Urban Most Awesome Dad

“What’s going on?” Mackenzie didn’t act rashly but instead also gradually lowered his speed and followed Xu Fan’s car at an easy pace.

“Is he going to stop? Why don’t we just do it here?” Sandru was a typical bruiser, and upon seeing Xu Fan about to stop, he pulled out a sharp Kukri knife from his calf. The blade flashed blue, a mark of having been tempered with high heat.

This knife was a collector’s edition jungle combat knife of the U.S. Marine Corps, not commonly available for purchase, even if one had the money, and Sandru had pulled many strings to get his hands on one.

The knife, crafted from aerospace-grade titanium alloy, was incredibly hard, and Sandru had relied on it to kill many enemies on the battlefield in the past.

“Lieutenant Shan, don’t be reckless. This is a main street in Yan Country. If we act on our own, not even the embassy can save us. Let’s wait a bit more. An excellent hunter is not afraid of the prey running amok,” Mackenzie soothed the agitated Sandru.

Mackenzie himself certainly wanted to just take out a gun and blow the head off the target in front of him, but Yan Country was known as a no-go zone for foreign bounty hunters for a reason. That was a lesson learned through the blood of many bounty-hunter predecessors.

Now, with the target having stopped his car in the bustling city, regardless of what they did, it would be hard to escape Yan Country’s pursuit under broad daylight.

Therefore, even with Sandru’s restlessness, Mackenzie firmly suppressed his urge to act impulsively.

At this time, Xu Fan had already parked his car and slowly got out.

During the drive, he had noticed the suspicious off-road vehicle following behind him. When lowering his speed earlier, Xu Fan had purposely released his “Sea of Consciousness” to scan the situation inside the off-road vehicle.

Upon scanning, Xu Fan was somewhat astonished; in the car sat two foreigners, and they appeared to be the tough and bold type, like bounty hunters.

Xu Fan wasn’t someone to startle the snake by hitting the grass; since they wished to follow, he deliberately slowed down to let them keep up.

The place Xu Fan stopped this time was Zhi Shen Tang, the same traditional medicine shop he had visited last time.

He had received information the night before that the high-grade medicinal materials he reserved had been prepared for him, so Xu Fan’s first stop was here, to pick up the materials, then he would meet these two mysterious foreigners.

Zhi Shen Tang’s opening hours were quite early; it wasn’t even seven in the morning yet, and the rolling shutter door was already open.

Xu Fan strolled into the quaint entrance of Zhi Shen Tang as if nothing was amiss.

The Elder Lin with the surname Lin who Xu Fan had met last time was still sitting at the counter today, engrossed in reading a thread-bound ancient book.

Upon entering, Xu Fan first politely greeted the elder: “Elder Lin, good morning!”

“Young friend, you’re up early too. There aren’t many young people who can get out of bed this early anymore,” Boss Lin said cheerfully as he set down the thread-bound ancient book and smiled at Xu Fan.

“You have my thanks, Boss Lin, preparing the medicinal materials so quickly. I thought it would take at least three or four days,” Xu Fan clasped his hands in a gesture of gratitude towards Elder Lin.

“No trouble at all. Seeing the young friend in such a hurry, I paid a bit more attention and had my folks be a bit more agile. It’s nothing much,” Elder Lin replied amiably, smiling at Xu Fan without a hint of arrogance.

After Xu Fan approached the counter, Elder Lin was taken aback once again.

The last time he saw Xu Fan, he felt that although Xu Fan was very powerful, he could tell that Xu Fan was a rather formidable martial artist.

However, this time, his impression of Xu Fan was different; Xu Fan now seemed like a mysterious and unfathomable ocean, and even his own penetrating gaze gained nothing from Xu Fan. For the first time, the youth made Elder Lin feel as if he could not see through him.

This change was, of course, thanks to the upgrade of Xu Fan’s Five Spirits Sea of Consciousness, which corresponded to the spiritual world. The former Sea of Consciousness of Xu Fan had not been as strong as it was now, so when Elder Lin looked at Xu Fan, he could tell that Xu Fan was a rather formidable martial artist.

But now, after the upgrade of Xu Fan’s Sea of Consciousness, his own spiritual barrier had become like a great mountain, shielding against all who tried to peer into Xu Fan.

Therefore, Elder Lin now had the feeling that he could not see through Xu Fan.

This change in Xu Fan made Elder Lin even more surprised and he thought to himself that it was indeed fortunate for Zhi Shen Tang to have made the acquaintance of such an unfathomably powerful young martial artist.

“Young friend, please have a seat and rest for a while. I will immediately instruct someone to bring over your medicinal herbs,” Elder Lin gestured invitingly towards Xu Fan with his hand.

Xu Fan, without any hesitation, slowly sat down on the sofa provided for guests in the store.

Less than a minute passed before a clerk wearing the uniform of Zhi Shen Tang brought over a pile of large and small boxes.

“Young friend, these are all the medicinal herbs you ordered last time. Thanks to my connections, I also found some older herbs for you, but the price will remain the same as we agreed upon last time,” said Elder Lin as he stroked his beard and spoke politely to Xu Fan.

“Is that so? Since there are older herbs, I should indeed pay a higher price, don’t tell me Elder Lin looks down on me,” Xu Fan said. Although he appreciated Elder Lin’s kindness, he still did not want to take advantage of Elder Lin. After all, the price difference between a fifty-year-old herb and a hundred-year-old one could be three to four times more.

Xu Fan understood the significance of this, which is why he said to Elder Lin with a bit of resolution.

Elder Lin let out a chuckle and said indifferently, “Young friend, don’t worry, take a look at the herbs and see if they meet your satisfaction first.”

“Alright!” Xu Fan said, taking a large package of herbs to examine closely.

As soon as he opened the packaging, a rich scent of herbal fragrance wafted out.

Xu Fan’s nose was exceptionally keen, and with one sniff, he knew that the medicinal herbs inside were all genuine.

Moreover, they were all over fifty years old, with many over a hundred years, and there was even a portion of Double-Headed Cordyceps that was rarely seen even in a decade.

“Elder Lin, these medicinal herbs are excellent, I am very satisfied,” Xu Fan said as he neatly repackaged them and spoke earnestly to Elder Lin.

“Good, as long as the young friend is satisfied, then I am at ease. However, as for the payment, it will still be the price we agreed upon last time, not a penny more,” Elder Lin stated firmly.

“Elder Lin, I am not someone who takes advantage of others lightly,” Xu Fan said, shaking his head slightly and speaking slowly.

“Young friend, do not reject it just yet. If I, Lin Yaoshi, can make a friend of you, what harm is there in giving you these medicinal herbs for free?” Boss Lin said slowly to Xu Fan.