“You think changing your appearance means I won’t recognize you? Flay your skin and I’d still know your bones!” Wu Zhongtian was powerfully built, his thick stubble quivering, every bit like a great lion, his round eyes blazing with sharp light.

Tu Fei circled Ye Fan twice, laughing heartily. “I think he looks like that shameless Daoist too. Never mind changing your appearance — that’s obviously some kind of illusion technique. Unless you can prove otherwise.”

Ye Fan swept his wide Daoist robe aside and said, “Brother Tu, you’re making things deliberately difficult for me. Others may not recognize me, but can you truly not tell? The two of us met before at Yao Guang’s source mine.”

“This fellow really has some tricks up his sleeve — his form shifted in an instant. Someone this practiced at disguise clearly does it habitually — must be preparation for doing all sorts of shady things,” one of the outlaw’s descendants shouted from nearby.

Tu Fei smirked and said, “Simple enough — just take out that article of clothing belonging to the Yaochi Sacred Woman and show us. That’ll be proof enough.”

“You — are you trying to embarrass me?!”

“You haven’t lost anything by it. It’s the Yaochi Sacred Woman who should be losing her composure — pity she’s not here.” Tu Fei grinned shamelessly and addressed the bandits around him: “You lot never believe me — you always thought a woman as transcendent and proud as Yao Xi could never possibly be made a fool of. Let me give you a demonstration today.”

“Is this real? The way you’re talking — is he really not Duan De?” The surrounding bandits were all skeptical.

Ye Fan had no particular inclinations; he had kept that article of clothing only as a last resort — to provoke and enrage Yao Xi if it ever came to saving his life.

He did not produce it. Instead, his bones cracked and shifted, his form transforming into the likeness of Tu Tian, the seventh great outlaw, and he said: “Tu Fei, don’t be impish.”

Tu Fei: “What the — #@¥¥#…”

The assembled outlaw descendants stared open-mouthed, then erupted into fits of laughter, pounding the table with their fists.

“Alright, alright — you can’t do this, Little Brother Ye Fan. Change back, quickly,” Tu Fei said, completely unable to stay seated.

“Do you believe now that I’m not Duan De?”

“I believe it — I knew from the start you weren’t Duan De,” Tu Fei said gloomily.

The other little bandits had of course already understood by now that the person before them was not the shameless Daoist, and their laughter showed no sign of stopping.

Wu Zhongtian sat back down and stared at Ye Fan for a long moment. “Did you really… burn a Supreme Elder of the Ji Family to death?”

“It was fortunate circumstances.”

The assembled descendants of great outlaws were extremely well-informed — they had already heard rumors of this. At his words, they all drew in a sharp breath.

“Little Brother Ye Fan, did you really take a certain article of clothing that belonged to Yao Xi?” another bandit asked.

“Well… how to put it — I was careless, and one ended up in my hands by chance.”

The moment these words came out, the tavern room erupted in a chorus of wolf howls. Every single person’s eyes went green with excitement, their elation completely uncontained.

The other patrons of the tavern had long since fled in terror. The group had vaguely recognized this was a gathering of descendants of the Thirteen Great Outlaws, and all had scattered.

“Heavens — Yao Xi is so pure and untouchable, and yet… this is an outrage against decency!”

“Little Brother Ye Fan, you’ve broken my heart.”

“What’s there to be heartbroken about — it’s glorious! Last time she and that Sacred Son chased me and Tu Fei for three thousand li. This is revenge, pure and simple.”

The several hot-blooded young bandits slapped the table repeatedly, howling without end.

“Little Brother Ye Fan — sell that article of clothing to me. A hundred catties of source for it. I’ll put it on display. If it doesn’t make that proud girl vomit blood, I won’t be able to swallow this,” one bandit said, sidling up to Ye Fan and filling his bowl to the brim.

“I’ll offer five hundred catties of source. I want to carry it through the Sacred City and hawk it publicly,” another little bandit chimed in.

“Why go to the Sacred City? Just sell it directly to that prince who came from the Central Continent — bleed him properly.”

“That won’t satisfy the anger. Better to auction it off in the Northern Region — invite all the talented young men around, and even send invitations to certain disreputable elders.”

These young bandits were each more outrageous than the last. The way they were planning it, they were clearly intent on ensuring Yao Xi never lived it down.

“I say, you’re all truly too much,” Ye Fan said, staring blankly. “How do you even come up with ideas like these? You’re a wretched lot.”

“The Yaochi Sacred Woman and that Sacred Son are absolutely infuriating — they recently joined forces with a pack of powerful cultivators to hunt us down, nearly costing us our lives. Naturally we have to give them a proper comeuppance.”

“Please don’t drag me into your schemes…” Ye Fan knew he couldn’t compete with these people. All of them had a grandfather who was one of the thirteen great outlaws — even if they stirred up catastrophic trouble, someone powerful would be there to back them up.

