"You wouldn't want this getting out, do you?" Xiao Fan asked with an easy smile.
Su Yiyun nodded quickly, her face filled with pleading. "Senior Brother Xiao, I have my reasons…"
Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to explain. "My clan was slaughtered. The hatred runs deeper than the sea. The Su Clan was annihilated, and I have no time to grow slowly. Only demonic cultivation techniques can bring me power quickly enough."
"Senior Brother, I swear—I only practiced demonic arts for the sake of vengeance."
She tried reasoning with him, tried tugging at his empathy, hoping to draw out some flicker of kindness in his heart.
But Xiao Fan remained unmoved. You're going to end up entangled with the Child of Destiny no matter what you say. I have to keep you in check from the start.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"That excuse won't save you."
Su Yiyun bit her lip, her voice trembling. "Are you really willing to watch me be expelled from the sect?"
Xiao Fan looked at her delicate, pitiful expression and pretended to hesitate. Just as she started to feel hopeful—
"Willing? Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
Su Yiyun froze. What…?
Xiao Fan chuckled. "If you want something from someone, there has to be a price. I'm not unreasonable—I'll keep your secret, but only if you give me something I can't refuse."
Su Yiyun looked uneasy. "Senior Brother… you know my situation. I only just became the Saintess. The sect's resources haven't even been issued yet. But once I receive them, I'll deliver them straight to you. I'll keep half and give you the rest. Is that fair?"
It was a generous offer.
The Saintess's monthly stipend included fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones, countless cultivation pills, and exclusive access to several secret realms.
But Xiao Fan?
He didn't even use up his own resources.
He scoffed. "Do I look like I'm short on spirit stones?"
Su Yiyun hesitated. "Then… then I don't have anything else to give…"
Xiao Fan gave her a slow, deliberate once-over, a smile playing on his lips. "Think again. You've still got some… assets worth considering."
Su Yiyun froze, her breath catching.
What does he mean by that?
Then she noticed where his gaze had landed. Her face paled instantly.
Barely a whisper escaped her lips. "No… no, I can't. I've never… I haven't even been with anyone, let alone…"
"I can't… I can't do that. Please choose something else, Senior Brother Xiao."
Her head shook so fast she looked like a rattle drum.
Xiao Fan blinked, confused.
"…What are you thinking?" he asked, frowning. "Wait—did you think I wanted to dual cultivate with you?"
Su Yiyun froze. "Wait… wasn't that what you meant?"
"You wish." His voice turned icy. "Dual cultivation? Becoming Dao companions? That takes matching status. You've got nothing—no backing, no wealth—and you think you can climb into my bed? You're reaching way too high."
Her face flushed from shame to crimson in an instant.
Wait, what?! But the way he looked at me just now… wasn't that exactly what he meant?
Did I… did I really misread it that badly?
Have I been practicing the Secret Sutra of the Enchantress so long that even my thoughts are getting corrupted?
She wanted to find a hole and crawl into it.
Xiao Fan watched her squirm and grinned.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Just then, a battered young man burst into the palace.
His robes were torn, his face streaked with blood and dust. Yet his eyes burned with determination, and atop his head shimmered a faint, golden light—an invisible halo that seemed to scream:
Main character aura.
In his hands, he clutched a black wooden box from which fragrant medicinal qi spilled.
Before his figure arrived, his voice already echoed in the hall:
"Cousin! Look what I brought you! A Shattering Illusion Pill—this will help you break through delusions and condense your Golden Core!"
"With this, our revenge is one step closer!" he declared with glee, clutching the pill like it was the most precious treasure in the world.
But then—
He saw Su Yiyun.
Her cheeks were flushed red, her robes slightly disheveled.
And beside her stood a handsome young man in luxurious robes, calm and composed.
It looked just like…
A date?
Boom. His mind went blank.
The joy on his face evaporated, replaced by fury.
He glared at Xiao Fan, voice low and dangerous. "Who are you? What are you doing in my cousin's palace?"
Xiao Fan glanced at him, unimpressed.
Qi Refinement stage? Not even Foundation Establishment? And he dares talk to me like that?
"I'm sorry, who do you think you're talking to?" Xiao Fan asked coldly. "That's the tone you use with your seniors?"
As his words fell, Xiao Fan released a wave of pressure from his Golden Core cultivation, crashing down like a tsunami.
The young man immediately broke into cold sweat, his breathing labored. His body trembled, and his knees began to buckle.
[You have suppressed the Child of Destiny. Gained: 10 Villain Points.]
[You continue to oppress the Child of Destiny. Gained: 10 Villain Points.]
Ah, so bullying him gives rewards?
Xiao Fan studied the youth's torn clothes, the bleeding hands, the way he clutched that pill like a treasure.
And the fact that they were cousins?
A story instantly played out in Xiao Fan's mind—a full ten-million-word xianxia epic.
[Qin Feng: Su Yiyun's cousin. Secretly harbors feelings for her. Due to his humble background, he's never dared confess. Now that the Su Clan has fallen, Su Yiyun has no one else—only him. He seeks to win her heart through dedication and self-sacrifice.
However, seeing your closeness with her, he becomes jealous. He is already planning his revenge.]
[Qin Feng has been stuck at Qi Refinement for ten years. Once he activates his golden finger, he will rise like a phoenix.]
So this is the guy who ruined me in the alternate timeline.
A Child of Destiny, no doubt.
No need to show mercy.
Xiao Fan increased the pressure.
With a dull bang, Qin Feng collapsed, knees slamming into the stone floor. The tiles cracked. Blood seeped from his knees.
Su Yiyun hurried forward to intervene.
"Enough!" she snapped. "Watch your mouth! How dare you speak to the Holy Son that way?!"
"And who gave you permission to enter my palace? You're just an outer sect servant disciple at the Qi Refinement stage! Shouldn't you be sweeping floors?"
She turned to Xiao Fan and bowed respectfully.
"Holy Son, that man is my cousin, Qin Feng. He's a common-born servant disciple, ignorant and rash. Please forgive his offense—I apologize on his behalf."
Qin Feng's mind reeled.
What? She was rebuking him—and being respectful to this stranger?
His face contorted in disbelief.
"Cousin, you're the Saintess! Even if he's the Holy Son, that makes you equals! He dared use force in your palace—if the Holy Master hears of this, he'll be punished!"
Xiao Fan didn't even look at him.
This kind of idiot wasn't worth responding to.
But Su Yiyun?
Just moments ago, she had been panicking—now she handled things smoothly.
She appeared to be scolding Qin Feng, but in truth, she was cleverly shielding him from punishment while asking Xiao Fan for leniency.
Well played.
Xiao Fan gave her a rare approving glance.
Then, an idea formed.
Power could suppress a man's body—but the right words could crush his heart.
So, you like your cousin but don't dare say it?
Then let me show you—what I do to your precious "Junior Sister."