Chapter 54: Arranging Ye Xiaohan’s Future

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Arranging Ye Xiaohan’s Future

There were twenty-six people in total: four at the Golden Core Realm, nine at the Heartbeat Realm, and the rest at the Fusion Realm.

They had underestimated Chu Fan’s strength from the start, and the price was total annihilation.

When it came to ruthlessness, Yan Ying actually surpassed Chu Fan by a wide margin.

It was as if she felt no guilt whatsoever when she killed. For her, the only distinction was whether she wanted to kill someone or not.

They say bad company corrupts good character. After spending some time with Yan Ying, Chu Fan’s own principles seemed to have shifted, and he, too, had become far more bloodthirsty.

With the two of them working together, the twenty-six were like lambs to the slaughter.

They spared no one, not those who knelt and begged for mercy, nor those who tried to flee during the fight.

After killing them, they tossed the bodies into the courtyard pond, then toppled the nearby rockery to fill it in.

Had it not been for the need to prevent the corpses from rotting and causing a plague that would affect the nearby populace, they might not have bothered to dispose of the bodies at all.

Once the bodies were buried, they left without hesitation.

With so many disciples from two different Sects missing, their respective organizations would soon be alerted. If someone with a higher cultivation level arrived, or if more people came looking, even the slightest slip-up could lead to significant trouble.

"Where are you planning to go?" Yan Ying finally asked, unable to hold back any longer as they walked along a mountain path heading south.

"Let’s head toward Nanling Mountain," Chu Fan said. "We’ll find a suitable county city up ahead and get Xiaohan and the others settled. I’ll stay there for a while myself to raise my cultivation as much as I can, and then it’ll be time to go to the Celestial Derivation Sect."

Yan Ying moved a little closer to Chu Fan and said in a hushed voice, "Can we talk about something?"

Seeing her expression, Chu Fan asked warily, "What are you plotting now?"

"Hey now, this is a good thing, I promise."

"Tell me what it is first."

"It’s about the little one. How about you let him join my Celestial Dao Palace? I’ve been observing him lately, and his talent is quite good. You’re always rushing around and can’t settle down, so you don’t have time to teach him. It would be better to send him to the Celestial Dao Palace to be properly trained."

Chu Fan’s eyes lit up when he heard her, but then he remembered Ye Xiaohan’s background and hesitated before finally shaking his head.

Ye Xiaohan and the other two had saved his life, after all. And even though he had saved them once in return, Chu Fan didn’t think the debt could be settled so simply.

In Chu Fan’s heart, Ye Xiaohan was like a combination of a younger brother and a disciple. As long as he was alive, he would never let Ye Xiaohan be wronged.

The Ye Family’s past decline was caused by the Royal Family of the Hua Xu Empire. Moreover, the current Emperor of the Hua Xu Empire was a direct descendant of the very emperor who had purged the Ye Family.

’What if Ye Xiaohan goes to the Celestial Dao Palace and the Hua Xu Royal Family learns of his identity? If they decide to rake up old scores, wouldn’t that put him in a desperate situation?’

’Thousands of years might have passed since the Emperor of the Hua Xu Empire dealt with the Ye Family, but imperial power is fickle. Who could say for sure what might happen?’

"Why?"

"Because he’s a descendant of Ascendant Xingfeng. Over three thousand years ago, the Ye Family was purged by that one emperor of yours who illegitimately seized the throne. Xiaohan’s ancestors fled to the Eastern Domain with the women and children."

"You’re worrying too much. For one, that was thousands of years ago. For another, as long as a disciple of our Celestial Dao Palace doesn’t provoke someone they absolutely can’t afford to, no one would dare touch them. If you’re still not convinced, I’ll take him as my sworn brother."

"If you put it that way, I won’t object. As for whether he’s willing, you should go ask him. But what about Qi Wei and Wang Xing? Can you take them to the Celestial Dao Palace as well?"

"Their talent is only average, and they’re older, so formal cultivation is out of the question. However, the Celestial Dao Palace also has an Outer Sect. I can speak to an Outer Sect Elder about it. It shouldn’t be a problem."

Hearing Yan Ying’s words, Chu Fan felt it was a viable plan. In fact, her proposal was the best possible outcome for Ye Xiaohan and his two companions.

"However, the Ye Family still has some unresolved issues," Chu Fan said. "If you can help him take care of them, I’m sure he’ll agree."

