Chapter 88

The thunderstorm gradually subsided, the typhoon moved northwest, revealing a dark blue sky, with stars of varying brightness appearing, and the morning star hanging steadily high, indicating it was almost dawn.

The surroundings were no longer the same as when he arrived; it was not an official road, not even a small path, just a desolate wilderness!

Rushing eastward, not far from here, there were mountain shadows, a terrain flanked by two mountains. Yu Fan thought to himself, "Did I run southeast?"

At this moment, his thoughts eased, but he felt lost, "Did I lose like this? My entire family only has three hundred armored soldiers, and one-tenth of them died. How can I face the family when I return?"

Thinking of this, his mind buzzed, and he broke out in a cold sweat. However, Yu Fan was no ordinary person. In an instant, he regained his senses and said coldly, "I am not someone who is worthless without the family. Even if my literary talent has some flattery, I am still among the top three in the county."

"Even if I fail, I have already gained a lot of good fortune without the full support of the family."

"I still have the dragon aura in me. The state examination is in August, and there is no way I will fail. At worst, I won't be in the top three, but I can still pass and obtain the title of Jinshi or Tongjinshi!"

"Ha..." The absurd feeling made him laugh uncontrollably. As he laughed, tears splashed down, and he wiped them fiercely, urging his horse, "Go!"

The horse leaped, but let out a mournful neigh and fell to its knees with a thud!

Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the wind howled, with faint hoof prints appearing and disappearing.

"Swear to kill him, kill him before dawn!" Ye Qing urged his horse, gritting his teeth and chasing relentlessly. Upon reaching a desolate area, his eyes suddenly brightened.

Fifty paces ahead, a horse had fallen into the mud, and Yu Fan, ten paces behind, was crawling up, covered in blood and mud.

Ye Qing dismounted, his own horse was almost exhausted, drenched in sweat but not dead yet.

The sound of hooves and footsteps carried by the cool night breeze made Yu Fan feel cold from head to toe.

Under the night sky, the white lanterns illuminated, and thirty armored soldiers were fighting the enemy.

Now, he was alone, being pursued by the enemy. Everything seemed absurd tonight. Turning around, he saw a figure with a sword in hand, the dim light shining from behind.

At this moment, Yu Fan calmed down, gazing at the deepening dawn, greedily breathing the nearby free air, and feeling his muscles twitch. "You win, Ye Qing!"

Ye Qing was also covered in blood and mud, took a deep breath, looked at the sky, and saw a layer of red clouds in the east. After some thought, he said, "It's me, Third Young Master Yu. I have some doubts—why did you send troops to kill me? Was it just for the top position at the Dragon Lord Banquet?"

"Hmph, the top position at the Dragon Lord Banquet is a minor matter. I could have tolerated it, but you took my opportunity in Luhua County. How can you say we have no major grievances?" Luhua County! These words made Ye Qing suddenly enlightened, a flash of insight piercing through, and he understood everything.

In his previous life, Yu Fan was born with great fortune, a significant portion of which was tied to the Dragon Palace.

He won the top position at the first Dragon Lord Banquet, but this was forcibly taken by Ye Qing. However, Yu Fan's connection to the Dragon Palace went far beyond this.

According to his previous life, Yu Fan later entered the Dragon Palace and was treated as a distinguished guest.

In his previous life, the matter of the Dragon Prince was kept secret, and it was clear why it didn't spread. Therefore, even with his foresight, Ye Qing didn't know this part. By taking Yu Fan's great fortune, he had made a deadly enemy without realizing it.

This was truly a twist of fate, Ye Qing thought, and suddenly laughed.

This laugh made Yu Fan shiver, and for a moment, he wanted to beg for mercy, but his nature and the dignity instilled in him from a young age prevented him. He just stood pale and silent.

"It's not early, Brother Yu. Do you have anything else to say?" Ye Qing, now calm, asked indifferently.

A shadow of death loomed over Yu Fan. He stared at Ye Qing, as if trying to drag him to hell with him. After a long time, he said, "Go ahead, I'll be waiting for you below!"

Saying this, he didn't move. Ye Qing nodded, aimed his sword at Yu Fan's heart, and thrust without hesitation.

"Clang!" Sparks flew, the sword hitting something like metal. A golden armor appeared out of nowhere, and the sword that was supposed to pierce the heart deviated, only to hear a "thud" as blood splattered on the shoulder.

A voice came from behind, "You dare!"

Before the words were finished, a gray-robed Taoist appeared.

"Five Elements Armor!" Ye Qing's mind suddenly became clear. Ignoring the Taoist, he summoned his inner strength and slashed with the Daoist spell.

"Clang!" The golden armor's light twisted, and Yu Fan fell into the mud.

"Slap—"

Time seemed to freeze. Ye Qing rolled away, and a ball of thunder and fire exploded where he had been, splashing mud and water everywhere, covering all three of them.

Ye Qing's eyes narrowed, and he could no longer suppress his heavy breathing. After killing thirty armored soldiers and chasing through the night, he was exhausted.

