Chapter 002: Intentions

Du Fan glanced at it for a moment, cursing himself inwardly several times before finally picking up the vial from the ground. He applied the potion to his own hand and then gently reached toward Tasia’s chest.
When his palm felt that sensation again, Du Fan trembled once more. He sighed in his heart, “This wound… has finally been healed…”
Yet despite his words, his hand did not stop moving. The warm potion spread across Tasia’s chest as he moved, and with that touch, Du Fan’s hand moved between the hills and valleys. As he moved, a faint light of combat energy emanated from his palm, finally activating the potion…
Finally, Du Fan slowly withdrew his hands. He almost wanted to slap himself, yet he hesitated even more—how could he do such a thing at such a critical moment?
But then he thought again that they were already on the brink of death; at any moment, Ordas might discover them, and he would die beyond death. He had remained pure his entire life, never having tasted a woman’s touch. If he didn’t act now, wouldn’t he remain a virgin forever?
He hesitated for a moment before suddenly laughing heartily. “Du Fan, Du Fan… You’re always despicable and shameless, but now you actually think you’re a saint?”
As he spoke, his hand reached out again with determination…
But halfway through, he jumped aside like a rabbit. Instantly, his face was filled with piety and sanctity. He smiled faintly—a purity that even the God of Light would envy…
Tasia woke up from a dream, as if she had returned six years earlier. An indescribable feeling surged in her heart. What was she thinking? What on earth?
She slowly opened her eyes, and a familiar figure appeared before her.
“It’s really him… Am I dreaming again?” Tasia asked herself secretly. But the intense pain throughout her body made her even more alert. Everything that had happened flashed through her mind. She tightly pressed her lips together, her pale lips forming a beautiful curve.
It turned out everything was real…
She smiled faintly, her beauty heart-wrenching. But suddenly, she felt pain in her chest, her vision darkened, and she nearly fainted.

Du Fan quickly supported her and whispered, “I just treated your wound. You can’t move around yet.”
Tasia was stunned. Ignoring the pain, she quickly glanced at her chest and saw that her robe had been torn open and her corset undone. Her snow-white chest muscles and the two raised mounds were covered in a faintly glowing liquid. Two pink cherries swayed slightly in the air, making her breath heavy.
Seeing her pale face, Du Fan suddenly smiled and said, “Don’t worry… I may not be a good person, but I’m not so shameless as to take advantage of someone in trouble. Besides, I’m not particularly interested in washing boards.”
A faint blush appeared on Tasia’s pale face—whether from anger or shyness was unclear. After a moment, she sat up and slowly put on her robe, asking, “Where is this place?”
Du Fan stretched out his right hand and flicked it a few times. The soft texture remained in his palm, with a faint fragrance emanating from his fingertips. He took a deep breath as if savoring it before saying, “Don’t worry. This is a warehouse on the edge of the ancient city. I doubt Aldas would ever think we’re hiding here. I’ve also made some arrangements, so he won’t be able to find us. You don’t need to worry too much.”
“That’s good…” Tasia nodded slightly, but moments later her expression changed suddenly. “But… my combat energy…”
Before she could finish, her expression changed again. “It’s gone… Aldas’s Earth Spirit Combat Energy… Could it be you…?”
She stared at Du Fan in shock, saying slowly, “Du Fan, tell me honestly… are you a magician?”
Du Fan touched his nose and said, “Well… I guess so…”
Tasia gave him a strange look before continuing, “Aldas’s Earth Spirit Combat Energy is extremely peculiar. Aside from him, only someone with immense mental power could erase its traces. Since you can do this, your mental power must be incredibly strong. Someone with such power must be a magician, right?”
Du Fan smiled and said calmly, “Now that Miss Tasia has figured it out, I’ll have to ask you to keep this a secret… After all, I don’t want too many people to know about this.”
Tasia nodded slightly and said nothing more.

For a moment, neither of them knew how to speak. Their eyes met briefly in the air before quickly averted. Du Fan wasn’t sure if the other person had noticed what he had done while healing them, but he was extremely nervous about the handprints and kiss marks on Tasia’s body being discovered. Although Du Fan claimed he had no interest in the washing board, in reality, he had done almost everything possible—something completely at odds with his identity as a white-robed priest. Fortunately, it seemed Tasia hadn’t noticed anything, so Du Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Hmph, I suffered such severe injuries trying to save you—almost dying myself. It’s only fair to have a few scratches and kisses as repayment, right? Tasia finally put on her robe completely. With a slight sense, she realized that a delicate magic array had been formed in the small corner where she and Du Fan were—this array concealed their auras and images. Unless it was someone of a saintly rank or above, no one could possibly see anything here. Tasia glanced secretly at Du Fan. Over the years, could that so-called worthless noble really have grown to this extent? Her mind grew confused again as she stared at Du Fan, unable to take her eyes off him. Du Fan felt his scalp tingle under her gaze. He thought, I’m dead. This girl’s magic and mental power are several times mine—just a small fireball could kill me. If she discovers anything, I’m really done for. Ah, men—your name is shamelessness. I just wanted to help her heal, so why couldn’t I control my hands and feet? But then, recalling that stunning moment earlier, his body heated up again. Tasia seemed unaware of Du Fan’s discomfort. She gave him a casual glance and suddenly said, “Du Fan… will you listen to me for a moment?” Du Fan looked at her and said, “Go ahead.” Tasia took a deep breath. Due to the pain all over her body, her fingers almost dug into her flesh before she managed to calm down. She whispered, “Du Fan, I know you’ve always been devout and would never do anything to desecrate the gods. But now I’m asking you—let’s give up on whatever is in this temple.” Du Fan blushed upon hearing this. Not to mention the countless acts of desecration he had already committed, just considering the purpose of his journey…

He had orchestrated all these events just to target the Divine Palace, so how could he give up now? He took a few deep breaths and said, “No way. Whatever’s inside that Divine Palace… I’ll get it…”
Tasia grew anxious. She hadn’t realized the explicit intent in Du Fan’s words and quickly said, “Listen to me. If I could still move, we would still have a chance. But even now, even though you’re skilled in both magic and martial arts, do you really think you can match Aldas? If you insist on going, won’t you just risk your life for nothing?”
Du Fan shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. You just stay here and recover. I’ll take care of Aldas myself.”
As he spoke, his expression changed repeatedly, and countless despicable ideas crossed his mind. But in the end, he decided to put the Divine Palace aside for now. Once he found Chenchen and managed to wake her up, with that little fairy’s help, dealing with Aldas would be a piece of cake.
Tasia was both anxious and worried, not knowing how to dissuade Du Fan. Though she was concerned for him, she didn’t know how to express it.
Besides, Du Fan had saved countless people over the years. He had long forgotten that little girl covered in dirt from back then. Thinking of this, Tasia felt both sad and resentful. Even though she usually remained calm, she was on the verge of crying at that moment.
On the other hand, if she were in Du Fan’s shoes after what he had done to her just now, she wasn’t sure whether she would be angry or happy.
Tasia wanted to say more, but suddenly Du Fan’s expression changed. He made a shushing gesture, signaling for her to be quiet, then closed his eyes and sensed for a while. An extremely strange expression appeared on his face.
Tasia’s mental energy was weak at the moment, so she didn’t dare use it recklessly. She could only look at Du Fan and ask, “What’s going on?”
Du Fan’s expression was utterly bizarre. After a moment, he sighed slightly and said, “It seems we’ve run into an old acquaintance this time… But… trouble has also arrived…”