My Plainspoken Self

For the next while, Su Fan's life returned to its former peace.

He was a man without much ambition, only wanting to live a steady, honest life.

Just like in his previous life, when everyone else headed north to the big cities, aspiring to become people like Musk.

Su Fan, however, had chosen to return to that obscure little hometown city.

Far from the clamor, content with the ordinary.

He did not earn much, but as long as he did not spend lavishly, he could get by.

Games, Douyin, variety shows, binge-watching dramas, and the pretty girls in livestreams were enough to satisfy all his spiritual needs.

After coming to this unfamiliar Cultivation World, he had not changed much either.

Every day, he spent an afternoon running his stall. The rest of the time, he quietly cultivated, occasionally sharing a drink with Old Ye.

In truth, this was the life he had yearned for most in this Cultivation World.

If only things could stay this way forever.

Except that he would occasionally think of his family and child, which left him feeling melancholy.

Oh, right—there was also his ex-wife.

When she had made a scene demanding a divorce, Su Fan had been deeply hurt.

After the two had been apart for two years, the woman had finally grown up and come looking for him again.

But Su Fan had already grown used to living without her.

She was not a bicycle—you could not lose her, find her again, and then keep riding her.

So he had decisively rejected her.

Even now, he still could not understand it.

Back then, she had been the one desperately demanding a divorce. Why was she now cursing him as a scumbag?

Sigh...

Why couldn't he forget that woman?

That evening, Su Fan returned from Shaoyang Market Town and saw Old Ye as soon as he entered the house.

As usual, he ignored him.

He went straight to the kitchen to cook for this pampered old master.

When Ye Tianhe saw him return, he took two bottles of Spirit Wine from his Storage Bag and set them on the table.

"Today, make some of that—what was it? Tendons and brains? We'll have a drink."

Su Fan nodded, picked up a bottle of Spirit Wine, and glanced at it.

"Didn't you say you were going to save the Spirit Wine to honor your master? You've drunk it all, haven't you?"

"Heh heh... Senior Qiu Guan has plenty of that stuff. As long as I say the word, do you think he'd care about a few bottles of Spirit Wine?"

All right, Old Ye had started showing off again. Su Fan hurried into the kitchen.

He stewed a pot of beef tendons and tripe, sliced a plate of soy-braised beef shank, tossed a plate of beef tongue, added two vegetable stir-fries, and finally stewed a pot of bull penis soup, figuring he would give Old Ye a nourishing meal.

Four dishes and two soups—now that was a proper spread.

He filled the entire table, making it lavish beyond belief.

Ye Tianhe was acting rather strange today. He actually poured Su Fan a cup of wine.

The unexpected favor left Su Fan flattered and alarmed. He stared at Old Ye with wide eyes.

"Big Brother, what's gotten into you today?"

Ye Tianhe waved his hand and burst out laughing before picking up a piece of beef tongue.

"I've been meaning to ask—what is this?"

"Beef tongue. It's the tongue of an Ironhide Savage Bull."

As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks and pointed at the bumpy patches on the beef tongue.

"Look here. This is where the Ironhide Savage Bull secretes saliva. You know, drool..."

Ye Tianhe spat out the beef tongue in his mouth with a "pfft."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier..."

Su Fan spread his hands innocently. "You never asked..."

Ye Tianhe picked up a piece of bull penis and asked, "Then what's this?"

Su Fan grinned and leaned over to whisper a few words.

"Ptooey, ptooey..."

Ye Tianhe tossed the bull penis back with an expression of disgust, pointing furiously at Su Fan.

After a while, he burst out laughing.

"You brat, you deliberately tried to disgust me, didn't you..."

Obviously. If I didn't disgust you, who else would I disgust?

"How could I? I always thought you knew, hehe..."

Ye Tianhe snorted, tipped his head back, and downed a cup of Spirit Wine.

"Tomorrow, I'm leaving..."

"Huh... what...?"

Su Fan sat there stunned for quite some time.

"You're going back to your sect, then? Your junior sisters must have been waiting with their necks craned."

He made a joke, but neither of them laughed.

