Top-tier Unruly Master

Ye Ningqing's petite body trembled incessantly from her sobbing, and Ding Fan could clearly feel the sensation when her delicate body came into contact with his.

The softness in his arms was indeed that of a beautiful woman.

Ding Fan was no Liew Xiahui, so being held by such a great beauty, it was impossible for him to have no reaction at all.

Ding Fan felt a wave of heat in his abdomen, overwhelmed by his own helplessness, for his current cultivation was weak and his resolve not commendable, just this degree of contact was already almost too much for him to bear...

At that moment, Ding Fan silently recited the Heart Clarity Spell in his mind to dispel the inner demons.

After crying in Ding Fan's arms for a while, Ye Ningqing, her face flushed, lifted her head from his chest. Perhaps because she felt that her actions had been too abrupt, a girl running over to hug a grown man so impulsively made her lower her head, too embarrassed to look at Ding Fan.

At this time, even Ding Fan did not know what to say, and the moment felt somewhat awkward.

"Senior, what happened to Jiu Jiao..." To alleviate some of the awkwardness, Ye Ningqing asked about Jiu Jiao.

After all, Ding Fan had just left to kill Jiu Jiao.

Upon hearing Ye Ningqing ask about Jiu Jiao, Li Yu also turned his body toward them, looking intently at Ding Fan.

Their mission this time was to kill Jiu Jiao, but the enemy's strength exceeded their expectations, so they were unable to complete the task.

This was Li Yu and the others' first mission, and failing their first ever mission would definitely impact their future progress significantly.

The higher-ups would certainly not consider their excuses for failing the mission; the leadership cared about results.

If Ding Fan had killed Jiu Jiao, then the situation would be dramatically reversed. As long as Jiu Jiao was dead, the mission would be considered complete, and Li Yu and the others could report back with an explanation.

"I have already killed him," said Ding Fan in an even tone.

"What?" Li Yu's eyes widened with surprise. "You mean, you mean, that major drug lord Jiu Jiao has been killed? How is that possible? How is that possible..."

"The man is already dead, nothing is impossible," Ding Fan replied. "Moreover, I've made an agreement with Jiu Jiao's subordinates, and they will never again traffic drugs into Huaxia Country..."

Li Yu stared blankly at Ding Fan, overwhelmed by the amount of shocking news he had just received, and found himself unable to fully grasp the reality.

"Senior, is Jiu Jiao really dead?" Ye Ningqing, in her astonishment, had completely forgotten her demure demeanor and asked Ding Fan.

"It really couldn't be more true," Ding Fan reassured her again.

Li Yu and Ye Ningqing exchanged glances, and by now, both of them were certain that Jiu Jiao had indeed been killed by Ding Fan.

Although Li Yu and Ye Ningqing had only known Ding Fan for a short while, based on their understanding of him, he was someone who would never lie.

Li Yu was now thoroughly impressed by Ding Fan; to think that under the watchful eyes of two or three dozen gunmen and an inheritor of Ancient Martial Arts, he was still able to kill Jiu Jiao. What was most incredible was that Jiu Jiao's subordinates even agreed to never again smuggle drugs into Huaxia Country.

Considering that the government had been clamping down for many years without Jiu Jiao's smuggling ring ever withdrawing from the Huaxia market, Ding Fan's intervention today had effectively ousted the smuggling ring from the country.

As Li Yu was still astounded by Ding Fan's adept maneuvering, sounds of footsteps came from outside the jungle.

The color drained from Li Yu's face, he quickly hefted his AK, worried about a possible ambush at this time. Ye Ningqing, on the other hand, instinctively moved closer to Ding Fan.

"It's okay, they won't harm you," Ding Fan said calmly.

Before Li Yu and the others heard the footsteps, Ding Fan had already used his Divine Sense to detect the presence of those people; they did not have firearms, so it was clear they were not there to combat them.

Seeing Ding Fan so confident, Li Yu hesitantly lowered his weapon.

Soon, four robust men appeared before Ding Fan and the others.

"Senior, the strategist said one of your companions is hurt, so he specifically sent us four here to escort you out of the mountains…"

Seeing the newcomers speak, Li Yu was dumbfounded; they were not here to fight to the death as he had feared, but rather to help them out of the mountains.

The thought of people who he had expected to fight to the bitter end suddenly appearing to help them out of the mountains was utterly bewildering.

However, Li Yu knew that this turn of events was all because of Ding Fan.

From the respectful attitude of the newcomers, Li Yu could guess that Ding Fan's killing of Jiu Jiao must have greatly shocked the smuggling ring's people; otherwise, how could they agree not only to stop smuggling drugs, but also send someone to escort them out of Da'an Ridge?

