When that thought sprung up within his head, the burly man despised Ning Fan even more.
Well, it was not his fault for thinking that. Ning Fan’s current appearance had smooth and tender skin. Every part of him looked just like a pampered young master.
Even though he just has a Vein Opening Realm cultivation base, he already dares to travel around Penglai Immortal Island all alone. Isn’t he afraid of being robbed and assassinated by someone?
He is indeed a young master that has yet to have experienced the real world. Perhaps he doesn’t even know what immortal jade is!
Ning Fan ignored the burly man’s judgmental look on him. He closed his eyes and activated his spirit sense. His Void Refinement Realm spirit sense then spread across the vicinity of one hundred thousand li* (500m per li).
Yes. After he achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation realm, his spirit sense had also advanced to the next level, attaining the Void Refinement Realm.
Nothing in the Green Bamboo Palace including the trees and bushes within could conceal themselves from Ning Fan’s senses.
After studying the place with his spirit sense, he discovered that the so-called spiritual wine of the fifth level could at most give an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator a small amount of improvement in his cultivation base. To be more precise, the fifth level spiritual wine could be said to be medicinal wine. Cultivators no longer pay much attention to the taste of the wine.
Spiritual wine of the third and fourth level were brewed for cultivators of the Gold Core Realm and Nascent Soul Realm respectively. Both of them were also brewed with a main effect of increasing one’s cultivation base.
As for the wines on the first and second level which were the lowest ranking wines in the Green Bamboo Palace, they were specially made for Vein Opening Realm and Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivators.
Other than those, there were also some mortal wines. These wines were not even given a ranking as they contained no medicinal power at all. Most of them were famous wines from mortals.
Ning Fan’s eyes went bright. What he wanted to drink right now was mortal wine with no medicinal power.
The reason why he came here was not to enhance his cultivation base but a chance to get himself drunk.
“I want a yellow grade bamboo plate. Here is one thousand immortal jade.”
Ning Fan decided to exchange for the yellow grade bamboo plate. Well, he certainly could go for the heaven grade bamboo plate. However, if he does that, it would be conspicuous and would draw a lot of attention to him. After all, those who opted to exchange for the heaven grade bamboo plate were none other than Divine Transformation Realm experts…
“Thank you. One thousand immortal jade please.”
The burly man finally squeezed out a smile. At least, he could finally be sure of one thing – Ning Fan might be a Vein Opening Realm junior, but he was much wealthier than him, a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator.
Well, you can see that Cao Kang was still guarding the entrance, right? If he had the money, he would have gone in and enjoyed a drink.
Even a Vein Opening Realm junior is also willing to take out one thousand immortal jade just to drink wine. I really don’t know how his seniors taught him. Is money something that can be spent so prodigiously?
Although Cao Kang was criticizing Ning Fan’s action inwardly, he realized that the latter could be an excellent ‘fat lamb’.
His eyeballs moved downwards and stared thoughtfully at the ground for a second. Suddenly, an idea hit him. He passed Ning Fan a yellow grade bamboo plate and began fawning over the latter.
“This young friend, here is your yellow grade bamboo plate. By the way, I wonder if you need a guide inside this place who could bring you to taste different types of delicious wine? I, Cao Kang, might not be a capable person, but I am willing to guide you in the palace!”
“Oh? Fellow Daoist wishes to lead me around the Green Bamboo Palace? I am not a noble or capable person. How do I deserve Fellow Daoist’s kind offer?” One of Ning Fan’s eyelids twitched. He, of course, had seen through the motive behind Cao Kang’s offer with his five hundred years of experience in the cultivation world.
“Hehe. You sure deserve it, my young friend! Even though we had only met for the first time, it feels like I’m meeting an old friend. I regret not meeting you earlier. Unfortunately, I’m short of money. It’s such an embarrassment but if you are willing to purchase a yellow grade bamboo plate for me, I will definitely bring you around the Green Bamboo Palace. I assure you that this trip will be worthwhile!” Cao Kang said with a serious tone, as if he was making a solemn vow.
“I see. Fine. When one drinks on his own, the wine becomes tasteless. You will be my guide. As for the one thousand immortal jade, I will pay for you.” Ning Fan did not care about what Cao Kang was up to. Neither did he mind paying an extra one thousand immortal jade.
In Cao Kang’s eyes, it was hilarious how easily Ning Fan was scammed for one thousand immortal jade.
However, from Ning Fan’s perspective, how Cao Kang schemed and wrestled with him for a mere one thousand immortal jade was truly ludicrous.
To him, he could get millions upon millions of immortal jade just by killing some people. What’s the point of exhausting himself to plunder one thousand immortal jade?
“Er… My young friend, are you sure that you are willing to buy me a bamboo plate?!” All of a sudden, Cao Kang felt somewhat guilty. He felt that he was a little too shameless as he, a dignified Harmonious Spirit Realm senior, cheated a Vein Opening Realm junior of his money.
Because of the feeling of guilt, Cao Kang firmly decided that he would certainly bring Ning Fan around to taste a few more types of excellent wine. No matter what, he could not just let his one thousand immortal jade go down the drain.
Ning Fan nodded his head in satisfaction when he looked at Cao Kang’s expression as if he was able to read the latter’s mind.
