Villain: Fairy, please offer your loyalty

noon the next day.

The Nine Dragons Incense Carriage hovered silently on the plain outside Hulao Pass. Although it had landed, the phantom images of the nine ancient dragons still exuded a breathtaking dragon aura.

The interior of the carriage.

On the luxurious bed in the palace.

Gu Fan slowly opened his eyes, and what he saw was a dazzling white expanse.

To the left, Zhen Mi was curled up like a lazy kitten. The black and white maid outfit that he had "custom-made" was nowhere to be found. She was only covered with a thin, gossamer-like silk quilt, revealing a large expanse of her rounded shoulders and slender neck.

On the right, Diao Chan was lying on the edge of the bed, clutching an empty jade cup in her hand, a trace of glistening on her lips. Clearly, last night's "oral lesson" had gone a little too far, leaving this peerless dancer exhausted.

"This wicked old society... it was truly wonderful."

Gu Fan stretched, showing no awareness whatsoever of being a villain.

Lu Bu's signature loud voice came from outside the tent.

"Boss! Is the boss awake?"

"Someone's come from Luoyang! It's an old man with a white beard, saying he's here to deliver some imperial edict from that damned emperor!"

Gu Fan raised an eyebrow and sat up.

"Mei'er".

A slight chill lingered in the air as Mei'er, dressed in an ice-blue palace gown, appeared out of thin air, holding Gu Fan's clothes in her hands. Her face still held that aloof and restrained expression, but when she looked at Gu Fan, her ears inexplicably turned red.

"Fit them up. How can they face guests looking like this?"

Gu Fan pointed to the two beautiful bodies on the bed, "Although I don't mind others envying me, good things should still be kept to oneself."

"Yes, young master."

Mei flicked her fingers, and two gentle streams of spiritual energy flowed into the two women's bodies.

Zhen Mi and Diao Chan slowly woke up and saw Gu Fan staring at them with a half-smile. They immediately remembered the absurd night before, their pretty faces turned red to the roots of their necks, and they hurriedly grabbed their clothes to cover themselves.

"Alright, stop covering up. I've checked everything, both what I should and shouldn't have seen."

Gu Fan put on the black and gold holy son robe, straightened his clothes in front of the mirror, and in a second transformed from a beast in human clothing back into the extraordinary Primordial Holy Son.

"Let that old man in."

After a while.

Led by Lü Bu, an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a scholar's robe, cautiously entered the interior of the Nine Dragon Chariot.

This man was none other than Cai Yong, also known as Cai Bojie, a great Confucian scholar of his time.

As soon as he entered the door, Cai Yong's old eyes widened in surprise.

That's not a car.

This is clearly a moving fairy palace!

The floor was covered with ancient warm jade, the walls were adorned with deep-sea pearls, and even the vase used for flower arranging emitted a spiritual energy a hundred times stronger than his family's heirloom!

What pained him even more was the few fruit pits casually placed on the table—those were clearly the legendary Vermilion Fruits that could prolong life!

So it was just gnawed on and then thrown away?

What a waste!

What a waste!

Cai Yong's heart was bleeding. As a scholar of integrity, he instinctively felt disgusted by such extreme extravagance.

But sensing the faint yet terrifying pressure emanating from Gu Fan, he still forced himself to bow and pay his respects.

"Cai Yong, the Imperial Advisor of the Han Dynasty, greets Young Master Gu."

Gu Fan sat imposingly in the main seat, with Zhen Mi and Diao Chan kneeling on either side of him, peeling a purple grape for him.

Seeing Zhen Mi's obedient and compliant appearance, Cai Yong's eye twitched violently.

The daughter-in-law of the prestigious Yuan family, a family that has produced four generations of high-ranking officials, and a woman of divine beauty, was actually trained to become a maid.

This is outrageous!

"Old man, stop with all that fancy stuff."

Gu Fan opened his mouth and took the grapes that Diao Chan offered, without even lifting his eyelids:

"What did Liu Bian send you here for? Was it to issue a challenge, or to deliver yourself to your death?"

Cai Yong took a deep breath, took out a bright yellow imperial edict from his sleeve, and began to read it aloud:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Immortal Master Gu Fan, whose magical powers are boundless, has rendered meritorious service in quelling the rebellion of Dong Zhuo… He is hereby granted the title of 'Immortal Master Who Guards the Nation,' and is bestowed with a mansion in Luoyang, ten thousand taels of gold, and a hundred beauties… The Immortal Master is invited to the capital immediately for a banquet to discuss matters of state…"

After reading it aloud, Cai Yong held the imperial edict with both hands, straightening his back slightly: "Young Master Gu, His Majesty is also sincere in his wish to turn hostility into friendship..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Gu Fan interrupted him impatiently, as if he had heard a joke.

