Chapter 1229: Chapter 1229: Changsang Daoist

"To become the moon in the next life, huh..."

Out in the starry void, Ning Fan’s low murmur drifted now and then.

With all matters concluded, Ning Fan finally felt a trace of weakness in his Demon Seal. His figure paused involuntarily as he stood in the void, and he took out a palm-sized little wine jar from his storage pouch.

This was naturally a Divine Skill transformation. Once the Divine Skill was activated, this wine jar could grow to the size of high mountains; it was precisely the wine jar the Qinglian Sword Clan used to store Primordial Chaos Blood Wine.

It turned out Ning Fan had long since, without a sound, taken all that blood wine away. With his methods, using Instant Shift to take some items was simply not something ordinary people could block or detect.

"This battle consumed far too much Demon Seal; even the ancestral blood has been exhausted. I still have to rely on this wine to restore my foundation..."

Putting the wine jar away, Ning Fan suddenly revealed a wistful look. He turned his hand, and what appeared in his palm once more was an old belonging of the sword ancestor.

This item had been left in Jiujian Daoist’s storage pouch at the moment of his fall; it was a sword tassel used by a woman.

This was the [Ninth Mountain Sword Tassel] once used by the sword ancestor. How did Ning Fan know the name of the tassel? Naturally, he had simply asked it directly.

"What is your name?"

[Ninth Mountain Sword Tassel, Ninth Mountain Sword Tassel...]

"Which Ninth Mountain does ’Ninth Mountain’ refer to?"

[Ninth Mountain of the Primeval Era, Ninth Mountain of the Primeval Era...]

"You seem to be a magical treasure, yet I cannot sense your grade. Do you originally have no grade, or do you possess an innate ability to conceal your grade?" Ning Fan asked again.

[I have a grade, but it is not fixed. I am equal in rank to the sword. If the treasure is strong, I am strong; if the sword is weak, I am weak...] The sword tassel answered thus.

Equal in rank to the sword—what did that mean? Could it be that this sword tassel had to be tied to a sword to awaken its power?

When Ning Fan and Jiujian Daoist fought to the end, Jiujian had never used this sword tassel treasure, because he had never figured out what it did.

Though Ning Fan, through conversation, had confirmed that the tassel did have some function, the exact use still required experimentation.

He fished out a Houtian Twelve Nirvana Flying Sword from his storage pouch and tied the tassel to it.

Nothing happened.

The sword tassel was completely useless.

Ning Fan pondered for a moment, then took out another Xiantian Inferior Grade Sword. This sword also came from the Qinglian Sword Clan’s treasury.

He tied the tassel onto this sword as well; still no effect.

Ning Fan even tried it with the True Martial Twin Swords, yet he still could not make the tassel unleash any power.

He tried several hundred sword-type magical treasures in succession, yet not a single one could draw out the power contained in the tassel.

However, when Ning Fan experimentally summoned the Reverse Sea Sword and tied on the tassel, gray qi suddenly surged skyward from the tassel.

That was no ordinary gray qi!

Within that gray qi there was actually a trace of the reckless devil giant’s aura. Ning Fan did not know what that aura truly was, but even he felt a hint of danger from it!

At this moment Ning Fan was in an uninhabited region of the stars. Once that gray qi erupted, it immediately swept toward dozens of Abandoned Cultivation Stars in the vicinity.

Then, something terrifying happened!

That gray qi seemed able to devour all life force within its range. Wherever it passed, dozens of Abandoned Stars directly turned to ash and vanished.

That ash was not the result of a Divine Skill deliberately destroying them; it was the gray qi draining away even the last bit of star power from those abandoned stars until nothing remained.

Even after draining dozens of stars, the gray qi’s hunger was still not sated. It continued expanding toward a more distant part of the starry sky, where some Lower-Level Cultivation Stars finally began to appear.

Seeing that this gray qi was about to harm the innocent, Ning Fan moved his mind and halted its spread.

The gray qi seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but it did not strongly resist Ning Fan’s order.

After all, having devoured the life force of dozens of stars, when Ning Fan looked again at that Ninth Mountain Sword Tassel, he saw billowing Immemorial Sword Intent awakening within it!

That Immemorial Sword Intent did not seem to belong to the sword ancestor, but rather was something the tassel itself innately possessed. Most likely the sword ancestor had also obtained this tassel by chance somewhere.

With this Immemorial Sword Intent augmenting it, the Reverse Sea Sword’s power climbed and climbed. In the end, its power grew so great that it slipped out of control; even Ning Fan gradually found himself unable to suppress the Reverse Sea Sword and was nearly bitten back by it.

