"This is outrageous!"
Ye Hai could no longer stay silent and roared in fury.
His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging across his forehead.
He Yu's body trembled, unable to bear the shock—and she fainted on the spot.
"Madam!"
Ye Hai cried out, rushing to catch her in his arms.
"Dad, take Mom inside. I'll handle this."
Ye Fan didn't want his parents to suffer any further emotional blows. He quickly turned to Ye Hai, urging him to leave.
The two women before him were utterly shameless—there was no limit to what they dared to say.
"Get them out of here!"
Ye Hai barked coldly, then hurriedly helped He Yu back into the house.
Ye Fan turned around, his voice icy. "Chen Shuyi, Lin Qingyue—do you still think I'm the pathetic pushover you used to bully?"
"Aren't you?"
Chen Shuyi sneered. "Even someone as useless as you dares to reject Qingyue? Don't be ridiculous. Let me tell you—this wedding is happening tonight, whether you like it or not! I suggest you play dumb and go along with it. Otherwise, don't blame us for getting rough."
"Heh…"
Ye Fan chuckled. "So you want me to obediently marry Lin Qingyue, wait for her child to be born, and even let the child take my surname? That would make you happy, wouldn't it?"
"That's not entirely unacceptable."
Chen Shuyi thought Ye Fan had finally come to his senses—and actually dared to agree.
"Ugly and delusional."
Ye Fan scoffed, glancing at Lin Qingyue. "Someone like her isn't even qualified to be my concubine. As a maidservant, I'd still find her lacking."
In terms of beauty, strength, and status, Lin Qingyue couldn't hold a candle to Qin Yimo.
After tasting the finest delicacies, who would settle for stale leftovers?
At best, Lin Qingyue was nothing more than cold scraps.
Clang!
Realizing she'd been mocked, Chen Shuyi drew her sword in fury and pointed it at Ye Fan. "You worthless trash! Refuse a toast and you'll get a beating instead. Speak rudely again, and I'll teach you a lesson on Qingyue's behalf!"
"Ye Fan's just confused, Shuyi—don't be impulsive…"
Lin Qingyue offered a half-hearted plea, but made no move to stop her.
"You're quite the actress."
Ye Fan felt sick. He knew Lin Qingyue was just putting on a show. "Lin Qingyue, people say thirty is the age of maturity. You're only eighteen, and already playing both sides?"
"Qingyue, don't stop me!"
Chen Shuyi's rage intensified. Her aura flared—first stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm. "A Qi Martial Realm weakling like him needs to be taught a lesson!"
Before she finished speaking, her sword lunged toward Ye Fan.
Ye Fan stood still, watching her approach.
Just as the blade neared his chest, he raised his hand.
Blazing Sun Hand!
His palm turned golden, and he caught the blade mid-air.
"What?!"
Chen Shuyi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Her sword—caught barehanded?
"With that level of skill, you dare act arrogant in front of me?"
Ye Fan twisted his wrist and snatched the sword from her grasp.
"You… How is this possible…"
Chen Shuyi stumbled back, nearly losing her footing.
"Who told you I'm still in the Qi Martial Realm?"
Ye Fan activated the Solar Meridian. Golden light burst from his body.
Spiritual energy radiated outward, enveloping him.
He wasn't just at the second stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm—he'd advanced again.
After basking in sunlight all the way back to the imperial city, he was now at the third stage.
"Spiritual Martial Realm?"
Lin Qingyue quickly stepped in front of Chen Shuyi. "Shuyi is my best friend—you can't hurt her!"
"Best friend?"
Ye Fan sneered. "Lin Qingyue, do you think the world revolves around you? That I'll still obey you like before?"
As he spoke, his sword flashed—golden light blazing.
"Stop!"
Lin Qingyue drew her sword to block.
Her cultivation was slightly higher than Chen Shuyi's, but still only second stage.
Their blades clashed—Bang!—and she was sent flying.
Ye Fan's sword pressed forward, piercing Chen Shuyi's chest in an instant.
"You…"
Chen Shuyi stared wide-eyed at the blade in her chest, then at Ye Fan—unable to believe she'd been killed by the "trash."
