“ yuán běn yǐ wéi zhè cì yǐ jīng gòu xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn le ， méi xiǎng dào rú cǐ piān pì zhī dì ， jū rán yě néng yǐn lái yú fù zhè ge zuì qǐ mǎ shì hé dào jìng jiè de qiáng zhě 。”
“原本以为这次已经够小心谨慎了，没想到如此偏僻之地，居然也能引来渔父这个最起码是合道境界的强者。”
"I originally thought this time I was being cautious enough. But it turns out that even in such a remote place, Father Fisher could still attract someone as powerful as an Alchemy Formation Realm expert."
“ zhè què shì wú fǎ bì miǎn de yì wài shì gù 。 shuí néng xiǎng dào ， zhè wèi yǒu xiē fēng diān de lǎo zhě ， jìng rán huì hé wàn wàn lǐ zhī wài de cóng yún hǎi zhōng de yī bǎ cán jiàn yǒu guān xì ne ？”
“这却是无法避免的意外事故。谁能想到，这位有些疯癫的老者，竟然会和万万里之外的丛云海中的一把残剑有关系呢？”
"This is an unavoidable accident," Li Fan mused. "Who would have thought that this seemingly mad old man has any connection to a broken sword from the Cunyun Sea, which is thousands of miles away?"
zǐ xì huí xiǎng zhe gāng gāng hé yú fù jiāo liú de měi yí gè chǎng miàn ， lǐ fán fā xiàn ， suī rán yú fù cù bù jí fáng de chū xiàn ， xià le tā yī tiào 。
仔细回想着刚刚和渔父交流的每一个场面，李凡发现，虽然渔父猝不及防的出现，吓了他一跳。
Replaying every scene where he interacted with Father Fisher in his mind, Li Fan realized that although the old man's sudden appearance startled him, the danger level during their interaction was far greater than when he faced Heavenly Doctor. The pressure from the black-robed Alchemy Formation expert from Yuan Dao Prefecture was also much more intense compared to Father Fisher.
dàn zhěng gè yǔ qí jiē chù guò chéng de xiōng xiǎn chéng dù ， hé zhī qián tiān yī bǐ qǐ lái ， pàn ruò yún ní 。
但整个与其接触过程的凶险程度，和之前天医比起来，判若云泥。
Is it because Father Fisher is weaker than the black-robed Alchemy Formation expert?
shèn zhì dāng chū yuán dào zhōu de hēi yī hé dào ， dài gěi lǐ fán de yā pò gǎn ， yě yuǎn chāo yú fù lǎo rén 。
甚至当初源道州的黑衣合道，带给李凡的压迫感，也远超渔父老人。
Li Fan didn't think so. The Master of Heaven Saber must be far stronger than ordinary Alchemy Formation experts, even if he has gone mad and lost his memory for some inexplicable reason, he should not be underestimated.
shì yú fù de shí lì bù rú nà hēi yī hé dào me ？
是渔父的实力不如那黑衣合道么？
But the feeling he got from Father Fisher was so unique. During their interaction, it felt like talking to a regular and kind elder rather than an Alchemy Formation Immortal Sage. There wasn't any sense of oppression at all.
lǐ fán bù zhè me rèn wéi 。
李凡不这么认为。
The reason...
tiān shā jiàn zhī zhǔ ， shí lì dìng rán yuǎn chāo xún cháng hé dào xiū shì 。
天煞剑之主，实力定然远超寻常合道修士。
Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is it possible that even Father Fisher has forgotten the fact that he is one of the most powerful beings?"
jí biàn tā xiàn zài yīn wèi mò míng yuán yīn ， biàn dé fēng diān shī yì ， yě jué bù róng xiǎo qù 。
即便他现在因为莫名原因，变得疯癫失忆，也绝不容小觑。
He suspected that might be true, but there could still be some hidden reasons behind this.
dàn tā gěi lǐ fán dài lái de gǎn jué què rú cǐ tè shū 。
但他给李凡带来的感觉却如此特殊。
"Such a powerful expert acting mad and wandering in the heart of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is extremely dangerous."
hé tā de xiāng chǔ de guò chéng zhōng ， wán quán gǎn shòu bú dào shì zài gēn yī wèi qiáng dà de hé dào xiān zūn jiāo liú 。
和他的相处的过程中，完全感受不到是在跟一位强大的合道仙尊交流。
"What if he suddenly goes berserk? The destruction caused would not be less than another Heavenly Virtue Prefecture war."
