He thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes hard, only to realize he wasn't.
The person standing in front of him was Ye Qingcheng.
Yun Fan immediately became alert. This was a woman whose strength and intellect were no less than his own.
Don't be fooled by her stunning beauty and innocent appearance; if you think that, you're making a grave mistake.
At this moment, Yun Fan asked, "What are you doing here?"
Ye Qingcheng smiled slightly, "It's been a long time, and I've missed you terribly, so I came to see you!"
Yun Fan obviously didn't believe this.
He said, "I don't believe you'd be so kind!"
"What if I said I came to kill you?"
She asked Yun Fan.
Yun Fan replied, "Then you'd lose miserably, because this time I'm facing you at my peak!"
"Is that so?"
Ye Qingcheng retorted dismissively, "You have too many weaknesses. If I just take one of the women by your side hostage, you'll have to kneel!"
"You dare..."
Yun Fan's tone was tinged with fury. It was true, his biggest flaw was his emotional nature.
If a friend was in trouble, he would always help. Of course, in his opinion, this wasn't a flaw; after all, everyone had emotions.
"There's nothing I don't dare to do!"
Ye Qingcheng said, "However, it seems I won't have to lift a finger!"
"What do you mean?"
Yun Fan asked, confused.
He had a feeling Ye Qingcheng was trying to convey something to him, but she wouldn't tell him directly, leaving him to guess.
"Do you know the Crown Prince?"
"The Son of the Heavenly Emperor!"
Yun Fan had certainly heard of him. However, he didn't know him well, as he had never been to Jinling in his life.
Ye Qingcheng said, "He's more than just the Son of the Heavenly Emperor, high and mighty. He's a terrifying person!"
"Although he's very young, his strength is already unfathomable. The methods he displays are even more overbearing and decisive than those of the Heavenly Emperor!"
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Yun Fan asked curiously. He didn't want to know about the Crown Prince; he had no connection to him and wouldn't think more highly of him just because he was the Crown Prince.
"Because he wants to kill you!"
Yun Fan was stunned. Why did everyone want to kill him? If he had offended the Crown Prince, it would make sense.
But the crucial point was that he had no connection to the Crown Prince, so there had to be a reason!
He didn't take the matter of the Crown Prince wanting to kill him seriously. It wasn't due to arrogance or complacency,
but because he had the strength to do so.
"Why does he want to kill me?"
Yun Fan asked, bewildered.
Ye Qingcheng replied, "Figure it out yourself!"
"If you can survive this conspiracy, then I will have a decisive battle with you!"
With that, Ye Qingcheng turned and left.
Yun Fan was somewhat dumbfounded, unsure how much truth there was in this woman's words.
Had she come all the way here in the middle of the night just to deliver this message?
...
Inside the base.
"War God, Zhang Yuan is just a spineless coward. Under our interrogation, he confessed!"
The newcomer said respectfully to Zhu Que.
Zhu Que immediately asked, "What is the Crown Prince's objective in dealing with Yun Fan?"
"This is a long story!"
Her subordinate reported, "Perhaps Zhang Yuan is just a pawn, so he doesn't know much. He only vaguely heard the Crown Prince say that Yun Fan had disrupted the Crown Prince's plan, causing it to fail. Therefore, the Crown Prince wants to kill Yun Fan!"
"Is that all?"
Zhu Que pressed.
"War God, that's all!"
Her subordinate said helplessly. After all, how much information could one expect from a mere pawn?
Clearly, Zhu Que was somewhat disappointed, as the information she wanted was far from enough.
"What should we do with Zhang Yuan?"
For them, Zhang Yuan was the most troublesome issue at the moment.
Zhu Que pondered for a moment. If they let Zhang Yuan go, he would definitely report back to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince would then become aware of the matter, so she directly issued an order: "Execute him!"
"Yes!"
Her subordinate left.
