Inside the room, the hollowed young man was kneeling in front of Wei Yuan and confessing his story. His other captive was sitting crosslegged on the bed with her back facing toward the duo. A Dao energy barrier was standing between her and the two men as well.

“My name is Xu Wenwu. I come from another world. I couldn’t find a job after I graduated from university, so I just loitered around my house until... oh, you probably don’t know what a university is, right? It’s kinda like the academies of your world....

“... One night, I was er, rubbing one out when suddenly, everything turned black. When I woke up again, I was already here....

“... Since arriving in this world, I had been searching for a wise lord to serve under. Alas, I never did....

“... Upper immortal! I am useful, and I know a lot! I’m sure I’ll be able to help you! With me by your side, it’s only a matter of time before the whole world bows before our might! From now on, you’re the boss, and I’m your right-hand man!

“... Don’t worry, big bro. In time, I shall achieve such great feats that I will overshadow the existing sovereign and be crowned the emperor! I—”

Wei Yuan sealed his mouth with a wisp of Dao energy, ending his spiel there. It was impossible to say how much longer his rant was going to continue otherwise.

Xu Wenwu’s confession was stunning to say the least, but he wasn’t the first otherworldly visitor to have appeared before the human race. As far as he knew, most of them had gone on to achieve great things such as the one who had proposed the Immortal Sect Unified Examination. Yes, he was also an otherworldly visitor. He also managed to keep his identity a secret until after he reached the pinnacle. That said, his background and identity ceased to matter from the moment he joined an immortal sect.

Unfortunately, the one before Wei Yuan seriously did not resemble the otherworldly visitors of the legends at all. For starters, he had bent the knee as soon as Wei Yuan released him from his bindings. Then, he went on and on about the glorious future where he conquered the world, such as filling his harem with every female in sight. Occasionally, he would throw in a few lewd comments about his rubbing experiences as well. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

To be honest, Wei Yuan had no idea why the people in that world were so obsessed with rubbing, but he could tell that this guy, despite all of his grand talk, could not spout even half a useful sentence on exactly how he was going to conquer the world. In short, he was an idiot.

Suddenly, Wei Yuan recalled a Human-tier Dao Foundation he had seen in the Myriad Manifestations Hall many years ago. It was called the Glamour Makeup. Assuming that everyone in Xu Wenwu’s world was like him, the Dao Foundation would be nigh omnipotent.

Moreover, the guy was weak-bodied and possessed exactly zero cultivation to speak of. If he were to drop him off in the northern frontier, forget the Liao cavalry, he wouldn’t even be able to beat a Liao horse. And he thought he could conquer the world?

Speaking of which, it had been over half a month since Xu Wenwu arrived in this world. However, he had barely made any effort to understand his surroundings. As soon as he arrived at the Lie Flat Inn, he acted like a mouse who fell into a pot of grain. He had spent two straight weeks reading the inn’s novel day and night without rest. It was to the point where the inn was struggling to keep up with his demands[1].

Thankfully, he wasn’t a total idiot. He recognized that he couldn’t go about his dreams of world domination alone and chose Wei Yuan to latch onto. Still, Wei Yuan felt that world domination could wait—paying off his debts came first. Besides, considering how many Immortal Lords there were in this world, it would likely require thousands of years of cultivation before he could achieve supremacy.

Even now, Wei Yuan couldn’t fathom why Xu Wenwu had warranted an entire wisp of fortune to suppress. Seriously, the guy might have crossed back to his homeworld if burned the midnight oil for a couple more days reading his novels.

Wei Yuan decided to set the matter of Xu Wenwu aside for the moment and dispel the Dao energy barrier. He looked at the young woman on the bed and said, “And you? Who are you?”

The young woman turned around, but she was no longer wearing the face of an ordinary woman. Instead, it was a pure, demure countenance that looked as delicate and immaculate as a piece of jade paper; one that belonged anywhere but Willow Ash Town.

The young woman looked terribly aggrieved when she turned around to face Wei Yuan. She got off the bed and gave Wei Yuan an elegant bow, greeting, “Xu Wan’er greets you, Senior Brother. My father is Xu Zhijie. He was the commandery administrator of Ningxi Commandery.”

