"Get out!"
The woman's voice thundered through the broken temple, shaking dust from the rafters.
"I mean…"
Ye Fan quickly changed his tone, trying to ease the tension with a sheepish smile. "Fairy, I… I want to take responsibility for what happened."
The woman's body trembled slightly as she stared at him. Her eyes held anger, embarrassment—and a flicker of something she couldn't quite suppress.
"If you truly want to take responsibility, then come find me at the Taichu Daoist Sect in two years."
Her voice remained cold, but the edge had softened. "The sect recruits new disciples annually. Don't miss the opportunity."
"Huh?"
Ye Fan blinked in confusion.
"Afraid?"
A trace of disappointment flickered in her gaze.
"It's not that I'm afraid."
Ye Fan straightened his back and declared, "Two years is too long. I'll come find you in one."
Two years? That was a joke.
He'd be dead by then.
The woman shook her head. "It's uncertain whether you'll reach the seventh level of the Xuanwu Realm in time to qualify for the sect's entrance exam."
Ye Fan didn't flinch. "Don't worry. I'll make it in a year."
"Then you'll need to work hard."
A hint of expectation flashed in her eyes. "In two years, I'll undergo a canonization ceremony. My master will choose a Daoist partner for me, in front of the entire sect. Luo Feiyu, the young patriarch of Taichu Daoist Sect, will be your greatest rival. I hope you—"
"Young patriarch? Please."
Ye Fan cut her off, his eyes brimming with confidence. "By then, I—Ye Fan—will crush him and marry you."
"Ye Fan?"
She murmured his name, frowning slightly but not refuting him. Then she pulled out two elixirs and tossed them to him.
"These are two Nine-Turn Spirit Gathering Pills. They'll aid your cultivation. If, in a year, you fail to meet the entrance requirements, consider these pills my compensation for last night."
Ye Fan caught the pills and grinned. "Fairy, you haven't told me your name yet."
"Qin Yimo," she whispered.
Before he could respond, she turned and pushed open the temple door.
Sunlight streamed through the entrance, bathing Ye Fan in golden warmth.
He felt a surge of heat in his abdomen.
A current of energy began to stir.
The sunlight transformed into spiritual power, rushing toward his dantian.
"Huh…"
Ye Fan's eyes widened. "Did I just break through?"
Then joy overtook him. "That old man wasn't lying. I really can grow stronger under the sun!"
In the Tianqiong Continent, the cultivation realms were clearly defined:
Refined Body → Qiwu → Lingwu → Xuanwu → Diwu → Tianwu → King Wu → Emperor Wu → Sage Wu → Divine Emperor.
The original owner of Ye Fan's body had only reached the ninth level of the Qiwu Realm.
Now, after basking in the sun, Ye Fan had broken through to the first level of the Lingwu Realm.
Spiritual energy poured into his dantian with every ray of sunlight.
"The Solar Sutra!"
Ye Fan recalled the inheritance and activated the solar meridians.
The spiritual power accelerated, turning golden.
His body seemed to merge with the sunlight itself.
Moments later, he broke through again—reaching the second level of the Lingwu Realm.
"Qin Yimo! Just wait for me!"
Ye Fan smiled with satisfaction, gazing out from the temple. "Time to return to the imperial city and find a nice spot to soak up some sun."
The imperial city of Yunyin was home to many noble families.
The original owner of Ye Fan's body had been the young master of the Ye family.
"Hmm?"
As Ye Fan stepped out of the temple, he spotted two corpses at the entrance.
Suddenly, fragmented memories surged through his mind.
Yesterday, he had gone to the Lin family to deliver elixirs to his fiancée, Lin Qingyue.
He'd stumbled upon Duan Tianya—the Third Prince—in Lin Qingyue's boudoir.
Outside the door, he overheard a shocking revelation:
Lin Qingyue was pregnant—and the child was Duan Tianya's!
The original owner had panicked and fled.
Duan Tianya, alerted, sent assassins after him.
Ye Fan had escaped to the broken temple.
Now, those assassins lay dead—slain by Qin Yimo.
"The original owner was a total simp…"
Ye Fan shook his head, frustrated. "Don't worry. I'll make things right. That cheating couple won't get away with it."
