Grasping the Evil

Chapter 1222: Liubo

On the Sea of Ages, there are countless small islands, with only a few large immortal islands. Among them, three immortal islands are as massive as the Star of the Celestial Emperor, which are precisely the locations of the three branches of the Yishi Palace.

The conflict between the West Palace, North Palace, and East Palace has been long-standing. Due to this, the three palace islands are far apart, and apart from official business, there is little contact between their members.

Ning Fan’s destination this time is the West Palace Island of the three palace islands.

On the West Palace Island, there are more than four hundred piers of various sizes, where Immortal Cultivators can cross the sea and land on the island. At this moment, at some remote little pier, a girl in red silk gazes at the sea, filled with deep resentment.

Yunya Dock, Bei Xiao Man.

"Zhou Ming, wretched Zhou Ming, you still haven’t come. I’ve been waiting for more than ten days, and you dare to disappoint a girl’s wait..." Even though she already knew Ning Fan’s real name, when she was alone, Bei Xiao Man still liked to call Ning Fan by his old name, Zhou Ming, simply because those two words held too many memories of her and Ning Fan.

Though Yunya Dock is remote, there are still quite a few cultivators choosing to land on the island from here. Seeing Bei Xiao Man waiting there, murmuring ’Zhou Ming’, they were all taken aback.

Who exactly is this Zhou Ming, to make the Fourth Mistress of Yishi Palace miss him so much and wait for so many days?

Some curious cultivators wanted to inquire, but before they could approach Bei Xiao Man, they were blocked by a towering Stone Warrior.

Nowadays, the Stone Warrior has been transformed into an Immortal King Puppet, exuding an eternal and unyielding pressure with a cold expression that refuses strangers. With him protecting her, those curious bystanders couldn’t get close to Bei Xiao Man and had to leave, dispelling their curiosity.

Some idlers chose to stay at Yunya Dock, wanting to see who Bei Xiao Man was waiting for.

"It’s said that this Fourth Mistress of Yishi Palace has always hated men. If I’m not mistaken, she must be waiting for some female cultivator friend."

"Daoist friend, you’re wrong. That Zhou Ming sounds more like a man. It’s likely some esteemed guest of Yishi Palace that she’s waiting to greet here."

"I am Zhou Ming, and who said that someone named Zhou Ming must be a man?"

"This..."

"I heard that this Fourth Mistress of Yishi Palace is already engaged to the Water Sect Disciple; maybe she’s waiting here for her fiancé..."

"Oh? The Fourth Mistress of Yishi Palace is engaged to the Water Sect Disciple! That Water Sect Disciple, although young, has already reached the Immortal King Realm; given time, he’s sure to be an Immortal Emperor! The Fourth Mistress is reaching high..."

"Reaching high? Heh heh, not necessarily. Daoist friend, you might not know, but this Fourth Mistress of Yishi Palace is no ordinary person; perhaps the Water Sect is the one who gained a huge advantage..."

Amidst the chatter of the onlookers, a young man in white quietly arrived, riding a Rain Dragon.

This young man’s cultivation looked quite ordinary, and his appearance was unfamiliar, as if he wasn’t a notable figure; his Rain Dragon beneath him also bore no imposing aura and seemed not to be a formidable mount.

As such, the crowd took only one glance at the young man before looking away, not paying him any attention.

Nobody thought that Bei Xiao Man was waiting for such an unremarkable young man. But reality is always full of surprises, and Bei Xiao Man was indeed waiting for him.

As soon as Ning Fan arrived, all of Bei Xiao Man’s impatience instantly vanished, her mood turning from cloudy to clear, and she was filled with indescribable joy, completely forgetting the complaints of waiting over ten days.

"I thought you weren’t coming... If you hadn’t come, I would have found someone else to be my Chess Soldier, hmph!" Bei Xiao Man snorted coyly, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. She wouldn’t bear to have someone else be her Chess Soldier; such a good position, of course, had to be saved for Ning Fan! Don’t let one’s own fertile water flow into others’ fields!

"Sorry, I encountered a slight accident and was delayed for a few days, making you wait in vain for over ten days." Ning Fan chuckled, amused by Bei Xiao Man’s false bravado.

"An accident? Were you injured again? Where? Let me see..." Upon hearing that, Bei Xiao Man immediately became anxious; she had long considered Ning Fan as her face, and what is a face! A face is her sacred and inviolable private property, and she wouldn’t bear to let Ning Fan get hurt.

