Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 22 Han Xuan'er

Du Fan was somewhat frustrated, very frustrated. He thought about the whole thing over and over again before coming to the conclusion that the mysterious man in the green robe had given him nothing at all.

Putting aside whether that spiritual root was a hidden spiritual root, an acquired spiritual root, or a useless spiritual root, he already possessed it; it wasn't given to him by the other party. He merely helped to activate it. And then there's the promise to take him as a disciple—it's just a promise, anyone can make that. This is nothing more than an empty check.

While Du Fan wasn't exactly cold-hearted, he was certainly reserved. Having lived two lives, he had never done anything as shameful as asking someone for something. Now, in a moment of impulsiveness, he had asked for the first time, and this was the result—Du Fan found it hard to accept. Especially after thinking about something, he was filled with deep regret… With the man in the green robe's extraordinary abilities, it wouldn't be impossible for him to send him back to Earth. Why hadn't he thought of that…? At the same time, a new idea began to sprout deep within his heart.

"If I had that person's skills, could I return to Earth...?"

"Don't say it's impossible. Even if it were possible, so what? That would be so many years from now. What would be the point of going back to Earth? Without her, it's better not to go back..."

Du Fan looked down, his expression somber, and saw the little girl still unconscious on the ground.

He bent down and reached out to brush the little girl's messy hair from her face. A delicate, flawless face appeared before Du Fan, with only a slight blush on her cheeks. Against her fair and smooth skin, she looked exceptionally cute. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly beneath her tightly closed eyelids.

"You little rascal, when did you wake up? You're still pretending to be asleep." Du Fan chuckled and gently pinched the little girl's delicate, pink face.

"Big brother, are you a bad person?" Upon hearing this, the little girl opened her beautiful big eyes and looked at Du Fan nervously. She looked pitiful and a little shy.

"If I said no, would you believe me?" Du Fan chuckled.

"I believe you!" the little girl said very seriously, with a very earnest expression.

"What's your name? Where do you live?" Du Fan was growing increasingly fond of this four- or five-year-old girl.

"My name is Han Xuan'er, and my home is..." Han Xuan'er said her name, but hesitated when she mentioned her home.

"What's wrong? Don't you remember where you live, or do you not believe me?" Du Fan was very patient, trying his best to force a kind smile.

"Big brother, no, it's just... my family warned me not to tell anyone, or I'll be punished." Han Xuan'er looked aggrieved and helpless.

"How about this, I'll take you to Xinghuo Town first. It should be the closest town to here, and also the place where you're most likely to be taken away by someone. You can decide then, okay?" After pondering for a long time, Du Fan felt that there was no problem and said this to Han Xuan'er.

"Thank you, big brother, you've gone to so much trouble."

Han Xuan'er is young, but she seems very sensible and a bit shy.

Du Fan also noticed that the girl's words and actions were quite refined, with an air of elegance about her, which was somewhat similar to Yao Ruoxi's when she was young. She was probably also from a wealthy family.

Without saying a word, Du Fan hoisted the little girl onto his shoulder and walked in one direction.

Han Xuan'er hesitated, her cheeks flushing even more, and a slight blush appeared on her swan-like white neck.

……

Looking at the endless, hundred-foot-deep pit, Du Fan was speechless. This pit was naturally formed when the Thousand-Eyed Taotie fell from the sky and crashed down.

This wasn't what Du Fan cared about most. Compared to the man in the green robe, the shock before him was nothing. He was recalling the bags of gold and silver that the robbers had possessed before the incident. It wasn't that he was greedy for the money; it's just that he was penniless, and now he had someone else to feed—he couldn't keep eating grass forever. Just then, a delicate voice rang out at the opportune moment.

"Big brother, I'm hungry." Han Xuan'er, perched on Du Fan's shoulder, had been holding back her hunger for a while, but finally couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up. Her face was flushed with embarrassment and shyness.

