Ji Ziyue’s large eyes blinked and blinked. “There’s no need for any headache whatsoever — release me, and every last bit of trouble disappears.”

“What a nuisance…” He couldn’t kill her, couldn’t release her. Ye Fan gently massaged his temples.

Ji Ziyue was displeased. “Hey, hey, hey — who’s a nuisance? How could someone as clever and beautiful as a future immortal have anything to do with those two words?”

“What am I supposed to do with you?”

“We’ve been through hardship together, crossed the Ancient Bronze Immortal Hall side by side — you could say we’ve formed a bond through life and death. You can’t treat a friend this way.” Ji Ziyue wrinkled her nose. “Let me go. I guarantee I won’t harm you.”

Ye Fan sat beneath the ancient tree, glancing at her a few times from the corner of his eye. “Your guarantees and promises — those I don’t dare accept.”

Ji Ziyue was not discouraged. In her clear and melodious voice — like large and small pearls tumbling into a jade plate — she spoke gently and persuasively, trying to convince Ye Fan.

“I know how to cultivate the Bright Moon Rising over the Sea…”

“The great masters of antiquity all possessed tremendous power, and there is hidden lore behind it…”

“There is an enormous secret within the Void Ancient Scripture…”

“The seven life-forbidden zones of the Eastern Desolation have…”

Ji Ziyue’s little mouth kept going without pause, offering persuasions and enticements one after another. By the end, even her mouth had gone dry.

She glared at Ye Fan with indignation. “Have you been listening to any of what I said?”

“Of course I’ve been listening. But everything you’ve said is incomplete. Every single time you’ve only told me the first half, and swallowed the rest back down. I was just waiting for the continuation.”

“Are you going to let me go or not?”

“No.” Ye Fan answered with complete decisiveness.

“You… I’ve said all this, and that’s all the response I get? Why didn’t you just say so from the beginning? You’ve driven me to fury — and my throat is parched.” Ji Ziyue felt utterly drained.

“Keep talking. I’m very happy to keep listening.”

Ji Ziyue was truly furious now, glaring at him: “If you don’t let me go soon, my family will definitely find their way here — and then you’ll be in serious trouble!”

“Indeed, that would be serious trouble.” Ye Fan leaned his back against the trunk of the ancient tree, right hand rubbing his chin, speaking in a teasing tone: “How about this — I’ll reluctantly take you as my wife. We’ll live in seclusion here for a while, and in a few years bring along a little group of children to formally meet your family.”

“You little brat Ye Fan, if you keep talking nonsense, I’m not finished with you!”

“Are you questioning my sincerity?” Ye Fan smiled and rose to his feet.

Ji Ziyue was immediately so frightened she wailed.

In the end, Ye Fan obtained another passage of the Void Ancient Scripture, and settled down beside the lake to read it carefully.

Two days later, a tiny bird appeared at the lakeside — jade green all over, carved as if from emerald, with eyes like two red beans embedded in its head.

“Quick — catch it!” Ji Ziyue suddenly let out a startled cry.

“Why?” Ye Fan, his cultivation interrupted, turned to look at her.

Ji Ziyue’s face filled with alarm. “Quick — don’t let it escape! If it gets away, we’re both dead.”

Ye Fan shot into the air and, swift as lightning, reached out to catch the jade green bird.

But this little bird had already attained a measure of sentience. Its speed was astonishingly fast — transforming into a streak of green light, it vanished in a flash, escaping into the distant sky.

Ye Fan brought out the purple-bronze Eight Trigrams Mirror. Its face gleamed like a full moon, and a beam of brilliant light shot forth — with a faint swick, the jade bird transformed into a wisp of pale smoke.

“What’s going on? What’s the origin of that jade bird?”

“It was one of my cousin sister’s many pets.” Ji Ziyue’s expression showed a flicker of panic. “Quickly release me — if you don’t, we’ll both be in danger.”

Ye Fan’s heart gave a jolt. Had people from the Ji Family tracked them here this quickly? At the same time, he acutely sensed something was off, and asked: “Your cousin sister has come — and you seem frightened of her. She means you harm. Why is that?”

