"I thought I had been cautious enough this time, yet I never expected such a remote place could still attract Yufu, an expert who is at least in the Dao Integration realm.
"Still, this was an unavoidable accident. Who could have imagined that this somewhat deranged old man would be connected to a broken sword countless tens of thousands of li away in the Congyun Sea?"
Recalling carefully every detail of his interaction with Yufu just now, Li Fan realized that although Yufu's sudden appearance had caught him off guard and startled him, the actual danger of the entire encounter was worlds apart from his previous brush with the Heavenly Physician.
Even the black-robed Dao Integration expert back in Yuandao Province had exerted far more oppressive pressure on Li Fan than Old Man Yufu had.
Was Yufu weaker than that black-robed Dao Integration cultivator?
Li Fan did not think so.
The master of the Heaven Fiend Sword was bound to possess strength far surpassing ordinary Dao Integration cultivators.
Even if he had become deranged and amnesiac for some unknown reason, he was by no means to be underestimated.
Yet the impression he gave Li Fan was remarkably peculiar.
Throughout their interaction, he felt nothing like he was conversing with a mighty Dao Integration Immortal Venerable.
Instead, it felt like chatting with an ordinary, warm elder.
Aside from his own inner tension, he had not felt the slightest trace of pressure.
The reason for this...
Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Could it be that Old Man Yufu has also forgotten the fact that he is a peerless powerhouse?"
Deep down, Li Fan felt that this was very likely the case.
Perhaps there were other secrets behind it, but this could not be far off the mark.
"A powerhouse of Yufu's caliber wandering the heartland of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals in a demented state is exceedingly dangerous.
"If he were suddenly to go mad and run amok, the devastation he caused might not be inferior to another Great War of Tianling Province.
"Even so, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has let him roam freely rather than expelling him.
"There must be some deeper reason at play.
"The waters run too deep. Before I grow strong enough, my original body had better avoid contacting him as much as possible."
As his thoughts gradually settled, Li Fan looked once more at the female cultivator from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, who was still unconscious.
She had attractive features; while not breathtakingly stunning, she was undeniably a beauty.
She appeared quite young, though a cultivator's appearance had little to do with their actual age.
Perhaps she was even older than Li Fan.
For Li Fan was actually unable to sense her specific cultivation realm.
This meant she either had an extraordinary treasure protecting her and concealing her aura, or her strength far exceeded Li Fan's, being at least in the Nascent Soul or Soul Formation realm.
"'She is of great use to me'? What did he mean by that?"
He did not know what Yufu had seen, but presumably the elder had not spoken without aim.
Lifting the female cultivator with his spiritual energy, Li Fan quietly left the hollowed-out mountain.
After flying for a while, he arrived at a forest clearing and set her down.
Then, he attempted to wake her.
Yet though Li Fan tried several methods, none succeeded.
"It seems Yufu's slap was truly heavy."
Without knowing her identity, Li Fan did not act rashly.
He simply kept quiet watch beside her.
He cultivated while waiting for her to wake up.
After two full days, the female cultivator let out a soft groan and finally awoke.
She sat up, looking around blankly from where she sat on the ground.
Scanning her surroundings, she saw Li Fan sitting quietly to the side. Still somewhat dazed, she asked, "Who are you..."
"I am Li—" Before Li Fan could finish his reply, the woman seemed to suddenly remember something, and terror washed over her face.
Letting out a shriek, she forgot to stand up entirely, instead propping herself up with her hands and scooting backward across the ground.
Meanwhile, she cried out repeatedly, "Stay away from me!"
Li Fan's face darkened, and he swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue.
Looking solemn and infusing a thread of spiritual energy into his voice, making it rumble like thunder, he said coldly, "Fellow Daoist, please calm down!"
Strangely enough, as if cowed by Li Fan's stern shout, the female cultivator actually halted her movement, freezing in place.
Yet the expression on her face grew even more terrified for some reason.
'It seems she isn't some high-stage expert after all,' Li Fan judged inwardly.
Putting on as gentle an expression as possible, Li Fan asked softly, "May I ask how to address Fellow Daoist? And why were you captured by Old Man Yufu?"
The woman made an expression uglier than crying, looking exceedingly unwilling.
Yet her lips opened and closed, speaking continuously: "My name is Lu Xuejing. I had previously heard rumors about Old Man Yufu and was very curious about him.
"Not long ago, I happened to hear that he had appeared near Tianyu Province. Mother had recently been busy with official duties and relaxed her supervision over me for once.
"So I snuck out and found Old Man Yufu.
"I just happened to see a cultivator exchange a battered piece of scrap iron for a cultivation art.
"Intrigued, I wanted to try as well.
"Who knew that old fellow would completely ignore me? I was so furious that I cursed him out.
"And then...
"Everything went black, and it felt like I was locked in a tiny, pitch-dark place."
Lu Xuejing looked utterly aggrieved, two streams of tears flowing down her cheeks.
Her body trembled slightly as though she were sobbing.
Yet her speech remained remarkably steady.
"When I woke up, I was here."
Li Fan took in Lu Xuejing's bizarre, contradictory behavior.
He muttered to himself inwardly, 'I merely asked casually, yet she went into far too much detail.'
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Li Fan's expression grew rather peculiar.
"I won't take your things for nothing."
"Hmm, I seem to have an object here that will be of great use to you."
Old Man Yufu's words echoed in his ears. To verify his conjecture, Li Fan spoke up: "Fellow Daoist, stand up."
Hearing this, Lu Xuejing indeed stood up.
Li Fan pondered for a moment and asked again, "How old is Fellow Daoist? What cultivation realm are you in? What technique do you cultivate?"
To ask a stranger such questions was clearly extremely discourteous.
Flicking one's sleeves and walking away would already be considered great restraint; drawing a blade on the spot would not be out of the question.
Yet Lu Xuejing seemed entirely incapable of refusing, answering Li Fan's questions at an unhurried pace.
"I am twenty-three years old this year, at the late Foundation Establishment stage. I cultivate the Two Qis Spirit-Illuminating All Heavens Oblivion Art prepared for me by Mother."
Though she answered truthfully, the panic on Lu Xuejing's face grew increasingly pronounced.
At the same time, as she looked at Li Fan, a flash of resentment flitted through her eyes.
The instant he heard the name of the cultivation art, Li Fan's heart skipped a beat.
Then it dawned on him: 'So she's a second-generation immortal who hasn't experienced the harsh perils of the world. Sneaking out to play, showing disrespect to Yufu, and getting captured.
'Afterward, she was treated as an object and traded to me.
'Does that mean this second-generation immortal is now my possession?'
Chapter 326