Chapter 554: Chapter 553: The Tiger in Pingyang

At that moment, having sustained no small amount of injuries, Ye Fan’s vision went black and he fainted.

When he woke up again, he found himself lying on a bed. That wasn’t the important part. What truly mattered was that he was tied up from head to toe.

Damn it! Did they really catch up to me? Ye Fan felt uneasy, but just then, the door to the room opened. Seeing that the visitors weren’t Ximen Hengcheng and his sister, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The newcomer was a woman—yet another woman. As far as Ye Fan was concerned, encountering women usually meant bad luck was just around the corner.

However, this woman was different from the seductive and hostile one from the Ximen Family. She had delicate, endearing features and a playful charm. She was dressed in men’s clothing, and there wasn’t a trace of Evil Qi in her eyes.

Just then, the woman said to him, "You’re awake!"

"Thank you, miss, for saving my life!" Ye Fan promptly responded.

"Miss? You could actually tell that I’m a woman in disguise?" The woman was shocked, her expression full of disbelief.

Ye Fan was instantly exasperated. I’m not blind. Anyone who isn’t blind could tell. Even a blind man could have sensed the faint, sweet fragrance coming from you.

"You have a great sense of humor, miss!" Ye Fan replied with an awkward smile.

The woman said angrily, "Now that you’ve discovered my identity, I’ll have to gouge your eyes out!"

Ye Fan’s head ached. Are all the women in the Divine Domain this unreasonable?

So, he said, "You are so beautiful that even dressed as a man, your stunning charm can’t be suppressed. I can’t speak against my conscience!"

He had to admit that when it came to dealing with women, he definitely had a knack for it.

The woman approached him and said, "What a sweet talker. But you still have to die!"

"Why?" Ye Fan asked, puzzled.

"Because you are not from the Divine Domain!" she declared.

"How did you figure that out?" Ye Fan asked curiously.

"Because the power radiating from you is definitely not Divine Power, though I don’t know what kind of power it is! Since you’re not from the Divine Domain, you must have come here with ulterior motives!" the woman analyzed.

Ye Fan quickly replied, "Miss, I’m at the lowest God-level, so of course I don’t have any Divine Power fluctuations. Look, the Divine Domain is so powerful. What threat could I possibly pose to it?"

"That’s true! You’re just trash who has only undergone one nirvana; you can’t cause any ripples in the Divine Domain!" the woman said disdainfully.

Ye Fan was at a loss for words. In the Secular World, he had been the strongest powerhouse, but upon arriving in the Divine Domain, he was subjected to such ridicule. He really wasn’t used to this drastic change in status.

For that reason, he said, "Since I’m just trash, why not untie these ropes quickly!"

But the woman said, "You were injured by the Ximen Family. Why did they hurt you? If I were to hand you over to them, what do you think they would do to you?"

Ye Fan was silent. He had to admit, he truly feared that threat. So, he said, "You are my savior. I know you won’t send me to them!"

"Are you that sure?" she asked him.

Ye Fan smiled. "I believe that a peerless beauty like you would never do something so cruel!"

The woman was quite flustered by his compliments. She said, "Save your sweet talk. It doesn’t work on me!"

Ye Fan smiled. "No, I can’t lie to myself!"

"Such a sweet talker... Fine, I’ll let you go! But you must become my attendant!" the woman said with a slight frown of her delicate brows.

"Attendant?" Ye Fan asked.

I was a formidable figure who commanded my own territory, yet this woman wants me to be her attendant? What kind of cosmic joke is this? I’m a powerful figure in my own right, after all!

So, he said, "Can we change the request?"

"No!" the woman said immediately.

"Fine, I agree!" Ye Fan relented, as he had no other choice. After all, she was the boss now, and he was just an underling.

I’ll just pretend to agree with this little vixen for now and find a chance to slip away later. Besides, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. If she dares to keep nagging, I’ll just ’take care’ of her and show her what a real man is.

Having made up his mind, a sly, slightly sleazy smile spread across Ye Fan’s face.

At that moment, the woman asked him, "Why are you smiling so wickedly?"

"Am I?" Ye Fan feigned innocence.

The woman then circled him and said, "I bet you’re thinking you’ll just pretend to agree with me for now and then find a chance to slip away, aren’t you?"

Ye Fan gave a few dry laughs. "No, no, that’s not it at all!"

"It had better not be! The entire Shazhou is the territory of the Red Sand Family. Would you dare to flee?"

"You’re from the Red Sand Family?" Ye Fan immediately asked. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Who told you that? Don’t make wild guesses!" the woman said, rolling her eyes at him.

But Ye Fan knew she was just being evasive. No wonder she was so arrogant; she had to be from the Red Sand Family. If that was the case, he figured he might as well latch onto this connection. With the Red Sand Family backing him, what was there to fear?

"By the way, I still don’t know your name," she asked him.

"Ye Fan," he replied. "And you?"

"Mu Keqing," the woman stated.

So she is from the Red Sand Family after all. ’Red Sand’ must just be a title. The Red Sand Main God’s surname is Mu!

* * *

Since Ye Fan had successfully undergone the baptism of his first Nirvana, renewing both his realm and body, he felt much lighter. His whole being seemed to float, and this new power was truly formidable. If he were to face Ximen Hengcheng now, he could escape successfully even if he couldn’t win. He was already looking forward to when he could undergo his second Nirvana.

Mu Keqing was not weak. As a cultivator who had undergone Nirvana six times, she was even stronger than Ximen Hengcheng. No wonder she dared to venture out alone for training.

At this time, he asked Mu Keqing, "Where are we headed now?"

"We’re going treasure hunting, of course!" said Mu Keqing.

"Treasure hunting?" Ye Fan suddenly became interested. He loved treasure hunting more than anything. If he could find Vast Divine Steel, he could forge the strongest Godhead. But that’s almost impossible.

"Do you know why I’ve come to the Ximen Family’s territory this time?" Mu Keqing said.

"I don’t know!" Ye Fan was completely clueless.

The Ximen Family has Divine General Level experts, enough to dominate a region. But the Red Sand Main God is one of the top War Gods in the Divine Domain—a Sovereign God, and an elite even among them.

"It’s because of the Ancient Secret Realm that the Ximen Family recently discovered," Mu Keqing explained proudly. "The young elites of Shazhou are all going to gather there! Once the Secret Realm opens, we’ll head inside for training and to look for useful treasures. Since it’s an Ancient Secret Realm, it’s bound to have many things of value for us Martial Cultivators!"

Ye Fan asked, "If there are so many valuable things, why would the Ximen Family be willing to invite all the young talents of Shazhou to explore it with them?"

This was a puzzle that Ye Fan truly couldn’t figure out.