"Be gentle?"
Ling Xiao froze for a moment, then immediately understood what Feng Jiao'er meant.
"I have something for you to do right now."
"Young Master… I understand."
Feng Jiao'er stepped in front of Ling Xiao. Before Ling Xiao could stop her, she had already started untying her clothes.
"It's not that kind of thing…"
Even though Ling Xiao was tempted to taste what this Qianmei Sect Saintess had to offer, the fortune calling to him was clearly more important. Especially with Ye Qingchan gone, he needed to give Feng Jiao'er clear instructions.
"Mm~"
Feng Jiao'er paid no heed to what Ling Xiao was actually saying—she had already begun to let out soft moans.
"Feng Jiao'er, I need you to seduce Ye Fan."
Ling Xiao barely suppressed the evil thoughts in his heart. He wasn't a saint, after all—and Feng Jiao'er was indeed quite attractive. The way she twisted her slender waist was really infuriating!
"Seduce… Ye Fan?"
The coquetry on Feng Jiao'er's face froze instantly. She stared at Ling Xiao in disbelief. What was the Young Master thinking? Was he testing her? Otherwise, why would he make her seduce that loser?
"Ye Fan has some secrets. I want you to help me find out what they are. Can you do that?"
Ling Xiao's expression gradually turned serious. You have to know the root of the problem to solve it. If he didn't even know what Ye Fan's trump card was, how could he plan his next move? Besides, Ye Fan was inherently cautious—without giving him some incentive, it would be hard to make him reveal his methods.
Ye Qingchan would have been the most suitable person for this task, but after weighing the pros and cons, Ling Xiao couldn't bring himself to ask her. Feng Jiao'er was at best just a toy to him; whether she succeeded or failed in seducing Ye Fan wouldn't make much difference.
Of course, with the Destiny Value Ling Xiao had now, even killing Ye Fan might not trigger Heavenly Dao's backlash. Even if Ye Fan had a heaven-defying fortune in his hands, he might not be able to shake Ling Xiao. But since ancient times, villains often died from being overconfident. Ye Fan had hidden himself too well—and a dog that doesn't bark is the most dangerous. Besides, Ling Xiao was counting on Ye Fan to unlock the secret map and lead him to that fortune. Killing him directly would be far too boring.
"Young… Young Master, I have nothing to do with Ye Fan anymore. I…"
"Don't worry, I'm not testing you. Ye Fan is no ordinary person. Go find out what he's hiding. If you succeed, I'll give you a divine artifact."
Ling Xiao naturally knew what Feng Jiao'er was worried about. He smiled wickedly.
"You can do this, can't you?"
"Mm~"
Feng Jiao'er's delicate body trembled, and she twisted even more provocatively.
"Don't worry, Young Master. This servant will make Ye Fan submit to me."
"No, no. Later, you just need to blame everything on me to gain his trust… and then…"
Ling Xiao leaned in and whispered a few words in Feng Jiao'er's ear. The warm breath from his mouth made Feng Jiao'er's face flush and her whole body heat up.
"Young Master… why don't we do something fun first…"
Meanwhile, after leaving Ling Xiao's residence, Ye Qingchan went straight to the small courtyard where Ye Fan lived. Since childhood, Ye Fan had always lived in this remote courtyard, far from the main hall of the Ye family—isolated and ignored by the entire clan.
"Cousin Ye Fan."
Ye Qingchan stood outside the courtyard and called out softly.
"Hm? It's Cousin Qingchan!"
Inside the thatched hut in the courtyard, a smile immediately spread across Ye Fan's face. He quickly stuffed the two matching iron pieces in his hand into a storage pouch, then turned and walked outside.
"Qingchan."
Ye Fan opened the courtyard gate. Looking at the stunning woman in front of him—with a smile on her face and a appearance—infatuation shone in his eyes.
"Cousin Ye Fan, won't you invite me in?"
Ye Qingchan covered her mouth and laughed. Her cousin was still as naive as ever. Even though he was born with useless meridians and couldn't embark on the path of immortality, he had a strong will and never easily gave in. That was actually quite attractive to Ye Qingchan.
"Qingchan, come in quickly!"
Ye Fan instinctively reached out to take Ye Qingchan's hand, but she naturally dodged it. Ye Fan's face froze. He forced a smile. "Qingchan has grown up."
But as soon as he turned his face away, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Even though he was reluctant to believe it, he could feel Ye Qingchan's distance from him. He still remembered how they used to hold hands and play outside the city when they were children.
"Cousin Ye Fan, do you still live here alone?"
Ye Qingchan walked into the courtyard and looked at the shabby, run-down thatched hut in front of her. She felt a twinge of pity.
"Yes, I've always lived here. Qingchan, do you remember? It was right here that you stood up for me, drew your sword, and injured Ye Sheng—and then Third Uncle scolded you severely for it."
Ye Fan's eyes were filled with nostalgia. It was because of that sword that he had endured humiliation in the Ye family for so long. His goal, of course, was to see Ye Qingchan more often. Otherwise… what was there to miss about this mere Ye family?
"Back then, Cousin Ye Sheng was too overbearing. I couldn't stand it. But he seems to have changed a lot this time. Cousin Ye Fan, how have you been lately? Are you still unable to cultivate spiritual energy?"
Ye Qingchan spoke lightly, as if that memory wasn't particularly profound to her.
"I…"
Ye Fan was eager to tell Ye Qingchan about his current cultivation realm. But seeing the way his cousin looked at him now, he hesitated. He must not reveal his trump card easily—otherwise, it would definitely attract the covetousness of countless powerful cultivators. If Ye Qingchan still felt the same way about him as she used to, he wouldn't have hidden anything from her. But now…
"Qingchan, I heard you're now following that Ling Xiao person—only as a maid?"
Ye Fan brought over a cup of tea and deliberately tested Ye Qingchan.
"Yes. The Young Master is a noble of unparalleled status. I'm already very content to be a maid by his side."
Ye Qingchan lowered her head and smiled, a hint of shyness on her face. Ye Fan couldn't help but clench his fists tightly—his eyes were filled with coldness.
"Qingchan, with your beauty and talent, you should be like a phoenix soaring through the Nine Heavens. How could you humble yourself to be someone's maid? Did Ling Xiao force you? Or did he trick you into something?"
In Ye Fan's eyes, even though Ling Xiao was from the Holy State, his status was nothing special. Ye Fan's mother was also from the Holy State—and she had left him a heaven-defying treasure. So sooner or later, he would step into the Holy State, make a name for himself, bring his mother back, and kill all his enemies along the way.
"Cousin Ye Fan? What… what are you thinking?"
Ye Qingchan froze. The killing intent in Ye Fan's eyes made her feel an inexplicable chill in her heart.
"The Young Master treats me very well. But Cousin, if you keep being so unmotivated, what will you do in the future? How about… I ask the Young Master if he can fix your useless meridians?"
"Unmotivated?"
Ye Fan froze for a moment. A cold look suddenly spread across his previously gentle face.