Chapter 199

When the two reached the backyard, Chen Fan stared hard at Zhu Yeqing. He wanted to hit her, but deep down, he couldn’t bear to. After all, she was his close companion. To say he didn’t care for her would be a lie. How else could Chen Fan tolerate Zhu Yeqing teasing him every time? He’d always go along with it.

He definitely cared for her deeply—a girl who loved him until the very end. She stayed by his side throughout the entire novel, never leaving him, even at the end.

Wu Meiniang might be his trump card, his final ace. But Zhu Yeqing was the one who truly stayed with him. His feelings for her were undeniably stronger. Still, if he didn’t punish her, it wouldn’t feel right. He was the villain, after all.

“Why are you crying?”

Uncharacteristically, Chen Fan didn’t make a fuss. Instead, he looked at Zhu Yeqing.

“I don’t know … I’m just … upset. They talked about you, and it made me unhappy.”

Chen Fan reached out and flicked her forehead, saying, “Does it hurt?”

Zhu Yeqing clutched her forehead and said, “It hurts, but I won’t say it.”

“Look at you, getting all worked up. If an ant insults you, would you bother fighting back? Do you think the ant would even hear you? What if you scare it to death?”

This scene had no plot significance—it was a blank spot in the story.

In these blank areas, whatever you do won’t affect the plot’s direction. For example, even if Zhu Yeqing had crippled Brother Di at this moment, he’d still recover and grow stronger. Because this character was a core supporting male in the second half of the book.

Not a villain, but a true ally—Ye Aotian’s good brother. People like him don’t die. As for someone like Qian Wuyue, he’s probably just cannon fodder who’ll get crushed by the protagonist halfway through and then fade into obscurity.

Zhu Yeqing let out a giggle and said, “Young Master, you’re right. It was my mistake.”

“Good, as long as you understand.”

Zhu Yeqing looked at her young master and said, “Please punish me, Young Master.”

You’re going too far. It’s broad daylight, and we’re outside, at someone else’s place. Don’t get cocky.

“Not interested. Behave yourself from now on. If you don’t, I’ll deal with you.”

Zhu Yeqing reached out and said, “Young Master, hug me.”

“No way. Why are you acting like a kid? Be mature. Isn’t that embarrassing?”

“Young Master, please, just a hug. Come on.”

Chen Fan helplessly reached out and hugged Zhu Yeqing.

The inner energy in his body, the natural flow of yin and yang, circulated on its own. Chen Fan didn’t think much of it, as sometimes he couldn’t control the way his internal power worked.

It was as if he didn’t need to do anything—his various techniques would just do their job and level him up automatically. But for Zhu Yeqing, her body was undergoing rapid changes.

Countless streams of power surged within her. Suddenly, a door appeared out of nowhere, and with a gentle push, Zhu Yeqing opened it.

A new world unfolded before her.

At that moment, Zhu Yeqing knew she had stepped into a realm beyond first rank—a mysterious new world.

And then, as her right hand unconsciously exerted force, a faint breeze could be seen. Was she aligned with the wind attribute? She didn’t know. Even her master had never reached the heights she now stood at.

But at that moment, as Zhu Yeqing looked at Chen Fan, she realized just how terrifying he was. Even after breaking into this new realm, she still found her young master’s strength unfathomable.

“Damn, that’s too cool. Today, I’m a Zhu Yeqing fan.”

In the group chat, Ye Zimei was shouting wildly.

Ling Yuyan said, “What the heck are you guys doing in Modu? Why does it feel so exciting?”

Ye Zimei replied, “Nothing much. By the way, hasn’t your Ling family arrived yet? What are you up to?”

Ling Yuyan said, “Handing over work. Please, I need to switch jobs. If I don’t, how am I supposed to come to Modu? So annoying. I’ll probably be there soon.”

Ghost Face sent two skull emojis, expressing inner joy.

Cao Zijin said, “It doesn’t seem to affect anything. I think I’ve figured out how to play this game, haha. Seems like there’s a new way to go about it. I’ll share with you all later.”

At this point, Zhu Yeqing spoke up, “Um … I have something to say. Senior Tao Xiaoyao, are you there?”

“Speak. I’m gaming.”

Zhu Yeqing said, “So, I think I’ve surpassed first rank. What … what kind of realm is this?”

The group fell into a deathly silence.

Big sis, don’t mess around. What’s this about? We’re talking urban drama here, and you’re out here cultivating immortality? That’s too much, you know.

Tao Xiaoyao asked, “Any signs?”

“Well, I feel like if I put in a little effort with my right hand, I can release a bit of energy.”

“That’s wind, right? Yeah, you’ve definitely surpassed first rank. Little Grandmaster, that’s probably the realm. The next step up would be Grandmaster.”

“And then?”

Tao Xiaoyao added, “That’s enough for now. Beyond that, I’d have to ask around. Nobody knows. I haven’t reached that level myself, but now that you’re a Little Grandmaster, I feel like there’s no point in sparring with you anymore. You’d completely outclass me. Sigh, now I get why the Di family is so powerful. Their Dijun Si is at your level. This realm is the kind where one person can take on hundreds.”

Damn, that strong?

Cao Zijin asked, “How did you boost your strength?”

Zhu Yeqing said, “I don’t know. I just hugged the young master out of nowhere, and I leveled up. Also, I realized the young master is terrifying. I still can’t gauge his strength. It feels like he’s from a completely different world.”

Ling Yuyan said, “So … when you guys … you know, is Chen Fan super impressive?”

Can you talk about something serious? Really. We’re discussing important stuff here, and you’re driving off-topic.

Though, to be fair, everyone was curious.

Zhu Yeqing sent a shy emoji and went silent.

Alright, that emoji said it all.

Impressive.

Ye Ziyu said, “Brother Di seems like he’s done for. That’s the vibe.”

Damn. That serious?

Jin Lan said, “Done for? You mean that ancient martial arts thing … the mental state?”

Ye Ziyu said, “Something like that. It’s scary. Zhu Yeqing, you … went too far. You completely crushed him. Brother Di never imagined the gap between him and a peer could be so huge. This kid was always pampered growing up. If he doesn’t recover from this, he’s probably finished.”

Wu Meiniang said, “Um … I also want to surpass first rank. What do I need to do?”

Ye Zimei said, “Didn’t we just say? Go to Chen Fan. Want to boost your strength? Find Chen Fan. It’s super easy. Just close your eyes, open them, and it’s done.”

Hahahahaha.

The group erupted in laughter.

Women, when they’re gossiping or have free time, can talk about endless things.

At this moment, everyone noticed the group name had changed.

“Take Down Chen Fan, Keep Chen Fan.”

These words carried a lot of meaning. “Take Down Chen Fan” meant following your heart and liking him, but whether that liking would lead anywhere depended on the individual.

As mentioned earlier, the heroine’s character might change, but a changed character doesn’t mean she has to fall for Chen Fan. How far things go is entirely up to the person.

As for “Keep Chen Fan,” everyone understood. This was probably about what Chen Fan often said—once the plot ends, he can leave this world.

Making him attached to this world, giving him reasons to stay, would be the best outcome.

Meanwhile, Ye Aotian had just opened his eyes. After a brief period of unconsciousness, he woke up again.

He looked at the head of the Ye family beside him.