Chapter 535: Chapter 507: Soft Food Needs to be Eaten Tough
A warm feeling rose from his stomach, spreading to his limbs. Li Fan found himself feeling a lot more comfortable.
Especially the injury on his chest, which had significantly lightened in an instant under the effect of this warm flow.
“Sister, what kind of medicine is this? It’s so effective…” Li Fan blurted out without thinking.
Meanwhile, memories of the past floated in his spirit consciousness.
He and this Sister Zhao were both from Long Wind Village under Daqing Mountain and they had known each other since childhood.
Half a year ago, a group of bandits attacked Long Wind Village, and most of the villagers fell victim to their carnage. Only he and Sister Zhao, who were playing outside, survived.
When they saw the flames rising from the village and ran back, they ran headlong into the bandits, who were returning with their loot.
Sister Zhao was young, but her beautiful appearance attracted the attention of all the bandits.
At that critical juncture, a passing Immortal Teacher noticed the bloody light shooting towards the sky and the two trembling children in front of the bandits below.
Understanding the situation, the Immortal Teacher killed all the bandits on the spot and saved Sister Zhao and Li Fan.
The Immortal Teacher recognized Sister Zhao’s exceptional talents and intended to bring her back to the sect.
But Li Fan seemed to be of average talent and didn’t catch the Immortal Teacher’s eye. Only after Sister Zhao’s pleas did the Immortal Teacher reluctantly agree to take him along as well.
After flying for more than ten days, the Immortal Teacher brought them back to his mountain gate. The place was shrouded in cloud and mist, with mountains rising steeply. From time to time, immortals could be seen flying through the mountains, leaving trails of aura. Within the cloud sea, many magnificent buildings stood tall, resembling divine palaces in heaven, emitting a sacred aura.
Such a celestial sight left Sister Zhao and Li Fan dumbfounded. From the Immortal Teachers who brought them back, Li Fan learned the name of their sect – Great Taoist Sect.
The Great Taoist Sect had nine lines and seventy-two peaks.
Apart from the main line which was personally taught by successive sect leaders, the remaining eight lines were held by elders.
The Immortal Teacher they knew was merely the fourth generation disciple of the Moonlight line in the Great Taoist Sect. His name was Zhang Rong, and he was at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Under Zhang Rong’s guidance, they naturally joined the Moonlight line, becoming outer sect disciples of the Great Taoist Sect and settled down at Quiet Tranquility Peak.
They were also taught a technique known as the [Taiyuan Energy Art].
Zhang Rong promised them that once they had made progress in practicing this technique, they could advance to become inner sect disciples. From then on, they wouldn’t have to do various chores, they could focus on their cultivation. Their status within the sect and the resources they could access every month would also be significantly different.
So, in their spare time, they studied and cultivated the technique together.
Sister Zhao was a little bit older, her comprehension and talent were both beyond the reach of Li Fan.
Half a year passed, she had already mastered the Taiyuan Energy Art and passed the test. She was favored by Moonlight, the God Transforming Immortal Monarch Zhang Wangshuang, and was taken under his wing. She instantly became a fourth generation disciple of the Great Taoist Sect, referred to as Brother by the Immortal Teacher Zhang Rong they had known before.
Compared with Sister Zhao, even though she secretly shared her understanding and occasionally presented him with elixirs, Li Fan’s cultivation was still progressing at an extremely slow pace, still unable to break through.
Moreover, because Sister Zhao visited him frequently, it sparked jealousy among the surrounding disciples. Even though they were very respectful to Li Fan on the surface, even flattering him quite often, they looked down upon him in private, often bad-mouthing him, thinking of him as a useless parasite.
Not long ago, after Li Fan overheard their conversation, he was filled with anger and humiliation and couldn’t help but rise to fight.
However, with inadequate skills and being outnumbered, he ended up beaten half to death instead.
Fortunately, they didn’t go too far for fear of Sister Zhao’s presence.
…
The memories faded, and he came back to reality.
“This is Heavenly Essence Scatter, it not only helps you recover your injuries rapidly, but also enhances your sensitivity to Qi.”
“These ingredients were not easy for me to collect. Since you haven’t formed your foundation yet, many elixirs would be harmful to you if you took them. So, I asked my master for this prescription.” Sister Zhao wiped some leftover medicine juice from the corner of Li Fan’s mouth and said with a smile.
The warm flow, like a spirit, lasted ceaselessly and even circulated autonomously. In just a short while, Li Fan felt as if his injuries were fully healed and his body was filled with endless strength.
“Sister, you are so good to me…” Overwhelmed with emotion, Li Fan tightly grasped Sister Zhao’s soft, jade-like hand and gazed into her eyes.
“You…” Sister Zhao’s cheeks turned red, and she tried to pull her hand away. However, Li Fan’s grip was too strong, and she also feared using too much strength, thinking she might hurt him. Therefore, she was left helpless as Li Fan held her hand, his fingers involuntarily stroking her palm.
The heat coming from Li Fan’s hand seemed even hotter than the Leyline fire, making her feel slightly weak.
An unusual mood began to spread throughout the room.
Just then, Li Fan abruptly said, “By the way, Sister, there are still many things I don’t understand about the Taiyuan Energy Art. Could you explain them to me again?”
Sister Zhao was taken aback.
A sense of disappointment flashed in her heart, but it was mostly relief.
She had wanted to teach Li Fan the essentials of the Taiyuan Energy Art before, but maybe because of a young man’s pride, he didn’t want to listen, insisting on understanding it on his own.
She was left with no choice but to give up.
Luckily, he seems to have come around now.
So, Sister Zhao started to explain it to Li Fan conscientiously.
“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! I never thought about it that way before. Sister, you are so clever!” While listening, Li Fan praised her repeatedly, his eyes glowing with excitement.
As the day turned into evening, Sister Zhao, with some regret, had to stop.
“Master told me that I must return before dark. So, I have to go now!” She cautiously spoke while looking at Li Fan’s expression, worried that he would be displeased.
“The master’s orders are paramount. Sister, you should hurry back.” Li Fan nodded, showing no discontent at all. “You can come back when you have time.”
Sister Zhao nodded lightly, ready to leave. But she realized that while Li Fan had been engrossed in her explanations, he had already let go of her hand. In fact, she had unknowingly held on to his hand tightly all this while.
Instantly feeling her face heat up, she feared Li Fan would notice. After hurriedly saying goodbye, she practically ran away.
Her heart was pounding, yet she felt incredibly excited. Even her steps were noticeably lighter.
At that moment, Li Fan had already put the fleeting romance between them behind him.
He was immersed in the mysteries of the Taiyuan Energy Art, completely obsessed.
“So that’s how it is! So that’s how it is!” With Sister Zhao’s guidance, he managed to unravel the many difficulties he encountered during his cultivation.
Everything made sense, and he felt enlightened.
“I’m not far from forming a foundation!” The spiritual energy inside him circulated smoothly, as natural as breathing.
He couldn’t help but exclaim with joy.
“If I had asked Sister for guidance earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted half a year’s worth of effort!”
“Strange, why did I have such an awkward feeling before?”
Li Fan shook his head, thinking that he had been quite unreasonable before.
