The Search Party

Lin Fan's quarters.

Blue Silver massaged Lin Fan's head to treat him, but her gaze kept drifting.

Lin Fan couldn't see her, yet he somehow sensed that Xiao Lan was troubled.

"Xiao Lan, is something on your mind? If you don't mind, you can tell me."

Ah Yin's hands paused at the back of Lin Fan's head.

"You can't see me. How did you know something was bothering me?"

"I could feel it in your fingertips," Lin Fan said. "Sometimes light, sometimes heavy. You seem distracted."

"Are you worried about the village chief and Dong'er?"

"No," Blue Silver said softly. "The story you told me about the Blue Silver Emperor just got me thinking."

"Lin Fan, from your point of view, if the Blue Silver Emperor in the story had learned her fate ahead of time, what would she have chosen? Would she have followed the path laid out for her, or taken another path with an uncertain end?"

Lin Fan smiled. "Xiao Lan, you're just like Dong'er. She asked me something similar before."

After a moment's thought, Lin Fan said seriously, "The moment you learn how your future ends, your fate has already begun to change."

"Fate is strange, and it's fragile. The smallest decision can change the ending."

"There's a saying: thinking too much about the future is no different from killing the person you are now."

Blue Silver paused. "Is that so?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

"Xiao Lan, let me tell you what I've learned from my own life," Lin Fan said slowly.

"When you know the outcome, the journey matters. When you don't know the outcome, the ending matters. And when you stop caring about the ending, what matters most is the present."

"I don't have grand ambitions. I just want a job, a kind and capable wife, a happy family, a life free of illness and disaster, and no regrets when I die. That would be the best ending I could ask for."

"But look at me now. I graduated, worked for two years, had a rough time at work, and took a trip to clear my head. Then I got caught in a storm, temporarily lost my sight, and ended up meeting the people from your village."

"At first, I was terrified. I was afraid my blindness wouldn't be temporary, but permanent."

"But now that I've met all of you, I'm not nearly as afraid, even if I'm still not used to being blind."

"So don't feel lost, Xiao Lan. Just follow the path you want to take."

Blue Silver sighed helplessly. "Somehow, after hearing you say all that, I feel even less confident."

"But you're right about one thing. If the Blue Silver Emperor learned her fate, perhaps it really would change."

"And I should stand by my own choice."

Lin Fan asked curiously, "Xiao Lan, are you about the same age as Dong'er? Have you turned twenty?"

"Uh..." the Blue Silver Emperor said. "I'm only a year or two older than Dong'er."

Lin Fan nodded. "That makes sense. It's normal to feel lost at your age. You're studying medicine with the village doctor, and you're wondering whether that was the right choice."

"It's like choosing a major at school. You worry about what your life will be like after you choose it."

"But someone destined to succeed won't simply submit to fate."

"So I believe you'll become a doctor everyone in the village respects, Xiao Lan."

"Thank you for talking this through with me, Lin Fan," Blue Silver said.

Lin Fan smiled. "Just don't laugh at me. We're only chatting. Take whatever you find useful from it. The path you take is still up to you."

Blue Silver smiled but said nothing.

Once Bibi Dong's group left the city, they hurried without stopping toward Sunset Forest.

"Everyone, use your Soul Power to reach Sunset Forest," Bibi Dong ordered. "We can't keep the Pope waiting."

"Of course," Yue Guan replied. "I can't wait to see the Immortal Herbs. But Saintess, if I may be so bold..."

Yue Guan grinned. "Are you afraid of keeping the Pope waiting, or Lin Fan?"

"Yue Guan, that was bold of you," Gui Mei said. "You should have asked what Miss Blue Silver is doing with Lin Fan right now."

"You two have a lot of nerve," Bibi Dong snapped. "Want me to have my Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor swallow you both?"

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, then dashed ahead to scout the way.

Three days later, at the outskirts of Sunset Forest.

"We're finally here, Saintess!" Yue Guan said, his face alight with excitement. "What's the plan?"

Bibi Dong thought for a moment. "Lin Fan said the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is surrounded by poisonous mist. That should be easy to spot. If we find the mist, we'll find the well."

"So spread out and search, but don't go too far. Avoid ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts and other Soul Masters if you can. Don't get drawn into a fight."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Saintess, stay with me," Yue Guan said. "Sunset Forest may not be as dangerous as Star Dou Great Forest, but it still has plenty of fifty- and sixty-thousand-year-old soul beasts. I couldn't answer for it if anything happened to you."

Bibi Dong nodded. "Fine. It's settled. Into the forest."

The group spread out, while Yue Guan stayed with Bibi Dong.

Everyone they had brought was a Soul Douluo, so they searched Sunset Forest quickly.

Half a day later, one of the Soul Douluo sounded a signal.

By the time Bibi Dong and Yue Guan reached the signal point, the others had already gathered.

Before them lay a vast mass of dark green poisonous mist. It hung thickly in place, as though something were holding it together.

The Soul Douluo who had found it first said, "Saintess, this mist covers a huge area. Could this be the place His Holiness the Pope is looking for?"

"Well done," Bibi Dong said approvingly. "A reward of one hundred thousand!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" The Soul Douluo beamed.

Bibi Dong continued, "The two elders and I will enter the mist to investigate. Conceal yourselves outside and wait. Let no one approach, including soul beasts. Kill anything that comes near."

"Rest assured, everyone who came with me on this mission will receive a reward."

With that promise and warning, the six Soul Douluo who had accompanied her dispersed and hid. Some took cover in the trees, others in the undergrowth.

"This poisonous mist looks unusual, Saintess," Gui Mei said. "I have some resistance to poison. I'll go in first."

Gui Mei stepped into the mist. Half a minute later, he reappeared before Bibi Dong.

"No problem, Saintess. The poison in this mist can only threaten those below the level of Soul King."

"Good." Bibi Dong nodded.

The three of them wrapped themselves in Soul Power and entered the mist, with Gui Mei and Yue Guan in front and Bibi Dong between them, a step behind.

Once they passed through the dark green mist, the view opened up, revealing a landscape shimmering with seven colors.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was like a ring. Poisonous mist formed its outer edge, while the inner area was clear, breathtakingly beautiful, like a paradise.

The strangest sight in the valley was the pool at its center, formed by one red spring and one blue spring.

Yue Guan was the first to cry out. "Holy shit... Incredible! This really is a treasure trove!"

"So this is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well Lin Fan told us about," Bibi Dong said. "It's beautiful!"

"What do you think, Yue Guan?" Gui Mei asked.