Ning Fan decided to chop out all the Immemorial Sword Intent inside the Reverse Sea Sword!

But that one chop was truly somewhat earth-shattering!

With that chop, a gray sword light bearing a human face cleaved forth—no matter how one looked at it, it was utterly strange!

The human-faced sword light let out a ferocious laugh, and wherever it passed, the uninhabited void was directly split into two!

The Great Dao of Yin and Yang collapsed beneath that single strike!

The force of that one blow was absolutely not weaker than Jiujian Daoist’s life-risking sword!

However, after a single strike, all the Immemorial Sword Intent within the Reverse Sea Sword was exhausted. If he did not replenish the sword intent, it could no longer unleash another human-faced sword light. Clearly, the method of filling it with Immemorial Sword Intent only granted a single strike, rather than providing continuous effect.

There was another point worth noting.

The end of the sword tassel was strung with colored silken threads. There had originally been more than thirty threads, but after Ning Fan unleashed one human-faced sword light, one thread snapped and turned to ash, scattering between heaven and earth.

"I more or less understand now. This tassel only manifests its power when tied to a sword, and not just any common magical treasure—it must be tied to a Dao Weapon treasure sword. This tassel spreads gray qi, which devours all life force within its range and converts it into Immemorial Sword Intent, which in turn produces that human-faced strike. The number of times the tassel can be used is also limited, that limit being precisely the number of colored threads. So this tassel cannot be used recklessly without restraint; once the threads are exhausted, the tassel itself is very likely to be destroyed..."

"This Ninth Mountain Sword Tassel is truly a lethal weapon... but I... cannot bear to use it..."

Ning Fan sighed wistfully. This item had an extraordinary meaning; it was one of the few relics left in the world by the sword ancestor.

In the past he had not understood the karma between himself and the sword ancestor. When he had casually obtained some of her sword sheaths, he had used them without much thought, without cherishing them.

Now he understood.

Only after the sword ancestor faded from his side again and again did he belatedly realize that there had once been such a silent woman, standing amid dust-covered years, at the far shore of reincarnation, guarding him time and time again.

She left, and he finally understood.

Now that he wished to cherish her things, was it still in time...

"It’s better not to use this tassel. If I use it too many times, this relic will one day no longer exist in this world..."

As if having made some decision, Ning Fan still left the tassel tied to the Reverse Sea Sword, yet he resolved not to use the tassel’s human-faced strike.

From now on, the tassel would live only as an ornament, accompanying his Dao sword, a thing through which he could see the object and think of its owner.

Putting away the Reverse Sea Sword, Ning Fan took out other relics of the sword ancestor to look over. Most of them were feminine accessories.

In the end, the sword ancestor was a woman; it was impossible for her not to like adorning herself.

But her tastes were rather strange. Her ornaments did not seek splendor, yet every single piece had something to do with the sword.

That soft jade bracelet, when unfolded, was actually a soft sword.

That little pendant on the golden hairpin, once a Divine Skill was circulated, could also transform into a flying sword to strike down enemies.

Even the silver earring had been forged in the shape of a tiny sword. Its design was quite unique, yet there was only one.

Earrings usually came in pairs; Ning Fan did not know why Jiujian Daoist only had one of the sword ancestor’s earrings. Most likely the other had been lost somewhere...

"So this is what they call ’not loving rouge and powder, but loving sword adornment’..."

Ning Fan found the thought amusing. Just how much had Qingling liked swords back then, to even forge her earrings into tiny sword-shaped hidden weapons.

But when he thought further, a tightness rose in his chest. Too many years had settled into these relics. They were Qingling’s quiet years, years that belonged to her but not to him...

Ning Fan stared blankly at the earring for a long, silent while. At last he smiled and carefully put all the relics away.

By nature he was not a man who enjoyed wallowing in sentimentality; it was fine to do so on rare occasions. Rather than clinging to relics, it would be better to recondense Qingling Hunpo and bring her back to life in the human world.

When that time came, he would have all the time in the world to have a good, honest talk with this woman with whom he shared such deep karma. He greatly looked forward to that day.

If that day truly came, how wonderful it would be...

...

Before dawn, Ning Fan silently returned to Yishi Palace, to Bei Qinghan’s residence.

Few knew that on this unusual night, yet another Quasi-Saint had fallen.

Few knew—but that did not mean no one knew.

Just as Ning Fan returned to Bei Qinghan’s estate, he suddenly noticed something unusual in his storage pouch.

The thing undergoing change was his Immortal Position Token.

His Immortal Position had originally been merely that of a Fifth-Rank Golden Immortal, but at this moment it was showing signs of advancing to Fourth-Rank Celestial Supervisor.

"This is..."

