Lin Fan Had It Rough

At dawn, the first ray of sunlight spilled down, draping heaven and earth in a veil of gold.

With a crisp birdsong, the sun slowly rose, and a vivid red gradually stained the sky. Purple clouds came from the east, and the whole world seemed especially peaceful.

The morning clouds were as lovely as poetry and paintings. Bright sunlight pierced the clouds and poured over green mountains and clear waters, forming countless shimmering "paths" across the water like golden ribbons, dazzling and breathtaking.

Towering mountains stood wreathed in mist, like an immortal realm. A spiritual spring murmured through a mountain ravine, becoming a waterfall that slipped down the cliff, its spray scattering like smoke and mist. A rainbow stretched across the spiritual river like a bridge joining heaven and earth.

Amid this beautiful scenery, one tiny figure stood out.

It was a child of about four, holding a fork much taller than himself as he stared intently at the river, preparing to catch fish.

Meanwhile, a woman dressed in snowy white lay on a stone slab by the bank, her expression languid as she quietly enjoyed the peace and beauty of the moment.

"Little Fan, pick up the pace!" Ye Qingxian said cheerfully. Her voice was clear and sweet, as melodious as an oriole emerging from a valley. Her lovely eyes narrowed, and the corners of her mouth lifted.

"Sure thing, boss! Almost done!" Little Fan immediately replied, his young face full of sincerity as he toiled without complaint.

He sped up his fishing, whipping the trident about wildly, every swing filled with strength.

Yet he seemed to be venting his resentment, muttering, "Stab you to death... stab you to death!"

It was as though he had poured all his anger into these fish.

Splash!

With a splash, a fish with dragon whiskers leaped out of the water, its body tracing a graceful arc through the air. Little Fan promptly speared it with his trident.

The fish's scales gleamed gold, crystalline and hard, like a piece of solid gold. Over a meter long, it had plump flesh and looked utterly delicious.

This spiritual creature was called a dragon scale fish. It possessed an exceptional degree of divinity and tasted incomparably delicious, with particularly excellent effects on replenishing blood and strengthening sinews.

Little Fan then expertly cleaned the dragon scale fish, set a pot of water to boil, and sliced its flesh thinly. Clearly, he had done this often.

Once the fish slices were cooked, he carefully lifted the pot and walked toward the woman in white with a radiant smile. With great solemnity, he said, "Please enjoy, boss!"

"Mm, not bad. You're a teachable child." Ye Qingxian slowly opened her eyes. Her two black-gem eyes turned toward her little underling, and she nodded in satisfaction.

Her red lips parted slightly as she began savoring the food, delighted.

At the same time, she struggled to keep from laughing, unable to stop herself from thinking, Who would ever imagine that the Sage Emperor, who once lorded over the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, would become my obedient little underling? Thank goodness this fellow started his cultivation over and lost his memories. Otherwise, heh heh...

But watching Ye Qingxian enjoy herself, Lin Fan inwardly cursed, Motherfucker! His misery was beyond words. He desperately wanted to shout, "Do you know how I've survived all these years?"

The woman clearly looked like an immortal maiden, beautiful, captivating, and unforgettable, yet she constantly dreamed up ways to torment him, building her happiness upon his suffering.

When he was barely over a year old, she had made him look after himself. That alone would have been tolerable, but she also demanded that he serve her tea and water and cook for her every day.

To put it nicely, it was earning his own keep. To put it bluntly, it was child abuse.

What kind of human being would do such a thing? He was still a child!

Even worse, Ye Qingxian had given him that lousy name-Lin Fan-and called him Little Fan all day long. This utterly overturned the proper order! Did she really think he did not know what that name meant?

"Just what you'd expect from someone raised by the Four Evils of Shrouding the Heavens. Black-hearted!" Lin Fan muttered with his head lowered.

"Little Fan, what are you mumbling about?" Ye Qingxian's eyes curved, her white teeth gleaming. Despite her smile, danger permeated the air.

Lin Fan jolted and promptly put on a fawning smile. Cheerfully, he said, "Heh heh, I was wondering whether I should give you a massage next, boss, to put you in a lovely mood."

Ye Qingxian could barely contain herself. Her full chest rose and fell as she kept snickering. With that shameless expression paired with his tiny body, Lin Fan was the very picture of an adorable little boy. It was hard not to laugh.

