Ye Qingcheng was furious. She felt insulted. She was a peerless beauty, yet Yun Fan never noticed her good points. This fellow was truly as dense as wood. But even she didn't know why she cared about Yun Fan's opinion of her. It was utterly inexplicable.
What was even more perplexing was that such inexplicable things had been happening more and more frequently lately. She even wondered if she had lost her mind.
However, now was not the time to dwell on these issues. The priority was to find out who that bitch was.
It was bad enough that she had impersonated someone else before, but now she dared to sneak into her mountain villa. This was simply unbearable.
So, she immediately prepared to access the surveillance footage.
She went into the server room and began to retrieve the footage.
However, she was stunned. Whether it was intentional or not, the figure in the footage only showed its back.
There was no frontal view, while Yun Fan was captured from every angle without any blind spots. If this wasn't deliberate, she wouldn't believe it.
She couldn't figure out why the other party could always pinpoint her weaknesses. Either the other party knew her very well, or their schemes surpassed hers by a significant margin. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the ability to be more strategic than her.
"Truly cunning!"
Ye Qingcheng sneered, "You think you can escape me just by leaving a silhouette? Too naive!"
Then, she immediately asked, "Have the people brought by that bitch been tracked down?"
According to Yun Fan's description, that bitch had handled everything perfectly, even hiring people.
Her subordinate replied, "They've all been apprehended, but they didn't see the main culprit!"
"What do you mean?"
Ye Qingcheng was dumbfounded and had a bad premonition.
Her subordinate replied fearfully, "Those people were a temporarily hired team of housekeepers. According to their statements, they only served Yun Fan and never saw the actual person in charge!"
"Useless!"
Ye Qingcheng was enraged. For the first time, she encountered such a troublesome enemy despite her strategic prowess.
"Young Miss, there's one more thing!"
Her subordinate said, trembling.
"What is it?"
Ye Qingcheng asked curiously.
Her subordinate continued, "They also took over a dozen bottles of your prized vintage wine!"
"What?"
Ye Qingcheng's anger erupted completely. This was tantamount to defecating on her head. It was utterly detestable.
Those dozen bottles of wine were all rare treasures. Each bottle had been acquired through auction and was priceless.
Now that they were stolen, Ye Qingcheng declared that she had never been so insulted.
"Get out!"
In her rage, Ye Qingcheng shouted.
But her subordinate showed no signs of leaving.
"Why are you still here?"
Under Ye Qingcheng's furious gaze, her subordinate quickly said, "Young Miss, the housekeeper team outside is waiting for you to settle the bill!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng nearly died of anger. This wasn't just an insult; it was outright bullying.
To think that even she, Ye Qingcheng, dared to be bullied. She didn't know who gave them the courage, but they only bullied the strong.
She never bullied commoners. Therefore, she said, "Pay them and tell them to get lost immediately!"
"Yes!"
Her subordinate fled in haste.
"By the way, how much did they charge?"
Ye Qingcheng asked curiously.
Her subordinate replied, "Two point five million!"
Ye Qingcheng's vision went black, and she almost fell to the ground. She deeply regretted asking. Why did she have to upset herself? Now she was angry again and almost fainted. The other party was clearly mocking her as an idiot.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng zoomed in on the captured silhouette.
"Pink dress! Perfect figure!"
Ye Qingcheng murmured to herself. Despite only seeing the back, she could infer that the person had a perfect figure.
The pink dress appeared to be very expensive. Therefore, she immediately took a screenshot of the dress's brand.
"Hmph!"
Ye Qingcheng snorted, "You just wait. I'll drag you out of the gutter and kill you!"
Enraged, Ye Qingcheng got into her car and drove to a clothing store, a custom tailor shop.
Each custom-made outfit from this store started at hundreds of thousands, so the business was generally slow.
After all, who would spend hundreds of thousands on a custom outfit?
"Hello, Miss. Would you like to have some custom clothing made?"
The store's customer service representative asked Ye Qingcheng.
Ye Qingcheng directly showed her phone, "Was this dress custom-made at your store!"
After confirming multiple times, the customer service representative replied to Ye Qingcheng, "That's right. This is a custom formal gown from our store!"
"Would you also like to have something custom-made, Miss?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng said coldly, "No, but I want to know who the owner of this dress is?"
The customer immediately refused, "I'm sorry, but our store cannot disclose customer privacy!"