Ning Fan gazed at the token in thoughtful silence.

A dozen breaths later, the Immortal Position Token formally advanced into a Fourth-Rank Celestial Supervisor Token!

But that rise in Immortal Position still did not stop. After more than ten breaths, the token’s grade rose to Third Rank and became a Star Lord Command!

"I don’t recall doing anything special... why did my Immortal Position suddenly rise..."

Ning Fan felt puzzled.

Since he had doubts in his heart, he might as well just ask the token directly.

...

Bei Xiao Man woke up.

She had not forgotten that she had to be Second Sis’s maid for three days. After waking up, she served (tormented) Second Sis with her washing and dressing, then happily came looking for Ning Fan.

As soon as she pushed open the door to Ning Fan’s room, Bei Xiao Man saw a bizarre scene.

Ning Fan was sitting alone in the room, talking to a Star‑glittering token.

"Tell me, why did you suddenly level up?"

"Oh? You’re saying that the Jiujian Daoist I killed also held an Immortal Position within the Four Oceans Sect, and was someone listed on the Star Lord Ranking?"

"What is this Star Lord Ranking?"

"So that’s how it is. In other words, on the Star Lord Ranking, it’s actually not only the twenty‑eight Ancient Emperors of Stars of the Four Oceans Sect; there are many more people? It’s just that ordinary people don’t know the Star Lord Ranking even exists?"

The air instantly turned very quiet.

Ning Fan stopped talking to the token and raised his head, only to see Bei Xiao Man standing there, petrified.

"It’s over, it’s over, my Little Fan Fan is broken. Did his cultivation go wrong, did he suffer qi deviation and his mind become unsound? Otherwise why would he be talking to a token all by himself..."

Bei Xiao Man felt so distressed she wanted to cry.

She slowly walked up to Ning Fan and gave him a big hug, her maternal instincts flaring up. "Little Fan Fan, don’t you worry. Even if I have to kneel on Longevity Island for a thousand years, it’s fine! This lady will definitely beg for immortal pills and cure you!"

"...I think you may have misunderstood something." Ning Fan said speechlessly.

But he did not push Bei Xiao Man away.

Because he was sitting while Bei Xiao Man was standing, his face happened to be pressed against a certain soft part of Bei Xiao Man, and it felt very comfortable.

So as not to be treated as a lunatic by Bei Xiao Man, Ning Fan did his best to explain the matter in terms she could understand.

"Yes yes yes, I believe you, of course I believe you, you’re normal. Every person with mental problems says that, yes yes yes, everything you say is right. You can talk with all things, you may take the sky as your wife, the earth as your concubine, all things as your Cauldron Furnace, I know all that, you cultivate Yin Yang Transformation after all..."

Bei Xiao Man did her best to smile and soothe Ning Fan, but in her heart she only felt more distressed.

Ning Fan could only sigh helplessly. "...Forget it, think whatever you like."

"So that means you’re finally willing to admit that there’s something wrong with your mind?" Bei Xiao Man let out a sigh of relief.

Among the mentally ill, those who are hardest to treat are the ones who can’t realize they’re sick.

Little Fan Fan could still realize that he was sick, which showed that his condition wasn’t severe and he could still be saved.

"You rest quietly. I’ll go to Longevity Island right now to get medicine for you!"

Bei Xiao Man always acted in a whirlwind. Since she said she’d go get medicine, she immediately wanted to leave Yishi Palace and head for this so‑called Longevity Island.

Longevity Island was the holy land in the hearts of the Northern Heaven’s Jade Royal Dan cultivators. Its master was said to be some reclusive Quasi‑Saint. In Bei Xiao Man’s view, as long as she went to Longevity Island, there would definitely be a way to beg for immortal pills to cure Ning Fan.

Ning Fan had to persuade her with all kinds of words before he finally talked Bei Xiao Man down.

In the end, although Bei Xiao Man did not rush to Longevity Island to make a scene, she still turned Bei Qinghan’s manor upside down.

All the precious medicinal herbs that Bei Qinghan had collected in the manor—anything that could nourish the brain—were blatantly appropriated by Bei Xiao Man and used to cook tonic soup for Ning Fan.

With all this commotion, how would Ning Fan have any time left to study the strange change of the Immortal Position Token?

Thinking it over, with his current status, the Immortal Position Token was dispensable and not really important, so he simply tossed the token back into his storage pouch and ignored it.

...

Ning Fan did not care about the change in his own Immortal Position.

But that didn’t mean other people didn’t care!

The whole world knew that the Four Oceans Sect’s Immortal Positions came in nine ranks.

Ninth Class Force Warrior, Eighth Class Immortal Guard, Seventh Class Shanhe Officer were the lowest Immortal Positions.

