684: Chapter 673: Tengyun Geshang 684: Chapter 673: Tengyun Geshang Thud—
The Big Ben in London chimed, its somber bell tone resonating through the air.
Ning Fan walked alone on the streets of a foreign land, indistinguishable from the average traveler, as if he was appreciating the exotic charm of the place.
“Pigeons?”
The sound of fluttering wings rang by Ning Fan’s ears as he looked towards the source of the sound, which was a flock of pigeons preparing to take off.
Surrounded by the pigeons was a middle-aged gentleman with a bowler hat, scattering feed into the air with a handful.
Curiously watching the old gentleman feeding the pigeons, Ning Fan sat down on a bench by the roadside.
Going out alone this time was somewhat of a steal away from his busy schedule.
These past few days, Ning Fan had hardly rested, constantly busy with matters concerning the Mingwang Pavilion.
The day that troubles at Rose Manor were resolved, Ning Fan had followed Chen Fengnan and others to London, with the help of the Shadow Team, assisting the Chen Financial Conglomerate in retaliating against the Mingwang Pavilion.
As the leader, Ning Fan had not slacked off but had helped Chen Fengnan solve troubles for his friends in Europe.
As the events unfolded, they were nearing conclusion—Ning Fan and his Shadow Team would return to Zhonghai soon.
Taking advantage of some downtime, Ning Fan had gone out for a walk to relax.
“May I sit here?”
The middle-aged gentleman who had finished feeding the pigeons came over to Ning Fan, asking with a light smile on his face.
Without much thought, Ning Fan nodded and shifted over to the side.
“You’re from Huaxia, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
Thinking that the other party was just curious, Ning Fan casually responded.
He leaned back on the bench, his gaze drifting towards the somewhat dim sky, his thoughts wandering far away.
“Huaxia is a great place; it has produced many outstanding people and heroes.”
Hearing this, Ning Fan frowned, feeling like there was an underlying meaning in the other’s words.
He had just turned his head to look at the middle-aged gentleman sitting next to him when he sensed something was off.
“Who are you, really?”
Ning Fan’s expression became alert, and he glanced around, noticing for the first time that there were no other pedestrians nearby.
Cursing himself for being careless in his mind, Ning Fan looked at the man with a scrutinizing gaze.
“Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet.
My name is Konstantin Tengyun.”
“Konstantin Tengyun?
What are you looking for me for?”
Ning Fan’s brow furrowed deeper; he had never heard this name before.
Ning Fan did not think it would be something good that this Konstantin Tengyun was seeking him out for—he even suspected that this man might be someone from the Mingwang Pavilion, planning to target him.
Konstantin Tengyun smiled, gazing at Ning Fan with a flicker of sharpness in his eyes as he sized Ning Fan up and down.
Feeling the other’s gaze, Ning Fan felt uncomfortable, his brow creasing as he asked sharply, “Are you from the Mingwang Pavilion?”
Konstantin Tengyun’s expression remained calm as he adjusted his hat with a hand, “Mingwang Pavilion—I think you are mistaken.”
Mingwang Pavilion was merely a pawn in their Umbrella’s hands, after all—how could it amount to anything?
Teng Yun Geshang really wanted to laugh, he had been mistaken for someone from Mingwang Pavilion.
Even if it were the Pavilion Master of Mingwang Pavilion, with just a single word from him, that person would obediently kneel on the ground and act like a dog for him.
Staring at Teng Yun Geshang, Ning Fan’s expression gradually became calm, his eyes slightly narrowing, deeply wary of this middle-aged man.
This man named Teng Yun Geshang, he couldn’t see through him.
Ning Fan felt a sense of helplessness rising within him; he could sense that Teng Yun Geshang was a dangerous man, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where this danger lay.
Ning Fan really disliked this feeling of helplessness towards the unknown.
“Let’s not talk about Mingwang Pavilion, but how should I address you?
Ning Fan, Ninth Master, or perhaps Asura?”
Teng Yun Geshang spoke smoothly, his tone filled with a confidence of having everything under control.
Although Ning Fan had been prepared, his eyes still widened involuntarily when Teng Yun Geshang listed out all of his identities.
“As you wish.”
“It’s not good to be casual, but since you say so, I shall follow the host’s lead then, Mr.
Asura.”
Teng Yun Geshang smiled, seeming to enjoy Ning Fan’s reaction.
Ning Fan crossed his arms in front of his chest, maintaining an impassive face, but inside, his wariness towards Teng Yun Geshang was slowly escalating.
“The legendary Phantom Asura is sitting right beside me, do you think I should feel honored?” Teng Yun Geshang asked indifferently, his eyes devoid of any fluctuation.
“I am just me, frankly, I really dislike the way you speak.
Why not just say what you want directly?”
Ning Fan muttered disdainfully.
This was a troublesome fellow.
Leaving aside his strength, just a few sentences were enough to give Ning Fan the illusion that a single sentence spoken by this Teng Yun Geshang could have many layered meanings.
“I actually wanted to have a good chat with you, but since you are in such a hurry, I might as well come straight to the point, Asura, are you willing to join our organization?”
Teng Yun Geshang shrugged regretfully, then revealed his purpose.
His primary reason for coming to London was Ning Fan.
Konstantin had asked him to recruit Ning Fan into the Umbrella, and although he was not very optimistic about this idea, Teng Yun Geshang was willing to give it a try, since Ning Fan was indeed a rare talent.
Upon learning that Teng Yun Geshang had come to recruit him, Ning Fan couldn’t help laughing out loud; he had thought about many possibilities, but he had not considered this one, now feeling somewhat self-mocking.
After all the secretive machinations, it was just to tell him this.
Ning Fan smacked his lips and unhesitatingly rejected, “Sorry, I’m not interested in your organization.”
Teng Yun Geshang had anticipated that Ning Fan would say this and wasn’t flustered, but instead continued explaining slowly, “We are not a small organization like Mingwang Pavilion.
What you’re involved in now is just minor skirmishes.
If you want to experience a new world, you should come to my side, where the real playing field is much bigger than you imagine.”
Ning Fan looked indifferent, and seeing that Teng Yun Geshang was planning a gradual approach, he shook his head unyieldingly, unmoved by Teng Yun Geshang’s words.
“Are you really unwilling to reconsider?
You are a man with ambitions.
With us, your ambitions can fully bloom, and the problems you are currently facing would be resolved easily.”
Teng Yun Geshang still wasn’t ready to give up, continuing to speak.
Ning Fan scoffed, “Are you saying if I want to be President, you could make that happen?”
“What’s so great about being President?
Controlling a President is far better than appearing in the forefront.
Of course, if you like high-profile roles, that’s not impossible either.”
Teng Yun Geshang laughed.
He indeed had the means to make Ning Fan a president, albeit of some war-torn small country.