Chapter 120: Lying Stiff in a Lonely Village, Pondering the Road Ahead

The familiar aroma of the wine reached my nostrils. I habitually took the cup and drained it in one gulp.

The mellow flavor touched my tongue, slid down my throat, and settled deep into my chest, stirring profound emotions.

"Is he truly using me?" Su Fan murmured.

Han Xiaoyue looked at Su Fan with a strange expression, a flicker of concern crossing her eyes before she asked, "Are you unwilling to tell me about your past?"

Su Fan smiled faintly and replied, "Of course I am willing."

Hearing his consent, Han Xiaoyue quickly set down her wine cup and, mimicking Su Fan, leaned against the peach tree with a look of earnest attention.

Su Fan smiled at her and began slowly, "I come from Longshi Village. I had a wonderful mother..."

"A mother? I don't have one," Han Xiaoyue said, looking at Su Fan with sincerity.

Su Fan paused, suddenly realizing he had touched upon a painful memory for the child. He quickly changed the subject: "Later, I went to an academy in town to study."

"What is studying for?" Han Xiaoyue asked, puzzled.

"To earn a position and fame," Su Fan explained.

Han Xiaoyue pressed on, "And what is earning a position and fame for?"

Su Fan was taken aback. This was something he had never truly considered. He smiled bitterly, "Earning a position is just to ensure one has enough to eat."

Han Xiaoyue laughed heartily, "If it's just to have enough to eat, you will certainly be well-fed if you stay here in Peach Blossom Creek."

Su Fan glanced at this idyllic paradise. Had it been at the very beginning, he surely would have loved it here, but he could not now. The passage of time had altered his heart and temperament.

Su Fan offered a smile and continued, "Unfortunately, I never had the chance to pursue that career... The first gift that man gave me was this peach blossom wine, and he asked me to be his disciple."

Han Xiaoyue asked in surprise, "He must be very powerful. Why didn't you want to be his disciple?"

Su Fan replied with a smile, "In the end, I did become his disciple. Yet, after many events, I realized that he was actually using me."

Han Xiaoyue said indignantly, "How could he do that? He went to such lengths just for his own gain. It is a pity you treated him with such respect."

Su Fan smiled helplessly and continued, "It is in the past; there is no point in dwelling on it anymore."

Han Xiaoyue blinked and asked, "Will you leave this place in the future?"

Su Fan nodded silently.

Han Xiaoyue hurriedly asked, "To go find Sister Ruoyu?"

Su Fan paused. That touch of pink had faded years ago; if they were to meet again, he truly wouldn't know what to do.

Seeing that Su Fan did not answer, Han Xiaoyue realized the matter was difficult for him to handle. She then asked, "What about Sister Yexue? When the Tianyuan Gate was conquered, where did she go?"

Su Fan was struck with a sudden jolt. This was a question he had never truly considered at the time, and now that he thought about it, it was indeed strange. From the moment the Tianyuan Gate was attacked and the old man in orange robes died in battle, there had been no sign of Yexue from start to finish.

Now that Han Xiaoyue brought it up, Su Fan was deeply shaken. If Yexue had died in battle or suffered any harm, he would not know how to explain it to Xiao Lin. Even though Xiao Lin did not know that Yexue was Lin Ling, the guilt in his heart could never be brushed away.

Thinking of his current situation—stranded in an unknown village with his cultivation entirely lost—he realized that dwelling on such thoughts was futile. The priority now was to recover his cultivation, then leave this place as quickly as possible to return to Falling Immortal City to save the Drunken Immortal.

Su Fan looked at the child’s expectant eyes and smiled, "Sister Yexue met Brother Xiao Lin, and then they were together."

Han Xiaoyue wore a satisfied smile and asked no more.

The setting sun had long since faded to a sliver, and the fiery evening glow was being swallowed by darkness, emitting its final radiance. Most villagers passing by the courtyard glanced at Su Fan with strange expressions before walking away quickly.

Su Fan frowned and asked, "Have other outsiders come to the village before?"

Han Xiaoyue exclaimed, "How did you know? A few bad people came a few days ago, but they were driven away by the Peach Blossom Saintess’s immortal arts."

"The Peach Blossom Saintess?" Su Fan asked, puzzled.

Han Xiaoyue showed a look of disdain, as if not knowing who the Peach Blossom Saintess was were a deeply shameful thing, regardless of whether one was a local or not.

Su Fan smiled bitterly, took another cup of wine, and drank it, wondering to himself how those people had managed to enter.

"They must have come for the Holy Spring, right?" Su Fan asked while drinking.

Han Xiaoyue said angrily, "The village chief said they came specifically for our Holy Spring. They are nothing but robbers."

Su Fan quickly comforted her, "Yes, they are robbers. If they come again, we will deal with them."

Han Xiaoyue narrowed her eyes, looked at Su Fan, and said seriously, "Are you sure you aren't a bad person?"

Su Fan quickly replied, "Do you think I am?"

Han Xiaoyue pouted, "No."

Su Fan smiled, nodded with satisfaction, and continued, "Why did the village chief keep me here?"

Han Xiaoyue replied impatiently, "You’ve known all along that I was sent by the village chief to watch you."

Su Fan was startled and quickly said, "I realized it, yes, but I am not unhappy about it."

Han Xiaoyue smiled and asked, "Why?"

Su Fan picked up a cup of wine and downed it again, as casually as if he were drinking cold water, yet with the intensity of someone drinking a fine vintage he never wished to end.

Su Fan said, "Because you saved me, and what you gave me to drink was the Holy Spring."

Han Xiaoyue asked, "The Holy Spring? This is clearly just ordinary creek water."

Su Fan was stunned. This peach blossom wine was identical to what the old man in purple had given him—it possessed an extremely dense spiritual energy. Even though the quantity was not enough to fully recover his cultivation, it was sufficient to slightly repair his meridians.

Hearing that it was merely ordinary creek water, Su Fan was ecstatic. If ordinary creek water held such rich spiritual energy, how powerful must the actual Holy Spring be? If he could enter the Holy Spring to cultivate, he could fully recover all his meridians in less than half a year. He would not need ten years to return his cultivation to its original state, and perhaps he might even achieve a breakthrough. That would give him the capital to attempt the Nascent Soul stage. Su Fan already understood the essentials of the Nascent Soul; he only needed the right opportunity to try.

Su Fan did not ask Han Xiaoyue about the Holy Spring directly, but instead asked, "Why do those people want to steal the Holy Spring?"

Han Xiaoyue said dismissively, "With the protection of the Peach Blossom Saintess, no one can touch the Holy Spring. How can there be any talk of stealing?"

Su Fan sighed inwardly. Who was this Peach Blossom Saintess? Could it be that she was merely an image held by the cultivators, a spiritual symbol and nothing more?

Su Fan continued, "You still haven't told me why the village chief kept me here."

Han Xiaoyue said, "Keeping you here was the wish of the Peach Blossom Saintess, for your own safety."

Su Fan said helplessly, "But I have many things I still need to do."

Han Xiaoyue scolded, "Only by staying alive can you do those things; otherwise, everything is just empty talk."

Su Fan had no choice but to fall silent. He wondered what had come over the child; she had suddenly become so stern. Could it be that the Peach Blossom Saintess had possessed her?

Su Fan looked at his empty cup and suddenly asked, "When will the village chief come to see me again?"