Sixth‑Rank Luotian Protector, Fifth‑Rank Golden Immortal, Fourth Rank Celestial Supervisor were the mid‑tier Immortal Positions.

Third‑Rank Star Lord, Second‑Tier Dao Emperor, First‑Rank Spirit Ancestor were the top‑tier Immortal Positions.

People all said that in the present age, the highest Immortal Position held by any cultivator was that of the twenty‑eight Ancient Emperors of Stars of the Four Oceans Sect, who all possessed the rank of Third‑Rank Star Lord.

But that was actually a misunderstanding.

In the Northern Heaven, only those at Quasi‑Saint level and above knew that the ones holding the Star Lord Immortal Position were not just the twenty‑eight Ancient Emperors of Stars.

Within the Four Oceans Sect, there was actually a Star Lord Ranking.

In the Northern Heaven, there were many unknown existences who also possessed the Star Lord Immortal Position. Ordinary people didn’t know of them, but the Star Lord Ranking recorded their names.

In this Era of Decline, the Immortal Position went no higher than Star Lord; that much was correct.

But amongst Star Lords, there were distinctions of high and low as well.

Those twenty‑eight Ancient Emperors of Stars could only be counted as low‑grade Star Lords.

The Jiujian Daoist of the Qinglian Sword Clan, however, had once by chance become a nominal middle‑grade Star Lord of the Four Oceans Sect.

If it were an ordinary Immortal Position, killing someone of a higher rank would not allow the lower‑ranked one to take that position.

But if one killed a middle‑grade or higher Star Lord, one could directly inherit the opponent’s Immortal Position. Very few people knew this.

Back then, Jiujian Daoist had plotted against some unlucky Quasi‑Saint who had strayed into the Soul Spring, and by killing him, took that person’s Immortal Position and became a middle‑grade Star Lord.

Now the wheel of fortune had turned; Jiujian Daoist was in turn beheaded by Ning Fan, so that middle‑grade Star Lord’s spot naturally fell onto Ning Fan.

In the Four Oceans Sect headquarters, Ancestor Leize was leisurely watching the Starry Sky Crystal when he suddenly sensed something.

His expression grew solemn and he immediately went to the Star Lord Stele in the headquarters. One look, and he discovered that the twenty‑seventh place on the stele had changed hands.

It was no longer the Jiujian Daoist he had never even heard of.

The Star Lord ranked twenty‑seventh had become Ning Fan!

This was of course because Ning Fan had not deliberately concealed the Rebellion of Heaven’s prediction, feeling the matter unimportant. Otherwise, even the Star Lord Stele might not have been able to display Ning Fan’s name.

"Gave me a scare for nothing. So it was Little Martial Uncle who killed some unknown Jiujian Daoist and took his place..."

Ancestor Leize breathed a sigh of relief. The "Little Martial Uncle" on his lips naturally referred to Ning Fan.

He’d never even heard of that Jiujian Daoist. So he died, so what; he didn’t feel the slightest heartache.

As long as it wasn’t the high‑grade Star Lords fighting over each other’s Daoist Skill Stars, it wouldn’t count as a major event...

"I just don’t know what cultivation that Jiujian Daoist beheaded by Little Martial Uncle had... He shouldn’t have been a Quasi‑Saint, right? If he were a Quasi‑Saint, wouldn’t that mean Little Martial Uncle has killed yet another Quasi‑Saint? Heh heh heh, as if there were so many Quasi‑Saints in this world you could just kill casually..."

Ancestor Leize chuckled casually, not realizing that he had inadvertently spoken the truth.

The Jiujian Daoist whom Ning Fan killed really was a Quasi‑Saint.

...

Jiu Xiaojiu had been waiting all this time for a chance to launch a sneak attack on Ning Fan.

When Ning Fan had gone to the Inverted Spring last time, she had vaguely sensed that Ning Fan had on him something she’d been desperately searching for.

If Ning Fan had been just an ordinary person, Jiu Xiaojiu would already have gone straight in to rob him. But who told Ning Fan to be so formidable...

"Tiantian tiantian heavens above! Where did this little thief go last night, why is he carrying a trace of Quasi‑Saint Evil Qi on him when he comes back! He hid it perfectly, but how could he possibly fool me, Jiu Xiaojiu! This little thief went out in the middle of the night—could he really have gone out to wipe out a Quasi‑Saint! Is he actually one of those rumored Ancient Great Cultivators? Otherwise how could he slaughter a Quasi‑Saint in just one night!"

Jiu Xiaojiu was perfectly hidden in a Dao Spring Well somewhere within Bei Qinghan’s manor.

