"Senior, what are you doing?" Qu Xiangge was nearly in tears. This senior's actions were bizarre; after bringing them into the forest, he tied them to trees with vines.
"Don't speak, it will be over soon," Lin Fan directed the remaining lackeys, telling them to find a tree each and stand still. These lackeys, seeing their leader tied up, dared not resist and only hoped the senior would spare their lives.
Qu Xiangge had been a bandit for a while. Though not particularly ruthless, he knew how to protect himself in dangerous situations. His Tiger Gate Saber was no ordinary weapon; it was a superior-grade weapon taken from a former teacher at Tianfu Academy. While it couldn't compare to a profound weapon, it was still a sharp, iron-cutting blade. Now, this senior had destroyed it effortlessly, leaving Qu Xiangge speechless. There was no doubt the person before him was a master; escaping from such a master was a fool's dream.
"Senior, I know I was wrong. Please, spare me," Qu Xiangge pleaded, terrified by the senior's strange actions. Being tied to a tree made him feel something bad was about to happen, and the senior's occasional smile only deepened his fear.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I just want your cooperation," Lin Fan, satisfied after tying up all the bandits, clapped his hands. "Senior, I will cooperate fully," Qu Xiangge quickly agreed. In his current situation, he had resigned himself to his fate, hoping to survive.
"I'll ask you a question, and you must answer honestly. Do you think men or women are better?" Lin Fan wanted to test his skills, "Reversing Heaven and Earth" and "Black Tiger Steals Heart." The former had progressed but had never been used, and he was curious about its effects. Now, with these free test subjects presenting themselves, he naturally wanted to experiment. However, being a responsible person, he felt obligated to ask the subjects' consent first.
Qu Xiangge was puzzled, not understanding why the senior asked such a question. He pondered the situation, trying to discern the senior's intention. In the Xuanhuang Realm, the strong prey on the weak; women who aren't talented enough to become strong are often treated as playthings. But he couldn't say this directly; he noticed a glimmer in the senior's eyes.
"Senior, I believe men and women are equal, so both are good," Qu Xiangge lied, hoping his response would please the senior and perhaps save him. He had never viewed women seriously, but now he could only say what he thought the senior wanted to hear. The senior's continuous nodding gave him hope that his answer was correct.
"Good..." Lin Fan was pleased and turned to the surrounding lackeys, asking, "What do you all think?"
The lackeys, seeing their leader's response satisfy the senior, quickly nodded, "We think so too."
"Yes, both are good."
"Oh, I even regret not being born a woman."
Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction, initially thinking they might resist. Seeing their willing agreement relieved his guilt. "Good, since that's the case, I hope to fulfill your wishes."
"Senior..." Qu Xiangge's face paled as the senior's gaze became sharp. "Reversing Heaven and Earth." Lin Fan wasn't sure about the skill's utility, but the description suggested it could reverse yin and yang—could it really change a person's gender? As he executed the move, he felt something unusual, a strange intention imbuing his hand, seemingly altering the laws of nature.
"Congratulations, 'Reversing Heaven and Earth' experience +100."
Lin Fan knew Qu Xiangge, being at the fourth stage of the Innate Realm, wouldn't provide much experience, but he was surprised to receive 100 experience points. He noticed Qu Xiangge's fierce expression gradually softened, even his Adam's apple began to shrink.
"Reversing Heaven and Earth." Lin Fan executed the move again, gaining another 100 experience points. He observed that Qu Xiangge's features, which had softened, were now reverting to their original state. Lin Fan was stunned—could he change them back?
To confirm his theory, Lin Fan repeated the process several times, each time accompanied by Qu Xiangge's screams. After multiple trials, Lin Fan confirmed that "Reversing Heaven and Earth" could indeed alter a person's gender gradually. He sighed, somewhat disappointed; "Reversing Heaven and Earth," though intriguing, didn't seem as impactful as "Monkey Steals Peach."
"Senior, what did you do to me?" Qu Xiangge asked, his face pale. Lin Fan shook his head, "Nothing, just testing a move. Now, let's try 'Black Tiger Steals Heart.'"
...
Meanwhile, some distance away, Zang Tianhao and the others stopped, panting heavily.
"Senior, will he be alright?"
"He should be fine. The senior knows what he's doing," Zang Tianhao said confidently.
"Brother Zang, let's wait here for the senior," Han Mengmeng suggested.
"Okay," Zang Tianhao agreed, hoping the senior was safe. "Hey, look, the senior is back!"
They saw Lin Fan approaching and quickly ran to him. "Senior, are you alright?"
Lin Fan, walking leisurely, was deep in thought about the recent experiment, finding the uses of "Reversing Heaven and Earth" and "Black Tiger Steals Heart" quite peculiar. He now understood "Black Tiger Steals Heart" involved swelling the chest area, though he wondered about its advanced form.
Hearing Zang Tianhao's voice, Lin Fan looked up and smiled, "I'm fine, let's go."
Zang Tianhao noticed the senior didn't mention Qu Xiangge and the others, so he didn't ask further. Relieved, they continued their journey, knowing they were close to the Great Yan Dynasty and eager to reach their destination quickly.