Chapter 003: Each Lost in Their Own Thoughts

Du Fan smiled faintly. He casually tossed aside the items in his hands, his fingers already moving toward Ringing Bell’s chest. His hands were icy cold, like venomous snakes. In the early spring of the northern lands, Ringing Bell’s exposed skin puffed up with tiny bumps from the cold, but Du Fan quickly smoothed them out, his gaze fixed on her eyes. Though his expression seemed calm, devoid of emotion, he caught every flicker of anger and shame that passed through her, even the slightest hint of desire, which his hands gently teased.

He suddenly remembered what a bard once said: To conquer a woman, should one conquer her heart first or her body? Du Fan pondered inwardly. Ringing Bell was indeed beautiful, a rare beauty. Though he had taken her body in a fit of rage, it was utterly impossible for him to claim he loved her. What he thought more about her was how to use her—whether to deal with Gannon or the barbarians, she would be an excellent pawn. Moreover, she possessed such great strength. Even in the entire Gavin Empire, it wasn’t easy to find an eighth-level archmage. Having an eighth-level shaman priest by his side added a layer of safety, even when Chenchen wasn’t around.

Yet, her identity required caution. If the Holy Church found out, not only would he lose his status as a white-robed priest, but even as a cardinal, he might not be able to protect her. Heresy and blasphemy were sins far deeper than rebellion, no matter the era! And she was a barbarian!

At this thought, Du Fan’s hands stopped moving. He stared at the cherries glowing pink in the sunlight, sighed softly, and lowered his hands. Ringing Bell slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again. She glanced at Du Fan and asked, “Is this enough to satisfy you?”

Du Fan smiled faintly. “I’m not satisfied yet… but I don’t have time for this now. If you really want to, you can climb into my bed tonight. Of course, you can also think I’m just joking. As someone in my position, it’s easy to get a woman, right? Miss Ringing Bell, I was just testing you. If you can’t even pass this test, how can I trust you in the future? How can I work with you?”

Ringtone’s expression remained unchanged as she asked, “So have I passed now?”
Du Fan touched his nose and said, “You can consider it a passing, but let’s not talk about that for now. Could you please put your clothes back on first? I don’t want to force you, but if you keep tempting me like this, who knows what might happen again in the Valley of Submersion!”
Finally, Ringtone’s expression changed. Two rosy hues appeared on her cheeks, like the colors of dawn. She gritted her teeth, making a clicking sound, but in the end, emotions such as shame, anger, frustration, and despair merged together, forming a determined reply: “Yes!”
It’s said that women take off their clothes faster than they put them on, but Ringtone moved with incredible speed this time—in less than the time it takes to blink, her alluring figure was once again fully covered by her clothes.
A hint of admiration flashed in Du Fan’s eyes. Just as he was about to say something, there was a loud knocking at the door!
“Young Master Du Fan! We found the flames of hell in the courtyard just now. We suspect some heretics are trying to harm you. Please open the door so we can provide close protection!”
Before Du Fan could go open the door, there was a loud bang—as the door was kicked open, its sturdy frame shattering into pieces.
Several fully armed Templar knights, wielding holy cross swords, rushed into the room. They quickly took control of key positions inside, ensuring Du Fan’s safety.
The leading Templar knight saw Du Fan looking relaxed and glanced at Ringtone, who must have woken up at some point. Seemingly remembering something, he suddenly knelt down and said, “I was reckless for entering without permission. Please forgive me, Lord Du Fan.”
By using “Lord” instead of “young master,” he showed his concern for Du Fan’s safety.
Du Fan smiled lightly and said, “Get up. I understand you’re worried about my safety. I suppose everyone is afraid I’ll disappear again.”
“And besides, though I am a priest in white, you are all Templar knights. There’s no need to kneel in front of me. I, Du Fan, don’t deserve that yet!”
The kneeling Templar knight broke into a light sweat but didn’t dare say much, remaining kneeling.
Du Fan looked at the nervous Templar knights around him and the one still kneeling, then smiled gently and said, “Well, respected knight, could you tell me your name?”
The Templar knight quickly replied, “My name is Taylor.”

“Alright, Knight Taylor… I’m not blaming you for this. But from now on, remember not to act so recklessly. If I had been doing something private just then, how would you explain it to me?” Du Fan said this with a half-smile as he glanced at Ringtone. Ringtone’s face turned red, but she just huffed and remained silent.

