Scholar

Li Fan frowned, opening and closing the bone fan in his hand repeatedly. The bone, as thin as a cicada's wing, emitted a sweet fragrance. When the morning light shone through, one could vaguely see the vein-like patterns on the fan surface.

Do they eat people...?

Thinking back on it carefully, the first time his Dao heart lost its balance, he almost swallowed the wine server and bones in his arms. Back then, wasn't that old demon also constantly eating people? It seems that merely gnawing on pigs, cows, and sheep couldn't satisfy the appetites of one of the Four Fiends...

Li Fan shook his head and tucked the fan into his waistband.

Then it's best not to continue cultivating the Qiongqi Dao Body, otherwise you'll eventually become a cannibalistic maniac like the Qingyang Old Demon. It's a pity about the seven attributes on this fan, but you can still use it as an item to remove negative effects.

After dismantling the Revered Heavenly Demon Array, Li Fan was about to fly back to the treasure ship on his sword when he suddenly froze.

His boat is gone.

It really was gone. Li Fan had specifically chosen a location for his cultivation retreat to ensure the flying boat was within his Divine Sense's range. But now, not only could he not detect the flying boat with his Divine Sense, but he also couldn't find any trace of it when he returned to its original spot!

Li Fan squinted, took out a compass, and began to perform divination using his fingers.

That ship belongs to the mountain lord. If outsiders came to seize the ship and wanted to break through the protective array on the ship, it would be impossible for there not to be any obvious traces around the docking point.

If someone inside took the boat away, we can first rule out Nie Feilian and Xiang Xiaoyu, both of whom are at the Qi Refining Stage. It's questionable whether they could even activate the control array of the mechanical flying boat, let alone take the boat out of Li Fan's Divine Sense range.

Could it be that the Yang Sheng deliberately concealed his abilities and stole his boat?

But it didn't quite seem like it. Li Fan had carefully examined the other party and found that he was indeed a scholar. The qi he practiced was at most for strengthening the body. Scholars like them relied on official positions and merits to gain divine power. They could only obtain divine power after entering the Investiture of the Gods the Gods. It was not the same system as the cultivation of immortals.

If it were Yang Sheng somehow broke the barrier, luring outside cultivators to seize the ship, that would be somewhat plausible. However, Li Fan's biggest suspicion wasn't about Yang Sheng, but rather about BCCD.

It's a simple logic: now that the four of them have returned to life, they'll regain their mobility sooner or later. Li Fan hasn't personally checked their condition these past two days, so they might already be able to get out of bed and circulate their energy. Perhaps, once their Nascent Soul Stage stages awaken, they won't want to return to Luo Feng Patriarch?

That old devil wasn't just throwing them to the mountain lord like objects to play with. They'd been enslaved for so many years; did he really think they'd escape one danger only to return to another?

Putting himself in their shoes, Li Fan could understand their desire to escape, but the fact that they actually did was still somewhat surprising. After all, weren't the natives of this place quite devoted to loyalty and filial piety? Or did that Luo Feng Old Lord not even cast any spells or contracts to restrain his concubines? Did he really dare to escape so easily?

In the blink of an eye, Li Fan had figured out where the flying boat was going.

They headed north.

Want to escape to the Central Plains...?

Li Fan immediately used his escape technique to pursue, leaping three times with the Wind and Cloud Dragon Ascent Technique to catch up with the flying boat's trail.

Hmph, so what if I let you run away for one night? Do you think you can escape my grasp?

Li Fan remained silent, stealthily landing at the bow of the boat. Sure enough, a flying immortal was standing at the bow, steering the ship. Her elbows and wrists were still somewhat stiff, but she could already perform hand seals.

Li Fan wasn't in a hurry to deal with this bastard, so he stealthily entered the cabin and found Xiang Xiaoyu Nie Feilian unconscious after being acupunctured. They had teeth marks on their necks, probably because some of their essence had been drained, but thankfully they were not seriously injured.

That Yang Sheng in trouble. He lay on the bed, his neck and wrists bitten raw and bleeding, his skin torn and bleeding. His vital energy and spirit had been completely dissipated, leaving him withered and pale. Only the protective jade pendant floating on Yang Si'an's forehead emitted a little spiritual light, covering his forehead and protecting his true soul, which kept him from dying.