Zhu Que was not a cruel woman, but if someone dared to harm her beloved, she would not hesitate to kill them.
The next day, she found Yun Fan.
"Was last night's birthday banquet enjoyable?"
Yun Fan asked Zhu Que with a smile.
Zhu Que pouted, "Not enjoyable!"
"No way! You were the center of attention last night, so why aren't you happy?"
Yun Fan asked, confused.
Zhu Que replied, "I didn't get the result I wanted, so I'm not happy!"
"What is it that you want?"
Yun Fan asked curiously.
"I want you!"
"Don't joke around!"
Yun Fan chuckled awkwardly, though internally he was shocked. He had to steer the conversation away from this topic; it couldn't continue.
Fortunately, Zhu Que didn't press the issue and instead said to Yun Fan, "Someone wants to kill you!"
"The Crown Prince?"
Yun Fan asked with a questioning look.
"How did you know?"
Zhu Que was shocked. She thought she had the scoop and was coming to tell Yun Fan, only to find out he already knew.
Yun Fan said, "I didn't know originally, but someone told me. I just don't know why the Crown Prince wants to kill me."
"I had someone interrogate Zhang Yuan, and he said the Crown Prince wants to kill you because you disrupted his plan!"
Yun Fan fell into a daze upon hearing this.
After a moment, he finally realized. After coming to Jiangnan, everything he had done was confined to Jiangnan, at most affecting Jiangnan.
And it was nowhere near enough to affect the Crown Prince.
Eliminating all other possibilities, only one thing remained: Yu Shuai.
Yu Shuai was the traitor he had personally exposed. Therefore, Yu Shuai was the most likely culprit.
However, he didn't know the connection between Yu Shuai and the Crown Prince.
The next moment, Yun Fan had an epiphany. Some matters didn't require a direct connection to become intertwined.
His exposure of Yu Shuai, a schemer who had been in hiding for twenty years, was the best news for the Heavenly Emperor and the four great families.
A potential conflict was averted without any losses.
However, for those who shared Yu Shuai's objectives, this was a disaster. They had been hoping to profit from the chaos.
With Yu Shuai exposed, their dreams were shattered.
But what puzzled Yun Fan was, could the Crown Prince be one of them?
This seemed too absurd! The Crown Prince was the most likely successor to the Heavenly Emperor.
Why would he go to such lengths? It had to be said that the situation was truly perplexing.
"Thank you for doing so much for me!"
Yun Fan said gratefully. He hadn't expected Zhu Que to interrogate her own cousin, and he was deeply touched.
Zhu Que replied, "With our relationship, who needs to be formal!"
"You need to be careful of the Crown Prince. He's deeply entrenched, his methods and strength are unfathomable, and he's much more terrifying than Yu Shuai!"
Zhu Que warned Yun Fan.
"It's fine. If he's foolish enough to target me, I'll make him regret it!"
Yun Fan showed a look of determination. No matter how strong his opponent was, if they became his enemy, he wouldn't fear anyone.
Zhu Que had wanted to chat with Yun Fan and deepen their bond, but at that moment, Jiang Xueyan returned.
So, she left. As a War God, she disdained to compete with Jiang Xueyan for Yun Fan's affection; she wanted Yun Fan's heart.
She was resolute in her heart that one day, Yun Fan would be her man.
"What is this woman doing here?"
After Zhu Que left, Jiang Xueyan asked Yun Fan.
"Nothing much, just talking about some things!"
Yun Fan didn't plan to tell the women about the Crown Prince's threat, to avoid worrying them.
"It clearly wasn't anything good!"
Jiang Xueyan said to Yun Fan, "Since they haven't returned yet, do you want to..."
She licked her lips halfway through her sentence.
"Uh..."
Yun Fan hadn't expected Jiang Xueyan to know his desires so well, and to be so direct about it.
"This is the only time, no more next time!"
"You said that last time too!"
