After a long moment, the confusion in Old Man Fisher’s eyes slowly faded. Yet he seemed completely unaware of his own abnormal behaviour and continued, “The aura of your sword technique feels remarkably familiar.
“It seems extremely similar to the object I am searching for. When I sensed the fluctuations of its aura earlier, I thought the item I’d lost was right here.
“I got my hopes up for nothing!” Old Man Fisher shook his head, sighing with some emotion.
Similar... lost item?
From the information Li Fan had reviewed earlier, he already knew that this Old Man Fisher drifted through the various provinces precisely because he had lost something of his own.
And now, having sensed the aura of the Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword, he had tracked it to Li Fan.
A flash of insight struck Li Fan. There was one possibility—the Heaven-Scorning Sword.
But if that were truly the answer, then this old man’s strength...
The hilt of the Heaven-Scorning Sword had been able to contend with Azure Wind, even gaining a slight upper hand. The broken blade could already trade blows with Ink Death.
If the Heaven-Scorning Sword were restored to its complete form, just how terrifying would its power be?
And if Old Man Fisher was truly the master of the Heaven-Scorning Sword, what level of cultivation would he possess?
Two choices now lay before Li Fan.
The first was to truthfully reveal everything he knew about the Heaven-Scorning Sword.
Doing so might earn him a reward from a peerless expert like Old Man Fisher.
Yet how had this old man, who had wandered the Xuanhuang World for several hundred years, lost his memory? And why had the Heaven-Scorning Sword ended up shattered and separated from him?
The implications were far too profound, the forces involved far beyond Li Fan’s current level. Once drawn into such a conflict, even the slightest misstep would lead to utter annihilation. He might not even have the chance to activate Return to Truth.
The second option was to feign ignorance.
Though he would miss this seemingly heaven-sent opportunity, Li Fan could, in a future life, send an avatar. Or, to be even safer, have another cultivator act in his stead, informing Old Man Fisher that his lost item was the Heaven-Scorning Sword in the Congyun Sea.
That way, he could first determine whether there was any mortal danger involved, and what changes such an action would trigger.
Even if it truly yielded astonishing benefits, for Li Fan, it would amount to delaying matters by no more than two or three lifetimes.
Comparing the two choices, the second option was clearly the more prudent one.
So Li Fan chose to wait.
He wanted to see if this reclusive powerhouse was like the Heavenly Physician, capable of perceiving the mental activities of the cultivator before him.
Li Fan had already run through all the possibilities in his mind.
If Old Man Fisher could truly detect what Li Fan was thinking, then the second choice of feigning ignorance would be impossible from the start.
Conversely, if Old Man Fisher could not, then making the second choice was unquestionably the right path.
Perhaps it was because Old Man Fisher’s mental state was unstable, or because he was not adept in this aspect and the Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart was somewhat effective.
In any case, it was fortunate.
Amid Li Fan’s wild speculations, he remained silent before the sighing Old Man Fisher.
One breath... two breaths... Yet even three breaths later, the old man showed no particular reaction.
Only then did Li Fan become certain that the other party could not sense his thoughts. His mind began to stir with ideas.
On the fourth breath, he pretended to ponder for a moment before replying, "The sword technique I comprehended actually bears some resemblance to what you lost, Senior? It seems fate truly connects us."
Then, Li Fan asked further, "What exactly did you lose, Senior? I've heard you’ve been searching for a long time."
Old Man Fisher shook his head. "I can't recall. Just like my name, I’ve forgotten them all. But if I could see it again, I should be able to remember.
"Yes, as long as I find it, I can recall everything once more..."
Seeing the old man sinking into confusion again, Li Fan interrupted him by offering his storage ring.
"In that case, Senior, why not take a look? Perhaps what you seek is inside.
"Given our shared fate, you might find something useful here."
This was, after all, the customary gesture every cultivator made upon meeting the fisherman.
The old man did not refuse. He took the ring and began examining its contents.
A moment later, the old man remarked approvingly, "Hmm, young man, your cultivation may be lacking, but your possessions are not half bad."
Li Fan's expression remained unchanged. For Li Fan, his only true secret was Return to Truth. Even if everything else was laid bare, it mattered little. So he had no fear of the old man's inspection.
Old Man Fisher examined each item one by one.
"Not this one. Not this one either. This... hmm?"
Li Fan's heart jolted as he watched the old man extract an item from the storage ring, holding it up for close inspection.
"Quite interesting." A look of genuine curiosity crossed the old man's face.
The object that had piqued the interest of a powerhouse like Old Man Fisher was none other than the Heaven-Swapping Sect's treasure, the Heaven-Swapping Token, which had been left gathering dust in a corner.
If I can exchange this piece of trash for a technique from the fisherman, that would be perfect. Li Fan's thoughts raced.
He immediately put on an expression of great surprise and quickly asked, "Senior, is this the item you lost?"
Old Man Fisher, holding the token, was momentarily taken aback. "This? No, no." He shook his head.
"I simply find this little trinket quite fascinating. It's been a long time since I've encountered something so peculiar."
He looked at Li Fan seriously and asked, "Young man, would you be willing to part with it?"
Li Fan declared with righteous fervor, "I lack your discerning eye, Senior. I've had this item for some time, always believing it was just a token with storage functions.
"In my hands, it is a pearl covered in dust. Please, take it, Senior!"
Seeing Li Fan agree, the old man nodded.
In an instant, the Heaven-Swapping Token vanished from his hand, its destination unknown.
"I won't take your things for nothing." Old Man Fisher scrutinized Li Fan once more, his gaze so intense it made Li Fan's hair stand on end.
Only then did he speak. "Mm, it seems I happen to have something here that will be of great use to you." He moved the fish basket from his back to his front, reached his right hand inside, and grabbed something.
"This is the one!" He then pulled out a human figure and tossed it onto the ground before Li Fan.
As Li Fan looked down, his eyelids twitched.
The person wore the formal black and yellow robes of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, unmistakably an official member. As if bound by layers of invisible rope, she could only writhe and struggle like a fish out of water.
"I’ve starved it for so long, yet it still has this much strength," Old Man Fisher muttered, then reached out and slapped the air.
The female cultivator instantly fell unconscious. "Well, the trade is complete, and I must be off. Young man, we'll meet again if fate allows."
Old Man Fisher slung the fish basket onto his back once more. Then without waiting for Li Fan's reply, he took a single step and vanished.
Only the faint echo of a song remained, its words indistinct.
"A fright without harm
And an unexpected prize besides."
Glancing at the motionless Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivator beside him, Li Fan gazed in the direction where Old Man Fisher had disappeared, his expression thoughtful.