Not long after, Yun Fan arrived at an inn with an ancient atmosphere.
Zhu Lian had already been waiting for him there.
"Little brother, you've finally arrived!"
Zhu Lian teased.
"Sister, how could I not come for your matter!"
Yun Fan said, "But this time, you're not allowed to run away midway!"
"Don't worry, this time, Sister definitely won't run!"
Zhu Lian felt a bit awkward. It wasn't that her company had problems last time, but rather that she had encountered issues in her martial arts cultivation, which caused her to leave early.
This time, she had made ample preparations.
Just then, Yun Fan's phone rang.
"Yun Fan, where are you? I need you for something!"
The other party spoke in a commanding tone.
Yun Fan felt a pang of displeasure. Ye Qingcheng, that woman, truly saw herself as a queen.
So, he immediately and resolutely said, "I'm busy!"
With that, he didn't care about the "cordial" greetings he received from the other party and hung up the phone.
"Your girlfriend?"
Zhu Lian asked with interest.
"How is that possible?"
Yun Fan smiled. "Sister, let's get straight to the point. What do you need my help with?"
Zhu Lian said pitifully, "Little brother, my body has problems!"
"Do you need me to help you treat it?"
Yun Fan pressed.
But Zhu Lian shook her head. "You can't cure it, but to resolve the hidden danger in my body, only you can do it!"
"What do you mean?"
Yun Fan asked curiously.
Zhu Lian then began to explain.
"Little brother, you must have heard of the Xuan Yin Body, right?"
"I've heard of it!"
Yun Fan's body trembled. Lin Tianxin was a prime example of the Xuan Yin Body, and he knew this.
"Could it be that Sister, you have the Xuan Yin Body?"
Yun Fan asked curiously.
"No!"
Zhu Lian explained, "Although Sister's physique isn't the Xuan Yin Body, it's somewhat similar. The difference is that Sister suffered an injury later in life, which led to this unexpected condition!"
Yun Fan nodded, seemingly understanding but not entirely.
"Then how do you want me to help you?"
Yun Fan asked directly.
"It's simple!"
Then, Zhu Lian whispered a few words in Yun Fan's ear.
Yun Fan blushed immediately. He hadn't expected Zhu Lian to have such a plan.
So, he awkwardly said, "Sister, I'm afraid I can't help you with this!"
That's right, he refused. After all, this wasn't the best time to give himself away, and the reason felt rather absurd.
Hearing this, Zhu Lian's expression fell.
"Little brother, although I'm taking advantage of you in this matter, you're not at a disadvantage, are you?"
"I truly wouldn't be at a disadvantage, but Sister, we're like siblings, you can't..."
Before Yun Fan could finish, Zhu Lian interrupted him.
"I think you just don't want to help me!"
Yun Fan was extremely speechless. Whether to help or not became a difficult dilemma, especially seeing Zhu Lian's current state.
If he didn't help, Zhu Lian would only have at most three months to live. If he did help, honestly, he was afraid his senior sisters would break his legs.
Besides, he had psychological burdens. For him, this was an impossible choice.
After all, he was still just a boy and hadn't taken that step yet.
Little did he know, once he took that step, he would be irrecoverable.
At this moment, Yun Fan still said, "Sister, how about this? Let me consider it for a few days?"
"Consider?"
Seeing Zhu Lian's killing intent, Yun Fan quickly changed his words. "No, it's for me to adjust for a few days, to prepare myself mentally!"
"Hmph!"
Zhu Lian snorted. "That's more like it!"
Instantly, Yun Fan breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he was about to face the most difficult decision of his life, and what's more, he had a fiancée.
He couldn't possibly give Lin Tianxin a "green hat" before he even took that step with her!
But Zhu Lian had indeed helped him a lot. If he didn't repay this kindness, his heart would ache. Zhu Lian had a close relationship with him, and he didn't want to see Zhu Lian die like this.
One had to admit, being human was truly difficult.
At this moment, Zhu Lian said, "I know what you're worried about, little brother, but don't be afraid. Sister doesn't expect you to be responsible!"
"Sister, I didn't mean that!"
Yun Fan was about to explain, but Zhu Lian said, "I understand. Sister won't force you. I'll give you a few more days to think. Here, have some tea!"
So, Yun Fan picked up a cup of tea and drank it down, feeling refreshed.
"Sister, I'll be going now!"
Yun Fan desperately wanted to be alone.
"Mhm! Go ahead!"
He stood up to leave. However, the moment he turned, his body felt weak, and he slumped onto the sofa.
