Chapter 52: Do Not Wander Around in the Middle of the Night

Rising Heaven Sect, Dining Hall.

"I... I am here to fetch the meal for the Young Sect Master."

Chu Ling'er arrived at the dining hall as she did every day. Delivering meals to Ye Fan was a routine task she had to perform daily.

The disciples of the dining hall were long accustomed to this, and thus, they harbored no suspicions.

Holding the food carefully, Chu Ling'er walked toward Ye Fan's room.

However, she came to a halt right at the corner.

First, she looked around cautiously to ensure no one was in sight, then she stealthily took out a jade vial containing the Three-Day Soul-Breaking Powder and casually sprinkled it over the food.

By the time she finished, fine beads of sweat had broken out on her forehead, and her heart was pounding wildly.

After all, from a young age until now, this was her first time doing such a deed; it was impossible not to feel nervous.

She gently wiped away the sweat with her sleeve, adjusted her emotions, and then carried the food forward.

"Young Sect Master, it is time to dine."

Chu Ling'er's voice trembled slightly—though very faintly, the anomaly was still captured by Ye Fan.

At the same time, a voice audible only to Ye Fan resounded in his mind.

"Young Sect Master, this bitch has tampered with the food."

Ye Fan understood tacitly, yet he showed no sign of anger.

Seeing that Ye Fan remained unmoved, Chu Ling'er grew somewhat anxious and could not help urging him, "Young Sect Master, if you don't eat it now, it will get cold!"

"It seems you are rather impatient, aren't you?"

Ye Fan looked at her leisurely. This gaze made Chu Ling'er even more nervous.

"N... No, not at all."

"It's just that the food really is getting cold."

Chu Ling'er lowered her head, not daring to meet Ye Fan's eyes.

"No matter. Since it's nearly cold, I won't eat it."

"However, let's not waste it; I shall reward this to you."

At these words, Chu Ling'er was completely stunned.

She never expected that Ye Fan would unexpectedly reward her with the Young Sect Master's own meal.

One must know that the food Ye Fan consumed every day consisted of extremely precious ingredients.

They were prepared exclusively for him by the dining hall.

As for Chu Ling'er, she usually had to make do with the coarse fare of a servant; she could not even remember the last time she had tasted meat.

Had there been no poison in it, Chu Ling'er would have enjoyed this rare delicacy without the slightest hesitation.

Yet now, nothing could make her eat it.

Recovering her senses, Chu Ling'er waved her hands frantically. "No, no, no... This... This is Your Young Sect Master's exclusive meal, how could I possibly dare to eat it..."

Seeing Chu Ling'er's panicked demeanor, Ye Fan's tone grew somewhat heavier. "Eat it if I tell you to eat it. Why so much nonsense?"

Ye Fan's forceful attitude crushed Chu Ling'er, leaving her utterly lacking the courage to resist.

Tremblingly, she picked up the food, but feigning a slip of the hand, she dropped the entire dish straight onto the floor.

Looking at the food scattered all over the floor, Chu Ling'er finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I... I'm sorry. I... I was too nervous."

Doing this might incur a harsh punishment from Ye Fan, but it was still infinitely better than swallowing poison.

"Kneel down, clean this up, and get out of my sight!"

Daring not to hesitate in the least, Chu Ling'er hurriedly knelt on the floor and set to work cleaning.

Before long, she had polished the floor until it shone like a mirror.

The reason Ye Fan did not kill her outright was simply because he wanted to keep the bitch alive to torture her further.

The mere thought of Chu Ling'er's past betrayal filled him with profound disgust.

To let her die just like that would be letting her off far too easily.

For a period thereafter, Chu Ling'er sought opportunities time and again to poison Ye Fan.

Yet no matter what method she employed, Ye Fan always managed to neutralize it, which she found utterly incomprehensible.

There was very little of the Three-Day Soul-Breaking Powder left in the jade vial, at most enough for one final dose.

Chu Ling'er intended to make a desperate gamble; whether she succeeded or failed depended entirely on this attempt.

Since poisoning the food had failed, she decided to target the water source instead.

Having stayed in the Rising Heaven Sect for so long, Chu Ling'er knew the layout here like the back of her hand.

There were a total of seventeen ancient wells across the entire Rising Heaven Sect, serving as the water supply for the entire sect, and all seventeen of these ancient wells were interconnected.

To avoid discovery, Chu Ling'er deliberately chose the dead of night to administer the poison.

However, just as she was about to sprinkle the last remnants of the Three-Day Soul-Breaking Powder into the well, a chilling voice suddenly echoed from behind her.

"If the food is spoiled, it can be remade."

"If the water source is spoiled, however, that would be rather troublesome."

"I advise you to accumulate some virtue for yourself, lest when you reach down there in the future, even King Yama refuses to accept you."

Chu Ling'er trembled violently and froze in place. The jade vial in her hand slipped, shattering upon the ground, and some white powdered substance drifted away and dissipated in the night wind.

"Do not wander about blindly in the middle of the night anymore."

"If you don't watch your step, I cannot guarantee you will survive."

Ye Fan still did not punish her. Having said these words, he strolled back toward his room on his own accord.

In the night wind, Chu Ling'er slumped down onto the ground as if all the strength had been drained from her body.

So Ye Fan had known from the very beginning that she was poisoning his food.

Everything she had done was entirely within Ye Fan's control.

How laughable that she had racked her brains over and over again.

"So he knew. He knew all along."

"Yet why didn't he kill me? Can he truly not bear to kill me?"

"Yes! Exactly! It must be so!"

"Ye Fan still has feelings for me in his heart!"

"He just refuses to admit it aloud!"

"But... but why was he so heartless back then?"

"No, I will not forgive him, not in this lifetime!"

"Senior Brother Lin Yi is still waiting for me, and I must bring him more resources."

"Ye Fan discarded me of his own accord; everything is his own fault, he deserves to die!"

Chu Ling'er muttered incoherently to herself for a long time, the hatred in her heart toward Ye Fan intensifying all the more.

However, Ye Fan did not care about her in the slightest.

With someone constantly monitoring Chu Ling'er's every move anyway, even if she wanted to harm him, she would never have the opportunity.

His mind was currently consumed entirely by cultivation. To elevate his cultivation realm as quickly as possible, a sufficient abundance of resources was indispensable.

At present, however, he did not even possess a single decent heavenly treasure in his hands.

After much consideration, Ye Fan decided to make a trip to the Heavenly Sword Sect in Central Province.

Remaining in the Northwest Territory, it would be difficult for him to find room for further advancement.

Therefore, he had to step out of his current comfort zone.

Presumably, his grandfather and mother should possess the resources he needed, and he could also take the opportunity to check on Chen Qingshuang.

Ever since they parted that day, he had missed Chen Qingshuang quite dearly.

Early the next morning, Ye Fan packed his belongings simply, bid farewell to his father, and taking Chu Ling'er with him, set off toward Central Province.

"Heavenly Sword Sect, after all these years, I, Ye Fan, am returning once more."

"Grandfather, upon seeing me as I am now, perhaps you too will be quite astonished!"