On the way down from Supreme Void Immortal Mountain, Xu Fan remained silent the entire journey. Clearly, his heart was far less calm than it appeared.
He knew his recent decision had undoubtedly hurt Ji Hanyue deeply, but given how his perception had been altered, it was already the best choice he could make.
After all, all he wanted now… was to find a place to live quietly.
On one side was his master, who had clearly developed twisted feelings for him and even secretly made things difficult for Xianglan multiple times. On the other was the woman he had fallen in love with during this time.
Xu Fan didn’t want to see either of them suffer. And so, this was the only choice he had.
It wasn’t the ideal solution—but it was the best one available.
Beside him, Xianglan walked with her head lowered, clearly in low spirits as well. After a long silence, she finally spoke in a muffled voice, “Xu Fan… your master has feelings for you, doesn’t she?”
It had to be said—women’s intuition was terrifyingly sharp.
As soon as those words left her lips, the air seemed to freeze. Xu Fan snapped out of his thoughts, startled. His expression changed, and he stammered, “Don’t talk nonsense. How can you accuse someone without proof?”
“My master is such a distinguished figure—how could she ever fancy a useless low-level cultivator like me? Not to mention, I was her disciple…”
But hearing that, Xianglan simply smiled and blinked at him, “Xu Fan, you can fool others, but not me.”
“Back in the mission hall, the way your master looked at you… you could practically see the strings of affection. And you’re telling me she doesn’t like you?”
“Xu Fan, tell me the truth—do you actually like the sect master too?”
Xu Fan paused for a moment, then turned his head away, his voice a bit heavy. “Xianglan, you’re overthinking it.”
“My master’s treated me extremely well. How could I harbor such rebellious thoughts? Besides, if I really liked her, would I still be here by your side saying all this?”
Xianglan gave Xu Fan a thoughtful look and said, “That’s true.”
She tactfully didn’t press the issue any further.
The two of them continued walking. Their plan was to leave the sect and settle in a place called Qianye City to live out the rest of their lives together.
That city was under the jurisdiction of the Frozen Moon Empire.
But what they didn’t know was—
Just after they left, the air near a stone forest nearby rippled slightly. A breathtaking woman exuding an icy aura slowly emerged, her long, snow-white legs absurdly beautiful.
Ji Hanyue’s cold, charming eyes flickered. As she watched Xu Fan walk away, a dangerous glint curled in the corner of her eye. “Of all the places in the world, this unfilial disciple just had to go to a region under the Frozen Moon Empire’s control?”
Her expression turned gloomy, her pink fists clenched tightly. “That place is quite far from the sect. Looks like this heartless little thing has really made up his mind…”
But when she recalled what Xu Fan had said earlier in praise of her, Ji Hanyue’s mood lifted a bit. She couldn’t help but snort softly. “Still, Fan’er isn’t entirely hopeless. At least he knows who truly cares for him. He’s just confused and made a wrong choice.”
“No, I must find a chance to rescue Fan’er from that wicked woman’s clutches…”
With that, Ji Hanyue’s figure slowly disappeared from the spot, leaving behind only a faint trace of her aura locked firmly on Xu Fan’s direction.
Qianye City.
A peaceful and modest town where people lived in harmony. There was little conflict, and even the strongest cultivators in the city were only at the Foundation Establishment Realm—an ideal place to hide away from the world.
Xu Fan was quite satisfied with Qianye City. He rented a spacious courtyard house and had been busy going in and out, cleaning the place up.
After sweeping the front yard until it was spotless, he looked up at the slightly overcast sky and sighed helplessly. “Didn’t Xianglan say she was just going out to buy a few household items? What’s taking her so long…”
Shaking his head, he turned back inside. “Forget it. I’ll go tidy up the rooms a bit more.”
But what Xu Fan didn’t know was that while he was happily cleaning up at home, Xianglan hadn’t gone shopping at all.
Instead, she had gone alone to a nearby inn.
In a dimly lit room upstairs—
The cheerful glow that once belonged to a young girl was nowhere to be seen on Xianglan’s face. Instead, she wore a solemn expression as she pulled out a bronze spiritual bracelet capable of long-distance communication.
Zzzzz~
With a buzz like static, a faint spiritual projection was cast from the bracelet, revealing the image of a middle-aged man with a sinister, effeminate expression.
The man had a sharp hooked nose, wore a three-peak hat made of lacquered sand, and was dressed in a wide-sleeved robe embroidered with a python design. His unnaturally pale skin made him look like someone who hadn’t seen sunlight in years—a sickly, unremarkable man.