"Sister, what's going on?"
Yun Fan immediately sensed that something was wrong. This cup of tea had been tampered with by Zhu Lian.
Zhu Lian then teased, "Little brother, stop thinking about it. Sister will make the decision for you!"
"Sister, you can't do this!"
Yun Fan looked warily at the approaching Zhu Lian, and then fainted.
At this moment, Zhu Lian smiled. "You couldn't escape my clutches after all! Hmph, hmph!"
With that, she was about to take Yun Fan back to her room. However, just then, the door to the inn was pushed open, and Ye Qingcheng walked in.
The reason she was able to find them was that she had used her own methods to locate Yun Fan's phone, and thus arrived precisely at this room.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng looked at Zhu Lian, and Zhu Lian looked back at Ye Qingcheng. The two women glared at each other.
"You slut, I finally found you!"
Ye Qingcheng let out a cold snort. After searching for so many days, if it weren't for this chance encounter, she wouldn't have found this person.
Zhu Lian sneered upon seeing Ye Qingcheng. "What do you want with me?"
"You know exactly why I'm looking for you!"
Ye Qingcheng said coldly. "You imposter, not only did you use someone else's name, but you dared to lay your eyes on my estate. You thief!"
Zhu Lian chuckled calmly. "So what? Who asked you to meddle in my affairs!"
"Enough with the nonsense, how do you plan to settle this today?"
Ye Qingcheng pressed, her eyes filled with undisguised killing intent.
Zhu Lian showed no fear. She said to her, "I don't have time today. I'll definitely visit your Ye family for a sparring match another day!"
"So, get lost as far as you can. I don't have time to entertain you!"
She said unceremoniously.
Ye Qingcheng was about to erupt in anger, but upon seeing Yun Fan slumped on the sofa, she asked coldly, "What did you do to him?"
"Guess?"
Zhu Lian replied irritably.
"Hand him over, and I'll leave your corpse intact!"
Ye Qingcheng threatened coldly. She had already told Yun Fan that Zhu Lian was not a good person. Look, he had fallen for it.
Zhu Lian said, "You're not qualified to demand someone from me!"
"Is that so?"
Ye Qingcheng wasted no words and attacked. Perhaps, the best way to resolve this now was through combat.
A battle between women.
Ye Qingcheng was confident that with her strength, crushing Zhu Lian would be a simple matter.
But who would have thought that just as she lunged towards Zhu Lian, Zhu Lian flashed and appeared behind her.
"So fast!"
Ye Qingcheng's expression changed instantly. She hadn't expected the other party's speed to be so astonishing.
Before she could turn to counterattack, Zhu Lian directly pointed a finger at her.
"Ugh!"
Ye Qingcheng let out a muffled groan and fell onto the sofa.
"How is this possible?"
Ye Qingcheng was terrified within. One move, it was only one move. This was too humiliating!
She was a martial artist infinitely close to the Xiantian realm! Even if Yun Fan had broken through to Xiantian before her, it would have been impossible for him to defeat her in a single move.
To be defeated by a single move from the opponent, one could imagine how terrifying their strength was.
In her opinion, only the Heavenly Emperor and her adoptive mother, Ye Ji, could remain so composed.
Yet, this person didn't seem to be either of them. How could she have imagined that such a formidable figure existed in Jinling?
At this moment, Zhu Lian said dismissively, "I didn't expect the esteemed eldest daughter of the Ye family to be so easily defeated. You've truly disappointed me!"
Ye Qingcheng was almost angered to death. If Zhu Lian had insulted her subtly before, this time it was a direct insult.
She couldn't understand why this imposter was so strong.
If she was that strong, why had she been hiding in the shadows all along? Wasn't that boring?
"Putting on an act!"
Ye Qingcheng said coldly, "If I'm in your hands, I guess it's my bad luck. If you have the guts, kill me!"
"I'm still a maiden, I don't have that kind of guts!"
Zhu Lian teased. "As long as you promise not to provoke me again and not to meddle in my affairs, I'll let you go. How about that?"
Hearing this, Ye Qingcheng said coldly, "Impossible!"
"You're still so stubborn even when death is at your doorstep!"
Zhu Lian sneered. "Do you think I don't dare to kill you?"
"If you dare to kill me, my mother won't let you off!"
Ye Qingcheng threatened. Who in Jinling hadn't heard of Ye Ji's name? Ye Ji's title as the strongest in Jinling was not just for show.
Although the other party was strong, in her opinion, she was definitely not as strong as her mother.
