Chapter 15

The seductive woman stared intensely at Ye Fan without saying a word. Ye Fan cast a cold glance at her, then turned to look at the three middle-aged men not far away. “I’m just passing by. Your affairs have nothing to do with me.” Having said that, he stepped back to the campfire by the carriage. Save a damsel in distress? Ye Fan wasn’t that foolish. How many beautiful women in the world were really just waiting to be rescued? When travelling, one must be wary—traps lurked everywhere. If he wasn’t careful, he might die without even leaving behind his bones. Besides, without understanding the situation, he had no intention of getting involved in other people’s matters. Moreover, this seductive woman had tried to use him earlier, showing no regard for his safety or circumstances. That alone proved she wasn’t a good person. Seeing Ye Fan step back, the three middle-aged men exchanged glances. The leading man clasped his fists towards Ye Fan in respect before turning his gaze to the woman on the ground. “Qin Shang, hand over the item, and I’ll grant you a quick death.” Qin Shang backed up against a tree, a cold smile playing on her lips. “Mo Cun, if I were you, I’d turn around and run for my life.” The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?” Clip-clop! Clip-clop! Just then, the sound of galloping horses echoed in the distance. Noticing this, the middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically. “You’ve called for reinforcements!” Qin Shang chuckled coldly. “What do you think?” The man shot her a venomous glare. “The Mo family will remember this!” With that, the three figures vanished into the night. Now, only Ye Fan and Qin Shang remained. Qin Shang turned to Ye Fan, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and stepped towards him. “What? You’re not running?” Ye Fan shook his head. Running wasn’t an option—he had his younger sister with him. Qin Shang studied him for a moment. “You’re quite strong, but judging by your clothes, you’re not from a wealthy background. Do you realise? If you had helped me just now, you and I would have formed a good connection. Do you know what that could mean for you?” Ye Fan looked at her and replied calmly, “Perhaps a disaster.” Qin Shang sneered. “A disaster? That’s right. Now, it is a disaster.” At that moment, the curtain of the carriage lifted, and Ye Ling stepped out, wrapped in a thick blanket. Ye Fan immediately tossed aside the stick he had been using to stoke the fire and walked over to her, his voice gentle. “Did we wake you?” Ye Ling nodded slightly. She glanced at Qin Shang in the distance and whispered, “Brother, are you alright?” Ye Fan smiled. “I’m fine.” As soon as he spoke, a dozen horsemen arrived behind Qin Shang. The leader dismounted and hurried to her side. “Miss, are you alright?” Without a word, Qin Shang swung her hand and slapped him across the face. “Alright? Why didn’t you wait until I was dead before coming?” The man immediately dropped to one knee. “I was late. Please forgive me, Miss!” Qin Shang snorted coldly. “We’ll settle this when we return.” Then, she turned to look at Ye Fan and his sister. “Now, it’s time to deal with our matters.” Ye Fan thought for a moment before saying, “My sister and I are simply passing by. We don’t want any trouble.” Qin Shang stepped closer, a sinister smile creeping onto her beautiful face. “No trouble? Fine. Kneel down and kowtow a hundred times, and I’ll let you and your sister go. How about that?” Ye Fan frowned. “Just because I didn’t let you use me? Pardon my bluntness, but I don’t owe you anything. Why should I help you?” Qin Shang closed the distance between them, her smile turning more menacing. “I just want you to understand the price of not helping me earlier. You—” Before she could finish her sentence, Ye Fan suddenly struck. Before she could react, his palm landed hard across her face. Smack! The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the night. Qin Shang was sent sprawling to the ground, momentarily stunned. She never expected that, in this situation, this man would dare to hit her! The men behind her snapped back to their senses and charged at Ye Fan—only to halt abruptly. Ye Fan’s foot was pressing down on Qin Shang’s stomach. He looked at her coldly. “Some people just refuse to listen to reason.” Then, he bent down and delivered another slap. Smack! In an instant, Qin Shang’s delicate face swelled up. “Outrageous!” The leading horseman roared, “Do you even know who she is? She is the young lady of the Qin family from Luo City!” Luo City. Ye Fan knew the place—it was quite close to Qing City. He glanced at the man who had spoken. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be making threats right now. I’d be apologising instead.” Talking tough? Anyone could do that. But in most cases, those who talked the toughest were the most powerless. The weaker a person was, the louder they barked. “I… I’m sorry!” Just then, from beneath Ye Fan’s foot, Qin Shang suddenly spoke. “This gentleman… I was blind to your strength earlier. Please, don’t take offence. The Qin family will reward you generously.” Ye Fan lowered his head and looked at Qin Shang. The vicious expression from earlier had completely vanished from her face, leaving only a pitiful and delicate appearance. However, her hands were still clenched tightly. Ye Fan smiled faintly. In the next instant, he suddenly stamped his foot down on Qin Shang’s throat. Crack! The sound of bones breaking echoed. Qin Shang’s eyes widened in disbelief, filled with shock and regret. Seeing Ye Fan kill Qin Shang so directly, the people nearby were left frozen in place! Ye Fan withdrew his foot and returned to Ye Ling’s side. He gently ruffled her small head. “She wasn’t begging for mercy; she was just trying to buy time so she could take revenge on us later.” He was not the type to explain himself, but he did not want to appear cold-hearted in his sister’s eyes. Ye Ling shook her head slightly and clung tightly to Ye Fan’s arm. