Chapter 23: The First Encounter
After a short while, the old woman ordered a tableful of dishes and began devouring them ravenously.
“What’s your name?” Su Fan asked, sounding indifferent.
The old woman replied while gnawing on a chicken leg, “Chicken leg.”
“Chicken leg?” Su Fan was taken aback and turned to look at her.
The old woman seemed to realize her slip and quickly said, “My name is Osmanthus.” Su Fan smiled gently and asked in a soft voice, “Your real name?”
Her face flushed red. She put down the chicken leg and chuckled quietly, “You saw right through me.”
Su Fan gave no answer, just took a sip of tea and continued, “Young lady, why disguise yourself as an old woman?”
With a thud, the old woman threw the chicken leg onto the table, sprang up, and rushed out of the inn.
Su Fan couldn’t help but laugh softly to himself, sat for a while longer, and then headed upstairs to his room. In truth, he could have spent the night out in the wilderness. Yet, having never visited such a bustling place before, his curiosity drew him in.
The room was decently furnished, with all the essentials for daily living. Su Fan sat down, placing the storage pouch he had picked up yesterday onto the table. He sent his spiritual sense inside, and a flash of gold glimmered in his eyes.
“There’s so much gold and silver here. Just taking them out could make someone wealthy in this city. It seems those three have been robbing travelers for years.
A pity, though, for I dwell in the world of cultivation. Mortal riches mean little to me. Still, as I walk the streets of Luo City, they might hold some use.
That girl I met today was rather intriguing. Yet with my cultivation, I still cannot see her true face. She must have had guidance from a master.”
As he thought this, Su Fan couldn’t help but smile.
At that moment, three men sat in the inn’s backyard, their faces dark with worry. If Su Fan had been present, he would have recognized them at once—they were the very bandits who had tried to rob him yesterday, only to be robbed themselves.
The leader spoke sharply, “I think I saw that kid from last night enter our inn.”
The other two were dumbstruck, terror stricken. The leader slammed the table, barking, “What are you afraid of? Now he’s on our turf. Taking him down will be easy.
Just a little trick, and capturing him won’t be hard. Even if it fails, his cultivation is only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. The treasure the innkeeper left us should subdue him.”
The two responded absentmindedly. The leader grew furious, his voice low and grim, “Don’t forget! All our years of robbing travelers—he took our gold and silver. If we don’t catch him, how will we reclaim it?”
Hearing mention of wealth, greed sparked in their eyes. “Alright, we’ll do as you say. You give the orders, we’ll risk everything for you.”
The leader gave a sinister smile, a cold gleam in his eyes.
A knock sounded from outside. Su Fan scanned with his spiritual sense and saw it was the inn’s waiter.
With a wave of his hand, the door opened on its own. He smiled, “Is there something you need?”
The waiter cheerfully said, “Sir, I’ve brought you some tea.”
Su Fan hesitated briefly. “Just leave it on the table.”
The waiter set down the teapot and left. Watching him go, Su Fan smiled to himself, murmuring, “The service here is quite attentive. I never asked for tea, yet they brought me some.”
He poured himself a cup. The rich aroma filled the room, tempting him to drink.
But the scent was unusually strong, oddly so. Su Fan sent his spiritual sense into the tea and his eyes flashed with killing intent.
He recovered quickly, extending his spiritual sense outward, a look of mockery on his face.
Through his spiritual sense, he could see the three men plotting downstairs.
He understood the situation at once. When he examined the tea, he found it contained a herb: Forget-Immortal Grass.
This herb is harmless to mortals, but for cultivators, it can suppress their powers, turning them into ordinary people for a time.
Though it is vicious, it only works on those below the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
Su Fan thought, “Clearly these three saw me come to the inn and bribed the waiter to harm me.
Let’s see what they’re capable of.” He then picked up his cup and drank the tea.
About half an hour passed. With a crash, the door was kicked open.
Three men entered, cloaked head to toe in black robes, only their eyes visible.
Su Fan remained calm, set his cup down, and spoke softly, “Gentlemen, what brings you here?”