Hearing this, Zhu Lian said dismissively, "At this point, you're still trying to use that woman to pressure me!"
"You still have to die!"
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng asked, "Do you dare to tell me your true identity?"
"I don't dare!"
Zhu Lian said directly.
"What?"
Ye Qingcheng was stunned. She hadn't expected the other party to be so honest.
"You don't dare to tell me your identity. Is it because you've done many wicked deeds, and you're afraid to tell even someone like me who's about to die?"
Zhu Lian said, "Say whatever you want. I'm just not telling you, so die of anger!"
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng found this mature woman to be incredibly childish.
So, she said immediately, "Make your move! Stop wasting time!"
"Before I make my move, I can give you a choice!"
Zhu Lian suddenly said.
"What choice?"
In Ye Qingcheng's opinion, the other party was just toying with her.
Zhu Lian said, "Only one of you two can live. However, the difference is that you have the right to choose. You can choose to die, or you can choose him to die!"
Ye Qingcheng immediately said, "I'll die, let him go!"
"So readily?"
Zhu Lian retorted, "Don't you want to consider it?"
"No consideration, stop babbling!"
Ye Qingcheng couldn't stand the other woman's incessant chatter.
Zhu Lian still showed no intention of attacking. Instead, she said, "I need a reason for your choice!"
"My reason is simple. Since I've failed, the consequence is death!"
Ye Qingcheng stated bluntly. "Since I can't defeat you, then I will die!"
Hearing this, Zhu Lian not only didn't show any joy but instead became furious.
"Slap!"
The next moment, she slapped Ye Qingcheng directly across the face.
Ye Qingcheng was stunned by the slap and didn't understand the reason.
"You can only choose for him to die, understand?"
Zhu Lian said coldly.
"Impossible!"
Ye Qingcheng directly rejected the proposal.
"Slap!"
Another slap awaited her.
"Tell me, do you like him?"
Facing Zhu Lian's questioning, Ye Qingcheng shrugged. "So what if I like him? So what if I don't?"
"Shameless! I'll kill you!"
Zhu Lian suddenly grabbed Ye Qingcheng by the neck.
Ye Qingcheng felt like she couldn't even breathe. She was indeed shocked by Zhu Lian's capriciousness.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Ye Qingcheng said firmly, "Do it! Do you think I'm afraid of death!"
"Bang!"
Zhu Lian threw her to the ground and said, "Get lost!"
Ye Qingcheng, finding the restraints on her loosened, quickly scrambled to her feet.
Then, she helped the unconscious Yun Fan and prepared to leave.
"Who told you to take him?"
Zhu Lian snorted. "Did I say I allowed it?"
"Whether you allow it or not is your business. You can kill us both if you want!"
Ye Qingcheng left, tears streaming down her face, supporting Yun Fan.
"Bastard!"
A roar echoed throughout the room.
...
When Yun Fan woke up, he found himself in Ye Qingcheng's car.
He quickly checked his clothes and, finding nothing amiss, breathed a sigh of relief. However, he had no idea why he was in Ye Qingcheng's car.
Today, he had been thoroughly scared by Zhu Lian.
"Tell me what happened from the beginning."
Yun Fan asked eagerly.
"I don't want to say!"
Ye Qingcheng turned away. It looked like she had just been crying, which Yun Fan couldn't understand.
Why would she cry over something trivial? Moreover, judging by his observation, Ye Qingcheng, such a strong woman, would never cry.
Seeing her tears was truly a rare sight.
"Don't cry. Look, I, the victim, am fine!"
Yun Fan comforted her. That's right, this time, he had truly become a victim.
"Hmph!"
Ye Qingcheng deliberately moved away from Yun Fan. "You're so disgusting, don't come near me!"
"Why the hell am I disgusting!"
Yun Fan looked confused. Had Zhu Lian really succeeded?
Why did he have no memory of it?
Ye Qingcheng said, "You're just disgusting, that's why!"
Alright! She was even acting spoiled towards him.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng said to Yun Fan, "I want you to promise me one thing!"
"Tell me about it!"
Yun Fan reminded her, "But whether I promise or not is up to me. You can't force me!"
"You can no longer have any entanglement with that bad woman, otherwise, you will become a laughingstock of the world!"
Ye Qingcheng said seriously.
"Do you know something?"
Yun Fan quickly pressed, such as Zhu Lian's true identity. Otherwise, Ye Qingcheng wouldn't have said that.
What puzzled him, however, was why Ye Qingcheng, who had no relation to this matter, insisted on getting involved.
