Grasping Evil

Chapter 148(1): Boarded on a pirate ship(1)

It was the last night in Seven Apricot.

Ning Fan and Zhihe lied down on a rattan chair under a grape vine, and enjoying the moonlight above the skies.

Ning Fan would leave tomorrow and he did not want to bring Zhihe along.

“Why don’t you bring me along? Is it because I am weak and unworthy to be with you?” Zhihe gently put her head towards Ning Fan’s shoulder.

“No… because I am too weak, I fear that I do not have the power to protect you…” Ning Fan remorsefully said.

“Brother Fan, you are not weak. Compared to everyone I’ve seen, you are the strongest…” Little Zhihe comforted him with her silky smooth hand, covering his mouth gently.

Both of them no longer said a word and leaned their heads together while looking at the moon.

Zhihe was not suitable to cultivate the Dao, even though she had the Innate Bewitching Bone that gave her an extremely fast cultivation speed. However, just talent alone was insufficient to survive in the world of cultivation… A lot of devils may not have talents, but they were able to slowly move up with their cruel and cunning nature. Zhihe would be in danger even if she were to face cultivators that had weaker cultivation due to her pure nature.

She would still be not suitable to cultivate Dao, even if she were to experience a massive leap in cultivation in the future and become an Immortal.

In fact, Ning Fan could bring Zhihe along in this bloody sea and develop a cruel nature within her, but he was unwilling…

For him, he knew that Ning Gu was unwilling to kill, so he gave Ning Hu a simple life.

Also, he knew that Zhihe was also unwilling to see bloodshed, therefore, he would definitely promise Zhihe a safe and pleasant path of Dao cultivation.

It was not Zhihe’s fault, it was just the wrong era to have Zhihe. There were many treasure refining cultivators in the most ancient past. During that time, the immortal world was rumoured to be at peace. There weren’t any battles and bloodshed. Zhihe should’ve belonged to that era, living a life of immortal romance and leaving a story that should forever be told…

Yue country was just a low-ranked cultivation country without a Nascent Soul expert… Ning Fan was not considered to be a Nascent Soul cultivator while Jing Zhuo could only be considered as a half Nascent Soul.

But the Nascent Soul old monsters in the stronger intermediate-ranked cultivation countries were analogous to the Gold Core old monsters in Yue Country. Although there weren’t many of them, they weren’t hard to find.

There are even Spirit Severing old monsters in high-ranked cultivation country. The Endless Sea that Ning Fan was going was a place where even cultivators from high-ranked cultivation country have to be extremely careful the moment they entered that place.

The Endless Sea was also dubbed as the Grave of cultivation! The grave for cultivators! Nobody would ask if someone was murdered; even the Rain Palace could not meddle within it… It didn’t matter that if a cultivator was from righteous path or devil sect. What mattered the most was the strength of the cultivator. That place has its own law of survival. If Ning Fan were to travel alone and he encountered any dangers, he could escape and get away safely. However, if he were to bring along Zhihe and something went wrong, he would certainly regret it his whole life.

Zhihe was the first girl to walk into his heart. That mantou and jade lock which she gave to him had saved his life, giving him a different life.

Ning Fan closed his eyes slightly under the moonlight. His nose had the lingering fragrance of Zhihe…

The scenes of their meeting in All Pleasure Sect appeared in front of his eyes.

Zhihe was only an ordinary girl and she longed for an ordinary life. She didn't love battles and her thought was pure. She did not have a specialized skill, but she was the one who understood Ning Fan the most amongst all the ladies.

She understood the gentleness of Ning Fan and his helplessness. She knew that Ning Fan was the same as her, and he actually did not love to fight…

Ning Fan had the same longing for a plain life as Zhihe deep within his heart. But fate made him meet the Old Devil and he was forced to walk on the path of devil cultivation that had no return.

After meeting Zhihe and the Old Devil, half of Zhihe’s personality and half of the Old Devil’s personality constituted the present Ning Fan’s personality!

