But when they met those eyes with their clear blacks and whites, all the tangled emotions in their hearts would vanish, with the sole exception of one person...
Jing Fanyu watched his fluid tea-making movements, his gaze following the hand holding the teapot. Brown prayer beads wound several times around that wrist, making its skin look all the fairer.
It reminded him of yesterday, when a trickle of crimson blood had flowed over that same hand...
Wu Fei was brewing the ice lotus heart tea Jing Fanyu had just given him. He had learned the art from a martial uncle in his sect. Perhaps because of his exquisite heart, he found it easier than others to quiet his mind while making tea, his movements gentle and unhurried without ever becoming sluggish.
There it was again. The gaze resting on his hand was scorching. It certainly could not belong to any of his fellow disciples, whose minds were free of distracting thoughts. It could only be Jing Fanyu, sitting opposite him.
Fortunately, that gaze returned to normal after only a moment. Yet this only made Wu Fei inwardly tense. Even with a nature this deranged, he could still regain his reason in time.
As expected of the protagonist and villain who toyed with both the righteous cultivators and the Devil Domain in the palm of his hand.
The ice lotus heart tea Jing Fanyu had given him was of excellent quality. Tender green buds unfurled in the water. Though the water was warm, the rising steam carried a faint, icy chill.
"Junior Brother Jing, please." Wu Fei handed him the first cup, then invited his fellow disciples to help themselves.
Only once the Heavenly Sword Sect had settled down did Jing Fanyu take his leave.
However, when Wu Fei returned to his room and sat cross-legged in meditation, he suddenly detected a trace of somewhat familiar demonic qi. After carefully sensing the location of his prayer-bead tracker, his brow shifted almost imperceptibly.
Jing Fanyu? No, I should say the Demon Venerable Yin Fan...
So the protagonist had just left as Jing Fanyu, only to turn right around and come back as the Demon Venerable Yin Fan?
Author's note:
Demonic qi: So I was a tracker all along...
Prayer beads: I'm a tracker too!
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!
Chapter 3: Terrifying indeed
After learning that the visitor was Yin Fan, Wu Fei outwardly continued his seated cultivation while secretly watching his movements.
Seeing this from the shadows, Yin Fan snorted coldly and abruptly appeared. Demonic qi surged brazenly around him as he pressed toward Wu Fei, thoroughly displeased that Wu Fei had clearly noticed him yet ignored him.
Wu Fei raised his eyes slightly. Despite the demonic qi right before him, he remained unconcerned and spoke mildly. "Fellow Daoist, you have visited several times. How should I address you?"
Yin Fan said, "As expected of the Buddha Spirit Sect's Buddhist disciple. Faced with this venerable one, you actually have the nerve to ask who I am?"
Any other righteous cultivator in this situation would either have been scared out of their wits or immediately attacked, shouting threats.
His words dripped with sarcasm. Wu Fei chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained placid. "All who come are guests."
Although he did not know what Yin Fan wanted, Wu Fei could tell that Yin Fan would not take his life. It seemed more as though he had genuinely come to make friends...
The moment he finished speaking, the demonic qi lurking in his face stirred. Just as Wu Fei thought he would have to endure another bout of pain, it settled again. Then he heard Yin Fan's slightly low voice.
"A battle in the Northern Region split the earth for a thousand li."
The Northern Region referred to the northern part of the Devil Domain. Back then, Yin Fan had fought the Northern Region's Demon Venerable alone for several days. Their demonic qi had battered the land of the Northern Region, creating a fissure a thousand li long.
That battle had made the Demon Venerable Yin Fan famous. Though his cultivation was only at late spirit transformation, no one dared underestimate him, and they regarded him with apprehension.
"Fellow Daoist, you are the Demon Venerable Yin Fan?" Wu Fei asked.
Inwardly, however, he grew a little wary. Yin Fan had actually told him the truth, leaving Wu Fei no choice but to think further about it.
"Indeed, this venerable one." Yin Fan lifted his chin.
Wu Fei calmly turned his prayer beads. "May I ask what exactly has brought the Demon Venerable here so many times?"
In the original novel, when this great inheritance tomb opened, the protagonist had appeared as Jing Fanyu throughout, including inside the tomb. Only when separated from others had he used the Demon Venerable's methods, so no one had noticed anything amiss even by the end of the inheritance.
But now, with Mahayana stage experts gathered in the Heavenly Sword Sect, Yin Fan had appeared several times despite the risk of discovery. Wu Fei found it deeply puzzling and had many conjectures.
Given the Buddhist disciple's personality in the book, he probably would not have beaten around the bush either, so Wu Fei asked outright.
Instead of answering, Yin Fan asked, "This venerable one saw clearly. The Heavenly Sword Sect master's true disciple has the bearing of a
dragon
and the grace of a phoenix. You seem to admire him quite a bit?"
"Uh..." Wu Fei found this amusing, but showed none of it. He went along with the question. "Junior Brother Jing is indeed a dragon among men."
"Junior Brother Jing. How affectionate." The demonic qi around Yin Fan fluctuated a few times with his emotions.
Wu Fei: "..." Weren't you the one who told me to call you that?
He considered for a moment, secretly pondering Yin Fan's purpose. Lowering his eyes slightly to the prayer beads in his hand to conceal the emotions in them, he spoke in the same peaceful tone. "Could it be that you, too, wish to befriend me, Demon Venerable?"
Unexpectedly, Yin Fan scoffed. "This venerable one would never stoop to calling you righteous cultivators brothers."
At that, the image of Jing Fanyu beaming as he called him "Senior Brother Wu Fei" not long ago suddenly flashed through Wu Fei's mind. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
In the end, only his years of practiced restraint allowed him to barely suppress the urge to laugh, hiding all his teasing amusement in his lowered eyes.
Just then, Yin Fan suddenly flashed forward. As he had yesterday, he lifted Wu Fei's chin and examined him closely, lightly rubbing it with his fingertip in a frivolous gesture.
"Still, this venerable one does rather like that face of yours."
Wu Fei slowly lifted his eyelids, his eyes already perfectly clear. "I see. If this outward appearance of mine pleases you, Demon Venerable, feel free to take it."
Yin Fan raised an eyebrow. "How would I take it?"
"I have heard there are those in the Devil Domain skilled at flaying people." Wu Fei's tone was mild, as though he had merely said something inconsequential rather than offered to let someone skin his face.
Meeting those eyes, Yin Fan knew Wu Fei meant it. He could not help narrowing his eyes as he studied the white-robed Buddhist disciple. "Are you trying to please this venerable one?"