Chapter 267

Li Yishan's call completely pulled Zhang Fan's thoughts back. He looked at the display on his phone, paused slightly, and finally answered.

"Hello, where are you?"

Li Yishan's familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I'm on the high-speed train," Zhang Fan said indifferently.

"You haven't come back yet," Li Yishan said casually.

"You knew I went on a long trip?" Zhang Fan pondered slightly and said mysteriously.

"Mom Yun told me."

As early as when he first arrived in Annan City, Zhang Fan had specifically called Jiang Yunxian, wanting to visit Li Yishan, who was recuperating in Huizhou Province, on the way.

"Where are you?" Zhang Fan asked.

"Yujing."

"You've already gone back?"

"Yeah, I've already returned."

The two's seemingly indifferent conversation had a different atmosphere this time, as if hiding various things that could not be spoken or shown.

"Arriving at night?"

"Arriving in Yujing around eight o'clock," Zhang Fan checked the time and answered.

"Eat together?" Li Yishan asked.

"Good."

"Then I'll wait for you, at the old place."

"Hmm!"

Zhang Fan gave a light grunt and agreed, and then the other side hung up the phone.

"You're still outside and you've already made an appointment?"

Just at this moment, Fang Changle's voice came from the side, and he stared at him with an extremely ambiguous look.

"People who cultivate the Dao have dirty minds; be careful of your crotch rotting later," Zhang Fan glanced sideways and said indifferently.

"You've been possessed by Yuan Lingguan, haven't you!?" Fang Changle said in a deep voice.

"I'm doing this for your own good. In the current era, the red dust is becoming increasingly filthy. We enter the world to cultivate, our desires are stronger, and our trials are greater. A moment of carelessness, and all previous efforts are wasted," Fang Changle sighed.

"The Patriarch said it well: productivity determines the upper limit of desire."

"In such an era, in another hundred years, I'm afraid no one will be able to cultivate."

"Hmm!? Productivity determines the upper limit of desire? What kind of logic is that?" Zhang Fan wondered.

"This is an iron-clad truth," Fang Changle said as a matter of course.

"Look at the past, upstairs and downstairs, electric lights and telephones, being able to eat two or three meals of meat a week was considered a utopian dream life."

"Going back further, in ancient times, being able to eat one's fill, not be hungry, wear warm clothes, and not freeze, the common people were already very satisfied."

"But now? Everyone wishes they could drive luxury cars, sail yachts, play with young..."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Zhang Fan looked left and right; the passengers who hadn't taken their seats yet had already cast strange looks toward this side.

"In short, social productivity has developed greatly, and human desires have leaped greatly..." Fang Changle said in a deep voice.

It cannot be said that productivity hinders the development of cultivation; it can only be said that the higher the productivity, the stronger human desires, and such red dust is less suitable for cultivation.

The so-called Age of Dharma Decline perhaps comes from this.

In such an era, even if one were like an ancient Daoist priest, escaping into deep mountains and great marshes, it would be difficult to escape the filth of the red dust. Desires sprout, great trials must arrive, the path of cultivation is completely severed, and from then on, humans do not gather with immortals, and dragons do not live with snakes.

That is the true Age of Dharma Decline.

That is the true severing of the connection between Heaven and Earth.

"You really are a talent," Zhang Fan couldn't help but say.

Listening to Fang Changle's nonsense, he suddenly had a sense of déjà vu of dreaming back to high school politics class.

"Nonsense, I am someone who has participated in our Maoshan Social Cultivation Research Institute," Fang Changle said proudly.

"..."

Zhang Fan hadn't even heard that Maoshan, one of the top ten famous Daoist mountains, had such a place!?

"Cultivating the Dao must also keep pace with the times and respond to the national policy call," Fang Changle said earnestly.

"Young man, your awareness still needs to be improved."

As he spoke, Fang Changle grinned and patted Zhang Fan on the shoulder.

"You got to show off this time," Zhang Fan said indifferently.

"Rare, rare..." Fang Changle laughed.

"Sorry!"

Just at this moment, a soft and graceful voice came from the side.

Zhang Fan subconsciously looked up and couldn't help but be dazed. A tall beauty stood to the side, wearing high heels, a long dress, and a small shawl over her upper body, making her figure look graceful and noble. Her features were exquisite, her lips red and teeth white, and there was a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows. She held a train ticket and looked at Zhang Fan and Fang Changle for help.

"We are together, but the seats aren't connected. Can we swap seats with you?" The cinnabar-mole beauty looked behind her.

Zhang Fan looked over and saw a young boy following behind the cinnabar-mole beauty, looking about twelve or thirteen years old, dressed very trendily, with a headband on his head, looking down and playing a mobile game, as if completely immersed in it.

"Then I'll swap with you."