"You..."
Ye Qingcheng suppressed her emotions and said, "Do you know who I am?"
"No!"
The customer service representative replied politely. She thought Ye Qingcheng was very beautiful but didn't know who she was. Was she a famous actress?
However, as she mentally scanned the most popular celebrities, she found that only Yang Xuejian could rival her in terms of looks.
Others couldn't compare.
This answer left Ye Qingcheng speechless. It seemed she wasn't famous enough in Jinling, but that didn't matter.
"I want to see your boss!"
The customer service representative, helpless, invited the boss out.
"Miss Ye!"
The boss immediately bowed and scraped upon seeing Ye Qingcheng, as he knew her identity.
The customer service representative was startled. Her boss seemed to hold considerable status in Jinling and was someone not to be trifled with. Yet, he was bowing and scraping to this beautiful woman.
This clearly indicated that Ye Qingcheng was an even more formidable figure.
"You know me?"
Ye Qingcheng asked, confused.
The boss smiled respectfully, "Who doesn't know of Miss Ye's great name!"
"Is Miss Ye here to order a formal gown?"
The boss generously declared, "Our store can offer Miss Ye three exclusive custom gowns for free!"
Upon hearing this, the customer service representative was almost scared stiff. Free custom orders? There seemed to be no precedent for this in the clothing store.
She was now very worried that Ye Qingcheng might complain, and she would have to pack her bags and leave.
"No!"
Ye Qingcheng said, "I'm not interested in your ridiculous formal gowns. I need to know who ordered this dress?"
Saying so, Ye Qingcheng impatiently handed her phone to the boss.
The boss recognized the customer of this dress at a glance but appeared hesitant.
"Miss Ye, as you know, we cannot disclose customer information!"
"Is that so?"
Ye Qingcheng's tone turned cold. "Are you afraid of me?"
The boss was greatly alarmed. In Jinling, who wasn't afraid of this young lady? Even though he was somewhat influential, Ye Qingcheng could crush him with a single finger if she wanted to. Such was the disparity.
So, he said helplessly, "Miss Ye, this is a one-time exception. It won't happen again. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for me!"
Seeing his distressed state, the customer service representative was frightened. This Miss Ye's background was truly terrifying. She was trembling in front of her computer.
"Hurry up!"
Under Ye Qingcheng's stern command, the boss quickly flipped through the invoices. Before long, he handed an invoice to Ye Qingcheng.
"What?"
Ye Qingcheng froze on the spot. She never expected that the address was at number eighteen, not far from the Ye family estate.
So, she left immediately.
After she left, the boss and employees breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Ye Qingcheng didn't lose her temper, or his store would be in jeopardy.
When Ye Qingcheng arrived at number eighteen, she immediately went forward and knocked on the door.
However, after knocking for a long time, there was no response from inside. In her anger, she pushed the door open and discovered that the place had been abandoned for a long time.
It had been about ten to twenty years, otherwise, there wouldn't be so much dust.
She was surprised that there was an abandoned courtyard so close to the Ye family estate. It was understandable, as she wouldn't normally pay attention to such things.
If it weren't for tracking down that detestable bitch, she wouldn't have set foot in such a desolate place.
After searching everywhere, she found nothing.
Ye Qingcheng left the abandoned residence in frustration. What puzzled her was why this place hadn't been demolished in Jinling, where land was so valuable.
What was going on?
Upon returning to the Ye family estate, she immediately summoned her subordinates.
"What's the deal with the courtyard at number eighteen?"
Ye Qingcheng asked directly.
Her subordinate's face turned pale with fear. "Young Miss, why are you asking about that place?"
"Just answer me when I ask. Why so many questions?"
Ye Qingcheng said with displeasure.
Her subordinate quickly replied, "Young Miss, that was the residence of the famous courtesan, Zhu Lian, back in the day!"
"What?"
Ye Qingcheng was shocked. She had recently developed a strong aversion to this name, and now she learned that the courtyard belonged to Zhu Lian.
"Then why wasn't it demolished?"
Ye Qingcheng asked, confused.
"Young Miss, people tried to demolish it back then, but during the demolition, accidents occurred. After several workers lost their lives there, no one dared to attempt it again, which is why it remains abandoned!"