The ball of thunder and fire in front of him was not true lightning but a pseudo-elemental spell, rare in the civilian world. It was likely that the jade talisman Yu Fan used during the night was made by this person, who had expended his magical power.

"Mr. Dai, you finally came. Kill him for me!" Yu Fan shouted hoarsely.

Mr. Dai ignored him, his eyes fixed on Ye Qing.

Ye Qing held his sword and looked coldly, his face showing no emotion.

Mr. Dai suddenly turned in the darkness, and the ball of thunder and fire disappeared. He picked up Yu Fan, used some kind of spell, and vanished in an instant.

Ye Qing watched this, his nails digging into his flesh, blood dripping, but he didn't move. Seeing them go, he fell to the ground, panting.

At this moment, the eastern sky was turning white, and it was almost dawn. Ye Qing said weakly, "Thank the gods for watching over me. I will build a golden statue to repay them."

After saying this, he no longer paid attention, and began to practice the Six Yang Diagram, starting to breathe deeply.

Half an hour later, Ye Qing recovered his energy and continued along the road until he heard a cry from a thicket.

Going over, he found Jiang Zinan hiding inside, her clothes torn by thorns.

Seeing Ye Qing, she immediately grabbed his sleeve, still shaken, and said, "I ran to the foot of the mountain and waited for half the night, but couldn't resist running back to the shrine. The shrine was full of dead bodies..."

Thinking of the hell in the shrine, she shuddered again, her voice trembling, "I didn't see you, so I followed the footprints back, but didn't dare to go far, so I hid here!"

Ye Qing listened, hugged her tightly, and looked into the distance, sighing deeply. He examined the terrain and scenery at the foot of the mountains, and realized they were about ten miles from the checkpoint.

"Let's go down the mountain first, change clothes, and you disguise yourself as a man. Hurry back to the Ye residence and tell them to be on guard!"

"What about you, Master?" Jiang Zinan asked anxiously, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with worry, a genuine expression unlike her usual pretense.

"He dared to kill me, so I dare to kill him. Unfortunately, his fortune has not run out, and I couldn't kill him this time!" Ye Qing replied calmly. Seeing her still worried, he comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Before the state examination in August, I can still protect myself."

"Really?" Jiang Zinan's expression eased.

"Really." Ye Qing's expression showed no hint of hesitation.

A moment later, they washed in the cold river water. In the dawn, they parted ways at a farm.

Jiang Zinan changed into men's clothes, held a sword, took half of the money, and took a cart back to Pingshou County via the road.

At this time, the sky was just brightening, with morning smoke rising, and the night air had not yet dissipated.

Ye Qing saw the increasing crowd on the road, spotted an empty cart, and called out, "To the nearest town, is ten coins enough?"

"Fifteen coins, let me have a bowl of meat dumplings." Ye Qing had already discarded his blood-stained clothes and looked refreshed, so the man agreed.

"Deal!" Ye Qing jumped onto the cart without hesitation.

The cart moved slowly, and before he knew it, they had traveled some distance. In the distance, he saw a shrine, which looked prosperous and grand.

The main hall was hidden among cypress and pine trees, with pavilions and terraces on either side. In the sunlight, it was shrouded in mist, with a golden aura. Ye Qing, however, paid no attention, lost in thought.

"Ah, I never intended to make an enemy of Yu Fan, but fate led me to take his great opportunity under the guidance of the mountain god!"

"Even though I made an enemy, I couldn't kill Yu Fan last night!" Ye Qing was truly exhausted and couldn't fight the new gray-robed Taoist.

"Now, I fear I have made a deadly enemy of both Yu Fan and the Yu family."

Looking at himself, he saw that the large mass of gray-black aura had mostly dissipated, leaving only a few traces. However, another gray aura was approaching, clearly from the Yu family.

Apart from this, there was a pleasant surprise. His life aura was a deep red, indicating that he had gained much from this ordeal. The fortune from the mountain god was flowing into his destiny, gradually transforming.

Ye Qing watched the ebb and flow of this fortune, his face darkening. As he watched the trees pass by, he suddenly remembered his previous life.

The matter of the Dragon Prince was unknown in his previous life, kept secret. Now, it made sense—this involved the dark history of the dragon clan, which could not be publicized. This would be a slap in the face of the dragon clan.

The Dragon Lord Banquet and the matter of the Duke of Zhao, however, could be widely publicized to make Yu Fan the recipient of the dragon aura of the state. In his previous life, this event laid the foundation for Yu Fan's ultimate success.

The Duke of Zhao was an ancient sage king, and the trees in front of his tomb were lush. Emperors throughout history had bestowed titles, making this burial place extraordinary.

Among them, a particular pillar tree absorbed a bit of the royal aura and became a spirit.

Later, it was killed by Yu Fan, who gained the royal aura, directly laying the foundation for his success.

Ye Qing had known this in his previous life but did not want to take this opportunity to avoid making enemies. However, now that he had made a deadly enemy of the Yu family, he was determined to seize this opportunity.

Thinking of this, he narrowed his eyes, a cold light shining in them, "It's too late now. I must seize this opportunity at the state examination in August."

"Now that I can't kill you, can't I take your opportunity?"