"I knew it wouldn't be so easy; he's really just an old thief," Lin Yifan cursed inwardly; then he replied, "I'm sorry, Venerable, I already have a girlfriend, and I cannot betray her, so I must decline."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fang felt utterly disheartened and embarrassed; she had known Lin Yifan wouldn't abandon his girlfriend for her, and it was precisely because of this that she respected him, seeing him as someone worthy of a lifetime commitment.

Now, it was either she let go or agreed to become Lin Yifan's concubine.

"Do I really love him?" Xiao Fang asked herself; she wanted to clear up this question.

"Damn it! I arrange such a good marriage for you, and you're not even grateful, let alone appreciative. Do you believe I could slap you to death?" the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable angrily asked.

"Venerable, I appreciate your kindness; I also know Miss Xiao Fang is a fine girl, but one must be faithful and true. I cannot abandon my girlfriend to live with Miss Xiao Fang; it would be disrespectful to my girlfriend and also to Miss Xiao Fang. Please forgive me," Lin Yifan stubbornly replied.

"Are you saying I don't respect my disciple? Are you saying I'm throwing her into a fire pit? Don't you know she..."

"Master! Stop there. Marriage is a serious matter, not to be trifled with. I would like to think it over myself," Xiao Fang interrupted the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable, cutting him off before more embarrassment ensued.

The Peach Blossom Valley Venerable also knew that Xiao Fang was the most embarrassed person at the moment, having been rejected to her face—who could handle it gracefully?

"I'm not in the mood to accept disciples today. Go back and reflect on this, and give me a clear answer when you've thought it through," said the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable, and then he left with Xiao Fang.

He had thought Lin Yifan would be grateful to him, but instead, it turned into a huge mess, severely damaging the potential master-apprentice relationship.

In a blink of an eye, only Lin Yifan was left alone in the alchemy room. He had been in high spirits initially, but now, he was utterly disheartened.

"Ah! Why can't one have both the fish and bear's paw?" Lin Yifan lamented.

Then he drained the cup of tea in his hand and stepped out of the alchemy room, wandering around to clear his mind.

It must be said, the scenery of Peach Blossom Valley was truly breathtaking; not just the mountain streams and the fragrance of birds and flowers; but also the swans dancing and fish swimming carefreely—a feast for the eyes.

Surrounded by such beauty, the confusion in Lin Yifan's mind soon melted away.

While passing through a cluster of flowers, he spotted the millennia-old Blood Ginseng that he hadn't seen for days; at that moment, the Blood Ginseng was lying on a large flower petal, basking in the sun, enjoying itself.

"It's become quite the spirit, enjoying itself like this," Lin Yifan mused, surprised.

Suddenly, a voice broke the expected silence. The Blood Ginseng furrowed its brows and reproached, "Kid, beat it, don't disturb my enjoyment of the sunbath."

"My, my! You've gotten pretty bold in just three days! Who gave you the courage to act this way? Don't you believe I could throw you into the pill furnace for refinement right now?" Lin Yifan threatened.

"Ignorant fool, don't you know who I'm with now? When you can defeat the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable, then come and talk tough to me!" the Blood Ginseng retorted with a roll of its eyes, fearless.

"Dammit! So arrogant, it seems you won't realize your mistake unless you're taught a lesson," Lin Yifan said as he rolled up his sleeves and moved to grab the Blood Ginseng.

Seeing this, the Blood Ginseng quickly slipped away; then while running, it shouted, "Venerable! Help! Someone is trying to kill me!"

"Don't waste your breath, no one is coming to save you," Lin Yifan responded.

However, just as he finished speaking, a majestic voice came from a distance: "Stop! Don't touch my thousand-year Blood Ginseng."

This voice contained a strong power that pressed down on Lin Yifan so heavily that he couldn't move, preventing him from continuing the chase.

"Damn it!" Lin Yifan cursed under his breath, then questioned, "Didn't you say you were just helping me look after it temporarily? How can you go back on your word now?"

"I've changed my mind now!" the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable responded from inside the room.

"Bastard!" Lin Yifan was furious; this was clearly excessive bullying.

If he had the strength of the elderly landlady, he would have fought this flip-flopping, untrustworthy old man long ago.

"Hee hee! Kid, can't move now, can you? Still want to teach me a lesson, huh? Come on then, I dare you!" The thousand-year Blood Ginseng taunted with a smirk; then it swaggered away.

Watching the detestable figure of the thousand-year Blood Ginseng, Lin Yifan shouted angrily: "If I catch you, I will definitely refine you into a pill and devour you!"

The thousand-year Blood Ginseng ignored Lin Yifan's threatening words and continued to swagger away.

Lin Yifan was extremely frustrated; he was like a dog chained with an iron chain, able to bark but unable to bite. This was the ultimate insult, unforgivable.

After the thousand-year Blood Ginseng had left far away, the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable finally withdrew his power and released Lin Yifan.

At that moment, Lin Yifan realized just how important strength was; only if you have strength will you not be bullied by others.

"Damn it! One day, I will make you taste what I'm going through now," Lin Yifan vowed to himself.

Now, he really felt an impulse not to learn the art of Alchemy.

Without obtaining the thousand-year Blood Ginseng, he was sure he wouldn't go back; now he could only stay here to scout the terrain and look for a way out; when the time was ripe, he would capture the thousand-year Blood Ginseng and leave this place.

On the other side of the sky, Guiyuan City People's Hospital, An Qi's complexion had improved quite a bit; but she was still unconscious.

The improvement in complexion meant she could live a few more months; this was all thanks to Li Dafeng, Lin Yanping, and Li Xiaofeng who brought back the hundred-year Lingzhi. Without this Lingzhi, An Qi's condition might be much worse now.

After Lin Yifan fell into the abyss, Li Dafeng, Lin Yanping, and Li Xiaofeng fled for their lives.

Using the complex environment of the Jiminia Primitive Forest, they successfully evaded the Cultivators from several sects chasing them and finally left Feizhou safely, returning to Shenzhou Country.

All the way, Li Dafeng was self-reproaching. The words of desperate plea Lin Yifan uttered before falling into the abyss haunted his ears and lingered in his heart, continuously impacting his soul.

He couldn't face his Master, let alone Lin Yifan's family and girlfriend.

When the three of them returned to Guiyuan City to report the situation to their Master, the elderly landlady was actually extremely angry; not because Lin Yifan had fallen into the abyss, but because her three disciples had failed to protect Lin Yifan, who had the thousand-year Blood Ginseng, or why they didn't take back the Blood Ginseng before Lin Yifan fell into the abyss.

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