Her true body was a Clear Water Wine brewed by some Fourth‑Step old monster in the Immemorial years.

Because her true body had significant origins, although her cultivation was only at the Shedding Void Stage, her methods were ones that stole from the creation of heaven and earth, and she was especially skilled at concealment.

As long as there was water around, she could disperse her wine‑body and hide perfectly within the water. Even Ning Fan would not be able to sense her presence in the water.

"Hmph! So what if you really are an Ancient Great Cultivator? Just because this young lady can’t beat you in a frontal fight, does that mean I can’t fight dirty! Just wait, this young lady will definitely find a chance to get close to you!"

Jiu Xiaojiu waited and waited, and waited and waited.

Finally, she got the opportunity she wanted to get close to Ning Fan.

Wasn’t Bei Xiao Man worried that Ning Fan’s brain was broken?

So Bei Xiao Man asked the Alchemists in Second Sis’s manor to use the brain‑nourishing Spiritual Medicine she had ransacked to stew tonic soup for Ning Fan.

Why soup, and not pills?

Of course it was because Alchemy needs a huge amount of time, while Ning Fan’s "condition" was too urgent to delay that long, so they could only first cook some medicinal soup to keep the illness at bay.

"Tsk, the Fourth Young Lady really knows how to toss people around. This great master is a堂堂 Lead Grade Alchemist, yet I’ve been sent to cook decoction for her boy toy. What a waste of talent..."

Beside the Dao Spring Well, an Enlightenment Old Demon suddenly arrived.

This was the Nine Revolutions of the River Pill Refinement Master hired by Bei Qinghan. With his Alchemy so exquisite that it reached perfection, even across all of Bei Tian, he counted as a fairly famous figure.

He had come to draw Dao Spring water from the well to decoct medicine; all of this was by Mistress Xiao Man’s orders.

With his status, he didn’t know that Ning Fan was the rumored Ancient Great Cultivator Zhao Jian, so his words carried quite a bit of dissatisfaction, yet he didn’t dare disobey the orders of the illustrious Fourth Young Lady of Yishi Palace.

"Drawing this much water should be enough..."

This Alchemist drew enough Dao Spring from the well and then left.

He had no idea that inside the Dao Spring he drew, the female Yin Yang Transformation Jiu Xiaojiu was hidden!

Several two hours later.

Mistress Xiao Man carried the steaming hot medicinal soup and came to find Ning Fan.

As soon as she pushed the door open, she discovered the situation inside the room was a bit strange.

Why would Mom be in Ning Fan’s room!

...

After meeting on Inverted Mountain, Yuan Yao had deliberately wanted to avoid Ning Fan. Because of this, even though Ning Fan kept his promise and stayed in Bei Qinghan’s residence waiting for her, she never came again.

She didn’t really want to see Ning Fan; in the depths of her heart there was always a hurdle she couldn’t cross.

But just then, she learned a piece of news.

Ning Fan was sick, and very seriously sick—his mind had gone muddled.

This, of course, was a misunderstanding stirred up by Mistress Xiao Man.

But Yuan Yao was still a bit worried, because the Divine Sense was far too important to a Master! Since Ning Fan was showing symptoms of unclear Divine Sense, it absolutely couldn’t be a minor illness. Judging from the symptoms, it was even more likely that he had been schemed against by some supreme existence!

Rumor had it that on Longevity Island in Bei Tian lived a reclusive Quasi-Saint Monster, a Divine Doctor who saved the world. So long as the patient knelt on Longevity Island for a thousand years and his sincerity moved the heavens, that Quasi-Saint would definitely make a move to gift medicine and grant salvation.

Even Mistress Xiao Man deeply believed this rumor.

But Yuan Yao knew that this rumor was fake.

Masters generally had bodies that were immune to all diseases; how could they fall ill so easily.

The frequent appearance of sick people in the Bei Tian cultivation world was actually man-made... and the culprit who harmed people into illness was precisely that so-called Divine Doctor himself.

The master of Longevity Island, Changsang Daoist, was definitely not a good person!

This person seemed to possess some kind of title, able to inflict plague and disease upon people...

Thus, the moment Yuan Yao heard that Ning Fan had fallen ill, she suspected that Ning Fan had been schemed against by Changsang Daoist, and hurried over without a thought to avoiding Ning Fan.

Unfortunately, she had only just arrived and hadn’t even had time to say more than a few words to Ning Fan before being bumped into by her youngest daughter, and instantly felt so guilty she wished she could crawl into a hole.

"Sis, why are you here?" Mistress Xiao Man had originally wanted to call Yuan Yao "Mom," but fortunately remembered Yuan Yao’s request at the last moment and changed her address.

