Jinyang City

"What's your name?"

Inside the room, a person and a dragon stared at each other.

"I don't have a name yet," the miniature dragon said in a childish voice, its eyes shining black.

"Then you'll be called Little Purple from now on," Ye Xiaofan said seriously to the miniature dragon after thinking hard for a moment.

Upon hearing this, the miniature dragon shook its head frantically. How could such a common name possibly suit its identity as a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon?

However, it didn't know what name it wanted for itself, as its inherited memories contained no information on this matter.

"Alright, Little Purple it is," Ye Xiaofan declared, ignoring the miniature dragon's objections. He then took out a bottle of Blood Qi Pills from his embrace and tossed it to the miniature dragon.

Instantly, the miniature dragon forgot all about its name and hugged the small porcelain bottle filled with Blood Qi Pills, its eyes narrowed in enjoyment.

Ye Xiaofan smiled and left the room without paying further attention to the miniature dragon.

As they approached Jinyang City, the number of ships on the Jinyang River increased.

Bright lights moved like specks of starlight in the river water.

"Young Master Ye is still awake."

A pleasant voice came from behind. Ye Xiaofan turned his head and saw Liu Ruoxue walking towards him with a smile, her figure swaying.

"Miss Liu."

Ye Xiaofan greeted her but didn't answer her question. He turned back and quietly looked at the river surface shrouded in the night.

Liu Ruoxue didn't speak further. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Ye Xiaofan, quietly gazing into the dark night ahead.

On the third floor of the ship, Liu Xingwen stood by the window, his hands behind his back, staring at Ye Xiaofan.

After an unknown amount of time, The river wind grew colder.

Liu Ruoxue pulled her mink cloak tighter and was the first to break the silence.

"Young Master Ye, please forgive my presumptuousness, but may I ask your father's name?"

"Ye Tianhe."

Ye Xiaofan said calmly. He had no intention of hiding his background.

Liu Ruoxue felt a roaring in her head and stared blankly at Ye Xiaofan's profile.

It took a long time for her to recover.

"Miss Liu, why are you staring at me like that?"

Seeing Liu Ruoxue constantly looking at him, Ye Xiaofan turned his head and asked with a slight curl of his lips, as if satisfying some inner wicked amusement.

"Oh, oh, it's nothing."

"Then what's your mother's name?"

After asking this, Liu Ruoxue stared intently at Ye Xiaofan, her eyes full of anticipation.

She wanted to hear a name, long buried for over a decade, from Ye Xiaofan's mouth.

Yet she feared that the name Ye Xiaofan spoke might not be the one she was hoping for.

"Liu Qingshuang."

Ye Xiaofan's tone remained indifferent.

His calm words were like a massive stone falling into a still lake.

"Impossible, impossible."

Liu Ruoxue's face turned pale, her lips trembling. She stumbled back a few steps as if unable to stand steady.

"Miss Liu, are you alright?"

"Xiaofan, I'm your older sister."

Tears welled up in Liu Ruoxue's eyes. She stepped forward, wanting to touch Ye Xiaofan's cheek.

Ye Xiaofan took a step back and grinned.

"I know."

Seeing Ye Xiaofan's indifferent expression, Liu Ruoxue realized she had been too hasty.

She steadied herself and regained her usual composure.

"Xiaofan, where is Ye Tianhe? Why hasn't he brought you to Jinyang City all these years?"

"He's dead!"

"How is that possible?"

Liu Ruoxue exclaimed, unable to believe Ye Tianhe could be dead.

"He died a month ago."

Ye Xiaofan frowned slightly, not understanding why Liu Ruoxue was reacting so strongly. According to the one-armed man, the Liu family should have been happy that Ye Tianhe was dead.

Just then, Liu Xingwen leaped directly down from the third floor of the ship's cabin.

"You say Ye Tianhe is dead? Who in Qingyang County could kill him? Even Xiao Qiaofeng wouldn't be his match."

Hearing this, Ye Xiaofan's frown deepened.

Was Ye Tianhe that strong?

He had no idea.

"My father was only at Body Refinement Eighth Layer..."

"Impossible. Back when Ye Tianhe left Jinyang City with Qingshuang, he was already at Body Refinement Eighth Layer. With his talent, even if he didn't break through to the Qi Condensation stage, he should have at least reached Body Refinement Ninth Layer, twice Blood Replacement."

Ye Xiaofan was excitedly interrupted by Liu Xingwen before he could finish.

"Could Xiao Qiaofeng have lied to me?"

Ye Xiaofan thought to himself, then shook his head.

Since the person was already dead, nothing he said mattered anymore.

In a few more days, once he broke through to Body Refinement Ninth Layer, his strength would surpass Xiao Qiaofeng. He could ask him directly then.

