Chapter 91: What a Small World
Ye Fan ran swiftly, leaping over mountains and ridges, as agile as a spirit monkey and as fast as a hunting leopard, the mountainous terrain blurring past him. Yet, he could not completely shake off those behind him; several figures still followed closely, indicating that their cultivation was not weak, likely at the mid-to-late stage of the Sea of Suffering.
Suddenly, Ye Fan’s expression tightened. Ahead lay a great canyon, where two figures blocked his path. Not only were there pursuers from behind, but two others had also circled around to cut him off.
It was too late to turn back now. He stopped and said, “You two, we were chatting not long ago. Why are you blocking my way now?”
Blocking the canyon’s exit were a man and a woman, both around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. The woman wore a cold smirk and said, “You were fine at the Purple Sun Cave Heaven. Why did you run? Did you do something shameful?”
The man took several steps forward, staring down at Ye Fan, and said, “Could it be that you stole something? Why else would you flee in such a hurry? Truly, a beggar’s thieving nature never changes—even in our Purple Sun Cave Heaven, you can’t keep your hands clean.”
“I think that piece of ‘Source’ on you is also of dubious origin. Maybe you stole it from our Purple Sun Cave Heaven. How else would a little beggar like you possess something so valuable?” The woman closed in.
During this exchange, Ye Fan also moved forward naturally, not appearing as if he intended to charge through. His expression was calm, but inwardly he sneered. These two clearly wanted to seize his Source, yet they were fabricating false charges against him.
“Big brother, big sister, how can you slander me like this? This piece of ‘Source’ is clearly a family heirloom. Don’t throw mud on me like this…” As he spoke, Ye Fan had already drawn near the two.
Just then, the people behind saw them closing in and shouted, “Watch out!”
But it was too late. Ye Fan acted decisively, leaping up. His movements were incredibly fast, his hands shooting out like lightning, smashing the two heads together with a heavy thud. They fell unconscious on the spot.
These two cultivators never imagined that an eleven- or twelve-year-old beggar could possess such terrifying skill. Caught off guard, they collapsed in an instant, unconscious.
Ye Fan did not use the golden book, mainly because the two ahead blocked him, and he wasn’t sure he could kill them both instantly. Moreover, he wanted to mislead those behind, making them think he had killed the first person with such a method and that he didn’t know any cultivation techniques.
At that moment, Ye Fan pulled a small curved knife from the woman’s belt and made as if to slash them both. Shouts of anger came from behind.
Ye Fan did not strike down. A cold smirk appeared on his lips as he muttered, “Hope this misleads you.” Feigning panic, he continued fleeing forward.
As expected, angry voices came from behind. Someone said, “That little brat is cunning. Senior Brother Yang must have been killed by him like this in the stone forest.”
“Lucky we followed closely, or Senior Brother Wang and Junior Sister Zhang would have met the same fate.”
…
Ye Fan muttered to himself, “If you can’t catch me, so be it. But if you insist on a fight to the death, I’ll give you a surprise later.”
He lacked sufficient strength. If he revealed his trump card too early and was surrounded by several people, the consequences would be dire. By successfully misleading them now, he had gained an extra layer of protection.
After running another dozen li, three figures finally caught up. The woman in the middle sneered, “After all, you’re not a disciple of Purple Sun Cave Heaven. You ran fast, but you took a lot of detours. In the end, we’ve still intercepted you.”
The two male disciples had grim expressions. One of them said coldly, “Poor Senior Brother Yang was killed by a little beggar. He fell for that brat’s trick. How infuriating!”
“If we hadn’t arrived in time, Senior Brother Wang and Junior Sister Zhang might have met the same fate. That little beggar actually succeeded in ambushing them,” the other male disciple said, his tone icy.
Ye Fan pretended to be scared, putting on the expression of an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy. Stammering, he said, “You all… this isn’t my fault. They wanted to kill me… to take my ‘Source.’ I had no choice… I caught them off guard and knocked them out.”
The woman in the middle said coldly, “Senior Brother Yang was killed by you…”
“I… thought I knocked him out. I didn’t realize he wasn’t unconscious. He fell to the ground and grabbed my leg. I… was scared. I pulled out the knife and accidentally… slashed his neck.” Ye Fan showed a child’s fear.
“Accidentally?!” The woman’s face was sinister, her pretty features covered in frost. “Accidentally killed Senior Brother Yang? Is that a joke or an insult?”
“No need to say more. Take the ‘Source’ and kill him. Avenge Senior Brother Yang!”
“Killing him outright is too easy…”
The two male disciples’ eyes gleamed with cold light, revealing murderous intent.
Just then, Ye Fan had quietly shifted his position, seemingly trembling, but actually adjusting his stance to align the two male disciples in a straight line with him.
“Chi”
At that moment, a blazing golden light flew out from Ye Fan’s body, like a golden lightning bolt that dimmed the sun itself. The golden book shone brilliantly, flashing across the air in an instant.
“Pu, pu”
Two soft sounds came as the two men died with their eyes wide open, both cut in half at the waist. Blood spurted high. Their upper bodies fell to the ground, blood gushing out, while their lower halves stood for a second before collapsing into a pool of blood.
