Chapter 2088 - 2084: You Are My Prize

It seems Hai Wuzi wants to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Pan Gu secret realm all on her own.

But Ye Fan wouldn’t let her do that. In his view, protecting the Pan Gu secret realm and the ordinary commoners within it was not simply the duty of one sect or one person, and besides, Hai Wuzi did not yet have the ability to protect all living beings.

"Sect Master Hai, please go back first. I’ll take care of everything, and as for what happens inside the Pan Gu secret realm, I’ll handle it properly. I definitely won’t let you down. Furthermore, in the face of heavenly tribulation, nearly everyone is equal. Whether it’s ancient cultivators, ordinary cultivators, or ordinary humans, they all have the right to survive, and I will do everything in my power to protect these people!"

Ye Fan spoke to Hai Wuzi as if making a promise.

Hai Wuzi smiled and nodded. "Others may not believe, but is there any reason not to trust what Alliance Hierarch Ye says? Alliance Hierarch Ye, you can be counted as the most ambitious man this old woman has ever met. To achieve what you have today in the shortest time is truly remarkable. Perhaps your future accomplishments will be limitless. This old body is also waiting for the day you rule over everything. Maybe only then will ordinary cultivators and ordinary humans truly usher in peace."

"Sect Master Hai is really overrating me!" Ye Fan said modestly. "If there’s nothing else, Sect Master Hai, please head back first. I won’t be seeing you off."

"Please!" Hai Wuzi’s attitude toward Ye Fan was quite respectful as well. She spoke the word, and then herself showed an extremely humble demeanor.

After Hai Wuzi left, Ye Fan finally departed from Sky City. He still had to return to Earth to take care of some matters—these were things tied to the very end of the heavenly tribulation.

...

...

Ye Fan returned to Earth to see someone, and that person was precisely Tantai Wanrong, the one he’d been worrying about all this time.

When Ye Fan saw Tantai Wanrong, she was sitting alone on the sofa, her whole person like a statue, completely lost in thought. Ye Fan himself didn’t even know how to break the silence in front of him.

"Aunt Rong?" Ye Fan called out. He wanted to greet Tantai Wanrong, but noticed that her expression was very wooden, as if she were weighed down with endless thoughts.

Only after hearing his voice did Tantai Wanrong raise her head. Her expression was dazed as she said, "Aren’t you supposed to be dealing with the heavenly tribulation? Why... do you still have time to come here?"

"Naturally, I came because I want to settle some things with you, Aunt Rong. You could say it’s to resolve a few regrets in my heart..." Ye Fan spoke in a very gentle tone.

Tantai Wanrong shook her head slightly. "Ye Fan, you actually shouldn’t have come. Your stage isn’t here—you’re someone meant for great things. I’m just an ordinary woman. How could I become your shackles?"

"Heh, Aunt Rong’s way of thinking is something I really can’t understand. In Aunt Rong’s eyes, does my effort count for nothing? I mean the effort I’ve made for you, Aunt Rong!" Ye Fan said with a bitter smile.

Tantai Wanrong stood up and faced Ye Fan, looking terribly conflicted as she asked, "Ye Fan, what’s your purpose in coming here—are you expecting something to happen between us? I know that once we’ve confirmed our relationship, some things should come to a conclusion, but I’m not a casual person... you know that very well. Unless you truly become my husband, it will be very hard for us... to take the next step."

When Tantai Wanrong said this, Ye Fan actually felt disappointed inside. He smiled and said, "So Aunt Rong thinks I came here to do something to you, hoping for some kind of payoff? That’s really not it. My purpose in coming was only to talk over some things with you. If Aunt Rong feels this isn’t the right time, then I’ll come again after the heavenly tribulation... I just don’t know if I’ll still be alive by then, or if humanity on Earth will still exist."

"Xiao Fan... actually, between us... I have a lot I want to say as well... but I simply don’t know how to say it to you!" Tantai Wanrong still looked extremely troubled.

Ye Fan said, "Aunt Rong, what is there that you can’t say directly to me? Haven’t we... more or less already confirmed our relationship? Or were you lying to me before?"

"No, I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I was very clear—I’ve already decided to be your woman. But right now... it feels like I shouldn’t let you be distracted. You’re a good man; at least in some women’s hearts, you are. Take Yaoyao and Xiaoxiao—they’ve never cared how many women are around you. But maybe I can’t do that. I’ll get jealous, I’ll feel unwilling. I didn’t understand Yaoyao and Xiaoxiao’s thoughts in the past, but now it seems I understand everything. The purpose behind it all was actually to prove that I could have you all to myself, though I know that’s an unrealistic idea!" Tantai Wanrong said.

Ye Fan looked somewhat regretful. "I know that not being able to devote myself to only you is my fault."

"Actually, it’s not really your fault, is it? If you weren’t torn between so many hearts, I wouldn’t even have had a chance, would I?" Tantai Wanrong’s smile softened a lot. "In my view, you’re extremely outstanding. It’s not only that I have no right to have you to myself—even Zhao Jun and Xiaoman don’t have that right. You’re supposed to go and accomplish great things; you shouldn’t be held back by romance and affection... Ye Fan, if you truly want me, then you can have me at any time, because I know that from now on, deep down, I already regard myself as your woman."

Ye Fan was visibly delighted. "Aunt Rong really thinks that way now?"

"Why would I lie to you? You should understand—we’ve been through too much together. I even feel I’m not qualified to say these things to you anymore... Thank you for never abandoning me. I also hope you can show the same persistence and determination toward the other girls. Only then can I maintain even the most basic view I have of you... Ye Fan, in truth, I love you very much in my heart." When Tantai Wanrong was alone with Ye Fan, she was like a saint, suddenly seeing through many things.

Ye Fan smiled. "Pretty much everything I wanted to say has already been said by you, Aunt Rong. In my heart, I never stopped fantasizing about you. At first, I only admired you as a junior, but later, I wanted to pursue you passionately. Yet I knew I wasn’t qualified. Now that my wish has come true, I still have to thank Aunt Rong for giving me this chance..."

"What, are you delivering an acceptance speech?" Tantai Wanrong asked with a smile.

Ye Fan himself didn’t quite know why Tantai Wanrong had come around so quickly. He pulled her into his arms and said, "Let’s call it that—you’re the best prize I could ever receive!"