Chapter 334: Who on Earth Is This Master?

“Young man, haven’t we met somewhere before?”

The swindler was speaking the official language of the Central Domain.

Chu Fan’s arm was in his grasp, yet he couldn’t shake it off, as if clamped in a vise.

At that moment, Chu Fan felt this was no coincidence.

This swindler possessed such a high Cultivation Realm, one that was clearly many levels above Chu Fan’s own.

‘Would someone like him really need to run around swindling people?’

Moreover, he had been speaking the Dahar Khan Language to that person from the Northern Domain, but now that he had grabbed Chu Fan, he was speaking the Hua Xu language.

‘But I’m disguised as someone from the Northern Domain right now!’

‘Does that mean this person can see through my disguise?’

In that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Chu Fan’s mind.

However, he put on a bewildered expression and asked in the Dahar Khan Language, “What are you saying? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

The middle-aged swindler laughed. Still speaking the Hua Xu language, he said, “Young man, have you forgotten? I read your fortune for you in Jianye City.”

A flicker of shock finally shot through Chu Fan’s heart, but his expression didn’t change. He continued in the Dahar Khan Language, “What are you talking about? If you keep holding on to me, I’m going to report you to the officials.”

“A mortal man, yet anything but,A tangled fate, a winding quest.The Celestial Ladder ends where the Immortal’s path is trod,How few are true friends, a sorrow in the heart.Now that I’ve said this, young man, do you remember me?”

Chu Fan was now certain. The man before him was an exalted master, his Cultivation most likely at the Half-Saint Realm or even higher.

‘His eyes can see through any illusion.’

“Take me somewhere quiet where we can talk,” Chu Fan said in a low voice, switching to the Hua Xu language.

“Hehe, looks like I’ve got dinner covered for tonight!” the middle-aged man chirped, grabbing Chu Fan’s arm and running toward the city center.

They arrived at a large yurt with a banner that read “Guest Yurt.” The middle-aged man greeted the attendant inside with a familiar tone, speaking fluent Dahar Khan Language.

The attendant reluctantly led them to a small private booth.

The middle-aged man unceremoniously rattled off more than ten dishes to the attendant. After the attendant left, Chu Fan couldn’t help but ask, “How did you recognize me?”

“I measure the world with my feet. With my eyes, I pierce through all evil and illusion. With my ears, I hear all the rights and wrongs of the mortal realm. And with my Heart Realm, I contain all the classics and histories of existence. A mere illusory form can’t even fool these eyes of mine, so how could it possibly delude my heart?” As he spoke, the middle-aged man sat down on a drum-shaped leather stool and wiped the table in front of him with his sleeve.

Chu Fan knew he had met a true master.

Four years ago in Jianye City, the man had grabbed him and insisted on reading his fortune. Today, hundreds of thousands of miles away, they had met again. But this time, Chu Fan was in disguise, and yet the man had still singled him out.

‘There’s no way this man is ordinary,’ Chu Fan thought.

“What do you want?” Chu Fan asked.

The middle-aged man shook his head. “I want for neither food nor clothing, and money is useless to me. I only swindle people on occasion to give a little wake-up call to those I’m fated to meet, and to experience the variety of mortal life for myself. As for your belongings… only that suit of Armor you’re wearing is even remotely worthy of my attention. And even it is damaged and incomplete.”

His words shocked Chu Fan once again.

At first glance, his words seemed rambling and a little sanctimonious, but they were filled with profound meaning.

“Then why did you single me out?” Chu Fan asked.

The middle-aged man raised a hand, signaling for Chu Fan to be patient.

A few moments later, the attendant began bringing out the food and wine. It took him three separate trips before all the ordered dishes covered the table.

Once the attendant had gone, the middle-aged man picked up the wine flagon and poured two cups. He gently passed one to Chu Fan before raising his own and taking a large gulp.

He spoke. “In a place as uncivilized as this, where even basic ethics are a foreign concept, running into an acquaintance is certainly cause for celebration. How about this: I’ll give you three pieces of advice in exchange for this meal. A fair trade, wouldn’t you say?”

“Three pieces of advice? Let’s hear them!”

“First: you shouldn’t have come here.”

“Second: you won’t be able to leave for some time.”

“Third: Within misfortune lies fortune; within fortune lurks misfortune.”

Chu Fan was perplexed. He narrowed his eyes, studying the man.

He continued, “Since you already have some understanding of the Dao of Cause and Effect, you must know that it forms a great web. Change a single node, and you alter countless others. Had you gone south, you would have altered the threads of Cause and Effect in the south. By coming north, you have naturally done the same to the threads here.”

“You can even see that?” Chu Fan exclaimed, astonished.

“So, do you still think I’m a swindler?” the middle-aged man asked, stroking his beard with a leisurely smile as he watched Chu Fan.

“Then can you tell me why I won’t be able to leave? How long is ‘some time’? And what will I encounter?” Chu Fan pressed.

The middle-aged man gestured to the feast on the table. “The secrets of heaven must not be revealed. Besides, for the price of a single meal, how much do you expect me to tell you?”

With that, he went back to eating and drinking, ignoring Chu Fan.

Watching him devour the food, Chu Fan had no appetite himself. “May I ask for your Daoist title, senior?” he asked.

“My Daoist title? I’ve forgotten it. But the people who knew me back in the day all called me Zhen Yang Ascendant.”

He mumbled, his mouth full of food.

Chu Fan racked his brain, but the title meant nothing to him.

“And which sect are you from?”

“My sect was wiped out before I even began my training. I went through great hardships to avenge them! So even if I told you the name of my sect, you wouldn’t have heard of it.”

“Then what price must I pay for you to tell me more?” Chu Fan asked, getting straight to the point.

Zhen Yang Ascendant ignored him, continuing to eat. He would occasionally raise his wine cup, motioning for Chu Fan to drink with him.

When Chu Fan saw his cup was empty, he reached for the wine flagon to pour him another, but the man waved him off.

He poured his own drink and continued to eat and drink by himself.

Chu Fan waited for a full half-hour before Zhen Yang Ascendant finally let out a burp of satisfaction and set down his chopsticks.

“If you want to hear more, that’s not impossible. One piece of information for one condition.”

“In that case, why don’t you state your conditions first?”

“No need to rush. I assure you the conditions won’t violate your principles, nor will they be anything beyond your capabilities.”

“Fine, I agree.”

“Don’t be so quick to agree, young man. The conditions I set won’t be that easy to meet.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you state your conditions first? I’ll decide how many questions to ask based on what they are,” Chu Fan said.

“Alright, I’ll give you the first one. When you kill Niu Guli, I want you to make his skull into a wine cup and give it to me.”

Zhen Yang Ascendant’s words struck Chu Fan’s mind like a bolt of lightning.

‘How could he possibly know why I came here?’

He already knew the man was extraordinary, but now he realized his highest estimations fell far short of the man’s true abilities.

‘Can he read minds?’

Zhen Yang Ascendant seemed quite pleased with Chu Fan’s reaction, and he smiled with childlike innocence.

“How do you know?”

“I can read fortunes, you know. It’s a simple matter to divine such things! Besides, your intentions are written all over your face. It’s not like I’m blind!” Zhen Yang Ascendant said smugly.

“Senior, please stop toying with me,” Chu Fan said, bowing respectfully. “What manner of master are you?”

“Master? What master? I’m just an old fossil who’s lived a bit longer than most. Live long enough, and you see more, think more, and naturally, you end up knowing more,” Zhen Yang Ascendant said with a wave of his hand, clearly unwilling to elaborate on his own history.

But in that short half-hour, Chu Fan’s mind found it impossible to be at peace…