“You don’t understand…” Ji Ziyue had no desire to explain. “Quickly undo my restraints. Otherwise, she won’t just harm me — she’ll kill you to silence you as well.”

“From the same family — and she actually wants to kill you…” Ye Fan was shocked.

“Stop wasting time — it’ll be too late!” Ji Ziyue’s face showed genuine fear and anxiety as she pressed him urgently.

“If I release you, I might lose my life on the spot.” Ye Fan scooped up Ji Ziyue and was about to flee through the air.

But at that very moment, a clear and crisp burst of laughter rang out: “Miss Ziyue — what a surprise to encounter you here.”

A woman in a green dress, voluptuous and graceful, came drifting lightly through the air, appearing at the lakeside and blocking Ye Fan’s path.

“Ji Xia — is my cousin sister Biyue also here?” Ji Ziyue asked.

“Miss Biyue has not come. I was passing through this area on an errand when I unexpectedly discovered Miss Ziyue’s whereabouts.” Though the woman in green was one of the Ji Family’s servants, she was at this moment exceedingly brazen and insolent, smiling lightly: “Oh my — so Miss Ziyue has been flying side by side with someone.”

“Ji Xia, you are insolent!” Ji Ziyue secretly pinched Ye Fan, signaling him to undo the seal.

Ji Xia studied Ye Fan up and down, then smiled: “Nothing but a young boy of about fourteen. Miss Ziyue, your taste leaves much to be desired.”

Her words were deeply disrespectful — making sport of Ji Ziyue, and not even deigning to take Ye Fan seriously.

Ye Fan silently feared the worst. That Ji Family members had tracked them here this quickly was beyond his expectations, and this woman clearly harbored malicious intent.

Ji Xia appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years of age. Though she was fairly attractive, she bore no comparison to the vivid and spirited Ji Ziyue. She wore a false smile as she spoke: “Are you unwell, Miss Ziyue? You look a little unsteady on your feet, as though you lack strength. Would you like this servant to give you a hand?”

“Ji Xia, you are being far too brazen. Have you come here seeking me?”

“Miss Ziyue, you have been missing for a long time. The family elders have been gravely worried, believing you had fallen into the hands of the demon race, and have been launching campaigns everywhere trying to bring you back. Yet who could have imagined that while we worried ourselves sick for you, you were here, making a home with someone, living as a couple…”

Ji Xia grew increasingly insolent — she did not treat Ji Ziyue as her mistress at all, taking pleasure in mocking her again and again.

Ji Ziyue did not grow angry. Calm and composed, she said: “Ji Xia — you’ve come on my cousin sister Biyue’s orders to find me, haven’t you? You intend to do away with me, don’t you?”

Ji Xia let out a peal of laughter like a silver bell. “Miss Biyue has a kind heart and would never do such a thing. But I, this servant, have fewer scruples — and yes, I do intend to send Miss Ziyue on her way.”

“If you want to kill me, then come at me directly.” Ji Ziyue stepped lightly forward.

Ji Xia hesitated, falling back two steps, her gaze shifting to Ye Fan. “Young boy — your methods are impressive. I don’t know what technique you used to subdue my Miss Ziyue…” She was very cautious, wanting to test whether Ye Fan had truly sealed Ji Ziyue.

“Ji Xia, after following my cousin sister Biyue all these years, you’ve truly picked up her bad habits — suspicious of everything. And even now you still don’t dare make a move?” Ji Ziyue smiled.

This very calmness only deepened Ji Xia’s suspicions. In an instant she shot into the sky. “Miss Ziyue — come up here and fight.”

Ji Ziyue inwardly groaned — she very much wanted to bite Ye Fan twice.

“Ha ha ha…” Ji Xia laughed seductively, as beautiful as a flower in bloom. “It seems I was overthinking.” Then she swept her hand lightly, and a bolt of blue lightning tore through the air, striking downward toward Ji Ziyue.

“Flash!”

Ye Fan shot forward and pulled Ji Ziyue aside. Amid a thunderous roar, several towering ancient trees were reduced to drifting ash by the crackling blue lightning, the earth beneath scorched black.

