As Lin Tianxin brought the fruit over, Lin Shufen had already left.
"Dad! Where's my aunt?" Lin Tianxin asked, confused.
Lin Zhenxiong explained, "Your aunt had something urgent to attend to and left. She'll visit you again in a couple of days!"
"Oh!" Although Lin Tianxin didn't know why her aunt left in such a hurry, she didn't ask further questions.
At this moment, Lin Shufen had already obtained Yun Fan's address in Jinling from Lin Zhenxiong. Without delay, she headed to Jinling.
When Yun Fan returned to his residence, Zhao Lingyue noticed his extremely pale complexion.
"Are you sick?" Zhao Lingyue asked in surprise. Yun Fan's cultivation was at the peak of the Innate realm. It was impossible for him to fall ill, no matter how weak he was.
Yun Fan felt awkward. He had indeed been drained these past few days. Fortunately, he would have a long period of rest ahead.
Thus, he said, "It's nothing, just the after-effects of breaking through to the peak of the Innate realm. I'll be fine after a couple of days of recuperation!"
"Is that really so?" Although Zhao Lingyue was puzzled, she didn't pry further.
Little did she know, Lin Shufen, a master of stealth, had already arrived at the courtyard villa where Yun Fan and Zhao Lingyue resided. She had initially intended to reveal herself directly, but upon seeing Zhao Lingyue inside Yun Fan's villa, her brow furrowed instantly.
Could it be that Yun Fan was keeping a mistress? Therefore, she decided to observe from the shadows. She watched for an entire afternoon and, after noticing that Zhao Lingyue and Yun Fan displayed no intimate behavior, she breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps this woman was just Yun Fan's friend, temporarily staying there. Between friends, as long as no improper actions occurred, it was somewhat understandable. However, she couldn't be sure if anything would happen later. What if something happened at night?
As expected, before long, Ye Qingcheng also arrived. To be honest, Lin Shufen's first impression of Ye Qingcheng was that this woman was overtly seductive and definitely not a good person. Consequently, Ye Qingcheng became the focus of her clandestine observation. Soon, her vision went black.
As soon as Ye Qingcheng arrived at the villa, she directly sat on Yun Fan's lap.
"You scoundrel!" Lin Shufen was instantly furious. How could she not see that Ye Qingcheng was seducing Yun Fan? Lin Shufen, who had initially held a good impression of Yun Fan, now wished she could beat him severely. Entrusting her own daughter to a scoundrel like Yun Fan made her utterly uneasy. To assess Yun Fan's character, she hadn't even had a proper reunion with her daughter, as her time was limited. She couldn't stay in China for long, and this return was merely an excuse to investigate the death of the King of Assassins, Jason.
Lin Shufen was now completely disappointed in Yun Fan. Even though Yun Fan quickly pushed Ye Qingcheng away, in her eyes, Yun Fan had become an undeniable scoundrel. However, she still did not reveal herself, as Ye Qingcheng left not long after. Afterwards, she quietly followed Ye Qingcheng.
Just as Ye Qingcheng was about to reach the Ye family's residence, Lin Shufen appeared. Ye Qingcheng was instantly startled. Clearly, the intruder's strength was not simple, as she had followed her silently. Furthermore, the fact that she hadn't detected any presence while the other party was concealed was terrifying. In reality, Lin Shufen's stealth skills had reached a level of perfection. Not only had Ye Qingcheng failed to detect her, but even Yun Fan wouldn't have noticed her.
"Who are you?" Ye Qingcheng asked.
Unexpectedly, Lin Shufen directly cursed, "You slut, seducing a married man!" With that, she lunged forward and grabbed Ye Qingcheng.
Ye Qingcheng tried to compose herself. Recalling Lin Shufen's words, she immediately deduced that this person seemed to have a connection with Yun Fan. Even if they didn't, they were likely connected to women close to Yun Fan.
"Auntie, you're exaggerating!" Ye Qingcheng said calmly. "Does he even need me to seduce him? He's been a public toilet for a long time!"
"Slap!" The next moment, Lin Shufen slapped Ye Qingcheng across the face. At this moment, Lin Shufen was filled with killing intent. She had already decided that since her daughter clearly loved Yun Fan deeply, and she couldn't disrupt this marriage, she would kill all the women close to Yun Fan. And Ye Qingcheng would be the first.
Ye Qingcheng was enraged. She couldn't believe she had been slapped for no reason. She immediately fought back. However, with her Innate realm cultivation, she was no match for Lin Shufen. She couldn't withstand even three moves before being injured. Ye Qingcheng's face turned pale with horror. She hadn't expected her opponent to be so powerful. She immediately turned and fled towards the Ye family's residence, as the Ye family had the powerful expert Ye Ji guarding it.