For some reason, the atmosphere at the drinking table suddenly grew gloomy.

Neither of them spoke. They merely drank cup after cup in silence, and before long, both were thoroughly drunk.

Ye Tianhe picked up a piece of beef tongue, stared at it with bleary eyes, then tossed it back onto the plate with a look of disgust.

"This time, I'm not going back to the sect. I'm heading straight to Qin State. I've already spoken with people from Qingxuan Sect. Even after I leave, no one will dare touch you in Shaoyang Market Town..."

After hearing Old Ye, Su Fan smiled.

"No need. I'm a plainspoken, honest fellow..."

Ye Tianhe was amused. "Heh heh... You? Plainspoken and honest? If I didn't know you, I might well have been tricked by you if we crossed paths."

"Big Brother, you've had too much to drink, haven't you? How would I dare trick you..."

Ye Tianhe gave Su Fan a look of utter contempt, then took out a jade talisman.

"Take this jade talisman. Once you break through to Late Qi Refining, go to Yuqing Sect in Ganzhou. The sect master owes me a favor."

Su Fan did not speak for a long while. He silently accepted the jade talisman.

Ye Tianhe chuckled. "And don't get carried away thinking this is all for your sake. Yuqing Sect isn't far from our Ziyang Sword Sect. If I weren't craving the food you make, I wouldn't bother with you."

Su Fan forced a smile, then raised his cup.

"Old Ye, there's no need to say anything. This cup is to you..."

Old Ye clinked cups with him, tipped back his head, and drained his cup before wiping his mouth.

"It's a shame, brat. If I'd met you a few years earlier, that would've been perfect. Yuqing Sect may not be large, but it's the best place for you. Your aptitude is somewhat lacking, but your comprehension is good. If you entered a sect and built up a solid foundation, you might not be unable to achieve Foundation Establishment someday..."

"What's there to be sorry about? I'm doing pretty well like this."

Hearing that, Ye Tianhe slammed his palm onto the table in anger.

"Doing well my ass! I've never seen anyone as unwilling to strive as you. Don't you want to live forever?"

Su Fan propped up the wine bottle that had been knocked over and chuckled.

"What I gain is fortune; what I lose is fate. Why cling to anything for an entire lifetime..."

Ye Tianhe had been about to curse him, but after hearing those words, he suddenly froze.

Su Fan was a little baffled. What's wrong with Old Ye?

But he did not dare ask.

Su Fan could only sit there and drink in silence.

Sigh... Old Ye was leaving.

Although this fellow could be quite irritating at times, the moment he heard Old Ye was leaving, his heart felt strangely hollow.

Actually, Old Ye had treated him well.

Never mind anything else—even answering his questions about the difficulties he encountered in cultivation already counted as the grace of imparting the Dao.

What was more, he had given him this jade talisman.

Su Fan knew perfectly well that this was Old Ye's personal favor, yet it had fallen into his hands.

He might seem indifferent by nature, but there was one good thing about him: he always repaid kindness.

Even though, in Ye Tianhe's eyes, this was nothing at all, and he might never need Su Fan's help in the future, Su Fan had to remember this favor.

Su Fan did not know what was going on with Old Ye, and he did not dare disturb him. He simply sat there, drinking silently.

After who knew how many cups, Ye Tianhe suddenly shuddered across from him.

"Hahaha... hahaha..."

Watching Old Ye laugh with such abandon, Su Fan was at a loss.

What's wrong with Old Ye? There isn't even a mental hospital here. What am I supposed to do if he's gone mad?

Ye Tianhe laughed for quite a while before finally calming down.

He took another bottle of Spirit Wine from his Storage Bag, opened it, and tipped his head back to drink.

It's over, it's over. This fellow really has gone mad.

Su Fan grew frantic. He reached out to snatch the bottle from Old Ye, only for Old Ye to shove him away.

Only after Old Ye had drained more than half the bottle did he slam it heavily onto the table.

"Clang..."

Su Fan jolted in fright. What the hell...

If a sword cultivator goes mad, won't he grab his sword and start hacking people apart everywhere?

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