Now this was a woman who possessed some actual background. Wei Yuan took a moment to recall the information. Originally, the Shattered Realm was separated into four commanderies. Ningxi was the biggest and westmost commandery, commanding a territory of two thousand and five hundred li in radius. The Xu Clan’s grotto-heaven and the Swelling Water God Palace were located in Ningxi as well.

Xu Zhijie, the commandery administrator of Ningxi, also hailed from the Xu Clan. However, he was detained and subsequently executed a year before the war on charges of embezzling military funds and colluding with a foreign race. This incident was even recorded in a chronography. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Xu Zhijie’s crimes had been forever immortalized in history.

Meanwhile, Xu Wenwu was looking at Xu Wan’er with wide-eyed astonishment the moment he laid eyes on her. He clearly wanted to say something, but Wei Yuan flicked a finger and glued him to the wall before he could do so. Not only that, he was facing toward the wall this time.

Unperturbed, Wei Yuan continued his questioning, “Why did you kill Wang Lang and throw his body into my courtyard?”

Xu Wan’er subconsciously denied the accusation, “It wasn’t me—”

When she saw Wei Yuan’s eyes, she visibly shivered and changed her tune. “An astute deduction, Senior Brother. I was the one who did it. I was pretending to be a female cultivator with shallow cultivation. I had allowed Wang Lang to capture me so that I could travel west in his caravan and avoid my pursuers. Things were going smoothly until suddenly, Wang Lang suddenly tried to force himself on me while we were outside town. It so happened that Sister Yun noticed your unusual concern for Wang Lang. So, I killed him and used him to test if you are the one Sister Yun has been searching for.”

“Sister Yun?”

“I’m talking about Yun Feifei. Sister Yun was originally the holy maiden of the Swelling Water God Palace. I had known her for a very long time. When tragedy befell my father, it was she who rescued me and helped me escape from my pursuers the whole time. Unfortunately, she had her own set of pursuers she needed to escape from after the Swelling Water God Palace had fallen, so we had no choice but to split up and go into hiding.”

“What if I wasn’t the one you had been searching for?” Wei Yuan asked.

“It wouldn’t have mattered. I was going to kill him either way. After all, I’m the one who issued his bounty. It was always a matter of time.”

After explaining herself, Xu Wan’er said in a gentle voice, “If you don’t mind, I have a favor to—”

Wei Yuan interrupted her, “I do mind, so be silent. Where is Yun Feifei right now?”

Xu Wan’er gave him another aggrieved look before answering, “Sister Yun is not in this town. However, I know a way to contact her. The mystic artifact is in your possession right now.”

Wei Yuan waved his hand, and a pile of items appeared on the bed, among which were several articles of clothing[2]. Blushing like her face was on fire, Xu Wan’er avoided Wei Yuan’s gaze and hurriedly grabbed a jade pendant. She then handed it to him without touching anything else.

Wei Yuan probed the jade pendant with his perception and figured out immediately that it was a highly advanced communications-type mystic artifact. Any content he entered into the jade pendant would automatically appear on another identical-looking jade pendant. The communication range of such mystical artifacts varied greatly. For instance, the jade plaque he had received from the Immortal Lord could transmit messages up to a range of ten thousand li. Xu Wan’er’s pendant would probably work as long as its twin was within a thousand li of it.

“Ask her where she is, and how we can meet up with her.”

Xu Wan’er channeled his Dao energy into the jade pendant and sent the message right in front of Wei Yuan. Moments later, the pendant flickered and displayed a brief message, “Let us meet at the ruins of Swelling Water God Palace. Fragments of the grotto-heaven have fallen there, offering shelter from powerful foes.”

The jade pendant lost its luster after displaying the message. It was because it had completely expended its mystic energy.

Wei Yuan scrutinized Xu Wan’er for a moment before asking, “How are you so sure that I’m the person you’re searching for? You haven’t even tried to verify my identity.”

“I’ve never met someone like you even in the ancestral residence of my Xu Clan. In my opinion, only the Palace of Absolute Beginning seems qualified to train you. Besides, you have more than proven your skill. I am sure that I had hidden myself well, yet you still discovered me instantly.”

1. You remember Xu Wenwu arguing with the waiter? This is what it’s about. ☜

2. If you don’t get it, it’s underwear. ☜