From the moment Shen Yurou called out the name "Wo Wudi," Li Fan's attention had been drawn to Su Xiaomei's side.
He had never expected to encounter the "Wo Wudi" from Sit and Debate the Dao under circumstances like these.
Li Fan was naturally intrigued.
Ever since leaving a message claiming he had thought of a way to defeat Senior Brother Zhang, the man had vanished without a trace.
Right up until Zhang Qianmo was defeated by Zhong Shentong, he had never reappeared.
Li Fan had originally assumed he had perished.
Yet here he was, alive and well.
"Why didn't he challenge Senior Brother Zhang afterward?"
Li Fan checked the battle records in Sit and Debate the Dao, feeling somewhat puzzled.
The man did not seem like someone who made empty boasts.
Furthermore...
Li Fan opened the battle record between "Wo Wudi"—Shuo Feng—and Zhang Qianmo.
In those earlier battles, Shuo Feng had indeed used flying swords.
However, it had been a set of eighty-one Golden Light Mother-and-Child Swords.
It was a far cry from the wooden sword he was using now.
"Was he holding back, or... did he cultivate anew?"
Having cultivated the Sea-Calming Divine Sword and mastered the divine ability of the Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords, Li Fan could be considered to possess at least a decent grasp of swordplay.
Repeatedly comparing Shuo Feng's battles against Zhang Qianmo and Su Xiaomei, Li Fan concluded that the power of this wooden sword was far superior to that previous set of Golden Light Mother-and-Child Swords.
"Could this wooden sword be a wonder of heaven and earth?"
"What's more, its grade..."
Without seeing the wooden sword unleash its full power, Li Fan could not jump to conclusions.
However, what seemed certain was that it exceeded the scope of an ordinary wonder of Man.
"A wonder of Earth?"
Li Fan's heart stirred slightly.
Fortunately, Su Xiaomei was also intensely curious about the wooden sword, launching a relentless barrage of inquiries on Li Fan's behalf.
"Uncle, that wooden sword of yours was pretty awesome just now! Can you lend it to me to take a look?"
"Is it some kind of magical treasure, like the armor on you?"
"Wearing armor when you fight is totally cheating!"
"I hit you with all my strength, and I couldn't even break the armor! You're such a bully!"
...
Shuo Feng felt a bit of a headache dealing with this brat. Pulling away Su Xiaomei, who was practically dangling off him, he replied, "This is my Foundation Establishment wonder, 'Sword.'"
"Unless in battle, it may not be shown to others."
"As for this Golden Light Treasure Armor on me..." Shuo Feng patted his robe, looking somewhat helpless. "It was custom-made for me by my mother, Immortal Venerable Feixue. Let alone someone with your Foundation Establishment cultivation, even that Nascent Soul Shen Yurou from earlier might not be able to breach its defenses."
Su Xiaomei's eyes widened at his words. Reaching out with her small hands, she stroked Shuo Feng's blue robe repeatedly, her eyes filled with envy.
Then she shook her head. "With you wearing this, what normal person would fight you? How boring!"
Shuo Feng also sighed. "My mother's orders are truly difficult to disobey. On my travels so far, only cultivators like you, Xiaomei, who don't know my background, would ever fight me. Someone like Shen Yurou wouldn't strike first no matter how much I provoke him with words."
Su Xiaomei couldn't help but ask, "What's the deal with your cultivation method anyway? Why is it so bizarre? You can't even strike first? Where's the fun in that!"
Shuo Feng wore an expression that said 'you wouldn't understand,' smiling without answering.
Su Xiaomei pestered him for a while longer, but seeing he had no intention of answering, she could only pout and drop it.
"You've been questioning me this whole time. Now it's my turn to ask. Whose family do you belong to?" Shuo Feng asked with a smile.
"Not telling you!" Su Xiaomei rolled her eyes at him with a cold snort.
Shuo Feng was left speechless.
Beside them, Zhang Haobo also remained silent, adopting an air of unconcerned detachment.
Shuo Feng had no choice but to ask again, "Then let me guess. You two definitely aren't locals of Jiushan Province. Coming here this time, it must be for that Chaoyuan Sect ruins, right?"
Su Xiaomei huffed again, but this time it served as tacit acknowledgment.
Shuo Feng asked, "My destination happens to be there as well. Since we're headed the same way, how about we travel together?"
Su Xiaomei looked up at Shuo Feng.
"Let's go, then!" she said, taking the lead and flying ahead.
Shuo Feng smiled and shook his head secretly, then unhurriedly kept pace behind her.
Just like that, the party traveling to the Chaoyuan Sect ruins grew from two people to three.
There was plenty of bickering along the way. Every now and then, Xiaomei and Shuo Feng would spar once more.
Jiushan Province spanned a vast territory, and it would still take some time to reach their destination.
While Shuo Feng and the others were on their journey, several months had passed for Li Fan, and a sensation surfaced in his mind: he could enter the Fallen Immortal Realm once again.
"May the Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang bestow blessings!"
With the ritual initiated, Li Fan arrived outside Ningyuan City once more.
This time, Li Fan chose the same pretext as before, convincing Senior Brother Zhang to sneak into the city in secret, after which they split up to investigate on their own.
Li Fan's goal this time was clear.
He casually borrowed some silver from wealthy merchants in the city and began making inquiries regarding "Mr. Bai."
It was said that money could make ghosts turn the millstone.
Yet what puzzled Li Fan was that despite throwing around generous sums of money, he failed to obtain any useful information regarding "Mr. Bai." It was as though no such person existed in the city at all.
Li Fan had no choice but to shift his approach, inquiring instead about exceptionally handsome young men in the city.
Under the bizarre looks from the local residents, Li Fan gathered three candidates who fit the description.
After looking into them and seeing the actual individuals, Li Fan eliminated the first two. Both were ordinary mortals, merely blessed with somewhat better looks.
Only the last one remained.
Li Fan arrived before the target's door: a secluded, run-down little courtyard.
According to the residents' descriptions, the master of the courtyard was a rather frail-looking young man. The youth was not a local; he had arrived in Ningyuan City two years ago along with the wave of disaster refugees. After purchasing this courtyard with the meager silver he had left, he had settled down here.
The young man usually kept to himself, rarely showing his face in public. He was said to possess excellent calligraphy and earned a living tutoring for prominent households in the city. Furthermore, he was endowed with striking looks; anyone who had ever seen his face unfailingly praised his dignified, handsome features.
...
The information about the young man flickered through his mind.
Sensing no living aura inside, Li Fan flickered into the courtyard.
A cursory sweep of his divine sense revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
However, Li Fan knew that Mr. Bai's house contained a statue carved from Immortal-Severing Stone, capable of shielding against divine sense perception.
Refusing to leave anything to chance, Li Fan pushed open every door one by one, entering each room to inspect it carefully.
Upon reaching a room on the western side of the courtyard that appeared to be a storeroom, Li Fan paused slightly.
Tossing aside the clutter strewn across the floor, Li Fan lifted a thin stone slab from the ground.
Below, a pitch-black opening was suddenly revealed.
"An Immortal-Severing Stone slab..."
"This is the place!"
A faint smile curled Li Fan's lips, and he leapt down into the secret chamber below.
Upon landing, a faint stench of blood assailed his nostrils.
Chapter 282