"You've suffered. Brother will take you to find something to eat." Du Fan sighed, his face full of frustration. Looking at the terrain in front of him, most of the gold and silver had been smashed into powder. Even if they hadn't, he couldn't go down into this hundred-foot-deep pit. If he jumped down, he would surely fall to his death.

"Huh, what's this?" Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Du Fan suddenly discovered a black rope-like object about ten feet long and as thick as Han Xuan'er's wrist at the edge of the sinkhole.

Du Fan put the little girl down for the time being, walked over and picked up the object to examine it carefully. The black rope was not heavy, but it was very tough to the touch, like a rubber band. It was also slightly cool and a strange sensation traveled into Du Fan's body through his palm.

"Ah! The fur of that ferocious beast!" Du Fan's mind trembled suddenly. He thought of a possibility, not a possibility, but a certainty. He was certain that this thing was the fur of the Thousand-Eyed Taotie. Whether it was the appearance, the aura, or the feeling he got, it was exactly the same.

Du Fan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. This was not the time to study it, so he wrapped the object around his waist and used it as a belt for the time being. He then carried Han Xuan'er on his shoulder and left the sinkhole, heading in the opposite direction.

An hour after Du Fan left, the sound of air being torn apart echoed across the enormous crater. One after another, streaks of light streaked across the sky and flew in. After stabilizing themselves in mid-air, they turned out to be high-level cultivators dressed in various styles. After looking down at the massive crater that stretched for hundreds of miles and was hundreds of feet deep, their expressions were all uncertain, ranging from surprise and doubt to bewilderment. Finally, they revealed horror and disbelief. With their minds shaken, they left with immense fear in their hearts.

After walking for half a day, Du Fan finally found some plants and trees. His spirits lifted, and he went inside to find some edible items.

To Du Fan's surprise, the little girl wasn't picky about plant roots, stems, leaves, or anything like that. When Du Fan presented these things to Han Xuan'er, she only frowned slightly before silently swallowing them bit by bit with her cherry-like mouth, without a word of complaint.

Du Fan was deeply gratified. After a short while, the two continued on their way.

Three days later, at dusk, Du Fan, carrying Han Xuan'er on his shoulder, looked at the outline of the town several miles ahead and smiled.

Just as Du Fan was about to take a step, heading straight for Xinghuo Town, he heard the sound of galloping hooves coming from about a mile away. Looking up, he saw a troop of cavalrymen in uniform, their ranks perfectly aligned. He could vaguely see a red feather standing upright on the helmet of each cavalryman, like a flame, strikingly eye-catching. Even before they got close, he could feel the sharp, murderous aura emanating from them.

Before long, the cavalry had reached Du Fan's location. Du Fan hesitated for a moment, choosing neither to leave nor to flee. There was no one else within several miles of him, and the cavalry was clearly coming for him. Leaving now might lead to misunderstandings, and most importantly, if they wanted to capture him, he wouldn't be able to escape at all.

Without any orders, the cavalry simply circled around and surrounded Du Fan.

At this moment, a group of cavalrymen suddenly parted to the sides, and a man whose armor and demeanor were completely different from the other cavalrymen entered.

The man sat upright on a black steed, around forty years old, with a handsome and extraordinary appearance. He had thick eyebrows, large ears, a resolute face, and eyes that shone with a sharp light. He was tall and straight, with a sheathed golden sword at his waist and wearing golden armor. On the chest of his armor was a captivating red feather, and a crimson feather also stood on his golden helmet, though it was much larger than the ones on the heads of other cavalrymen.

The man in golden armor flicked the reins of his warhorse and slowly approached Du Fan. When he was three steps away from Du Fan, he let out a cold snort and dismounted.

"Put the princess down, and I'll spare your life!" the man in golden armor said coldly, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. His voice was deep yet undeniably authoritative, giving those who heard it an instinctive sense of obedience.

"What? Princess!" Du Fan's eyes flashed with a strange light, and his heart skipped a beat.