Fine! Yun Fan was utterly defeated. Jiang Xueyan had completely sealed his escape route. Since there was no retreat, there was no point in retreating.
About half an hour later, Leng Ningshuang and Lin Tianxin returned.
Zhao Fanghua and Yang Xuejian had not moved into this villa because they didn't get along with Leng Ningshuang.
The situation remained at a stalemate.
Yun Fan looked down at Jiang Xueyan, who was still engrossed, and had a bad premonition. He thought, why did they have to return now, of all times?
Their timing was terrible.
So, he whispered, "They're back!"
"Are you scared?"
Jiang Xueyan looked up and asked Yun Fan.
"A little!"
It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid. If they were caught red-handed, how embarrassing would that be!
"Do you like excitement?"
Faced with Jiang Xueyan's irresistible expression, Yun Fan took a deep breath.
"Whatever, let's just do it!"
Downstairs, Leng Ningshuang and Lin Tianxin were chatting in the living room.
"Sister, aren't you planning to stay a few more days?"
Lin Tianxin asked expectantly.
She truly hoped Leng Ningshuang would stay forever, as Leng Ningshuang's aura was incredibly strong.
Only Leng Ningshuang could keep the other women in check. If Leng Ningshuang left, everything would revert to how it was before Leng Ningshuang arrived.
Leng Ningshuang said, "Okay, I promise. I'll stay for another half a month before leaving."
At this moment, Leng Ningshuang found Lin Tianxin increasingly agreeable.
She was very satisfied with Yun Fan's fiancée, especially after Lin Tianxin had directly told her last night that after defeating the other women, she hoped Leng Ningshuang would stay and they could live together.
This was practically an open hint, and honestly, even Leng Ningshuang was tempted.
But she couldn't do it now. If her master found out she had feelings for her junior brother, it would be disastrous.
Originally, she was supposed to return in two days, but Lin Tianxin's repeated pleas had convinced her to stay longer.
After all, compared to being alone in Nanshan Village, she really didn't want to be by herself.
Her master was really something, sending her junior brother on a mission. If not for these missions, wouldn't it have been wonderful if her junior brother had just married Lin Tianxin and brought her back to Nanshan Village?
Then she wouldn't have to be separated from her junior brother.
"Is there someone upstairs?"
Leng Ningshuang's eyes narrowed. She felt like she had heard a strange sound.
"There shouldn't be!"
Lin Tianxin said uncertainly. She didn't know why Leng Ningshuang was asking that, but the door was locked, so there shouldn't be anyone there.
"Strange!"
Leng Ningshuang thought she might have misheard, but as a master of her craft, her senses were superior to the average person.
"Perhaps my vigilance is too high!"
At this moment, the two women were playing a game on the sofa, yes, a game like "King of Glory," with two women teaming up.
Leng Ningshuang didn't usually play these games, but after Lin Tianxin carried her a couple of times, she got addicted, so they teamed up to mess with teammates when they had nothing else to do.
Yes, they were messing with teammates, the kind who couldn't even be carried by a pro.
They had managed to climb to the Gold division together, and then they proceeded to feed their way down to Bronze, not because others were feeding them, but because they were feeding others.
If they hadn't been two women, they would surely have been greeted with ancestral greetings in every match.
"Defeat!"
After a game ended, the two women put down their phones in disappointment. Leng Ningshuang's jungle score was one kill and six deaths; she didn't know where she got the confidence to play the jungle role.
As for Lin Tianxin, her record was even more unbearable. She played the marksman role. If Yun Fan were present, he would surely ask, "Are you the archer with zero kills and eight deaths?"
However, at this moment, with a soft groan,
the alert Leng Ningshuang confirmed she hadn't misheard. She put down her phone and went upstairs.
"Sister!"
Unbeknownst to her, Lin Tianxin followed.
Upon reaching the upper floor, Leng Ningshuang pushed open the bathroom door and saw Yun Fan calmly walking out.
Jiang Xueyan was rinsing her mouth.
