"Young Master! Young Master Ling Xiao!!"
Ye Liufeng's voice suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard. Ye Qingchan was about to stand up, but Ling Xiao held her tightly in his arms.
"Come in."
A group of powerful members of the Ye family walked into the room tremblingly. They glanced at Ling Xiao and Ye Qingchan, and before Ling Xiao could even speak, they knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Please forgive us, Young Master!!"
"Young Master, Ye Fan is a wolf in sheep's clothing—this has nothing to do with the Ye family! I've already issued a reward: one hundred thousand spirit stones for Ye Fan, dead or alive! Young Master, please…"
Ye Liufeng wept bitterly, his tears streaming down his face as he spoke with deep emotion—he was even ready to sacrifice his life to prove his loyalty. He was truly terrified.
Just yesterday, the Huang Clan, one of the Eight Great Clans, had their entire clan wiped out in an instant just because their young master Huang Qi had spoken rudely to Young Master Ling Xiao. The Ye family, though somewhat famous in Qingfeng City, was nothing more than a nobody in the entire Northern Wilderness. If the Young Master blamed them today, the entire Ye family would undoubtedly be doomed to destruction.
In fact, early this morning, Ye Liufeng had even gone to visit several concubines he kept outside and spent time with them. The future of the Ye family's bloodline now depended entirely on them.
"Young Master… this matter has nothing to do with Uncle and the others… please don't be angry. If anyone is to blame, it's me. If I hadn't asked you to come here, you wouldn't have…"
Ye Qingchan lowered her head slightly, tears glistening in her eyes. Looking back now, she realized Ye Fan had actually shown signs of his true nature long ago. Otherwise, with her cultivation level, how could she have felt a sense of coldness from him?
"How could I blame you? It's all Ye Fan's fault for hiding his true colors so well."
Ling Xiao grinned and gently flicked Ye Qingchan's nose. She immediately shyly buried her face in his arms.
When the members of the Ye family saw this scene, many of them let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Ye family had such a beloved daughter—otherwise, they would truly have been doomed this time.
"All of you, stand up. This matter has nothing to do with the Ye family; it's all Ye Fan's doing alone. Inform all major forces in the Northern Wilderness—if anyone finds any trace of Ye Fan, report it to me immediately."
At this moment, Ling Xiao naturally had to put on his best acting. Ye Fan's every move was, of course, under his control. But in recent days, he had occasionally felt a strange aura emanating from Ye Qingchan—clearly, her innate wisdom was awakening. Ling Xiao certainly wanted to take this opportunity to completely win her heart. That way, even when she fully awakened, there would definitely be a mark of Ling Xiao left in her heart.
As for sending people to hunt Ye Fan… it was naturally to create a sense of urgency for that Child of Destiny.
"Thank you, Young Master!!"
"The Ye family will never forget Young Master's great kindness!"
"No—right away, I'll send someone to build a statue of the Young Master, and we'll pay our respects to it every day!"
Ye Liufeng kowtowed three times excitedly, then retreated under Ling Xiao's somewhat impatient gaze.
"Young Master… Ye Fan practices demonic techniques; the whole world will not tolerate him. But as long as he's alive, he'll be a danger to you. How about I write a letter to my father and ask him to send Xuanjian Sect disciples down the mountain to search for Ye Fan?"
At this point, Ye Qingchan had been completely fooled by Ling Xiao.
Practicing demonic techniques and being intolerable to the world? If she knew that Ling Xiao himself was the greatest demon in this world, she wondered what she would think.
Ling Xiao smiled and shook his head. "No need. A mere Ye Fan can't stir up any trouble."
In the following days, the Northern Wilderness became lively once again. Countless forces sent their disciples down the mountain to search for Ye Fan's whereabouts. Of course, their goal was not just the one hundred thousand spirit stones—it was to gain Young Master Ling Xiao's favor!
