CHAPTER 373: CHAPTER 0370: IS THIS THE WILL OF HEAVEN?

"Mmm, smells good."

The current circumstances were peaceful; nothing significant had happened.

Right now, his thoughts were on mundane, mortal matters.

After he left, the Immortal Sect would take action against Martial Arts. However, some things required hardship to achieve rebirth through fire. Even with his support in the Immortal Realm, it wouldn’t make much difference.

The only fortunate part was that the Demon Path had no interest in interfering with such affairs.

The methods of the Immortal Sect were relatively more temperate.

Wei You would look after the people he knew, and Jiangdu City would naturally be under protection, unaffected and allowing Martial Arts to continue spreading, albeit in smaller circles.

As long as one or two individuals managed to train to the level of Martial Arts to God,

all troubles would resolve themselves effortlessly.

Lin Fan sat on the ground, quietly savoring his food, when suddenly, a ripple appeared in the Void beside him.

"Hmm?"

Startled, he became vigilant. Could someone be here to stir up trouble for him? That didn’t seem possible. He had no enemies in the Immortal Realm, and no one even knew he was here. Who could possibly have the means to locate him?

And then—

The rippling Void erupted like water breaking apart, and a blurry shadow slowly emerged.

It appeared to be a person.

Yes.

A woman, to be precise.

A woman dressed in white.

Plop!

A white-clad woman fell out of the Void and lay silently flat on the ground.

Lin Fan was dumbfounded, the pork leg he had in his mouth frozen mid-bite as his face filled with shock and disbelief.

He looked up at the sky.

"Heavens above, don’t tell me you noticed how lonely I’ve been at night, so you abducted a woman and sent her here for me to... uh, study human anatomy tonight?"

He muttered to himself, his thoughts scattering wildly. Wicked thoughts began drifting toward pleasurable imaginings.

Quickly, he shook his head, driving those sinful notions out of his mind.

A noble cultivator of the Immortal Sect could not entertain such depraved thoughts.

Quietly, he waited.

The white-clad woman remained motionless, almost as if she’d passed away. But the faint rise and fall of her breathing proved that she was still alive—at least, for now.

Lin Fan picked up a branch. Not daring to get too close, he squatted at a safe distance and extended the branch to poke her.

Once.

Twice.

He poked several times, but she remained unresponsive.

"Hey, miss, are you dead? If not, could you say something?" Lin Fan called out.

Suddenly,

he noticed blood staining the woman’s abdomen red, with fresh blood still seeping out.

"She’s injured."

Yelling out instinctively, he rushed forward to check on her.

"Goodness, the injury is severe! The bleeding won’t stop. If this continues, she could die. And the wound—there’s a lingering sharp aura around it—it must’ve been caused by a blade."

Lin Fan focused intently, scanning her from the abdomen upward. His gaze traveled slowly, and he found himself compelled to recite a poem:

"’A range of hills from afar, a peak up close; perspectives shift, and beauty shows.’"

Majestic. Awe-inspiring. Towering.

He quickly averted his eyes from the alluring scene, redirecting his attention to her face. However, a veil covered her features, leaving her true appearance unclear. But judging from her outline, she was undoubtedly stunning.

"Before saving someone, you should assess their character. If they look vile, you shouldn’t save them," Lin Fan muttered to himself.

With that, he removed the veil.

When he saw her face, Lin Fan sucked in a sharp breath. What incredible beauty! She was unlike any woman in the Immortal Realm—a true fairy among fairies, with an ethereal elegance.

The woman’s eyes remained closed, her long lashes trembling slightly, exuding an air of agony.

"Sigh, meeting me counts as your fate. If I don’t save you, you’re dead for sure. Perhaps this is Heaven proving that kindness is never overlooked. You must be a good person; otherwise, Heaven wouldn’t have let you fall into my hands."

Suppressing his stray thoughts, Lin Fan examined her abdominal wound more carefully.

But her clothing hindered his view of the injury, making it difficult to treat.

To properly assess and address the wound,

he would have to remove her clothing.

Yet, upon closer inspection, her attire appeared somewhat intricate. If he started from the top, everything above would be exposed. If he began from the bottom, well, everything below would be exposed too.

What a headache!

He didn’t know where to begin.

But seeing her pained expression, he couldn’t simply stand by and watch her slip away right before his eyes.

"Amitabha. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form."

He had met Yun Shouzuo a few times before. Though they hadn’t spoken, the man’s gaze alone had enlightened Lin Fan to the essence of Buddhist teachings.

Rustle, rustle!

The sound of clothing being untied filled the air.

One word—flawless.

Two words—graceful and pristine.

After thoroughly examining her wound, wiping away the drool from the corner of his mouth, Lin Fan began inspecting the injury. Placing five fingers over the wound, he activated his mana to extract the sharp aura embedded around it.

Fortunately, he had obtained some healing elixirs from the Li Mansion’s treasure vault. Although not particularly potent, they would suffice for now.

