Chapter 51: Punishment Averted from Death, but Inescapable in Life

"Ye... Ye Fan, what do you want to do?"

Seeing Ye Fan look at him with murder in his eyes, Lin Yi panicked instantly, taking two involuntary steps back.

If Ye Fan wanted to kill him at this moment, he would have no possibility of escape whatsoever.

Ye Fan looked him up and down, sensing that Lin Yi's cultivation had already broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Although this speed of cultivation could not compare to his own, it was still vastly faster than that of ordinary cultivators.

Even though Lin Yi possessed decent talent, relying solely on his own efforts, it would be utterly impossible for him to reach this realm in such a short period of time.

The only explanation was that he had used some unorthodox methods, such as cultivating evil arts.

However, Ye Fan currently lacked direct evidence to prove that he was entangled with outer-realm fiends.

"Sect Master Chu, it's not that I won't give you face."

"What this young master hates most on ordinary days are petty thieves."

"Since you left his disposal entirely to me, let's just kill him directly."

Ye Fan waved his hand, signaling the four half-god experts to execute Lin Yi on the spot.

The four of them did not hesitate at all as an overwhelming aura instantly bore down on Lin Yi.

Right as they were about to strike, in his desperation, Lin Yi directly shifted the blame onto Chu Ling'er.

"Wait!"

"I'll confess everything, I only beg... I only beg Young Sect Master Ye to spare my worthless life!"

"Chu Ling'er made me do all of this!"

"She was the one who told me to sneak into your estate and steal the heavenly treasures while you were in seclusion."

"She is the true mastermind behind this matter, and I was merely momentarily blinded by greed!"

Chu Zhongtian had not expected Lin Yi to be so devoid of all bottom lines, pushing Chu Ling'er out into the open without a second thought.

Just as Chu Zhongtian was about to rain curses upon Lin Yi, Chu Ling'er actually took the initiative to confess.

In order to protect Lin Yi's safety, she immediately bit the bullet and insisted with absolute certainty: "That's right! Every debt has its debtor, every grievance its perpetrator!"

"I was the one who ordered Senior Brother Lin Yi to steal those things of yours."

"If you want to punish someone, punish me!"

Witnessing this scene, Chu Zhongtian felt as though his lungs were about to burst with rage.

Wasn't this blatantly jumping into a fire pit of one's own accord?

It would be one thing if Chu Ling'er wanted to play the fool by herself, but if Ye Fan's wrath were to implicate the entire Linghan Sect as well, none of them would be able to escape the consequences.

Seeing Chu Ling'er step in front of Lin Yi, Ye Fan called off the four half-gods.

In truth, he had originally only intended to frighten Lin Yi and had never planned on actually taking his life.

After all, the secrets he carried had yet to be unraveled; if he truly was connected to the outer-realm fiends, he possessed immense value to be exploited.

Besides, he could take Lin Yi's pathetic life whenever he pleased, so there was no need to rush.

Observing Ye Fan's actions, Chu Ling'er knew she had gambled correctly once again.

As expected, as long as she stepped forward, Ye Fan would never truly lay a hand on her. When all was said and done, Ye Fan still couldn't bear to kill her.

At this thought, a trace of pride welled up within Chu Ling'er's heart once more.

Little did she know that her old father was already frightened out of his wits, frantically currying favor with Ye Fan: "Young Sect Master Ye, please calm your anger!"

"They are ignorant; I beg you not to hold it against them."

"You heard it too, this matter was entirely their own doing and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Linghan Sect."

"Even I was kept completely in the dark by them."

Ye Fan glanced at him indifferently and said, "Why is Sect Master Chu so nervous?"

"Since they have already confessed of their own accord, and considering this is their first offense, I will temporarily spare them from the death penalty."

"However... capital punishment may be avoided, but the punishment of the living cannot be escaped."

"To compensate for my losses, those heavenly treasures must be obediently returned to me, every single one without exception."

"Furthermore, the term for you, Chu Ling'er, to serve as my maidservant will be extended from one month to half a year."

"This young master has already been quite merciful to you two, such compensation cannot be considered excessive, right?"

Chu Ling'er's face turned ashen. She had thought Ye Fan wouldn't press the issue too hard, but she never expected him to demand that she wait upon him for another half a year.

One had to know that this single month had already been utterly agonizing for her, every single day spent living a life worse than pigs or dogs.

She had managed to struggle through half a month, only for the duration to suddenly be multiplied by so much.

The mere thought of having to wash Ye Fan's feet and empty his chamber pots every single day made her feel that living was worse than death.

To her, such a punishment made her wish she were simply dead instead.

Chu Ling'er stood frozen in place without uttering a word for a long time, causing Ye Fan to grow somewhat impatient. "What? Unwilling?"

"Since you don't want to live, then go die!"

"Do it! Slaughter both of them!"

"No!"

"I... I am willing..."

Chu Ling'er wasn't afraid of death herself—dying right now would simply be a release—but she could not let Lin Yi die here as well.

Lin Yi had to stay alive so that he could exact revenge for her in the future.

"That's more like it. Rest assured and learn how to conduct yourself properly by this young master's side; you won't be losing out."

"Very well, my business is temporarily settled."

"Sect Master Chu, as for the affairs of your own sect, handle them as you see fit."

Having dropped these words, Ye Fan left the place, taking the four half-gods and Chu Ling'er with him.

Over the next few days, Chu Ling'er once again plunged into a life akin to slavery.

Having experienced this incident, Ye Fan's exploitation of her grew increasingly heavy-handed.

Unable to bear the overwhelming pressure, Chu Ling'er sneaked out in the dead of night to seek comfort from Lin Yi.

"Senior Brother Lin Yi, Ye Fan torments me day after day."

"I have completely lost all dignity by his side, living a life inferior to beasts."

"I... I..."

At this point, Chu Ling'er buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly, feeling aggrieved to the absolute extreme.

In response, Lin Yi placated Chu Ling'er's emotions on the surface, while inwardly growing increasingly impatient with this foolish woman.

If she didn't still retain some utility value, he would have cast her aside long ago.

"Rest assured, I've said it before: as long as my cultivation continues to advance, the day will come when we reclaim everything we've lost."

"Right, take this thing."

"This is called the Three-Day Soul-Breaking Powder. It is colorless and odorless, and you have plenty of opportunities to come into contact with Ye Fan every day."

"Find an opportunity to slip it into his food."

Looking at the jade vial handed to her by Lin Yi, a fierce glint instantly flashed across Chu Ling'er's eyes.

"Senior Brother can rest easy! I've wanted to retaliate against him for a long time!"

"I will definitely accomplish this task!"

A curved smile emerged at the corner of Lin Yi's mouth: "Very good! The hour is late, you should hurry back so as not to arouse his suspicions."

"I shall wait here for your good news."

As soon as Chu Ling'er departed, his expression instantly turned gloomy.

As long as Chu Ling'er succeeded, he would be completely free of any worries.

If the Lingxiao Sect pursued the matter, Chu Ling'er would take the blame for everything.

"Ye Fan, oh Ye Fan, this time, I'm going to make your life worse than death!"

The Three-Day Soul-Breaking Powder had been given to him by the outer-realm fiends. Those poisoned would not die, but it would shatter their dantian, transforming the victim into an absolute and utter cripple.

Once Ye Fan ingested it, he would no longer possess any capital to act arrogantly, and would become even more useless than before!