Chapter 56

Lin Fan pulled up his sleeve, made Wu'er sit down, and then sat by the stone table to start telling the story of Zhong Kui catching ghosts. Along the way, Lin Fan began to introduce the outside world, and Wu'er listened with rapt attention, so much so that she missed the time to fetch water. The old woman Jiuwu, without water to make tea, came to the wooden house in a rage. As soon as Wu'er saw her, she immediately knelt down on both knees. The cane in Jiuwu's hand turned into a soft whip and lashed Wu'er, who did not dare to move. Jiuwu looked at Lin Fan and noticed that he was watching her without any intention of stopping her. She thought to herself, this boy is no ordinary person; have I chosen the wrong person?

Lin Fan really couldn't understand why Jiuwu wanted to send Wu'er out, showing no concern for her life. There was no record of Jiuwu in the Yunqing Sect's documents. This old woman was as ruthless as the True Man of Clear Water, yet why did she let Wu'er practice the Tai Chu Heart Method? Wu'er reached the Golden Core stage so quickly, clearly with the old woman's help.

"Go," Jiuwu ordered.

"Yes!" Wu'er quickly got up, picked up the water bucket, and went to fetch groundwater from the mountain crevice.

Jiuwu asked, "Lin Fan, how is your rest?"

"I have recovered somewhat," Lin Fan replied.

"I have a Daoist Shangqing Heart Method left by my late husband. Take it and read it," Jiuwu threw a tattered book to Lin Fan.

"Thank you, Grandma," Lin Fan took the book and thanked her.

"Hmm," Jiuwu nodded and left the wooden house, returning to the mist.

Lin Fan held the Shangqing Heart Method, pondering for a long time, then turned and threw it into the stove. "There's no such thing as a free lunch, only free knives," a phrase often mentioned by the Three-Three True Man. After Lin Fan's action, he faintly heard a cold snort from the mist, seemingly with a hint of anger.

The days passed peacefully. Wu'er would first finish her chores and then wait for Lin Fan to start telling stories. Lin Fan read all kinds of books, from erotic novels to historical documents, cultivation records, and folk tales. When Wu'er listened intently, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. At such times, Lin Fan would forcibly restrain himself; Wu'er's face, when she laughed, was full of blemishes that trembled, which was really...

After more than seventy days, Lin Fan retracted the Buddha Knife, and his body was fully recovered. Not only was he recovered, but his foundation-building lotus seed was now a complete sphere, faintly emitting a dark golden light. Lin Fan was puzzled; was this the rumored perfect foundation-building? It seemed slightly different from the records. According to the documents, foundation-building involved planting a lotus, which then bloomed and withered, and the lotus seed eventually became a complete sphere. There was no difference in this. The only issue was that the documents stated that the lotus seed would emit a faint light after perfection, but his lotus seed's light was internal... perhaps it wasn't perfect yet, but it was close. Lin Fan didn't know who to ask, so he made a tentative conclusion for his current situation.

"Hmm," Lin Fan bid farewell, and Jiuwu just nodded and returned to the mist, seemingly not caring where Wu'er and Lin Fan were going.

The farewell was simple. Wu'er flew through the mist, carrying Lin Fan. The toxic gas invaded their bodies, and Lin Fan used his protective true qi to resist. After half an hour, they finally emerged from the mist.

"Beautiful," Wu'er exclaimed, seeing a vast golden desert stretching to the horizon.

Lin Fan used the sun to determine their direction: "Let's go."

Wu'er hesitated: "Brother Lin..."

"Many times I've told you, you're two months older than me," Lin Fan said: "My name is Lin Fan."

"Okay, Lin Fan... you go back, I want to see the world."

Lin Fan said: "Even if you're ugly, you still have to face people, right? Let's go, we can't stay here; this is near the heart of the Cangmang Forbidden Land." Beyond this was the Flame Mountain of the Fire God Sect.

"Okay!" Wu'er nodded, took out a coarse cloth to cover her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Lin Fan chuckled, and Wu'er's face immediately turned red, but she didn't want to take off the cloth. Lin Fan pointed east: "Let's go!"

...

This Jiuwu had lived for hundreds of years, and even the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord dared not intrude on her territory, yet she was incredibly harsh to Wu'er. Wu'er, apart from two sets of coarse clothes, left with nothing. She had no magical treasures and knew only the Wind Riding Technique and Palm Thunder.

Lin Fan made a small flag from a piece of clothing and flew east with Wu'er. Along the way, they occasionally encountered evil people, and Lin Fan would shout: "On official business for the Blood Shadow Sect, passing through your territory, causing much disturbance."

The patrolling evil people did not obstruct them, clearing a path for the two to pass. Wu'er asked in a low voice: "Brother Lin, are you lying?"

Lin Fan replied: "Yes."

Wu'er said: "Lying is wrong."

Lin Fan patiently explained: "If we don't lie, we would have to fight them, and either they die or we die. Do you think we should lie to them?"

Wu'er thought for a moment: "Brother Lin, you're really smart."

"What's smart about it?"

Wu'er smiled: "In the stories you tell, no one talks about lying so confidently. You're better than them."

Wu'er's personality had become much more open since the first time she met Lin Fan. She occasionally joked, but overall, she still spoke little. Whenever Lin Fan looked at her, she would instinctively hide. During flight, she never flew ahead of or alongside Lin Fan, always lagging behind by one body length.

They safely left the Cangmang Forbidden Land and arrived in West Zhou. When passing through the Zhen Tian Pass, the disciples of the Demon Sect intercepted them. Lin Fan identified himself as a disciple of the Yunqing Sect, and the Demon Sect disciples were still unhappy, asking why he hadn't registered when he left. Lin Fan knew they were just doing their duty and did not provoke them, only apologizing. The Demon Sect disciples did not make things difficult and let Lin Fan and Wu'er pass.

Wu'er found everything new and interesting, even the desert filled with death seemed beautiful to her, let alone the scenic views along the way. Lin Fan was very patient in accompanying Wu'er on her journey, feeling gratitude and a sense of pity for this girl. Unfortunately, Wu'er refused to go to the market, no matter how much Lin Fan praised it. Lin Fan knew that one day, Wu'er had gone to a nearby village market to buy a mirror under the pretext of admiring flowers and chasing butterflies. After that, Lin Fan never mentioned going to the market again.

After buying the mirror, Wu'er's mood began to sink. Upon entering Little East Zhou, Lin Fan had more acquaintances. When they met in the sky, they would greet each other and chat. When people saw Wu'er's covered face, she would hide behind Lin Fan. Initially, Wu'er just felt ugly, but after comparing herself to the women of the Hundred Flowers Garden, she felt even more inferior. She spoke to Lin Fan less and less and no longer had the occasional playful mood she had when they left the misty swamp.

...