"Those who labor with their minds govern others. When I served as Chief of the Formation Planning Hall back then, it was never as strenuous as it is for you."
"Learn to delegate authority," Li Fan admonished earnestly.
How could Lu Xichan dare talk back now? She could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
A brief silence settled over the bamboo house.
Then Li Fan pondered for a moment, appearing to have reached a decision.
He pointed a finger through the empty air toward Lu Xichan's forehead.
This had originally been an immensely threatening gesture—a strike that any cultivator would resist by instinct. Yet, under the influence of Li Fan's three whip strikes and the distorted perception wrought by the Truth Enticement Fruit, Lu Xichan did not display even the slightest reaction of resistance.
She endured Li Fan's finger without flinching.
And then...
Over a thousand distinct arrays she had never seen before—far surpassing what she could currently comprehend—abruptly flooded Lu Xichan's mind.
Stunned for a moment, Lu Xichan jerked her head up. "Master, this is..."
Her somewhat weak voice brimmed with pleasant surprise.
Li Fan gave a cold snort. "Look at your worthless self. If left to work blindly behind closed doors, you would likely never amount to anything before you perish."
"These arrays are fruits I have gathered in recent years. Compared to when I faked my death back then, they represent quite an advancement. They will suffice for you to study for a while."
Lu Xichan was naturally well aware of the immense value of these arrays. A surge of joy and gratitude instantly swelled within her heart, and she hastily kowtowed to Li Fan in thanks. "Thank you for the gift, Master!"
"Xuan Suchang..." Ignoring Lu Xichan, Li Fan turned to look at Xuan Suchang.
"This junior is here," Xuan Suchang said at once.
"As for the matter between the two of you..." Li Fan began slowly.
Hearing this, both Xuan Suchang and Lu Xichan caught their breath.
"What is done is done, and since your feelings are mutual, it is not my place to stand in your way."
"Xichan is indolent by nature. If no one by her side spurs and oversees her, she will likely still fall into the same fate in the future..."
As Li Fan spoke, he sent the golden whip composed of divine soul power floating through the air toward her. "I bestow this whip upon you. In the future, whenever you catch Xichan slacking off, you shall carry out punishment on my behalf!"
"Xichan, you are not to resist! Do you understand?" Li Fan looked directly into her eyes.
Lu Xichan's body shuddered slightly once more, and she whispered, "Your disciple understands."
Xuan Suchang received the dark golden whip with both hands. Her face held a mix of astonishment and pleasant surprise.
She stole a glance at Lu Xichan, and whatever thought crossed her mind, a blush crept across her cheeks.
Only after a reminder from Lu Xichan did she finally kowtow to Li Fan to express her gratitude.
"Now that matters here are settled, I shall take my leave."
"As for the mess left behind in this bamboo sea..."
Before Li Fan could finish, Lu Xichan chimed in hastily, "Please rest assured, Master, I will handle it myself."
Pausing for a moment, Lu Xichan hesitated before adding softly, "Master, please be careful on your journey..."
Li Fan smiled, and in the next instant, his figure was already standing in the sky above.
"How could a trifling, minor tribulation ever harm me?"
"Still, I appreciate my disciple's goodwill. Hahaha..."
As his voice faded, his aura vanished entirely from this bamboo sea immortal's cave.
Xuan Suchang and Lu Xichan stared blankly into the sky.
Everything that had transpired so suddenly felt like a dream. In less than a day, it felt as though half a lifetime had slipped by.
Their gazes locked, and after a long silence, Xuan Suchang broke it. "Since the choice has been made, regrets are useless now."
"Besides..."
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror's internal struggle might not affect us in the end."
Lu Xichan nodded. "Still, it would be best if what happened here is never spoken of to the outside world..."
Her gaze drifted toward the whip in Xuan Suchang's hand, and her breathing abruptly grew unsteady once more.
...
Outside the bamboo sea.
Having released all the subdued servant cultivators along with Shuo Feng, Li Fan's group was hurrying toward the location of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar.
However, Daoist Baihua and Lin Ling kept casting peculiar looks at Li Fan.
Only their junior martial brother, Tianyang, was unbothered, just as composed as ever.
The scenes that had played out inside the bamboo lodge had naturally not escaped their sight.
In truth, with a commotion that large, it would have been difficult even if they had tried not to notice.
*If such methods were ever turned upon me...* The dread Lin Ling harbored toward Li Fan deepened further.
*As expected of the Special Envoy. Whether in toying with the hearts of others or in ruling his subordinates, he has attained perfection. No wonder he caught the eye of a True Immortal. Even among the group that survived across the various realms back then, none could match him,* Daoist Baihua marveled inwardly.
Li Fan paid no heed to the wandering thoughts of the two.
What he had just done was merely laying down a contingency.
After all, the standing of Xuan Suchang and Lu Xichan within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was by no means low.
Even if they could not compare to the Dharma Transmitters, they undeniably counted among the upper ruling class.
Yet Li Fan was not truly a Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect, nor was he of one mind with Mo Rubin. Possessing True Reversion, he carried countless unique secrets of his own.
In certain matters, it was far better to have his own private channels.
Through those three lashes earlier, Li Fan was confident that even if the lies woven by the Truth Enticement Fruit had flaws, they would be temporarily overlooked under the cover of such an intensely shocking event.
Whenever Lu Xichan recalled this master of hers, the first thing to surge into her mind would be those three lashes...
Given Lu Xichan's temperament, it would be utterly impossible for her to remain calm and collected.
As for imparting over a thousand arrays to her, it was merely to bolster the credibility of the fabricated memories—and to offer a sweet date after a slap as a form of pacification.
And bestowing the golden whip upon Xuan Suchang afterward...
First, it was to monitor the two women's every move, as the whip was formed from his own divine soul power and was effectively a specialized avatar.
Second, it was to delay the moment the lie was finally pierced for as long as possible.
How could Li Fan not know what would happen between Xuan Suchang and Lu Xichan once Xuan Suchang possessed that golden whip?
Especially when he had granted her legitimate authority to 'oversee and punish.'
Having tasted such sweet indulgence, they would surely become thoroughly engrossed and lose all track of time.
As a result, for quite a long time to come, both female cultivators would remain cooped up in this bamboo sea.
*The less time they spend at the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters, the lower the risk of exposure.*
That was Li Fan's true scheme.
Nothing else had been what it appeared on the surface.
Reining in his thoughts, Li Fan focused his attention back onto the intelligence Xuan Suchang had delivered regarding the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar.
"Manifests as a mortal, roaming all across Xuanhuang."
"Constantly changes appearance and identity, never tiring of it."
"Suspected to be comprehending the Dao..."
"Fascinating."
Li Fan's eyes flickered, and he accelerated his pace, flying toward the site where the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar had most recently appeared.
Liuguang Province, a mortal city known as Weidu.
Before long, the four arrived at their destination.
"The immortal-mortal miasma truly lives up to its reputation. I had only heard of it before, never witnessing it with my own eyes."
"Now, being here in person, I feel a wave of revulsion from far away," Daoist Baihua remarked with a sigh.
Chapter 999