“You…” The woman was shocked, but reacted swiftly. She instantly offered a purple divine net, casting it toward Ye Fan.
“Clang, clang”
The golden book, like a golden sun with blazing golden flames, charged at the purple net. The two clashed with a series of metallic sounds.
The purple divine net shattered inch by inch, falling to the ground. The golden book shot through, “swish,” spinning as it struck. With a soft “pu,” the woman’s head rolled off.
Ye Fan wiped a cold sweat. If he hadn’t hidden his trump card and successfully misled them, he would likely be the one lying in a pool of blood now.
“You wanted to kill me for the ‘Source.’ Your deaths won’t make me feel guilty.” After briefly dealing with the scene, Ye Fan fled like the wind, not daring to delay a moment.
He had only run a hundred meters when shouts came from behind. There were still several people, and they were closing in fast. Ye Fan glanced back briefly, and his expression froze. He saw Li Xiaoman!
He couldn’t describe his feelings. They had once shared a bond, though it had long ended, fading like smoke. But this scene was still unexpected.
He could be cold and indifferent, treat her like a stranger, but this situation…
“Is she chasing me to kill me, or following to stop her senior brothers and sisters? I hope it’s the latter,” Ye Fan muttered to himself. Though that relationship was long over and could no longer stir him, if it were the former, it would be too bloody.
Ye Fan ran through the mountains as if on flat ground, extremely fast. Suddenly, bells rang from behind, echoing through the peaks.
“That’s from Purple Sun Cave Heaven…” When Ye Fan looked back, he saw several figures stop upon hearing the bells and then quickly run back.
“Bells that carry dozens of li… They retreat at the sound. Could Purple Sun Cave Heaven be summoning all disciples back to the mountain?” Ye Fan’s mind worked quickly, and he immediately thought of a possibility. Something unusual must have happened at Purple Sun Cave Heaven—most likely, they had learned the identity of the Ji Family knights.
“Not good!” He fled like the wind.
When passing a river, he took out the piece of “Source” and threw it into the riverbed.
“The second-strongest expert of Purple Sun Cave Heaven can sense the ‘Source’s’ aura. Other strong cultivators can probably detect it too. I can’t carry it anymore. I’ll come back for it later.” Ye Fan feared that experts from Purple Sun Cave Heaven would also pursue him, aiding the Ji Family knights. That would be a huge problem.
“I can’t flee toward the outside. I need to think in reverse and do the unexpected.” Ye Fan quickly ran back, then came to a large waterfall. He rushed in, pressing himself against the rock wall, letting the water pound against his body.
Though his cultivation was not very advanced, he could hold his breath for a long time. When he couldn’t bear it anymore, he could stick his head out for a breath of fresh air.
In this way, Ye Fan hid for three full days. Occasionally, someone flew past, but they didn’t notice the waterfall below. Then, Ye Fan changed hiding spots several times, staying in the deep mountains for half a month without being discovered.
That night, Ye Fan quietly left the mountain range where Purple Sun Cave Heaven was located and emerged from the hills.
A few days later, he appeared a thousand li away, far from that place.
Recalling his experience at Purple Sun Cave Heaven, the most vivid impression was Li Xiaoman’s indifferent expression, advising him not to be unrealistic, to accept reality, to be an ordinary mortal, giving off an air of superiority.
“I should have shaken off the Ji Family knights by now. I need to find a place to cultivate in peace soon.”
But to Ye Fan’s utter surprise, just three days later, while looking up at the sky in an ancient city, he spotted the Ji Family knights again.
“Truly persistent spirits. The problem isn’t with that piece of ‘Source’ after all.” Ye Fan emptied all his belongings. A white jade pendant given to him by Elder Wu Qingfeng should be fine. There was also a broken piece of jade, like a rotten stone with a missing corner, given to him by the unscrupulous Taoist Duan De, which should also be fine.
Then, he took out a walnut-sized Bodhi seed and muttered, “Could it be because of this?”
It would be a shame to discard this Bodhi seed, as it could aid enlightenment. He had never regarded it as a spiritual treasure, always treating it as a divine tree seed. Now, thinking carefully, he realized the problem might lie here.
“Perhaps the treasure Jiang Yichen sensed was this Bodhi seed…”
Soon after, Ye Fan entered a tavern and ordered some food.
“What a small world…” Suddenly, an aged voice sounded in Ye Fan’s ear. A gaunt old man, with white hair covering his face, appeared before him like a ghost.
“Elder Han!” Ye Fan was so startled he nearly overturned the table. Truly, when it rains, it pours. To run into him at such a moment!
“It seems we are fated. I’ve been looking for you.” Elder Han of Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven sat down across the table.
“Elder Han, what business do you have with me?”
Elder Han was like dried wood, his flesh withered, just a layer of old skin covering his bones. With white hair obscuring his face, he looked terrifying. He said gloomily, “I have prepared endless spiritual medicines for you, but I couldn’t find you. I didn’t expect to meet again here.”
“Prepared many spiritual medicines for me?”
“You are the main ingredient, with other spiritual medicines as supplements,” Elder Han said unhurriedly.
“Damn it, you old bastard!” Ye Fan slammed the table. At this point, holding back was useless.