Only after a long while did the confusion in the elderly fisherman's eyes slowly dissipate.
Yet he seemed completely oblivious to his strange lapse and continued speaking.
"The aura of this sword art of yours feels remarkably familiar to me."
"It seems extremely similar to what I am searching for. Just now, when I sensed the fluctuations of its aura, I thought my lost item was right here."
"A joy born of nothing!"
Old Man Yufu shook his head with a sigh.
"Similar... lost item?"
From the information Li Fan had gathered previously, he already knew that Old Man Yufu drifted erratically across the provinces precisely because he could not find something belonging to him.
And now, having sensed the aura of the Great Five Elements Oblivion Sword, he had tracked it straight to Li Fan.
In a flash of inspiration, Li Fan thought of a possibility.
The Heaven Fiend Sword!
Yet if that answer were true, then this elder's power...
The Heaven Fiend hilt had rivaled Azure Wind—even holding a slight advantage over him.
And the broken Heaven Fiend blade was already capable of trading blows evenly with Mo Sha.
If the Heaven Fiend Sword were whole, how terrifyingly strong would it be?
And what level of cultivation would this Old Man Yufu possess, if his true identity were indeed the master of the Heaven Fiend Sword?
Two choices now lay before Li Fan.
The first was to truthfully share what he knew about the Heaven Fiend Sword.
While this might earn him a reward from an expert of Old Man Yufu's caliber, nevertheless...
Old Man Yufu had wandered the Xuanhuang Realm for several centuries.
What had caused his amnesia in the first place?
Why had the Heaven Fiend Sword been shattered into pieces and separated from him?
The stakes involved were too immense, the level of power far too high.
At the slightest misstep, being dragged into such a conflict would mean being reduced to ash.
He might not even have time to activate True Reversion.
The second choice was to feign ignorance.
Although he would miss an immense opportunity in this life, Li Fan could use an avatar in the next—or take an even safer approach.
He could use another cultivator as a proxy to disclose to Old Man Yufu that the lost item was the Heaven Fiend Sword in the Congyun Sea.
He could then observe whether there was any mortal danger and what ripples the revelation would cause.
If extraordinary benefits truly could be reaped, it would at most cost Li Fan a delay of two or three lifetimes.
Comparing the two options, the second was clearly the safest.
Therefore...
Li Fan chose to wait.
He was waiting to see whether this reclusive powerhouse, Old Man Yufu, could perceive the thoughts of other cultivators the way the Heavenly Physician once had.
Li Fan had already run through the entire sequence of cause and effect in his mind.
If Old Man Yufu truly could detect Li Fan's inner thoughts, then the second option of feigning ignorance would be moot.
Conversely, if Old Man Yufu could not, then choosing the second path was a foregone conclusion.
Perhaps because Old Man Yufu's mental state was unstable, or perhaps because he was not skilled in such mind-reading arts while Li Fan's Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart offered some degree of protection—whatever the reason, luck was on his side.
Amid Li Fan's whirlwind of thoughts, one breath, two breaths, three breaths of silence passed before the sighing elder.
Yet the old man showed no unusual reaction whatsoever.
With that, Li Fan was certain that the other man could not sense his thoughts.
His mind immediately grew lively.
On the fourth breath, feigning a moment of contemplation, Li Fan replied, "To think the sword art I comprehended bears some resemblance to Senior's lost item?
"It seems Senior and I truly share a fateful connection."
Li Fan then asked, "What exactly did Senior lose? I have heard that you have searched for a very long time without ever finding it."
Old Man Yufu shook his head. "I can't remember. Just like my name, I can't remember it at all.
"Still, if I see it again, I should be able to recall.
"Yes... as long as I find it, I will remember everything..."
Seeing that Yufu showed signs of lapsing into a daze again, Li Fan handed over his storage ring, interrupting him.
"In that case, Senior might as well check whether your item is inside.
"Since Senior and I share such a connection, perhaps you might find something useful here."
This was an action virtually every cultivator took upon encountering Yufu.
Yufu did not refuse. He drew the ring to himself with a gesture and began examining its contents.
"Heh, young fellow, your strength might not be much, but your net worth is quite decent," Yufu praised a moment later.
Li Fan maintained a calm expression.
To him, his only true secret was True Reversion.
Even if everything else were laid bare, it would hardly matter.
Thus, he had no fear of Yufu inspecting his belongings.
Old Man Yufu examined the items one by one.
"Not this one, not this one either."
"This..."
"Hmm?"
Li Fan's heart skipped a beat as he watched the elder pull an item from the storage ring and hold it before his eyes for a closer look.
"Rather interesting," Yufu said, an intrigued look appearing on his face.
The item capable of piquing the interest of an expert like Old Man Yufu was none other than the supreme treasure of the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Sect—an item Li Fan had sensed was problematic and had left gathering dust in a forgotten corner.
The Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Token.
*If I can turn this useless junk to good use and trade it with Yufu for a cultivation method, that would be wonderful.*
Li Fan's thoughts spun rapidly, and he immediately adopted an expression of great delight, exclaiming, "Senior, is this what you lost?"
Old Man Yufu held the token, briefly taken aback.
"This?"
"No, no." He hastily shook his head in denial.
"I merely find this little trinket quite intriguing.
"It has been a long time since I came across such an oddity."
He looked toward Li Fan and asked seriously, "Young man, would you be willing to part with it?"
Li Fan replied with righteous magnanimity, "My vision cannot compare to Senior's. I have held this item for a long time and always thought it was nothing more than a token with storage capabilities.
"Leaving it in my hands is like letting a pearl gather dust. Senior, please feel free to take it!"
Seeing Li Fan agree, Yufu nodded.
In an instant, the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Token vanished from his grasp, gone without a trace.
"I won't take your things for nothing."
Yufu looked Li Fan up and down once more, scrutinizing him so thoroughly that the hairs on Li Fan's neck stood on end.
Only then did he speak: "Hmm, it seems I happen to have something here that will be of great use to you."
He brought the fish basket from his back to his front, reached inside with his right hand, and grasped something.
"It's her!"
He pulled a figure from the basket and tossed it before Li Fan.
Li Fan looked closely, and his eyelids twitched.
The person wore the standard black-and-yellow robe of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, clearly an official member of the organization.
Bound tightly as if by invisible ropes, she could only twist and thrash ceaselessly like a fish out of water.
"Starved for so long, yet you still have so much fight in you," Yufu muttered. He raised a hand and delivered a slap through the air.
The female cultivator instantly fell unconscious.
"Well then, the trade is complete, and I must be on my way.
"Young man, may we meet again if fate wills it."
Old Man Yufu slung the fish basket onto his back once more.
Before Li Fan could respond, the elder took a single stride forward and vanished.
Only the faint strains of a folksong drifted through the air, though the words could not be made out clearly.
*A scare without real peril, and an unexpected harvest to boot.*
Glancing down at the motionless female cultivator from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals beside him, Li Fan looked in the direction where Yufu had disappeared, his face turning pensive.
Chapter 325