"What are you two sneakily doing?"
Leng Ningshuang asked.
Although the evidence had been quickly destroyed by Jiang Xueyan, a faint odor still lingered in the air.
From Leng Ningshuang's expression, it was clear she disliked the pungent smell.
"We weren't doing anything! I just woke up from a nap and heard noises in the bathroom, so I came to check. I didn't expect her to be washing up!"
Yun Fan explained calmly, as he would never reveal the truth, even if he were beaten to death.
"Is that really true?"
Leng Ningshuang asked with a hint of doubt.
"It's true. If you don't believe me, ask her!"
Yun Fan pointed at Jiang Xueyan.
"Hmph!"
Leng Ningshuang had no intention of asking Jiang Xueyan, as she didn't have a good impression of her.
Thus, Yun Fan and Leng Ningshuang went downstairs, chatting and laughing, as if nothing had happened.
"Ugh!"
With a retching sound from Jiang Xueyan, something was seemingly vomited into the trash can.
"You... you..."
Lin Tianxin knew perfectly well what the two had been doing in the bathroom.
Jiang Xueyan said triumphantly, "Yes, exactly what you're thinking!"
"You're not allowed to do this anymore!"
Lin Tianxin said enviously. She hadn't expected this pair of lovebirds to be so brazen in her own villa.
Didn't she have any dignity? And the female lead was her fiancé's lover.
"Then you have to get him to agree!"
Lin Tianxin was speechless. Even she felt too embarrassed to say it to Yun Fan.
"Anyway, it's a no! If you dare to do this again, I'll tell Sister Leng!"
Lin Tianxin threatened.
"Tsk, I'm not afraid of her!"
...
"Miss Ye, I'm afraid I cannot agree to this!"
Yang Xuejian immediately refused Ye Qingcheng's proposal. She had previously signed a contract with Ye Qingcheng for a play, but the filming location had not been decided.
Now, Ye Qingcheng had suddenly arrived and requested to film in Jinling, which Yang Xuejian would absolutely not agree to.
She had initially wanted to avoid seeing Ye Qingcheng, as this woman dared to target her junior brother.
But Ye Qingcheng had shamelessly shown up, so she had no choice.
At this moment, Zhao Fanghua also glared at Ye Qingcheng. However, Ye Qingcheng was too powerful, so Zhao Fanghua could do nothing about her.
Furthermore, Ye Qingcheng had come openly, so even if they wanted to deal with her, they had no recourse.
Ye Qingcheng said, "I've already increased the offer threefold, and the locations have been chosen. What are you still worried about?"
"I don't understand. Even if this play is a huge hit, you won't make any money. Miss Ye, why are you doing this?"
Yang Xuejian asked, bewildered.
Giving them a threefold profit increase for a play already guaranteed that it wouldn't make money, and might even lose money.
She had no idea what Ye Qingcheng was after.
Ye Qingcheng replied, "I'm willing!"
Fine! That excuse again. What could she do?
Since she couldn't refuse outright, she decided to let Yun Fan refuse.
"Miss Ye, I have no problem with it, but they haven't signed an agreement with you. I need to ask if they agree?"
"Ask away!"
Ye Qingcheng said confidently, as if she had foreseen the outcome.
So, Yang Xuejian called Yun Fan.
"Junior brother, I previously filmed a play with Ye Qingcheng. Now she's increased the profit threefold, but she wants to film in Jinling. I don't agree, so I'm specifically asking for your opinion!"
In her mind, her junior brother would definitely refuse, as this was Ye Qingcheng's blatant attempt to trap Yun Fan.
However, Yun Fan said, "Tell her I agree, but the payment must be made first!"
"What?"
Yang Xuejian froze in place. She hadn't expected her junior brother to agree, and so readily at that.
Didn't her junior brother fear Ye Qingcheng dealing with him in Jinling? After all, Jinling was Ye Qingcheng's territory.