"Come on, then!" She stretched and lay down on a spacious lounge chair.

Damn it, sooner or later I'll make you learn why flowers are so red, and avenge my poor little pecker. Lin Fan smiled without warmth. Those memories were too painful to revisit.

Then, with a soft thump, he jumped onto her and began one of the few things he had found somewhat enjoyable these past few years-giving her a massage.

Her body was soft, her skin as smooth and fair as mutton-fat jade, with a luminous sheen flowing over it. She had an immortal's grace and jade-like bones. Lin Fan pressed with careful, measured force, moving from her shoulders to her back before switching to gentle pounding.

"Boss, how's the pressure?"

"Not bad," Ye Qingxian replied unhurriedly, her face glowing with utter comfort.

But when she felt a certain pair of restless little hands, she immediately warned him, "Don't go any lower. Watch your head! You can't be this lecherous at your age!"

"Huh? What are you thinking, boss? I just wanted to give you a full-body massage. I'm only four! What could I possibly do?" Lin Fan said with perfect innocence, his childish voice pure and guileless, making him look utterly innocent.

"As if I don't know what you're thinking, you little lecher. The moment you stick your rear up, I know what you're plotting," Ye Qingxian said with a leisurely smile.

Lin Fan was speechless. She looked as pure as an immortal, peerless and aloof, seemingly untouched by worldly affairs, yet her speech was so vulgar, and her hide was thicker than a pig's.

As though she knew what he was thinking, Ye Qingxian reached back and rewarded him with a sharp rap on the head. Arrogantly, she declared, "No secretly disparaging this immortal! An attendant should act like an attendant. If my rough edges hadn't been smoothed down yet, I'd string you up and beat you to teach you how to be a proper little underling!"

"Ah..."

Lin Fan howled in pain, tears nearly spilling. She truly had not held back; the pain pierced his heart. Still, he protested, "I'm innocent! My admiration for you is like a mighty river in endless flood... my heart is filled with nothing but you! How would I dare disparage you?"

That barrage of extravagant flattery made Ye Qingxian's heart blossom with joy, leaving her a little embarrassed.

"Ahem. It's good that you've come to this realization, Little Fan. You should know that countless people can only dream of becoming my attendant. You ought to count yourself lucky!" Ye Qingxian said, utterly full of herself.

At that moment, Lin Fan wanted to die. How had he encountered such a scoundrel right from the start-a woman so vain, thick-skinned, and black-hearted?

When she kept quiet, she was fine: tranquil as a divine lotus, worthy of being a holy maiden. But the moment she opened her mouth, she became a sly, mischievous demoness without a shred of decorum.

"Yes, yes, yes... serving you, my immortal boss, is the greatest honor of my life. From now on, I'll listen even more closely to your precious words of wisdom!" Lin Fan nodded repeatedly, showing wholehearted agreement.

"Since you're being so sensible, I've decided to give you a chance to go out and explore the world!" Ye Qingxian said, in an excellent mood.

"What? I can leave?" Lin Fan cried, overjoyed, only to suddenly feel that it was too good to be real.

He had wanted to leave for far more than a day or two, but every attempt had failed. He simply could not get out of this forest by himself; ferocious beasts and savage birds filled the world outside.

Moreover, whenever Ye Qingxian discovered that he had dared to sneak away, the outcome went without saying-another thorough round of torment.

Was she deliberately testing him?

"Boss, I actually still want to stay by your side. How could the outside world compare to you? After all, you're the most beautiful sight in the world." Lin Fan said the opposite of what he felt, proceeding cautiously for fear of falling into another trap she had devised to toy with him.

She had tricked him like this once before, and he had ended up being tormented for three whole days. Back then, he had nearly begun to wonder whether this woman had reached menopause.

"I mean it this time. As my attendant, you can't be too weak!" Ye Qingxian said with some disdain, looking at this little weakling.

In truth, she was afraid she might really break him with her games and delay important matters. Otherwise, the karmic consequences would be enormous. After all, in the future...

Lin Fan felt rather annoyed. Now she was looking down on him, too? What kind of nonsense was that? Who was it who had forcibly kept him here for four years? Four entire years! Those had been years weathered by hardship!