99 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo
**Chapter 99** Originally, Mingzhu and Bai Fan were in conversation, but they now noticed another person nearby. Due to the heatwave's influence, the blue-dressed woman's face was flushed, and her vigilant eyes were fixed on Bai Fan. Bai Fan turned around and looked at the blue-dressed woman, suddenly recalling what Mingzhu had mentioned before: "Is this the person?" Mingzhu, who was standing next to Bai Fan, nodded. "Yes, but I still don't know how to deal with her." The blue-dressed woman suddenly stood up, and a long sword appeared in her palm. Seeing that the woman was already at the mid-Golden Core stage, Bai Fan took two steps back, standing beside Mingzhu. "Do you know her identity?" "She seems to be the leader of some Blue-Clad Sect." Mingzhu scratched her chin, pondering over the conversations she overheard that day. "The leader of the Blue-Clad Sect?" "Possibly." At this moment, the blue-dressed woman, sword in hand, was about to charge forward when Mingzhu quickly reacted, rushing up and knocking her away with a single palm. The blue-dressed woman was flung like an arc into the distance, spitting blood from her chest wound, and looked at Mingzhu in disbelief. "You're just at the early Golden Core stage, how can you—" Mingzhu retracted her hand, her pink skirt fluttering in the wind, and said incredulously, "Does being at the early Golden Core stage mean I must be weaker than you?" After observing the space for a while, Bai Fan turned to Mingzhu and said, "I didn't expect the inside of this bracelet to be like this. It's even worse than the outside environment; the spiritual energy is almost depleted. This place can only serve as a temporary hiding spot." Mingzhu nodded in agreement. When she first entered, she also noticed that the environment was too poor. There wasn't even enough spiritual energy for cultivating, let alone for meditation and training. Hearing their conversation, the blue-dressed woman was first shocked by their strength and then disappointed with the place. She had never entered this space before and had just figured out how to open it. The bracelet's connection with her mind had long been severed, so she had no idea in whose hands it now was. But looking at the two in front of her, the blue-dressed woman believed the gold bracelet was definitely in their hands. After all, she had spent over two million spirit stones on it, nearly depleting all of the Blue-Clad Sect’s savings. As she stumbled to her feet, Bai Fan and Mingzhu suddenly disappeared from the space, leaving the blue-dressed woman standing there in a daze. Time passed faster in the bracelet’s space compared to the outside. Although she had been in there for less than a day in outside time, a month had already passed inside. A cultivator in a place poor in spiritual energy would find it extremely hard to replenish their lost spiritual power. During the recent fight, she realized that the speed of recovering the consumed spirit energy by herself was excruciatingly slow. It would take at least ten days to half a month to recover to her peak state. She was still unaware of the time difference between the inside and the outside, thinking that she had been trapped for more than a month. What she initially considered a paradise had turned into a prison-like existence, with barren surroundings, no sun or moon, and no distinction between day and night. All that was left to accompany her was the long silence. Torturing someone is not about physical pain but rather the mental aspect. Even cultivators, despite being able to meditate to pass the time, would eventually break down without any form of interaction or activity. After coming out of the bracelet, Bai Fan realized that the time they spent inside was just a blink of an eye outside. It seemed that time passed much faster in there. "Night River, what should we do with the blue-dressed woman?" Mingzhu held onto the bracelet, cautiously observing Bai Fan's expression. After thinking for a moment, Bai Fan instructed Mingzhu, "Keep this bracelet safe for now. We’ll be staying here for a few days. During this time, I’ll gather more information about the Blue-Clad Sect. Also, don’t go into that space unless necessary; that blue-dressed woman isn’t ordinary." "I’ll listen to you." Seeing Mingzhu's obedient look, Bai Fan turned to leave, but not before saying, "Thank you this time." Mingzhu nodded, her eyes forming crescent shapes as she smiled. Once Bai Fan left, she frowned, feeling that the troubles were increasing. However, this unexpected incident had washed away her demonic energy, which was a substantial gain. It seemed the jade marrow liquid was indeed good stuff. The next day came quickly. When Bai Fan went to the counter to inquire about the wasteland's news, she was disappointed to find no one could provide any information since most people hadn’t even heard of it, let alone knew its location. The three looked at the blank information sheet in silence. Finally, Bai Fan suggested, "Maybe we should stay for a few more days. We might get some news then." He Yiman turned to Bai Fan and said blandly, "But we don’t have enough spirit stones to cover the room fees anymore." Hearing He Yiman's