This Cao Kang is a little cunning and greedy. Well, it’s life. Those negative qualities are just driven by his need to survive. However, his original nature is not evil. At least, he realizes his errors and mends his ways. It’s a person qualified to be my drinking companion.
“My name is Cao Kang. May I know how I should address you?” Cao Kang asked enthusiastically. This time, his enthusiasm was genuine.
“Yun Fan.” Ning Fan remembered that his surname was originally Yun and made up a name for himself.
After knowing each other’s names, Cao Kang happily handed over his duties to a few Harmonious Spirit Realm servants and got someone to replace him. Then, he followed Ning Fan into the Green Bamboo Palace to enjoy some wine.
When the other Harmonious Spirit Realm servants saw that Cao Kang had found a wealthy visitor, each of them revealed a look of jealousy and admiration.
Right after Ning Fan and Cao Kang entered the Green Bamboo Palace, two young ladies dressed up like mistresses arrived at the entrance. One of them wore a set of blue robes while the other wore a set of green robes. A bevy of young maidservants following them from behind. There were twelve of them in total.
Each maidservant revealed a Vein Opening Realm cultivation base while the two mistresses ahead emanated Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivation bases.
However, all of that was just a cover. The two mistresses were actually Divine Transformation Realm old ancestors.
The mistress in blue robes had a gentle and elegant appearance. She held an oiled paper umbrella as she walked. From the beginning until the end, she remained silent. Her mind seemed to be preoccupied by something that made her unwilling to speak. However, after Ning Fan entered the Green Bamboo Palace, only then did she gently lift her head and stared at him, as if she was thinking of something. Her large, watery eyes glinted.
“Sister ‘Dan Tai’, what are you looking at? Is that Vein Opening Realm junior very good-looking?” The lady in green robes teased.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Something just caught my attention. That young man seems a little extraordinary.” The lady holding an umbrella puckered her lips and smiled.
“Sister must be joking. How extraordinary can a Vein Opening Realm cultivator be? By the way, aren’t we supposed to recruit the vice sect master of the Bi Yao Sect on behalf of the Zifu Academy? Why are we taking the longer route and came to the Green Bamboo Palace instead? Don’t tell me that Sister wants to drink again?”
“You’re really like a clever yet mischievous little elf. Yes. I want to drink. So Sister Lu Zhu, do you want to make a complaint to our master?”
“Aiyo… How can I be so bold…?”
Lu Zhu purchased a heaven grade bamboo plate while Dan Tai got herself a yellow grade bamboo plate which was the same choice that Ning Fan had made.
Because Lu Zhu had purchased the heaven grade bamboo plate, countless cultivators guessed that she was a Divine Transformation Realm old ancestor. Thus, no one there dared to underestimate this group of ladies. However, Miss Dan Tai’s wish of keeping a low profile while drinking wine was destroyed just like that by her companion’s eye-catching move.
Even the palace lord of the Green Bamboo Palace had come to receive them personally. How could they still be low-key?
Not long after they entered the Green Bamboo Palace, a white-robed middle-aged man who only had a single arm appeared outside the entrance. He carried a sword at his back and had a face filled with desolation. He looked carefully at the group of ladies who had just entered the palace.
“Did the Zifu Academy of the Southern Heaven Immortal World set their eyes upon some geniuses of the righteous path…?”
The white-robed man only thought briefly about the ladies and cast the thought aside in the next moment.
The reason why he came here was not for the members of the Zifu Academy. Instead, he was here to give someone a test and give him the token of a revered being.
He pressed his glabella and his divine star shone. In a spin, he turned into a white-robed gentleman. Even though he did not carry a sword, his heart contained one. Even though his arm was severed, he was able to conjure a fake arm with his magic power.
He recalled Ning Fan’s figure and was absorbed in his thoughts. This would be his first time meeting him. However, he had already heard of Ning Fan’s personality prior to this.
The rumors said that Ning Fan was a wild and brutal devil who slaughtered countless cultivators and annihilated sects without mercy. The rumors said that Ning Fan was a lustful person and could have sex with one thousand women all day long.
This white-robed man could not understand why a person like him could become a revered being of the Rain Palace.
Even though it was to obtain that item, he felt that the Divine Sovereign’s decision was a little too reckless.
However, after he saw Ning Fan in person, he suddenly had a wrong impression and the rumors he heard seemed unreliable.
Usually, one could understand a person’s personality by looking at their back.
It was because they might wear a fake expression on their face but they could not hide the loneliness of their shadow.
The white-robed man noticed that the real Ning Fan he saw was actually similar to him. Both of them had a lonesome shadow.
“Zhou Ming, who is now under the alias of Yun Fan entered the Green Bamboo Palace just to get himself drunk…? An interesting kid. Hmm. Yun Fan… Why does this name sound so familiar…?”
The white-robed man remained silent for a moment.
He had forgotten some very important things which were much more important than his own life.
Besides, he had even forgotten how angry he was in the past that urged him to kill the fourth prince of the Rain Palace!
He was searching for an answer in his entire life.
The White-Robed Sword God, Yun Tianjue.
His shadow was as lonesome as Ning Fan’s.