[Thanks: "This ID is unavailable, please refreshˇ," brother for the reward. Apologies for the delay today due to some matters! There should be another chapter later. Please recommend, collect, and reward! The third brother thanks you!]

Ever since she was nearly assaulted in the garage that day, the flower girl had rarely set up her stall.

The flower girl was named Zhen Xiang. Her father had passed away when she was very young, and her mother had always been in poor health, so she started selling flowers at an early age.

After the near-assault, Zhen Xiang had wanted to go to the police, but her mother's recent health had been very bad, and she worried that letting her mother know would only make her worry more. Besides, almost being raped was not exactly a matter of honor, and being naturally timid and fear-averse, she didn't dare to make a big deal out of the incident.

Another thing that worried Zhen Xiang was that when she escaped from the garage that day, she had kicked Ding Fan so hard that he vomited blood. A playboy like Ding Fan would hardly let the matter rest; he would certainly seek double revenge on her.

That day, Ding Fan had thrown five yuan onto her stall, which might very well have been a warning.

Zhen Xiang's unusual behavior had aroused her mother's curiosity, who repeatedly asked if anything was wrong. To avoid worrying her mother, Zhen Xiang merely said she was not feeling well.

After hiding at home for a few days, Zhen Xiang could no longer afford not to open her stall, first because her mother would suspect she was being bullied, and then because the main source of income for the household was the money she earned from selling flowers. Without that, she and her mother really wouldn't know what to eat.

So, Zhen Xiang steeled herself and returned to the market entrance. However, as soon as she arrived, the Ding Fan she had been worried about did not show up, but instead, two policemen approached her.

"Hello, we need your cooperation with some inquiries. It's not very convenient here, let's go to the police station."

Zhen Xiang was confused; she truly didn't know why the police were looking for her and what it was about. She just nodded obediently right then.

Zhen Xiang followed the police to the station, where she was taken into an interrogation room.

"You know Li Congyang, right?" a somewhat overweight middle-aged policeman asked.

Zhen Xiang shook her head slightly. "No, I don't know him."

"Li Congyang is an alias; his real name is Mouse."

Zhen Xiang nodded; she did indeed know Mouse, but she didn't understand why the police would ask her about him.

"Do you remember, a week ago, Mouse drugged you and took you to the garage?"

Zhen Xiang slowly nodded her head.

"We would like to know how you escaped and whether you know how Mouse and his two henchmen died later, and how the garage caught fire."

After hearing the middle-aged officer's words, Zhen Xiang's eyes widened in shock. "What are you saying? You're saying Mouse and them are dead? And that garage caught fire?"

The middle-aged officer nodded. "Do you know about it?"

Zhen Xiang was a bit bewildered; she had always thought that Mouse was Ding Fan's subordinate, and that her being taken to the garage had been orchestrated by Ding Fan. But now, she had a vague feeling that something wasn't quite right.

At that moment, Zhen Xiang recalled something that had been puzzling her these past few days. When she had been drugged, they could easily have done what they wanted, and when she was escaping, she had clearly seen Mouse and his two henchmen all lying on the ground. Although it was just a glance, she could tell that they had definitely been beaten by someone.

If Mouse truly was Ding Fan's subordinate, why would he beat up his own men?

Ding ding ding...

Seeing Zhen Xiang lost in thought, the middle-aged officer knocked on the table. "Do you know how Mouse and his men died?"

"No... I don't know..."

"Besides Mouse and his men, who else was there that day?"

Zhen Xiang shook her head, thinking back to the way Ding Fan had thrown money at her in the marketplace that day. She felt that things might not be as she had thought, so she didn't expose Ding Fan.

The middle-aged officer eyed Zhen Xiang and then opened the computer beside him. At that moment, a somewhat shaky video started playing.

"This video was found at the scene after the fire. You are the only witness present, have a look; maybe you'll remember something."

"Brother Mouse, this… what are we playing at here?" a voice came from the shaking image on the computer.

"Xi Zi, you wouldn't know about this, but big brother here has found a way to prosper. Not only will we have fun with this chick, but we'll also make a fortune."

"Make a fortune?"

"Man, why are you so dense? Just give this chick some drugs, and when she gets frisky, film her with the DV. Capture the exciting moments and then sell them online."