Lin Fan tore off a piece of his own clothing, smeared it with the Immortal Elixir, and applied it to her abdominal wound. Then, he placed one hand beneath her waist and secured the cloth tightly, tying it into a knot.

Admiring his handiwork, he smiled.

"A true healer’s touch—cure at first aid."

Next, he swore to the heavens that he examined her body for other injuries with the purest, most untainted intentions.

After ensuring there were no additional wounds,

he gently helped her dress again.

Even though her flawless physique was tempting, he suppressed any untoward thoughts.

This is the conduct of someone from the Immortal Sect, he reminded himself.

Regardless of what others might believe,

Lin Fan was confident in his own integrity.

The night felt particularly lonely.

Sitting by the fire, he periodically glanced at the woman. She was improving—the breathing had stabilized and wasn’t as weak as before. It seemed the Immortal Elixir was effective.

Who knew how much time had passed.

Her eyelashes began fluttering rapidly, indicating she was about to regain consciousness.

Soon enough,

the woman woke up. Recalling her prior circumstances, she reacted intensely, scanning her surroundings. But as she moved, the pain in her wound caused her to grimace, clutching her abdomen with one hand, an expression of agony spreading across her face.

"Miss, you’re awake. Rest assured, you’re safe now," Lin Fan said calmly. Picking up the pork leg still in his hand, he added, "You’re injured; it helps to eat some meat for recovery."

The woman eyed him warily, then surveyed the area, ensuring there was no immediate threat before slowly relaxing.

"Who are you?"

Her voice was enchanting—exactly what one might expect from a fairy.

Lin Fan smiled and replied, "I’m a wanderer of the Immortal Realm, without any particular destination. I just go wherever. When the Void rippled just now, you fell out, injured. Seeing your critical condition, I administered some simple first aid."

"You really don’t need to thank me."

"As the saying goes, ’Draw your sword to help when injustice is seen.’ Meeting each other is a kind of destiny."

His calm demeanor and righteous tone

would have convinced anyone oblivious to the truth that he truly was an upstanding individual.

The woman hadn’t fully processed what he said. When she touched her abdominal wound, she noticed her clothes had been bandaged beneath and immediately paled. Her expression changed dramatically.

She then touched her face and realized her veil was gone.

"What did you do to me?" she demanded angrily.

Her eyes exuded both fury and a faint hint of killing intent. She couldn’t fathom what might’ve transpired while she had been unconscious, especially involving this man in front of her. He appeared harmless, his face adorned with a gentle smile.

Yet for some reason, he gave off an inexplicably dangerous aura.

"Miss, please don’t worry. I swear I did nothing improper. When I found you, your injuries were severe and required immediate treatment for you to survive."

"So, I carefully undid your clothing to examine the wound. As you can see, look at my shirt—I tore a strip of cloth to bandage you."

"But rest assured, I am a practitioner of Buddhist teachings. ’Form is emptiness; emptiness is form.’ Everything is but a fleeting illusion. In my eyes, all you mortals are but skeletons, devoid of flesh."

"Amitabha."

Lin Fan clasped his palms together solemnly and recited a Buddhist mantra, as though trying to prove his purity and quell any suspicions she might harbor.

What he failed to notice, however, was that the woman’s face grew increasingly grim, her beautiful eyes widening in alarm.

"You lecher!" she shouted furiously, her delicate fist flying toward his face.

Slap!

Lin Fan didn’t dodge, allowing her fist to land cleanly on his cheek. A faint fragrance exclusive to fairies wafted over—it did smell lovely. Without thinking, his nose twitched involuntarily.

The woman felt hot air brushing against the back of her hand, quickly retreating.

"Miss, your wound has reopened."

Lin Fan noticed fresh blood seeping from her bandaged wound. He sighed. "What’s wrong with people nowadays? Here I am just trying to help, and they’re so ungrateful. It’s truly exasperating."

"You...!"

Furious but in pain, the woman nearly fainted again. But she forced herself to stay conscious—falling unconscious now was out of the question. Who could predict what he might do if she blacked out again?

Swish!

Enduring the pain, she leapt backward. A true fairy, even in injury, wouldn’t compromise her elegance. Her movement, as light as a dragonfly skimming water, was impeccably graceful.

Though the blood trailing from her abdomen rather spoiled the aesthetic.

"Miss, you’re seriously injured. You shouldn’t move around recklessly," Lin Fan said, standing up to stop her. Did he look like a villain? He was only trying to help.

Couldn’t she show some understanding?

"Don’t come any closer!" she commanded. But as Lin Fan stepped toward her again, her voice grew louder. "I said don’t come any closer!"

"This..."

Lin Fan froze, suddenly reminded of the dramatic outbursts of Jing Yun from those drama stories. The lady before him must’ve been experiencing the same inner turmoil as Jing Yun did then.

What a hassle.

Even saving someone was this troublesome.

No wonder so many people chose the Demon Path for cultivation.

When faced with difficult individuals, slashing them on the spot certainly saved a great deal of trouble.