Mistress Xiao Man didn’t understand why Mom would come here. She had recently lost herself in passionate love, and her IQ was clearly not enough.

All of a sudden, Mistress Xiao Man thought of a certain possibility!

She had just read a cultivation storybook recently, and the plot in that book was way too similar to what was happening right now!

In that story, there was a down-and-out young man with low cultivations who fell in love with the eldest young lady of a well-known families of cultivation.

The young man and the young lady loved each other to death, but because the young man’s cultivations were too low and his family background too poor, this relationship was not acknowledged by the young lady’s family!

In the end, the young lady’s mother went to find the young man and said this.

"If you leave my daughter, this palace will grant you a stroke of fortune; if you continue to pester her, this palace will grant you death!"

This plot was way too similar, okay!

Mistress Xiao Man almost burst into tears; she somewhat understood why Mom would come looking for Ning Fan—Mom wanted Ning Fan to know when to retreat and leave her!

"Xiao Man, go out for a bit first. I have some things I need to make clear with Ning Fan." Yuan Yao felt ashamed in her heart; there were some words she couldn’t bear to let Xiao Man know.

"So it’s true! Mom is avoiding me because she wants to drive Little Fan Fan away!" Mistress Xiao Man was inwardly tangled.

She had always listened the most to Mom. Since Mom told her to go out, she naturally didn’t dare stay here.

But asking her to start unscrupulously and abandon Ning Fan, she really couldn’t do it.

"Wait, what are you holding in your hand?" Yuan Yao suddenly found it strange and asked.

"It’s medicinal soup, can nourish the brain... prepared for Little Fan Fan." The moment Mistress Xiao Man thought of Ning Fan’s condition, her eyes turned red; she truly felt so heartbroken for Little Fan Fan.

"At this level, the medicinal soup likely won’t be of any use..." Yuan Yao let out a faint sigh.

If Ning Fan’s illness really was the result of Changsang Daoist’s scheme, how could ordinary decoction possibly cure it...

"Um, I—I can not stay here, I won’t disturb you two talking, but this soup... you must supervise Little Fan Fan and make sure he drinks it! You promise!"

Under Mistress Xiao Man’s insistence, the medicinal soup was ultimately left behind.

As for Mistress Xiao Man herself, Yuan Yao found some excuse to send her away, sending her far, far off—directly out of Bei Qinghan’s residence.

"This medicinal soup, it seems..."

Ning Fan swept a barely noticeable glance at the soup on the table, then withdrew his gaze.

It was as if he had seen through something, yet also as if he hadn’t. Even though it was just a casual look, it still scared Jiu Xiaojiu half to death!

"So scary! This little thief’s eyes are sharper than a blade and colder than Xuan Ice. It almost scared this young lady into revealing my aura..."

With great difficulty, Jiu Xiaojiu finally calmed her heart and continued lurking in the soup.

She had originally wanted to strike immediately and sneak-attack Ning Fan, but Yuan Yao’s next words greatly piqued her interest, so she didn’t rush to make her move.

"I heard you’re sick?" Yuan Yao finally spoke, her voice faint.

These words were naturally addressed to Ning Fan.

But to Jiu Xiaojiu they were incredibly delightful to hear.

She super, ultra hated Ning Fan. Now that Ning Fan was sick, of course she was happy. Why not just die of this illness, you little thief!

That’s not it, it was Xiao Man who misunderstood—Ning Fan had originally intended to say that.

But as soon as he met Yuan Yao’s concerned gaze, Ning Fan suddenly changed his words and did not say that.

"...Yeah." Ning Fan actually lied and admitted to being mentally ill!

"Does it hurt twice every day, at dawn and dusk..." Yuan Yao’s heart ached at his reply; she gently tapped Ning Fan’s Tian Ling point with her soft palm.

Ning Fan’s Tian Ling naturally would not ache.

But if you’re going to act, you have to act the whole way.

"...It’s alright, it doesn’t hurt that much." Ning Fan deliberately let out a sigh.

"You’re lying. Once you’re struck by the head plague of Longevity Island’s master, that kind of pain is said to be enough to torture even a True Immortal to death. Why be so stubborn? Right, back then you were just as obstinate..."

Yuan Yao simply assumed Ning Fan was putting on a brave front; in her heart she was already one hundred percent certain that Ning Fan had been schemed against by Changsang Daoist of Longevity Island. Her phoenix eyes instantly turned cold, then she gave a bitter sigh.

If not for her weak cultivations, she would truly want to charge straight to Longevity Island in one breath and vent Ning Fan’s anger properly. Unfortunately, in this lifetime she would never be a match for a Quasi-Saint...

