Sometime later, He Yu and Ye Fan left, arriving at an exclusive recreational plaza only to run into Young Master Guo and his cronies.

As the saying goes, enemies are bound to cross paths. When Young Master Guo saw Ye Fan, his eyes blazed with anger.

He Yu snapped, "Look at him again, I dare you!"

Young Master Guo instantly fell silent. Losing face in front of so many people was deeply humiliating, but he didn’t dare to retort. As things stood, He Yu was someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke.

"Get out of the way! Good dogs don’t block the path," He Yu barked at Young Master Guo.

Young Master Guo and the other young masters were furious, but there was nothing they could do except obediently step aside. I swear I’ll pay you back for this humiliation one day, Young Master Guo vowed in his heart.

He Yu then swaggered inside with Ye Fan.

The plaza was bustling with activity, but the prices were exorbitant. Many of the goods sold here were items highly sought after by Ancient Martial Families.

This place is fun, but I really can’t afford it. It’s far too expensive. If He Yu wasn’t footing the bill, I would never have come here, Ye Fan thought.

Just then, he caught sight of a familiar figure. "Call me when you’re leaving," he said to He Yu.

"Big Brother, where are you going?" He Yu began to ask, but Ye Fan had already sprinted out of sight.

What can I even say? He Yu sighed, left to wander around the plaza by himself.

Inside a complex of ancient-style buildings, Ye Fan was chasing after someone. He finally spotted her standing by a small, picturesque bridge over a flowing stream.

It’s definitely her. I’m not mistaken. Though their encounter that night had been a drunken blur, he remembered her face clearly. The memory of her tenderness was still warm. She was just as enchanting as he recalled. Dressed in classical attire, she appeared even more delicate and lovely—a style that perfectly complemented her beauty. Her eyes held a trace of melancholy, making her look like an ethereal Immortal, a truly intoxicating sight.

When she saw him at the end of the bridge, her composure shattered. She recognized this man. She hadn’t just seen him before—they had been intimate.

"It’s you!" she asked the smiling Ye Fan.

"Yes, it’s me," Ye Fan replied. "I never expected to run into you here."

"Come with me," she urged, pulling Ye Fan into a nearby pavilion.

Once inside, she turned to him and said, "We really shouldn’t be meeting like this."

"Why not?" Ye Fan asked. We clearly like each other. Saying we shouldn’t meet seems a bit dramatic.

"Because if we meet, it will only bring you harm," she explained.

"Can you tell me why?" Ye Fan pressed.

She looked at him intently. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," Ye Fan nodded.

She took a breath and said, "Since you can come to a place like this, you must have heard of Shangjing’s seven great Ancient Martial Families and the four millennial families that rank above them. I am from one of those four millennial families—the Qin Family. My name is Qin Yanran."

"Among the four millennial families," Qin Yanran continued, "the Qin Family’s foundation has become increasingly unstable. For this reason, my family has arranged for me to be the one to save it. I am to marry the Demon Emperor. I’m heartbroken. Why must I marry a man I don’t love? Why does the fate of my family have to rest on the shoulders of a powerless woman like me?

"So, I couldn’t accept it. It was during that time of despair and heartbreak that I met you."

Ye Fan was stunned. He never imagined their story would be so twisted. That Demon Emperor is truly arrogant. But why would Qin Yanran marry the Demon Emperor? He didn’t understand all the details, but he knew the Demon Emperor already had someone he loved. Why agree to this? There had to be more to it. He was certain, however, that the Demon Emperor’s marriage to the Qin Family had nothing to do with the Divine Dragon, unlike his alliance with the Yu Family. It seemed the Demon Emperor owed the Qin Family some debt and was using this marriage to repay it. Of course, it was also undeniable that he coveted Qin Yanran for her beauty. In Ye Fan’s opinion, the Demon Emperor would never treat Qin Yanran with genuine affection. Having served alongside him in the Divine Dragon for years, Ye Fan knew exactly what kind of man he was: a petty, vindictive person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Ye Fan had never wanted to associate with him, and he even suspected the Demon Emperor was connected to his own betrayal.

Qin Yanran’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. "So now you understand, don’t you? That’s why I said our love could only last for that one night. After that, we must go our separate ways. If you stay with me, you will face a catastrophe—and not just you, but me and my family as well."

"The Demon Emperor might be terrifying," Ye Fan said, "but I’m actually looking for him. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you," Qin Yanran replied, "but the Demon Emperor is incredibly powerful. He is the only King in the Divine Land! As a member of an Ancient Martial Family, I know exactly what that title means."

Ye Fan chuckled. "What if I told you that I’m the King of Heaven? Would you believe me then?"

"Don’t joke about that. The King of Heaven is fighting on the South America Battlefield," she said sharply. "Remember this: don’t ever look for me again. If I can no longer bear this pressure, I will take my own life."

A sense of dread washed over Ye Fan. "Don’t do anything rash!" he pleaded. "Whatever it is, I’ll help you bear it!"

"If there is an afterlife, I hope I can spend it with you, growing old together," Qin Yanran said softly.

She then turned to leave. But at that moment, Ye Fan pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her passionately. Faced with the man she loved, Qin Yanran responded to his passion. Her eyes welled with tears, however, as she knew they were fated to meet but never to be together.

Beneath a sky lit by fireworks, their love felt both incredibly sweet and achingly tragic. Of course, the tragedy was only in Qin Yanran’s eyes; from Ye Fan’s perspective, it wasn’t tragic at all.

He knew that nothing he said would convince her. It looks like I’ll have to kill the Demon Emperor first. There was already the matter of being framed by him, and now there’s Qin Yanran. The Demon Emperor must die. I’ll never know a moment of peace as long as he lives.

He took Qin Yanran’s hand and escorted her out of the estate.

Unbeknownst to them, the scene had been witnessed by two groups of people. One of them was Young Master Guo and his cronies, who watched from their car in utter shock.

"Young Master Guo, isn’t that woman the Pride and Joy of the Qin Family?" one of the young masters exclaimed.

Suddenly, Young Master Guo began to laugh, his expression triumphant and malicious. The others looked at him in confusion.

"The Guo family’s opportunity has arrived!" he crowed. "The Qin Family is already the weakest of the four millennial families. If it weren’t for their marriage alliance with the Demon Emperor, our Guo family would have replaced them long ago. Can you imagine how the Demon Emperor would feel if he saw this?"

Young Master Guo roared with laughter. "We can take down the Qin Family and get that bastard killed at the same time!"

The other young masters instantly understood.

"No, the benefits don’t stop there," Young Master Guo said. "There’s also the He Family. He Yu acts like that kid’s big brother, right? We’ll just tell everyone that He Yu arranged this whole thing! In the face of the Demon Emperor, even the four millennial families are nothing!"

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" the others immediately showered him with praise. They hadn’t expected Young Master Guo to come up with a plan to kill three birds with one stone. This is fantastic!

Young Master Guo immediately recorded the intimate scene of Ye Fan and Qin Yanran embracing. He would wait for the right moment—when the Demon Emperor appeared—to personally deliver the video into his hands.

He thought smugly, Then, my ambitions will finally be realized. Not only will I get my revenge, but I’ll also elevate the Guo family to a whole new level.