xiǎo mén zhī hòu ， chén liè zhe xǔ duō cáng pǐn 。
小门之后，陈列着许多藏品。
Beyond the small entrance, various exhibits were displayed.
yīn shàng rén rè qíng de wèi lǐ fán zuò zhe jiè shào 。
殷上人热情的为李凡做着介绍。
Master Yin热情 introduced everything to Li Fan.
“ zhè shì fèi tuó yú de yú gǔ 。 sān qiān nián wǔ bǎi nián qián ， zhè zhǒng yú jiù yǐ jīng miè jué le 。 zhè jù yú gǔ yě shì wǒ fèi le hǎo dà gōng fū cái shōu jí dào de 。 jù shuō fèi tuó yú cōng huì yì cháng ， néng xué rén yán 。 chī le tā de ròu ， néng dǒng yú yǔ 。 yě bù zhī shì zhēn shì jiǎ 。”
“这是吠陀鱼的鱼骨。三千年五百年前，这种鱼就已经灭绝了。这具鱼骨也是我费了好大功夫才收集到的。据说吠陀鱼聪慧异常，能学人言。吃了它的肉，能懂鱼语。也不知是真是假。”
"This is a Veda Fish's bone. Five thousand years ago, this species of fish had already gone extinct. I spent quite some effort collecting this bone. Legend has it that these fish are exceptionally intelligent and can learn human speech. Eating their flesh allows one to understand the language of fish. But whether or not it’s true is uncertain."
zǒu dào yī tiáo xǔ xǔ rú shēng ， wān yán pán jù ， zú yǒu shàng qiān mǐ de jù shé miàn qián 。
走到一条栩栩如生，蜿蜒盘踞，足有上千米的巨蛇面前。
Approaching a lifelike, coiled giant snake stretching over a thousand meters long.
yīn shàng rén yòu xīng fèn dì shuō dào ：“ zhè shì cóng yún hǎi shé 。 píng cháng qián fú yú shēn hǎi zhī zhōng ， jiāng shēn qū mái zài tǔ lǐ 。 wǒ pǎo le dà bàn gè cóng yún hǎi ， cái zhuā dào yī tiáo zhè me zhǎng de ！ bǎ tā zhì chéng biāo běn kě zhēn fèi le wǒ bù shǎo gōng fu 。”
殷上人又兴奋地说道：“这是丛云海蛇。平常潜伏于深海之中，将身躯埋在土里。我跑了大半个丛云海，才抓到一条这么长的！把它制成标本可真费了我不少功夫。”
Master Yin excitedly said, "This is the Congyunhai Snake. It usually hides in deep seas and buries its body underground. I had to travel half of the Congyun Sea before catching one this length! Preserving it as a specimen really took me a lot of effort."
jiē zhe ， tā yòu yǒu xiē shén mì dì xiǎo shēng shuō dào ：“ jù wǒ de yán jiū ， qí shí zhè zhǒng hǎi shé ， shé bú shì běn tǐ 。 tā men tǐ nèi yǒu yī zhǒng shén mì de jì shēng chóng ， zhè zhǒng chóng zi jí qí wēi xiǎo 。 nǎ pà zhù jī qī de shén niàn ， yě bù róng yì chá jué 。 dàn què zhèng shì zhè zhǒng wēi xiǎo de chóng zi ， cāo zòng zhe páng dà de hǎi shé ！ dàng zhēn shì nán yǐ xiǎng xiàng ！”
接着，他又有些神秘地小声说道：“据我的研究，其实这种海蛇，蛇不是本体。它们体内有一种神秘的寄生虫，这种虫子极其微小。哪怕筑基期的神念，也不容易察觉。但却正是这种微小的虫子，操纵着庞大的海蛇！当真是难以想象！”
He then whispered mysteriously, "According to my research, these sea snakes are not actually snakes at all. They harbor a mysterious parasite within their bodies. This tiny creature is incredibly hard for even Foundation Establishment cultivators to detect with their divine sense. Yet, this tiny creature controls the massive snake! It’s truly unimaginable!"
yī lù xiàng qián zǒu ， gè shì gè yàng de cáng pǐn ràng lǐ fán dà kāi yǎn jiè 。
一路向前走，各式各样的藏品让李凡大开眼界。
Walking forward, Li Fan was amazed by the various exhibits.