"National Guardian Immortal Master? Isn't that a title given to a dog that guards the house?"

Gu Fan chuckled, leaning forward, his narrow phoenix eyes fixed on Cai Yong with a hint of mockery:

"Old man, go back and tell Liu Bian not to make empty promises like this. I'm a practical person."

"This..." Cai Yong's forehead was covered in sweat.

"And another thing," Gu Fan pointed outside, "my nine dragons pulling the carriage must be hungry after flying all that way. Since your emperor is hosting a feast, the food standards should be up to par, right?"

Cai Yong asked instinctively, "I wonder... what does that divine dragon eat?"

Gu Fan held up one finger and said slowly:

"Not many, a thousand cows per meal. Remember, they need to be bulls that haven't mated yet; they won't eat tough meat."

"What?! A thousand heads? And every meal?!"

"Young Master Gu! The national treasury is empty, the people are displaced, and there are countless cases of people exchanging their own children to eat! These thousand cattle... are enough to save tens of thousands of people! How... how can you do this..."

Cai Yong was so angry that his beard was trembling.

This guy is a monster!

A devil who only cares about his own pleasure and completely disregards the suffering of the common people!

"Young master..."

Just as Cai Yong was about to continue his scathing rebuke, Diao Chan suddenly chuckled softly.

She put down the fruit plate in her hand, gracefully rose, and gave Cai Yong a respectful bow:

"Lord Cai, please calm down. The young master was just teasing you."

"Are you... teasing me?" Cai Yong was taken aback.

Diao Chan covered her mouth and chuckled softly, a hint of helplessness in her beautiful eyes:

"These past few days, young master has been setting up soup kitchens outside Hulao Pass to provide disaster relief. The value of that divine rice is enough to buy the entire city of Luoyang. Tell me, how could someone like that really demand a thousand oxen?"

"What?!"

Cai Yong suddenly turned to look at Gu Fan, his eyes filled with shock.

Disaster relief?

God Rice?

He then remembered that there had indeed been rumors circulating in Luoyang these past few days that a celestial being was distributing porridge outside Hulao Pass, saving the lives of countless refugees...

So... it was this person standing right in front of me?

"The young master has the world in his heart, yet he does not wish to make a fuss about it."

Diao Chan continued, her voice tinged with admiration:

"During the days that Chan'er has been by Young Master's side, she has personally witnessed how a single spiritual fruit he casually bestowed could allow someone to break through their cultivation level. Those divine rices, which Young Master considers nothing more than 'old rice,' have saved the lives of tens of thousands of people."

"You mean... someone like that is a demon?"

Cai Yong was stunned.

Looking at Gu Fan's face, which still wore a cynical smile, he suddenly realized how ridiculous his previous judgment had been.

"This old man... this old man has no eyesight..."

Cai Yong bowed deeply, his voice tinged with shame.

"Alright, alright, stop getting so emotional."

Gu Fan waved his hand and casually made a grabbing motion in the air.

A book emitting a faint golden light appeared out of thin air.

The book cover simply bears five large characters: "Three Hundred Tang Poems" (Immortal Realm Modified Enlightenment Edition).

This was the enlightenment book he used as toilet reading material when he was a child. It was imbued with the Daoist charm of the Primordial Demon Sect. In this world that cultivates "literary energy", this is the supreme heavenly book.

"Look at your pedantic appearance, you've probably only read a few dead books in your whole life."

Gu Fan casually tossed the book into Cai Yong's arms.

"Take this back and cleanse your head. Stop spouting nonsense about morality and righteousness all day long; might makes right. If you truly understand this book, it's a million times better than practicing that bullshit 'righteous spirit.'"

Cai Yong instinctively caught the book, intending to angrily throw it away.

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!

Cai Yong was a literary master of his time, with a collection of tens of thousands of books in his home. What kind of book hadn't he seen? Did he really need a mere child to teach him to read?

"Absurd! Utterly absurd..."

Cai Yong cursed as he glanced down at the screen.

Just one glance.

The angry words that were about to come out of his mouth were silently swallowed back.

boom!