“That… Brother Fan…” Zhihe’s eyes opened wide as if there was something she wanted to say.

“Yes?”

“Could you bring me a Bell Orchid when you’re back from the Endless Sea?” Zhihe requested.

“Bell Orchid? Doesn’t Yue Country have such an orchid?” asked Ning Fan surprisingly.

“It’s different… It is said that the orchid in the Endless Sea could let out a sound of a wind chime when the wind blows, extremely pleasant to hear… I will know that you’re back when I hear that sound…” Zhihe said sillily and fell asleep in the arms of Ning Fan.

Ning Fan silently etched into his mind the silly girl’s wish.

Bell Orchid was just an ordinary mortal plant in the Endless Sea… Zhihe’s wish was simple, simple enough to be taken a pity.

Zhihe could not go to the Endless Sea because of the endless dangers the place possessed. That was the origin of the name “Endless”.

As for the Ning City, it was Ning Fan’s home. He needed someone to look forward to the moment he returned home.

This trip to the Endless Sea might require ten years, or maybe decades or even a hundred years.

The wait maybe tormenting, yet this was the life of a cultivator. As for those Dao companions, the wife might not be able to see her husband for tens of years if the husband were to go into seclusion.

Cultivators had their own helplessness, even True Immortals could hardly be free and unfettered.

“A bell orchid… I shall bear it in mind.”

“…”

A dazzling ship was soon to set sail outside Seven Apricot city.

Under the ship, there was Old Ancestor Jing Zhuo and Ning Fan saying their goodbyes to their relatives, friends and cultivators of Yue Country.

Most of the cultivators were from the Fire Cloud and Sinister Sparrow Sect. People from other sects came to watch, but were not as enthusiastic as the two sects.

Nan Gong, Si Tu, Wei Chi, the four clans of Seven Apricot and the Four Armies of Ning City.

Gui Qiaozi, Xue Qing, Nan Wei, even Yan Zuiyun who once had a disagreement with Ning Fan, Bai Feiteng and Yan Bai who also had quite an animosity.

Only a few exchange of conventional greetings and exhorts was enough for these people.

However, the goodbyes with the girls like Lan Mei made Ning Fan slightly reluctant.

“Ning Fan, take these immortal jades with you… I requested it from father…” Lan Mei gave him a storage pouch that was filled to the brim with hidden bitterness.

Ning Fan’s divine sense swept through it and was instantly surprised… Thirty thousand immortal jades, this could be Gui Qiaozi’s entire asset. Lan Mei must have dug deep and searched the entire sect to get this amount.

“To cultivate within the Lost World Tower in the Endless Sea, it is not overrated to describe it as overly expensive… Do not be reluctant in spending when you’re away from home…” Lan Mei said. She was slightly bitter when Ning Fan decided not to bring her along, but she was also extremely worried about his safety.

Of course, she was also slightly worried of his playboy nature. Would he philander out there…

Lan Mei and Ning Fan had a marriage agreement. It was not a secret to the cultivators of Yue Country.

The farewell gift was already thirty thousand immortal jades… Even Jing Zhuo and the other old ancestors couldn’t help but envy Ning Fan’s luck in the opposite sex. It would be extremely difficult to find a 2nd wife in Yue Country that would give her husband thirty thousand immortal jades as allowance…

Bai Lu also came, but she did not speak a word to Ning Fan. She only saw him off from afar.

When Ning Fan saw her negligible figure within the crowd, he smiled towards her. Bai Lu’s eyebrows trembled immediately and turned her back. It was hard to identify her expression clearly.

“Be careful… on the journey…” She said in a message transmission.

“You too should cultivate diligently, maybe then you will have the chance to kill me the moment I return,” Ning Fan teasingly said.

“Hmmph! You think I couldn't do it?! You just wait and see, my cultivation base will surely improve tremendously by the time you return and I will surely surprise you!” Bai Lu resentfully said.

“Very well, I shall wait.”

“…”