Chapter 482: Hahahahahahahaha…

The succession ceremony for the Sect Leader was a significant event. It was considered the most important affair within the Qian Yuan Sect. Many major sects sent representatives to offer congratulations. Of course, the Heavenly Fire Palace and the Qian Yuan Sect were sworn enemies, their hatred deep-rooted. Disciples from the two sects would fight on sight, so naturally, the Heavenly Fire Palace wouldn't send anyone to offer congratulations.

The representatives from the major sects all wanted to ascertain one thing: What had become of Liu Shanyue?

Seventy years ago, he fought against the Heavenly Fire Palace's Sect Leader. Who won, who lost, and what was the outcome? Were they both severely injured, damaging their core essence? These were the questions they sought to clarify.

Lin Fan stood within the crowd, inconspicuous. He enjoyed observing the lively atmosphere.

"This Junior Brother looks unfamiliar. Did you just join the sect?" a fellow disciple standing beside Lin Fan asked curiously.

Lin Fan smiled, "I've been here for a while."

"Oh, it seems Junior Brother keeps a low profile."

This fellow disciple was quite curious. He was well-connected among the ordinary disciples and had met almost everyone, yet he had no impression of Lin Fan. He didn't dwell on it further, assuming Lin Fan had perhaps only recently joined.

Lin Fan replied, "I rarely go out."

"No wonder. Junior Brother should venture out more and interact with other fellow disciples. Look at our new Sect Leader, how impressive he is! I heard our new Sect Leader used to be unknown, but unexpectedly, he became the Sect Leader. I think Junior Brother is quite promising; perhaps you'll be the next Sect Leader."

"No, I'm not interested in being the Sect Leader. I just enjoy reading."

When Lin Fan uttered these words, the fellow disciple was stunned.

What the heck!

I was being polite, but he took it seriously.

This person cannot be approached.

He doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. I'd better avoid him in the future.

Lin Fan stood there and watched for a while. The person on the stage looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't recall and didn't bother thinking about it. Shaking his head, he left and returned to his room to continue reading.

He had read countless books during these seventy years. He had forgotten exactly how many. At least tens of thousands.

However, there were so many books in the Scripture Repository that he hadn't even finished the first floor. Anyone else encountering this situation would have collapsed, but for Lin Fan, it wasn't a big deal.

His heart remained calm, peaceful, and undisturbed.

He had memorized every book he had read on the first floor of the Scripture Repository. As he often said, even the most powerful techniques described in those books were not as potent as a single punch from him.

At the Scripture Repository, Lin Fan returned the books and then borrowed a new one. He glanced towards the second floor, as if searching for someone. Shaking his head, he returned to his room and continued reading as usual.

Knock, knock!

A knock came at the door.

Lin Fan got up and opened the door. An elderly man stood outside. Seeing Lin Fan, a smile appeared on his face.

"Won't you invite me in to sit?"

"Please."

The elder from the second floor of the Scripture Repository had been observing Lin Fan for a long time. Such perseverance was rare among disciples. It was a pity he lacked talent, but the elder always believed in a light called a miracle.

The elder observed Lin Fan's room. It was an ordinary disciple's dwelling, nothing unusual.

"Your health doesn't seem very good," Lin Fan said.

The elder said with relief, "The fact that you can see the state of my health tells me that a miracle has indeed occurred. My body has suffered from a hidden ailment for a long time. Now my qi and blood are declining, and my end is near. I came here to bid you farewell. I plan to enter closed-door cultivation and give it one last try. Perhaps there's still a sliver of hope."

Lin Fan felt helpless inwardly. If Old Zhang or Ginseng were here, they could save him. But they weren't, and he was powerless.

The elder's gaze was gentle as he softly asked, "Seventy years and your appearance hasn't changed. It seems you've made progress. You don't want to expose yourself, and I've never told anyone. I just hope my thoughts are correct. You will be the miracle of the Qian Yuan Sect. With you here, I'm at ease."

Lin Fan said, "Thank you for your help all these years."

The elder waved his hand, "No, it's not me helping you, but you helping me. I once doubted miracles, but seeing you like this, I believe they exist."

Lin Fan felt the elder had misunderstood. He probably thought his unchanging appearance over seventy years was a miracle. Actually… No, it was because he was truly powerful, and maintaining his youthful appearance was perfectly normal.

But he didn't say anything. Although he didn't quite understand, he felt the elder seemed to regard him as a miracle. He didn't want to disappoint him, so he didn't explain.

"I also believe miracles exist," Lin Fan said.

The elder stood up and patted Lin Fan's shoulder, "Keep working hard. I hope you can reach the peak. I'll be going now. If heaven is willing to give me another chance, we will meet again."

"I'll see you off," Lin Fan said.

Watching the elder leave, Lin Fan hoped he would succeed. He was truly a kind old man.

The Sect Leader succession ceremony concluded. The experts from various sects who attended were shocked. Liu Shanyue appeared, looking exactly the same as before, no different. It seemed their previous speculations were overthinking. He was fine.

At this moment, Wu Zhi looked at the former Sect Leader before him. He no longer possessed the aura of someone who could sweep across the lands. Instead, he appeared decaying, his black hair turned white, his face pale, and wrinkles etched upon his face, making him look much older than before.