Ding Fan at that moment didn't think too much, he glanced at the four men, then nodded. "Alright, you four will be responsible for the escort," he said.

Although Ding Fan had used his True Qi to mend the serious injuries on Li Yu and Ye Ningqing's bodies, his healing had only restored their ability to move normally. As for a full recovery, that would have to wait until after they left the mountain.

Naturally, Ding Fan had the means to completely heal the injuries of Li Yu and Ye Ningqing, but doing so would deplete all the True Qi in his body. Without True Qi, surviving in the Primal Forest would be far too dangerous.

Since Li Yu was still very weak, Ding Fan had those four men take turns carrying him. However, it was not appropriate for those four men to carry Ye Ningqing.

Just as Ding Fan was wondering what to do about Ye Ningqing, she, with a blush on her face, pleaded for him to carry her.

Ding Fan had initially planned to part ways with Li Yu and the others since the four men were there to escort them, but seeing Ye Ningqing looking at him with a pitiable expression, he couldn't harden his heart. Eventually, he could only agree to carry Ye Ningqing.

"Senior, by letting you carry me, do you think… do you think I'm being too frivolous…" Ye Ningqing whispered into Ding Fan's ear as she lay on his back.

Now, Ding Fan truly understood the phrase 'exhaling like orchids.' As Ye Ningqing spoke, a faint fragrance accompanied her breath, warming the side of Ding Fan's face, causing his face and ears to redden involuntarily.

"Not at all, you are sick now, and it's natural to be taken care of," Ding Fan, while carrying Ye Ningqing, continued to move forward as he spoke.

"Actually… actually, Senior, this is the first time I've ever let a boy carry me…" Ye Ningqing said, her face flushing to her ears.

Ye Ningqing felt somewhat relieved at that moment; hidden behind Ding Fan's back, her embarrassed state was unseen by him.

Ding Fan at that moment didn't know how to respond to Ye Ningqing. Having never been carried by a boy before… he felt that Ye Ningqing might have some special feelings toward him.

Considering this, Ding Fan silently heightened his vigilance.

Ding Fan was pursuing the path to immortality, and to him, the women of this world were but passing clouds. With Zhou Ruoran still unsettled from his past, Ding Fan certainly did not want another woman to fall into heartbreak...

"Senior, may I know your name?" asked Ye Ningqing.

Pondering for a moment, Ding Fan then spoke indifferently, "Zhou Fan."

Ding Fan didn't want to reveal his real name to Ye Ningqing, wanting to avoid worldly entanglements, so he used Zhou Ruoran's surname and his name to create a pseudonym.

"Zhou Fan…" Ye Ningqing softly repeated the name to herself. "Senior, may I call you Elder Brother Zhou?"

"You may…" Ding Fan nodded and replied.

"Elder Brother Zhou, could you come back to Yanjing with us?" asked Ye Ningqing.

"Return to Yanjing?" Ding Fan was startled, he hadn't expected her to ask such a thing. He saw no necessity to return to Yanjing.

Realizing her words might have been inappropriate, Ye Ningqing hastily explained, "Elder Brother Ye, your help was a major assist to our Unit 3567, our chief will surely want to thank you properly…"

Hearing this, Ding Fan understood that Ye Ningqing's invitation to Yanjing was predominantly to credit him for his aid. He simply smiled faintly.

"You need not count my share of the credit, I have no interest in such matters," replied Ding Fan honestly.

He genuinely meant it; Ding Fan had helped Li Yu and the others merely because he respected Ye Ningqing's loyalty and righteousness. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lifted a finger even for millions or tens of millions if it didn't interest him.

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, Ye Ningqing was stunned. In the secular world, how many are there who do not chase after fame and fortune? Even as a descendant of one of the Four Great Families, the Ye Family, one must still strive to establish a career through personal capabilities.

Yet here was Ding Fan, speaking lightheartedly as if he had long seen through the lure of fame and fortune.

Ye Ningqing looked at Ding Fan; for a moment, she envisioned a life free from worldly desires, one of maintaining purity and guarding one's true nature, which was indeed extremely challenging in the secular world...

"Elder Brother Zhou, if I personally invited you to visit Yanjing, would you come?" Ye Ningqing looked at Ding Fan expectantly.

Ding Fan pondered for a moment. "If I have the time, I might visit," he responded.

Ding Fan did not want to disappoint Ye Ningqing, so his answer was deliberately vague.

"Really? Elder Brother Zhou, remember, you promised me that you would visit me in Yanjing!" At that moment, Ye Ningqing seemed as thrilled as a child who had just received candy.

Ding Fan hadn't expected Ye Ningqing to care so much; he lightly smiled. "I'll remember…"