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re right or wrong, Brother. I will always stand by your side.” A warm feeling spread through Ye Fan’s heart. He then turned to look at the people nearby. “Well? Are you going to make a move?” The guards before him were all below fourth rank, posing no threat to him whatsoever. The leading man stared hard at Ye Fan. “Who exactly are you?” Ye Fan replied indifferently, “Qingcheng. Surname, Ye.” The man’s expression darkened. “Qingcheng... Surname Ye... You’re from the Ye family!” Ye Fan’s face changed slightly. “I’m not from the Ye family. Really!” How could the man believe him? He waved his right hand, signalling his men to retrieve Qin Shang’s body. But just then, Ye Fan swiftly stepped forward. With a flick of his foot, a black pouch from Qin Shang’s waist flew straight into his hand! Seeing this, the leading man’s expression turned extremely grim. The man glared at Ye Fan and said coldly, “Qingcheng Ye family. My Qin family will remember this!” With that, the group carried Qin Shang’s body away. Of course, they dared not attack. After all, Qin Shang was at the Qi Manipulation Realm, yet she had been killed in an instant without even managing to resist! Although Ye Fan had caught her off guard, without the strength to back it up, no amount of surprise attacks would have worked. The men understood clearly that Ye Fan was someone they could not contend with. Simply put, they were afraid of dying! Once the group had left, Ye Fan opened the black pouch. In an instant, his expression changed dramatically! Spirit Stones! Inside the pouch were sixteen Spirit Stones! Spirit Stones were stones imbued with the essence of heaven and earth, providing immense benefits to cultivators. They were classified into lower-grade, upper-grade, supreme-grade, jade-grade, celestial-grade, and divine-grade Spirit Stones. In Qingcheng, even lower-grade Spirit Stones were rare. Yet, this pouch contained all upper-grade Spirit Stones, including one supreme-grade Spirit Stone! A single lower-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for at least a hundred gold coins—enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for ten years. And now, in his hands, he had sixteen upper-grade Spirit Stones! Even the Ye family did not possess such a fortune! He had struck gold! Ye Fan stored away the pouch, his expression growing serious. He had no idea where Qin Shang had obtained so many upper-grade Spirit Stones. But one thing was certain—whether it was the Qin family or the three men who had been pursuing her, they would not give up on these Spirit Stones so easily! For noble families, their lifeline was gold mines. However, if they wished to rise above lesser noble families and climb higher, Spirit Stones were the key. Only Spirit Stones could nurture powerful cultivators! With such a fortune in Spirit Stones, a noble family could cultivate several Qi Manipulation Realm experts, or even reach the Sky Realm! Realising this, Ye Fan swiftly extinguished the campfire, then took Ye Ling with him and drove their carriage away. Just as Ye Fan had predicted, about half an hour after his departure, a middle-aged man and an elderly man arrived at the spot where he had been. The middle-aged man was none other than Qin Ba, the head of the Qin family and a true Sky Realm expert! The elder behind him was also at the Sky Realm. Qin Ba glanced around, his expression grave. “I heard that the Ye family produced a Heaven’s Chosen, Ye Lang, who even triggered a celestial phenomenon. Could it be him?” Although Qingcheng and Luo City were close, there was still some distance between them. The Qin family was not a major power, so their intelligence network was lacking, and they were still unaware of the current situation in the Ye family. The elder behind him said solemnly, “Regardless of whether it’s Ye Lang or not, he must be from the Ye family. This matter is definitely linked to them!” Qin Ba nodded, his expression cold. “I’ll go to Qingcheng and demand an explanation from the Ye family. As for that man, he shouldn’t have gone far. Qin Yue, track him down. If it is Ye Lang, do not underestimate him!” The elder named Qin Yue nodded. With a light tap of his foot, he soared into the air like an agile ape, vanishing into the darkness. Qin Ba clenched his right fist tightly, his face icy. “What a bold Ye family, reaching further than they should!” With that, he turned and disappeared into the distance. Under the moonlit night, Ye Fan urged the carriage forward swiftly. The faint glow of the moon barely illuminated the road ahead. “Brother, why did that woman target us earlier?” “Because she thought we were easy to bully.” “If someone looks easy to bully, does that mean they should be bullied?” “That’s how many people are. If they see someone as weak, they will take advantage of them. In this world, if you’re not ruthless, you won’t survive.” “Brother, have you killed many people?” “Yes. And I will likely kill many more in the future.” “Why?” “I have a bad temper. I can’t tolerate being provoked. When people cross me, I want to kill them.” “...”