A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1551

The vast heavens stretched infinitely above a devastated land. Ruins and charred earth were what remained of the tiny town. Yet, the mansion that stood before Ye Fan appeared perfectly undamaged. A wintry wind with its biting cold swept past him.

For a very long time, the young man simply stood outside the doors to the mansion.

He finally pushed the door open, lifted his foot and stepped inside.

It was an old house, its emerald inlaid stone tiles scarred with the ravages of time.

Yet, despite its age, the place looked surprisingly clean and tidy.

Everything inside appeared to be placed neatly.

The steps leading down from the doors were clean and free from dust.

There was a hint of something refreshing in the air.

Yet, none of that mattered because the moment that Ye Fan had stepped into the house, his eyes had been drawn towards a single spot and had not moved away. Where his gaze fell stood a lovely young woman.

He could only see her back. Nevertheless, she carried herself with an unearthly grace that instinctively drew one towards her and inspired a deep longing for her.

She stood there silently like a solitary plum blossom, proud and fearless as it braved the snow and bloomed in spite of the harsh cold.

"You've come." Her voice easing into the brief silence gently, as if she were greeting an old friend.

As she spoke, she turned around and returned Ye Fan's gaze. Her fingers plucked at the veil hiding her face.

Soft silk slid away, revealing her heavenly beauty before Ye Fan's eyes.

Her lips were the color of fire and her eyes as dark as night. Her hair spilled down her back like ink staining her dress.

She might be the gods' most beautiful work of art.

The beauty of the moon and the stars seemed dim in her presence.

The sun itself seemed momentarily dazzled by her beauty.

Some were simply born into beauty and could mesmerize all by simply standing there.

No one noticed the flicker of happiness that had surfaced in the young woman's eyes when they had first fallen on the young man before her.

They stared into each other's eyes as they stood in the mansion.

At that moment, they seemed so near yet

so distant.

The wind ruffled the hems of their clothes and stirred their hair.

A long bout of silence descended upon them.

No one could imagine the emotional upheavals hidden beneath the veneer of silence.

Even Ye Fan, who was level-headed and hardened by life, had felt waves of emotion swell inside his long-frozen heart when his eyes had landed on the young woman before him.

His heart had nearly melted when he had heard what she had said. You've come.

That was all it took to soften a man's heart.

For one moment, Ye Fan was seized by the desire to walk right up to the young woman, smile brightly at her and call her by her name. Yu Yun. But the moment passed and Ye Fan was struck by the realization that the Yu Yun that he had known was gone.

Everything beautiful and happy that they had shared was now history.

The love and friendship that they had shared had been severed by the very blade that she had stabbed him with in the rainforest.

Now, she was just the sect leader of the Chu Sect, Tang Yun!

"So, it was you, Sect Leader Tang! I knew it! I should have guessed from the magnitude of the explosion and the bloodbath. No one except you could have done that." Ye Fan's voice filled the air. His words were cold and distant like words uttered by a man to his mortal enemy.

A slight tremor coursed through the young woman when she heard what Ye Fan had said. A hint of despondence appeared on her lovely face.

"What's wrong? Why isn't the esteemed Sect Leader Tang saying anything?

Perhaps you deem me unworthy of your attention! That's true. The esteemed Sect Leader Tang is the sect leader of the Chu Sect. You're the most powerful martial artist on the Sky Ranking. You enjoy immense power and influence. You could burn down acres of land and destroy a hundred thousand lives with a snap of your fingers. I'm just a nobody from the countryside. I'm not worthy of speaking to the esteemed Sect Leader Tang," said Ye Fan with a mirthless smile on his face and mockery dripping from his every word.

"It wasn't me!" Panic flashed across Tang Yun's eyes as she hastily tried to refute Ye Fan's accusations.

"Was it not?" Ye Fan's smile widened. The next moment, his eyes had turned red with fury as he hollered at the young woman. "Why are you still lying to me, Tang Yun! Do you really think me that naive young man at the old Chu family mansion?"

Ye Fan had once believed that he could preserve his composure when he saw Tang Yun again, but he had been mistaken. He couldn't control his emotions at all.

The relationship they shared was fraught with a tumultuous history.

The sight of Tang Yun brought back memories of pain and sorrow. How could he remain calm in her presence?

"Fine! You claim you didn't do it. Then let me ask you. Why are you, the sect leader of the Chu Sect, in Jingzhou? Why is your place of residence completely undamaged while the rest of the town is decimated? Who else but you, esteemed Sect Leader Tang, could have caused that magnitude of explosion? You claim that you have nothing to do with the disaster that struck this town. Tell me, who would believe you?"

Ye Fan's tone grew increasingly forceful while Tang Yun's face turned increasingly paler as he spat out his questions.

The force of his fury rose to its height and sent the winds lashing around them.

Tang Yun remained as pale as a ghost. The look in her eyes as she stared at Ye Fan was filled with disappointment and despair.

After a momentary silence, the young woman before Ye Fan laughed suddenly.

Her laugh was filled with sorrow and selfmockery.

"You think I did it. Well, then I did. I was the one who killed a hundred thousand men and women in cold blood. I was the one who set a hundred acres of land on fire without mercy. I was the one who turned once fertile lands into scorched earth and I was the one who made a town that bustled with life into a ghost town. It is like you said. I was the one who did everything," Tang Yun said, her words brimming with cold fury and deadening disappointment.

No one could understand the reasons behind her fury.

Was it because she and Ye Fan had become complete strangers? Or was it because Ye Fan had accused her of murdering innocent people?

"So, it was you!"

The look in Ye Fan's eyes was as sharp as daggers.

Power gathered swiftly around him while endless strength coursed through his veins.

He was akin to a bow that had been pulled to its limits, ready to release its killing shot any moment.

"Is Mr Chu going to kill me to avenge the deaths of his comrades? Or are you planning to capture me and hand me over to War God Castle for a reward?" Tang Yun asked casually, her cool voice filled with derision and mockery for Ye Fan. There was no hint of fear on her face as she watched the look in Ye Fan's eyes harden.

"I was knighted as a supreme grandmaster by this country. I have every duty to protect its citizens. You went on a killing spree on Chinese land and slaughtered more than a hundred thousand men and women. As a Chinese supreme grandmaster, shouldn't I kill you to avenge them?" Ye Fan tightened his fists. His words thundered with murderous rage.

"Mr Chu is indeed just and righteous. You move me with your patriotism. War God Castle should give you an award for being their best patriot," said Tang Yun derisively, her voice brimming with resentment and rage.

"That's enough! Tang Yun, you might be the sect leader of the Chu Sect, but don't for a second think that that's going to stop me from fighting you. I want an explanation right now. If you don't explain yourself, I won't let you off even if it kills me!" thundered Ye Fan furiously. Tang Yun's mocking words had clearly enraged him.