She turned Ning Fan over and over, her small hands exploring him all over, not feeling anything inappropriate at all.

After all, she and Ning Fan had done this and that countless times; this level of physical contact was nothing!

But this scene looked quite unusual in the eyes of passersby!

Those passersby all gaped, utterly unable to believe what they were seeing: the goddess-like Fourth Mistress, the fiancée of the Water Sect Disciple, why was she being so intimate with a stranger? Could this be the legendary... a change of heart, an extramarital affair!

Luckily, the "intimacy" between Bei Xiao Man and Ning Fan wasn’t excessive; after confirming Ning Fan wasn’t injured, Bei Xiao Man smiled again and took Ning Fan onto an Immortal Magpie Carriage, heading straight to the inner part of the island.

Only after Bei Xiao Man had left for a long time did the crowd dare to whisper about it.

"Say, that god-like Water Sect Disciple, is he about to be... cuckolded..."

"Cuckolded? What do you mean by that? Please, Daoist friend, explain a bit."

"It’s a slang from my hometown. In my hometown, there’s a legend that says once there was a cultivator who went out visiting friends, and suddenly saw a streak of green light in the sky. He calculated with his fingers and immediately broke into a sweat, and upon returning home, sure enough, he caught his Dao companion making merry with another man, caught red-handed..."

"I see, I see, the Water Sect Disciple might soon encounter an external green light too..."

"Don’t you all find that man flirting with the Fourth Miss somewhat familiar..."

"Now that you mention it, Daoist, this person does seem a bit familiar..."

Someone remembered something, took out a wanted poster from their storage pouch, compared it, and everyone immediately burst into laughter.

Could they not laugh!

It turns out the man the Fourth Miss had been waiting for over ten days was the one wanted by the Water Sect!

"I was wondering before why the Water Sect, out of nowhere, wanted this man. Now I understand... that Water Sect Disciple must have already seen the light from outside the heavens, and in a fit of rage, developed murderous intent towards this man!"

"This man is probably already successful... Heh heh, just imagine, such an upright person like the Water Sect Disciple, with such a pure character, and atop his head is a field of green, alas..."

"Should we kill this man and go to the Water Sect for a reward..."

"A reward? Hmph! Do you have what it takes? Do you know who this person is! A whole secret clan has been crushed by him. Do you think you are more formidable than a secret clan?" A cultivator by the name of Xu Kun suddenly snorted coldly, interrupting everyone’s discussion.

"Hiss! Daoist Xu, what do you mean by this! What do you mean by a secret clan being crushed by this man! I’ve never heard such news before!"

"I am different from you all. I am a disciple of the Immortal Emperor, I have my own channels for getting information. Don’t be fooled by this man’s low-profile actions, not all Northern Heaven cultivators are fools. Those who are well-informed have already guessed this man’s identity... His identity is extremely complex, each part of it is not something we can provoke. Being wanted by the Water Sect yet still alive is proof enough. With his cultivation level, not only could he tease the wife of an ordinary Water Sect Disciple, but even if he slept with the wife of some Immortal Emperor, the other party would be too afraid to speak on it... Besides, I simply refuse to believe that the esteemed Moral Sage would involve himself in such lewd acts. There must be more to this matter than meets the eye!"

"Hiss! Daoist Xu, is this true! That imposing man is actually the legendary Moral Sage! That ancient great cultivator, Zhao Jian!"

Everyone’s complexion changed instantly, and they no longer dared to continue discussing Ning Fan.

They dared to discuss flirtations in the city, dared to secretly laugh at the Water Sect Disciple’s situation, but they did not dare to openly discuss an ancient great cultivator!

Many still wished to pry some more information from Xu Kun, however, Xu Kun ignored them, apologized with cupped hands, and then hurriedly left, heading straight for the internal part of the island.

The cultivation circle of the Northern Heaven is not so vast. Since Ning Fan made a commotion in the Northern Heaven, those who were well-informed have more or less heard the news: the person wanted by the Water Sect, Ning Fan, is the ancient great cultivator Zhao Jian, someone not to be provoked!

It’s just that Ning Fan’s arrival on the West Palace Island was too low-key and covert. Had he been more ostentatious, surely numerous renowned figures from the Northern Heaven would have set out to welcome him! The deeds of Moral Sage Zhao Jian have long spread throughout the Northern Heaven, moving many a hardened cultivator.

The title of Moral Sage was imposed on Ning Fan’s shoulders at that time. The Northern Heaven cultivation world has evidently already regarded Ning Fan as a model of cultivation and a moral figure in the Era of Decline. Ironically, Ning Fan himself is unaware of this new title, and if he knew, he would probably laugh his lungs out.

"It can’t be wrong! This person is the Moral Sage my master has been desperately searching for! If I deliver this news to my master, it would be a great achievement!"

Xu Kun restrained his excitement and hurried back to the internal part of the island, where his master was temporarily residing in a certain market city.

Xu Kun is merely a junior Fate Immortal, unworthy of being called a Northern Heaven luminary, but his master is different. His master is Taoli True Person, a dignified Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor, renowned throughout the Northern Heaven for having countless disciples, earning him the reputation of being "full of peaches and plums in Northern Heaven"!

Taoli True Person is not an ordinary Immortal Emperor; he is one who participated in the Primitive and Wild Great War.

In other words, Taoli True Person was saved by Ning Fan during the Primitive and Wild times and has been infinitely grateful ever since, always looking for a way to repay the favor.

When Ning Fan appeared in the Pure Yang Sect, he followed to the Pure Yang Sect; when Ning Fan then turned up at the Haisha Sect, he rushed to the Haisha Sect.

He has always followed Ning Fan’s steps, hoping to meet Ning Fan once more to repay the debt and to admire Senior Zhao Jian’s splendor again. Sadly, every time he caught up with Ning Fan’s location, Ning Fan would have already departed, leaving him with only regret.

There is no greater regret in life than this! Taoli True Person even suspected for a time that Ning Fan does not wish to accept his gratitude, thus leaving ahead of time. Such behavior is quite reminiscent of the ancients, only further increasing his admiration.

However, the problem is that if Senior Zhao continues to avoid him, he may never have the chance to thank him in this lifetime. After all, we are talking about an ancient great cultivator. If he deliberately avoids a lowly Immortal Emperor, how could this Immortal Emperor easily find him...

Alas...

Taoli True Person sighed deeply. At this moment, he was in the hall where he rented in the West Mountain Market City, giving lessons to his disciples. This sigh startled the hundreds of disciples listening to the lecture, as they had never seen their master show such a downcast side.

"Master, why the sigh? Was it because the questions we just raised were too superficial and displeased you?" The disciples asked in a panic, sincerely concerned.

"Not at all, I am not sighing about you all. I was just stirred by the scene, reminded of Senior Zhao," Taoli True Person replied with a wry smile.

"Senior Zhao, which Senior Zhao?" asked a disciple who had just recently joined.

Without needing Taoli True Person to answer, other disciples immediately explained, "You’re new, so you wouldn’t know. Master is longing for Senior Zhao Jian."

"Hiss! Zhao Jian! Could it be that Moral Sage, Senior Zhao Jian! Master actually knows such a towering figure!" The recently joined disciple was greatly shocked.

For lower-level cultivators, an Immortal Emperor like Taoli True Person is a supreme existence, and an ancient great cultivator like Zhao Jian is almost a legendary figure, existing only in tales.

Now hearing that their own master is somehow connected to a legendary figure, the disciple was undoubtedly taken aback.

"How can it be just that I know Senior Zhao? That Senior Zhao once saved my life in the primitive and wild lands, a life-saving favor that cannot be summed up with a mere acquaintance. I’ve always wanted to repay Senior Zhao, but I have never had the chance to meet him again. Senior Zhao acts with kindness, not for fame or profit. His ancient virtues endure, and his integrity remains unshaken; this is the true nature of Senior Zhao. If there were more kind people like him, how could the cultivation world have so much deceit and strife? We have struggled for a lifetime, yet it’s not as liberating as Senior Zhao’s daily good deeds... finishing a deed and leaving without taking credit, hiding himself and his name... If I could see Senior Zhao once more, I would die without regrets! It’s a pity I can’t see him..."

All the disciples were moved by Taoli True Person’s heartfelt words, as if they had all become followers of Senior Zhao Jian.

"Master, tell us more about when Senior Zhao saved people in the primitive lands!"

"Disciple wants to hear about Senior Zhao’s acts of kindness around the nine days!"

"Disciple wants to hear about how Senior Zhao used virtue to convert the entire Light Clan!"

"Disciple wants to hear about Senior Zhao managing his thousands of women and his Daylight Ascension!"

"Disciple wants to hear about Senior Zhao cleverly punishing the twelve tyrants of the Real Realms!"

"Disciple..."

Seeing that the topic had shifted entirely to Senior Zhao Jian, Taoli True Person was no longer dispirited; his cloudy eyes became bright, "Alright, alright, you want to hear about Senior Zhao? Then I shall tell you! But those stories you’ve mentioned, I’ve told too many times, so today I’ll tell you a new story, with a rather long name, called ’The Gallant White in the World, Searching for Flowers at the Ends of the Earth Never to Forget.’ This story is about when Senior Zhao was young, and he once missed a woman, searching for her thousands of miles away, never to find her..."

"Thousands of miles? For us cultivators, that’s just a blink away, why did Senior Zhao only search thousands of miles..." a curious disciple asked puzzled.

"You speak too carelessly! The thousands of miles Senior Zhao traveled, are they the same concept as the thousands of miles you understand? The world we live in could be just a grain of dust or a drop of water to Masters of higher realms; the thousands of miles Senior Zhao traveled might be billions and trillions of times farther than the four heavens and nine worlds combined..." Hearing his disciple question his story, Taoli True Person immediately put on a stern face, feeling displeased.

"...Master, this story, you’re not making it up, are you..." the curious disciple continued weakly.

"Uh, this, this... this story is truly recorded in ancient texts, how could I have made it up? A master is like a father, doubting my integrity should be slightly punished, so I’ll have you copy the two hundred volumes of the ’Moral Sage’s Travels’ I recently compiled a thousand times! No using divine skills, you must copy it word by word with your hand, to comprehend the greatness of Senior Zhao from the book!" Taoli True Person, though with a stern face, lacked confidence since the stories he told were indeed just made up on the spot, and even the book he compiled was entirely filled with collected folk tales, with dubious authenticity...

"Master, I’ve realized my mistake! Your book has a full two million words! Copying it a thousand times, this disciple might die!" The curious disciple was crying without tears, he shouldn’t have asked, now for the next few centuries, he wouldn’t need to do anything else, just copying the book would be enough!

"Alright, let’s continue with Senior Zhao’s stories..."

Taoli True Person was about to continue his lecture when suddenly he saw someone rudely burst into the lecture hall, immediately displeasing him.

"Xu Kun, you’re supposed to be on leave today, why have you come back!" Taoli True Person never liked Xu Kun because although this disciple had good aptitude, he was inherently slippery and lacked a consistent cultivation heart.

"Good news, great news! Master, guess who I saw at Yunya Dock, I saw the Moral Sage Senior!"

"W-what! You actually met Senior Zhao! He actually came to West Palace Island! Where is he, tell me quickly!" Taoli True Person was overjoyed!

For the first time, he found Xu Kun so pleasing to the eye, clearly a promising talent!

...

The same thing happened in various corners of West Palace Island.

Those old monsters from the Northern Heaven who admired Ning Fan, upon hearing that Ning Fan was on West Palace Island, all became excited and restless, eager to visit Ning Fan.

Considering it was too abrupt to visit empty-handed, these admirers didn’t disturb Ning Fan immediately but hurriedly prepared expensive gifts, fearing that simple gifts might be disrespectful to Ning Fan.

Ning Fan was unaware of all this; he rode the Immortal Magpie Carriage with Bei Xiao Man to the internal part of West Palace Island. The internal part of the island was not a place ordinary people could set foot on; besides disciples of Yishi Palace, only second-step Masters could enter.

Bei Xiao Man had her residence in the internal part, holding a very special significance for Yishi Palace, and her residence was surrounded by heavy guards inside and out.

The cultivation of these guards was too low, and naturally, they didn’t have access to Taoli True Person’s sources, so they didn’t know Ning Fan was the ancient great cultivator Zhao Jian.

Seeing the Fourth Miss return after ten days with a stranger, and appearing very close with him, the guards had perplexed expressions.

Everyone knew the Fourth Miss was betrothed to the Water Sect Disciple, bringing a stranger home without reason seemed inappropriate...

Several loyal guards wanted to step forward to advise, but before they could approach Bei Xiao Man, they were blocked by the tall and strong Stone Warrior.

"Mind your business, don’t interfere! Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t know!" Stone Warrior warned.

Stone Warrior had gone to the Light Ancestor Abyss, and after returning, his cultivation skyrocketed, becoming a notable figure in Yishi Palace. Who among the ordinary guards would dare ignore his warning!

As such, the guards could only turn a blind eye to Bei Xiao Man bringing Ning Fan home, silently praying that the Fourth Miss wouldn’t go too far, as causing pre-marital loss of chastity would be difficult to explain to the Water Sect...

