Chapter 25: Interception

“Her physical condition, you say…” Su Muxue turned her head and glanced at the unconscious Su Mubing. “Bing’er has indeed been quite weak these past few years…”

“No, no, I think you’ve misunderstood me,” Lin Fan interrupted, “What I mean is—if your sister continues in this state, do you know what the consequences will be?”

“I…” Su Muxue shook her head blankly. “I don’t know. I ask that Senior please enlighten me.”

“She will die,” Lin Fan said bluntly.

“What?!”

Hearing this, Su Muxue was instantly shocked. She subconsciously took a few steps back and stumbled, nearly falling.

[Hey, she’s a girl, after all. Can’t you be a little more tactful when you speak?]

The system couldn’t help but pop out to complain.

“What’s tact? Can you eat it?” Lin Fan retorted with conviction.

[What the f**k…]

The system couldn’t help but swear.

[Seriously, you deserve to be single for ten thousand years.]

Seeing Lin Fan being so dense, the system sighed helplessly and simply sank back into his mind, no longer replying.

“Senior, I beg you…” Su Muxue bit her crimson lip, her clear, beautiful eyes filled with tears. “I beg you, please save Bing’er…”

“I can save her, but you have to agree to one condition,” Lin Fan suddenly put on a stern face, revealing a serious expression.

“I agree.”

Without the slightest hesitation, and without even asking what the condition was, Su Muxue agreed in one breath.

“Excellent,” Lin Fan nodded with a satisfied expression, “In that case, then… Huh? What are you doing?!”

Lin Fan, who had been focused on observing Su Mubing, had completely failed to notice the movements of Su Muxue’s hands.

By the time Lin Fan turned his head back, the scene before him nearly sent him to his grave.

He saw that the clothing on Su Muxue’s upper body had been quietly removed, revealing skin as white as milk.

Her soft, flowing blue hair cascaded down like a mountain waterfall, pouring over the edge of her collarbones.

“Y-Y-You…” Lin Fan’s old face flushed red, and he hurriedly turned his head away. “What are you doing? Hurry up and put your clothes on!”

“Eh?” Su Muxue had a blank expression, her eyes full of confusion. “The condition Senior mentioned, wasn’t it…”

Su Muxue really couldn’t think of any other condition she could agree to in her current miserable situation.

“Nonsense!” Lin Fan shouted sharply. “Hurry up and put your clothes on!”

“Oh…”

Su Muxue responded in a small voice, then put her clothes back on.

“The condition I mentioned was to take you two sisters as my disciples, and you will follow me to cultivate from now on,” Lin Fan explained, word by word. “How about it, is that acceptable?”

“Eh? J-Just that?” Su Muxue wore an expression of disbelief.

“What else?”

Lin Fan was a little speechless. What kind of strange things was this girl thinking about?

“O-Of course it’s acceptable!” Su Muxue knelt on one knee and performed a discipleship ceremony for Lin Fan. “Disciple Su Muxue pays respects to Master!”

“Good, very good—”

Lin Fan hurriedly pulled Su Muxue up from the ground. “My good disciple, please rise quickly!”

[Ding dong! Congratulations, Host, for successfully accepting your third disciple.]

[Congratulations, Host, you have received Immortal-Demon Points ×5000.]

[Congratulations, Host, you have received a Worn-Out Writing Brush ×1.]

“What the hell?”

Hearing the system’s reward, Lin Fan felt his head was about to explode. “A worn-out writing brush? What use do I have for a worn-out writing brush?!”

[Please~ It’s not for you to use, so what are you getting so worked up for?]

???

Lin Fan was momentarily stunned.

Not for me to use, could it be…

“My disciples have even less use for it, okay?!” Lin Fan shouted in exasperation.

[I’ll say it again, this system never gives out useless items.]

The system said with absolute certainty.

[Besides, last time I gave you seeds, didn’t you also think they were useless? But what was the result?]

“That’s true…”

It had to be said, the system’s counter-question hit the nail on the head.
Lin Fan nodded in agreement, then carefully put the writing brush away.

“The evil spirits in the city have been dealt with. Are you leaving with me directly now, or—do you want to go back to the sect to say goodbye before leaving?” Lin Fan asked Su Muxue with an indifferent gaze.

“Eh? Shouldn’t we first…” Su Muxue glanced at her sister with a complicated expression.

“Don’t worry,” Lin Fan saw Su Muxue’s concern, “Have her take this first. After you two come back with me, I will naturally have a way to cure her.”

With that, Lin Fan handed Su Muxue a yellow pill.

“Oh… okay!” Following Lin Fan’s instructions, Su Muxue quickly had her sister take the pill.

“Buzz—”

As the pill entered her body, a faint layer of golden light completely enveloped Su Mubing’s body.

