Ye Fan said, "Don’t worry about me. If I say I’ll be fine, then I will come back safe and sound."

"Mhm," Mu Wanxin agreed, her eyes welling with tears.

Ye Fan then turned to her uncle and said, "Thank you for looking after Wanxin!"

"It’s nothing. We failed to take good care of her in the past, so now we’re just atoning for it," Mu Wanxin’s uncle replied honestly. Ye Fan was very grateful to them.

Looking around the village, he saw that despite the beautiful, paradise-like scenery in the mountains, it was quite underdeveloped. He decided to donate some money. Coincidentally, Mu Wanxin’s uncle was the village head, so Ye Fan directly gave him twenty million to repair the road connecting the village to the county town.

The villagers were endlessly thankful. They had never expected Ye Fan to be so generous and were all envious of Mu Wanxin for finding such a wonderful husband. Mu Wanxin felt a swell of pride. Ye Fan was her man, and although she wasn’t his official wife, she had already decided he was the only one for her in this lifetime.

After settling these matters, Ye Fan and Mu Wanxin stood atop a mountain. Leaning into his embrace, she said softly, "Darling, thank you!"

"For what?" Ye Fan asked.

"Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and for the village."

"I did it all because of you. You’re my woman, so doing these things is the least I can do," Ye Fan said, pulling her closer.

Mu Wanxin leaned against him affectionately. "I’m so glad to have you!"

"I feel the same way," he replied.

Ye Fan’s presence was a great comfort to Mu Wanxin, who was still grieving. He had planned to leave the next day, but seeing how much she missed her hometown, he decided to stay with her in the village for a few more days. Though the communication signals and transportation were poor, he quite liked the idyllic retreat.

As a cold wind blew past, Ye Fan looked ahead and saw majestic, rolling mountain ranges about thirty kilometers away. The peaks were steep and perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist.

"Honey, what place is that?" Ye Fan asked.

Mu Wanxin looked up. "Darling, that mountain range is known as the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The heart of it is the main settlement of the Miao Clan!"

Hearing her words, the first thing that came to Ye Fan’s mind was the Gu Clan, which originated from the Miao Clan. They were masters of the ever-changing and fearsome Gu poisons. It was said that any who came into contact with Gu would surely die. Although Ye Fan had heard many legends about the Gu Clan, he had never met any of their highly skilled martial artists. The so-called Hundred Thousand Mountains piqued his curiosity, but he had no immediate interest in venturing into them.

After the villagers’ warm hospitality, Ye Fan and Mu Wanxin began their journey back. Faced with the villagers’ reluctant farewells, Mu Wanxin was moved to tears and only managed to appease them by promising she would visit often in the future. Ye Fan was deeply touched; the villagers in the countryside were always the most warm-hearted.

He drove the pickup truck, taking Mu Wanxin back to the county town. However, just as they were entering the town, their path was blocked. Several luxury cars were parked ahead, and Ye Fan’s eyes immediately turned cold. He stopped the truck and got out.

"Why are you blocking my way?" he demanded.

Two men stepped out of one of the cars. They were bodyguards from the Shangguan family—the same two who had arranged his release before. One of them said, "Mr. Ye, hello. We are bodyguards from the Shangguan family. Please don’t misunderstand. We didn’t block your way for any other reason than to thank you in person!"

"Oh?" Ye Fan was curious as to why they wanted to thank him. The two men quickly explained what had happened on the train, recounting the entire incident, including his brief detention.

Ye Fan replied, "Then we’re even. Neither of us owes the other anything."

"No, no, no! The help we provided you was trivial. We believe that even without our intervention, you could have resolved the matter in no time," one of them said hurriedly.

"But the help you gave us is beyond what a simple favor can repay!" the other added.

"To me, it was also a trivial matter," Ye Fan said. "Now that we’re clear, please move. We need to get going."

"Mr. Ye, our Miss is extremely grateful for you saving her life that day. She traveled all the way from the provincial capital to the county specifically to invite you as her guest!"

