Yun Zhi? Your Name Is Yun Zhi?

The Black-Robed Man gave no response to Xiao Fan's words, merely walking over to the fire and sitting down.

Seeing this, Xiao Fan could only climb onto the bank and quickly put on his clothes.

He bowed to the Black-Robed Man again and smiled. "Senior, meeting in a place like this must be fate. May I ask your name?"

A cool, slightly hoarse voice came from beneath the black robe.

"What is a mere Dou Zhe like you doing in the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"

Hearing her question, Xiao Fan did not want to expose his true identity. After all, he still feared causing trouble that might implicate the Xiao Clan, so he could only play the victim. "You don't know my circumstances, Senior. I was the eldest legitimate son of my family, but my mother died giving birth to me, and my father found a new love."

"Under my vicious stepmother's torment, I managed to awaken my talent, but she saw me as a thorn in her eye, a splinter in her flesh. She was always trying to kill me so she could leave the family fortune to her own child."

"I had no choice. I couldn't bear to watch my own flesh and blood slaughter each other over a little inheritance, so I left home. But I suffered all kinds of hardships along the way, and only through a series of coincidences did I finally end up here..."

System: "..."

Black-Robed Man: "..."

"Do you think I'm that easy to fool...?"

The Black-Robed Man's calm voice rang in Xiao Fan's ears.

Xiao Fan smiled awkwardly. "Haha, I was just joking with you, Senior."

As he spoke, he walked straight over and sat beside the Black-Robed Man, took the magical beast meat he had saved out of his backpack, and began roasting it.

He also started chatting with her. "By the way, Senior, you must have some important business to venture so deep into the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

He was only a lowly Dou Zhe anyway. If she wanted to harm him, he would have nowhere to run in this place crawling with magical beasts. With that in mind, he relaxed completely.

The Black-Robed Man paused briefly at Xiao Fan's words, then said, "Mm. I'm only here to retrieve something."

Hearing her reply, Xiao Fan had to admit that strength really did let you do whatever you wanted.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range was fraught with danger, yet to her, it was merely somewhere to pick something up.

She could come and go as she pleased. He wondered when he would ever reach that level.

"You seem quite young, yet you're already a high-level Dou Zhe. With talent like yours, why would you enter this danger-ridden Magical Beast Mountain Range alone?"

While Xiao Fan was roasting the meat, the Black-Robed Man's voice sounded again.

Xiao Fan hesitated a little. The first time could be passed off as a joke, but now that she had asked again, spouting more nonsense would amount to deliberately mocking her.

If she became displeased and slapped him to death, even Yao Lao and the others would not be able to save him. After all, he could not hide inside a Storage Ring for decades like Yao Lao.

Xiao Fan could only say, "My name is Xiao Fan, Senior. Mercenaries outside were hunting me, so I had no choice but to hide in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

See? Everything he had said was backed by solid facts.

His real name, being hunted outside, and having no choice but to hide in the lair of magical beasts that would devour a man without even spitting out his bones.

It was not that Xiao Fan did not want to use an alias. The main problem was the recent wanted notices in Qingshan Town. If this senior had come from there, wouldn't she realize he was lying to her?

If she took a dislike to him, one slap would leave him embedded so deeply in a tree that no one could pry him out.

After hearing Xiao Fan's explanation, the Black-Robed Man said nothing more. He could not tell whether she believed him.

Following the principle that saying less meant making fewer mistakes, Xiao Fan also fell silent and concentrated on roasting the meat in his hands.

After a long while, an enticing aroma wafted from the roasting meat. Xiao Fan took some seasonings from his Storage Ring and sprinkled them over it, then offered a portion to the Black-Robed Man, saying softly, "Please, Senior!"

Afraid the mysterious figure might suspect him of poisoning it, he took a bite first to prove his innocence.

In fact, midway through roasting the meat, Xiao Fan had also tried to check the mysterious figure's identity through the system's affinity section.

But what it displayed was:

[Black-Robed Man] Affinity: 55, stranger.

Upon asking the system, he learned that it would not reveal an identity the host had yet to recognize. A name would only appear once the target's identity had been established.

With that, Xiao Fan could only abandon the idea of using the system's convenience to identify powerful figures.

At least he could confirm that the Black-Robed Man bore him no ill will.

The Black-Robed Man accepted the roasted meat from Xiao Fan and began eating with relish.

The voluminous robe covered her head. Even while she ate, Xiao Fan still could not see her face. He merely felt that her manner of eating was a little too dainty.

Perhaps that was simply her habit. Xiao Fan liked taking big mouthfuls when he ate. It was comfortable and relaxing, and he had no desire to impose all sorts of restrictions on himself even when eating.

Before long, once both of them had more or less eaten their fill, the Black-Robed Man suddenly asked Xiao Fan, "Do you know what this place is?"

Xiao Fan asked curiously, "What place is it?"

Seeing Xiao Fan's clueless expression, the Black-Robed Man laughed. "You really aren't afraid of dying. You don't even know where you are, yet you dare to run around everywhere."

"This is the Amethyst Winged Lion King's territory. It's a sixth-rank magical beast."

"!!"

"The Amethyst Winged Lion King?"

The Black-Robed Man had expected Xiao Fan to look frightened upon hearing about the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Instead, to her surprise, he reacted with delight.

She immediately asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid? You should know that the Amethyst Winged Lion King is a sixth-rank magical beast, equivalent to a human Dou Huang expert."

Xiao Fan blinked, coughed, and said to the Black-Robed Man, "Sorry to make a fool of myself, Senior. I was only curious."

"Have you noticed any major battles nearby recently, Senior?"

"??"

Although the Black-Robed Man said nothing, for some reason Xiao Fan could still seem to sense her confusion.

He coughed and continued, "Then have you seen anyone come to make trouble for the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Senior?"

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, the Black-Robed Man narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "What do you mean by those questions? Is someone else here to make trouble for the Amethyst Winged Lion King?"

Else?

Hearing the Black-Robed Man's words, Xiao Fan's mind failed to catch up for a moment.

He blinked twice, seemingly struck by a possibility, and cautiously asked, "After all this time, I still haven't learned your name, Senior!"

The Black-Robed Man hesitated, then slowly uttered a name.

"Yun Zhi."

Xiao Fan: ...

Unable to conceal his astonishment, Xiao Fan jumped to his feet.

"Yun Zhi? Your name is Yun Zhi?"

At this point, how could Xiao Fan fail to understand? He had actually been asking about Yun Yun's whereabouts right in front of her!

Who was it in my previous life who said that even a dog could see through her disguise when it was only a black robe? Come out! I promise I won't beat you to death!!

Still, despite it being only a black robe, Xiao Fan had not recognized her as Yun Zhi at all. He had not even considered that she was a woman, because even her voice did not sound like a woman's.

"What? Have you heard my name before?"

Yun Yun's cool voice sounded again.

Xiao Fan smiled awkwardly and said, "It's nothing. An old friend of mine was also named Yun Zhi. I just didn't expect such a coincidence."