Ye Fan believed that with the psychological qualities of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman, nothing he could say would likely change her mindset. Instead of testing her, it would be better to be direct and see if she had any "interest" in being honest with him.

He had a plan to confront the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman directly with force. After all, she claimed to have lost her power and was now just an ordinary mortal, so she shouldn't have the ability to resist his attack. If he did something extreme that she couldn't tolerate, it would reveal whether she truly had cultivation abilities.

But Ye Fan found this approach impractical for the time being because obviously, Sang Yuan became his servant under the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman's instruction after he helped find her. Acting in such a way would betray trust. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman had not overtly done anything to harm Ye Fan, so he couldn't be excessively rude to her, as it might also lose Sang Yuan's trust.

He could hypothesize two outcomes.

Either the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman would be unable to resist, get injured or something similar, confirming to Ye Fan that she indeed lost her cultivation, but it would also cost him Sang Yuan's loyalty and place the Mysterious Woman entirely against him, which would be unwise. Or it would prove that her cultivation hadn't waned, and she still possessed terrifying, world-destroying power, which would mean Ye Fan was courting death.

Thus, both options were untenable—he may as well speak calmly with the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman.

The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman, as before, ignored Ye Fan's words and simply turned away lightly, saying, "I'll go back to my room to rest."

Ye Fan said, "Then let's talk alone."

"I don't want to talk to you; I want to rest alone." The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman remained cold and didn't turn around. However, Ye Fan didn't give her the chance to refuse, following her into the room. Her refusal was one thing, but simply following her wasn't extremely disrespectful, and it wouldn't lose Sang Yuan's loyalty, nor would it cause the Mysterious Woman to fall out with him. This was a compromise.

Sure enough, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman just glanced at Ye Fan before letting him into the room. Once inside, Ye Fan sealed the surroundings with spiritual energy, creating a space for him and the Mysterious Woman alone.

He had expected her to be somewhat wary, but her expression remained calm as if she had foreseen this and wasn't afraid of any disrespect Ye Fan might show.

"Senior, aren't you curious why Wu Yingzi has a daughter?" Ye Fan asked.

The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman replied indifferently, "Though she's an ancient immortal, she's also a female cultivator. There's nothing surprising about having a child. Don't I have a daughter too?"

"Aren't you interested in knowing who her daughter's father is?" Ye Fan pressed on.

The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman shook her head calmly.

Ye Fan said, "Her daughter, like your original form, is a spiritual body carried by her through special means. Only after I communicated with her daughter did the spiritual body leave. She said that daughter wasn't her biological child but was born to her significant other. Moreover, her daughter and Lan Jing might share the same father, which is why she came to ask you about Lan Jing's father!"

Though these words were quite disrespectful, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman still remained indifferent. She squinted slightly at Ye Fan and said, "So what? Regardless of whether they have the same father, do you think I will reveal the details to let you inform her?"

Ye Fan said, "I won't tell Wu Yingzi about you and Lan Jing because I've always been wary of her. I used to be unable to figure out why she tested me with illusions, but now I understand. She was trying to see if I could see through the mist. The fact is I can, which is why she spared my life and even helped me in some things. But if her goals are achieved, she'll kill me without hesitation—this is based on my understanding of Wu Yingzi."

"Hmm." The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman responded noncommittally, offering no indication of agreement with Ye Fan's statement.

Ye Fan said, "I won't tell Wu Yingzi, but I will tell Lan Jing, tell her that you're her mother, so she knows her mother has been by her side all along. Shouldn't that be a delightful surprise for Lan Jing?"

"Don't you dare!" When Ye Fan mentioned revealing the truth to Lan Jing, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman's face immediately turned cold, unable to maintain her previous indifference.

Ye Fan smirked inwardly. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman wasn't afraid of Wu Yingzi's questions because she must have a way to deal with her. She was also confident that Ye Fan wouldn't dare act against her to test her. But Ye Fan had Lan Jing as his trump card. Although using her to threaten the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman wasn't ideal, it was the only method Ye Fan could think of. He didn't want to remain in the dark.

"Senior can try, see if I dare to tell Lan Jing or not. You can either kill me or reveal part of the truth to me. What I wish to know isn't much. I won't even ask about Lan Jing's father. I just want basic knowledge rights," Ye Fan said. "I'm sure Lan Jing would also want to know that her mother has been by her side. She deserves to know, and by keeping this from her, I'm actually helping you, while you repeatedly concealing from me seems a bit too domineering and unreasonable, don't you think?"

The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman contemplated something.

Ye Fan speculated she might be considering killing him. Just as he wouldn't probe to see if her cultivation still existed, he believed the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman dared not kill him because it would be entirely disadvantageous for her.

Ye Fan had helped her regain her human form. He was also Lan Jing's friend, providing her with enough respect, helping her out of solitude, and integrating into human society with an open mind—these were all Ye Fan's contributions. If she killed Ye Fan, Lan Jing would not only fall into loneliness again but also lose trust in everyone around her, and no competent mother would wish for that.

"What do you want to know?" At last, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman compromised.

Ye Fan said, "What I want to know is simple. What's the relationship between you and Wu Yingzi? You are an ancient powerhouse, who is she, why are you at odds, and who exactly is she looking for? Senior, the questions I ask all pertain to Wu Yingzi and not to you. Surely, you wouldn't refuse to answer such questions, making me feel that you have no sincerity?"

The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman, hearing Ye Fan's inquiries, found they involved some private matters but they were related to Wu Yingzi rather than herself, so it wasn't a big deal telling Ye Fan. After all, Wu Yingzi had already disclosed some of her secrets to Ye Fan, right?

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