The three immortals didn't try to snatch the jade pendant. Instead, they used the magic treasure to keep the scholar alive, and sat around Yang Sheng in a triangular formation. They sat cross-legged and took turns breathing in the vital energy from Yang Sheng's mouth and nose, drawing it into their internal organs for cultivation.

Hey, they only didn't kill it if it's fresh, right?

"Ha, stubborn as a mule!"

Li Fan let out a cold laugh, which exploded like a thunderclap in the cabin.

Flying Fairy D, who was facing away from the door, suddenly opened her eyes, revealed her sharp claws, and was about to take flight when a bone fan struck her head, smashing her brains open and causing her eyeballs to explode. Black blood even sprayed from her ears and nose.

The two immortal corpses on either side also bared their sharp claws and fangs. Just as they were about to get up, they saw that Li Fan had almost destroyed one of the immortal corpses with a single strike. They were so ruthless that they froze and dared not move.

"A bunch of bastards, you don't know what's good for you! I've been serving you so carefully, and you still dare to bare your teeth at me!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Fan had already stepped to the side and slapped each of them, making their heads spin three times, their facial bones bent and hanging askew on their shoulders.

His extraordinary strength immediately made the flying immortals realize his power, and they all prostrated themselves on the ground and kowtowed.

Hearing the commotion, the immortal corpses outside rushed into the cabin, even daring to grab the two boys first.

Li Fan sneered, walked forward with his hands behind his back, and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying with a 'bang' as she crashed through the ship's wall and plummeted from the sky.

Before even landing, Li Fan had already spread his arms and unfurled his Daoist robe, swooping down like a giant bat. He grabbed her collarbone with one claw and crushed it, then turned and leaped back onto the flying boat, tossing her into the cabin where she rolled around with the other three immortal corpses.

"If you had obediently begged me, or run away silently, I might have spared your lives! But you dared to covet my servants and guests! You're utterly incorrigible! Spit out all the yang energy you've inhaled!"

The four immortal corpses dared not disobey, and spat out as many as they could from their mouths and noses. Their once glossy skin instantly became withered and dry, resembling rotting flesh and mud, disgusting and terrifying.

"Get in your coffins, all of you!"

Li Fan flicked his sleeve and threw out a coffin, driving away the demons, capturing the life force, and sending it back to Yang Si'an.

However, the vitality of yang energy isn't something that can be absorbed and then swallowed back. Li Fan bandaged the scholar's wounds, broke off a small half of the Xuanpin Golden Core, dissolved it with the Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow from the gourd, put it in a small dish for him, and blew a Dao Breath into his life-protecting jade pendant to replenish its power. Finally, he managed to pull the scholar back from the brink of death.

Xiang Xiaoyu and Nie Feilian were alright; they probably just couldn't resist taking a bite because they looked young, and it didn't damage their foundation. If it weren't for the fact that they didn't dare to harm the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain, Li Fan wouldn't have held back at all and would have slapped all four of them to death.

In the end, Li Fan still let each of them taste a bite of the Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

So when the two girls woke up, they were still groggy, and another day had already been wasted.

They were still confused as to why there was a huge hole in the cabin, a coffin inside, and that Yang Shusheng had been wrapped up like a rice dumpling...

"Last night, those four evil corpses escaped while I was away cultivating, and almost harmed Scholar Yang. I have sealed them away. You can continue your cultivation on your own; you don't need to worry about those four ungrateful Devil Embryo anymore. If you still feel unwell, come find me immediately."

Since they wouldn't listen to reason, Li Fan decided to be blunt and tie them all up together. He threw them into his coffin and nailed them in, then flipped through his book of talismans and found several talismans for sealing corpses. He then used ink lines to bind the coffin shut.

"Yes..."

"Master, is this scholar alright?"

Nie Feilian poked Yang Sheng's wound, causing him to shudder in pain.

"He's lucky. He didn't die at the beginning, so he won't die so easily later." Li Fan looked at Yang Sheng and realized he was awake. "It's okay. Even if he really dies, I'll get you a shrine to the City God when we get back to the mountain. That will fulfill your dream of becoming an official."

Yang Si'an still had the strength to wail, "I studied diligently so that I could be ennobled and made a name for myself in life, not so that I could be admired after death..."

Li Fan laughed and said, "You're quite frank. Let me ask you, if you were to become the Imperial Censor of Li Country, what would you do?"