"Not interested!" Ye Fan refused immediately. He was certainly not lacking for beautiful women, so he had zero interest and just wanted to leave quickly. If Su Qingxue were to interrogate me about this, wouldn’t I die a horrible death?

The two men gave a bitter smile. "Mr. Ye, we’re begging you. If we can’t persuade you to come with us, we’ll be punished."

Ye Fan was speechless. He sighed and said to them, "Alright, wait here. I’ll go ask my woman’s opinion first."

"Okay!" The pair breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Fan explained the situation to Mu Wanxin in detail. She immediately said, "Darling, they did you a favor. Without them, you might still be in trouble. I think you should go and meet their Miss!" Mu Wanxin thought this way because Ye Fan hadn’t told her he had killed a Postnatal Master on the train.

"You’re agreeing so readily?" Ye Fan teased. "You know she’s a woman. What if she tries to seduce your husband?" That was entirely possible.

Mu Wanxin replied, "Fine by me! Let’s see if she has what it takes. If she really does, I don’t mind. With all the women you have, one more or one less makes no difference!"

Ye Fan was instantly rendered speechless. Since Mu Wanxin had put it that way, what more could he say? He got back in the pickup truck with her and drove up.

"Lead the way!"

At Ye Fan’s command, the two men carefully moved their car aside and drove ahead, guiding Ye Fan and Mu Wanxin into the county town.

Admittedly, while the small county wasn’t large, the environment was quite pleasant. Everything had a refreshed and clean feel to it. Perhaps that was just their local tradition.

The lead BMW stopped outside a luxurious villa, and Ye Fan parked his pickup truck to the side. Looking at the lineup of luxury cars—a Maserati, a Mercedes, an Audi, and other world-famous brands—Ye Fan’s pickup truck seemed painfully out of place.

The two men got out and opened the door for him. "Mr. Ye, please!" They ushered Ye Fan and Mu Wanxin out of the truck.

Afterward, Mu Wanxin was led to a separate living room, where she was treated with the best service. The moment she entered, they served her coffee, along with various expensive pastries and other treats. As for Ye Fan, he was guided to the second floor.

The upstairs living room was also very large. "Mr. Ye, please take a rest. Our Miss will be with you shortly," one of the men said before departing.

Ye Fan sat in the living room, finding the whole situation mysterious to the point of being boring. He sat on the sofa, not sure what to do. In front of him was only a bottle of red wine and a few clean glasses. He picked up the bottle and poured himself a glass.

"’82 Lafite. Quite authentic," Ye Fan commented after taking a sip. An ’82 Lafite was a rare sight, and most were fakes. The vintage was nearly sold out, and any remaining bottles were likely in the hands of private collectors. This bottle, however, was definitely the real deal. After all, he was a man who had tasted ’82 Sprite—oh, I mean, ’82 Lafite.

Just then, a stunningly beautiful voice spoke. "Mr. Ye truly knows his wine. This is indeed an ’82 Lafite! I’m curious, how could you tell?"

"It’s easy," Ye Fan said simply. "It’s written right on the bottle, isn’t it?"

The woman nearly stumbled. That joke, she thought, was not the least bit funny.

Ye Fan turned and finally saw her true face. He hadn’t gotten a clear look through her mask on the train, but now he could see her perfectly.

She gave off the refreshing feeling of a spring breeze, her beauty both dazzling and pure. She was tall, with a delicate, oval-shaped face that had soft, slightly rounded cheeks—a perfect blend of gentleness, aloofness, and charm. Her expressive eyes and glistening lips gave her the very image of a "first love" goddess. She wore a light blue dress that accentuated a figure that would make many women envious. This, combined with her overall temperament, would make even the hottest female celebrities feel inferior in her presence. Her sense of fashion was impeccable, placing her on par with women like Su Qingxue, Fang Nan, and even Qin Yanran.

Even Ye Fan was dumbfounded. During their brief encounter on the train, he hadn’t paid any attention to her appearance. He never expected that seeing her true self would reveal such a breathtaking, nation-toppling beauty.