èr rén zài liǎng jù bìng pái fàng zhì de rén lèi gǔ jià miàn qián tíng le xià lái 。
二人在两具并排放置的人类骨架面前停了下来。
Stopping in front of two human skeletons placed side by side, Master Yin pointed at them and asked proudly, "Do you see any difference between these two human skeletons?"
yīn shàng rén zhǐ zhe liǎng jù gǔ jià ， yǒu xiē dé yì de fā wèn ：“ dào yǒu kě néng kàn chū zhè liǎng jù rén lèi gǔ jià yǒu shén me bù tóng ？”
殷上人指着两具骨架，有些得意的发问：“道友可能看出这两具人类骨架有什么不同？”
"Differences?" Li Fan scanned with his divine sense. They seemed to be just ordinary human remains.
“ bù tóng ？” lǐ fán shén shí yī sǎo ， sì hū dān chún zhǐ shì fán rén de yí gǔ 。
“不同？”李凡神识一扫，似乎单纯只是凡人的遗骨。
Both were male skeletons, differing only in height and size.
liǎng jù dōu shì nán rén de shī gǔ ， zhǐ shì shēn gāo dà xiǎo bù yī zhì bà le 。
两具都是男人的尸骨，只是身高大小不一致罢了。
But if there was a fundamental difference...
dàn ruò yào wèn yǒu shén me běn zhì dì bù tóng ……
但若要问有什么本质的不同……
After some time, Li Fan shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't see any differences."
yòu kàn le yī huì ， lǐ fán yáo le yáo tóu ：“ zài xià yǎn zhuō ， kàn bù chū qū bié 。”
又看了一会，李凡摇了摇头：“在下眼拙，看不出区别。”
Master Yin laughed heartily. "Don’t say anything! I dare bet that no other cultivator within the Congyun Sea, except me, could notice these two skeletons are different!"
yīn shàng rén hā hā yī xiào ：“ bú yào shuō nǐ le ！ wǒ gǎn dǎ dǔ ， zhè cóng yún hǎi nèi ， chú le wǒ zhī wài ， méi yǒu rèn hé qí tā xiū shì ， néng chá jué zhè liǎng jù shī gǔ de bù tóng zhī chù ！”
殷上人哈哈一笑：“不要说你了！我敢打赌，这丛云海内，除了我之外，没有任何其他修士，能察觉这两具尸骨的不同之处！”
He pointed to the skeletons and whispered close to Li Fan's ear, "These people aren’t of the same kind."
tā zhǐ zhe zhè liǎng jù gǔ jià ， còu dào lǐ fán gēn qián ， jí qí xiǎo shēng dì shuō zhe ：“ zhè liǎng gè rén ， bú shì tóng yī zhǒng rén 。”
他指着这两具骨架，凑到李凡跟前，极其小声地说着：“这两个人，不是同一种人。”
"Of the same kind?" Li Fan was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
“ bú shì tóng yī zhǒng rén ？” lǐ fán yī lèng ，“ shén me yì si ？”
“不是同一种人？”李凡一愣，“什么意思？”
Master Yin gestured around for a while, thinking deeply but still struggling to find the right words.
yīn shàng rén yòng shǒu bǐ huà le yī zhèn ， sī kǎo le yī zhèn ， sì hū yòu xiǎng bù chū hé shì de yán yǔ lái xíng róng 。
殷上人用手比划了一阵，思考了一阵，似乎又想不出合适的言语来形容。
After some hesitation, he clenched his fist and said with a strained expression, "It's just an instinctive feeling. You understand? Even though they're both humans, these two lived in different eras and regions. Perhaps they looked similar, but I dug them out from the Congyun Sea bottom. There’s something extremely special that delineates their differences..."