The next second, Su Mubing’s pale complexion gradually turned rosy, and her breathing became steady.

“Where is this…”

“Bing’er, you’re finally awake!” Seeing the finally awakened Su Mubing, Su Muxue cried out excitedly.

“Sister, this is…” Su Mubing looked at Lin Fan before her with some confusion.

“Bing’er, quickly call him Master!” Su Muxue commanded Su Mubing.

“Eh?!”

This time, Su Mubing was completely bewildered.

What was going on? She woke up from a nap and gained a master?!

“Hey, hey!” Lin Fan couldn’t watch anymore and quickly spoke up to stop them.

You have to give her some time to process this!

After a round of explanations from Su Muxue, Su Mubing finally understood what had happened.

“So—” afraid that Su Mubing might be opposed, Lin Fan asked tentatively in a low voice, “Are you… willing to take me as your master?”

Su Mubing didn’t speak, just turned her head and slowly closed her eyes. “Since my sister has already acknowledged you, what else is there for me to say?”

“Disciple Su Mubing, greets Master…”

[Ding dong! Congratulations, Host, for successfully accepting your fourth disciple!]

[Congratulations, Host, you have received Immortal-Demon Points ×20000.]

[Congratulations, Host, you have received a pair of Ancient Bronze Mirrors.]

“Ugh…” Hearing the system’s reward, Lin Fan was momentarily speechless.

‘Forget it, it’s not like the system has ever given me anything normal anyway. I’ll just take it, why bother thinking so much about it.’

“In that case, let’s go,” Lin Fan said to the two Su sisters.

“Senior, please wait a moment!” Su Muxue stood up and stepped forward, blocking Lin Fan’s path.

“Is there something else?” Lin Fan asked, not understanding.

“It’s… it’s like this,” Su Muxue hesitated slightly, then slowly spoke, “Our team leader, the elder, is still in this city. So, could you possibly…”

“Understood,” before Su Muxue could finish, Lin Fan directly interrupted, “Where is she?”

Deep within Myriad Ghost City.

Elder Zhou leaned against the wall of a large courtyard, her expression full of dejection.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Just as Elder Zhou was blaming herself, a red light suddenly flashed before her.
A few seconds later, the red light dissipated, and several familiar figures appeared in Elder Zhou’s sight.

“You’re their team leader? You look quite relaxed~” Lin Fan greeted Elder Zhou with some amusement.

“Muxue, Mubing? And this is…”

“You’d better let them tell you,” Lin Fan casually found a place and sat down.

“Elder Zhou, it’s like this…”

Su Muxue recounted the entire course of events to Elder Zhou, down to the last detail.

“What?!”

When she heard that Lin Fan was actually able to fight against the entire Evil Spirit Clan by himself, Elder Zhou was utterly shocked, and the way she looked at Lin Fan became solemn.

“So… you came specifically to take my life, didn’t you?”

Elder Zhou gave a bitter smile, an expression of someone ready to face death. “Come on, after doing so many unconscionable things, it’s time I received my punishment.”

“No, no, no,” Lin Fan shook his head, “The one who decides your life or death is not me, but them.”

With that, Lin Fan had Su Muxue open the courtyard gate.

“Elder Zhou, you can’t die!”

“That’s right, Elder Zhou, this isn’t your fault!”

Outside the gate, dozens of Heaven Sound Sect disciples shouted toward Elder Zhou in unison.

“You all…”

Looking at this group of understanding disciples before her, Elder Zhou’s voice gradually became choked with emotion.

“Alright, alright,” Lin Fan patted the dust off and stood up, “Save the sentimentality for later. The most important thing right now is to hurry back and not let that female demon lord escape!”

Inside the Heaven Sound Sect—

Gazing at her own haggard reflection in the bronze mirror, Hua Luoyan’s heart was filled with rage.

“Damn it!” Hua Luoyan smashed the mirror in front of her with a punch. “What on earth did that guy feed me? Why can’t I throw it up?!”

The moment Lin Fan’s front foot left the Heaven Sound Sect, Hua Luoyan’s back foot ran to the pond to induce vomiting.

But for some reason, even though Hua Luoyan used every trick up her sleeve, she still couldn’t vomit out the pill she had swallowed.

After countless failed attempts at inducing vomiting, Hua Luoyan’s heart fell into complete despair.

She had a premonition that if she continued to stay here, her life would definitely be threatened.

“I have to leave this place quickly…”

Thinking of this, Hua Luoyan immediately ran into her room and hastily packed some belongings.

However, just as Hua Luoyan had finished packing and was preparing to leave quietly, a low voice suddenly sounded from the silent night sky.

“Where might you be going? My dear Sect Master Hua?”