Her subordinate continued, "Although people have been interested in the land over the years, it's too close to our Ye family estate, so they've all given up. After all, they fear disturbing the Ye family and cannot bear the wrath of the Ye family!"
Hearing this, Ye Qingcheng nodded. So, that was the reason.
Therefore, she asked, "Are you sure no one lives there?"
"No one!"
Her butler answered firmly.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng felt a chill run down her spine. Could it be that Zhu Lian was truly a ghost? Although she didn't believe in such things at all.
It was all nonsense, yet she had this thought in her mind. Perhaps Yun Fan was indeed being haunted by a ghost.
Thinking of this, she became even more unsettled and immediately arranged to meet Yun Fan.
"Are you out of your mind?"
Yun Fan said speechlessly, "I just got home not long ago, why are you asking me out again?"
Ye Qingcheng replied, "You're being haunted by a ghost!"
"You're thinking too much!"
Yun Fan showed a hint of disdain. What kind of era was this to still believe in such things? Besides, there was no solid evidence.
Ye Qingcheng recounted her experiences to Yun Fan.
She had expected Yun Fan to be terrified, but he showed no fear. Instead, he laughed, "Impossible!"
"Don't you believe me!"
Ye Qingcheng handed the address from the invoice to Yun Fan and asked, "Do you want to go to that place and see for yourself!"
"Afraid of you?"
Yun Fan, who didn't believe in ghosts, got up and left with Ye Qingcheng. However, Ye Qingcheng subconsciously kept her distance from him.
"I heard that woman almost always visits you at night. And look at your darkened complexion, you won't live long!"
Ye Qingcheng said warily.
"Where do you see my complexion darkened!"
Yun Fan was utterly speechless. His face was clearly flushed with health! He couldn't believe that a woman as decisive and intelligent as Ye Qingcheng would believe such things.
This gave him another idea of how to deal with Ye Qingcheng.
"I don't care, but I'm staying away from you!"
Ye Qingcheng deliberately kept her distance from Yun Fan, refusing to get close to him under any circumstances.
However, this was perfect for Yun Fan, as it allowed him some peace and quiet.
Before long, the two arrived at the abandoned courtyard again. It was already dark.
Indeed, as soon as they entered the courtyard, they felt a chilling aura.
Under this oppressive atmosphere, Yun Fan felt a sharp pain in his arm. He turned to see that Ye Qingcheng was tightly gripping his arm.
"Let go!"
Yun Fan said displeasantly.
"No!"
Ye Qingcheng said, "I'm scared!"
"What are you scared of!"
Yun Fan said angrily, "Didn't you say you wouldn't get close to me?"
As expected, a woman's words were as deceitful as ghosts.
At this moment, he could feel Ye Qingcheng trembling, which made him burst into laughter.
"You..."
Immediately after, Ye Qingcheng pinched his arm fiercely.
"Ah!"
Yun Fan's scream echoed through the courtyard.
Realizing he couldn't shake off Ye Qingcheng, Yun Fan reluctantly entered the courtyard.
Here, there were many traces of past life. Indeed, it had been almost twenty years.
So, it was covered in dust.
"Meow..."
A meow was heard, startling Ye Qingcheng. Yun Fan was already used to her reactions.
"Look!"
Saying so, Yun Fan picked up a photograph and handed it to Ye Qingcheng.
Ye Qingcheng suppressed her fear and looked at the photo. She saw a beauty dressed in flamboyant attire.
Indeed, this beauty was incredibly stunning, truly deserving of being the renowned Zhu Lian of yesteryear.
To confirm her identity, they looked at two to three more photos, confirming that it was indeed Zhu Lian.
"Is that bitch that person?"
Ye Qingcheng asked Yun Fan.
Yun Fan shook his head, "No!"
"Are you sure?"
Ye Qingcheng asked again, still not giving up.
Yun Fan said firmly, "I'm very sure, she's not this person!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed they could rule out a haunting. The other party was too well-hidden.
At this moment, Yun Fan said, "Alright, let's go! I don't want to stay here for another moment!"
His time was precious, after all. He didn't want to waste it with Ye Qingcheng here.
"No! I need to find evidence!"
Although Ye Qingcheng was terrified, she showed no intention of leaving.
"Then you can search slowly by yourself!"
"Hmph!"
Ye Qingcheng snorted and was about to continue searching when she realized Yun Fan had already walked far away.
"You scoundrel, wait for me!"