jiū jié le bàn shǎng ， měng dì wò quán ， mǎn liǎn jiū jié ：“ jiù shì yī zhǒng gǎn jué ， gǎn jué nǐ dǒng ba ？ míng míng dōu shì rén lèi ， dàn zhè liǎng gè rén lèi ， tā men shēng huó de nián dài bù yí yàng ， shēng huó de dì yù yě bù yí yàng 。 huò xǔ tā men zhǎng dé dōu chà bu duō ， yě dōu shì wǒ zì cóng yún hǎi dǐ wā chū lái de ， dàn shì yǒu yī zhǒng jí wéi tè shū de jiè xiàn ， biāo dìng zhe zhè liǎng jù shī gǔ de bù tóng ……”
纠结了半晌，猛地握拳，满脸纠结：“就是一种感觉，感觉你懂吧？明明都是人类，但这两个人类，他们生活的年代不一样，生活的地域也不一样。或许他们长得都差不多，也都是我自丛云海底挖出来的，但是有一种极为特殊的界限，标定着这两具尸骨的不同……”
Master Yin spoke mysteriously for a long time without giving a clear explanation.
yīn shàng rén shuō de xuán hū ， shuō le xǔ jiǔ què yòu shuō bù chū gè jù tǐ suǒ yǐ rán 。
殷上人说的玄乎，说了许久却又说不出个具体所以然。
Not minding it, they continued walking.
yě bù jiū jié ， jì xù xiàng qián zǒu 。
也不纠结，继续向前走。
Stopping at an empty display platform, Master Yin pointed to it with a pale face and trembling fingers.
zài yī chù kōng dàng dàng de zhǎn shì tái qián ， měng dì tíng le xià lái 。
在一处空荡荡的展示台前，猛地停了下来。
He tried to say something but couldn’t utter a word after a while.
tā zhǐ zhe kōng kōng rú yě de zhǎn tái ， miàn sè cāng bái ， shǒu zhǐ bù tíng dì chàn dǒu 。
他指着空空如也的展台，面色苍白，手指不停地颤抖。
"Master Yin, what happened?" Li Fan asked curiously.
xiǎng yào shuō xiē shén me ， zuǐ chún zhāng hé ， bàn tiān méi néng tǔ chū yí gè zì 。
想要说些什么，嘴唇张合，半天没能吐出一个字。
"I... I..."
“ yīn dào yǒu ， fā shēng shén me shì le ？” lǐ fán bù jīn wèn dào 。
“殷道友，发生什么事了？”李凡不禁问道。
"My treasure!"
“ wǒ …… wǒ ……”
“我……我……”
Master Yin was shocked.
“ wǒ de bǎo bèi ne ！”
“我的宝贝呢！”
Following him were his dog and hand puppet, which whined and lowered its ears. It peeked up nervously at Master Yin and shrank to the ground, trembling.
yīn shàng rén dà jīng shī sè 。
殷上人大惊失色。
Seeing this, Li Fan guessed something.
ér gēn zài tā shēn hòu de rén shǒu gǒu ， zé áo wū yī shēng ， ěr duǒ dā lā 。
而跟在他身后的人手狗，则嗷呜一声，耳朵耷拉。
"Master Yin, you said your treasure is a bone, right?"
tōu tōu wǎng shàng miáo le yī yǎn ， gǎn jǐn suō zài yīn shàng rén de jiǎo biān ， sè sè fā dǒu 。
偷偷往上瞄了一眼，赶紧缩在殷上人的脚边，瑟瑟发抖。
Master Yin’s face lit up as he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, have you seen it before?"
lǐ fán jiàn zhuàng ， xiǎng dào le shén me 。
李凡见状，想到了什么。
Li Fan looked puzzled but led Master Yin back to the entrance of the square building.
yú shì shì tàn xìng de wèn dào ：“ yīn dào yǒu ， nǐ shuō de bǎo bèi ， bú huì shì yī gēn gǔ tou ba ……”
于是试探性的问道：“殷道友，你说的宝贝，不会是一根骨头吧……”
When they arrived, the hand puppet and dog bumped into Li Fan.
yīn shàng rén dà xǐ ， lián lián diǎn tóu ：“ duì ， nǐ kàn dào guò ？”
殷上人大喜，连连点头：“对，你看到过？”
The object in its mouth fell out. Li Fan glanced at it briefly; seeing just a bone, he thought it was only a toy for the hand puppet and didn’t bother picking it up.
