Bai Fanlu reprimanded him softly, but his hands moved even more gently as he bandaged the wound. After finishing, he said, “In the future, think things through more carefully instead of acting so foolishly.”

Xiao Liu didn’t respond, lowering his head as he withdrew his hand. He covered his left hand with his right, gently stroking the fabric of the bandage.

Bai Fanlu didn’t expect Xiao Liu to take the lesson to heart and walked over to the river. Xiao Liu’s knife was still in the water; Bai Fanlu picked it up, dried the blade, sheathed it, and handed it to Xiao Liu.

“Keep it close. Never be without your weapon when you’re out and about.”

Xiao Liu took the knife and stared at it for a while.

“This was my first time killing someone,” he said. Now, he seemed able to face this fact calmly. “At first, it felt like a dream, but when I saw the blood on the knife, I realized I had really killed someone.”

“You didn’t kill a person; you killed a demon,” Bai Fanlu corrected him, not wanting Xiao Liu to doubt himself or feel guilty about it.

To his surprise, Xiao Liu shook his head. “What’s the difference between a person and a demon?”

It was the first time Bai Fanlu had been asked this, and he didn’t immediately know how to answer. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “If it’s a demon, then maybe everyone would think it deserves to be killed.”

“Do you really think that?”

Bai Fanlu didn’t actually believe that, but he said, “A lot of people do.”

“At least I don’t,” Xiao Liu said as he secured the knife at his waist and patted the sheath. “But I’m still glad it helped me take down an evil person. I didn’t know I could actually do it.”

Although asking a sixteen-year-old boy this might seem meaningless, Bai Fanlu looked at Xiao Liu’s bandaged hand and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really think there’s no difference between humans and demons?”

“Or…what about immortals?” he added.

Xiao Liu seemed puzzled by the question at first, frowning before breaking into a smile. “What difference does it make? There are good and bad ones among all of them.”

“That flower thief—even if he was human, doing so many wicked things meant I still had to kill him. I did it because he was evil, not because he was a demon.”

“As for immortals…they must have some bad ones too. But if I can’t beat them, I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.”

At this point, Xiao Liu seemed troubled. “I think I’m still too weak. Immortal brother, why don’t you take me as your disciple sooner? You can teach me in secret without letting your master know!”

Xiao Liu was about to continue pleading, but he noticed Bai Fanlu was staring at him, a deep and moved expression in his eyes.

Bai Fanlu was indeed touched by Xiao Liu’s words. The boy who had shown such natural fear last night was now calmly discussing life and death. Yet, it didn’t seem shallow or laughable; instead, it evoked a sense of admiration.

“Immortal brother? Is there something on my face?”

Yes, you have the moon in your eyes.

Bai Fanlu shook his head with a smile, holding Xiao Liu’s gaze as the shadows of the trees flickered in the dappled sunlight, gradually forming a warm glow.

“Unfortunately, I can’t teach you. I have something important to do, and we may never meet again. Take care of yourself.”

After saying this, Bai Fanlu didn’t want to explain further. He turned around, tuning out whatever Xiao Liu was still saying to him, and silently recited a teleportation spell.

The morning forest, wrapped in awkward silence, returned to tranquility. Only the sound of the flowing river and the light chirping of birds revealed the passage of time and place.

Bai Fanlu opened his eyes and recited the teleportation spell for the third time, almost speaking it out loud.

“Immortal brother…”

Stop it, I need to fly.

Bai Fanlu twisted his wrist to control his sword, but the sword refused to cooperate. No matter how he summoned it, it wouldn’t fly, quietly hanging at his waist like a piece of scrap metal.

Teleportation and sword flight—both were failing?!

…

Bai Fanlu raised an eyebrow, calmly clasped his hands behind his back, and silently walked forward with the steps of a banished immortal.

A banished immortal, meaning an immortal who has been exiled. In other words, he couldn’t fly anymore.

Catching up to this banished immortal took Xiao Liu no effort at all. “Immortal brother, where are you going? Take me with you, okay?”

“No.”

Bai Fanlu was in a bad mood and desperately needed peace and quiet, but Xiao Liu kept pestering him, asking why not, what was wrong, and how come it wasn’t okay.

Zizi also wouldn’t settle down, clinging to its owner’s leg and squeaking noisily, seemingly upset that Xiao Liu had forgotten it and wasn’t carrying it.

Bai Fanlu suddenly stopped in his tracks. Xiao Liu couldn’t stop in time and bumped into him, quickly stepping back with his hands at his sides, looking embarrassed.

Then, unexpectedly, someone’s stomach growled.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but laugh, seeing Xiao Liu’s flushed and awkward expression. He thought for a moment and said, “It seems I’m a bit hungry.”

“Huh? Oh! I know! Immortal brother, wait here. I’ll go get you something to eat!”

The boy turned and ran off, his movements lively and cheerful, as if he didn’t suspect at all that Bai Fanlu might deliberately send him away and take the opportunity to slip away.

Bai Fanlu quickly walked some distance ahead and stopped at a tree. The tree had many branches and was relatively easy to climb. After looking around, he lifted his robes and climbed the tree using both hands and feet.

Finding a comfortable and stable position, Bai Fanlu closed his eyes and began to meditate.

The evil heat in his lower abdomen had long since dissipated, but why did his dantian feel blocked, making his spiritual energy sluggish and difficult to circulate?

Bai Fanlu raised a finger and flicked a leaf from a distance. The leaf shattered and disintegrated in the whirlpool of spiritual energy.

Healing techniques and wind spirit talismans… these were still usable, but teleportation and sword flight were not.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t figure out where the problem was. As he carefully recalled last night’s events, one detail caught his attention.