Yang Si'an, without mincing words, boasted, "It's nothing more than cutting off gates and locks, dismissing redundant officials, rectifying officialdom, reducing taxes, opening Plank Road, repairing water conservancy projects, and promoting industry and commerce."

Seeing his strong voice, Li Fan scoffed, "Easy for you to say. I bet those Imperial Censor would give the exact same answer if they asked."

When Yang Si'an was illuminated by the jade pendant, his face regained its color. He shook his head and said, "You're wrong about that. Doctor Wen's faction advocates prioritizing agriculture, promoting frugality and reducing expenditures, inspecting land and populations to fund the military. They advocate educating the people, eliminating extravagance and hedonism, widely deploying patrols at customs and ports, and eliminating bandits from all directions in order to ensure peace and prosperity for the people."

When they were in power, they did indeed achieve a period of abundant granaries and stable public order. However, over time, industry and commerce were monopolized by large families, and land was annexed by powerful clans. Land surveys were time-consuming and laborious over the years, but the number of registered households was decreasing. Local authorities dared not touch the interests of the powerful clans, so the taxes levied fell on the shoulders of ordinary people. As a result, the problem of people running away from their homes and families became more and more serious.

Therefore, despite consecutive years of bumper harvests, the imperial treasury was in deficit year after year, forcing it to borrow grain from powerful clans to maintain appearances. This was all because after the Black Lotus Sect Rebellion, the imperial clan's troops were completely wiped out, and the armory, the Ministry of War, and the local garrisons fell entirely into the hands of powerful clans, making it impossible to collect taxes."

Li Fan, while repairing the damaged cabin, continued chatting idly with him out of boredom, "So, according to you, if agricultural taxes aren't working, then we should just stop collecting them altogether and collect industrial and commercial taxes instead, right?"

Yang Si'an's eyes lit up when he saw that Li Fan actually understood him. He said, "Exactly. The way of economics is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. The situation of land annexation is the same throughout the Central Plains. It is only in the Li Country the political situation is relatively stable because the royal family is too weak. When they fight for the throne, they don't fight each other and disturb the people."

Therefore, compared to other vassal states, Li Country is relatively stable, prosperous, and rich in resources. If customs posts can be abolished and commerce and transportation developed, it will naturally attract merchants from other states to trade. Furthermore, removing tariffs from various provinces and counties will also benefit the local powerful families' own caravans, as it is much easier than taking money from their pockets.

"This adds up to an extra expense, but reduces many exorbitant taxes and levies. Isn't it beneficial for both the public and the people?"

"Then those redundant staff you dismissed from the checkpoints and garrisons will start to rebel, won't they?" Li Fan finished repairing the cabin, clapped his hands, and said, "Don't be so ambitious. There are too many talented people in this world who are not given the opportunity. I think you have a tiny bit of affinity for immortality. Consider this a favor I gave you. Do you want me to introduce you to cultivation?"

Yang Sheng shook his head and said, "Thank you for your favor, Master. Actually, I also had a chance to become a celestial being in my early years, but I was still too attached to worldly pleasures and couldn't bear the hardships of life in the mountains, so I ran back to study. Thank you for your kindness."

Actually, life in the mountains isn't so bad; there are plenty of beautiful women and novel activities, but they're all quite dangerous. They might turn on you at any moment and you could end up using their bodies for sexual gratification as an accompaniment to your drinks...

Li Fan shrugged. If they're not willing, so be it. Everyone has their own ambitions, but...

"You even had a connection with the immortals? But judging from how quickly you recovered, your aptitude is indeed quite impressive... Could it be that you, Yang Sheng, once studied under the Ink Bamboo Mountain?"

Yang Si'an got excited as soon as this was mentioned, "It wasn't Ink Bamboo Mountain, it was probably a random cultivator I met by chance. It was a rainy night in mid-spring. I was still young and was punished by my teacher for playing, so I was late coming home from the private school. Suddenly there was a strong wind and rain, so I hurried to a village on the way to take shelter from the rain."

Just as they took shelter under the eaves, the wind and rain stopped, the clouds and fog dispersed, and then they saw a bright, False Moon in the sky, radiating purple light. Four people walked down from the light and shadow, their clothes strange and unlike anything they had ever seen before.

A tall, well-dressed man in a crown sang, "In fine silk and satin, as white as frost and snow, I sing in a clear, high-pitched voice for you."