"Don't worry, bro. We've done this several times before. These girls all pretend to be innocent, but once they're on drugs, they'll start begging for it. Even if they wake up and go to the police, there's nothing to fear. We've got evidence to prove they did it willingly, so the police can't touch us."

At this moment, Mouse's voice came from the computer. "Make sure you film it well when it's my turn to ****. I'll share the spoils with you guys after I've had my fill."

"Thanks, Mouse bro!"

"Baldie, how's the DV setup going?"

"Bro, everything's set up and recording now."

…

Zhen Xiang's face flushed so hot, and her hands clenched tightly together from shame and anger. These beasts had concocted such a vile scheme to take advantage of her. If they really defiled her and the video spread online, she'd be too ashamed to even die!

Just then, the sound of a rolling gate being opened came from the screen.

"How could it be you?"

The video then shook, but the sounds of a fight came through the recording. Finally, the footage stopped on the ground, where Mouse and his men could be seen beaten up badly.

In the half-hour of video that followed, no more sounds were heard, until at the end, someone was kicked off the bed and a mouthful of blood splattered on the floor…

By then, even Zhen Xiang, as naive as she was, understood what had happened. It turned out Ding Fan wasn't with Mouse and his gang; he was there to save her, and she, unaware, had knocked her rescuer to the ground.

Zhen Xiang felt a deep shame in her heart. If Ding Fan hadn't intervened, Mouse and his men would have certainly harmed her. Yet, she hadn't even thanked her savior, and had even kicked him until he vomited blood...

"Who was the person who entered the garage later? From the video, it looks like you kicked her under the bed. You should know her," the middle-aged police officer asked.

The video was now frozen, indicating it had finished playing.

"I was too scared to think at the time. I don't know who that person is," Zhen Xiang shook her head and replied.

By now, Zhen Xiang was fairly certain that the one who had killed Mouse and his men and set fire to the garage was Ding Fan. Ding Fan was her life-saving benefactor; he had committed arson and murder for her. She had already misunderstood Ding Fan once; how could she cause him more trouble?

…

After two days and nights of hard work, Ding Fan finally finished the protection talisman for Zhou Ruoran, as well as condensed three medicine pills.

The protective talisman given to Zhou Ruoran was a bracelet made by Ding Fan from rough jade he had purchased. The bracelet was composed of ten Jade Beads, and in case of danger, each bead would shatter one by one, helping Zhou Ruoran turn peril into safety.

Besides serving as a protective measure, the beads also had the ability to clear the mind and nourish the brain. Since Zhou Ruoran hadn't been resting well, this bracelet would be particularly helpful for her.

The three medicine pills he made, while not spirit pills, could still help Zhou Ruoran regulate the meridians within her body, enhance her constitution, and even completely remove the lesions in her heart. After consuming these pills, her health would be guaranteed for many years to come.

Over these few days, Ding Fan had consulted a map and found a primal forest not far from Dancheng.

This forest was named Immortal Peak Primeval Forest because, it was said, an immortal once lived in seclusion there long ago. The forest was vast, but seldom frequented by humans.

It was rumored that over the years, more than ten expeditions had vanished within it, and since then, few dared to venture in.

At first glance, the forest seemed perilous, but Ding Fan was unfazed. In the Cultivation World, he was a cultivator who had found Grade Eight Spiritual Herbs with his own power. Ding Fan knew that the more dangerous a place, the more likely it was to find treasures.

Having made up his mind, Ding Fan found a cardboard box, then placed the bracelet and pills inside. In addition to these items, he also included the bank card with two thousand yuan. He still had the fifty thousand yuan check from Xu Rui; he wouldn't be short on money for a while.

Zhou Ruoran was about to go to Yanjing for her studies, and she would need money.

Ding Fan left the prepared box on the living room table; it was still around four or five in the morning. He made breakfast and placed it in an insulated box, then put this box on the living room table as well. He found a piece of paper and wrote three simple words.

"I'm leaving."

Ding Fan walked out of the villa to the flowerbed, where the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass had set seeds. After collecting the seeds, he looked back one last time at the villa he had lived in for over a week, then turned and left.

…