concern about the spirit stones, Bai Fan took it upon herself, thinking this was no longer an issue. "Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. I’ll handle the room fees from now on, so there’s no need to be concerned." Watching Bai Fan’s confident assurance, He Yiman was puzzled but chose to trust her. Once He Yiman and Mingzhu returned to their room, Bai Fan sneaked down alone to extend their stay. It cost more than a hundred spirit stones per day, amounting to over three hundred for the three of them each day. Staying for another three days would require at least a thousand spirit stones. Although Bai Fan currently didn’t lack spirit stones, shelling out a thousand at once still made her a bit reluctant. Her spirit stones weren’t abundant enough for her to be this indulgent all the time, but extending their stay was essential now. The spirit herb auction was the next day, and she hoped to fetch a good price. While staring at the information board on the first floor, Bai Fan pondered if she could collect information about the Blue-Clad Sect from here. Though no major events were happening currently, being prepared for any eventualities was necessary. Understanding the enemy beforehand would prevent blind fights and unnecessary risks, allowing for the possibility of escape if things went south. Thus, Bai Fan asked the counter clerk, "Do you have any information about the Blue-Clad Sect available for purchase?" "We do." "Give me a comprehensive one." "That’ll be six hundred spirit stones." The clerk put an envelope on the counter, and Bai Fan swallowed, incredulous. "Why is it so expensive? A day’s room fee is just a hundred spirit stones. Why does a bit of information cost six hundred?” The clerk, seeing Bai Fan’s incredulity, explained patiently, "Miss, you must understand, this is information about the Blue-Clad Sect. Although our Moon Lake has significant influence, the Blue-Clad Sect has been entrenched in Loulan for over a hundred years. Their spies are everywhere. Selling their information is quite a risky business." Hesitating while looking at the envelope on the counter, Bai Fan quietly debated within herself. In the end, she thought, six hundred it is. Considering the Blue-Clad Sect sounded formidable, for the sake of future security, it was worth the investment. "I’ll buy it, but you mustn’t disclose that I bought this information." Bai Fan glanced at the clerk suspiciously. The clerk smiled pleasantly and reassured her, "Rest assured, Miss. We never disclose our clients' identities." "That’s good." Producing six hundred spirit stones from her storage pouch, she reluctantly handed them over, sealing the transaction. With the thick envelope in hand, Bai Fan was about to head back to her room when she bumped into Shang Wu Fang. Shang Wu Fang wasn't surprised to see Bai Fan and, upon noticing the envelope, seemed to be plotting something. "What a coincidence. I was just about to head out and ended up running into Miss Bai." Bai Fan forced a dry laugh, "Hehe, what a coincidence indeed." Internally, she lamented how he seemed to be everywhere, more persistent than a pesky spirit. "Is Miss Bai heading back to her room?" "Yes." "I was just about to go collect some sand scorpion eggs. Would you care to join me?" Quickly stepping aside, Bai Fan declined, "No, I have other matters to tend to." Just when Bai Fan thought she could leave like last time, Shang Wufang intercepted her, his expression changing as he lowered his voice, "Miss Bai, have you forgotten about those South Continent cultivators who died outside? I heard that more people have recently gone missing. What do you think the cultivators in Loulan City would do if I told them you were the one who killed them?" "And what is it that you want?" Staring at the malicious man before her, Bai Fan felt both angry and helpless. She was now at his mercy, making refusal nearly impossible. If she were alone, she could simply leave if something went wrong. However, with the auction yet to begin, He Yiman and the others still around, and her wounds not fully healed, she couldn't just walk away. Seeing that she finally became compliant, Shang Wufang softened his tone, "I need to fetch some sand scorpion eggs and would like your assistance, Miss Bai." Bai Fan had heard about retrieving sand scorpion eggs twice now—once yesterday and again today. As long as it was genuinely about helping and not committing any evil deeds, she found it acceptable. "Alright, I agree. But I need to be back before dark; I have things to do tomorrow." "Of course." Shang Wufang stepped aside, gesturing for her to proceed. With a sigh, Bai Fan walked out of Moon Lake. From the upstairs window, He Yiman happened to see Bai Fan leaving with a man. Initially, she had just wanted to open the window for some fresh air but ended up witnessing this scene. Though she couldn't hear their conversation, it was evident that neither looked pleased, especially with Bai Fan glancing around as she followed him. With downcast eyes, He Yiman murmured softly, "Where could they be going?" --- Thank you for the nutritional fluid. Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter Home | Desktop Version | Bookshelf | Complete Novel Collection | Popular Novels