—
Back at the Ye residence, servants bustled about.
The courtyard was filled with spirit stones, elixirs, and fine silks.
As Ye Fan stepped through the gate, something felt off.
"Young Master! You're finally back!"
Ye Fu, the housekeeper, greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Uncle Fu, what's going on?" Ye Fan asked, frowning.
"Miss Lin sent all this," Ye Fu explained. "It's the dowry we previously sent to the Lin family—returned."
"She's calling off the engagement?"
Ye Fan's expression darkened. "If anyone's canceling this marriage, it's me. How dare she beat me to it?"
"Young Master, that's not it!"
Ye Fu's smile faltered. "Miss Lin isn't canceling the marriage—she wants to move it up by three months. She felt it was too rushed to accept our dowry, so she returned it as a gesture of goodwill. The master and madam are thrilled and busy preparing for the wedding!"
"Unbelievable!"
Ye Fan was furious.
Canceling the marriage would've been shameless enough.
But this?
She wanted to marry him while pregnant—and have him raise another man's child?
"Where is she?"
Ye Fan asked coldly.
"In the main hall, discussing the wedding with the master and madam."
Ye Fu was puzzled. Ye Fan had always wanted to marry Lin Qingyue—why the sudden anger?
"Enough talk."
Ye Fan turned and stormed toward the front hall.
Just as he reached the entrance, a group emerged.
Lin Qingyue wore a lilac dress, her features delicate, her demeanor gentle. To outsiders, she looked like the perfect bride.
She was chatting with Ye Fan's parents, accompanied by her best friend, Chen Shuyi.
"Brother Ye Fan, you're back!"
Lin Qingyue greeted him with a smile.
Ye Hai, the Ye family patriarch, beamed and clapped Ye Fan's shoulder. "Fan'er, perfect timing! Qingyue wants to marry you ahead of schedule. I say we hold the wedding tonight!"
"Fan'er," added He Yu, Ye Fan's mother, "You and Qingyue grew up together. You're both of age now. If you marry soon, we can look forward to grandchildren!"
"Dad, Mom—I refuse."
Ye Fan's voice was cold and firm.
Everyone froze.
"Ye Fan, who do you think you are?"
Chen Shuyi exploded. "Qingyue is willing to marry you, a useless waste, and you're rejecting her? What right do you have?"
"And who are you to speak?"
Ye Fan shot her a disgusted look.
He remembered how Lin Qingyue and Chen Shuyi had humiliated the original owner.
"Brother Ye Fan, don't you want to marry me?"
Lin Qingyue asked softly, feigning innocence. "I just received my admission to Tianwu Academy. I'll be leaving soon to cultivate. That's why I wanted to marry early. I know it's sudden, but I—"
"Of course it's sudden."
Ye Fan cut her off with a sneer, his gaze dropping to her belly. "In three months, you'll be showing. If you don't marry now, how will you hide it?"
"Brother Ye Fan… What are you saying?"
Panic flickered in Lin Qingyue's eyes.
Did he know?
"Stop calling me 'brother.' What are you, a hen laying eggs?"
Ye Fan snapped. "Yesterday, the Third Prince Duan Tianya visited your home, didn't he? I heard everything. You're pregnant with his child—and you want me to raise it? Do you think I'm some gullible fool?"
"What?!"
Ye Hai's face turned pale.
He Yu trembled. "Qingyue… is it true?"
Lin Qingyue's expression darkened.
Someone had been eavesdropping outside her room last night.
Duan Tianya had sent men to kill the witness.
She hadn't expected it to be Ye Fan.
And he'd survived?
"So what if Qingyue is pregnant?"
Chen Shuyi stepped forward, clearly aware of the truth. "You get a child without lifting a finger. You should be grateful!". "It should be your honor to raise the child of His Highness the Third Prince. You worthless fool—how dare you be dissatisfied!"
Lin Qingyue appeared genuinely wronged, her voice soft and aggrieved. "Even though the child in my womb isn't yours, won't I belong to you after we're married? Giving birth is already painful enough… If you truly love me, you shouldn't care whether the baby is yours or not."