Unfortunately, heavens seemed not to have heard their prayers.

That night, unusual noises came from the Fourth Miss’ room, reportedly shaking several glazed tiles loose...

Unfortunately, the area around the room was protected by barriers, and those outside couldn’t hear what was happening within, naturally unable to confirm what had transpired.

But those guards aren’t fools!

Ning Fan, after all, stayed in Bei Xiao Man’s room for an entire night before coming out, and the room was brightly lit all night...

A single man with a single woman, spending the night together, what else could they be up to besides, well, you know!

Though no one said it out loud, all the guards were convinced that their pure and innocent Fourth Miss had finally been compromised by some scoundrel...

...

The next morning, Ning Fan stepped out of Bei Xiao Man’s room, immediately feeling the intense resentment in the eyes of the guards.

He felt utterly speechless, as all they did was play chess all night, yet everyone looked at him as if he were a lecher!

Alright, he was indeed a bit of a lecher, but the truth was he hadn’t laid a finger on Bei Xiao Man that night...

He agreed to become Bei Xiao Man’s Chess Soldier, but the problem was, he didn’t even know what a Chess Soldier was.

Therefore, he spent the entire night asking Bei Xiao Man about it, even rejecting Bei Xiao Man’s numerous advances.

To explain the meaning of Chess Soldier to Ning Fan, Bei Xiao Man had to play a game of ancient chess known as the Six-Strategies Game with him.

It was Ning Fan’s first time playing this game, so he was entirely unfamiliar with its rules. Luckily, his intellect was high, and once he grasped the rules, he quickly became quite skilled.

Unfortunately, Ning Fan wasn’t a universal genius... his intellect quickly made him a Six-Strategies Game expert, but if he came across a Chess Master who had studied it all their life, he’d still fall short.

What surprised Ning Fan was that Bei Xiao Man was actually very good at Six-Strategies Game. This girl, who didn’t seem all that bright, turned out to have exceptional skill! It was truly inconceivable!

That night, Ning Fan played over twenty games with Bei Xiao Man and lost every single one, not even able to manage a draw!

It wasn’t that his skills were terrible, but rather that Bei Xiao Man was incredibly strong, unbelievably so!

"Tch, pathetic ants, maggots, cockroaches, grasshoppers! Your skills are far from decent, go home and practice for another thousand years! Over twenty games in one night, and not once did you satisfy me. Next time, if you can’t meet my expectations, I’ll find someone else!"

Soon after Ning Fan, Bei Xiao Man emerged from the room, dark circles under her eyes and looking discontent, mocking with her words.

Hiss!

All the guards took a deep breath!

The Fourth Miss’s words carried way too much information!

Indeed, it seemed the Fourth Miss had already been conquered by this scoundrel last night, and had been messed with over twenty times!

Over twenty times! To torment a young girl new to this kind of thing over twenty times—is that even something a human would do? That’s something only a beast would do!

The guards’ gaze towards Ning Fan changed once again.

No longer looking at him as a lecher, but as... a beast, a scoundrel!

And Ning Fan wasn’t just any beast! This beast went at the Miss over twenty times and not once managed to satisfy her, ending every time in an instant.

Poor Miss, secretly finding a boy toy, only for him to be so inept!

"...Did they misunderstand something," Ning Fan muttered helplessly.

"You’re overthinking it. Come, have breakfast with me, then I’ll introduce you to the other Chess Soldiers and Chess Generals..." Bei Xiao Man casually shook her head.

"Breakfast? Aren’t all Masters fasting, what sort of breakfast are you having..."

"I just had my Gui water period, how can I compare with other Masters? I was so weak before, I always had two meals a day for nourishment, never skipping them. Although the Gui water issue is resolved now, I just can’t break the breakfast habit. Hey, cockroach, maggot, grasshopper, are you going to have a meal with me or not!"

Bei Xiao Man gave Ning Fan a disdainful look, obviously disdaining his chess skills.

Unless Ning Fan could defeat her in chess, she’d call him cockroach, maggot, grasshopper for life, and mercilessly mock his poor performance!

Hahaha, she finally found something she could thoroughly trounce Ning Fan in; the feeling was wonderful, being alive was fantastic! Playing chess with Ning Fan was such a delight!

She decided that in the future, she’d forgo any night-time activities for playing chess with Ning Fan, as the joy from that was even more intoxicating than anything else!