together.
In the courtyard inside the mansion, a huge carpet was laid with all kinds of delicacies and wines.
There were also pretty maids serving.
Of course... these maids had pretty faces, but their figures were over 200 pounds...
The three sat on the carpet, the Wanyan siblings on one side, Zhang Rongfang on the other.
Zhang Rongfang glanced around, conscientiously collecting himself, sitting upright.
"I wonder, sir, what matter would have you summon this junior?"
Though others were courteous to him, he knew better than to take it seriously; that would be foolish.
"Itâs like this... I heard from my sister that youâre collecting those metal scrap antiques? Why? Are you interested in them?" Wanyan Hongda asked softly.
"Indeed a bit." Zhang Rongfang knew his previous actions had too many traces, no way to clean up, so he simply admitted.
As long as he doesnât continue, it shouldnât be a big problem.
"Then you must be careful." Wanyan Hongda said seriously, "Those scrap antiques are robustly made, previously left by some sects unrecognized by the imperial court.
"Collecting and researching these things isnât a good idea..."
"What do you mean, sir...?" Zhang Rongfang remembered that he wasnât the only one interested in this back then?
Moreover, if itâs not allowed, why bring it out for auction?
"These things, when auctioned and circulated, naturally have their uses. If you are simply interested, collecting a bit isnât an issue, but if you attempt to assemble them completely, itâs better not to have that thought." Wanyan Hongda warned.
He looked at Zhang Rongfang, who seemed hesitant to speak, and raised his hand.
"Donât ask me why, there are many things I donât know either. The reasons are regulations given from above. And donât leak this information."
Zhang Rongfang was lost in thought.
"Alright, letâs change the subject. A few days ago, there was an incident at Dayang Temple, are you aware?" Wanyan Hongda shifted the conversation.
"Yes, I heard a bit about it. At the time, I was practicing martial arts at home and saw the distress fireworks of Dayang Temple explode." Zhang Rongfang nodded.
"Dayang Temple... sigh... You might not believe it, but we didnât expect that the Red List expert, who has been wanted by the court, would hide there.
At the time, we cooperated with Supervisor Sun and jointly injured him, forcing him to flee. Next, weâll likely need to conduct comprehensive inspections.
I also want to remind you that during the inspection, you might be mobilized, so during that time, donât rush to the forefront."
"Red List expert??" Zhang Rongfangâs heart tensed.
He had heard of Black List experts before, but this was the first time he heard of the Red List.
"Even Supervisor Sun took action personally, and several officials joined forces in an ambush, yet he still managed to escape?"
"Itâs quite normal, after all, thatâs the Silver-faced Cicada from the Red List. Years ago, he was a terrifying figure who killed without blinking." Wanyan Hongda sighed, "We managed to injure him by using a barrage of arrows to suppress him and block him with our experts. If it were one-on-one... Iâm afraid only Supervisor Sun would survive, while the others..."
"So formidable?" Zhang Rongfang exclaimed in shock. "Isnât he just one person? Donât tell me he has three heads and six arms?"
"He is naturally just one person." Wanyan Hongda shook his head, took a sip of mareâs milk wine, and recalled the previous scenario. He still remembers it vividly and occasionally has nightmares about it.
"Back then... sigh..."
He sighed and suddenly reacted by pointing at the food on the carpet.
"Eat, all of you, donât be polite, here you are my honored guests. My little sister mentioned that your appetite is astounding, so if you donât finish all this food in front of you today, you wonât be giving me, Wanyan Hongda, face!
Come, come, letâs dig in together!"
He was the first to reach for a roasted lamb leg, took a big bite, and tore off a chunk of meat.
Zhang Rongfang was eager to learn about the Red List expert Silver-faced Cicada, but his words were interrupted, and he couldnât help but wipe his hands with a towel and join in the hearty meal.
Only Wanyan Road, beside him, begrudgingly swallowed his saliva and could only nibble on some pure lean jerky.
After a satisfying meal, Zhang Rongfang finally found an opportunity and quickly asked again.
"Sir, you still havenât mentioned what ability the Silver-faced Cicada from the Red List has to cause such chaos?"
"Silver-faced Cicada..."
Wanyan Hongda sighed.
"Actually, if it were one-on-one, fighting head-on, I wouldnât fear him. Heâs slender, even less than you, and naturally not as strong as us.
But itâs just... just..."
He stopped midway.
"Just what??"
"Itâs similar to those on the Black List." Wanyan Hongda slapped his thigh.
"What do you mean similar?" Zhang Rongfang did not understand.
"Actually, whether itâs the Black List or the Red List, they have one thing in common."
Wanyan Hongda slapped his thigh and sighed.
"And that is their extremely fast body technique!"
"Extremely fast body technique?" The first thing Zhang Rongfang thought of was the Golden Wing Pavilion.
"It is because their body technique is fast that we couldnât join forces to besiege him. Every encounter ends up being one-on-one.
Moreover, they are adept in various uncommon weapons and martial arts, making them extremely troublesome once engaged." Wanyan Hongda explained.
"Could it be faster than Supervisor Sun of the Ninth Grade?"
"Isnât that a certainty? So if you ever encounter such a formidable person, itâs best to lie down immediately."
".....this..." Zhang Rongfang didnât expect him to be so blunt.
"Sigh... At that time, I just lay down... uh, forget it, forget it..." Wanyan Hongda suddenly woke up and repeatedly patted his head.
The three of them had a great feast together, and the topic shifted to discussing other matters.
After the meal, Zhang Rongfang managed to get on Wanyan Hongdaâs registry.
Upon returning home, he didnât go back to the Criminal Investigation Department.
The application had been approved, and Li Ran finally agreed to let him return to Mingjing Palace.
However, the condition was to retain Zhang Yingâs position in the Criminal Investigation Department, with duties suspended but the team coordinated to remain.
In the future, if he wishes to come back, his position will still be there for him.
Zhang Rongfang expressed his gratitude, purchased many gifts, and went to meet Li Ran privately. Unfortunately, he was refused entry, with a statement that he doesnât engage in such customs.
Returning from the Wanyan residence,
he checked his attribute points.
Breaking through with the perfected Primordial Talisman would reach the Ninth Grade, but breaking the limit required two points, so he needed to wait for some time.
As for learning the lock script, he didnât use the message bird to inquire, but instead planned to personally go out later and visit the three people around Tan Yang who understood the lock script.
However, the specific situation of these three was previously reported by a Golden Wing Pavilion member named Xiong Wuye.
He first needed to find that Xiong Wuye to understand the situation before deciding who to learn from.