lǐ fán miàn sè gǔ guài ， dài lǐng zhe yīn shàng rén chóng xīn huí dào le zhè zuò fāng xíng jiàn zhù de mén kǒu 。
李凡面色古怪，带领着殷上人重新回到了这座方型建筑的门口。
Little did he know that this bone was Master Yin’s treasure.
gāng lái zhè shí ， rén shǒu gǒu yī tóu zhuàng zài lǐ fán shēn shàng 。
刚来这时，人手狗一头撞在李凡身上。
Master Yin carefully picked up the bone, wiped off the saliva, and examined it with a look of adoration as if looking at his lover. The expression made Li Fan shiver involuntarily.
tā zuǐ lǐ diāo zhe de dōng xī yě suí zhī diào le xià lái 。 dāng shí ， lǐ fán kàn le yī yǎn ， jiàn zhǐ shì yī gēn gǔ tou ， yǐ wéi zhǐ shì rén shǒu gǒu de wán jù ， yě jiù méi qù jiǎn 。
它嘴里叼着的东西也随之掉了下来。当时，李凡看了一眼，见只是一根骨头，以为只是人手狗的玩具，也就没去捡。
Clearing his throat, he woke Master Yin from his trance.
què méi xiǎng dào ， zhè gēn gǔ tou ， jū rán shì yīn shàng rén de bǎo bèi 。
却没想到，这根骨头，居然是殷上人的宝贝。
"Master Yin, may I ask what this bone is? Why do you treasure it so much?"
zhǐ jiàn tā yī liǎn xīn téng de jiāng gǔ tou jiǎn qǐ ， jiāng shàng miàn de kǒu shuǐ cā shì gān jìng 。
只见他一脸心疼的将骨头捡起，将上面的口水擦拭干净。
Master Yin tightly held the bone as if afraid to lose it again.
yòng kàn mèng zhōng qíng rén de yǎn guāng ， zǐ xì xīn shǎng 、 wēn róu de fǔ mō zhe 。
用看梦中情人的眼光，仔细欣赏、温柔的抚摸着。
Staring at the bone, his expression was dazed. "This... This is a precious relic. All my other treasures can be lost, but this one is even more valuable than my life."
nà zhǒng shén tài ， ràng yī páng de lǐ fán kàn de qǐ le yī shēn jī pí gē da 。
那种神态，让一旁的李凡看的起了一身鸡皮疙瘩。
Li Fan was genuinely impressed and curious, looking at Master Yin with questioning eyes.
qīng ké le yī shēng ， jiāng yīn shàng rén cóng chén zuì zhōng jīng xǐng 。
轻咳了一声，将殷上人从沉醉中惊醒。
"Undoubtedly, you’re familiar with the Immortal-Demon Mist," Master Yin boasted.
lǐ fán bù yóu dì chū shēng wèn dào ：“ yīn dào yǒu ， bù zhī zhè gǔ tou shì hé lái lì ？ ràng nǐ rú cǐ zhēn shì ？”
李凡不由地出声问道：“殷道友，不知这骨头是何来历？让你如此珍视？”
"At first, the Immortal-Demon Mist only spread among mortals. It didn’t affect us cultivators in any way."
yīn shàng rén láo láo dì bǎ gǔ tou wò zài shǒu lǐ ， sì hū pà zài cì shī qù tā yì bān 。
殷上人牢牢地把骨头握在手里，似乎怕再次失去它一般。
"But after a cultivator mysteriously contracted it and started spreading it to other cultivators, things changed."
dīng zhuó shǒu lǐ de gǔ tou ， tā de shén qíng yǒu xiē huǎng hū ：“ zhè ge a ， zhè ge kě shì liǎo bù dé de bǎo bèi 。 wǒ qí tā suǒ yǒu de cáng pǐn dōu kě yǐ shī qù ， wéi dú tā ， shèn zhì bǐ wǒ de shēng mìng dōu yào zhēn guì 。”
盯着手里的骨头，他的神情有些恍惚：“这个啊，这个可是了不得的宝贝。我其他所有的藏品都可以失去，唯独它，甚至比我的生命都要珍贵。”
Li Fan looked at the white bone in Master Yin's hand. "Your meaning is..."
lǐ fán tīng le bù jīn sù rán ， zhēn de yǒu xiē hào qí qǐ lái ， yòng xún wèn de mù guāng kàn zhe yīn shàng rén 。
李凡听了不禁肃然，真的有些好奇起来，用询问的目光看着殷上人。
"Exactly. This rib belongs to that first unfortunate cultivator who was infected by the Immortal-Demon Mist."
