The Mountains Shook and the Earth Trembled

Chen Fan felt as though he had dreamed a long, long dream. In it, he had seemed to be in an immortal realm, drifting freely and joyfully, with endless delight. Gradually, a numb, tingling weakness swept through his entire body. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on a bed, stark naked. Strange scents lingered around him—the aftertaste left behind after that sort of thing, along with a faint fragrance.

This... seemed to be a woman's fragrance? What happened to me last night? As Chen Fan racked his memories, his gaze swept around the room. Suddenly, he saw something, and his entire body jolted awake. A breathtakingly beautiful figure lay quietly beside him. When he looked over, he saw that Ye Wan was also lying there without a stitch on, apparently still asleep.

Chen Fan's eyes darted about as he finally remembered what had happened. Looking again at Ye Wan, he felt completely at a loss. This was far too exciting, wasn't it? His first time was just gone like that. Yet when he saw that streak of red on the bed, he understood something. For a moment, he had the urge to slip away without a word, but he soon shook his head. If he left just like that, wouldn't he be abandoning her after having his way with her? Wouldn't that make him the very embodiment of a scumbag?

Just as he was wavering, the figure who had haunted his dreams all night slowly awakened as well. When Ye Wan sensed everything around her, her body began trembling faintly. Instinctively, she grabbed a blanket and pulled it over herself. Her face had flushed crimson, and she did not dare look at the person beside her at all.

Chen Fan also squeezed his eyes shut and continued pretending to sleep. He had no idea how to face Ye Wan. Thus, the two of them suffered silently in their hearts, neither daring to speak first.

In the end, Chen Fan gathered his courage first. He was a man; now that this had happened, he could not run from it. Besides, it was not entirely his fault. It could only be said that fate had willed it so. He remained lying there, not daring to look at the person beside him, merely staring blankly at the ceiling. "Um... I'll take responsibility." The moment he said it, he immediately fell silent again, waiting for her response.

Hearing Chen Fan suddenly speak, Ye Wan first trembled, then her face turned even redder. She seemed to be struggling with something. After a moment, she only softly said, "Mm..."

Chen Fan could hear nothing but bashful sweetness in that voice. Where was the usual cold aloofness of Fairy Ye? Who would have thought that Fairy Ye would be conquered by him just like this? He could not help grinning foolishly. It would be a lie to say he felt nothing for Ye Wan. After all, she was the first woman he had ever known, and she had taken exceptional care of him in the sect. But she was famed for being icy and proud, and both her age and cultivation surpassed his by quite a bit. He had never imagined that anything might happen between them. Yet now raw rice had already been cooked into cooked rice, and he still felt as though none of this was real.

But it was clear that after last night, their relationship had risen to a whole new level, and many chasms that had once seemed impossible to cross had vanished without a trace. Chen Fan did not wish to make any grand vows of eternal love to Ye Wan. His strength was still limited; he could barely protect himself, so he had no right to speak of a lifetime together. But in his heart, he had already secretly sworn that he would protect Ye Wan forever—protect his own woman—even at the cost of his life. Thus, becoming stronger had become even more important to him. Without strength, one had no right to speak of love between man and woman.

With that thought, Chen Fan got up directly. He picked up his torn clothes from the side, wrapped them around his vital parts, and got out of bed. Ye Wan remained motionless beneath the blanket.

Chen Fan walked toward the door, thinking of asking the innkeeper to lend them some clothes. After all, their clothes had already been torn to shreds by each other. Thinking of that, he could not help savoring the memories of last night again. The moment he opened the door, he saw a set of men's clothes and a set of women's clothes neatly folded outside.

This inn really had thoughtful service. Chen Fan quickly brought the clothes inside, dressed himself, then placed the other set on Ye Wan's bed. He then left the room and waited outside the door to give her privacy.

A moment later, the door opened and Ye Wan stepped out. She had already changed into fresh clothes, and the blush on her face had faded. She looked at Chen Fan, and Chen Fan no longer avoided her gaze. Their eyes met; at that moment, silence spoke louder than words.

"Let's go." This time, Ye Wan broke the silence.

"Oh, all right." The two of them tidied up a little more before going downstairs.

When the innkeeper saw Chen Fan and Ye Wan come down, he immediately approached with a beaming smile. "Young master, did you enjoy yourself last night?"

