Chapter 14

Ye Fan carried his younger sister on his back and hadn’t walked far when he suddenly stopped. Not far ahead, three figures stood in his path! It was none other than Jiang Nian and his two companions! The three of them approached Ye Fan. Jiang Nian smiled slightly and said, “The three of us have come to see you off, Young Master Ye.” Ye Fan set his sister down and cupped his hands in salute. “Thank you!” Jiang Nian chuckled and handed him a white jade bottle. “Inside are thirty Nourishing Pills—a small token from our three families. Please accept them.” Nourishing Pills! Ye Fan glanced at the three men, puzzled. Seeing his confusion, Jiang Nian smiled and said, “I’ll be frank. The three of us wish to forge a friendly relationship with you, Young Master Ye. Though you are no longer part of the Ye family, you are still a native of Qingcheng. If you make a name for yourself in the future, we might be able to bask in your glory.” Ye Fan accepted the jade bottle and gave a small bow. “Thank you.” Though he was reluctant to owe favours, he desperately needed these Nourishing Pills. For the sake of his sister, he was willing to accept any debt, no matter how great! At that moment, Li Yu suddenly asked, “Young Master Ye, are you heading to the Imperial Capital?” Ye Fan nodded. “Yes, I’m on my way to Cangmu Academy.” Li Yu smiled and waved his right hand. Soon, a horse-drawn carriage arrived from within the city. Li Yu said, “The journey to the Imperial Capital is long. If you travel on foot, it will take over six months. However, by taking this carriage, you can first reach Qianshan City. From there, you can board a cloudship to the capital. Fortunately, the academy’s enrolment period is in a month, so you should arrive just in time.” As soon as Li Yu finished speaking, Zhang Lie took out a pouch of money and a scroll, handing them to Ye Fan. “Young Master Ye, this is another small token from us. You’ll need money for various expenses on your journey, and while this isn’t much, it should help in an emergency. As for this scroll, it’s a map. It marks several dangerous areas—do not, under any circumstances, pass through them.” Ye Fan looked at the three men before cupping his hands again. “I will always remember your kindness today. The future is long, and I will repay you when the time comes. Farewell!” With that, he put away the items, hoisted his sister onto his back, and stepped into the carriage. Before long, the siblings disappeared from view. Watching them leave, Li Yu suddenly murmured, “Do you think he will remember this kindness?” Jiang Nian smiled. “Did you see his sister?” At those words, the three men instantly understood. Jiang Nian gazed at the fading carriage and said softly, “He is decisive, ruthless, and never soft-hearted. He’s a formidable character. If the Ye family had him, we’d be forced to keep our heads down for years to come. Luckily, the Ye family is full of fools, fawning over their so-called ‘chosen one.’ Even if they wanted to favour one over the other, they shouldn’t have suppressed another genius like this! Well, they’ve done it now—forcing him to sever ties completely. That Ye family elder and patriarch… absolute imbeciles!” Li Yu chuckled. “For us, though, isn’t this a good thing?” Jiang Nian grinned. “Of course.” Zhang Lie suddenly laughed. “Gentlemen, how do you think we should divide the Ye family’s spoils?” Li Yu burst out laughing. “However we like! Come, let’s go back and discuss how to carve up this pie.” With that, the three men turned and left. Meanwhile, atop a distant mountain, a woman stood with a long spear in hand, gazing at the moving carriage below. This woman was none other than An Lanxiu. Behind her stood an elderly man leaning on a withered wooden staff. An Lanxiu asked, “Elder Ling, what do you think?” The old man glanced at the carriage below and said, “Judging by his previous exchange with you, this lad has undoubtedly survived countless life-and-death battles. As for his swordsmanship, I can’t yet determine his master, but one thing is certain—he is already a sword cultivator.” He hesitated before adding, “Miss, he may be talented, but you and he belong to two different worlds. After all, you have already made it onto the Martial Ranking.” The Martial Ranking! Across all of Qingzhou, there were hundreds of small nations, four or five major nations, and numerous hidden clans and sects. Every young warrior from these forces shared the same ambition—to make it onto the Martial Ranking. This was the most prestigious and authoritative ranking in all of Qingzhou. Anyone who made it onto the list was a peerless genius, a true prodigy! And within the entire Jiang Kingdom, only two people had made the list. One of them was An Lanxiu. An Lanxiu cast a glance at Elder Ling and smiled faintly. “Are you worried that I gave him my jade pendant because I have feelings for him? Afraid that I might fall for him?” Elder Ling hadn’t expected his young mistress to be so blunt. He lowered his head slightly, saying nothing. An Lanxiu gazed at the now-distant carriage and smiled. “You’ve misunderstood, Elder Ling. I wasn’t asking about his talent—I was asking about his character.” Hearing this, Elder Ling frowned. An Lanxiu chuckled. “A brother should be like this.” With that, she turned gracefully and left. Elder Ling remained in place for a long while before finally turning to leave as well. Ye Fan drove the carriage forward, his younger sister Ye Ling clinging tightly to his arm. He glanced into the distance, then took out the map Zhang Lie had given