This point was indeed highly suspicious.
Even more ironic was that although he was the person involved, he knew nothing of the inside story. Could there be anything more frustrating than this?
"You'll regret it sooner or later!"
Ye Qingcheng glared fiercely at Yun Fan and then said, "I want to drink."
"Don't you never drink?"
Yun Fan asked curiously.
It wasn't that Ye Qingcheng was a teetotaler, but rather that she rarely drank in front of outsiders, especially enemies.
"I want to, what business is it of yours?"
Ye Qingcheng started crying. "Did you find anything? I'm very sad right now!"
"Alright, alright, I'll accompany you for a drink!"
Yun Fan could only accompany Ye Qingcheng to drink, feeling helpless. As expected, people who were in a bad mood got drunk easily.
Just like Ye Qingcheng at this moment, she was drunk after only three cups.
"Drink less, drink less!"
Yun Fan quickly tried to dissuade her.
But Ye Qingcheng paid no heed. "Don't stop me!"
With that, she drank several more cups until she vomited.
Yun Fan wanted to send Ye Qingcheng back, but she seemed to refuse his kind offer and went back alone.
Upon returning home, Ye Qingcheng opened her room and found her mother, Ye Ji, sitting on the sofa playing with antiques.
It was evident that she had been waiting for Ye Qingcheng intentionally.
"In my memory, you never seemed to lose yourself. Why have you become like this this time?"
Under Ye Ji's questioning, Ye Qingcheng regained some clarity.
"My business is none of your concern!"
Ye Qingcheng said coldly. In the past, she would never have dared to speak like this to Ye Ji.
"Slap!"
Ye Ji smashed an antique vase and rebuked, "You're becoming more and more foolish. If you continue like this, you won't be qualified to be the heir of the Ye family!"
Hearing this, Ye Qingcheng sneered. "I've lived under your shadow my entire life, being your shadow. I don't care about being an heir!"
"Slap!"
Ye Ji slapped her across the face.
"The reason I did this was because I wanted you to become more outstanding, to surpass me one day!"
Ye Ji said with disappointment. "But you're becoming more and more useless. You've let down all my efforts!"
"Isn't everything I have today because you forced me?"
Ye Qingcheng threw caution to the wind. "You know what you've done! I never expected my mother to be such a disreputable person!"
"Enough!"
Ye Ji reprimanded. "If I hadn't adopted you back then, do you think you would have lived to this day!"
"Even if you adopted me, everything I've done over the years is enough to repay you!"
Ye Qingcheng shed tears, seemingly in despair.
"Good, very good!"
Ye Ji said coldly. "Do you know who your mother is?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng froze. She had expected her mother to question her, but instead, she asked such a question.
"Can I know? I'm just an unwanted bastard that you adopted!"
Ye Qingcheng said, her emotions breaking down.
At this moment, Ye Ji sighed. "You're demeaning yourself too much. Fine! Today, I'll tell you everything!"
"Your mother was Zhu Lian, who died more than twenty years ago. That's right, you truly are a bastard whose father is unknown!"
"What?"
Ye Qingcheng's heart was filled with shock and horror. She had never expected her biological mother to be Zhu Lian, a woman who had died more than twenty years ago.
Compared to Zhu Lian, Ye Ji was much younger. They were at least seven or eight years apart in age, meaning Ye Ji adopted her when she was in her teens.
"I had just debuted back then and came to Jinling to find my senior sister. By chance, I encountered Zhu Lian, who was on the verge of death. She entrusted you to me!"
Ye Ji said coldly. "If I didn't care about you, why would I have adopted you? After all, as a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, carrying a child, wouldn't I be afraid of gossip?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng didn't know how to respond.
"You should have strangled me back then instead of adopting me!"
"That's right!"
Ye Ji nodded. "I did think about that at the time. However, seeing your birth mother's plight, I agreed. For years, I've treated you as my daughter, my own daughter. Can't you feel it?"
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng's drunkenness gradually faded, and her heart was filled with complex emotions.
Ye Ji said, "This is also why I've kept the abandoned house next door. It's your mother's only inheritance, meant to be a memento for you. Originally, I didn't plan to tell you, fearing you couldn't accept that your mother was a lounge singer. But now, I have no choice but to tell you!"
If it were in the past, Ye Qingcheng might not have been able to accept this reality, but now, she seemed to be able to handle it.
Compared to Zhu Que, she was actually quite fortunate. At least she had an adoptive mother who could be like an older sister to her.
