However, he didn’t expect that Jing Zhuo wouldn’t be able withstand his aura and it was Ning Fan who looked fine under his intimidating pressure.
“Hehe! This little friend seems to be blessed by lady luck for having some kind of magical treasure that can withstand my pressure. It’s fine. Since you are Suqiu Xianzi’s junior, I won’t rob you.”
He conceitedly presumed that Ning Fan relied on a magical treasure to evade his pressure. With that assumption in mind, he never looked at Ning Fan anymore. Instead, he turned towards Yin Suqiu and began to express his concern for her.
“Suqiu Xianzi, your beauty never cease to amaze me. Even though we hadn’t met for a hundred years, your beauty still manages to enrapture my heart. That year, I offered a million immortal jade for your smile. However, you rejected my offer. Every time I think of it, I sigh in disappointment. Can it be that your heart is made of stone? Anyway, I didn’t think that we would meet again in this country. Perhaps we are fated to see each other again, what if…”
“I am not fated to be with you…” Suqiu knitted her eyebrows and distanced herself from Yun Kuang, shortening her distance with Ning Fan.
She disliked the wild attitude of this person. His blatant display of pressure made her despise him even more.
As for the incident of exchanging her smile with a million immortal jade that happened a hundred years ago…
It had turned into a story on everybody’s lips in the southeast continent. However, Suqiu didn’t enjoy it. Instead, her hatred for him grew even deeper within her.
She admired Ning Fan more than him.
Ning Fan’s heart was very deep like that of a pool of bottomless water.
He didn’t pretend to act in that manner. In fact, his silence was the result of experiencing great suffering.
The most crucial element was that he and Suqiu shared a similarity, which was their persistent attitude. The things he persisted on were even harder and heavier than hers.
When they were still in Wei Country, Suqiu stayed on the voyage ship and asked about Ning Fan from every Wei cultivator that passed by the ship every single day.
The mysterious Nascent Soul Realm cultivator defeated a female Nascent Soul Realm demon. Suqiu knew clearly that it was Ning Fan’s achievement. She understood that Ning Fan didn’t like fame.
Old Ancestor Zhou Ming returned to Yuanjue and beat the seven sects, surpassing all the others in Wei Country. Suqiu was aware that Old Ancestor Zhou Ming was actually Ning Fan.
Although Suqiu disagreed with the killings and robberies he committed, she knew that Ning Fan did not have any other alternatives but to conduct those misdeeds for reasons that he was unwilling to discuss. He persisted on guarding his own Dao. He had to protect his kin. Therefore, no matter how notorious he became, he didn’t mind and always put on a smile.
Old Ancestor Zhou Ming won against two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from the Rain Palace. That incident had caused commotions among the Gold Core Realm cultivators of Wei Country. When Suqiu heard about it, she was surprised and at the same time, felt pity for him.
He was just a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator. Even though he hadn’t form his Gold Core yet, he always acted stubbornly just like how he forced himself to fight against the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.
When Ning Fan returned to the ship, he thought that he would be condemned by Suqiu for all his crimes in Wei Country. Ultimately, Suqiu just quietly played her flute for him and gave him a sweet smile.
“You really are a fool…” Suqiu spoke inwardly.
She finally noticed that he imprinted a deep impression in her heart. However, she wasn’t prepared to tell him about it because she knew that his emotional debt for the others was too heavy. There’s no point in giving him additional trouble to deal with.
Now, Yin Suqiu acted cool and indifferent towards Yun Kuang.
In the past, she would still strike up a conversation with him, considering him as a cultivator of the righteous path even though she hated him.
In the present, she thought that his actions were laughable.
He might be more talented than Ning Fan. His cultivation realm might be much stronger than Ning Fan. But Suqiu had a strong belief that he was still unable to surpass Ning Fan. His Dao wasn’t any better than Ning Fan’s and his heart wasn’t as good as him as well. His action of exchanging her smile with a million immortal jade could never be compared to the bracelet that Ning Fan gave her and the warmth of Ning Fan’s jokes.
He was nothing compared to Ning Fan even if he was a well-known Mid Nascent Soul Realm divine messenger from Rain Palace.
It was then that Yin Suqiu did an action which shocked Ning Fan and at the same time, provoked him.
She gently held Ning Fan’s hand and looked at him, giving him her beautiful smile.
That smile was so rare as if it used up all her happiness throughout the six hundred years of cultivating her Dao to put it up on her face.
Those indifferent Gold Core Realm old monsters who were spying on them using their spirit sense were captivated by that smile.
A single smile could mesmerize all the people in a city. Another smile could even draw in a whole country.
“Yun Kuang, we aren’t destined to be together. I am only destined to be with him.”
I am indeed destined to be with him but fate doesn’t allow us to be together.
We can only hold each other’s hands but we couldn’t grow old together.
That last sentence didn’t come out from her mouth. Instead, she kept those words deep within her heart.
Maybe there wouldn’t be another chance to meet each other in the future after they part at the Endless Sea.
If she missed the opportunity to hold his hand this time, she might regret it later.
“Er. Fellow Daoist Yin, you’re obviously creating more troubles for me…” Ning Fan told her using telepathy. He actually thought that Yin Suqiu only did that to keep Yun Kuang from further annoying her.
“You can just call me Suqiu…”
“What?”
“It’s nothing. You’re right. I’m a troublesome woman. However, I’m not going change myself. Or should I say, I won’t change.”
“It’s fine. I am the one who owed you something first. Let me give you a hand on handling this annoying person… Luckily he is one of Rain Palace’s messengers. With the existence of the World Law, he has no right to hurt me because of his personal matters. However, he might make things difficult for me during our journey in Great Jin.”
Ning Fan smiled bitterly and gently shook his head. He wasn’t afraid of Yun Kuang but he had to be mindful of him.
From the bottom of his heart, he was unwilling to see Yun Kuang harass Yin Suqiu too.
Respectfully, he turned to the angry Yun Kuang with cupped fist and said, “Fellow Daoist Yun, Suqiu is my companion. It’s true that she wasn’t ordained to be your soul mate. Since you are the divine messenger from Rain Palace, you aren’t going to continue pestering her, are you?”
“Companion?!”
Yun Kuang’s eyes glared at the couple who were holding hands together and gritted his teeth in a furious manner.
His gaze then stopped on Ning Fan with ferocious hostility. But he replaced his expression with a calm look immediately, concealing his hostility towards Ning Fan. Although he had a wild attitude, his wildness was only because of the divine ability of his divine intent. His state of mind was still at the Nascent Soul Realm, never easily unsettled.
“What’s your name!”
“Zhou Ming!” Ning Fan answered unwaveringly.