"So this is how my cousin sees me…"
To be honest, Ye Fan felt an overwhelming sadness and oppression in his chest right now. He even had an impulse to immediately tell Ye Qingchan about his true cultivation level—but in the end, he restrained that urge.
Though he didn't fear Ling Xiao, his current strength was still no match for that Young Master from Shengzhou. So he had to bide his time for now. Besides, the iron piece he had just found was etched with an extremely ancient map. If Ye Fan's guess was correct, it should lead to an ancient secret realm. He wasn't sure yet what kind of great fortune lay inside, but it was clearly bound to be extraordinary.
Intuition told Ye Fan that this secret realm would be of great importance to whether he could achieve immortality. Years of hardships had given him a maturity far beyond his age—so unlike Chu Yang, he would never recklessly bring about his own downfall. Instead, he would burn through every last bit of his light and heat… before Ling Xiao destroyed him.
"Cousin? Cousin?"
Ye Qingchan looked at Ye Fan, who was lost in thought, with a trace of unease. Whether it was an illusion or not, she felt she could no longer see through him.
"Ah? Qingchan, what did you say?"
Ye Fan snapped back to his senses and forced a gentle smile again.
"I said—would you let Young Master Ling Xiao check your meridians for you? He was the one who cured the poison in my body, after all."
As Ye Qingchan spoke, a faint blush even rose to her cheeks. This only made Ye Fan feel an even deeper sense of humiliation.
"No need. You don't have to worry about my affairs, Cousin."
Ye Fan shot Ye Qingchan a cold glance, then stood up and walked into his thatched hut.
"If you have nothing else to do, please leave. I need to rest."
"Cousin Ye Fan…"
Ye Qingchan stared at Ye Fan's back, dumbfounded. She couldn't understand why her cousin had suddenly gotten angry.
"Ye Qingchan!! You will be mine sooner or later! Mine and mine alone!!"
Leaning against the door behind him, Ye Fan clenched his hands tightly. A faint black glow gradually welled up in his eyes, exuding an eerie, mysterious aura.
"Is Young Master Ye Fan here?"
Just as the black light in his eyes grew stronger, a soft, melodious woman's voice sounded again outside the courtyard.
"Hm? Who is it?"
When Ye Qingchan returned to Ling Xiao's residence, her expression was clearly gloomy.
"What's the matter?"
Ling Xiao shot her a meaningful look, a playful smile tugging at his lips. He didn't even need to guess why Ye Qingchan was unhappy—she must have quarreled with Ye Fan. The system notifications had already chimed several times. With Feng Jiao'er taking the initiative to offer comfort now, Ye Fan would definitely feel touched. This is going perfectly!
"Young Master, do you think people always change?"
Ye Qingchan pouted and sat down in front of Ling Xiao, her eyes filled with grievance. She had only meant well, wanting Ling Xiao to help Ye Fan check his meridians. But not only had that man rejected her kindness, he had even chased her away.
"Yes. The only thing in this world that never changes… is change itself."
Ling Xiao spoke a profound-sounding sentence, but Ye Qingchan clearly didn't fully understand.
"Hmph! I was clearly being kind, wanting you to help him. Why did he get angry? It's ridiculous."
"Ye Fan? Got angry?"
The playfulness in Ling Xiao's eyes deepened. This girl was usually so smart—why was she being so slow this time? Anyone with eyes could see the way Ye Fan looked at Ye Qingchan, yet she only thought it was the normal affection between cousins. How could that not make him angry? After all, he was a Child of Destiny. Whatever he wanted was usually delivered to him immediately.
"Qingchan, haven't you noticed anything different about your cousin compared to before?"
Ling Xiao picked up the wine cup on the table and downed it in one gulp. He didn't look at Ye Qingchan, pretending to ask the question casually.
"Different? Young Master, now that you mention it—I did feel a chill when I stood next to Cousin Ye Fan just now. But he… he clearly has no cultivation at all."
Ye Qingchan looked confused. Usually, such a chill came from either being suppressed by someone's cultivation or feeling fear in the presence of a strong person. But Ye Fan hadn't even cultivated spiritual energy—how could he make her feel that sense of unease?
"A chill?"
A hint of curiosity immediately appeared on Ling Xiao's face. Ye Qingchan carried the Tai Xu Cauldron, a divine artifact he had given her. The aura of an ordinary spiritual treasure could never suppress the Tai Xu Cauldron. If that was the case, the treasure Ye Fan had on him must be something even more terrifying than a divine artifact.
"This is getting interesting."
A low-grade divine artifact was nothing to Ling Xiao, but a top-grade divine artifact or a Dao artifact was rarely seen even in Shengzhou.
"Now we just have to wait and see if Feng Jiao'er can bring back any useful information…"
Ling Xiao glanced at his empty wine cup. Ye Qingchan immediately refilled it for him, the sorrow between her brows no longer as obvious as before. After all, Ye Fan was just an insignificant figure in her path of immortality—far from being able to shake her Dao heart. It was just that the change in his attitude toward her had made her feel a little disheartened.
Meanwhile, in Ye Fan's courtyard:
Feng Jiao'er sat across from Ye Fan, her pretty face streaked with faint tear stains.
"So you're saying… you only broke off the engagement because your Master forced you?"
Ye Fan furrowed his brows, seeming skeptical.
"If my Master hadn't forced me, how could I have had the heart to end our ten-year engagement? Brother Ye Fan, have you forgotten how happy we were together when we were children?"
Ye Fan didn't deny this. After their families had arranged the engagement, Feng Jiao'er had indeed come to see him often. What he didn't know was that the Feng family had been just a third-rate clan in Qingfeng City back then. Having finally clung to the Ye family—this "thigh"—how could they bear to let go? Even though Ye Fan was born with useless meridians, he was still a young master of the Ye family. When Old Master Ye was still alive, he had doted on Ye Fan greatly.
"So what is your purpose in coming here today?"
As Ye Fan looked at the sorrow in Feng Jiao'er's eyes, an inexplicable fire ignited in his chest. He was even tempted to pull this Qianmei Sect Saintess into his arms and comfort her gently. It wasn't that Ye Fan was easily seduced by beauty—rather, Feng Jiao'er was secretly using a charm technique. Especially this kind of charm that blended sorrow with seduction; ordinary people could hardly resist it.
"I didn't come here expecting Brother Ye Fan to forgive me. It's just… whenever I see you, my heart aches terribly."
Feng Jiao'er covered her face and sobbed, her tears soaking the front of her dress.
"I know this is all my retribution. I originally planned to come down the mountain to find Brother Ye Fan once my cultivation became stronger. But I never expected my Master to be so cruel… she actually… she actually gave me to Ling Xiao as a maid… Wuwu…"
Feng Jiao'er grew more and more distraught, and finally burst into loud cries.
Ye Fan's heart trembled. He became even more convinced that Feng Jiao'er was telling the truth. Otherwise, why would she go to such lengths to put on an act for him? After all, Ye Fan was certain he had hidden his secrets well—no one could possibly know what he was hiding. And why would a proud daughter of the Qianmei Sect bother to scheme against a "good-for-nothing" like him?