Fang Changle was sitting on the very outside, and seeing the woman with a child, he took the initiative to stand up.

"Thank you for the trouble, my seat is Row 9, Seat B," the cinnabar-mole beauty said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Fang Changle said casually, then looked at Zhang Fan: "See you when we get off."

"Go well." Zhang Fan waved his hand, watching Fang Changle leave.

"Sorry, sorry for the trouble."

The cinnabar-mole beauty sat next to Zhang Fan, while the child sat in the outermost seat.

"Miss is too polite," Zhang Fan said softly.

"Miss!?" The cinnabar-mole beauty was dumbfounded at this address.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Fan asked.

"I'm already over forty; I'm old enough to be your mother."

"Over forty?"

Zhang Fan was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but look at the beauty in front of him again. The latter's skin was delicate enough to be broken by a blow, and there wasn't even a single wrinkle at the corners of her eyes. She looked like she was only in her twenties or thirties.

"Uh... Auntie, you really maintain yourself well," Zhang Fan said awkwardly.

Counting it up, the cinnabar-mole beauty in front of him was about the same age as his father; Zhang Lingzong was only in his early fifties this year.

"Young man, are you married?" The cinnabar-mole beauty looked at Zhang Fan with a smile.

"Not yet, I just graduated last year," Zhang Fan laughed dryly.

"Do you want Auntie to introduce you to someone? Auntie knows many little beauties."

"No need."

Zhang Fan waved his hand, but he was muttering in his heart. Who introduces a partner as soon as they meet? Especially a stranger he didn't know at all.

"Young man, you look quite reliable; you look a lot like a friend of mine," the cinnabar-mole beauty said softly, her smile fading, but a look of reminiscence appeared in her beautiful eyes.

"A friend!?"

"Speaking of which, we haven't seen each other for many years."

"Life's gatherings and partings are unpredictable," Zhang Fan said indifferently.

"Yes, from ancient times to the present, people grow old, the moon rises and sets many times..." The cinnabar-mole beauty whispered, looked at Zhang Fan, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Young man, you're so young, yet you've developed so many life reflections."

"I was just talking nonsense," Zhang Fan laughed lightly.

"Young man, where are you from?" The cinnabar-mole beauty changed the subject and suddenly asked. "Yujing City."

"Who else is in your family?"

"My dad." Zhang Fan only felt that the beauty in front of him was overly enthusiastic, but he still replied politely.

"Then what about your mom?"

"She passed away many years ago," Zhang Fan whispered.

"Is that so? She's gone... she's gone..."

The cinnabar-mole beauty muttered, her gaze slightly unfocused.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

Zhang Fan shook his head and wanted to say something else, but saw the cinnabar-mole beauty resting her chin on one hand and slowly closing her eyes, as if she were a bit tired.

Seeing this, Zhang Fan took out his phone on his own. He first opened the "Little Yellow Book"; the chat box with the thousand-year-old demon was still there, but the account had been logged out for a long time.

No errors, first release, internal content, look at it at a glance!

"Thousand-year-old demon..." Zhang Fan muttered.

Just at this moment, the cinnabar-mole beauty next to him clearly moved, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Zhang Fan closed the "Little Yellow Book" and opened Super Letter again. Lin Jianyue's chat box still hadn't popped up. Zhang Fan had already sent her several messages, but there was no response.

"What's going on?" Zhang Fan's gaze darkened slightly.

He had asked Lin Jianyue to go contact Zhao Jiexuan. There had been replies a few days ago, but recently, because of the Liaoya Mountain matter, Zhang Fan had been too busy to spare any time. Now that he had freed up some time, he had been looking for Lin Jianyue for several days, but the other party hadn't replied at all.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan dialed Lin Jianyue's phone number.

"It's turned off!?" Zhang Fan's brows were tightly furrowed, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

Before, Zhao Jiexuan had disappeared without a trace, suddenly cutting off contact, and now Lin Jianyue couldn't be reached either.

This was very bad.

"Could something have happened?" Zhang Fan muttered in his heart.

"The next station is Yujing City Station..."

Just at this moment, a passenger reminder came over the broadcast. Zhang Fan raised his hand, and Fang Changle, who was sitting in front, had already stood up and waved at him, signaling to get off the train.

"Auntie, sorry for the trouble, please let me pass, I've arrived," Zhang Fan picked up his luggage and said politely.

The cinnabar-mole beauty patted the head of the child beside her, signaling him to get up. The latter was looking down and playing with his phone, not saying a word, and stood up on his own.

Zhang Fan brushed past the two and walked straight toward the train door.

"Young man..."

Just at this moment, the cinnabar-mole beauty's voice came from behind.

"Auntie, anything else?" Zhang Fan turned back and asked.