Poor Changsang Daoist, who had done nothing at all yet had a black pot dumped on his head. And it was at this moment that Ning Fan finally developed a bit of interest in this so-called Longevity Island.

"What is Longevity Island?" Ning Fan asked. Mistress Xiao Man had also mentioned it earlier.

"You needn’t ask too much. I’ll take care of this matter for you. Even if I have to kneel on Longevity Island for a thousand years, I will definitely beg the antidote for you..." Yuan Yao said resolutely.

Ning Fan truly didn’t know whether he should be moved or should吐槽.

These "Bei Yao" and Mistress Xiao Man sisters—even their way of speaking was so similar. Should he say that indeed they really were sisters by blood...

In the end, he was still mostly moved.

In this world, how many people would be willing to kneel for a thousand years for someone else, begging on their behalf.

Ning Fan thought about it and figured he probably wouldn’t kneel; it wasn’t that he couldn’t let go of his dignity, but that his nature was simply like this. Facing the same problem, he would only choose to meet hardness with hardness. Whatever immortal pill he wanted, he would certainly not kneel and beg for it—either he’d trade for it, or he’d simply snatch it by force. He would always get his hands on it.

What couldn’t be obtained, must be robbed; what couldn’t be robbed, must be seized by force. This was the Evil Sect style personally taught by the old monster.

"Actually, I’m not sick. I was just teasing you earlier..." Ning Fan couldn’t bear to keep teasing Yuan Yao.

But Yuan Yao simply refused to believe him!

She still felt Ning Fan was putting on a brave act, being stubborn with his words!

Sigh...

Yuan Yao lowered her head and saw the medicine bowl on the table.

She thought about it. Even though this medicine didn’t match the illness, it could at least nourish his brain a bit, so she might as well persuade Ning Fan to drink it.

"Fine, drink this medicine first..."

Yuan Yao planned to talk Ning Fan into taking the medicine.

That scared Jiu Xiaojiu half to death!

She was hiding in the decoction, and her true body was Clear Water Wine!

If Ning Fan drank this and his Ning Fan was powerful, what if he refined her!

It’s not like she’d never thought of drilling into Ning Fan’s belly and wreaking some havoc, but who was Ning Fan? Suspected to be an Ancient Great Cultivator, okay? The risk was way too high, okay!

"No way! I can’t wait any longer! If this little thief really drinks me, I’m done for!"

Jiu Xiaojiu decided not to wait for a better chance—she would strike immediately and ambush Ning Fan!

So, a wisp of strange wine fragrance suddenly drifted out of the medicine!

This time, the wine fragrance was far stronger than last time!

This time, the wine fragrance even contained a trace of Clear Water Wine’s Third Step power!

"W-what’s happening, my body..." Yuan Yao gloriously fell for it!

The Third Step fragrance knocked her out with ease!

Ning Fan had been on guard for a long time and was not about to be harmed by Jiu Xiaojiu’s fragrance. Seeing that she finally couldn’t resist making a move, his eyes turned cold, and with a casual point of the Heaven Sealing Art, he froze Jiu Xiaojiu in the bowl rigid.

"N-no way! You knew I was here all along!" Jiu Xiaojiu was scared out of her wits.

She was frozen!

She was captured by Ning Fan!

"Demon girl, state your purpose!" Ning Fan wasn’t an idiot. This demon girl had come for him again and again; she definitely had an agenda. The strange thing was that his Mind Reading Technique didn’t work on her, so he could only ask her directly.

"Hmph! Kill me if you want, I won’t tell you anything..." Jiu Xiaojiu was quite tough.

"Kill you? If I kill you, you’ll just reincarnate somewhere else and use wine vapors to be reborn, right? So why would I kill you? Why don’t I just drink you instead..."

A flash of azure light passed through Ning Fan’s eyes, as if he had seen through all of Jiu Xiaojiu’s Divine Skills.

Hearing that Ning Fan was going to drink her, Jiu Xiaojiu’s face went pale with fright. "Y-you wouldn’t dare! If you drink me, Grandfather Fish Master will definitely avenge me! No, wait, I didn’t say Grandfather Fish Master—this has nothing to do with him!"

Jiu Xiaojiu had intended to wave a big banner and scare Ning Fan by invoking his name, but then she recalled that Ning Fan could even kill a Quasi-Saint and was suspected to be an Ancient Great Cultivator. If she dragged Grandfather Fish Master into this, wouldn’t she be harming him? She immediately changed her tune.

"Fish Master?" Ning Fan frowned slightly.

He was just about to interrogate Jiu Xiaojiu’s background in detail when his lips suddenly turned hot, as something pressed against them in a kiss.