fǎn ér shì xiàng hé yī wèi pǔ tōng ér qīn qiè de zhǎng zhě zài jiāo tán 。
反而是像和一位普通而亲切的长者在交谈。
"Even so, why hasn't the alliance expelled him?"
chú le zì shēn xīn lǐ yīn sù zhī wài ， méi yǒu gǎn shòu dào yī sī yī háo de yā pò gǎn 。
除了自身心理因素之外，没有感受到一丝一毫的压迫感。
"There must be some deeper reason behind this."
zhī suǒ yǐ rú cǐ ……
之所以如此……
"Too deep to handle. It's better for me to avoid contact with him until I grow stronger."
lǐ fán wēi wēi mī yǎn 。
李凡微微眯眼。
After calming his thoughts, Li Fan turned his attention back to the unconscious female cultivator from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
“ shì yú fù lǎo rén ， yě jiāng zì jǐ shēn wèi zhì qiáng zhě zhè yī shì shí ， yě tóng yàng yí wàng le ？”
“是渔父老人，也将自己身为至强者这一事实，也同样遗忘了？”
She had a beautiful face, though not as stunning as a national beauty, she was undoubtedly a very attractive woman. Her appearance suggested that she might be younger than he was, but age didn't matter much for cultivators. She could be older than him.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yǐn yǐn jué de ， kě néng shì shí dí què rú cǐ 。
李凡心中隐隐觉得，可能事实的确如此。
Li Fan couldn't sense her exact cultivation realm either, which indicated that either she had some extraordinary treasure protecting her or her strength far exceeded his own, at least reaching the Foundation Establishment or Transcendence Realm.
huò xǔ zhè bèi hòu réng yǒu qí tā yǐn mì ， dàn yě yīng gāi dà chà bù chà le 。
或许这背后仍有其他隐秘，但也应该大差不差了。
"Does this woman have a significant use for me? What does that mean?"
“ yú fù zhè zhǒng děng jí de qiáng zhě ， fēng fēng diān diān ， zài wàn xiān méng fù dì huàng yōu ， kě wèi shì jí qí wēi xiǎn de 。”
“渔父这种等级的强者，疯疯癫癫，在万仙盟腹地晃悠，可谓是极其危险的。”
Although Father Fisher might have noticed something, he wouldn't act rashly. After capturing the female cultivator, Li Fan quietly left the hollowed-out mountain. He flew for some time and landed in an open field among the trees, then gently placed her down.
“ wàn yī tā tū rán fā qǐ fēng 、 bào zǒu qǐ lái ， zào chéng de pò huài ， huò xǔ bù yà yú lìng yī cháng tiān líng zhōu dà zhàn 。”
“万一他突然发起疯、暴走起来，造成的破坏，或许不亚于另一场天灵州大战。”
He tried to wake her up but failed after several attempts.
“ jí biàn rú cǐ ， wàn xiān méng jìng rán fàng rèn tā rú cǐ ， méi yǒu qū zhú 。”
“即便如此，万仙盟竟然放任他如此，没有驱逐。”
"Looks like Father Fisher really hit hard."
“ zhè bèi hòu yīng gāi yǒu mǒu zhǒng gēng shēn céng cì de yuán yīn zài lǐ miàn 。”
“这背后应该有某种更深层次的原因在里面。”
Not knowing who she was, Li Fan didn't act rashly. He just silently guarded her while he practiced cultivation, waiting for her to regain consciousness.
“ shuǐ tài shēn ， zài wèi chéng zhǎng qǐ lái qián ， běn zūn hái shì jǐn liàng bú yào gēn tā jiē chù de hǎo 。”
“水太深，在未成长起来前，本尊还是尽量不要跟他接触的好。”
After two full days, the female cultivator let out a soft moan and finally woke up. She sat up on the ground, looking dazed. After surveying her surroundings, she saw Li Fan sitting quietly beside her and seemed confused.
sī xù huǎn huǎn píng fù ， lǐ fán yòu kàn xiàng yī rán hái zài hūn mí zhōng de wàn xiān méng nǚ xiū shì 。
思绪缓缓平复，李凡又看向依然还在昏迷中的万仙盟女修士。
"You are..."
miàn róng jiāo hǎo ， suī shuō bù suàn guó sè tiān xiāng ， dàn yě jué duì shì yī wèi měi rén ér le 。
面容姣好，虽说不算国色天香，但也绝对是一位美人儿了。
"Xia... Li," Li Fan started to say but stopped when the woman suddenly looked alarmed. She exclaimed in fear and tried to crawl away, holding herself with her hands while muttering, "Don't come closer!"
