"My younger sister is young and foolish! I beg you to spare her life, Immortal Master!" Su Changyu reacted swiftly, immediately kowtowing towards Li Fan, pleading for forgiveness.
Xiao Heng also quickly came to his senses. "Please, Immortal Master, spare Xiaomei."
Li Fan did not answer. He simply observed the captured Su Xiaomei, held fast by his Insect Binding divine ability, with keen interest.
Su Xiaomei's small face was flushed a deep red from the strain of trying to resist the immobilization.
Then, a surge of power erupted from within her. Li Fan immediately sensed it—in that instant, Su Xiaomei's strength more than doubled.
An innate divine ability? Li Fan's eyes glinted, but he did not release the restraint. He wanted to see the limits of Su Xiaomei's power.
Feeling the other's gaze roaming over her body while she was powerless to resist, Su Xiaomei, who had never suffered such humiliation in her life, felt boundless rage ignite within her.
A crimson hue bloomed in her eyes, burning fiercely like leaping flames. Her body grew scalding hot, and the temperature of the air around her rose accordingly.
Su Xiaomei's strength doubled once more. Yet, it was useless!
The fury continued to coil within her heart. The crimson in her eyes gradually spread across her entire body, dyeing her black hair a sinister, unnatural red. Wispy tendrils of white smoke began to rise faintly from various parts of her body.
Su Xiaomei's strength doubled yet again!
Seeing this, Xiao Heng was so frantic that tears nearly fell, and he kowtowed endlessly.
Su Changyu's expression remained calm, but the blood flowing from his forehead betrayed his true inner feelings.
Eight times her original strength. An innate divine ability truly is unreasonably powerful. Li Fan noted inwardly with a nod.
Although Li Fan sensed that Su Xiaomei's power could continue to grow, doing so would inflict damage to her body. He was just testing her; there was no need to go that far.
Thus, the Blue Flame phantom spirit manifested within his sea of consciousness.
Li Fan extended his right hand and placed it upon Su Xiaomei's head. A wave of icy cold energy poured into her.
Su Xiaomei's body temperature gradually decreased, and the crimson in her pupils faded away. Her ferocious expression slowly softened into calm.
The Insect Binding divine ability dissipated, and Su Xiaomei fell from the air.
In the blink of an eye, she regained her footing and lunged at Li Fan. She wrapped her arms tightly around Li Fan's leg, clinging on desperately and refusing to let go. "Master! You're finally here!"
"Master..." Li Fan chuckled softly. That form of address was exceedingly, exceedingly rare in the current cultivation world.
He did not acknowledge her, instead simply plucking her from his leg and setting her down to the side, studying her carefully.
Perhaps due to her unique constitution, although Su Xiaomei should have been over ten years old by now, her height and build were only that of an ordinary six or seven-year-old child. She looked utterly adorable as she scrutinized Li Fan intently with her wide eyes.
Li Fan smiled again, then shifted his gaze to Su Changyu and Xiao Heng.
Seeing that Su Xiaomei was out of danger, they breathed a sigh of relief. However, they still did not dare to rise, remaining prostrate on the ground.
Ten years ago, just before leaving, Li Fan had imparted the Xuanhuang Heart Clarification Sutra and the methods for using the accompanying medicines to Xiao Heng. He hadn't given any specific instructions against sharing it.
Judging by the fact that Su Changyu's body was still saturated with Immortal-Mortal Miasma, he had clearly understood the principle that techniques must not be lightly transmitted and had not taught it to anyone else.
But... what was going on with this kid?
Sensing the condition of Xiao Heng's body, Li Fan's face darkened. There were some signs that he had begun purging the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, but only by a tiny amount. It was practically negligible.
In your previous life, didn’t it take you only a month to cleanse your body of the miasma? Now, nearly ten years have passed! You’ve been slacking far too much!
Li Fan said to Xiao Heng in a cold voice, "The journey from Great Li to the cultivation world takes over ten days. If you haven't successfully purged the miasma by the time we reach the cultivation world, I will throw you into the sea and feed you to the fish. Understood?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng's face instantly turned pale, and his whole body trembled.
Su Changyu gave him a helpless look and shook his head inwardly.
Su Xiaomei wore a look of schadenfreude, grinning as she watched Xiao Heng.
His original plan was to quietly leave with these three. But then it occurred to him—ten years had passed, so the resources gathered by the world of Great Li should be ready for another round of collection.
He Zhenghao had met an unexpected death, and there was currently no one overseeing this smuggling route.
Since he was already here, he shouldn't make the trip for nothing. After all, it was still 2000 contribution points. Even mosquito meat was still meat.
Having made up his mind, he manipulated the spiritual qi within him and struck the bell beneath the four watchtowers.
Instantly, the sound of the bell reverberated throughout the capital of Great Li, causing quite a stir.
Li Fan brought Su Xiaomei and the other two to the previous square, waiting for the arrival of Great Li’s Emperor.
A short while later, the Emperor of Great Li and his officials all arrived before Li Fan.
They looked at the three people behind Li Fan with varied expressions, but none dared to be negligent; they all knelt down in unison.
"We respectfully welcome the Immortal Master!"
Li Fan got straight to the point: "For this transaction, I will personally transport the individuals you have selected. Are your resources prepared?"
Although the Emperor of Great Li had doubts, it was undeniable that the man before him was a genuine Immortal Master, so he hurriedly nodded.
Li Fan went to the imperial treasury, received the resources, then turned and instructed, "Tomorrow morning, I will meet them here in the square. I will not wait for those who are late."
The Emperor of Great Li assented meekly and hurriedly went to have his subjects make preparations.
Early the next morning, the square was crowded with people.
Most were young faces, some of whom looked rather familiar to Li Fan.
They were the same group of people Li Fan had encountered when he first entered the cultivation world in his previous life.
Releasing the Taiyan Boat and placing it on the square, Li Fan addressed them: "The cultivation world may not be as wonderful as you imagine. It is full of dangers. This journey you are about to undertake might very well lead to almost certain death.
"I give you one last chance. If you are unwilling to go, you may choose to withdraw. I will personally ensure your elders are informed; you will not be pressured."
Having said this, Li Fan coldly watched to see what choice they would make.
These young people hadn't expected this turn of events. They looked at each other, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Just then, a rather sharp voice rang out across the square: "Please set your heart at ease, Immortal Master! Although the path of immortality is fraught with countless perils, I, Ye Feipeng, still seek the immortal path! My mind will not change in a hundred lifetimes, nor will I regret it for a hundred lifetimes!"
Li Fan's expression grew strange as he turned to the voice. Upon seeing who it was, he felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
It turned out the speaker was actually that very same fatty from his past life—the one who had attempted to extort Li Fan, only to be casually killed by him later.
Inspired by these words, many people hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to venture into the cultivation world.
Yet there were still some who chose to give up.
Well-meaning advice can’t save those doomed to die. You’ve made your own choices—don’t blame anyone when you meet a gruesome end someday. Li Fan silently thought to himself as he watched these young faces, filled with excitement and unease, board the Taiyan Boat one after another.