Ye Qingcheng, filled with fear, dared not stay there any longer and ran after Yun Fan.
Little did they know, after they left, a peerlessly beautiful figure emerged from the darkness.
Looking in the direction of their departure, she revealed a sinister smile.
...
Upon returning home, Yun Fan prepared to rest. He had already gone to bed earlier, but Ye Qingcheng, that shrew, had come looking for him like a madwoman.
She had even threatened him, saying that if he didn't come out, she would enter his room in front of all the women.
Thus, Yun Fan was coerced by her. Now that he had finally gotten rid of that shrew, Yun Fan intended to turn off his phone and rest.
To say he was resting would be an exaggeration. He had just broken through that level and was preparing to consolidate his cultivation.
Once his cultivation was stable, he could do what he wanted to do. As for what that was, you know.
Unfortunately, the Heavenly Emperor called again.
Damn it!
Yun Fan was completely resigned. It seemed tonight would be an uneventful one.
"Heavenly Emperor, is there something you need from me?"
Yun Fan asked, puzzled.
The Heavenly Emperor on the other end of the line said sternly, "Little friend Yun, something big has happened!"
"The hidden sects have come out of seclusion under the guise of avenging Rong Hua!"
This was indeed a major event, and Yun Fan could no longer sit still.
"And then?"
Under Yun Fan's persistent questioning, the Heavenly Emperor said, "However, due to the rules, they haven't mobilized in full force, but a mysterious individual has already emerged, and their target is you!"
"Me?"
Yun Fan was confused. He didn't seem to have had any contact with the hidden sects yet. To think he was already on their radar.
Of course, the Medicine King Valley didn't count, as he was there to save someone and had reached an agreement with them.
The Heavenly Emperor said, "Because they blame you for Rong Hua's death!"
"Why?"
Yun Fan was instantly filled with regret. Although he wasn't afraid of the hidden sects, being unfairly framed like this made him extremely displeased.
"Actually, this is just an excuse. The root cause is your identity as the Ghost Valley Sect Master!"
The Heavenly Emperor stated directly, "Before the rules were established, the hidden sects and the Old Heavenly Master had an agreement!"
"If, one day, their disciples defeat the direct disciple of the Old Heavenly Master, then they can come out of seclusion, and even the Old Heavenly Master cannot stop them!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan was completely speechless. He didn't know what his old master was thinking to make such a bet.
What made him even more speechless was his master's excessive confidence in him! The hidden sects had so many prodigies.
Yun Fan couldn't guarantee that he could defeat all of them.
He had to admit that this time, the boasting had gone a bit too far. This was what they called a master's boasting and a disciple's suffering.
However, what could he do? As a Ghost Valley disciple, he couldn't disgrace his master. Therefore, he accepted the task.
So, he said to the Heavenly Emperor, "It's fine, as long as they don't harm the secular world and only target me!"
Yun Fan wasn't afraid of being targeted, but he feared them harming the secular world.
The Heavenly Emperor comforted him, "You can rest assured about this. With the rules in place, I don't think they would dare to force the Old Heavenly Master to personally intervene!"
"En!"
Yun Fan nodded. "That puts my mind at ease!"
After hanging up the phone, Yun Fan eagerly began to consolidate his cultivation, as the current situation seemed rather unfavorable.
However, he now understood his master's intentions, so he had no complaints towards his master.
...
Ye Qingcheng returned to her room, her body weary.
Although she had confirmed that the person wasn't a ghost, but an impostor, her fear had subsided significantly.
But what was hateful was that she still hadn't found out who this impostor was, which made her feel somewhat dejected.
As soon as she opened the door to her room, she was startled, even trembling, and goosebumps rose all over her body.
Because in her room, there was a dress hanging up. Wasn't this dress the pink one?
Ye Qingcheng, terrified, quickly fled the room.
No matter what, she lacked the courage to stay in the room.
"Who is it? Who is it?"
Ye Qingcheng was absolutely furious.
This was simply too much of a bullying. They had even bullied their way into her room.
Finally, after her fear subsided, she returned to the room, tore down the dress, and ordered someone to burn it.
At this moment, she saw a message in the room.
"Mind your own business!"
Although it was only a four-character message, Ye Qingcheng had already inferred a lot of useful information.
It proved that her course of action was correct. Under her relentless investigation, the other party had become impatient, hence this stunt.