kàn qí yàng mào bǐ jiào nián yòu ， dàn xiū xiān zhě de róng mào hé nián líng qí shí guān xì bù dà 。
看其样貌比较年幼，但修仙者的容貌和年龄其实关系不大。
Li Fan's face turned dark as he swallowed his words. He adopted a solemn expression and used some spirit energy to make his voice sound like thunder. "Esteemed friend, please calm down!"
shuō bù dìng tā bǐ lǐ fán de nián jì hái yào dà yī xiē 。
说不定她比李凡的年纪还要大一些。
Strangely, she stopped moving as if intimidated by Li Fan's shout.
yīn wèi lǐ fán jìng rán gǎn shòu bù chū cǐ nǚ de jù tǐ jìng jiè 。
因为李凡竟然感受不出此女的具体境界。
However, her expression became even more fearful.
zhè shuō míng yào me tā yǒu yì bǎo hù tǐ 、 zhē yǎn zì shēn qì xī 。
这说明要么她有异宝护体、遮掩自身气息。
"Looks like she isn't a high-ranking cultivator," Li Fan thought.
yào me tā de shí lì yuǎn chāo lǐ fán ， zuì qǐ mǎ yě shì yuán yīng 、 huà shén xiū wèi 。
要么她的实力远超李凡，最起码也是元婴、化神修为。
Trying to appear gentle, he asked softly, "May I know your name and why you were caught by Father Fisher?"
“ cǐ nǚ duì wǒ yǒu dà yòng ？ zhè yòu shì shén me yì si ？”
“此女对我有大用？这又是什么意思？”
The woman's face was grim, unwilling to answer. But her mouth moved as if she was speaking.
bù zhī dào yú fù kàn chū lái le shén me ， bù guò xiǎng lái tā yě bú huì wú de fàng shī 。
不知道渔父看出来了什么，不过想来他也不会无的放失。
"My name is Lu Xuejing. I've heard about Father Fisher before and found it very interesting."
jiāng nǚ xiū shì shè zhù ， lǐ fán qiǎo rán lí kāi le zhè chù yǐ jīng bèi wā kōng de shān tǐ 。
将女修士摄住，李凡悄然离开了这处已经被挖空的山体。
"Recently, I heard he appeared near Heavenly Yu Prefecture. My mother has been busy with official duties lately, so she hasn't paid much attention to me."
fēi dùn bàn shǎng ， lái dào yī chù lín jiān kòng dì ， jiāng nǚ xiū shì fàng xià 。
飞遁半晌，来到一处林间空地，将女修士放下。
"So I sneaked out and met Father Fisher."
suí hòu xiǎng yào jiāng qí huàn xǐng 。
随后想要将其唤醒。
"I saw a cultivator trading a broken iron piece for a technique."
rán ér lǐ fán cháng shì le shù zhǒng fāng fǎ ， jū rán dōu wú fǎ chéng gōng 。
然而李凡尝试了数种方法，居然都无法成功。
"I was curious and wanted to try it too," Lu Xuejing continued. "But that old man ignored me. I got angry and cursed at him."
“ kàn lái yú fù nà yī bā zhǎng ， pāi de shì zhēn de zhòng 。”
“看来渔父那一巴掌，拍的是真的重。”
"Then..."
méi nòng qīng chū nǚ xiū shì de shēn fèn ， lǐ fán méi yǒu qīng jǔ wàng dòng 。
没弄清出女修士的身份，李凡没有轻举妄动。
"My vision went black, as if I was trapped in a small dark place."
zhǐ shì zài yī páng jìng jìng shǒu hù 。
只是在一旁静静守护。
Lu Xuejing's face showed extreme distress as tears streamed down her cheeks. She trembled slightly, seemingly sobbing. But she spoke steadily.
xiū liàn de tóng shí ， děng dài zhe tā de sū xǐng 。
修炼的同时，等待着她的苏醒。
"When I woke up, I found myself here."
zhěng zhěng liǎng tiān zhī hòu ， nǚ xiū shì fā chū yī shēng yīng níng ， zhè cái qīng xǐng guò lái 。
整整两天之后，女修士发出一声嘤咛，这才清醒过来。
Li Fan noticed Lu Xuejing's strange and contradictory behavior. He muttered to himself, "I only asked casually, but maybe I was too detailed."
tā zhí qǐ shēn zi ， zuò zài dì miàn ， shén sè yǒu xiē máng rán 。
她直起身子，坐在地面，神色有些茫然。
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, his expression turning somewhat odd.
dǎ liàng le yǎn sì zhōu ， kàn dào jìng zuò zài yī páng de lǐ fán ， yǒu xiē mí hú 。
打量了眼四周，看到静坐在一旁的李凡，有些迷湖。
"I won't take your things for free either."