But if any official of the Frozen Moon Empire had seen him, they would have been shocked.
Because this was none other than He Jin—the head eunuch most trusted by the current emperor!
As soon as the spiritual projection connected, He Jin’s expression darkened, his voice sharp and unpleasant. “Xianglan? Didn’t I warn you not to contact me unless it was urgent?”
“What? Don’t tell me you botched the mission?”
Hearing his questioning tone, a flicker of hesitation, fear, and panic flashed across Xianglan’s face. But in the end, she responded honestly, “Reporting to Lord He… yes, something unexpected happened…”
She explained her recent experiences to He Jin—but for some reason, she deliberately left out most of the details about Xu Fan.
He Jin frowned deeply, his voice harsh and sharp. “Ever since His Majesty grew older, he’s been increasingly uneasy about letting the long-lost Princess Ji Hanyue escape all those years ago. He’s never had a peaceful night since.”
“I, out of concern for His Majesty, investigated and found that the previous sect master of Supreme Void Immortal Mountain had ties to the late emperor. That’s why you were sent to investigate from the inside.”
His expression grew more and more severe, his tone venomous. “When I handed you this mission, I specifically told you not to mess it up! I even made it simple—just find information about the princess within the sect, nothing else!”
“But now? You incompetent fool have completely ruined everything!”
He Jin was furious. It was already difficult enough to cultivate a secret agent in the first place—and one like Xianglan, who also had cultivation aptitude, was even rarer.
He had originally raised Xianglan for this very mission, hoping to gain merit with the emperor. But now that she had messed it up, how could he possibly accept it?
Seeing He Jin’s murderous expression, Xianglan’s breath caught in her throat. The memory of the torture she had once endured at his hands resurfaced, and with her family still under his control, she panicked and stammered, “Lord He, n-no, the situation might still be salvageable!” Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
“Oh?”
He Jin narrowed his snake-like eyes, a dark smirk appearing on his lips. “Speak. If your plan sounds useful, I might spare your life. I might even let your entire family continue living peacefully, just like before.”
Hearing the veiled threat, Xianglan’s expression became conflicted.
Her heart resisted. She didn’t want to betray Xu Fan. But with her family’s lives on the line, she had no choice.
“I… I recently met a disciple named Xu Fan. He was the sect master of Supreme Void Immortal Mountain’s personal disciple…”
He Jin was surprised. After a moment of thought, his expression twisted into something even more sinister. “I didn’t expect you to stumble into such a golden opportunity!”
His mind raced as new plans formed. “That might work… we can revise our approach.”
He Jin, the old fox that he was, quickly pieced together a new strategy. “Start working on Xu Fan mentally. Whisper to him in bed, create distance between him and Ji Hanyue.”
“Then try to recruit him to our side. If we can use him as an insider back in Supreme Void Immortal Mountain, we might finally uncover Princess Ji Hanyue’s whereabouts.”
He Jin’s eyes gleamed brighter with each word, unable to hide his excitement. “Xu Fan has a higher status than you. This way, you won’t even need to take risks anymore. Just stay close to him, and everything will become twice as effective with half the effort!”
“Hahaha! Heaven is truly watching over me!”
He Jin was delighted. He ignored Xianglan’s clearly uncomfortable expression, gave her a long list of new missions, and then finally cut the call.
The room fell silent, leaving behind only Xianglan—her expression dazed and desolate.
She curled up helplessly on the bed, tears silently slipping down her cheeks. “What should I do?”
“I only wanted to complete the mission and find out the whereabouts of the long-lost princess. Who could’ve expected someone like Xu Fan to appear… and treat me so well…”
The more she thought about Xu Fan’s kindness, the deeper her guilt became.
Over these past few days, she realized she had truly fallen for him. But now she had to betray him—for the sake of her family—and it tore at her heart like blades.
Still, when she recalled the rewards He Jin promised after the mission, a sliver of hope clung to her heart.
As long as she completed this one final mission, she could live out her life with Xu Fan just as promised. That thought alone… was too tempting.
Thinking she had come to terms with it all, Xianglan forced a smile and murmured as she walked out of the inn, “Xu Fan… in the end, I’m doing this for our future…”
But she didn’t know—
The moment she stepped out the door, a powerful aura belonging to a Half-God Realm cultivator suddenly surged through the room, mingled with a sharp murderous intent, locking tightly onto her retreating figure.
…