RUAN YANJUN
I did not expect that the now infamous top disciple of Ethereal Frost Sect was this exquisite. He indeed lived up to the name of his sect, an ethereal beauty with a very cold expression and voice. The plain white robe that he wore and the simple lace that tied his hair only emphasized his natural charm.
At my age, I had seen countless beauties already that they no longer appealed to me, but this beauty before me was someone I could not get my eyes off. He was a piece of art on his own, a breathing masterpiece. However, that woman beside him, who was clinging to him like a leech, ruined the perfection of the scene.
I scowled at her. "Only a whore clings to a man like a slug in public. Where's your decency?"
The woman stared at me with her mouth agape, her cheeks flushed red, her eyes welling in shameful tears. Even the beauty before me was rendered speechless.
Then I remembered that this was the same woman that those three drunk men had harrassed before, and the uniform she wore reminded me of what she was. "Oh," I sneered. "You are a whore."
The woman quickly dropped her hands off the priest's arm and turned her head to the other side, hiding her shame away.
"Mister," the former Divine Mage said. Although I had insulted his companion, he still spoke calmly and gently. "This woman is my wife. Please treat her with the respect that she deserves."
I ran my eyes over him, and then I laughed. I was too old to be fooled by a priest who was wearing a plain white robe. "I have not heard of a priest marrying a whore, and the more that I have not heard of a whore deserving of some respect. Don't tell me you have turned away from the teachings of your sect right after they've kicked you out and decided to be the exact opposite of what they taught you instead."
I saw how his lips thinned. Apparently, the words I had said had gotten into him, yet he tried to keep his emotions at bay. When he spoke again, his voice remained calm yet unyielding. "Mister, it's late. We should talk again some other time." He turned to the woman beside him and reached for her hand. "Let's go."
I watched as they passed by me. When I was watching that beautiful man fighting with those drunk men days ago, I was appalled. His inner strength was totally absent, his strikes were pathetic. Who would believe that this was once a seventh-level cultivator, recognized as the youngest grandmaster in the world, and despite him not appearing publicly, the Tianhui Sect, a sect known for its ranking system, had previously placed him ninth among the top ten cultivators in the whole continent.
That ranking system was a joke, however.
To think that I wasn't even on their list.
Regardless, I did not mind it at all. I had no interest in attending their bi-annual tournament just to prove that I deserved the top spot in the ranking. Many of those cultivators who felt that they had been snubbed from the top ten, would do that. Not Ruan Yanjun.
I liked to fight. To me, life was not worth living without fighting, without getting the opportunity to boast my prowess. But I had no time to fry small fish. Even fifty of those could not possibly satiate my hunger. They could leave me out of the list, but they all knew that there was a certain someone that even the top ten combined could never defeat, someone whose name they would rather not mention and pretend he never existed. That someone's name was Ruan Yanjun.
"I'll be expecting it," I said aloud, but only the woman turned her head to glance at me.
I kept my eyes on Wei Fan until they turned to a corner. Although his cultivation had been nullified, I had felt a spark from within him, as if the ember that had turned into ashes still had some flicker left and was simply waiting for a stimulant to make it glow once more.
He was indeed special, even more special than his master. I could use a disciple like him. Nevermind if he'd start again from nothing. I'd nurture him until the light core he had been born with returned to life, and I'd nurture him further until he was back to that same level he had once possessed.
Huang Wen had assured me that Wei Fan had indeed reached the seventh level, and that was one of the reasons that had caused his fall from grace.
With a smirk, I shook my head. That poor thing had to be punished and suffer for being so exceptionally talented.
But from now on, he'd be in good hands. Ruan Yanjun had no insecurities. In fact, I would love to make a rival out of him. It had been a while since I fought against a worthy opponent.
Now that I found my subject, I should make sure I would not lose him again.
I, however, had to attend to some important matters the next day, so I'd have some of my disciples to keep an eye on him at all times.
I might have scared him off earlier, so I did not want to aggravate the situation. Although I could simply abduct him and force him to submit to my whims, I would only resort to such means if necessary. In order to execute my plan, I needed his full, voluntary cooperation.
Patience was never my virtue, but with Wei Fan, I'd have to take things slowly and surely.