If he dared auction off Yao Xi’s article of clothing, Yao Guang Sacred Ground would stop at nothing to erase him, for the sake of their reputation.

“What is there to fear? Stick with us — what’s there to be afraid of from that little shrew?”

“Sticking with you — who among you can give me an ancient scripture to cultivate from? Who can provide me with a million catties of source?” Ye Fan murmured quietly.

“Little Brother Ye Fan, you’re far too greedy. How many ancient scriptures exist in the whole of the Eastern Wilderness? A million catties of source — that’s an enormous figure. Go ask any of the Sacred Grounds if they can produce that much.”

“Come, come — let me make introductions,” Wu Zhongtian said.

“This fellow is called Liu Kou.” Wu Zhongtian pointed to a young man with a feral edge to him — he turned out to be the direct grandson of Liu Feng, the sixth great outlaw.

Ye Fan was truly at a loss for what to say. What a name — it was literally just the word for “bandit” (寇). On par with Tu Fei.

“This is Li Heishui.” Wu Zhongtian pointed to a youth with a darkly tanned face and powerful build — the grandson of Li Heng, the eighth great outlaw.

That name… was equally peculiar. Heishui — Black Water. No matter how you heard it, it sounded like something rotten seeping dark fluid. One had to wonder whether those great outlaws had planned this.

Tu Fei made a grimace and said, “I know what you’re thinking. There’s nothing to be done — those old fellows sat around together and cracked a few jokes, and our names were decided on the spot.”

Ye Fan’s mouth twitched. Stuck with grandfathers like that — it really was a kind of misfortune.

“He’s called Jiang Huairen.” Wu Zhongtian pointed to another young man — the eldest grandson of Jiang Yi, the ninth great outlaw. His origins were considerable: he came from the ancient family clan — the Jiang Family.

Naturally, this branch of the family had long since broken away from the main house and become one of the notorious great outlaws, a fact that had stunned everyone back in its day.

Ye Fan thought that at least this name was acceptable — practically normal. But the others all burst out laughing, and Jiang Huairen himself poured a large bowl of wine and drank it in sullen silence.

“His grandfather fancied himself above the crowd and didn’t want to follow the trend — so he decided to give the boy a meaningful name. The result was somehow even more outrageous.”

“Jiang Huairen — doesn’t that just mean ‘a person of bad character’? Jiang Bad-person,” Tu Fei helpfully explained from the side.

Ye Fan was completely speechless. How did that even work…

Tu Fei, Liu Kou, Jiang Huairen, Li Heishui — the four names strung together gave him a powerful urge to burst out laughing, but he could only suppress it with effort. These fellows had truly artistic names.

Come to think of it, among the five of them, only Wu Zhongtian had a name that was even remotely reasonable — yet his bearing and demeanor were just as roguish as the other four. A single glance made it obvious none of them were decent people. Walking around together in public, they could clear a street in an instant.

“Little Brother Ye Fan — what are your plans?” Wu Zhongtian asked.

Tu Fei also said, “What brings you to Kunyun Ancient City? This is a remote backwater. Aside from the occasional disturbance of an unusual nature, there’s nothing special here.”

“I wanted to find out whether the Yaochi Sacred Woman is returning to her sect,” Ye Fan said, probing them for information.

Li Heishui immediately let out a wolf howl: “A beast! An absolute beast! You just snatched the Yao Guang Sacred Woman’s undergarment, and now you’re stretching your grubby hands toward the Yaochi Sacred Lady — Brother Ye Fan, have you no conscience?”

“Going too far — you’re planning to sweep all the Sacred Women of the Eastern Wilderness into your net? A person can’t be this greedy. You already have the Yao Guang Sacred Woman — you should be satisfied,” Liu Kou shouted as well.

“Ye the Lecherous Demon — whatever else you are, you count among our kind now. A person can’t go too far. Are you trying to cut off your brothers’ futures?” Tu Fei grumbled.

Jiang Huairen was more composed. “To be a person is to not be too Ye Fan,” he said.

“You’ve left out a few. Actually — not only do I intend to capture all the Sacred Women of the Eastern Wilderness, I also intend to seize the jewels of all the ancient family clans, and also abduct the princesses of the undying imperial dynasties of the Central Continent that have endured for hundreds of thousands of years. I am going to build a vast imperial harem.”

“A beast! An absolute beast!”

……

Half an hour later, they had eaten and drunk their fill. Laughing and talking, they descended the tavern stairs.

Ye Fan’s body let out a rapid series of crackling sounds, and his form changed into the likeness of Tu Tian, the seventh great outlaw.

Tu Fei immediately looked sharp. “Close as we are, take advantage of me again, and I’ll really lose my temper with you.”

Ye Fan thought it over and decided impersonating the scoundrel Daoist carried too great a risk. That wretched man had done genuinely terrible things without limit — wearing his face might easily land Ye Fan in trouble for crimes he hadn’t committed.

