The Wanted Criminal

Leaving the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven and heading east, they flew along the Li River and arrived at East River Prefecture before nightfall. Li Fan wanted to seize every opportunity to cultivate and become stronger, and since the two little girls had not yet Foundation Establishment and still needed rest, he planned to travel during the day and cultivate at night, landing the flying boat at the East River Prefecture dock.

He summoned two young boys and said, "Tonight we will rest in East River Prefecture. I will go out of the city to Moon Worship. You two stay on the boat and do not wander around. There is a protective formation, so there should be no major problems. If anything happens, use the Bright Light Talisman to call for help."

Nie Feilian immediately agreed, "Your Excellency, please rest assured. With us watching over the boat and protecting the four fairy maidens, we will not let any evil people take advantage of them!"

Xiang Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Li Fan could tell that this girl was restless and impulsive. If she couldn't sit still and wanted to wander around town, it wouldn't really matter. After Li Country was still the territory of Ink Bamboo Mountain, and people in the area recognized the people of Ink Bamboo Mountain in their simple clothes. Human traffickers wouldn't be so suicidal as to kidnap a child from Ink Bamboo Mountain and sell him again.

Moreover, his blind Divine Sense has an extremely wide range, and he can detect any unusual activity in the entire East River Prefecture. He is the only Nascent Soul stage cultivator in the city, so he should be fine.

"Then it's up to you."

So Li Fan used his Sword Light to fly to the mountains outside the city, found a mountain with abundant spiritual energy, and built the Revered Heavenly Demon Dojo to Moon Worship.

Now that his mood was full, he was still a little short of being fully charged, and his Gu Guan Method was not yet proficient. In order not to waste the passive effect of the Gui Xu Nascent Soul, and to complete the charging while his mood fluctuated, Li Fan decided to first cultivate the transformation of his Dao body, and then refine his Nascent Soul Stage.

But after opening his eyes and looking around, Li Fan gave up on the idea of turning into Qiongqi and having a feast.

It wasn't that he couldn't find meat; he did find some, but he just couldn't bring himself to eat it.

Generally speaking, the disciples of Moshan Moon Worship are anchored to the Tai Su world in the Void Abyss, which is a place they know well and can cultivate and change over a long period of time. For example, the Ascarid Revered Heavenly Demon Dojo established by Fairy Wangshu is anchored to the Source Marsh, and the Celestial Devil Statue constructed in this way also have the appearance of Non-Thing in the Tai Su Realm.

Li Fan's method of using his Nascent Soul Stage image to anchor himself in the Taiji world is a practice of the Lou Guan lineage, specifically the Moon Worship method. This involves using his human-shaped Nascent Soul Stage as a coordinate. The advantage of this method is that it allows him to return to the Taiji Realm more reliably. However, there will be deviations in the Taisu world he goes to each time. Depending on the location and time, the Taisu plane he enters the abyss will be different.

Moreover, it seems that because the body he uses, the Revered Heavenly Demon Body, is humanoid, the local inhabitants of the places he goes to are also similar humanoid creatures.

For example, after this Moon Worship, Li Fan found himself in a plain, and his Divine Sense quickly detected the gathering place of the local native creatures. These native creatures were also humanoid, but their appearances were very different from humans. Their skin was similar to that of amphibians, their facial features were quite different, and they were obviously suffering from some kind of disease, looking similar to the bloated corpses of the giants who had drowned.

But Li Fan couldn't bring himself to eat them not only because their appearance was disgusting, but also because these humanoid creatures seemed to be parasitized.

The humanoid creatures had large and small yellowish-green pustules on their skin, from which tissue fluid constantly seeped out. Every now and then, scabs would peel off, gushing thick fluid everywhere. Then, writhing, brown parasites resembling buckwheat noodles would emerge from the pustules. Each one would fall as a large ball of yarn, wriggling and spreading out on the ground before crawling onto other humanoid creatures and burrowing into their wounds to parasitize them.

The natives seemed completely oblivious to the nematodes laying eggs on their bodies, moving slowly like zombies, performing tasks similar to gathering and farming. Many natives had swollen, bulging eyes like goldfish, completely grayish, and you could see parasites swimming inside their pupils, having laid a large cluster of eggs.

Li Fan only needed to scan it with his Divine Sense to get goosebumps all over his body.

This is so disgusting, I can't bring myself to eat it...

Suppressing his urge to vomit, Li Fan flew Fourth Department for a while and could see that there were many villages and settlements of local natives on the ground, as well as shelters that provided protection from the wind and rain. It was clear that these humanoid beings had once had their own civilization.

Just like the previous world that was submerged by a flood, this world also perished. The entire process of civilization was interrupted, and all the indigenous humanoid life forms became ovaries infested by roundworms, walking shells. They merely clung to life, maintaining the most basic survival, keeping their bodies functioning as a breeding ground for the worm eggs to hatch.