"What do you mean by that?" Chen Fan said irritably. This innkeeper surely thought he was some playboy, and that Ye Wan was some improper woman.

"Young master, you have no idea. The commotion in your room last night was enough to make the mountains shake and the earth tremble, with thunder roaring and rain howling. And it went on for a long time. The whole inn was scared stiff, and the other guests even complained to me. Later, I thought it over and decided not to disturb you. After all, it truly would not have been appropriate to interrupt you at such a time." As he spoke, the innkeeper gave Chen Fan a deeply suggestive look.

Chen Fan was greatly embarrassed upon hearing this. The commotion caused by cultivators above the Third Realm losing complete control truly was extraordinary. These ordinary people had likely never seen anything like it before. No wonder the innkeeper had provided clean clothes. Meanwhile, Ye Wan's face turned incomparably red again, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"All right, don't mention this again. Take this money." Chen Fan hurriedly tossed him a pouch of coins to make him shut up.

"Understood, understood!" The innkeeper received it with great delight. He had long concluded that Chen Fan must be the young master of some wealthy, prominent household. As long as he served him well, there would surely be plenty of benefits. How could he know that the two were nothing like what he imagined?

After leaving the inn, the two walked through Blackrock City. Chen Fan had no idea where they were going and merely followed Ye Wan. Ye Wan walked without pause, yet kept her head lowered and said nothing, as though thinking about something.

Chen Fan felt that they were simply wandering around without purpose, but he did not dare say anything. Then Ye Wan suddenly stopped and asked him, "Tell me honestly. Are you really from Black Dragon Pool?"

What? What was this about? But after giving it some thought, Chen Fan realized it must be because of the Poisonheart Darts from yesterday. It seemed such hidden weapons were unique to Black Dragon Pool. So although Fairy Ye had been unable to suppress the poison after being poisoned yesterday, she had heard Chen Fan's actions and the black-clothed man's words clearly.

"I have absolutely nothing to do with Black Dragon Pool!" Chen Fan said solemnly.

"Then explain this. Those poison darts can only be refined by the Hundred Artifacts Hall of Black Dragon Pool. How did you obtain them?"

This... Who would have thought there was such a detail? He clearly could not explain it, and for now, he did not want to tell Ye Wan about the Treasure Record. There might be tremendous danger hidden behind that matter, and he did not want to drag her into it.

"It's like this. Before entering the sect, I had a master. He taught me cultivation methods from childhood, but I do not know the specific techniques he practiced or where he came from. Then one day, he suddenly left, and I have not seen him since. Those three poison darts were also things he left behind." As Chen Fan spoke, the old monk's figure surfaced in his mind. He wondered where that old fellow had gone.

Ye Wan was speechless after hearing this. What he had said was the same as saying nothing. If Chen Fan truly intended to hide something from her, she would not be able to get anything out of him. Still, deep down, she did not believe Chen Fan was a spy from another sect.

"Mm... I'll believe you for now. Also, yesterday... thank you." After saying that, Ye Wan's pretty face faintly reddened again. But if Chen Fan had not been there last night to help her merge yin and yang and release the scorching poison within her body, she might truly have been burned alive by that extremely yang poison.

"No, no. Why speak of thanks? Fairy Ye's cultivation is profound. Even without me, I imagine you could have dissolved that poison on your own." The instant Chen Fan said this, the two of them could not help recalling last night's intense scene. The atmosphere became incomparably awkward once more.

"You... why are you still calling me Fairy Ye? Must you make us sound so distant?" Ye Wan suddenly asked with some displeasure.

"Huh?" Chen Fan was left speechless, not knowing what to say.

"Just call me Wan'er from now on." Ye Wan seemed to have gathered a great deal of courage to say that one sentence, then quickly headed toward the city gate.

Chen Fan stood stunned for a moment. Wan'er? This... Suddenly, he felt so happy. Ah, no, wait for me! He immediately hurried after her.

After leaving the city gate, Chen Fan and Ye Wan headed toward Pingliang City, the city they had visited before. Along the way, they finally stopped dwelling on last night and began discussing serious matters. It turned out Ye Wan had learned of the human traffickers much earlier than Chen Fan. She had begun tracking and investigating them from Pingliang City, following two suspicious people all the way into Blackrock City...

