Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Misstep, Suddenly a Father

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Lin Fan controlled the earth-burrowing talisman, speeding through the depths below the ground. The rushing wind and the soft, rustling scrape of soil against his ears were the only sounds accompanying him.

After roughly half an hour, he sensed that the talisman’s spiritual power was nearly exhausted. He guided it slowly upward and finally stopped beneath the foundations of an abandoned temple.

Lin Fan cautiously broke through the soil and emerged from the ground.

After brushing the dust from his clothes, he looked around.

The temple had long since fallen into ruin. Most of the roof had collapsed, leaving behind a pitch-black opening that resembled a gigantic eye, silently watching over this desolate land.

Withered yellow vines covered the crumbling walls. Swaying gently in the breeze, they gave off a rustling sound like the whispers of ghosts.

The temple gate had long since rotted away. Only a few battered planks remained, hanging precariously from the frame as though they might fall at any moment.

Weeds filled the courtyard, nearly reaching his knees. Unknown insects chirped and rustled within the grass, adding yet another touch of desolation and bleakness.

“At last, I’ve escaped.” Lin Fan let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his brow, and secretly congratulated himself.

He had no intention of getting involved with the Su Family’s attempt to bargain with a tiger, nor did he wish to become Ji Qingwan’s prey.

“I wonder where that girl Xiyue has gotten to?” Lin Fan muttered, stroking his chin.

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Master!”

Lin Fan turned around and saw Bai Xiyue standing not far away, gazing at him with delighted surprise.

She wore a pale-blue dress, while her long black hair fell loosely over her shoulders. A flush of excitement colored her delicate face, and her bright eyes shimmered with joy.

“Little Yue’er, how did you get here so quickly?” Lin Fan asked, somewhat astonished.

Bai Xiyue hurried over to him and said excitedly, “Not long after the fight with the Su Family began, I saw a chance and slipped away ahead of time. I know Linjiang City well too. Even so, I only arrived a quarter of an hour ago!”

She paused, then turned her gaze toward Lin Fan.

“Master, where are we going next?”

Lin Fan had already made up his mind.

Of the three great sects, two major schools, and seven great families in the cultivation world of the Chu Kingdom, he did not want to join a single one.

His system’s ability consumed his lifespan to help others break through. If he joined any of those powers, there was no guarantee that his secret would not be discovered and that he would not be imprisoned and reduced to nothing more than a tool for advancing their cultivation.

Would it not be better to become a wandering cultivator, keep a low profile, travel between the various market towns, and sell his ability to help others break through in exchange for spirit stones?

Three hundred miles from here stood a market town. Lin Fan intended to settle there first.

Just as he was envisioning his wonderful future, his expression suddenly changed.

“What is it, Master?” Bai Xiyue asked softly, noticing something strange about him.

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Lin Fan raised one finger to his lips, signaling her to remain silent.

A moment later, a sharp sound tore through the air, rapidly approaching from afar. A streak of escaping light shot straight toward the ruined temple.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Ji Qingwan and Su Xingyue appeared inside the temple.

Bai Xiyue’s face instantly turned deathly pale, and her breathing quickened.

She gripped the corner of her clothes tightly, her gaze shifting uneasily between Lin Fan and Ji Qingwan.

Although Su Xingyue was her master, the authority of her grandmaster, Ji Qingwan, terrified her even more.

The fact that the two of them had pursued them here clearly meant that her and Lin Fan’s plan had fallen through.

Lin Fan put on an awkward yet polite smile and scratched his head.

“Why have Senior and Big Sister come here? Xiyue and I were chasing a cultivator from the Liu Family. We followed him here and were just about to return.”

But inwardly, he was cursing furiously.

How is this old witch so persistent? Don’t tell me she installed a GPS tracker on me? I’m finished now.

“Chasing a cultivator from the Liu Family?” Ji Qingwan looked at Lin Fan with a half-smile, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Are you joking? Not a single Liu Family cultivator escaped the Liu Family compound. Who exactly were you planning to chase?”

Su Xingyue stood to one side with a dark expression and said nothing. Yet the fury in her gaze as she stared at Lin Fan was impossible to conceal.

Lin Fan spoke with an utterly sincere expression. “Senior may not know this, but that Liu Family cultivator was exceedingly cunning and skilled in earth-escape techniques. Xiyue and I pursued him the entire way, but he burrowed underground and fled. We had no choice but to come here.”

Lin Fan secretly groaned. Even a three-year-old probably would not believe such a ridiculous lie.

Still, whether it was Ji Qingwan or Su Xingyue, both of them cared only about his ability to help others break through.

Therefore, no matter how clumsy his acting was, neither of them would easily tear away the mask between them.

“Ahem… Since you failed to catch him, Husband, you should come back with us,” Su Xingyue said. Her expression shifted several times before she finally revealed a smile.

Go back?

Lin Fan groaned inwardly. If he returned with them this time, escaping again would be extremely difficult.

“What is it? You don’t want to go back?” Su Xingyue’s eyes glimmered as she looked at him with a half-smile.

“I do! Of course I want to go back!” Lin Fan hurriedly nodded, forcing a smile that looked worse than tears.

Su Xingyue suddenly placed a hand over her flat stomach and said gently, “Husband, there is something you do not know. I am already carrying your child. Once you return, the three of us can live happily together as a family.”

Lin Fan’s eyes widened as though he had just heard something utterly unbelievable.

“No… But… I…” He pointed at himself, then at Su Xingyue, his mind going completely blank.

What was this woman trying to pull?

“You know how I feel about you, Husband.” Su Xingyue’s eyes shimmered, and a trace of grievance colored her voice. “I was afraid you would leave and never return, so I had no choice but to resort to this.”

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She paused, then continued, “These past two nights… I used the secret art of the Acacia Sect… Conceiving your child is now an absolute certainty. Or… do you intend to deny responsibility?”

At the end, Su Xingyue gave a coquettish little complaint, every glance and gesture brimming with allure.

Lin Fan felt as though thunder were crashing around him and five bolts of lightning had struck his crown.

The Acacia Sect’s secret art?

Conceiving a child?

Denying responsibility?

What in the world was she talking about?

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, yet he did not know where to begin.

Images of those two intoxicating nights surfaced in his mind.

If one were to ask what a pregnant woman and a rotten radish had in common, the answer would be simple:

Both had been pulled out too late.

And just like that…

He had fallen into the trap.

Yet after thinking it over, he found it perfectly reasonable. None of the women from the Su Family were easy to deal with.

To keep Lin Fan by their side, there was no telling what they might do.

Clearly, they intended to bind him with a child.

“Besides, Master has already said that he will accept you as his disciple. After some time, we will go to the Acacia Sect.”

At those words, Lin Fan’s heart gave a heavy thump.

If he went to the Acacia Sect, he would certainly be imprisoned all over again.

But the circumstances left him no choice. He could only put on a smile and agree.

Then a thought struck Lin Fan. Going to the Acacia Sect might not be such a bad thing after all. At least he would have a powerful backer.

There were bound to be many highly accomplished cultivators within the Acacia Sect. By then, his ability could serve an even greater purpose, and he could use the resulting feedback to increase his cultivation rapidly.

Once his strength was sufficient, would he still need to fear these women?