The two followers shouted in unison, “We want your life!”
Su Fan’s expression was mocking, replying nonchalantly, “I thought you were mere highwaymen, but you’ve stooped to home invasion.”
His words infuriated them. The leader shouted, “Boy, hand over the silver you stole from us and we’ll spare your life. If you—”
“Go ahead,” Su Fan interrupted, pouring himself another cup of tea. The leader, unwilling to argue further, formed a hand seal and summoned a huge fireball before his chest.
He raised his hand and pointed at Su Fan. The fireball, blazing fiercely, shot towards him.
Just then, with a bang, the window burst open and someone flew in.
The newcomer landed and immediately sent a water orb speeding toward the fireball. Water and fire collided in midair, both vanishing instantly.
The figure dashed at the three men, moving with astonishing speed.
In the blink of an eye, the three were bound together and tossed before Su Fan.
Su Fan remained composed, took another sip of tea, and smiled, “So the old woman turns out to be a young lady. Quite impressive cultivation.”
The newcomer was a woman, dressed in pink robes, her skin like jade, eyes bright and lively.
Her hair was jet black, cascading like silk down her shoulders, two locks drifting over her chest, swaying as if touched by wind, ethereal and fairy-like.
Hearing Su Fan’s words, she smiled without argument, “You have a keen eye. Just one glance and you can’t forget me.”
Su Fan laughed awkwardly, coughing twice.
The three captives knelt before him, trembling, not daring to speak, forced to listen to the odd conversation.
Suddenly, a shrill cry sounded outside. The waiter appeared, holding a small flag and chanting incantations, swinging it at Su Fan.
A bloody gray soul shadow flew toward Su Fan, swift as lightning. The woman at his side could not intercept it in time. Su Fan’s heart sank, a sense of danger flooding him.
He hurriedly drew the Mountain Soul Fan to defend himself. Suddenly, a red glow enveloped him.
The soul shadow paused, its bloody hue replaced by excitement, and it rushed even faster toward Su Fan.
As it struck the red glow, it dissolved into gray threads, and the glow faded away. Su Fan knew at once this red light came from the jade pendant he wore.
As the glow dissipated, he sensed a new vitality within the jade, faint but undeniably present.
He didn’t dwell on it, and with a gesture, snatched the small flag from the waiter’s hand.
The waiter froze, panic-stricken. The three kneeling men wore the same expression.
Su Fan snorted coldly, his voice stern, “You four must be the inn’s staff. Was this your manager’s order?”
The leader, shocked by the question, hurriedly replied, “Sir, our manager left years ago, said he was going on a journey, and hasn’t returned in over ten years.”
“So you rob travelers, committing such disgraceful acts unworthy of cultivators.” Su Fan slammed the table and rebuked them harshly.
The pink-clad woman was startled by his outburst, blinking her bright eyes.
The leader hung his head, silent. The other two whispered, “Boss, he took the soul flag’s spirit. Could he be the one the manager spoke of?”
The leader glared at them and they quickly shut their mouths, stealing a glance at Su Fan.
A cold gleam flashed in Su Fan’s eyes as he looked at them, making them lower their heads.
“You two mentioned your manager spoke of someone—what do you mean?” Su Fan asked quietly.
They were about to make excuses when Su Fan began forming hand seals.
They quickly said in unison, “This lady can’t hear. Please, sir, let her wait outside.”
Su Fan looked at the pink-clad woman. She smiled and nodded, preparing to leave.
He found her quite likable and cupped his hands, “My name is Su Fan. May I ask yours?”
She smiled sweetly, “I am Fan Ruoyu. Old Man Ku said we are fated. I’ll come find you again.” With that, she stepped outside.
Su Fan remained calm, gazing at the four left in the room.
“Now you can speak, can’t you?”
Standing with hands behind his back, Su Fan spoke coldly. The leader glanced outside and said quietly, “Sir, you may not know. It was about fifteen—maybe sixteen years ago… It’s been so long, I can’t recall exactly.”