In the end, his joints cracked and shifted. His form changed dramatically — he became a Daoist robed in flowing feathered garments, graceful and jade-like, with an air of purity and transcendence, conveying something decidedly otherworldly.

Kunyun Ancient City was ancient beyond reckoning. The stone slabs of its streets had been worn down by countless footsteps into noticeable hollows, and it was impossible to say how many ages had passed.

The local inhabitants all venerated ancient divine beings, believing that a divine presence watched over this place. The Yaochi Sacred Woman had remained here for half a month without departing, and local people connected her continued presence to this belief.

The group made their way toward the Yaochi Immortal Stone Workshop. The little bandits were none of them easily-kept company — wherever they went, peace was an unlikely guest.

Ye Fan was aware that these fellows were plotting something, and there was a good chance it would blow a gaping hole in the fabric of local affairs.

Yet he wasn’t worried — wearing his current appearance, he had no fear of anyone tracing things back to him.

“By my reckoning, the Yaochi Sacred Woman will be leaving this city soon,” Wu Zhongtian remarked.

“I truly wish I could put that Yao Guang Sacred Son down once and for all!” Li Heishui said with venom.

“That fellow is far too powerful. Once he unleashes his Holy Light Technique, almost nothing of the same generation can touch him — his divine body can barely do it either. The most we can do is make him cough up blood. Actually killing him would require the elders to step in.”

The Yaochi Immortal Stone Workshop, though situated within the city, was tranquil and refined — ancient trees stood at intervals, fallen leaves drifted, water burbled and ran, small bridges arched across streams, and source stones were arranged in artful formations of hills and scenes, carrying the feeling of a classical garden.

Since these were the final few days before the Yaochi Sacred Woman’s departure, foot traffic was unceasing. The workshop was full of people, though no one raised their voice — all spoke in hushed tones.

“The people of Yao Guang are traveling alongside the Yaochi Sacred Woman. It looks like they really are both heading to the vicinity of the Taichu Ancient Mine,” Tu Fei said, his eyes shining with intensity.

“Little Brother Ye Fan, I beg you — sell me that article of clothing. I truly want to wave it around and hawk it right here. Li Heishui ground his teeth.

Yao Xi — her hair drifted and flowed, dark and lustrous, her features breathtaking, radiant as a divine moon — stood ahead of them, misty and ethereal, her long skirt sweeping the ground, the elegant curves of her figure revealed and concealed by the fabric, tall and graceful as a white lotus.

The Yao Guang Sacred Son was also just ahead, like a brilliant sun, a layer of golden radiance flowing across his body, every movement drawing eyes — like a divine child descended to the mortal realm.

Both Li Heishui and Tu Fei had suffered at the hands of these two and barely escaped with their lives.

“The Yao Guang Sacred Son is truly terrifying — once his Holy Light Technique appears, ten thousand methods cannot pierce it. Nothing can break through. He truly has the bearing of someone invincible,” Tu Fei sighed. “Even the most powerful offensive techniques cannot tear through it.”

“Haven’t we brought Brother Zhongtian? Surely he can suppress him,” Li Heishui said coldly.

“Suppress — I’m not sure even I am his match. I didn’t come today to kill him — only to set out a smokescreen. Do not act on impulse under any circumstances,” Wu Zhongtian warned in a hushed voice.

“Don’t worry — we won’t go looking for trouble.”

“Where has Little Brother Ye Fan gone? I don’t see him,” Jiang Huairen asked.

“A beast! An absolute beast — the boy isn’t even that old, and yet he’s going after a nun! Shameless! Look — he’s aimed himself at the Da Xia imperial dynasty’s princess over there! I’m not making this up — the little wretch has headed exactly that way,” Liu Kou exclaimed.

“I really hope he doesn’t stir up trouble. That undying ancient imperial dynasty of Da Xia has depths beyond imagining. Their powerful prince is over there too,” Li Heishui muttered worriedly.

Ahead, a young man was escorted in the center of a throng like the moon attended by stars. Golden armor blazed with light around him, dazzling and magnificent — this was the prince of the Da Xia dynasty. Heroic and vigorous, dragon energy coiling about him, brilliant and shining, his cultivation profound and immeasurable.

Ye Fan was not heading toward him, but toward a young woman standing at his side — white-robed and ethereal, pure and luminous, carrying a particular spiritual quality all her own.

Ye Fan was not moved by her beauty. He was moved by shock and excitement. This young woman, though pure and holy, beautiful and otherworldly, drew his attention for a completely different reason: she was a Buddhist nun.

Of course, it was not any particular personal preference on his part. Rather, it was her identity that set his heart racing and left him unable to be still.

She was a follower of Buddhism — and he desperately wanted to ask her: was the Buddha present in this world?