How could a lowly nobody like Ye Fan dare to attack Young Master Ling Xiao? Wasn't he asking for death? As long as someone could find him first and kill him, they would definitely win Young Master Ling Xiao's appreciation. At that point, spiritual treasures and great fortunes would be easily within their grasp.
Meanwhile, in a dilapidated ancient city on the border of the Northern Wilderness, a figure wrapped in a black bamboo hat sat by the roadside, gnawing on a hard, cold piece of dry rations.
"Have you heard? That good-for-nothing from the Ye family is actually a demonic cultivator who practices techniques that feed on human essence and blood!"
"I can understand feeding on blood, but how does one feed on 'essence'?"
"Don't you believe it? In the past few days, many strong young men have gone missing in various parts of the Northern Wilderness. When they're finally found, they've all been drained dry into mummies!"
"Ye Fan has such a weird taste."
When the figure in the bamboo hat heard the discussions around him, his whole body trembled slightly, and a murderous intent flickered in his eyes. This person was none other than Ye Fan, who had fled all the way from Qingfeng City to here.
In recent days, he had seen countless powerful cultivators from various forces searching for him in the name of "eliminating demons and upholding justice." His hatred for Ling Xiao had reached its peak. Although he had a trump card like the Eight Desolations Glazed Pagoda, releasing the demon ape's soul from the pagoda still carried risks, and his own cultivation level was still far too low. So he could only suppress the hatred in his heart and follow the instructions on the ancient map to reach this place.
However, yesterday he had accidentally found a spiritual herb in the mountains. After swallowing it, his cultivation had unexpectedly broken through. This had somewhat comforted Ye Fan's originally depressed mood.
"In about two more days, I should reach the valley marked on the map. By then…"
Ye Fan gritted his teeth tightly, and the cold aura on his body immediately attracted the attention of many people around him.
"Hm? This person exudes such a strong murderous intent."
Many powerful cultivators instantly locked their divine sense onto Ye Fan. Ye Fan's eyes narrowed sharply, and he quickly stood up and left the area.
Two more days. Just give me two more days, and I'll make the entire Northern Wilderness kneel at my feet!
At the same time, on a towering mountain stream in the Eastern Wilderness, there stood an ancient stone hall built entirely of blue stone. At this moment, the hall was filled with countless figures, each exuding a powerful aura. But upon closer inspection, it turned out that although these figures had human bodies, their heads were bizarrely shaped—some had tiger heads, leopard heads, eagle heads, or bear heads. Even directly in front of the main hall, there stood a demon with a dog's head.
"Have you found any news about my nephew, the one I told you to look into?"
On the high platform of the hall, a small figure sat on a huge golden throne. A hint of immature authority showed on her pretty little face. Compared to Ye Qingchan's stunning beauty, this little girl had a more playful charm. But her slightly childish face already showed signs of being able to charm the world. Moreover, most surprisingly, her pupils were a seductive pink color, and nine fluffy tails behind her were extremely cute.
"Reporting to Lady Zhixi, we hadn't found anything before, but in the past two days, the name Ye Fan has become renowned throughout the Northern Wilderness!"
The dog-headed demon bared its teeth and grinned, clearly ready to flatter her.
"Oh? Of course—he carries the noble blood of our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan in his veins."
The little girl with pink pupils smiled faintly. Although she tried her best to maintain her authority, her sweet and childish face made her look uniquely charming.
"No, Lady Zhixi. It's said that Ye Fan offended a young master who came down from Shengzhou (the Holy State). Now he's become a demonic cultivator that everyone in the Northern Wilderness is out to hunt. Rumor has it… rumor has it he specifically feeds on the essence and blood of young boys and girls, and his methods are extremely cruel!!"
"Nonsense! That's impossible!!"
Upon hearing this, the girl named Zhixi flew into a rage—even her nine white tails stiffened!
"How dare anyone slander my nephew! No matter who it is, I'll make them pay for this!"