“ nǐ shì ……”
“你是……”
"Hmm, I seem to have something that could be useful to you."
“ zài xià lǐ ……” hái wèi děng lǐ fán huí dá wán bì 。
“在下李……”还未等李凡回答完毕。
Father Fisher's words echoed in his mind. To verify his guess, Li Fan said, "Esteemed friend, please stand up."
zhè wèi nǚ xiū shì què hǎo sì tū rán xiǎng qǐ le shén me ， miàn lù jīng kǒng zhī sè 。
这位女修士却好似突然想起了什么，面露惊恐之色。
Lu Xuejing stood up as instructed. Li Fan pondered for a moment and asked, "How old are you? What cultivation realm are you at? What technique do you practice?"
fā chū yī shēng jīng jiào ， jìng rán wàng jì qǐ shēn ， ér shì zhí jiē yòng shǒu chēng zhe shēn zi ， bù duàn wǎng hòu nuó dòng 。
发出一声惊叫，竟然忘记起身，而是直接用手撑着身子，不断往后挪动。
Asking strangers these questions was extremely impolite, but he had already restrained himself from leaving by just waving his sleeve. He might even draw his sword if provoked.
tóng shí zuǐ lǐ hái bù tíng shuō dào ：“ nǐ bié guò lái ！”
同时嘴里还不停说道：“你别过来！”
But Lu Xuejing continued to answer him calmly despite the situation.
lǐ fán liǎn yī hēi ， dùn shí bǎ shuō dào zuǐ biān de huà yàn xià 。
李凡脸一黑，顿时把说到嘴边的话咽下。
"I am 23 years old and in the late Foundation Establishment stage. I practice The Two Qi Illuminating Divine All-Heavenly Calamity Technique, which my mother prepared for me."
shén sè sù rán ， yòng shàng le yī sī líng lì ， shēng ruò zhèn léi ， lěng shēng dào ：“ zhè wèi dào yǒu ， hái qǐng nǐ lěng jìng yì diǎn ！”
神色肃然，用上了一丝灵力，声若震雷，冷声道：“这位道友，还请你冷静一点！”
Despite her honest answers, fear was evident on her face. A flash of resentment appeared in her eyes as she looked at Li Fan.
shuō yě qí guài ， hǎo sì bèi lǐ fán zhè shēng nù hè gěi zhèn zhù 。
说也奇怪，好似被李凡这声怒喝给镇住。
Upon hearing the name of the technique, Li Fan's heart skipped a beat.
nǚ xiū shì guǒ rán tíng zhǐ le dòng zuò ， jìng zhǐ zài yuán dì 。
女修士果然停止了动作，静止在原地。
Then he understood: "She is an inexperienced second-generation immortal who went out to play and disrespected Father Fisher, which got her caught."
zhǐ shì liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng bù zhī wèi hé yuè fā jīng kǒng le 。
只是脸上的表情不知为何越发惊恐了。
"The technique was traded to me as an item after that."
“ kàn lái yīng gāi bú shì shén me xiū wèi gāo shēn zhī bèi 。” lǐ fán xīn zhōng zuò chū pàn duàn 。
“看来应该不是什么修为高深之辈。”李凡心中做出判断。
"So this second-generation immortal now belongs to me?"
"I originally thought this time I was being cautious enough. But it turns out that even in such a remote place, Father Fisher could still attract someone as powerful as an Alchemy Formation Realm expert."
"This is an unavoidable accident," Li Fan mused. "Who would have thought that this seemingly mad old man has any connection to a broken sword from the Cunyun Sea, which is thousands of miles away?"
Replaying every scene where he interacted with Father Fisher in his mind, Li Fan realized that although the old man's sudden appearance startled him, the danger level during their interaction was far greater than when he faced Heavenly Doctor. The pressure from the black-robed Alchemy Formation expert from Yuan Dao Prefecture was also much more intense compared to Father Fisher.
Is it because Father Fisher is weaker than the black-robed Alchemy Formation expert?
Li Fan didn't think so. The Master of Heaven Saber must be far stronger than ordinary Alchemy Formation experts, even if he has gone mad and lost his memory for some inexplicable reason, he should not be underestimated.
