"What are you talking about?"
Lin Fan frowned. "My sister-in-law just left. What woman?"
"I don't believe you. Let me see."
Tian Mengyao ducked and slipped under his arm.
The three large boxes stunned her.
"See? Which one looks like a woman?" Lin Fan said with a wronged expression.
"What's inside?" Tian Mengyao demanded.
She walked over, wanting to take a look.
"Wait, don't rush,"
Lin Fan grabbed her. "It's Siamese local specialties I brought back."
"Who are you kidding? Local specialties in three whole large boxes?" Tian Mengyao's beautiful eyes widened.
"There's also money, a lot of money," Lin Fan said in a low voice.
"Money?" Tian Mengyao's eyebrows shot up. If this was money, how much would there be!
Lin Fan chuckled smugly. "You better prepare yourself mentally. It's a lot of money."
"Hmph, as if I've never seen money," Tian Mengyao said dismissively.
Her father's business contacts were all wealthy and influential, many of whom were bosses of listed companies, each worth over a hundred million.
*Click!*
Lin Fan opened the clasps of the box, glanced back at her, and then abruptly lifted the lid.
*Rustle!*
Stacks of crisp green US dollars tumbled out, eager to be seen.
The rest of the banknotes lay neatly in the box, layer upon layer, piled high like bricks.
Undoubtedly, the visual impact was quite stunning.
Tian Mengyao's eyes widened, and she took a deep breath.
"It's all US dollars," Tian Mengyao murmured.
"Yes, twenty million. No, I spent over a thousand, just a little short," Lin Fan said casually.
"Twenty million US dollars! Did you rob a foreign bank?" Tian Mengyao's primary concern wasn't how to spend the money, but whether Lin Fan had done anything illegal.
She didn't believe the money was clean, believing that wealth often came from risky ventures.
"I earned it with my own skills. Don't stray from the point," Lin Fan said irritably.
"Tell me how you got it, quickly!" Tian Mengyao was anxious and clawed at Lin Fan.
"Don't attack me, let me explain slowly," Lin Fan said while dodging and begging for mercy.
"Tell me quickly!" Tian Mengyao roared.
Then, Lin Fan recounted the events in detail.
Of course, some minor details were omitted, such as the developing feelings between him and Zheng Yue, and the sorcery.
"You dared to go and read the fortune of the King of Siam! I... No, I have to tell my sister-in-law about this. Let her manage you. You've gone too far!" Tian Mengyao said indignantly.
"Don't! I came back safely, didn't I?" Lin Fan clasped his hands in a prayer gesture.
"No!" Tian Mengyao said rapidly. "Since ancient times, dynastic changes have been fraught with bloodshed. You truly care more about money than your life!"
Lin Fan said with a wry smile, "I didn't know anything before I went. Once I was in the Zheng family's territory, do you think I had any right to refuse?"
"You're so skilled in martial arts, don't tell me you couldn't escape."
"There are plenty of people with advanced martial arts skills."
Lin Fan counted on his fingers. "Zheng Ke is a Muay Thai expert. The head of the Zheng family's personal guard, a man named Mong Wang, is an internal martial arts master. And then there's the old monk Longpu. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed such powerful people existed in this world."
"So what? You still beat them to death," Tian Mengyao rolled her eyes.
"I was lucky," Lin Fan said with a smile.
After thinking it over, Tian Mengyao gradually believed Lin Fan.
Being in a foreign land, with the Zheng family being a local power in Siam with vast influence, if Lin Fan had refused to help, he might not have even been able to return home.
"I'm telling you, you remember this clearly," Tian Mengyao said fiercely, poking his chest. "You're not allowed to go anywhere from now on. Stay in the clinic and treat the villagers. If you have extra time, come help me at the village committee. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, I hear you," Lin Fan said insincerely.
"Hmph!" Tian Mengyao let out a delicate snort.
"You absolutely must not tell my sister-in-law. She worries about everything. If she finds out, I'll be in trouble," Lin Fan said, clasping his hands in a prayer gesture.
"You know someone's worried about you!" Tian Mengyao said, puffing out her cheeks.
"Of course I do," Lin Fan reached out and rubbed her head. "I know when I miss you, and you must be thinking of me too."
"I'm not thinking of you!"
Tian Mengyao walked towards another box. "What's in this box? It seems to have moved. Look, it moved again."
Lin Fan thought, *Trouble!*
There were so many蛊虫 (gu worms) inside. Although there were a few air holes, they would surely get stuffy after a while and want to come out for some air.
"It didn't move. Are you seeing things?"
As Lin Fan said this, he quickly changed the subject. "My sister-in-law has dinner ready. Let's go eat."
"Oh, okay," Tian Mengyao's eyes flickered as she pretended to agree.
As they walked out, she suddenly turned and rushed back into the room.
"No!" Lin Fan's face instantly turned pale, and he cried out in alarm.
Tian Mengyao thought there was something unsavory hidden inside, and in a few swift movements, she opened the box.
"Let me see what you've hidden."
*Buzz!* A swarm of蛊虫 (gu worms) flew out one after another.
Their sharp mandibles opened and closed with a clicking sound. Their bloodthirsty instincts drove them towards Tian Mengyao.
"Ah!" Tian Mengyao screamed, her legs turning to jelly from fear, unable to move.
She was on the verge of losing her life.
Fortunately, Lin Fan grabbed her waist from behind in time and pulled her behind him.
*Buzz buzz buzz...*
The swarm of蛊虫 (gu worms), seeing their master, happily flew around Lin Fan.
Tian Mengyao was too terrified to look up, her body trembling like a sieve.
"All of you, go back!" Lin Fan roared, and the swarm of蛊虫 (gu worms) flew back into the box.
Closing the box, Tian Mengyao immediately shouted, "Lin Fan, what have you been hiding from me?"
"Don't be nervous, don't get agitated," Lin Fan said, quickly trying to soothe her, noticing her dazed and frightened state.
"Get rid of these abominations, quickly! Get rid of them!" Tian Mengyao roared.
"We can't throw them away," Lin Fan said with a bitter expression. "They are good insects, with sentience. As you saw, I brought them back to treat illnesses and save people."
Hearing this, Tian Mengyao calmed down considerably. "Then how do you plan to keep them? What if they get out of control someday?"
Lin Fan patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, I have a way to deal with them. I absolutely guarantee they won't harm anyone."
"I don't care. Tomorrow, I'll find someone to build an iron cage. They're too dangerous. If they can reproduce, it would cause a great disaster," Tian Mengyao said sternly.
"Your imagination is too wild. These are蛊虫 (gu worms). It takes countless precious medicinal ingredients to cultivate one. If they could reproduce easily, that would be great," Lin Fan chuckled.
"Hmph, you know everything," Tian Mengyao rolled her eyes at him. "Remember, you absolutely cannot let them out."
"I know," Lin Fan nodded with a smile, then lowered his voice. "If any more monsters come looking for trouble, I'll make sure they don't even have a soul left."
Tian Mengyao's body trembled. She suddenly remembered the snake demon from before.
"Don't be afraid, I'll protect you," Lin Fan said, pulling her into his embrace.
"You know I'm afraid, yet you say that?" Tian Mengyao snuggled into his arms and let out a delicate snort.
"Xiao Fan, what are you doing?"
Just then, Xia Xue returned.