"Shu Mountain Sword Sect, I can't afford to provoke them, but I can always hide, right?"
The shadowy figure muttered to himself, his voice extremely weak.
Right now, he was like a tiger fallen to the plains, vulnerable to any Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator passing by who might "slay demons and exterminate evil," completely eradicating him.
So it was only long after Meng Fan had left that he dared to show himself!
Cultivators of the Ghost Shadow Sect didn't have many techniques, but in the realm of ghosts and spirits, they far surpassed other sects.
Even though Elder Lin's primordial spirit of the sword had attacked with full force, it hadn't completely eradicated him, leaving behind a soul body.
This kind of thing was hard to guard against, and Elder Lin wasn't a specialist in this area.
"This body is no longer usable; I'll just bury it here. Otherwise, if it's discovered, I'll have to face the pursuit of that Shu Mountain expert. I can't afford that!
What bad luck, this is truly a disaster out of nowhere!!!"
The shadowy figure cursed and muttered as he floated away into the darkness.
"But that foolish boy named Meng Fan, I can find an opportunity to take revenge on him.
That fool actually revealed his name and background to me. I've remembered you.
Once I've recovered, I'll turn you into a furnace and slowly refine you!"
In his current state, it would probably take him thirty or forty years to fully recover.
Even after thirty or forty years, he might still not be a match for that old Shu Mountain fellow, but he could definitely take revenge on that little brat.
A Heavenly Origin Realm kid, even given thirty or forty years to grow, couldn't possibly be his match!!
The shadowy figure sentenced Meng Fan to death in his heart.
A gentleman's revenge, ten years is not too late!
Little did he know, in thirty or forty years, Meng Fan would become terrifying beyond his wildest dreams.
Revenge?
Heh…
***
Moonlight like silver spilled over Li Sansi's grave.
About an hour after the shadowy figure left, the grave suddenly moved.
A pale hand emerged from the grave.
Then, the grave was dug open by this hand, and a figure crawled out from it.
Li Sansi struggled to a large tree nearby, leaning against it and gasping for breath.
"Hong Fei, you survived and are feeling smug, but you can't even dream that you're not the only one who survived!" Hatred flashed in Li Sansi's eyes.
"I sealed my divine sense and locked my soul in the depths of my soul sea, waiting for an opportunity!
Now, that opportunity has finally come.
Senior Brother, after all these years, it turns out you saved me again, sigh…"
Li Sansi struggled to his feet and staggered away from the place.
Hong Fei, who had taken over his body, thought this place was dangerous, and Li Sansi felt the same.
He needed to leave here first and find a safe place to slowly recover.
***
On the other side, Meng Fan didn't waste any time and prepared to return to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
However, he couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that after burying Li Sansi, so many strange and bizarre things would happen.
It just showed that his perspective was still too narrow. After all, he rarely left Shu Mountain and hadn't seen much of the world.
In this world of cultivation, anything was possible, and one couldn't use common sense to challenge reality.
The distance from Longquan Village to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect was not short. If Meng Fan traveled normally, it would take him about four or five days.
But spending time on the road was not worth it for someone like Meng Fan, who was a master of time management.
He returned to Kongyue Town, bought a carriage, and hired a driver to take him.
Traveling day and night, he reached the foot of Shu Mountain in just two days and nights.
Meng Fan didn't bother taking the carriage back to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect; he simply gave it to the driver.
Wealthy and willful!
Why buy a carriage instead of renting one?
Wealthy and willful!!
Meng Fan had gone down the mountain twice, and both times he bought a carriage instead of renting one.
The driver left happily with the carriage, while Meng Fan headed towards the summit of Shu Mountain, returning to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
This trip down the mountain had been quite fruitful for him; just the Law Swords and Dao Swords he acquired had made him a fortune.
***
"Senior Brother Meng!"
Just as Meng Fan was about to ascend the mountain, he heard a familiar call.
He turned around and saw Liu Yanping and Yang Shishi, the two young ladies.
"Why are you two only getting back now?" These two girls had clearly left earlier than him.
Liu Yanping smiled and said, "We didn't take a carriage on our way back, we traveled slowly and enjoyed the scenery, so we were slower."
It wasn't that they were too slow; it was that Meng Fan was too fast.
"Hmm?" Meng Fan looked a bit surprised because he noticed a small boy behind the two girls.
The boy was about five or six years old, very small, and had been completely hidden by the two girls, so Meng Fan hadn't noticed him.
"Who's this little guy?" Meng Fan asked curiously.
"His name is Xiao Hui. We found him on the road. He's an orphan; his parents died of illness, and he was left alone, begging. It's almost winter now, and the weather is getting colder. I was afraid he'd freeze to death outside, so I thought of bringing him back to Shu Mountain."
Meng Fan nodded, saying nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
When others do good deeds, you shouldn't discourage them no matter what.
That's kindness!
"Then hurry up and take him up the mountain. First, test his spiritual root. If he has one, he can join Shu Mountain as a disciple. Even if he doesn't, he can be taken in as a servant, at least he won't starve to death outside!"
Actually, the Shu Mountain Sword Sect wasn't a charity; they didn't take just anyone.
But Liu Yanping was the granddaughter of an elder, and her status carried weight. The steward of the servants would surely give her face.
***
After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the four of them returned to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
The child named Xiao Hui was so exhausted from climbing that his legs were trembling, but he gritted his teeth and persisted silently.
Though young, he knew he had met benefactors.
Without the help of these two older sisters, he would indeed die, unable to survive the winter.
He wanted to live; no matter how hard or tiring, he wasn't afraid!
This strength didn't come from any deep-seated hatred or desire for revenge.
He simply wanted to live.
He could never forget his mother's last words, spoken weakly as she lay on her deathbed, holding his hand.
"Son, live on…"
In this world, for some suffering people, just surviving required all their strength and effort.
Meng Fan had been observing Xiao Hui. Though the child said nothing, his determination to climb the mountain impressed Meng Fan.
He hoped the boy would have a spiritual root and be able to cultivate.
If he didn't have a spiritual root, then he couldn't cultivate; that was fate.
No solution!
Meng Fan himself had poor innate talent, a Mixed Spiritual Root.
But even a Mixed Spiritual Root was still a spiritual root, allowing him to embark on the path of cultivation.
If he didn't even have a Mixed Spiritual Root, then even with the supreme talent of Sword Dao Transcendence, he would still be a useless person unable to cultivate.
So in that sense, heaven had already been kind to him!
However, if Meng Fan truly had no spiritual root, perhaps he could still find a unique path.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan