Chapter 87: Meeting Li Xiaoman
A long time ago, Ye Fan had once entertained a thought: to return to the Ancient Forbidden Land and seek a tremendous opportunity!
Neither humans nor powerful beings of other races dared to venture deep into that Forbidden Zone of Life. Within, vegetation flourished and spiritual medicines were endless. After enduring the baptism of long years, many spiritual medicines had nearly transformed into divine medicines. That forbidden land was a priceless sacred soil.
Ye Fan had consumed the sacred fruit and divine spring. He believed he could likely survive for a time in that deadly region. He planned to return to the Forbidden Zone of Life once he reached a certain cultivation level.
"My strength is still too low right now. It's really not the time to go there, but I've been pushed to this point..." He had no choice but to advance, risking death.
"Roar..."
Deep in the mountains, the cries of savage beasts shook the heavens like thunderclaps, sending leaves scattering through the forest. Ye Fan's expression changed. Even far from the Ancient Forbidden Land, terrifying strange beasts already roamed the outer regions. Crossing through seemed extremely difficult.
But if he didn't advance, how could he escape the pursuit of that knight? Ye Fan found himself caught in a dilemma.
"Jiang Yichen, just you wait. Even if you're a member of the Jiang family, I will kill you one day!" Ye Fan had never hated anyone so deeply. The other party coveted his treasures, was ruthless and merciless, and wanted to hunt him down completely.
Suddenly, Ye Fan sensed danger. The knight seemed to be closing in again. He quickly hid himself.
A green shadow appeared in the sky. That powerful Jiang family knight emerged once more, but suddenly the strange beast beneath him seemed startled. It charged down frantically, landing on the ground and trembling violently.
Not far away, Ye Fan saw everything clearly and was greatly shocked. How could such a powerful strange beast be frightened like this? The knight was also astonished. He turned into a wisp of smoke and hid among a pile of rocks.
Just then, the entire forest suddenly darkened. A fierce wind swept through, snapping many plants and trees. A massive shadow fell over the ground.
In the sky, a colossal bird blotted out the sun as it flew across. Its entire body gleamed with golden light, as if cast from gold. Its size was staggering, like a golden cloud rushing past, blocking the sun and covering the sky.
"Golden Wing Peng Bird!" Ye Fan was deeply shaken.
The legendary Peng Bird's oppressive aura silenced the entire mountain range. All beastly roars vanished, and it was only long after it had passed that the forest returned to normal.
The Jiang family knight remounted his strange beast and shot into the sky. Even someone as powerful as him could only hide.
Ye Fan worried. If he continued on foot, he didn't know how many ferocious birds and savage beasts he would encounter. Could he really enter the Forbidden Zone of Life?
"The Ancient Forbidden Land has nine Sacred Mountains, connected to form an endless abyss. Legend says each Sacred Mountain has a different sacred fruit and divine spring..." Ye Fan encouraged himself with these words.
"I only ate one kind of sacred fruit and drank one kind of divine spring, and I underwent a complete transformation. If I could climb the other eight Sacred Mountains..." Though he kept motivating himself, he still felt fear. Continuing forward seemed fraught with danger.
Just one day later, Ye Fan's hopes were dashed. He discovered three powerful knights who had already blocked the way ahead, circling continuously over the primeval mountain range.
"They really want to hunt me down to the last. They've sent so many powerful knights!"
"Roar..."
From a distant mountain came a deafening beastly roar. The three powerful knights in the sky fled instantly. Then Ye Fan saw a strange beast with nine snake heads riding clouds and mist, appearing high in the air.
It was as large as a small hill, exuding an extremely terrifying pressure. Black mist swirled around it, its massive body flickering in and out of view. Its form resembled a Qilin, but it had nine huge snake heads, looking especially ferocious.
With a single roar, it scared off the three powerful Jiang family knights. The pressure that rippled through the air made one's heart pound with fear.
Ye Fan's heart sank. Before even approaching the Ancient Forbidden Land, all kinds of terrifying strange beasts had appeared one after another. Who knew what he would encounter further ahead? If he couldn't fly and could only travel on foot, this primeval mountain range was simply impassable. No wonder the Jiang family knights only blocked specific areas.
Ye Fan carefully crept forward for another day, only to find that all the relatively safe areas were sealed off by those three powerful knights. There was no way through.
"I was guessing their thoughts, and they were figuring out my escape route. They expected me to approach the Ancient Forbidden Zone to shake them off..."
Ye Fan hid in a dense forest. After careful thought, he decided he couldn't go forward. To do so would mean certain death.
"Without the ability to fly, I can't approach the Forbidden Zone of Life..." Ye Fan turned back without hesitation, retracing his steps. While the knights hadn't reacted, he wanted to escape this primeval forest and disappear into the vast sea of humanity.
When Ye Fan reached the edge of the mountain range, he suddenly spotted a powerful knight riding a strange beast covered in gleaming black scales, circling above the forest.
"A fifth powerful knight..." Ye Fan stared at the sky, muttering to himself, "Did Jiang Yichen send them all?"