Seeing Yan Ying’s confusion, Chu Fan briefly explained what had happened to the Ye Family in Xingyuan City.

After finishing his explanation, Chu Fan added, "Don’t worry about the matter in Xingyuan City for now. It’s better to leave that seed of hatred for Xiaohan to seek his own revenge in the future. What he cares about most right now is his second uncle, who’s imprisoned in the Celestial Prison of the Da Zhao Kingdom. He’s the only family Xiaohan has left."

"That’s a small matter. I’ll send someone to the Da Zhao Kingdom to put in a good word; no one will dare harm his uncle after that. Leave it to me. I’m going to go talk to the little guy now."

With that, Yan Ying slowed her pace and fell back to walk beside Ye Xiaohan.

The two spoke in low voices for a while. A bright light shone in Ye Xiaohan’s eyes, yet he still cast a hesitant glance at Chu Fan’s back.

"I’ll go ask Brother Chu."

For a thirteen-year-old boy like Ye Xiaohan, who had endured such a horrific family tragedy, his heart was still very fragile. Chu Fan was, without a doubt, his pillar of support.

And so, the matter was settled.

After all, it was a good thing for all five of them.

Yan Ying had found a supremely talented disciple for her Sect, and Chu Fan was now free to do as he pleased without the distraction of having to teach the trio.

As for the three of them, entering the Celestial Dao Palace was a stroke of incredible fortune, far better than just following Chu Fan around.

Chu Fan had no idea how Yan Ying contacted the Celestial Dao Palace.

A mere three days later, a woman in a yellow dress found them, accompanied by two women in white.

"Young Master, I, Xiang Ying, have personally taken your token and traveled to the national capital of the Da Zhao Kingdom. I have also purchased a residence in Donglin County—the Hua Xu Empire’s county city closest to the Eastern Domain. It is more than large enough to house a family."

Yan Ying nodded and said to the woman in yellow, "Then take the three of them back to the Celestial Dao Palace first thing tomorrow morning. I have already reported this to my master."

That day, they found a clean inn in a nearby town and rented rooms for the night.

It was hard to say whether it was because the Direct Disciple of the Celestial Dao Palace’s Palace Master was simply that wealthy, or if Yan Ying herself was just naturally extravagant.

They were only staying for one night, yet she had booked the entire inn.

At their departure the next day, Ye Xiaohan and the other two were extremely reluctant to leave. Ye Xiaohan even cried.

Seeing that the woman in yellow and her companions treated Ye Xiaohan with much more respect after just one night, Chu Fan knew that Yan Ying had truly accepted Ye Xiaohan as her sworn brother and had instructed her subordinates accordingly.

Chu Fan was grateful for this.

After seeing off Ye Xiaohan and the others, Chu Fan felt a surge of gratitude and said to Yan Ying, "Come on. I’ll treat you to a meal you’ve never had before."

Yan Ying scoffed. "Hmph. Is there any delicacy in this world that I, this young master, haven’t tried?"

"You’d be surprised. There really is," Chu Fan said, not without a hint of pride. "Not many people in this world have eaten food cooked by me, Chu Fan."

"Has Yun Xi tried it?" Yan Ying asked, almost as a reflex.

Perhaps realizing how childish and abrupt the question was, she turned her head away to hide her embarrassment.

’Has Yun Xi tried it?’

’Of course she had. Only two people had ever eaten food he’d personally cooked: one was Zhegu Slave, and the other was Yun Xi.’

’Yun Xi had been a little glutton since she was a child. In fact, it was because of her love for food that Chu Fan had gotten the chance to become the closed-door disciple of Supreme Elder Ling Zhexing.’

’It was also because of her appetite that Chu Fan had put so much effort into researching new dishes to please her.’

’The happiest times they had spent together were when they would go out to catch wild game, then prepare it together, figuring out how to make it taste even better.’

’The first time he cooked a meal for Zhegu Slave, the man had dropped to his knees on the spot, begging him never, ever to cook for him again. He, Zhegu Slave, was not worthy of such an honor.’

’Only after Chu Fan agreed did Zhegu Slave eat the meal, tears streaming down his face.’

’From then on, no matter how delicious Chu Fan’s cooking was, Yun Xi was the only one who ever got to taste it.’

Recalling those past scenes, a warm current flowed through Chu Fan’s heart.

"What are you spacing out for? Weren’t you going to treat me to something delicious?" Yan Ying stomped hard on his foot.