When his gaze fell upon the first line of the book, a terrifying surge of talent, as vast and boundless as a reversed Milky Way, exploded in his mind!

That's not writing.

That is the Way! That is the Law! That is the backbone of scholars!

Cai Yong, his hands trembling, turned to the first page.

"Bring in the Wine"

"Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return..."

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking deep into Cai Yong's soul!

Under the influence of this magnificent and unparalleled poetic inspiration, the righteous energy within him began to circulate wildly and uncontrollably!

He had been stuck at the bottleneck of becoming a great Confucian scholar for a full twenty years...

Click!

Breakthrough!

"This...this...this..."

Cai Yong trembled violently, his originally pale face slowly turning red, as if he had witnessed a miracle.

"Everyone has their own unique talents, and even if I spend all my money, it will come back again..."

Upon reading this sentence, Cai Yong felt all the pent-up frustration in his chest vanish, replaced by an unprecedented sense of clarity and pride!

hum!

A white beam of light, visible to the naked eye, shot up from Cai Yong's crown and pierced the sky!

A righteous spirit soars straight to the heavens!

At this moment, Cai Yong's aura surged wildly, and he stepped from an ordinary Confucian scholar into the realm of a half-step sage!

Gu Fan yawned, looking at the old man with his own special effects with a bit of speechlessness.

"Is it really necessary? It's just a poem to encourage drinking. Why make it sound like we're all ascending to heaven?"

Pfft!

The beam of light dissipated.

Cai Yong, who had just been all righteous and determined to fight Gu Fan to the death, suddenly collapsed to his knees and knelt heavily on the ground.

He held the book "Three Hundred Tang Poems" as if it were his own father, tears streaming down his face.

"A sacred... sacred book! This is the writing of a saint!!"

Cai Yong raised his head, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Gu Fan completely changed.

That was no longer the gaze one would give a demon, but rather the gaze one would give to a divine sage descended to earth! It was the truth walking among men!

"Young Master... no! Immortal Master! This old man... this old man was blind! He never knew that the Immortal Master possessed such extraordinary talent!"

Cai Yong was so excited that he was incoherent, kowtowing frantically: "Such a masterpiece...such a masterpiece was bestowed upon this old man so casually...this old man...can die without regret!"

In this world, scholars cultivate their literary spirit.

A good poem can kill the enemy, and a good article can protect the country.

In Cai Yong's view, this book, "Three Hundred Tang Poems," was the ultimate guide to literature and morality, capable of suppressing all ages!

Compared to this, what are a thousand cows, what is the people's hard-earned money?

Even if all the cattle in Luoyang were slaughtered to entertain these nine dragons, it would be justified!

This is the power of knowledge.

"Alright, alright, stop banging your head. You'll knock a hole through the floor if you keep doing that."

Gu Fan waved his hand, already used to this kind of scene.

In this small world, even a random copy of "Five Years of College Entrance Examination and Three Years of Simulation" would cause a group of old monsters to fight over it, let alone a poetry collection like this with added ingredients.

"Since you've accepted my book, then we can be considered to have some kind of kinship."

Gu Fan stroked his chin, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his narrow phoenix eyes.

"I heard... Old Cai, you have a daughter? Her name is Wenji? She's skilled in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Yong's body trembled violently.

If it were before, upon hearing such words, he would have definitely thought that this devil was going to harm his daughter, and he would have fought back to the death.

but now……

This isn't just starting a fight; it's clearly enlightening someone!

Being able to follow someone who can casually produce such sacred books, even if it's just as a maid grinding ink, is a blessing earned over several lifetimes!

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Cai Yong nodded repeatedly: "My daughter Wenji is only sixteen years old. Although she has some talent, she is but a firefly in front of the Immortal Master! If the Immortal Master does not despise her... I will write a letter and have her bathe and change her clothes so that she can come and listen to the Immortal Master's teachings!"

Gu Fan nodded in satisfaction.

That's right.

This is the right way to understand the Three Kingdoms period.

"Alright, go back and tell Liu Bian that I've accepted this dinner invitation."

Gu Fan slowly stood up, his gaze passing through the carriage window, looking towards the ancient capital he had visited a month earlier.

"Lu Bu!"

"Here!" came Lu Bu's roar from outside the tent.

"Break camp! Target: Luoyang!"

Chapter 52 of this book contains a surprise—click here to unlock it now! My nine dragons haven't eaten yet.