Du Fan continued, “Although everyone knows that I, Du Fan, am not the kind to act rashly, that’s only true for me. I’m sure Knight Taylor also understands that not everyone has my easy temper. Well, let’s consider this a lesson. Get up—let’s talk about heresy instead.”

Upon hearing the word “heresy,” Taylor’s expression turned serious. He stood up abruptly and said solemnly, “Just now, I saw a wisp of hellfire erupting from Lord Du Fan’s room. I know full well that with Lord Du Fan’s piety and purity, he would never use such a tactic. The only possibility is that someone is trying to assassinate him, which is why I panicked…”

Du Fan waved his hand and walked over to the window. The artificial rock in the courtyard had melted, but the hellfire hadn’t disappeared. However, the passages surrounding the courtyard were guarded by Temple Knights, so no outsiders were alarmed by this scene.

Du Fan chuckled softly and said, “You’re referring to that thing in the courtyard, right?”

Taylor replied firmly, “Yes!”

Du Fan tapped his storage ring and took out the dagger that the Barbarian Fire Tribe had given him earlier. He tossed it on the ground and said, “This is something I obtained accidentally during my trip. It seems to be a weapon from the Barbarians. The hellfire you saw was originally attached to this dagger. I tried to use holy light magic to drive away the evil forces on it, but I didn’t expect the witchcraft attached to this weapon to be so powerful. I almost fell victim to it if it weren’t for my quick thinking. In the end, I managed to drive away the hellfire summoned by that witchcraft. Thankfully, you had already made preparations. Otherwise, I would have gotten into serious trouble. I really owe you all my thanks.”

Taylor looked relieved, realizing what had happened. Du Fan had an excellent reputation within the Holy Church. These devout Temple Knights naturally wouldn’t suspect their beloved Priest in White, Du Fan, of inventing such a flimsy excuse to deceive them. Although some had doubts, they were quickly dispelled by their piety.

Seeing their expressions, Du Fan became a bit more determined. He continued, “I’ll naturally take care of this Nether Fire, but you should just act like you didn’t see it… I don’t want people to think I’m too arrogant. After all, my strength is still far too weak to deal with such a demonic artifact!”
Taylor nodded in agreement, but hesitated for a moment before saying, “But Lord Du Fan, that Nether Fire in the courtyard…”
Du Fan waved his hand. He raised his hands slightly and drew a holy cross rune in the air, then chanted a devout and sacred hymn. A flash of holy light appeared, and the Nether Fire in the courtyard turned into light. In moments, everything returned to normal. If it weren’t for the missing rockery, no one would have noticed what had happened.
After finishing this, Du Fan glanced at Ling Yin casually, but her expression had changed drastically. Clearly, from this display of holy light magic, it was evident that Du Fan was no longer the weakling he used to be. From his experience fighting the barbarians, his strength had increased by more than ten times compared to before. And having glimpsed the power of the sacred realm, his understanding of rules had reached a level only those at the peak of the ninth tier could attain.
Of course, all of this was based on the Divine Origin. Without the powerful soul force of the Divine Origin within Du Fan, even if his mental strength allowed him to glimpse the rules of the sacred realm, his weakness would have turned his entire consciousness into dust.
When Taylor and the others saw Du Fan’s move, none of them showed surprise. Instead, Taylor sighed softly and said, “So Lord Du Fan also knows holy light magic!”
Du Fan replied indifferently, “What’s there to it? I only know a little bit. Compared to Lord Xiao Yulong of yours, I’m nothing at all… Alright, let’s not talk about this for now. I’m tired of staying in this inn. Taylor, why don’t you show me around Mordo City? I’d like to see what’s different between this capital of Kort and the imperial capital.”
“But, Lord Xiao Yulong ordered…”
“There’s no ‘but’. Your gear is really eye-catching. Change into casual clothes. As for weapons, just bring a Holy Cross Sword. Anyway, no one in Mordo City would dare attack me in broad daylight, right? Also, find us two sets of clothes. Wearing robes would let people immediately recognize us as members of the Holy Church. What’s the point of that?”
“But…”

“Didn’t I say? There’s no problem, but if you don’t hurry up, don’t blame me for leaving you behind!”