him. The moment he looked at it, his brows furrowed. Having never left Qingcheng before, he suddenly realised just how vast the world truly was! They had already been travelling for nearly two hours, yet they were still within Qingcheng’s borders. At this pace, it would take at least four or five more days to reach Qianshan City! As night fell, Ye Fan decided to halt their journey. He didn’t dare venture into the mountains with his sister so late at night. If he were alone, he wouldn’t have cared—after all, he had fought countless battles in the mountains before. But now, with his sister by his side, he could no longer afford to be reckless. Above them, the sky stretched wide and deep, with the stars shining faintly against the vast night. By the campfire, Ye Fan and Ye Ling sat close together. Above the flames, a half-roasted turkey was cooking—the very one Li Yu and the others had prepared for them in the carriage. Ye Ling glanced around. Apart from their small circle of light, the surroundings were pitch dark—so dark that one wouldn’t be able to see their own hand in front of them. The moon above had been swallowed by thick black clouds. The silence was eerie. Ye Ling clung tightly to Ye Fan. He smiled faintly and reassured her, "Don’t be afraid." As he spoke, he swept his gaze over the surroundings. "How familiar this feels..." Familiar indeed. Ever since becoming the heir of the Ye family, he had frequently led battles against disciples of the other two major clans over mining rights. Their battlegrounds were often deep in the mountains and forests like this one. The wilderness was no stranger to him, and he had long grown accustomed to life-or-death fights under the cover of night. Ye Ling tilted her head and looked at him. "Brother, as long as you're here, I’m not scared." Ye Fan gently ruffled her hair. "That’s the spirit. Just remember—if the sky ever falls, your brother will be the one to hold it up first." Ye Ling beamed. After finishing the turkey, Ye Ling soon drifted off to sleep. Ye Fan carried her into the carriage, then sat cross-legged outside and entered the Realm Prison Tower. His duel with An Lanxiu before leaving the Ye family had given him much to reflect on. Having witnessed her speed, reflexes, and combat instincts firsthand, he realised how much he still had to improve. Rather than training against his shadow opponent, Ye Fan chose to replay every detail of the fight in his mind. At first, he was simply recalling it. But gradually, he began to imagine himself as An Lanxiu—studying her techniques while also analysing the flaws in his own swordplay, from timing to positioning. An hour later, Ye Fan suddenly stood up and began practising his swordsmanship. He wasn’t just swinging aimlessly—he had created an imaginary opponent in his mind. That opponent was An Lanxiu. No one knew how much time passed before he finally sheathed his sword and sat down, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Have you gained some insight?" a mysterious woman suddenly asked. Ye Fan nodded. "During my fight with her, my first strike was a mistake. That one misstep put me on the defensive, and if I hadn’t abandoned my sword at the right moment, I wouldn’t have had the chance to fight back at all." The woman replied, "It’s good that you’ve realised this." Ye Fan looked up at her. "You knew it all along, didn’t you?" She responded calmly, "What does it matter if I knew? Some things must be realised on your own to truly belong to you. If someone simply tells you, it won’t have the same meaning." Ye Fan gave a small nod. "I understand. Thank you for the lesson." After meditating for a while, he left the Realm Prison Tower. He glanced at Ye Ling, who was fast asleep, and smiled softly before stepping out of the carriage. By now, it was the dead of night. Just then, his brows furrowed. Turning to his right, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from the darkness. Moments later, a woman appeared before him. She looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a bewitching face and a revealing, form-fitting gown. The low neckline exposed a generous amount of her fair skin, and her body bore several wounds. Seeing Ye Fan, she hesitated briefly before suddenly rushing to his side. "Young master, someone is trying to kill me! Please, I beg you—save me!" As she spoke, she clung to his arm, pressing her soft body against him. Ye Fan immediately felt the warmth of her figure pressing into him as she rubbed herself against his arm. Before he could react, three figures emerged from the darkness. Leading them was a middle-aged man wielding a long blade, followed closely by two elderly men. Ye Fan’s expression turned serious. Judging by the aura of the middle-aged man, he was at least at the Qi Mastery level, while the two elders had both reached the Qi Transformation realm. The three men eyed Ye Fan warily. The leader fixed him with a sharp gaze. "Who are you?" Before Ye Fan could reply, the seductive woman suddenly whispered, "The item is secured. You hold them off—I’ll meet you at the usual place." With that, she turned to flee. But before she could take a step, Ye Fan’s leg lashed out like a whip. Her expression changed drastically—she hadn’t expected him to strike. She instinctively raised both arms to block. Bang! The impact sent her flying several metres back. The three men, who had been ready to attack Ye Fan, froze in shock. Ye Fan glanced at the woman and said seriously, "So… this ‘usual place’ you mentioned—where exactly is it? I’d hate to get lost on the way."