“ xiān fán zhàng xiǎng bì dào yǒu bù mò shēng le 。” yīn shàng rén xuàn yào bān de shuō dào 。
“仙凡瘴想必道友不陌生了。”殷上人炫耀般的说道。
Master Yin chuckled, stroking the rib like a precious item.
“ yī kāi shǐ ， zhè xiān fán zhàng hái zhǐ shì zài fán rén jiān liú xíng ， duì yú wǒ men xiū xiān zhě ， què shì yì diǎn yǐng xiǎng dōu méi yǒu 。”
“一开始，这仙凡瘴还只是在凡人间流行，对于我们修仙者，却是一点影响都没有。”
But seeing Li Fan’s lack of surprise or excitement, he became puzzled.
“ hòu lái ， yī wèi xiū xiān zhě mò míng gǎn rǎn le tā zhī hòu ， cái kāi shǐ zài xiū shì zhī jiān chuán bō 。”
“后来，一位修仙者莫名感染了它之后，才开始在修士之间传播。”
"How can such a treasure not make you feel shivers and elation?"
lǐ fán kàn zhe yīn shàng rén shǒu zhōng de bái gǔ ：“ nǐ de yì si shì ……”
李凡看着殷上人手中的白骨：“你的意思是……”
Li Fan shook his head continuously.
“ méi cuò ， zhè gēn lèi gǔ ， jiù shǔ yú nà dì yī wèi gǎn rǎn le xiān fán zhàng de xiū xiān zhě 。”
“没错，这根肋骨，就属于那第一位感染了仙凡瘴的修仙者。”
"Ah, it's a pity that you can't appreciate its value. It truly is invaluable." Master Yin sighed.
yīn shàng rén chī xiào zhe ， yòu xiàng fǔ mō zhe bǎo bèi yī yàng ， zài lèi gǔ shàng lái huí mā sā 。
殷上人痴笑着，又像抚摸着宝贝一样，在肋骨上来回摩挲。
"The infection of the Immortal-Demon Mist on cultivators was one of the most significant events in history. Its impact on the current layout of the cultivation world rivals only major calamities."
dàn jǐn jiē zhe ， tā kàn jiàn lǐ fán sī háo méi yǒu chī jīng 、 jī dòng de yàng zi ， bù yóu dì yǒu xiē chà yì 。
但紧接着，他看见李凡丝毫没有吃惊、激动的样子，不由地有些诧异。
"And how valuable must be the remains of the first unfortunate mortal who contracted it? His skull, preserved at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, is priceless!"
“ zěn me ， rú cǐ bǎo bèi ？ dào yǒu kàn dào le bù jué dé hún shēn zhàn lì 、 jīng xǐ mò míng me ？”
“怎么，如此宝贝？道友看到了不觉得浑身战栗、惊喜莫名么？”
"Why are you not curious? How can a disease from a mere mortal infect cultivators?"
lǐ fán lián lián yáo tóu 。
李凡连连摇头。
"If we could figure out the origin of this anomaly, we might find a way to eradicate the Immortal-Demon Mist!"
“ āi ， dào yǒu jū rán bù néng lǐ jiě tā de bǎo guì zhī chù ， zhēn shì kě xī a 。” yīn shàng rén tàn le kǒu qì 。
“哎，道友居然不能理解它的宝贵之处，真是可惜啊。”殷上人叹了口气。
"Then I would be remembered as a great existence by the entire cultivation world!"
