A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1725

Ye Fan stood by the doorand grinned to himself with the innocence of youthful love.

Though few had seen Qiu Mucheng's adorable side, fewer still had seen the pain and anguish in his heart beneath his wistful smile.

"I'm sorry, Mucheng, for thinking that I could give you a safe and happy life," he murmured softly. "I've overestimated myself after all. Forgive me."

Whipped away by the bitter and unforgiving wind of the chilly night, Ye Fan's apology went unheard.

It was in this manner that Ye Fan had sat by himself outside Qiu Mucheng's door and kept watch the entire night.

As soon as the sun rose, he got up and left noiselessly.

Contrary to what he had told Gaius, Ye Fan did not undergo solitary training. Instead, he headed for Yunzhou.

Upon hearing the news of his master's arrival, Li Er had rushed up to the villa that was shrouded in the dense mist of Mount Yunding to find Ye Fan standing with his hands behind his back waiting for him. "Mr. Chu! What brings you here to Yunzhou? I could have had a banquet prepared in your honor had you called ahead."

As Ye Fan had been living in Jingzhou the entire time, Li Er felt surprised to see him back in Yunzhou.

"Nothing much," said Ye Fan evasively with a nonchalant expression. "There are some matters I must attend to in town. I have some instructions for you before I leave."

Li Er was taken aback for a moment. "Of course, Mr. Chu. Your wish is my command."

Ye Fan produced a sealed envelope and handed it to Li Er in response.

"If anything happens to me in the future, give this letter to my wife, Qiu Mucheng. I hope you and the other elders of Jiangdong treat her with the same reverence as you do now. Do you understand?" As he spoke, Ye Fan turned to gaze upon the older man before him with such intensity as though he saw right through the latter.

"Mr. Chu, are you..." Li Er's voice trailed off uncertainly as he felt a strange sense of foreboding at his words.

"Not important," Ye Fan answered curtly. "We each have our own destinies to fulfill. Keep Jiangdong safe for me."

A gust of chilly wind exploded forth and whipped up the dead leaves on the ground. Save for a slight rustle, the villa was quiet as the grave.

Ye Fan turned to leave without another word after delegating the matters at hand. His thin, desolate silhouette would be the last thing Li Er, Yunzhou, and the entire Jiangdong saw of him.

Li Er felt the corners of his eyes growing moist at the sight of the younger man's departure.

To Li Er, the chasm between him and Ye Fan that had grown wider over the years finally became impassable. The happier times when Li Er and Ye Fan spent conquering Jiangdong together seemed like a distant memory never to be revisited again. After realizing that Yunzhou had become too small for him, Ye Fan set his sights further and further out until he eventually only returned once in a blue moon. Li Er used to lament that Ye Fan's social circle had no more space for an old man like himself until the final

encounter which seemed to gnaw at him that that would be the last time he would see Ye Fan alive.

I don't know what kind of difficulty a man of his prestige goes through, but I hope he takes care of himself. Jiangdong needs him.

"I wish time could be turned back," Li Er sighed to himself. "To the summer when I met Mr. Chu for the first time."

When we first met, Mr. Chu was merely a son-in-law to the Qiu family. I, on the other hand, had just made a tiny name for myself here in Yunzhou. Chen Ao still reigned supreme, and the martial arts club of Tai Shan had not yet gained any traction. Everything was at its very beginning. Though I have not yet been put in charge of governing the entire province, those were still good times.

Li Er recalled with pride that over the next couple of years, Ye Fan had ascended the ranks of power from his lowly position of the son-in-law of the Qiu family.

The head of Jiangdong, General Green Dragon, and now the top spot in the Sky Ranking!

He, as Ye Fan's loyal lieutenant, had benefitted from the younger man's rise as well. Before long, his name had almost become as synonymous as Ye Fan's within the entire Jiangdong province.

It was at this point that Li Er learned a bitter lesson about life. Power and prestige came at the cost of sharing a simple moment of happiness with one's loved ones.

Life is ironic sometimes, isn't it? We work our whole life to be somebody, but it is only then when we realize that we would give it all away just for one more trip down memory lane.

"Take care, Mr. Chu!" Li Er cried as he dashed toward the direction Ye Fan had departed in only to find that he had already disappeared.

Immediately upon leaving Yunzhou, Ye Fan arrived next at Fenghai.

The Chu residence appeared just as it always was, resistant as always to the changes in the outside world.

Bearing no traces of the corruption of modernity, the only evidence of its age was the sleepy town nearby, the old-fashioned yard, and the ravages of time upon the heavy wooden doors. Aside from the occasional barking of a disgruntled dog somewhere in the distance, the ancient house was undisturbed. As it always was.

Upon returning to the Chu residence, Ye Fan did not enter.

Instead, he walked up to the front doors and fell to his knees.

After kneeling for an entire day, Ye Fan finally spoke at dusk. "Forgive me, great-grandma, for being unable to fulfill my promise. Despite cautioning me against being a kinslayer, Chu Shen and his son gave me no choice for having committed atrocities beyond forgiveness. They were the ones unwilling to let go of our grudge, not me. They've even gone after people closest to me in order to break me. My childhood friend had her eyes dug out of her before she could even see the world! As powerless as I am, I must make them pay for their crimes! I vow to slay Chu Zhengliang and have the blood of the Chus run down Mount Chumen to cleanse it of its sins!"

Despite the grief and rage that coursed through his veins as he opened his heart to his unseen matriarch, every word rang clear with purposeful intent.

The only response he received to his proclamation was the crackle of crisp, fallen leaves as a cold breeze whistled mournfully.

The ringing silence imbued the fortress which had stood for millennia with a sense of mystery and solitude.

Following his speech, Ye Fan bowed thrice more.

Over the entire duration, the door remained firmly shut.

Ye Fan did not seem to expect any different. After getting to his feet, he turned and walked away.

The fierce determination in his eyes scarcely concealed the uncertainty and aloneness he felt before embarking on his quest.

Hum!

The grounds of the old house began to tremble at the exact moment when Ye Fan turned.

Shortly after, a burst of green light illuminated the darkening sky from within the depths of the Chu residence followed by a whooshing sound. Turning back in shock, Ye Fan found himself face to face with a levitating object around which the green light seemed to emit out of.

"Could this be...?"

Ye Fan's eyes widened in wonder.

At the same time, a hoarse and weary voice rang out from within the house.

"The Sword of Yunyang was wielded by my noble ancestor to rid the world of evil. I never would have expected it to glow again centuries later for his descendent. But then again, a lot of things are out of my control. I am old and tired. Kill each other for all I care! It's your own lives anyway."