“So Miss Ziyue truly has been captured — but this young boy is not all that powerful. How did he manage it?” She scattered a handful of sparkling colored sand, gleaming like a sky full of stars, forming a constellation-like nebula that came billowing downward to envelop them.

“Get away from here quickly — you’re no match for her.” Ji Ziyue whispered in Ye Fan’s ear.

Ye Fan grabbed Ji Ziyue, swift as the wind, plunging into the lake and diving straight in. He did not dare fly toward the mountains — if his whereabouts were exposed, he could not survive in this region.

“Undo my restraints — quickly!” Beneath the lake water, Ji Ziyue shook Ye Fan’s shoulders with all her might.

A faint curtain of light enveloped the two of them as they sank downward.

“Ha ha ha…” Ji Xia’s laughter carried through the water as she wove swiftly through it, encased in green light, nearly upon them in moments. Yet even she harbored misgivings — she did not dare outright kill Ji Ziyue, fearing the marks on her body would erupt and cause her tremendous trouble.

Ye Fan plunged toward the lake floor, intending to make use of the immense, mountain-heavy Profound Yellow vital energy stored there.

“You, young boy — your spiritual power fluctuations are no higher than the Divine Bridge realm. How did you capture Miss Ziyue?” Ji Xia transmitted her voice through the water. “I expect someone else made the move, and you were merely left here to guard her?”

Ji Ziyue too had understood Ye Fan’s plan, and said: “Find a way to trigger the Profound Yellow vital energy below — cause it to surge upward.”

“Little brat — I recall that when we encircled that woman with the golden lotus, I seemed to see you being guarded by several old demons. There must be some secret on your body.” Ji Xia’s laughter grew gradually colder. “It seems today I’ll be walking away with quite a windfall.”

When they reached the lake floor, Ye Fan suddenly swung his fist downward toward the water beneath him — then pushed his speed to the absolute limit, carrying Ji Ziyue as he shot forward and fled.

“BOOM!”

Like the gates of hell being thrown open, a vast and overwhelming pressure surged and roiled, as if capable of rending the heavens and splitting the earth asunder — erupting upward in a single tremendous explosion.

Ji Xia had just rushed to that very spot. Her face went instantly pale with terror as she cried out: “The Profound Yellow of legend!”

A single wisp of the Profound Yellow was enough to crush an entire mountain range. When this immense, mountain-crushing Profound Yellow vital energy erupted in full force — the power was beyond imagining. She was so terrified her soul nearly left her body. Frantically she fled upward, no longer the least bit concerned with pursuing Ye Fan.

“Ahhhh…!” Ji Xia let out a shrill, agonized scream.

At a distance, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue were both shaken to the core. They had already burst through the lake’s surface and fled far away.

The lake water boiled. Massive waves surged into the sky. The Profound Yellow roiled and churned like a colossal millstone grinding in circles — no force in the world could resist it!

The agonized screams cut off abruptly. Ji Xia did not emerge. Only a long time later did the lake water finally return to calm.

Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue stood on the bank, both silent for a long while, each with complicated feelings.

After a very long time, Ye Fan spoke first: “That Ji Biyue won’t come down after us, will she?”

Ji Ziyue did not answer. She was deep in thought, murmuring to herself: “We can’t go back now — can’t show our faces either. The situation is quite complicated…”

“It is very complicated!” At that very moment, an ice-cold voice rang out. Ji Xia appeared behind the two of them — hair wild and disheveled, like a vengeful wraith — no more than ten meters away. Her entire body blazed with a ghastly green radiance.

“Even the Profound Yellow couldn’t grind you to dust?!” Ye Fan was greatly startled.

Ji Ziyue’s bright, lively eyes also widened with shock. “Did Ji Biyue give you a Divine Light Escape Talisman?”

“Indeed. To search for Miss Ziyue, I was given one Divine Light Escape Talisman — transforming into lightning to seek you out. I have been searching for you for many days!” Ji Xia’s face was grotesque and twisted. She came pressing forward with an eerie, sinister air. “Unfortunately, the divine talisman was barely grazed by the Profound Yellow vital energy — and it shattered. Miss Ziyue… your time has come.”

Ye Fan stepped in front of Ji Ziyue. “You wretched servant who defies her master… you deserve to be executed.”