"I never expected the two of us to meet by chance because of this. What fate." The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Fan wanted to slap himself. Truly, he had brought up the one pot that should not be opened. He hurriedly changed the subject. "I wonder, Fairy Ye—ah, Wan'er—how did you learn of these matters? Did you descend the mountain before because of this?" Though he still was not used to calling Fairy Ye Wan'er, he had already decided that Ye Wan was his woman. One day, he would marry her.

Ye Wan nodded. "It's a long story. That day, I received a message from my Household saying that my younger sister had been poisoned by some unknown toxin and had been unconscious for several days. That was why I descended the mountain and returned home to see her."

"So it concerns your younger sister. Could it be that she was also caught in the human traffickers' scheme?" Chen Fan hurriedly asked.

"That's right. When I heard, I was frantic with worry and immediately set off home at the fastest speed possible. My sister and I are currently each other's only blood relatives in this world. After my parents gave birth to my sister, they both met with misfortune and died one after another. Later, I encountered an expert who guided me, and from then on, I entered through the gates of martial cultivation before later joining Swordcry Mountain. That left my young sister with no one to care for her. Fortunately, our neighbors all treated her as their own child. After I entered the mountain to cultivate, they continued caring for my sister in my stead." Ye Wan recounted her past in detail, as though deliberately wanting Chen Fan to understand her better. Chen Fan listened silently, nodding faintly without interrupting.

Ye Wan continued, "When I returned home that day, I immediately examined my sister. She was still unconscious, with no sign that she would wake up. So I asked Auntie Zhang, who had been watching over her that day. Auntie Zhang said that my sister had been playing outside. Later, she staggered back home alone, continually crying that her head was dizzy. Not long afterward, she collapsed, and she had never awakened since."

Chen Fan furrowed his brows. "From the sound of it, she should have been poisoned by those people. But perhaps your sister's constitution differs from that of ordinary children, so she did not lose consciousness immediately. Otherwise, by now, she would likely..." He did not finish his final sentence. Ye Wan surely understood the consequences.

"Exactly. Because I am in the sect, I often bring home pills that strengthen the body for them to take. I also taught my sister some breathing techniques. Although she does not have much talent for cultivation, I thought they would at least do her no harm."

"So that's how it is. Is there any way to cure your younger sister's poison?" Chen Fan knew that the children who had been taken away must have met terribly cruel ends. But since Fairy Ye's sister had not been taken away, yet Fairy Ye had gone to such lengths to pursue the matter all the way to Blackrock City, the poison must be severe.

Ye Wan appeared exceedingly dejected. She shook her head and said, "I had wanted to find those people and obtain the antidote, but I never expected that I would also be poisoned by accident and nearly be unable to save myself..." As she spoke, she looked toward Chen Fan again, the meaning in her eyes too clear to need words.

Seeing Ye Wan like this, Chen Fan could not help aching for her. "Since it is Wan'er's matter, it is my matter. Don't worry. I will definitely find a way to wake your younger sister."

Ye Wan looked at the increasingly mature face of the young man, and her heart warmed slightly.

Half a day later, the two returned to Pingliang City. Chen Fan found the old shopkeeper of the White Treasure Pavilion and explained that the people in Blackrock City had been ordered to withdraw. Though the shopkeeper sighed in relief, he also understood that those children were likely lost beyond all recovery. Chen Fan then asked whether Bewildering Soul Incense had an antidote. The old shopkeeper said that even the city lord, together with the many experts of the City Lord's Manor, had been unable to fully grasp the properties of the Bewildering Soul Incense, much less detoxify it. Chen Fan had no choice but to take his leave. It seemed he would have to rely on himself for this matter.

Afterward, Chen Fan and Ye Wan did not linger any longer. They left Pingliang City through the north gate and headed east. That direction led to Ye Wan's residence in the mortal world.

Fifty li east of Pingliang City's outskirts lay a small valley. Its surroundings were elegant, with a little stream running through it, giving it the feeling of a paradise beyond the world. Ye Wan had grown up here, no wonder she carried such a fresh and otherworldly air. After entering the valley, Chen Fan admired the scenery for a while, thinking that if he could stay together with Ye Wan in such a place until they grew old, what need would there be to cultivate? But the thought only flashed through his mind. How could reality possibly be so beautiful?