Chapter 319: Chapter 318 Kind-hearted and Soft-handed
Ye Fan hadn’t expected the Dong Witch Queen to be so ruthless. For the sake of the Witch Clan Inheritor, she was actually prepared to kill her own beloved disciple. It seemed she was truly capable of such an act.
But Ye Fan was not so ruthless. He said, "You’ve already warned and threatened her. She’s your disciple; there’s no need to be so brutal!"
The Dong Witch Queen replied, "Thank you, King of Heaven, for pleading on her behalf. Rest assured, if she dares to leak this matter, I will show no mercy, even if she is my beloved apprentice!" She added firmly, "For the sake of the Inheritor, I am willing to bear any infamy!"
However, the Dong Witch Queen had secretly made up her mind. Ye Fan simply nodded. There were still four days until the great battle. Black Fog was fascinated by everything related to the Witch Clan, which kept him thoroughly occupied. Ye Fan, on the other hand, was rather bored. He had no interest in the clan and was left to idle away his time. There was no cell phone signal here; even a simple chat was an impossible luxury.
He was walking beside a stream in the Witch Clan’s territory when he saw a woman. It was Ah Zhu, her body covered in scars and her face bruised. Ye Fan immediately walked over. Ah Zhu was beautiful; she had the Witch Clan’s characteristic wheat-colored skin, dark eyes, and a tall figure. Clad in the finest attire of her people, she was the picture of perfection. As Ye Fan approached, however, she fearfully stepped aside.
"What happened to cause these injuries?" Ye Fan asked.
"I was punished by my master," Ah Zhu said, her voice filled with grievance.
Ye Fan fell silent. It seemed the Dong Witch Queen still didn’t trust her and had punished her so harshly. He immediately asked, "What did you do wrong? Why would she treat you so cruelly?"
"I overheard your conversation," Ah Zhu said, frightened.
"Your master is certainly ruthless," Ye Fan said. "I already told her not to give you a hard time."
"No, Master is doing it for my own good. She’s teaching me how to be a proper person!" Ah Zhu showed no sign of blaming the Dong Witch Queen.
"You don’t hate your master?" Ye Fan asked.
Ah Zhu stopped washing the clothes in her hands. "I don’t hate her. If it weren’t for Master, I would just be an abandoned child. She took me in and taught me witchcraft. She is like a mother and father to me!"
Ye Fan shook his head and smiled bitterly. She’s pitifully naive. If it hadn’t been for his intervention, Ah Zhu would likely be a corpse by now. The Dong Witch Queen had become nearly unhinged in her obsession with the Inheritor.
He said, "If your master continues to punish you over this, threaten her. Tell her that if she lays a hand on you again, I will leave the Witch Clan and withdraw my help."
"No!" Ah Zhu exclaimed, trembling with fear.
Ye Fan was speechless but didn’t bother to persuade her further, simply hoping the Dong Witch Queen would let the matter rest. He then said to Ah Zhu, "Let me see your injuries."
But Ah Zhu backed away.
"What are you afraid of?" Ye Fan asked.
"We have a rule in the Witch Clan," she explained hastily. "If a man touches a woman’s hand, she must marry him! If you touch my hand, my master will kill me!"
It was clear that the Dong Witch Queen’s authority had left deep psychological scars on Ah Zhu.
"Alright," he said. "Since that’s your custom, I won’t interfere. Have you ever thought about seeing the world outside?"
Ah Zhu looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with longing. "I want to, but Master would never agree. Besides, she’s getting old, and I want to take care of her."
Ye Fan knew what a tragedy it was for such a beautiful, delicate young woman to have her life ruined by witchcraft. "Let me heal your wounds first," he offered. "Here, eat this Spiritual Medicine. Your injuries will recover quickly."
He placed the pill on a nearby rock, but Ah Zhu watched him warily, clearly still not trusting him. Ye Fan took out another Spiritual Medicine, popped it into his own mouth, and said, "See? You can trust me now."
Without further hesitation, Ah Zhu took the pill from the rock and ate it. She could feel her body slowly recovering, and she already felt much better.
Ye Fan smiled. "I didn’t lie to you, did I?"
"Why are you being so kind to me?" she asked, confused.
"Consider it compensation. After all, I injured you yesterday as well," Ye Fan replied.
"Thank you. Besides Master, you’re the first person who has ever cared about me," Ah Zhu said gratefully.
"Don’t overthink it," Ye Fan said. "If you ever truly want to leave and see the world, I’ll speak to your master. I think she’ll grant me that much face."
"Okay!" Ah Zhu nodded, then quickly picked up her freshly washed clothes and departed.
Ye Fan watched her retreating figure. Just then, Black Fog appeared, carrying two wild pheasants and a rabbit. "This place has a lot of game," he commented.
"Indeed. We are deep in the mountains, after all," Ye Fan chuckled.
Black Fog watched Ah Zhu disappear into the distance before turning to Ye Fan. "Chief, don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to that witch? She’s quite a beauty. If you’re interested, you should make your move soon." He added with a sly tone, "We’re in the middle of nowhere. Just drag her into the woods, and one thing will lead to another!"
Ye Fan turned to stare at him, incredulous. Is this still the same cold and aloof Black Fog? He said, "I have to say, Black Fog, you didn’t used to be like this."
"I am merely voicing the Chief’s inner thoughts," Black Fog replied, his expression as impassive as ever.
Damn it! Ye Fan was indignant. Even Black Fog thinks I have ulterior motives, when I’m clearly the most honorable gentleman in the world!
Resignedly, Black Fog took the game to the stream and began cleaning it. That night, the two feasted on roasted pheasant and rabbit, feeling completely satisfied. Just then, Ah Zhu arrived with a jar of wine. She was truly considerate. Without caring what kind of wine it was, they each took a large gulp. It was incredibly fiery. It was a potent spirit, and though incredibly strong, it had a unique flavor that perfectly suited the moment.
「Meanwhile, the day of the decisive battle between the Witch Clan and the Mo Sect drew ever closer.」
One day, Ye Fan saw the Dong Witch Queen standing with a group of people. They were the leaders of the Witch Clan’s major tribes. Including the Dong Witch Queen and the South Witch Queen, there were five of them in total. Two other tribal leaders were absent, but they wouldn’t be coming anyway, for they were the scourge of the Witch Clan.
The Dong Witch Queen made the introductions. "This is my eldest martial brother, the North Witch Leader. This is my youngest martial brother, the West Witch Leader. This is my third martial brother, the Liao Witch Leader. And you’ve already met the South Witch Queen."
The three men looked at Ye Fan. They had heard from the Dong Witch Queen that he would be their greatest asset. As they sized him up, however, their eyes filled with deep disdain.
"Leaders, what is the meaning of this?" the Dong Witch Queen was aghast. How could the other tribal leaders treat Ye Fan with such contempt at a time like this? If he left, the Witch Clan would lose their most crucial ally.
