Chapter 999: Two Beauties Subdued
"Those who think, rule. Back when I was Chief of the Array Strategy Hall, I never made it look so difficult."
"You must learn to delegate."
Li Fan advised patiently.
In her current state, Lu Xichan wouldn't have dared to argue. She could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
A brief silence fell within the bamboo house.
Then, after a moment of contemplation, Li Fan seemed to reach a decision.
He raised a finger and pointed it through the air, tapping towards Lu Xichan's forehead.
It was a menacing gesture, one that any cultivator would instinctively resist. Yet, with her perception twisted by Li Fan's three lashes and the Truth Inducing Fruit, Lu Xichan showed not even a flicker of resistance.
She accepted the touch without flinching.
Over a thousand never-before-seen formations, their complexity far exceeding her current comprehension, flooded into Lu Xichan's mind.
After a stunned moment, Lu Xichan jerked her head up. "Master, this is..."
Her voice, though faint, was filled with astonished delight.
Li Fan snorted. "With your lack of drive, if I left you to your own devices, you would likely never achieve greatness, not even by the day you die."
"These formations are my latest discoveries, a significant improvement from the time I faked my death. They should keep you busy for quite some time."
Lu Xichan understood the immense value of this knowledge. A wave of joy and gratitude washed over her, and she quickly kowtowed. "Thank you, Master, for this generous gift."
"Xuan Sushang..." Li Fan said, ignoring Lu Xichan and turning his gaze to the other woman.
"I am here, Senior," Xuan Sushang replied hastily.
"Regarding the matter between you two..." Li Fan began slowly.
At his words, both Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan held their breath.
"What's done is done," he continued. "And since your feelings are mutual, it would be improper for me to interfere."
"Xichan is lazy by nature. Without someone to push and supervise her, I fear she is destined to repeat her failures..."
As he spoke, Li Fan sent the golden whip, forged from his own spiritual power, floating through the air. "I bestow this whip upon you. From now on, whenever you find Xichan being lax in her duties, you shall punish her in my place!"
Li Fan's eyes locked onto her. "Xichan, you are not to resist! Do you understand?"
Lu Xichan's body trembled again. "This disciple understands," she whispered.
Xuan Sushang accepted the dark gold whip with both hands, her expression a mixture of shock and delight.
She stole a glance at Lu Xichan, and for some unknown reason, a faint blush colored her cheeks.
It was only after a subtle prompt from Lu Xichan that she remembered to kowtow to Li Fan and express her thanks.
"My business here is done. I shall take my leave now."
"As for the mess you've made here in the bamboo sea..."
Before Li Fan could finish, Lu Xichan interjected, "Do not worry, Master. I will take care of it."
After a brief hesitation, Lu Xichan added softly, "Master, please be careful..."
Li Fan chuckled, and in the next instant, his figure appeared high in the sky.
"How could a mere trifle of a tribulation possibly harm me?"
"Still, I appreciate the sentiment, my disciple. Hahaha..."
With those final words, his presence vanished completely from the bamboo sea grotto-heaven.
Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan stared blankly up at the empty sky.
Everything that had transpired so suddenly felt like a dream. Less than a day had passed, yet it felt like half a lifetime.
Their eyes met and held for a long moment before Xuan Sushang finally broke the silence. "We've made our choice. There's no use for regrets now."
"Still..."
"...perhaps the internal struggles of the Heavenly Profound Mirror won't affect us in the end."
Lu Xichan nodded. "Still, it's best if what happened here doesn't leave this place..."
Her gaze flickered to the whip in Xuan Sushang's hand, and her aura instantly grew unsettled.
...
Outside the bamboo sea.
After releasing the subdued attendant and Shuo Feng, Li Fan and his companions headed for the last known location of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar.
However, both Daoist Baihua and Lin Ling were giving Li Fan peculiar looks.
Only his junior brother, Tianyang, seemed unfazed, his expression unchanged.
They had, of course, witnessed the scenes that unfolded in the bamboo house.
In truth, given the commotion, it would have been difficult for them to ignore it even if they had tried.
If he ever used those methods on me... The thought made a shiver run down Lin Ling's spine, deepening her fear of Li Fan.
Truly worthy of the title Envoy, Daoist Baihua mused. His mastery of manipulating hearts and managing subordinates is simply unparalleled. It's no wonder a True Immortal took notice of him. Among all the survivors from the myriad realms, I doubt there was ever another one like him.
Li Fan paid no mind to their stray thoughts.
His recent actions were merely a precaution, a contingency for the future.
After all, both Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan held significant positions within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
While they might not be on par with the Dharma Transmitters, they were undeniably part of its upper echelon.
But Li Fan was no true Law King of the Xuantian Sect, nor did he share Mo Rubin's ambitions. With the [Truth] in his possession, he had his own secrets to protect.
For certain matters, it was better to have his own private channels.
Li Fan was confident that the sheer shock of those three lashes would be enough to cover any flaws in the narrative woven by the Truth Inducing Fruit, causing them to be temporarily overlooked.
Now, whenever she thought of him, her "master," the first memory to surface would be the searing pain of those three lashes...
Given Lu Xichan's disposition, it was something she would never be able to calmly process.
Imparting the thousand formations to her was a calculated move. It lent credence to the fabricated memories while also serving as a classic carrot-and-stick tactic—a bit of sweetness to appease her after the harsh discipline.
As for giving the golden whip to Xuan Sushang...
First, it would allow him to monitor their every move. The whip, being a manifestation of his spiritual power, was essentially a type of avatar.
Second, it was a way to postpone the inevitable moment when his lies would be exposed.
How could Li Fan not know what would transpire between Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan, now that the former possessed the golden whip?
Especially since he had given her the legitimate authority to "supervise and punish."
They would undoubtedly get a taste for it and indulge themselves to the point of forgetting all else.
And so, for a considerable time to come, the two women would be preoccupied here in the bamboo sea.
The less time they spend at the Alliance headquarters, the lower the risk of my cover being blown.
This was Li Fan's calculation.
Nothing was as it seemed on the surface.
Reigning in his thoughts, Li Fan focused once more on the information Xuan Sushang had provided about the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar.
"Incarnated as a mortal, wandering the Xuanhuang Realm."
"Tirelessly changing its appearance and identity."
"Suspected of seeking enlightenment..."
"Interesting."
A glint in his eye, Li Fan increased his speed, heading toward the location where the avatar had most recently been sighted.
Liuguang Province, a mortal city by the name of Weidu.
Before long, the four of them arrived at their destination.
"The Immortal-Mortal Miasma certainly lives up to its reputation," Daoist Baihua remarked. "I had only ever heard tell of it, never witnessed it myself. Now that I'm here, I can feel a sense of revulsion even from this distance."
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