“ xiān fán zhàng gǎn rǎn xiū xiān zhě ， zhè kě shì lì shǐ shàng shǔ yī shǔ èr de dà shì jiàn 。 duì yú xiū xiān jiè xiàn rú jīn gé jú de yǐng xiǎng ， jǐn zài dà jié zhī xià 。”
“仙凡瘴感染修仙者，这可是历史上数一数二的大事件。对于修仙界现如今格局的影响，仅在大劫之下。”
Master Yin was lost in his own fantasies for a while.
“ ér dāng chū nà wèi dì yí gè gǎn rǎn le xiān fán zhàng de dǎo méi chóng ， tā de shī gǔ shì duō me de jù yǒu yán jiū hé jì niàn jià zhí ？”
“而当初那位第一个感染了仙凡瘴的倒霉虫，他的尸骨是多么的具有研究和纪念价值？”
Seeing Li Fan’s indifferent face after some time, he sighed deeply with frustration.
“ nǐ bù hǎo qí me ？ wèi shén me qū qū fán rén shēn shàng de wēn yì ， jìng rán kě yǐ gǎn rǎn xiū xiān zhě ？”
“你不好奇么？为什么区区凡人身上的瘟疫，竟然可以感染修仙者？”
"You don’t know that this person is called Su... Su something. Anyway, every bone from this unfortunate mortal is worth its weight in gold and has been fiercely competed over by countless cultivators."
“ rú guǒ néng gǎo qīng chǔ zhè zhǒng yì biàn de lái yuán ， huò xǔ jiù kě yǐ cóng yuán tóu shàng jiě jué xiān fán zhàng ！”
“如果能搞清楚这种异变的来源，或许就可以从源头上解决仙凡瘴！”
"I was extremely lucky to get this rib," Master Yin added.
“ dào shí hòu ， wǒ jiù shì zhěng gè xiū xiān jiè dōu yào míng jì de wěi dà cún zài ！”
“到时候，我就是整个修仙界都要铭记的伟大存在！”
Of course, the most precious one would be his complete skull stored at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
yīn shàng rén yī shí yǒu xiē chén zuì zài zì jǐ de huàn xiǎng zhī zhōng 。
殷上人一时有些沉醉在自己的幻想之中。
Master Yin fantasized so much that he almost drooled. Li Fan couldn’t understand such a hobby and shook his head repeatedly.
guò le yī huì ， kàn jiàn lǐ fán yī jiù wú dòng yú zhōng de liǎn páng ， tā cháng tàn le yì kǒu qì ， yī fù hèn tiě bù chéng gāng de yàng zi 。
过了一会，看见李凡依旧无动于衷的脸庞，他长叹了一口气，一副恨铁不成钢的样子。
Suddenly, Master Yin realized something. "Oh? I didn't know you came to visit unexpectedly. What brings you here?"
Beyond the small entrance, various exhibits were displayed.
Master Yin热情 introduced everything to Li Fan.
"This is a Veda Fish's bone. Five thousand years ago, this species of fish had already gone extinct. I spent quite some effort collecting this bone. Legend has it that these fish are exceptionally intelligent and can learn human speech. Eating their flesh allows one to understand the language of fish. But whether or not it’s true is uncertain."
Approaching a lifelike, coiled giant snake stretching over a thousand meters long.
Master Yin excitedly said, "This is the Congyunhai Snake. It usually hides in deep seas and buries its body underground. I had to travel half of the Congyun Sea before catching one this length! Preserving it as a specimen really took me a lot of effort."
He then whispered mysteriously, "According to my research, these sea snakes are not actually snakes at all. They harbor a mysterious parasite within their bodies. This tiny creature is incredibly hard for even Foundation Establishment cultivators to detect with their divine sense. Yet, this tiny creature controls the massive snake! It’s truly unimaginable!"
...
Walking forward, Li Fan was amazed by the various exhibits.
Stopping in front of two human skeletons placed side by side, Master Yin pointed at them and asked proudly, "Do you see any difference between these two human skeletons?"
"Differences?" Li Fan scanned with his divine sense. They seemed to be just ordinary human remains.
Both were male skeletons, differing only in height and size.
But if there was a fundamental difference...
After some time, Li Fan shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't see any differences."