Aside from his own spiritual power and the evil power of the flower thief, what was that unfamiliar third force?

Now Bai Fanlu could no longer sense it, but that power, cold as ice, had emerged when he was completely unaware, gradually taking over when he did notice it, and finally growing, spreading, and excluding all others.

It was as if…

A poisonous snake had been lured out of its lair by its prey!

Bai Fanlu shuddered as if he could see that snake slithering towards him, flicking its tongue, its cold, scaly skin adorned with eyes that locked onto him with cold-blooded precision.

Bai Fanlu abruptly opened his eyes, causing the surrounding leaves to tremble and fall.

What should he do? Could he still go to Yingzhou? If not, there was no reason to return to the Tian Shu Sect either.

Or should he just stay nearby and live in seclusion as he had originally planned?

It was a good idea, but Ting Nu’s appearance made Bai Fanlu realize that even if he didn’t provoke the demon realm, they could still find him. Let alone the immortal sects.

Separating from Yun Zhan to act independently was intended to advance the plot quickly and end it as soon as possible so he could escape. But now, if he gave up halfway, he would feel unsatisfied.

Ah, such a difficult fate, Bai Fanlu silently lamented.

Acting on impulse, he was now reaping what he had sown. But even if he had another chance, he would still have gone after the flower thief, only more cautiously to avoid falling into a trap.

Given the situation, he decided to head to Yingzhou first. He would take it step by step; even if he couldn’t fly, moving slowly was better than waiting indefinitely for Yun Zhan.

To avoid being caught by Xiao Liu, Bai Fanlu alternated between jogging and using his lightness skill. Although it wasn’t as fast as flying, it was still several times quicker than an ordinary person walking.

After half a day of perseverance, he was thoroughly exhausted, but fortunately, he had a good sense of direction and successfully found Jiyang Town, which was mentioned in the novel as a place where the original owner and Yun Zhan had passed through.

The town, situated in hilly terrain, wasn’t large, but because of its unique location, it was a necessary stop for traders traveling between Yingzhou and Dongchang. As a result, the townspeople lived relatively prosperous lives, with an abundance of carriages and supplies, making it ideal for long-distance travelers to restock.

Bai Fanlu had specifically sought out this place to buy a horse for travel, but after circling the horse market, he realized that in ancient times, the price of a horse was equivalent to that of a motorcycle today, far exceeding his budget.

Buying one normally was difficult, so Bai Fanlu decided to try a different approach. After asking around, he knocked on the door of a wealthy household.

A young servant opened

 the door. Seeing that Bai Fanlu was unfamiliar, he asked, “May I ask who you are, sir?”

Bai Fanlu replied, “My name is Lu, and I’m a friend of your young master.”

The servant looked surprised. “This… my young master has been ill for a long time and isn’t in a condition to receive guests.”

“No matter,” Bai Fanlu said. “Just tell your young master, ‘The late evening mist of Lanyan Mountain, the bridge near the snow.’”

“‘The late evening mist of Lanyan Mountain, the bridge near the snow’?” The servant was confused. “But my young master, he’s…”

Bai Fanlu only smiled in response.

The servant, noticing Bai Fanlu’s distinguished appearance and demeanor, hesitated but eventually nodded. “Then please wait a moment while I inform the master.”

Bai Fanlu waited outside the door, knowing they would eventually invite him in.

Sure enough, after a short while, the door reopened. This time, in addition to the young servant, a middle-aged man appeared. Bai Fanlu guessed that this was the master of the house, Mr. Shen.

“Mr. Lu, it’s an honor to have you at our humble abode. Please, come inside.”

Bai Fanlu nodded slightly and followed them in.

Instead of being taken to a common guest room, he was led directly to the backyard, where they stopped in front of a door.

Inside, he could hear the sound of someone coughing.

Mr. Shen seemed startled by the noise, bowing apologetically to Bai Fanlu. “I apologize for bringing you here directly without offering you tea first. It’s just…”

Understanding the situation, Bai Fanlu said, “I understand a parent’s love for their child. But there is something I need to discuss with you, Mr. Shen. Could we talk privately?”

“Oh, of course, of course,” Mr. Shen quickly agreed.

He instructed the servant to wait at the door while they walked a bit further from the room.

“May I ask if your son has been in a coma for one year and three months, only to wake up after hearing the phrase ‘The late evening mist of Lanyan Mountain, the bridge near the snow,’ but now behaves as if he has lost his mind? When you speak to him, he doesn’t respond, only coughs violently and even coughs up blood?”

“Everything you said is exactly right!” Mr. Shen was astonished. “My son fell into a coma, and we tried countless remedies. Today, when you came, he finally woke up, but he’s like a fool. What kind of strange illness is this? Is there a cure?”

Bai Fanlu reassured him, “Don’t worry. I’m a cultivator, and by chance, I learned of your son’s condition. I came today to help remove the burden from his heart.”

“Really? Oh, thank you so much, sir… Oh no, I mean, thank you, Immortal Master.” Mr. Shen was so overwhelmed that he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, seemingly on the verge of tears.

“You don’t know how much this means to me. My wife passed away after my son fell ill, and if anything happens to him, I… I don’t know what I’ll do…”

As he was about to kneel in gratitude, Bai Fanlu quickly helped him up.

“There’s no need to thank me yet. However, if your son’s condition is cured…” Bai Fanlu hesitated, then suddenly asked, “May I ask a bold question, Mr. Shen? I hope you won’t take offense.”

“Please, speak freely,” Mr. Shen replied.

Bai Fanlu looked serious. “Do you want your son to live a good life, or do you want him to continue the family line?”