A short, stocky, and ugly man dressed in black sang, "On this quiet night, when distinguished guests gather, I can hold the magnificent candlelight."

A short, stout man in a yellow hat and straw sandals sang, "The clear, cold spring awaits my morning drawing; I come and go, tethered by a mulberry rope."

A man dressed in black robes, with a sallow complexion and a broad build, sang, 'I toil to cook firewood and store water, to satisfy their hunger.'

Hehe, do you even know what they're talking about?

"It's the word puzzle of 'thing'," Li Fan understood immediately and looked at the two boys with a smile, "Yang Sheng shares the fate of immortality. Come and try to guess."

Deng Xiaoyu and Nie Feilian were dumbfounded and couldn't understand it for a moment.

Li Fan sighed inwardly. These two were indeed a bit lacking in comprehension, after all, their knowledge was still limited, and there were some key points that he had only learned by seeing similar things in the blind temple. So he didn't mind and patiently explained to them...

"These four are a washing pestle, a candlestick, a water bucket, and a pancake griddle. Presumably, the four of you took advantage of the False Moon in the sky to transform 'objects' into 'people' on your first night. If you encounter similar situations in the future, you must never reveal it, otherwise you will cause their transformation to fail."

Yang Si'an nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and then said, "I see. Your explanation has cleared up my doubts."

At that time, I was a mischievous young man. I thought the four of them were playing a riddle game with me, so I jumped out and revealed their true identities. But to my surprise, the four figures disappeared in an instant, leaving only an old pestle, a candlestick, a water bucket, and a broken pot in the hall.

I initially thought I had encountered a monster, and while I was terrified, a Daoist priest suddenly appeared, took the four items, and said that I had ruined his disciple's cultivation, but it was also fate. Seeing that I had some comprehension, he asked if I wanted to go with him to Yuntai Peak to cultivate Daoism.

At that time, I also admired the carefree life of immortals, so I went with him for three years. Who knew that in the mountain stream, I would only do hard work such as chopping wood, boiling water, washing clothes and cooking. I would meditate, chant scriptures, and practice breathing exercises every day. At least I did not neglect my studies and learning to read and write. This made me settle down and catch up on my studies in a few years.

The Daoist priest could see that I couldn't bear the loneliness of solitary cultivation, and said that I would eventually serve the country, so he gave me this jade to protect me and sent me home to enjoy worldly riches.

When I opened my eyes again, I realized that the three years of hard study on Yuntai Peak were just a dream. The spirit jade in my hand has protected my life to this day, which shows that this matter was not a fantasy. Whether it was a dream or not, I have always been puzzled.

But it was through this experience that I finally understood, settled down, and started studying hard."

Deng Xiaoyu and Nie Feilian, being young, listened to the story as if it were a tale of gods and ghosts, becoming incredibly excited. They couldn't help but drift off into daydreams, speculating about the magical powers of the four treasures and what it would be like if they obtained them and had the chance to become immortals. They wondered if they could endure the hardships of cultivation and attain immortality.

Li Fan understood the implication in the other person's words and shook his head with a wry smile.

This Yang Sheng doesn't seem to think much of the independent cultivation traditions of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

No wonder, this guy has genuinely received orthodox guidance from the Xuanmen sect. Those four strange people can even materialize into human form, so they must at least be magic weapons at the Nascent Soul Realm. This Daoist from Yuntai Peak is at least a True Monarch at the Transformation Stage.

The level of weapon crafting at Ink Bamboo Mountain is so poor. Even the Seven Star Peak, which is the most skilled in weapon crafting, is just a group of rogue cultivators like the old Daoist Tian Shu. They can produce a lousy Dinghai Pearl that is not even worth mentioning, and it is rare for a bunch of people to borrow it. They can't compare to such a master.

Of course, the Daoist priest probably didn't really want to take Yang Sheng as his disciple. He was just angry that Yang Sheng do hard labor in his dreams for three years. This was partly to vent his anger, and partly because he probably did intend to test Yang Sheng's Dao heart. But to be honest, the fact that he didn't kill the brat on the spot and instead disciplined him well shows that he can be considered Real Immortal with the Dao.

Regardless of the circumstances, this Yang Si'an is indeed blessed with Real Immortal favor and protection from the immortals. He is protected by the heavens. Let's form a good relationship with him this time, and perhaps we will meet again in the future. Let's heal him and send him safely to Xun Kingdom.