Li Fan took out the Si Nan from his pocket and followed the direction the spoon pointed for a while, eventually discovering the ruins of a large, abandoned town.

There were no parasitized humanoid beings in this place, as the entire town had likely been engulfed in flames; most of the buildings had been completely destroyed, leaving only ruins and ashes. Only one structure in the town center, whose purpose was unclear—whether it was a temple or a tower—remained largely intact. Li Fan flew to the top of that tower and, amidst the ashes resembling humanoid figures, found a glittering golden gem. Could this be...?

'A fragment of cause and effect has been detected. Should we seize this fragment?'

Is this another fragment of cause and effect leading to the extinction of a clan? The last one was destroyed by a flood, and this one is ravaged by insect pests and plagues?

Li Fan knew that once the scramble began, some kind of defense mechanism would likely be triggered, so he wasn't in a hurry to seize the causal fragments. He used his Divine Sense to scan the surrounding area, confirming that there were no parasites or eggs, before sitting down to cultivate.

Although I dare not eat meat in this world, the vegetarian food is full of malevolent energy, and the five elements of spiritual energy are also quite good, which is just right for consolidating my foundation and cultivation. So I temporarily changed my plans and continued to breathe in true energy and refine Nascent Soul Stage nascent soul tonight. After calculating that the time was about right, I directly let the system seize the local opportunity.

This time, the local indigenous race didn't harbor as much resentment as before, and no parasites came to interfere with Li Fan. Once they started snatching the fragments, it only took a few seconds to smoothly hear a 'ding' sound, and they seized the fate of the extinct race.

This parasitic world is a bit too vulnerable; he might get infected at any time. Li Fan really didn't want to stay any longer, so he simply completed his routine cultivation and planned to wake up and go back.

It's clear that the Tai Su world isn't very peaceful either. Even without the bloody wars of the Tai Chi world, there are all sorts of calamities and disasters that could wipe out the entire race at any time.

Ultimately, even the most finite lifespan has its limits; immortality is truly a rare and precious thing.

After finishing his cultivation for the night, Li Fan returned to the Taiji Realm. Since this area was different from the territory of Ink Bamboo Mountain, in order to prevent mortals from accidentally entering the temple and worshipping his Heavenly Demon statue and causing trouble, Li Fan released the spell, destroyed his Nascent Soul Stage clay Heavenly Demon statue, removed the magic array, and flew back to the treasure ship.

To Li Fan's surprise, when he flew back to the dock, he found that his flying boat was surrounded by several warships. There was also a squad of centurions on the dock, holding torches and blocking the way, seemingly wanting to board the boat for inspection. After leaving for only a short while, he was entangled by government troops!

Seriously? They're clearly using the name of the Ink Bamboo Mountain Lou Guan Dao, and they're even properly displaying prayer flags. They haven't even Li Country yet, so how come they're being targeted again?

Li Fan frowned, his Divine Sense detecting that the restrictive array on the flying boat was intact. The two boys were both on the boat and had not activated any light talismans, so he knew that nothing serious had happened. He then concealed his aura and flew closer to see what was going on.

"Disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain on board, listen up! The Xunjiangwei of East River Dao has been ordered to search all passing ships and apprehend wanted criminals! Immediately open the barriers and submit to inspection!"

The leading centurion shouted loudly, and a group of guards, hands on their waist knives and holding torches, their faces flickering in the dim firelight.

Two boys, each holding a wooden sword, stood facing each other tensely on the deck.

Deng Xiaoyu looked at the crossbows on the surrounding ships with a look of fear on her face, her hand holding a bright talisman.

Nie Feilian shouted to the dockside soldiers, "The immortal isn't here right now, we'll talk about it when he returns."

"What kind of deity are you? You're just a bunch of country bumpkins..." The centurion frowned, unfolding the document in his hand. "We are imperial soldiers, and the Imperial Censor has personally issued this edict! Quickly open the search area and allow us to search!"

Nie Feilian turned her head away. "I can't read, how would I know what's real and what's fake? I'm warning you, don't try anything funny while the immortals aren't around! Just light the talisman and he'll be here in an instant!"

The centurion, suppressing his anger, said, "Then why don't you light the talisman and call him here! We've been waiting until midnight!"

Nie Feilian chuckled lightly, "Who do you think you are? A dignified immortal, you think you can just summon them back whenever you want? If you delay the important matters of an immortal, can you bear the consequences?"

The centurion glared at her and roared, "You insolent wench! We are working for the court, how dare you, a lowly servant, obstruct us time and again! If you dare to resist again, you too will be arrested and punished! Thirty strokes of the cane and sent to the brothel as a slave! No god can save you!"