"They brought over a dozen knights in total. Now five have been dispatched at once. Can Jiang Yifei and Jiang Caixuan not see this? It's impossible they haven't noticed!"
"Could it be that they tacitly approved?"
"Or did they also send people..."
Ye Fan's heart grew cold.
Jiang Yifei, dressed in pure white like snow, was elegant and refined, with a divine grace that seemed otherworldly. Jiang Caixuan was graceful and slender, clear and moving. Though she seemed a bit proud, she had shown sympathy for Little Tingting, leaving Ye Fan with a good impression.
But now Ye Fan couldn't tell. He didn't know what role these two played in this matter. He wondered if things were as bad as he imagined. Human nature was complex and hard to explain.
"I hope they have nothing to do with this. Otherwise, for Little Tingting to live in such a complicated family... I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse..." Ye Fan worried for Little Tingting and Old Uncle Jiang.
That night, Ye Fan returned to Old Uncle Jiang's small restaurant without anyone noticing. He could even see two strange beasts circling over the mountains outside the town. But the most dangerous place was the safest. He relaxed and rested peacefully for a night.
Only when the second night came did Ye Fan slip out of the town and flee into the distance.
Three days later, while camping in the wilderness, Ye Fan saw a strange beast carrying a Jiang family knight flash past and fly into the distance. His heart trembled. They had caught up so quickly. He couldn't understand how they had found clues.
"Ancient aristocratic families are too terrifying. If I can't enter that Forbidden Zone of Life, how can I shake them off?" Ye Fan worried.
In the end, Ye Fan entered a large city in the Yan Kingdom. He felt that only the vast sea of humanity could hide him.
This was the second largest city in the Yan region, after the capital. With a population of no less than a million, it was extremely prosperous. Wide streets bustled with traffic, and crowds flowed endlessly. Shops lined both sides of the streets, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining filled the air.
Ye Fan had been fleeing for days, exhausted. Only upon entering this city did he let out a long breath. The Jiang family couldn't very well ride their strange beasts through the streets, could they?
It was already noon. Ye Fan was starving, but when he reached into his bosom, he let out a bitter laugh. He didn't have a single coin. This life-and-death escape had left him in a wretched state, reduced to such poverty.
"First, find a way to eat. I can't let my body suffer. I still need to gather strength to escape." Ye Fan had no interest in sightseeing in this prosperous city. He was looking for a place to eat.
Suddenly, Ye Fan's gaze froze. He saw a familiar figure—Li Xiaoman!
Her face was not aged; she had regained her youth. She stood one hundred seventy centimeters tall, graceful and elegant. A pure white dress fluttered gently in the wind, giving her an ethereal, otherworldly aura.
Both in the past and now, Li Xiaoman was extremely beautiful, with a clear and lovely appearance. Perhaps due to cultivation, her skin shimmered with a crystal luster, snow-white and delicate, like condensed fat and fine jade.
Li Xiaoman's white clothes danced, her black hair naturally flowing, making her skin look even more radiant. Her eyes were large, her lashes long, full of spirit. Her neck was as graceful as a white swan's, her waist so slender it could be circled with one hand. Her legs were long and straight, her figure tall and graceful—perfect.
Compared to the past, she had lost a bit of arrogance and gained a touch of agility. She was like a Guanghan fairy descending to the mortal world, exuding a transcendent aura.
Ye Fan never expected to see her here. Naturally, he couldn't avoid recalling many past events—sweet memories and bitter, heartless recollections alike. He turned away, not wanting to meet her in such a situation.
Li Xiaoman clearly hadn't seen Ye Fan. She stood out like a crane among chickens, elegant and agile. Her beautiful, otherworldly appearance drew many glances. She naturally wouldn't notice a haggard, weary youth in the distance.
Ye Fan turned to leave, wanting to get away, but in his haste, he bumped into someone.
"Little beggar, how are you walking? The street is so wide, yet you had to bump into me!" In front were several young men and women. One pretty woman looked displeased. Ye Fan had accidentally collided with her.
"Sorry!" Ye Fan quickly apologized.
"Junior sister, check if you've lost anything. Some beggars specialize in this kind of theft," a young man warned, blocking Ye Fan from leaving.
After days of fleeing, Ye Fan's clothes were dirty and torn, his face covered in grime. He really did look like a little beggar.
"Senior brother, senior sister..." Just then, Li Xiaoman approached. Though the street was crowded, people instinctively made way for her beauty. She quickly reached them.
"Let him go. I didn't lose anything," the woman who had been bumped said with a frown.
Ye Fan wanted to turn and leave, but Li Xiaoman had already arrived and saw him face to face.
"It's you!"
Ye Fan stopped. He hadn't expected to meet her after all.
"Junior sister, you know this little beggar?" The young men and women beside her all looked surprised.
At this moment, Ye Fan was ragged, covered in dust, haggard, and exhausted. After days of fleeing, both his body and mind were weary. With his tattered clothes, he looked like nothing more than someone from the lowest rung of society.