But the feeling he got from Father Fisher was so unique. During their interaction, it felt like talking to a regular and kind elder rather than an Alchemy Formation Immortal Sage. There wasn't any sense of oppression at all.
The reason...
Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is it possible that even Father Fisher has forgotten the fact that he is one of the most powerful beings?"
He suspected that might be true, but there could still be some hidden reasons behind this.
"Such a powerful expert acting mad and wandering in the heart of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is extremely dangerous."
"What if he suddenly goes berserk? The destruction caused would not be less than another Heavenly Virtue Prefecture war."
"Even so, why hasn't the alliance expelled him?"
"There must be some deeper reason behind this."
"Too deep to handle. It's better for me to avoid contact with him until I grow stronger."
After calming his thoughts, Li Fan turned his attention back to the unconscious female cultivator from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
She had a beautiful face, though not as stunning as a national beauty, she was undoubtedly a very attractive woman. Her appearance suggested that she might be younger than he was, but age didn't matter much for cultivators. She could be older than him.
Li Fan couldn't sense her exact cultivation realm either, which indicated that either she had some extraordinary treasure protecting her or her strength far exceeded his own, at least reaching the Foundation Establishment or Transcendence Realm.
"Does this woman have a significant use for me? What does that mean?"
Although Father Fisher might have noticed something, he wouldn't act rashly. After capturing the female cultivator, Li Fan quietly left the hollowed-out mountain. He flew for some time and landed in an open field among the trees, then gently placed her down.
He tried to wake her up but failed after several attempts.
"Looks like Father Fisher really hit hard."
Not knowing who she was, Li Fan didn't act rashly. He just silently guarded her while he practiced cultivation, waiting for her to regain consciousness.
After two full days, the female cultivator let out a soft moan and finally woke up. She sat up on the ground, looking dazed. After surveying her surroundings, she saw Li Fan sitting quietly beside her and seemed confused.
"You are..."
"Xia... Li," Li Fan started to say but stopped when the woman suddenly looked alarmed. She exclaimed in fear and tried to crawl away, holding herself with her hands while muttering, "Don't come closer!"
Li Fan's face turned dark as he swallowed his words. He adopted a solemn expression and used some spirit energy to make his voice sound like thunder. "Esteemed friend, please calm down!"
Strangely, she stopped moving as if intimidated by Li Fan's shout.
However, her expression became even more fearful.
"Looks like she isn't a high-ranking cultivator," Li Fan thought.
Trying to appear gentle, he asked softly, "May I know your name and why you were caught by Father Fisher?"
The woman's face was grim, unwilling to answer. But her mouth moved as if she was speaking.
"My name is Lu Xuejing. I've heard about Father Fisher before and found it very interesting."
"Recently, I heard he appeared near Heavenly Yu Prefecture. My mother has been busy with official duties lately, so she hasn't paid much attention to me."
"So I sneaked out and met Father Fisher."
"I saw a cultivator trading a broken iron piece for a technique."
"I was curious and wanted to try it too," Lu Xuejing continued. "But that old man ignored me. I got angry and cursed at him."
"Then..."
"My vision went black, as if I was trapped in a small dark place."
Lu Xuejing's face showed extreme distress as tears streamed down her cheeks. She trembled slightly, seemingly sobbing. But she spoke steadily.
"When I woke up, I found myself here."
Li Fan noticed Lu Xuejing's strange and contradictory behavior. He muttered to himself, "I only asked casually, but maybe I was too detailed."
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, his expression turning somewhat odd.
"I won't take your things for free either."
"Hmm, I seem to have something that could be useful to you."
Father Fisher's words echoed in his mind. To verify his guess, Li Fan said, "Esteemed friend, please stand up."
Lu Xuejing stood up as instructed. Li Fan pondered for a moment and asked, "How old are you? What cultivation realm are you at? What technique do you practice?"
Asking strangers these questions was extremely impolite, but he had already restrained himself from leaving by just waving his sleeve. He might even draw his sword if provoked.
But Lu Xuejing continued to answer him calmly despite the situation.
"I am 23 years old and in the late Foundation Establishment stage. I practice The Two Qi Illuminating Divine All-Heavenly Calamity Technique, which my mother prepared for me."
Despite her honest answers, fear was evident on her face. A flash of resentment appeared in her eyes as she looked at Li Fan.
Upon hearing the name of the technique, Li Fan's heart skipped a beat.
Then he understood: "She is an inexperienced second-generation immortal who went out to play and disrespected Father Fisher, which got her caught."
"The technique was traded to me as an item after that."
"So this second-generation immortal now belongs to me?"