Master Yin laughed heartily. "Don’t say anything! I dare bet that no other cultivator within the Congyun Sea, except me, could notice these two skeletons are different!"
He pointed to the skeletons and whispered close to Li Fan's ear, "These people aren’t of the same kind."
"Of the same kind?" Li Fan was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Master Yin gestured around for a while, thinking deeply but still struggling to find the right words.
After some hesitation, he clenched his fist and said with a strained expression, "It's just an instinctive feeling. You understand? Even though they're both humans, these two lived in different eras and regions. Perhaps they looked similar, but I dug them out from the Congyun Sea bottom. There’s something extremely special that delineates their differences..."
Master Yin spoke mysteriously for a long time without giving a clear explanation.
Not minding it, they continued walking.
Stopping at an empty display platform, Master Yin pointed to it with a pale face and trembling fingers.
He tried to say something but couldn’t utter a word after a while.
"Master Yin, what happened?" Li Fan asked curiously.
"I... I..."
"My treasure!"
Master Yin was shocked.
Following him were his dog and hand puppet, which whined and lowered its ears. It peeked up nervously at Master Yin and shrank to the ground, trembling.
Seeing this, Li Fan guessed something.
"Master Yin, you said your treasure is a bone, right?"
Master Yin’s face lit up as he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, have you seen it before?"
Li Fan looked puzzled but led Master Yin back to the entrance of the square building.
When they arrived, the hand puppet and dog bumped into Li Fan.
The object in its mouth fell out. Li Fan glanced at it briefly; seeing just a bone, he thought it was only a toy for the hand puppet and didn’t bother picking it up.
Little did he know that this bone was Master Yin’s treasure.
Master Yin carefully picked up the bone, wiped off the saliva, and examined it with a look of adoration as if looking at his lover. The expression made Li Fan shiver involuntarily.
Clearing his throat, he woke Master Yin from his trance.
"Master Yin, may I ask what this bone is? Why do you treasure it so much?"
Master Yin tightly held the bone as if afraid to lose it again.
Staring at the bone, his expression was dazed. "This... This is a precious relic. All my other treasures can be lost, but this one is even more valuable than my life."
Li Fan was genuinely impressed and curious, looking at Master Yin with questioning eyes.
"Undoubtedly, you’re familiar with the Immortal-Demon Mist," Master Yin boasted.
"At first, the Immortal-Demon Mist only spread among mortals. It didn’t affect us cultivators in any way."
"But after a cultivator mysteriously contracted it and started spreading it to other cultivators, things changed."
Li Fan looked at the white bone in Master Yin's hand. "Your meaning is..."
"Exactly. This rib belongs to that first unfortunate cultivator who was infected by the Immortal-Demon Mist."
Master Yin chuckled, stroking the rib like a precious item.
But seeing Li Fan’s lack of surprise or excitement, he became puzzled.
"How can such a treasure not make you feel shivers and elation?"
Li Fan shook his head continuously.
"Ah, it's a pity that you can't appreciate its value. It truly is invaluable." Master Yin sighed.
"The infection of the Immortal-Demon Mist on cultivators was one of the most significant events in history. Its impact on the current layout of the cultivation world rivals only major calamities."
"And how valuable must be the remains of the first unfortunate mortal who contracted it? His skull, preserved at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, is priceless!"
"Why are you not curious? How can a disease from a mere mortal infect cultivators?"
"If we could figure out the origin of this anomaly, we might find a way to eradicate the Immortal-Demon Mist!"
"Then I would be remembered as a great existence by the entire cultivation world!"
Master Yin was lost in his own fantasies for a while.
Seeing Li Fan’s indifferent face after some time, he sighed deeply with frustration.
"You don’t know that this person is called Su... Su something. Anyway, every bone from this unfortunate mortal is worth its weight in gold and has been fiercely competed over by countless cultivators."
"I was extremely lucky to get this rib," Master Yin added.
Of course, the most precious one would be his complete skull stored at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Master Yin fantasized so much that he almost drooled. Li Fan couldn’t understand such a hobby and shook his head repeatedly.
Suddenly, Master Yin realized something. "Oh? I didn't know you came to visit unexpectedly. What brings you here?"