Unfortunately, her speed was far inferior to Lin Shufen's. Just as Lin Shufen caught up to her and was about to strike a killing blow, a force repelled Lin Shufen.
"What powerful force!" Lin Shufen was inwardly shocked. At that moment, Ye Ji arrived. The person who had intervened was Ye Ji.
"I didn't expect the legendary 'Peerless Divine Thief' to be in China. Come if you must, but why do you want to kill my sister? What are your intentions?" Ye Ji said calmly. Upon hearing the word "sister," Ye Qingcheng clearly felt uncomfortable, but it was a done deal, and she could do nothing about it.
Lin Shufen coldly stated, "Aren't you going to ask what she did?"
"I… I just went to see Yun Fan, so what?" Ye Qingcheng admitted angrily. She had just gone to see Yun Fan. As for Ye Ji, she had already fought Yun Fan fiercely for hundreds of rounds. Why was she the one who received a slap? She felt deeply wronged.
"Don't you know he has a fiancée? You hussy!" Lin Shufen cursed again. This time, Ye Ji's face became somewhat uncomfortable, as she felt Lin Shufen was subtly insinuating her. Thus, she immediately asked Lin Shufen, "I don't know. Has your hand started extending into other people's affairs? Aren't you reaching too far!"
It was clear that Ye Ji knew of Lin Shufen, or rather, recognized her. Lin Shufen's actions in the hidden sects back then were legendary. Of course, Lin Shufen had also heard of Ye Ji's reputation, but they had never met before. This was their first encounter.
"Why can't I intervene?" Lin Shufen said coldly. "A slut like her deserves to be punished by everyone!"
Alright! Ye Ji was also angered. Every curse from Lin Shufen was an insinuation towards her, and she couldn't tolerate it any longer. Without further ado, she directly engaged Lin Shufen in combat. Lin Shufen's reactions and speed were at their peak, far surpassing ordinary Innate masters. Even among peak Innate cultivators, she was considered top-tier. However, compared to Ye Ji, there was still a significant gap. After more than ten moves, she was defeated by Ye Ji.
Lin Shufen's expression turned to horror. She hadn't expected China to have so many hidden experts and quickly retreated.
"Hmph!" Ye Ji snorted, feeling somewhat relieved.
"Thank you, Mother..." Ye Qingcheng began, but upon seeing Ye Ji's cold gaze, she quickly changed her words, "Thank you, Sister, for avenging me!"
"That's more like it!" Ye Ji said. "The Peerless Divine Thief has returned to China. Could it be that even foreign powers can't sit still?"
"Does she have a significant background?" Ye Qingcheng asked, bewildered.
Ye Ji replied, "Yes, her background is no small matter. As one of the members of Hell, she dared to steal treasures from the hidden sects back then. Later, she was pursued by the hidden sects, which led her to escape abroad and join Hell!"
"Hell?" Ye Qingcheng was curious about this organization, as she had never heard of it.
"Hell is a very terrifying organization. Even in the West, they are a powerful entity. Their organization is all-encompassing, with their influence reaching every field. For example, the Peerless Divine Thief we just encountered, and the King of Assassins, Jason, whom I previously eliminated!" Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng realized that this organization was truly extraordinary, with so many Innate masters serving them. And this was just the tip of the iceberg; she had no idea how strong their full strength was.
At this point, Ye Qingcheng said, "I think one of the women around Yun Fan must be related to her. Furthermore, she directly mentioned that Yun Fan has a fiancée, so I suspect this woman is Lin Tianxin!"
Hearing this, Ye Ji said, "They both have the surname Lin. Do you even need to guess?"
"Then what do we do now?" Ye Qingcheng pressed. For some reason, when Lin Shufen had cursed her earlier, she had felt a lack of confidence.
"Wait and see. Who told you to try and seduce Yun Fan?" Ye Ji turned and went back into seclusion. If Lin Shufen's arrival hadn't awakened her, she wouldn't have come out at all.
Hearing this, Ye Qingcheng knew that the slap she received was in vain. No, the person who should have been slapped was Ye Ji. She hadn't gained anything, so this slap was taken on behalf of Ye Ji.
...
"Pfft!" Lin Shufen spat out a mouthful of blood. Indeed, she had been injured by Ye Ji. Although she was at the peak of the Innate realm, she was no match for an expert like Ye Ji, who had likely reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Therefore, she could only retreat.
At this moment, the organization called her.
"Divine Thief, have you found out who killed Jason?" the elder from headquarters asked.