"Hmph!"
Ye Qingcheng snorted and crushed the note.
"The more you tell me not to investigate, the more I will find out who you are?"
In fact, Ye Qingcheng was somewhat meddling in other people's affairs. The other party's identity had nothing to do with her.
This wasn't her main objective, but due to the constant provocations, she had completely deviated from her original goal.
The other party's blatant entry into her room was simply because they knew she hadn't installed any surveillance cameras. After all, her room, and even the courtyard, had no cameras.
She hated having her life recorded, even if others didn't dare to watch the recordings.
Therefore, this time, she had miscalculated.
Next, she summoned her trusted subordinates overnight. Her goal was simple: to find the culprit within three days.
...
A day later, Yun Fan informed his few senior sisters about the matter.
"Hmph! These people truly are dogs that can't change their ways!"
Leng Ningshuang snorted. They were beaten like stray dogs back then and retreated into seclusion, yet now they dared to emerge again.
This was tantamount to disregarding the Ghost Valley Sect.
"Don't worry, they will leave in disgrace just like last time, because their defeat is inevitable!"
Yun Fan said calmly, "However, this time, I don't plan to give them any chances!"
"Little Junior Brother wants to resolve this once and for all?"
The sisters asked Yun Fan.
Yun Fan nodded, "That's right. I think Master also means this. However, I'll handle these lesser individuals."
This was Yun Fan's true intention. Although Master hadn't explicitly stated it, Yun Fan was certain that this was his master's intent.
He was certainly no match for those old monsters, but he had to defeat the younger ones and not disgrace the Ghost Valley Sect.
"We support you, but be careful!"
The sisters couldn't help but remind Yun Fan.
"En! I will!"
Yun Fan nodded. He wasn't fighting alone. With the help of his three senior sisters, his chances of victory were much higher.
At this moment, Leng Ningshuang urged Yun Fan, "Since you've broken through that level, hurry up and get married to Tianxin, and consummate your marriage!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Yang Xuejian and Zhao Fanghua also chimed in, "Little Junior Brother, you can get married slowly, but you should consummate your marriage first!"
How could they not know Leng Ningshuang's intentions? So, at this moment, they also urged Yun Fan.
As long as Yun Fan and Lin Tianxin consummated their marriage, they could then seize the opportunity.
Yun Fan froze. Were his three senior sisters too eager? He wasn't anxious, so why were the three senior sisters so anxious?
Especially Lin Tianxin, her face had turned red all the way to her neck. It was too embarrassing.
"I... I'm not ready yet!"
Lin Tianxin said cautiously. Regarding that matter, although she hadn't experienced it, she had an insurmountable fear.
Therefore, she needed more time to adapt.
This made Leng Ningshuang very exasperated. She didn't understand what Lin Tianxin was thinking. Wasn't she eager before?
Afraid of being preempted by someone else, yet now that she had a great opportunity, she backed down. To falter at a critical moment was a waste of her good intentions.
In fact, it wasn't entirely Lin Tianxin's fault. She had a natural fear of such matters.
"I think so too. Let's take our time. No rush!"
Yun Fan also said awkwardly, trying to mediate.
Although the sisters were displeased, they couldn't do anything. After all, such matters couldn't be rushed. When it hadn't happened, one yearned for it desperately.
But when it was about to happen, one couldn't take that final step.
After finally calming down the several women, Yun Fan breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the hotel.
However, at this moment, a little girl handed him a piece of paper.
"Little sister, who asked you to give this to me?"
Yun Fan asked with a smile.
The little girl said, "A sister gave me an ice cream and asked me to give this note to Uncle!"
"Uncle!"
Yun Fan froze. He hadn't expected to reach the age of an uncle without realizing it. Well, he wouldn't dwell on it for now.
After the little girl left, he immediately opened the note.
"Little brother, there was an accident last time. This time, there won't be any accidents! Just come to this address. Remember, you must not be discovered by anyone!"
Yun Fan glanced at the address and was speechless. He didn't know what the matter was that required such secrecy.
However, he still went to the address. After all, he owed Zhu Lian a favor, and he couldn't fail to repay it. Hopefully, this time, the other party wouldn't leave prematurely.
In his opinion, the other party either needed his help with something, or needed him to treat an illness, or perhaps it was related to martial arts.
In any case, he was fully prepared.