That was, assuming Xiao Qiaofeng hadn't died at the hands of the evil creatures.

As for Ye Tianhe's revenge, he could just kill all the suspicious people or demonic creatures then.

"How did he die?"

Liu Xingwen still hadn't recovered from the shock of Ye Tianhe's death.

"He was on a mission and was killed by demonic creatures."

After saying that, Ye Xiaofan left without bothering with the two of them.

Liu Xingwen wanted to call out to Ye Xiaofan, but Liu Ruoxue stopped him.

"Third Grandfather, I can confirm that Ye Xiaofan is Little Aunt's child. His appearance might be similar, but the stirring in his bloodline won't lie,"

Liu Ruoxue said in a low voice, watching Ye Xiaofan's retreating back.

"Mm."

"I just can't believe Ye Tianhe, who once dominated Jinyang Prefecture, hasn't improved his cultivation at all in over a decade, and now he's tragically died by the mouth of demonic creatures."

Liu Xingwen nodded and sighed.

"Perhaps the death of Little Aunt hit him too hard."

"However, Little Aunt's child is still alive, and we didn't even know. This matter must be investigated thoroughly."

Liu Ruoxue's face was icy, and a cold killing intent flashed in her eyes.

Liu Xingwen's lips trembled, but in the end, he said nothing.

The incident of Liu Qingshuang being attacked by demonic creatures on her way back home for a visit was already suspicious.

The Liu family had their suspicions but were powerless to find the real culprit.

After all, Liu Qingshuang's fiancé was the youngest son of the Jinyang City Lord.

The night passed without incident.

The morning sunlight always felt refreshing.

Ships came and went at the Jinyang City docks, and porters continuously unloaded cargo from the massive merchant ships.

The Liu Family Merchant Association's ships slowly docked at their designated berths.

"Miss Liu, Senior Liu, thank you for your hospitality. My friend and I have urgent matters to attend to, so we'll be taking our leave. Goodbye!"

Ye Xiaofan cupped his fists in a salute to Liu Ruoxue and Liu Xingwen before turning to leave.

Liu Ruoxue wanted to call out to Ye Xiaofan, but it turned into a sigh.

Tie Wuqing watched all this but didn't say much.

He nodded slightly to Liu Ruoxue and Liu Xingwen as a greeting and then followed Ye Xiaofan.

"Ruoxue, don't rush. It's enough that we now know Qingshuang's child is alive. We can slowly let him accept us."

Liu Ruoxue nodded without speaking, quietly watching Ye Xiaofan's figure disappear into the crowd.

The dock was bustling with all sorts of people coming and going.

Ye Xiaofan walked alongside Tie Wuqing.

The mini-dragon, Little Purple, clutched a strand of Ye Xiaofan's hair, looking around with great curiosity.

"Master Tie, what are your plans?"

"I'll go with you to find the Left Thousand Households Officer. I'm very interested in this legend."

Tie Wuqing subconsciously reached for her waist, only to realize her wine gourd hadn't been returned after the mini-dragon snatched it.

Tie Wuqing glanced at the mini-dragon hanging from Ye Xiaofan's ear.

For a moment, she was curious how this finger-thick little dragon managed to store things several times its size.

Sensing Tie Wuqing's gaze, the mini-dragon turned its head. Its small eyes blinked rapidly, not understanding why this young woman was looking at it so strangely. Could she be coveting my body?

The mini-dragon shivered and quickly hid further into Ye Xiaofan's hair.

This action made Tie Wuqing quite embarrassed. She had also tried to trick the mini-dragon into following her before, but the mini-dragon had just given her a blank stare, telling her to figure it out for herself.

After the two of them and the dragon left the dock, they walked about ten li along the bluestone-paved great dao, finally arriving at the east gate of Jinyang City.

People were constantly entering and exiting the city gate.

Ye Xiaofan and Tie Wuqing followed the crowd into Jinyang City.

"Little Ye, it smells so good! I want to eat!"

Along the way, the mini-dragon kept tugging at Ye Xiaofan's ear, constantly clamoring to eat whenever it saw various snacks.

By the time they found a decent inn, Ye Xiaofan's hands were already full of all sorts of snacks.

"Are the two guests here to eat or to stay?"

Seeing Ye Xiaofan's hands full of food, the innkeeper paused for a moment before reacting and hurrying over to ask.

Ye Xiaofan's eyes twitched a few times, and his face turned slightly red as he said, "Two superior rooms, and please send a table of good wine and food to my room."

"Certainly, guests please."

This scene made Tie Wuqing unable to help but chuckle.

Meanwhile, the culprit, the mini-dragon, was completely focused on the snacks, constantly urging Ye Xiaofan to hurry up and give them to him.