Lin Shufen quickly replied, "I've found out, but I'm no match for her!" She was completely unaware that Ye Ji had killed Jason. She simply wanted to frame Ye Ji.
"Is the opponent very strong?" Lin Shufen nodded. "The opponent has already reached that level!" Hearing this, the elder from headquarters fell silent. They hadn't expected such a powerful expert to exist in the secular world of China.
"Understood. Return first, and then provide us with her information. We will send someone to deal with her!" How could Lin Shufen be willing to leave just like that? She hadn't resolved all the potential future troubles for her daughter, nor had she taught Yun Fan, the scoundrel, a lesson. So, she quickly said, "Elder, I may not be able to return for now. I must keep an eye on her in Jinling to prevent her from escaping!"
Immediately, the voice from headquarters said coldly, "Divine Thief, no one dares to disobey a superior's orders! You know the consequences!" At this, Lin Shufen quickly said, "I have no intention of disobeying, but there are reasons. After it's over, I will return to accept my punishment!" With that, she hung up the communication and uploaded Ye Ji's information.
Then, after composing herself, she knew her time was limited. Once someone was sent from headquarters to kill Ye Ji, she would have to return. Therefore, at this moment, she had to advance her plan. Subsequently, she directly went to the courtyard where Yun Fan resided.
When Yun Fan sensed her presence, he immediately attacked. He mistook Lin Shufen for someone from a hidden sect.
"Hmph!" Lin Shufen snorted. It was even better that Yun Fan attacked first, as her purpose this time was to teach Yun Fan a lesson. In an instant, she also attacked. Her reaction was still very swift. By the time Yun Fan reached her, only an afterimage remained in her original position.
"So powerful?" At this moment, Yun Fan attacked again. Lin Shufen also moved, directly unleashing her peak Innate power, which was incredibly potent.
"Bang!" After exchanging a blow, both of them were sent reeling back.
"Hmm?" Lin Shufen was shocked. She hadn't expected Yun Fan to be so strong, especially his formidable aura, which was even stronger than hers. It was only his speed that was lacking. Initially, she had estimated Yun Fan's strength at most to be at the half-step Innate realm for someone his age, but now she realized Yun Fan was far more powerful than she had imagined. He was even comparable to her. It was a pity that no matter how strong he was, she couldn't remove the "scoundrel" label from him.
"Who are you?" Yun Fan asked calmly, as he too had sensed the opponent's strength.
Lin Shufen coldly replied, "Scoundrel, accept your death!" With that, she charged at Yun Fan. Unlike before, this time, she wielded a sharp blade.
Upon seeing this, Yun Fan became angry. He considered himself a good family man and couldn't believe he was being called a scoundrel. This was a severe defamation of his character. Therefore, as she swung the blade, Zhao Lingyue threw Han Guang over.
"Catch!" Yun Fan rejoiced, but as he was about to leap to catch Han Guang, he was stunned because Lin Shufen had snatched Han Guang first. Then, she looked at him with a sneer. Yun Fan was now highly suspicious that Zhao Lingyue was working with the opponent! After all, at the moment of catching the sword, it wasn't that he reacted slowly, but the sword was too far from him. At this moment, Zhao Lingyue, knowing she had made a mistake, dared not meet Yun Fan's gaze.
"Kid, let's see how you die this time!" In an instant, Lin Shufen attacked Yun Fan again, her momentum soaring like a rainbow, her movements fluid like flying flowers and dancing shadows. Yun Fan dodged quickly. Just as he was preparing to counter-attack, he noticed that despite her arrogant demeanor, she had no intention of killing him. This operation left him somewhat confused.
Therefore, he immediately said, "You're not from a hidden sect. Who exactly are you?"
This time, Lin Shufen did not attack again, as she knew that with her strength, teaching Yun Fan a lesson was impossible. Their skill levels were actually comparable. However, she was unaware that if Yun Fan had successfully obtained Han Guang and then performed the 'Man-Sword Unity,' the outcome would have been different. Therefore, she decided to talk to Yun Fan. "If you want to know who I am, then follow me!" With that, she vanished from her spot.
"Be careful, it might be a trap!" Zhao Lingyue warned Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said, "It's fine, even if it's a trap, I can retreat with my whole body intact!" He then followed her. He was so confident because he had sensed that despite her intense anger, she harbored no killing intent. The opponent was definitely not there to kill him. Since she wasn't there to kill him, she must have something to discuss. To understand the reason, he decided to meet her.
Soon, he caught up with Lin Shufen and arrived by the lake.
"I ask you, since you have a fiancée, why are you still seducing other women?" Lin Shufen questioned immediately.
Yun Fan froze on the spot. The way this conversation began was truly beyond his expectations.