Startled by his roar, Nie Feilian blushed instantly and jumped onto the bow of the boat, cursing, "What kind of damned court is this! Bah! You barbarian bumpkins from the south! You dog from Shanyang! You even dare to offend the immortal who guards the mountain and protects the country! You've got some nerve! Come on! Try touching me! You wolf in sheep's clothing! You bully others with your power! You're always waving your chicken feathers as if they were imperial edicts, swaggering and committing all sorts of evil! You only dare to act recklessly and madly towards women and boys. If you had any brains, why don't you go to the front lines and fight the enemy instead of hiding here and preying on the people! You shameless bastard who fishes in troubled waters, you have no shame at all! @#￥*#(￥!!)

Li Fan, a centurion, Xunjiangwei, "..."

Xiang Xiaoyu quickly pulled Nie Feilian down from the fence, saying, "Feilian, don't stand so high! Be careful they don't sneak up on you. These beasts have no humanity."

Nie Feilian nodded. "Xiaoyu is right. Let me have a sip of water before I come back to scold them."

The centurion then realized what was happening and flew into a rage, shouting, "Insolence! I believe it is you, you lowly servant, who has been harboring a wanted criminal! Guards! Report this to the Censor-in-Chief! Request that he dispatch troops to eradicate this evil path!"

"The demonic path?" Even Xiang Xiaoyu was enraged now, pointing her Black Sword at the centurion, "You're spouting nonsense and slandering loyal officials!"

I, Ink Bamboo Mountain, have served as the guardian of the borders of Li Country, vanquishing demons and saving countless lives! You corrupt officials, abusing your positions, have brought disaster to the country and its people, plundering and extorting, causing widespread famine and resentment, yet you still have the audacity to call us the demonic path! Your Li Country is the true demonic path!

The centurion was furious. "Insolence! This is outrageous! Whose page is this?! This is utterly rebellious! Go and fetch the imperial guards to arrest him!"

Li Fan stood to the side, somewhat stunned. What was going on? How old were these two? How could they be so strong?

However, Li Fan was in no hurry to show himself. After all, although these River Patrol Guard looked well-equipped and armed, it was unlikely that they could break through the formation Li Fan had set up. They could only exchange vulgar insults with the two boys on the ship. But it didn't seem like they had come specifically to cause trouble.

Li Fan scanned the area with his Divine Sense and spotted a person who might indeed be the wanted criminal these officers were trying to capture.

A man was hiding in the water, clinging to the rope, concealed beneath the surface between the airship and its deck. Every now and then, he would cautiously peek out to catch his breath.

Judging from his breathing techniques, he has practiced some breathing exercises. He is about twenty years old and has a jade pendant to conceal his aura. He seems to be a scholar, but not a notorious bandit. He was probably caught up in some power struggle within the court and fled after his family was destroyed.

Although he was implicated by this kid this time, Li Fan didn't like the people of East River Prefecture anyway. He vaguely remembered being harassed by them before. That Censor-in-Chief seemed to be an enemy of Ink Bamboo Mountain, so he might as well use this as an excuse.

Since Li Fan was determined to oppose East River Prefecture, he naturally didn't hold back. With a flick of his sleeve, he concealed the man hiding under the boat using his Heaven and Earth Sleeve, and then revealed himself on the deck at an opportune moment.

"... Damn it! You shameless little wench! You filthy brothel thing! I will definitely report you Demon Path of Ink Bamboo Mountain..."

"Presumptuous."

Before the centurion could react, Li Fan slapped him across the face from a distance, sending his head spinning seventeen or eighteen times before it snapped off his shoulder.

The soldiers were caught off guard by the attack and were about to turn on them when Li Fan suddenly appeared in mid-air, unleashing a terrifying aura. They realized something was wrong; the one who had arrived was indeed a deity! This was actually a master at the True Person realm!

The crowd immediately erupted in commotion and retreated in shock; several even slipped and fell into the water with a splash.

Nie Feilian Xiang Xiaoyu immediately fell silent, shrinking behind Li Fan like obedient girls.

Li Fan looked expressionlessly at the soldiers River Patrol Guard, "Who said that Ink Bamboo Mountain is a demonic sect?"

At this moment, Nie Feilian was a little flustered. Seeing blood, she didn't dare to look Li Fan in the eye.

Xiang Xiaoyu stepped forward and pointed to a few people in the crowd, saying, "Master! Those people just now slandered my sect's reputation and defamed my demonic path. They must be spies from the demonic sect!"

"Demon Path or heretics shall be spared." Li Fan nodded, flicked his fingers and sent out several sword energies, sweeping several soldiers in two, killing them on the spot.