"If we are destined, we will meet again," the cinnabar-mole beauty smiled slightly.

"Good." Zhang Fan nodded, turned, and walked toward the train door. Through the train window, he saw him and Fang Changle get off the train.

The cinnabar-mole beauty watched his receding back until it disappeared from sight.

"The east wind blows away the snow on the plum branches, one night brings back the spring of the world! From now on, the warm spring should have feet, and the flowers will be rich and the grass will have spirit..." the cinnabar-mole beauty muttered.

"Little cat, why do you think time passes so quickly?"

The child beside her remained silent, as if he hadn't heard, holding his phone horizontally, with light and shadow jumping on the screen.

"Even if the gods are here."

"Enemy defense tower destroyed!"

"This wave is truly invincible, brother!"

A hearty broadcast sound came from the phone.

"If you don't respond again, I'll smash your damn phone," the cinnabar-mole beauty said indifferently without looking back.

"Meow..."

As soon as the words fell, the child's eyes next to her suddenly lit up. His black pupils almost filled his entire eyes, his ears stood up, revealing a fawning look, and he actually leaned against the cinnabar-mole beauty and rubbed against her.

The cinnabar-mole beauty glanced sideways coldly and actually took out a cat strip from the bag beside her. Seeing this, the child's eyes went straight, and he rubbed even harder and more fawningly.

The cinnabar-mole beauty threw it casually, and the child caught the cat strip like a treasure and enjoyed it on his own.

"Another year of spring has arrived, it's time for the hidden dragon to leave the abyss... just waiting for the spring thunder to sound."

The cinnabar-mole beauty looked in the direction Zhang Fan had left, muttered, and slowly closed her eyes. The next moment, the stopped high-speed train slowly started moving again, heading toward the direction of Shangjing City.

Zhang Fan and Fang Changle left the Yujing City High-Speed Railway South Station; it was already 20:37 at night.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the University Town," Zhang Fan replied.

He had already made an appointment with Li Yishan on the train.

"Then I'll go back first; I might have to go back to Maoshan in a couple of days."

Fang Changle had been out for a while. After all, he was a Maoshan successor and couldn't always be so neglectful of his duties, hanging out with Zhang Fan.

Especially this trip to Huizhou Province had greatly stimulated him.

Qin Ming, as a Qiyun Mountain successor, was already in the Great Being Realm. Although he was already dead, the sense of powerlessness during the chaotic battle was like a brand, lingering in Fang Changle's heart, unable to be shaken off.

Regardless, coming back this time, he was determined to go into seclusion and charge toward that higher realm.

"Old Fang, the Dao Alliance has been dealing with the Wu Wei Sect for so many years; do you know how they contact each other?" Zhang Fan suddenly asked.

"Contact? Who are you referring to? The internal personnel of the Wu Wei Sect are complex, and the hierarchy is strict. For members of different levels, the contact methods and security coefficients are different," Fang Changle replied.

"For example... the level of the Thirteen Zodiacs."

Zhang Fan had always been worried about Lin Jianyue; he felt something had happened.

"If such existences were so easy to find, they wouldn't be the Thirteen Zodiacs," Fang Changle said indifferently.

"That's true, I was just asking," Zhang Fan shook his head: "Let's contact again later."

As he spoke, he said goodbye to Fang Changle, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the University Town.

University Town, Sanyang Street.

At this time, dinner had just passed, and late-night snacks hadn't arrived yet; the food stalls seemed deserted.

When Zhang Fan arrived, Li Yishan was already there. The pot in front of him was steaming, the table was full of dishes, and the mutton was freshly cut, very fresh.

"You're really fast," Zhang Fan put down his luggage and sat down.

"Just got off the train?" Li Yishan looked at Zhang Fan's luggage and asked casually.

"I rushed over without stopping," Zhang Fan picked up his chopsticks and put a plate of mutton in front of him into the hot pot.

"How was the trip?" Li Yishan poured Zhang Fan a glass of white liquor.

"Trip!?"

Zhang Fan remained calm, picked up the wine glass, and drank it in one gulp: "Not bad, I had a lot of fun, but there were too many people there, my eyes were dazzled, and I couldn't tell them apart."

"If you can't tell them apart, look a few more times, you'll always be able to see clearly."

As he spoke, Li Yishan poured Zhang Fan another glass of white liquor.

Zhang Fan glanced at Li Yishan, didn't speak, picked up the wine glass again, and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. As soon as he opened his mouth, it was full of wine breath, and his face gradually became ruddy.

"Your drinking capacity isn't good either, yet you're drinking so fast," Li Yishan teased.

"Old Li, let me ask you something," Zhang Fan said suddenly, using the wine's strength.

"What is it?"

"Are you human?" Zhang Fan asked.

(End of chapter)