Chapter 27: Ye Fan’s Attitude

The deadline arrived, and Ye Fan personally brought Chen Qingshuang along to collect the debt.

As the pair stepped into the great hall, the entire Linghan Sect grew tense. When Chu Ling'er caught sight of Chen Qingshuang, the memory of being slapped by her that day instantly flooded back. Even now, she struggled to swallow that humiliation. However, constrained by her opponent's status, she dared not act out, forced to bottle up her rage. Beside her, Lin Yi looked deathly pale; he knew his current downfall was entirely Chen Qingshuang’s doing. If not for her, he would not have lost eight million spirit stones in vain. Had those stones remained, he could have married Chu Ling'er and perhaps even succeeded as the leader of the Linghan Sect one day. But now, those beautiful fantasies were shattered. His hatred for Chen Qingshuang was no less than Chu Ling'er's.

"Young Master Ye, you're here! Please, take the seat of honor!" Chu Zhongtian hurried to welcome them, even proactively yielding his own seat with a fawning smile.

Ye Fan did not stand on ceremony. Before the eyes of all the Linghan Sect elders, he plopped himself into the main seat, with Chen Qingshuang standing beside him. He crossed his legs casually, showing no regard for anyone present.

"Someone!" Chu Zhongtian called out to a disciple. "Quickly, bring tea for Young Master Ye!"

Before he could finish, Ye Fan waved his hand dismissively. "No need. You should know why I'm here today without me having to spell it out, right? The deadline has passed. Just return the betrothal gifts, and I will leave immediately."

Hearing Ye Fan’s unquestionable tone, Chu Zhongtian knew this would be difficult to resolve. Still, he clung to a glimmer of hope and smiled apologetically. "Young Master Ye, please don't be so impatient. The gifts will certainly be returned! To make up for your losses, our entire sect has been scrambling everywhere. Finally, through my efforts, we have gathered enough spirit stones, but unfortunately, an accident occurred just yesterday..."

Ye Fan frowned and cut him off immediately. "I don't want to hear these excuses. I only want the result. One word: hand over the spirit stones, and our grievances will be settled. If you can't produce them, you should know the consequences."

"Cough, cough... Young Master Ye, it is actually like this: my daughter entrusted the spirit stones to Lin Yi. But this brat, I don't know what kind of madness took hold of him, but he managed to lose them. I will definitely get to the bottom of this."

Chu Zhongtian pushed all the blame onto Lin Yi, attempting to deflect Ye Fan's fury. However, before Ye Fan could speak, Chen Qingshuang stepped forward and exposed the truth in front of everyone.

"There is no need for you to investigate; I will tell you exactly what happened right now. Your precious disciple was extremely lavish at the auction house yesterday. He threw away millions of spirit stones for the sake of a beautiful woman, just to win her favor. It’s a pity, though—in the end, he came up empty-handed. But that is a debt he incurred himself, so consider it paid."

Chen Qingshuang recounted the events of the previous day in full detail. Once the truth was laid bare, an exasperated Chu Zhongtian turned around and slapped Lin Yi across the face. The blow sent Lin Yi crashing to the ground, his left cheek swelling instantly.

"You unfilial disciple! You absolute disgrace! What have you done? Ling'er trusted you so much—is this how you repay her? After today, you are no longer a disciple of the Linghan Sect. Get out!"

Chu Zhongtian was truly furious this time, utterly disappointed in his former favorite pupil. Lin Yi scrambled to his knees before Chu Zhongtian, kowtowing repeatedly and begging bitterly, "Master, this disciple knows he was wrong. Please give me another chance to redeem myself. Actually, the reason I did that yesterday was entirely for the sake of the sect. Master, you must believe me; I would never do anything to harm the sect."

No matter how much Lin Yi pleaded, he could not change Chu Zhongtian’s decision to expel him. In the past, Chu Ling'er would have interceded for him, but this time, even she ignored him.

From the main seat, Ye Fan watched their performance with impatience. "Sect Leader Chu, I came here to collect a debt, not to watch you clean house. I hope you understand the gravity of the situation. Just hand over the spirit stones first. As for the matters between you and your disciple, deal with them after I leave."

Chu Zhongtian hurriedly turned to Ye Fan, smiling obsequiously. "Young Master Ye, you have seen what happened. It is truly not our intention to default, but this unfilial brat is just too much of a scoundrel. How about this: give us a little more time, and we will..."

*Bang!*

Ye Fan slammed his palm onto the table, shattering it into splinters, his gaze turning icy. "Sect Leader Chu, it seems you really don't take my words seriously. I will ask you one last time: can you return the spirit stones today?"

Facing Ye Fan's pressure, Chu Zhongtian was drenched in cold sweat. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he blurted out, "Young Master Ye, how about this! Both of my daughters are quite beautiful, and they both admire you greatly. If you give us just three more days, I am willing to have both my daughters marry you and serve you well. What do you think?"

At these words, Chen Qingshuang felt an immediate surge of disgust, fighting the urge to slap this old man to death. However, she held back, wanting to see Ye Fan’s reaction.

"Hmph! Don't you think it's ridiculous to say something like that?" Ye Fan sneered. "Your eldest daughter, Chu Xuan'er, was abandoned by that Young Master of the Xuandan Sect. And your second daughter goes without saying—the things she has done in private are simply nauseating. Two pieces of damaged goods that others have discarded—do you really think I would want them? Perhaps you are the only one who still considers them the apples of your eye. In reality, they are nothing but sluts despised by everyone!"

Seeing Ye Fan’s stance, Chen Qingshuang felt much more satisfied. Chu Zhongtian had known Ye Fan would likely refuse, but he had no other options left. Unexpectedly, upon hearing Ye Fan’s words, Chu Ling'er finally snapped and exploded in rage.

She pointed a finger at Ye Fan’s nose and cursed, "Ye Fan! You are a total scoundrel! You humiliated me by breaking off our engagement in public, and even insulted me in every way possible in front of so many sect disciples while we were in the secret realm. I once loved you so dearly—has your conscience been eaten by dogs? You keep saying we owe you betrothal gifts, but what about you? Are you innocent? You have caused me immense psychological trauma and ruined my reputation. As a man, do you feel no guilt at all? Is your heart made of iron?"