Yun Fan said, "It's a done deal then. Let's set a departure date!"
"Alright!"
After hanging up the phone, Yun Fan sneered inwardly. If he hadn't agreed to Ye Qingcheng, she would have really thought he was afraid of her.
Although Jinling was Ye Qingcheng's territory, he was not afraid at all, as Ye Qingcheng was an arrogant opponent.
He wanted to defeat Ye Qingcheng in one fell swoop this time.
Of course, besides Ye Qingcheng, he also wanted to deal with another person: the Crown Prince. Rather than passively waiting in Jiangnan for the Crown Prince to make a move against him,
he would take the initiative and go to Jinling. He would not only defeat both of them but also use them as stepping stones.
He was only one step away from that realm. He had initially thought he would break through after fighting Yu Shuai, but clearly, he hadn't.
Therefore, in Yun Fan's opinion, there was only one possibility: his path was incorrect.
Perhaps by defeating Ye Qingcheng and the Crown Prince, he could gain some inspiration and break through to that realm in one go.
Meanwhile, Yang Xuejian said to Zhao Fanghua with a heavy heart, "Sister Zhao, junior brother agreed!"
Zhao Fanghua also looked solemn but soon relaxed. She had absolute confidence in her junior brother.
So, she said, "Then let's go ask Ye Qingcheng when the arrangements will be made."
"Okay!"
Yang Xuejian went to the reception room.
"Miss Ye, my junior brother has agreed, but payment must be made first!"
"No problem!"
With a look from Ye Qingcheng, Liu Ming, who stood beside her, immediately transferred the payment.
"When do we depart?"
"As you arrange!"
Yang Xuejian said.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng said, "Then, in three days!"
"Mm!"
...
Three days later, a group of people set off.
Those going to Jinling included Lin Tianxin, Jiang Xueyan, Zhao Fanghua, Yang Xuejian, and of course, Leng Ningshuang.
Lin Tianxin, Yang Xuejian, and Jiang Xueyan were originally characters in the play, so they had to be present for filming.
Zhao Fanghua and Leng Ningshuang had no roles, but they also didn't want to stay in Jiangnan and decided to take a trip to Jinling.
In fact, the reason Yun Fan agreed so readily was that he had a helper, and that helper was Leng Ningshuang. She, his senior sister who surpassed him in every aspect, was his greatest asset. He didn't want to be constantly targeted, as adults should know how to proactively solve their problems.
"Boss, we'll miss you!"
Hei Long and Lei Bao came out to see them off.
They also wanted to accompany their boss to Jinling, but someone had to guard Jiangnan, so they had to stay behind.
"Practice martial arts well. By the time I return, you must break through to the Houtian realm!"
Yun Fan decided to put some pressure on them.
"Hiss!"
The two men gasped. It was still a long way off for them to break through to the Houtian realm given their current strength. But Yun Fan's filming period was two months.
Therefore, Yun Fan would return to Jiangnan after two months.
It seemed they needed to hurry their martial arts practice.
...
Upon arriving in Jinling, as soon as they disembarked from the plane, Ye Feng appeared.
At this moment, Ye Feng said to Yun Fan, "Brother Yun, my uncle wanted to pick you up, but he's currently in seclusion, so he sent me to arrange your accommodation!"
"Thank you for the trouble!"
Yun Fan had originally planned to stay in a hotel arranged by Ye Qingcheng, but he wasn't at ease. Now that Ye Feng had arranged it, he would go to the hotel Ye Feng had chosen.
"Don't mention it!"
Ye Feng said, "Brother Yun, please!"
Then, Yun Fan and his companions got into the luxurious car arranged by Ye Feng. Yun Fan had wanted to keep a low profile, but this fellow had directly arranged a top-tier luxury vehicle.
This made him speechless.
In the car, the women sat in one vehicle, while Ye Feng and Yun Fan shared another.
