After attending the Wu Family's banquet, Ye Fan returned to his apartment and shut himself away to focus on cultivating.
After the banquet, Ye Fan's reputation rose another notch, and stories about him spread far and wide.
"Tingting, this Ye Fan has gone way too far! That creep actually told people you were a cheap, common woman, and even called you damaged goods!" Jiang Rou said indignantly.
Qian Yu was a loudmouth who couldn't keep anything to himself. Once, after getting drunk at a dinner party, he grew excited when the subject of Liao Tingting and Ye Zhize's marriage came up.
He declared that Ye Fan was an enlightened master who concealed his true abilities and had exceptionally high standards. He also said Ye Fan had no interest in a cheap, common woman like Liao Tingting, who was nothing but damaged goods.
By the time Qian Yu sobered up, the words were already out. It was too late.
Anything that happened in high society soon became the talk of the town. Liao Tingting and Ye Zhize's marriage was well known among Cang City's wealthy families. Liao Tingting's decision to abandon Ye Fan for Ye Zhize had already attracted attention, and this latest revelation only made things livelier.
Hu Yuqin glanced at Jiang Rou and said, "Enough, Rou. Stop talking." She silently cursed Jiang Rou for being an idiot. Why bring up something like that? "Tingting, you don't need to pay any attention to Ye Fan. You can't take the words of a spoiled rich brat seriously."
"There's been something unusual about Ye Fan lately." Liao He had investigated Song Bohui and the others and discovered that Song Bohui had recently been afflicted by something supernatural. Apparently, Ye Fan had cured him. Gods and ghosts were things one couldn't entirely believe in, but couldn't entirely dismiss either.
Song Bohui and his friends alone wouldn't have meant much. The crucial one was Zhou Jinzhi. Old Zhou was exceedingly difficult to please, yet he regarded Ye Fan with special favor.
At the Ye Family residence.
"That-that bastard! I'm going to teach him a lesson!" Ye Yinglan said, seething.
Wang Xiaofei clenched her fists, feeling uneasy. They had finally managed to drive Ye Fan out of the family, but perhaps they had pushed him too far. Now he dared to say anything.
What had been a perfectly good marriage between Ye Zhize and Liao Tingting had suddenly taken on an ugly tone thanks to Ye Fan's meddling.
Ye Fan's remark about "damaged goods" had prompted plenty of speculation and snickering.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Ye Fan. After returning from the banquet, he had holed up in his room and cultivated diligently.
With the help of the blood ginseng and the Qi-Gathering Turtle, Ye Fan finally reached the moment of breakthrough after more than ten days.
Streams of spiritual energy flowed into Ye Fan's body, and he eagerly absorbed the spiritual energy around him.
As Ye Fan rapidly absorbed spiritual power, someone began knocking at the door. He didn't get up to answer, but the knocking only grew louder. "Break it down!" An enraged female voice reached his ears.
The door was smashed open. Ye Fan opened his eyes, a dark, vicious look flashing through them.
"Bitch!" Killing intent flickered in Ye Fan's eyes. On the Cultivation Continent, trespassing in someone else's cave abode was a grave offense. If a cultivator was interrupted during secluded cultivation, they could suffer severe injuries or even lose their cultivation entirely.
Ye Yinglan had brought people to pick a fight, but the sight of Ye Fan's blood-red eyes made her want to back out.
"Ye Fan, you bastard! How dare you slander Tingting!"
Ye Fan moved, appearing before Ye Yinglan in an instant. He seized her by the throat.
"What are you doing? Murder is illegal!" Ye Yinglan shrieked.
The burly men Ye Yinglan had brought lunged at Ye Fan. Having reached the second layer of Qi Refining, his strength had surged. He sent them flying with one kick apiece, and in no time, every last one had been knocked away.
Ye Fan slapped Ye Yinglan twice, then threw her out. "If you ever dare come here to cause trouble again, I'll strip you naked and dump you on a street in the red-light district!" he snarled.
Slapped by Ye Fan once again, Ye Yinglan finally lost control and burst into tears.
When Qian Yu arrived, he found burly men sprawled all over the ground outside Ye Fan's apartment, along with Ye Yinglan, who was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.
Qian Yu frowned and glanced at Ye Fan. Standing with his hands on his hips, Ye Fan swept a look over him, and Qian Yu obediently followed him inside.
"Young Master Ye, did you beat Ye Yinglan again?" Qian Yu asked nervously.
"I wouldn't open the door for her, and she actually dared to have people smash it down. That girl has some nerve. I hear that overseas, you can shoot someone dead for breaking into your home. What a shame! You can't do that here. Killing someone here would be too much trouble," Ye Fan said regretfully.
Qian Yu gave a strained laugh. If killing people weren't illegal here, would Ye Fan have killed them all?
"Young Master Ye, I found all the medicinal herbs you asked me to look for," Ye Fan said.
After treating Song Bohui that day, Ye Fan hadn't asked any of them for further consultation fees. He had only asked them to help find some medicinal herbs.
"Mm, not bad. How much do I owe you?"
Qian Yu hurriedly waved his hands. "Nothing, nothing! How could I charge you for such a small amount of herbs?"
Qian Yu knew full well that Ye Fan had written a prescription for the Bai Family's young master, and even Old Doctor Hua had praised it to the skies! Who was Old Doctor Hua? He was known as the Imperial Physician and treated only the most powerful figures.
The door slowly swung open, startling Qian Yu. Who pushed the door open? Was this another trespasser? Oh no, oh no. This one was going to get sent flying.
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