Although her mother was strict with her since childhood, she truly loved her.
Whereas Zhu Que had almost died before she even grew up, and even after growing up, she couldn't escape the judgment of fate, enduring despair and disaster time and time again.
"I'm sorry!"
Ye Qingcheng said with her head lowered.
"Don't apologize to me!"
Ye Ji questioned, "I'm asking you, have you ever thought about replacing me!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng's expression changed. That's right, she had indeed had such thoughts, and had even conspired with Yun Fan.
But in her mind, it was Yun Fan who gave up because her mother was too powerful.
For this reason, she had regretted it for quite some time.
The reason she had this thought was that she had always suspected whether Ye Ji had killed her parents and then taken her away.
Over the years, she had treated her as a tool, but after learning the truth, she realized she had wronged her mother.
So, she said with shame, "I have! And more than once!"
She had expected Ye Ji to be angry, but Ye Ji wasn't angry. Instead, she said with relief, "I'm very happy that you told me your thoughts!"
"But you don't have the strength to replace me yet. If one day you can surpass me, I'll let you do as you please!"
Ye Ji said bluntly.
"No, not anymore. Never again!"
Ye Qingcheng said, "Actually, I know everything now!"
"You know what?"
Ye Ji asked doubtfully.
Ye Qingcheng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately lacked the courage to speak.
At this moment, Ye Ji said to her, "Just do what you're supposed to do. You don't need to worry about anything else!"
"Understood!"
Ye Qingcheng shed a tear. No one knew why she was crying. Perhaps, only she herself knew the truth of it.
...
Yun Fan hadn't returned to the hotel yet. Instead, he was out by himself, clearing his head. Although nothing had happened today, he felt a sense of guilt towards Lin Tianxin. After all, she was his fiancée!
This was also why he hadn't returned to the hotel. He feared that if he didn't eliminate this emotion, Lin Tianxin would detect something amiss.
After all, his current demeanor was indeed too conspicuous.
Just then, a figure appeared, standing not far from Yun Fan. Both parties sensed each other's presence.
"You are Yun Fan?"
The other party said indifferently, as he didn't take Yun Fan seriously at all.
Yun Fan calmly replied, "That's right! If I'm not mistaken, you're from an ancient sect, aren't you?"
The other party possessed Xiantian realm cultivation. In the secular world, Xiantian masters were few and far between. A quick elimination process would reveal that the other party was from an ancient sect.
"That's right. Many people want to kill you now, but I got here first. I have to say, I'm very lucky!"
The other party walked towards Yun Fan step by step.
As if in his eyes, taking Yun Fan's life was as simple as drinking water.
"Perhaps, your luck is the worst!"
Yun Fan sneered. "It's yet to be determined who is the prey. However, before the fight, I need to know your name!"
"Is it really necessary for someone who is about to die?"
He asked Yun Fan.
"Of course it's necessary, because I never kill nameless individuals!"
"You're very arrogant, but before you die, I'll fulfill this request for you!"
He said to Yun Fan, "Listen carefully, the one who will kill you is Tang Tianpeng of the Tang Sect!"
With that, he attacked Yun Fan. With a hand wielding hidden weapons with mastery, amidst flying leaves and falling blossoms, he had already launched dozens of projectiles.
The shadows of these hidden weapons were invisible in the air; only flashes of light were seen.
In this instant, Yun Fan dodged these projectiles with extreme speed and then attacked the opponent.
Immediately, the two men brushed past each other.
Time seemed to freeze. At this moment, neither of them made any superfluous movements.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Fan recovered from his calm and turned to leave.
The moment he turned, Tang Tianpeng asked in horror, "Why do you know my Tang Sect's ultimate technique?"
"Because I am the sect leader of Ghost Valley!"
Yun Fan said calmly. Although they had exchanged dozens of moves just now, the decisive blow was only one.
It was precisely because of that move that Yun Fan easily dealt with Tang Tianpeng, who was just a newly ascended Xiantian realm youngster. He thought he was invincible in the secular world.
Therefore, he was killed in one move, and his defeat was not unjust.
In fact, whether in ancient sects or in the secular world, wherever there were people, there were experts. Never underestimate your opponent.
"It was my carelessness!"
Tang Tianpeng said weakly, "But I'm not the only one who wants to kill you. With me as the precedent, you will face endless pursuit from now on!"
"It's fine. If one comes, I'll kill one. If a group comes, I'll annihilate them!"
Yun Fan declared霸气ly and then left. Tang Tianpeng closed his eyes unwillingly, his life coming to an end.