"Are you not planning to join the military anymore?"
Yun Fan asked Ye Feng.
Ye Feng had been a member of the "Nightfall" organization previously. After the disbandment of "Nightfall," he had remained with the Black Dragon Society.
Only recently had he returned to Jinling.
Ye Feng replied, "After 'Nightfall' disbanded, my dream of joining the army was dashed. But recently, my leader invited me to be her assistant again, so I agreed!"
"Zhu Que!"
"Yes!"
Ye Feng said admiringly, "Although my strength is weak, there are few people I admire. The people I admire most are Brother Yun and my leader!"
"When do you depart?"
"Tomorrow!"
"Go, follow her, and your future will be bright!"
Yun Fan said with a smile.
"Hahaha, of course!"
Ye Feng laughed. "Speaking of which, Brother Yun, when can I drink to your wedding with the leader?"
"Uh..."
Yun Fan was speechless. Fortunately, the women were in another car, otherwise, Ye Feng would have received a severe scolding.
In fact, Ye Feng felt a little uneasy saying this. Once he confirmed that the women hadn't heard him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It couldn't be helped; Yun Fan was just that popular.
After arranging Yun Fan and his party in a luxurious suite at his family's hotel, Ye Feng left, as he had to report for duty.
Yun Fan lay on the luxurious bed, feeling a myriad of emotions. He had originally thought it would be a formality and he'd be returning, but fate had played another trick on him.
Now that he had arrived in Jinling, it was as if everything was predetermined.
Leng Ningshuang and the other women had already gone shopping, leaving Yun Fan alone in the empty hotel room.
With his mind in turmoil, he decided to go to the bar next to the hotel for a drink.
Entering the bar, Yun Fan found a table and ordered several bottles of wine.
The bar was quiet and deserted, without any noise, just tranquility. Coincidentally, Yun Fan preferred quiet places.
Unconsciously, he drank several glasses of wine, but Yun Fan felt no trace of intoxication.
Just then, a soft, charming voice sounded.
"Little handsome guy, do you mind if I sit here?"
Yun Fan looked up and was stunned. The person who had arrived was a beautiful middle-aged woman. He couldn't tell her age.
Judging by her appearance, she looked at most in her thirties, the prime of a woman's maturity.
Yun Fan thought to himself, were beauties so common these days? He hadn't expected to encounter such a stunning beauty as soon as he arrived in Jinling.
Putting aside the passage of time, this woman's beauty was top-tier, and her mature aura made her even more captivating.
"Sit down!"
Yun Fan said faintly.
The beautiful woman didn't stand on ceremony and sat directly opposite Yun Fan. She then picked up a spare glass and poured herself a drink.
"Cheers!"
Her openness surprised Yun Fan a little.
"Cheers!"
At this moment, the beautiful woman asked Yun Fan, "Little handsome guy, you just arrived in Jinling, didn't you?"
"How did you know?"
"I can tell from your voice; you have a strong Jiangnan accent."
Well, she was right.
The beautiful woman continued, "I can also see that you have worries, many worries!"
Yun Fan then realized that this beautiful woman was not simple. He hadn't even shown an expression of deep thought, yet she had seen through him at a glance.
Just as he was about to ask what else she could see, he noticed that she was staring at him openly.
Undoubtedly, Yun Fan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at.
The beautiful woman seemed to realize her own lapse in composure and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure!"
"It's okay!"
Yun Fan prepared to leave. After all, the hotel was next door. If his women saw him, he would have a hard time explaining again.
The beautiful woman said to Yun Fan, "I just felt that you strongly resemble an old acquaintance of mine, which is why I lost my composure!"
"Your acquaintance?"
Yun Fan asked, bewildered.
The beautiful woman replied, "Yes, you strongly resemble Long Aotian, the head of the Long family back then!"
"What?"
Yun Fan froze. However, while he was in a daze, the beautiful woman had already vanished, everything feeling like a dream.