The soldiers didn't dare to resist, let alone flee. The blood splattered on their faces by their comrades made them kneel down and kowtow repeatedly.

Li Fan didn't bother with any more words, "Anyone who insults my sect will die. Get lost!"

The soldiers were so terrified they ran away in a panic...

Li Fan glanced towards the city area again. Three Golden Core cultivators had come from the City Lord's Mansion to provide support, but as soon as Li Fan unleashed his Nascent Soul Stage aura, the three of them immediately concealed their presence and turned to flee...

Tsk, how boring...

Li Fan glanced at the two girls and said, "You two are quite eloquent."

Nie Feilian quickly knelt on the ground, "This servant has spoken rudely and caused trouble for the deity! It's all a habit I picked up in the opera troupe that I can't break. Please, deity, don't send me away!"

Xiang Xiaoyu did not kneel, but bowed and explained, "Master, we have followed your teachings and have always protected the safety of the fairy maidens. This time, it was purely the remnants of the Censorate who provoked the trouble."

Li Fan waved his hand, using a palm strike to help Nie Feilian up. He then looked at Xiaoyu and said, "You still remember the Censorate? Were you bullied by them?"

Xiang Xiaoyu said indignantly, "Yes, I often hear my mother complain that it was all because the Censorate seized our family's ancestral land when they inspected the land. Otherwise, how could we have ended up selling ourselves into slavery?"

Nie Feilian glanced around and, finding the problem didn't seem too serious, regained her lively spirit and said, "Yes, yes, these corrupt officials are the worst! They don't pay for the opera, but force us to drink with them. They're always punching and kicking, even drawing their swords to kill us. We lowly commoners die in vain; all we can do is curse them to vent our anger... If only I could be like you, a god, and swiftly behead these bastards! That would be amazing!"

Li Fan laughed, "You're so glib. I can only teach you basic sword energy after you've memorized the meridian diagram."

Nie Feilian was overjoyed, "Okay, it's a deal!"

Li Fan flicked his sleeve again, releasing the young man. "And who are you? A wanted criminal by the imperial court?"

This kid is pretty good-looking, with fair and delicate skin. Although he can't compare to Li Fan, he has regular features, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. He looks like he could play a leading role.

The man looked around and saw the banner of Ink Bamboo Mountain Lou Guan Dao. He bowed deeply to Li Fan and said, "Thank you for your help, Master. I am Yang Si'an, a candidate for the imperial examination this year. However, because my examination paper criticized current affairs and pointed out the mistakes of the former Imperial Censor Wen Jin, I offended his student. Now, Li Hongxian, the current head of the Censorate, has been expelled from the academy and will never be employed again..."

It turns out to be an internal struggle among Confucian scholars. The infighting in this Taiji Realm is truly fierce; it seems like fighting is happening everywhere...

However, Li Fan seriously suspected that these scholars were holding back their words, and asked again, "Just because you wrote an article, the Censorate not only expelled you from school, but also sent troops to arrest you?"

"There are two," Yang Si'an explained listlessly. "In a fit of anger, I wrote another memorial, intending to contact the candidates in various provinces to file a complaint with the emperor, exposing Li Hongxian's twenty-one crimes, including cheating in the examination, embezzlement and bribery, forming cliques for personal gain, abusing power, selling official positions, and nepotism."

But before I could even file a complaint, it was leaked, offending the entire Censorate. Now they say I incited the students, framed loyal officials, spoke recklessly about the court, and slandered the upright officials..."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. "So you've slandered them?"

Yang Si'an smiled bitterly, "The academy faction is protecting each other, recommending their own disciples to pass the exams. The unfairness of the imperial examinations can be easily investigated. I also have some minor talent, so my exam paper failed. My classmates and fellow students also suspect that there was cheating involved. The power of the Censorate is not what it used to be. I originally thought I could bring them down."

But because I wrote in my examination essay, "Constant dancing leads to debauchery, and excessive singing leads to moral decay," advising the new ruler to diligently cultivate himself and not indulge in wine and women, thus neglecting the affairs of the state, I was accused by the Censorate of offending the ruler's name. That's why I failed the examination and they want to first charge me with a major offense before considering anything else."

"Wait, did we violate a name taboo?" Li Fan was momentarily confused. "What taboo did we violate? Isn't the new ruler that... Prince of Jian'an, Li You?"

Yang Si'an glanced at Li Fan, seemingly quite surprised that he knew so much detail, but didn't ask any further questions. He just sighed, "I heard that Grand Tutor Guo submitted a memorial, arguing that the newly established heir to the throne would carry on the legacy and ensure the longevity of the nation, so he changed the name of the ruler to 'Heng'. Isn't that a taboo?"

Sigh, I guess I'll just have to mind my own business...