"Sect Leader…" Wu Zhi wanted to inquire about the Sect Leader's condition, but Liu Shanyue interrupted him.

"Listen carefully. From now on, the Qian Yuan Sect relies on you. I fought against the Heavenly Fire Palace's Sect Leader for three days and three nights. We were both severely injured. My current condition is irreversible."

In order to appear at the succession ceremony, he had paid a great price. He wanted the representatives from the various sects to know that he was fine, not as bad as they thought.

But forcing himself was ultimately just forcing himself. The price he paid was further aggravating his internal injuries.

However, he knew that the old thief from the Heavenly Fire Palace was likely no better off, perhaps even dead. To recover from their injuries, they would need to encounter some heaven-defying miraculous medicine.

Miraculous medicines were hard to come by and extremely rare.

"Yes, this disciple will not disappoint Sect Leader," Wu Zhi replied. He understood the reason behind the Sect Leader's actions. The Qian Yuan Sect could not decline, and they couldn't let other sects know that Liu Shanyue's condition was dire.

Liu Shanyue said in a deep voice, "I will enter the forbidden grounds to gamble on a chance. The chances are slim, a life-or-death situation. Perhaps after entering, I will never come out. The burden on your shoulders is heavy. Not only do you need to become stronger, but you also need to cultivate new disciples and strengthen the sect's power."

Wu Zhi said, "This disciple remembers."

Liu Shanyue waved his hand, dismissing Wu Zhi. He then began to regulate his condition, preparing to recover slightly before heading to the forbidden grounds.

Wu Zhi, after leaving, clenched his fists, gazing at the vast Qian Yuan Sect. He suddenly felt the heavy burden on his shoulders. His task was to enhance the sect's strength.

At the same time, he also needed to improve his own strength, so that those who coveted the Qian Yuan Sect would completely abandon their thoughts.

In the area where ordinary disciples resided, Lin Fan bought a chicken from the sect's market. Sitting outside, he boiled water and plucked the chicken feathers.

"You look a lot like my hen."

Despite saying it looked like his hen, his hands moved continuously with practiced ease, as if he did this often. Although Lin Fan never actively cooked, his skills were actually quite good.

Braised chicken pieces.

This dish was delicious and one of the few dishes he was particularly good at.

Nightfall.

Everything was ready.

Two dishes were placed on the table: a plate of braised chicken pieces and a bowl of green vegetable and tofu soup.

Just as he was about to start eating, there was a movement by the window.

Lin Fan looked towards the window and saw a figure standing there. No… rather, the figure had both hands gripping the windowsill, looking longingly at the food on the table inside.

"Want some?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.

"Mm-hmm." The figure nodded vigorously.

Lin Fan got up and opened the door, softly saying, "Come in this way."

The figure glanced at Lin Fan, then back at the food on the table. Unable to resist the delicious aroma, he followed Lin Fan into the room with a smile on his face.

"Where did you come from?" Lin Fan inquired.

The figure was tall, about 1.9 meters, with a simple and honest appearance. He blinked frequently, as if something was wrong with his eyes.

"Farming."

His voice was loud, his throat incredibly resonant.

"Hahaha…"

After speaking, he laughed foolishly, his laughter hearty and cheerful.

Lin Fan fetched a bowl, filled it with some chicken pieces, and gently pushed it towards him. "Eat."

He enjoyed sharing the food he made.

The figure looked at the bowl in front of him, then at Lin Fan, and then continued to laugh "Hahaha" before burying his head and quickly devouring the chicken pieces.

Originally, Lin Fan could have finished the entire pot of braised chicken by himself, but after sharing, he slowed down his eating pace, hoping the other person could eat more.

Before long, the pot of braised chicken was completely devoured.

The figure wiped his mouth with his sleeve, opened his mouth, and looked at Lin Fan with what seemed like a smile.

"Was it good?"

"Good."

"What's your name?"

"Haha."

The figure said this, scratching the back of his head and laughing "Haha" again.

"Haha?"

Lin Fan was stunned, then smiled. "Well, that's a good name. Happy, optimistic. It's getting late, you should go back."

Night.

'Haha' left, walking down the road. When other disciples passed by, they waved, "Fool, what are you doing here? Did you steal something?"

"No, I didn't steal anything."

"Who knows if you stole or not, unless you take off all your clothes, then I'll believe you."

A disciple beside him said, "Stop messing around. He's the fool from the village down the mountain. He weeds and farms in the sect. If the senior brothers see us, they'll scold us."

"Fine."

The next day.

Lin Fan was reading in his room until it was almost dark when he heard a commotion outside.

He got up and opened the door.

He saw 'Haha' standing outside, holding a rabbit in his hands.

"For you…"

"For me?"

"Mm."

Lin Fan accepted the rabbit and smiled, "Thank you."

'Haha' happily scratched his head and laughed "Haha" again. His laughter was pure and clear, like a child's, like when they give something good to their parents and receive praise in return.

Just as Lin Fan was about to speak, 'Haha' waved and ran towards the distance, shouting as he ran, "I'm going home!"

Lin Fan watched him leave, smiling.