"Hot, so hot..." Yuan Yao was drunk silly!

"Drunk again..." A sharp light flashed in Ning Fan’s eyes.

He would never admit that the reason he let Jiu Xiaojiu stay in the decoction was precisely because he’d been waiting for a situation like this.

With things like this, he had no time to bother with Jiu Xiaojiu. After placing heavy seals on her, he threw her into the Xuan Yin Treasure and locked her up.

And then...

All sorts of this and that, all kinds of that and this, happened in the room...

...

Bei Xiao Man had been sent away.

But Bei Qinghan was still there!

Bei Qinghan stood outside Ning Fan’s door, so shocked she was speechless.

Yes, Ning Fan’s room had restrictions, so no one outside could hear what was happening inside.

But don’t forget, this was Bei Qinghan’s own home. With her craftiness, she naturally had ways to know what was going on inside the room.

"H-holy crap! Mom and Ning Fan actually, actually..."

"Interesting, interesting, way too interesting! Things really are going just as I predicted!"

"B-but b-but, what kind of position is that! Do they have to be that rough!"

"Yo-ho-ho-ho! Mom actually got folded up like that. Now this is a full unobstructed view!"

Bei Qinghan still wanted to keep peeking when a gust of clear wind suddenly blew out from the room, landed on her, and directly blasted her ten thousand eight thousand li away.

It blew her straight off West Palace Island and all the way to the Sea of Ages!

"Little girl, you’re still too young. These scenes are not appropriate for you to watch!" Within the breeze lingered Ning Fan’s displeased voice.

This was him going easy on her for peeking. It was only a light punishment, of course taking into account the face of "Bei Yao" and Xiao Man.

Bei Qinghan was furious!

"You slept with my little sister, you slept with my mom, and you won’t even let me watch! You shameless bastard!"

"What? What did you just call Yao Er—did you say, Mom?" Ning Fan’s heart thundered like he’d been struck by lightning.

He finally understood why Yuan Yao had been avoiding him!

But right now the arrow was already nocked—he really couldn’t worry about that much. With his state of mind, even if he deduced the truth in that instant, he still couldn’t pull back...

How was he supposed to stop!

If he couldn’t stop, then he’d just follow it all the way into the dark!

...

After the storm.

Yuan Yao was so ashamed and enraged she wanted to die. She had clearly sworn to avoid Ning Fan—who was going to explain to her why she ended up sleeping with him again!

And this time, it was actually for real!

"I remember, before that I smelled wine... That fragrance was really familiar. I remember now, the one who made a move was that female cultivator we met on Inverted Mountain!" Yuan Yao practically hated Jiu Xiaojiu to death.

If not for Jiu Xiaojiu, how would she have gotten drunk again, and once again done all those things with Ning Fan!

"Ning Fan, stop, hurry and pull out..." Once she sobered up, Yuan Yao naturally didn’t want to continue.

"I heard Dual Cultivation can treat head plague..." Ning Fan gave Yuan Yao a reason; he knew she needed something to cross the hurdle in her heart.

Otherwise this stubborn woman would definitely drown in guilt.

"What?"

"I was plotted against by the Island Master of Longevity Island and got head plague, and Dual Cultivation with you can cure it. That way, my head won’t hurt anymore. Is that reason good enough?" The nonexistent mental illness instead became Ning Fan’s excuse to soothe Yuan Yao.

"Really?"

When it came to Ning Fan’s illness, Yuan Yao’s heart softened again, and her guilt lessened a little.

In any case, what was done was done. If this could really ease Ning Fan’s condition, then... she would endure a little more...

"Then hurry..." Yuan Yao closed her eyes and pleaded softly.

"Alright!"

...

It was near midnight by the time Yuan Yao finally left Bei Qinghan’s residence in a foul mood.

She swore she would never believe Ning Fan again next time!

She had clearly told him to hurry, but he still dragged it on for so long, making her lose face and beg for mercy again and again...

Now that it had happened, it was impossible for her not to feel guilty inside.

But whenever she thought of Ning Fan’s head plague, Yuan Yao couldn’t afford to dwell on her guilt.

In the future, she absolutely should avoid Ning Fan from afar, but Ning Fan’s head plague also needed to be properly resolved...

"Forget it. I’ll first send some people to probe the disciples of Longevity Island and see if there’s any chance the Island Master might let Ning Fan off and take back this scheme..."

Yuan Yao let out a faint sigh.

She didn’t like bowing her head to beg people, but if it was for someone she cared about, she didn’t mind bowing...

She treated her four daughters that way, and she treated Ning Fan the same.

She just didn’t know whether the other side would be willing to spare Ning Fan...

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