"Shuyi!"
Lin Qingyue screamed, rushing to her side. Seeing no breath left, she looked up at Ye Fan in shock. "Ye Fan… You actually killed Shuyi!"
"Just taking out the trash."
Ye Fan's expression was calm—almost cold.
"You…"
Lin Qingyue's voice trembled. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck her abdomen.
She looked down—blood.
"Ah! My child…"
She clutched her stomach, face pale. "Ye Fan—it's you! You killed my child…"
"It's not mine."
Ye Fan replied casually, a hint of mockery on his lips.
"That child belongs to His Highness the Third Prince…"
Lin Qingyue's face turned ghostly white. She gripped her abdomen and screamed at Ye Fan, "You killed the Third Prince's child! He'll never forgive you!"
"You overestimate your charm."
Ye Fan's eyes were full of disdain. "You're pregnant with his child, yet he still refuses to marry you. Why? Because the Third Princess won't allow it. You're nothing but a side piece. Lin Qingyue, you're cheap—spineless."
"The Third Prince and I are in love!"
Lin Qingyue shrieked, her voice sharp.
She truly believed he loved her.
She thought the child would secure her place in the royal family.
But the Third Prince couldn't take a concubine—not with his political ambitions tied to the Third Princess's family.
So he gave her promises—and told her to wait.
At Chen Shuyi's suggestion, she agreed to marry Ye Fan first.
Otherwise, an out-of-wedlock pregnancy would bring scandal—or even death.
"Heh."
Ye Fan laughed at her naïveté. He had no intention of helping her see the truth.
"If you and the Third Prince are so in love, why were you messing with me?"
Lin Qingyue fell silent, frowning as she looked down at her bleeding abdomen.
"Since you care so much about your child, I'll do you a favor and send you to join him. I've already killed one—I don't mind killing another."
Ye Fan's sword flashed again, aimed straight at her heart.
Bang!
A figure suddenly appeared, deflecting Ye Fan's strike.
"Huh?"
Ye Fan frowned and looked up.
He recognized the man—Lin Qingyue's third brother, Lin Qingyang.
Step. Step. Step…
Footsteps echoed from outside the Ye Mansion.
Lin Mo, patriarch of the Lin family, arrived with his entourage.
After all, elders couldn't miss a marriage discussion.
He'd simply been delayed.
"Dad!"
Lin Qingyue saw Lin Mo and clung to him like a lifeline. "Ye Fan… He killed my child!"
"What?!"
Lin Mo's face darkened, his eyes blazing as he glared at Ye Fan.
Lin Qingyang was furious. "Ye Fan, you trash! How dare you lay a hand on my sister?"
"So you all know she's pregnant with the Third Prince's child? Figures. Birds of a feather."
Ye Fan saw their reactions and understood.
The entire Lin family thought he was a gullible fool.
"You're asking for death!"
Lin Qingyang roared, his fifth-stage Spiritual Martial Realm aura erupting.
"How dare you!"
A voice rang out.
Ye Hai arrived with Ye family guards. "In the Ye Mansion, you dare bully my son? Do you think the Ye family is powerless?"
The guards spread out, surrounding the Lin family.
Lin Mo glared at Ye Hai. "Ye Hai! Your son injured Qingyue and killed her unborn child. Doesn't the Ye family owe us an explanation?"
"Explanation? Hmph!"
Ye Hai snorted. "Lin Qingyue tried to marry into our family while pregnant. She disgraced us! The Ye family will not let this go."
"Absurd!"
Lin Qingyang snapped. "You know how useless your son is. If my sister was willing to marry him, he should be grateful!"
"You've got a lot to say for someone so mediocre."
Ye Fan hated being called trash. "What's wrong? I killed the bastard in your sister's belly and ruined your chance to climb Duan Tianya's ladder?"
Lin Qingyang flinched—clearly struck where it hurt.
**"My cultivation may not be high, but it's more than enough to surpass a piece of trash like you."
"Really?" Ye Fan's lips curled into a cold smile. He pointed at Lin Qingyang and spoke with quiet intensity:
"Life-and-death battle. Do you dare?"