The chariot was drawn by two fine steeds, and it wasn’t slow at all. In less than ten minutes they reached the foot of the mountain. From a distance, Ding Fan saw a mountain path winding upward; it looked extremely hard to walk, and he couldn’t help but frown as he asked Steward He, "Steward He, with such a difficult mountain path, I’m afraid our chariot can hardly get up there, right?"

"It doesn’t matter! There’s a small Teleportation Array at the foot of the mountain that leads directly to the summit. As for that mountain road, that’s for the servants and underlings to walk. Guests all use the Teleportation Array."

"Hiss~"

Ding Fan couldn’t help taking a deep breath. They really did have more Black Obsidian than they could spend—building a Teleportation Array right outside their front gate. So this was what they called a true noble house?

Following the main road all the way, they quickly arrived at a small plaza. Near the plaza stood several Stone Castles, and sure enough, there was a small Teleportation Array there, guarded by a few Martial Artists of the Herr Family.

Steward He led Ding Fan down from the chariot, showed the guarding Martial Artist a Token, then took Ding Fan into the Teleportation Array. A beam of white light shot straight into the sky.

Ding Fan only felt a flash of white before his eyes, and he appeared on a stretch of grass. With just one glance, he discovered that not far to the east was none other than Daozhen City. He couldn’t help feeling a jolt of surprise and said, "This really is a fine spot."

He suddenly understood why Master Daozhen had chosen to build the Herr Family compound here. From this vantage point, the entire Daozhen City lay within their field of control. Looking down from here, he felt like a sovereign high above—everything in Daozhen City was within his grasp.

Ahead were neat rows of Stone Castles stretching as far as the eye could see. Trees grew lushly on all sides, the scenery elegant and beautiful. The Overlord of Tianmu Sea’s manor indeed had its own style.

"This way, Young Master Ding, please."

Steward He did not lead Ding Fan toward those Stone Castles, but turned left instead. There weren’t many stone fortresses on this side; there were many flower beds and flowers planted everywhere. It was springtime; the moonlight shimmered like mercury.

After winding this way and that, they finally reached their destination—an open-air pavilion perched on the edge of a cliff. From this pavilion one could see rolling Mountain Ranges in the distance and clustered towns and villages below, giving off a very open and refreshing feeling.

Several maidservants stood on the pavilion. In the middle was a square table, candles burning around it. Behind the table sat a woman in a black floral cheongsam, holding a cup of wine in her hand.

The woman’s eyes were not on him. She gazed toward the distant mountains; her eyes sparkled like starlight, her delicate features white and smooth like White Jade, her body exuding endless seductive charm. For a moment, Ding Fan actually found himself a little dazed by the sight.

This was what they called a peerless beauty—exactly such a woman.

Steward He gave Ding Fan a slight nod and withdrew. Ding Fan stepped onto the pavilion, fixing his eyes on Madam Yan. He did not hide the thoughts in his gaze, staring straight at her as if he were looking at the most beautiful Treasure in the world.

Only when Ding Fan drew closer step by step did Madam Yan withdraw her gaze. She turned back to him with a charming smile and said lightly, "Have you seen enough?"

"Not enough."

Ding Fan answered very honestly. Without waiting for Madam Yan to invite him, he sat down opposite her, picked up a cup of wine that had been poured for a while, took a sip, and said, "My lady’s beauty is a gift from God. Beautiful things are meant to be admired and praised. I’ve seen many women, but you are definitely the most beautiful of them all."

Ding Fan’s words could even be called rather coarse, which made Madam Yan’s eyes show a hint of surprise. She cautiously shifted her gaze away from his, and was a bit taken aback to find that Ding Fan’s bearing was very different from last time.

There was a bit more calmness and confidence, and also a hint of arrogance!

He was still a youth, the childishness not completely faded, yet he had grown this much in just over a month? This left a deep impression on Madam Yan.

Her hand flicked lightly, and the few maidservants withdrew downstairs. A beautiful smile curved her lips as she said with a faint laugh, "Ding Fan, you might not know, I have a nickname: the Iron Lady. You came alone to this appointment—aren’t you afraid you won’t walk back down this mountain? Aren’t you being far too rash?"

"Iron Lady?"

Ding Fan felt a bit uneasy. What did Madam Yan mean by that? Did "Iron Lady" mean she was ruthless when she struck?

He shrugged and said, "If a man dies under the peony, even as a ghost he’s carefree. To die at your hands would be an honor."

Looking at Ding Fan’s burning gaze, Madam Yan forced a smile. "You’re getting more and more daring."

Ding Fan smiled faintly, utterly unconcerned. He had just completely offended Herr Rufeng and slapped the Herr Family in the face at the auction, and now he dared to come alone to meet them. How could his courage not be big?

Having become Island Master of Skull Island, and now master of both the Ye Family and the Meng Family, Ding Fan’s bearing was quietly changing. Perhaps it was also because he knew he was the Heir of the Sirius Clan—one of the top ten lineages in the Central Plains, and one of the most powerful. That made him feel even prouder of his identity.

The Daozhen Family was strong, but only a minor overlord in the Northern Wastelands. He, on the other hand, was the Heir of the strongest clan in the Central Plains, directly inheriting from the old Sirius elder!

How could a scion of the Sirius Clan not bear traces of domineering might? As the Legacy Warrior of the old Sirius elder, how could he possibly lack pride? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The battles at Great Python Mountain, the bitter fight to seize Tie Family Island, the fortuitous encounters in that other world, and the frenzy at the auction just now—these were all gradually forging Ding Fan’s extraordinary aura, awakening the innate domineering spirit that had always lain in his bones.

The Second Elder’s interception of a million Black Obsidian had taught Ding Fan a lesson: if he failed to handle his relationship with the Herr Family properly, there was no way he could live peacefully in the Tianmu Sea.

So he came to Daozhen City, walked into the auction house, and essentially gave Herr Rufeng a resounding slap in the face. Now he had come again to Daozhen Villa. At this point he had already thrown all caution to the wind—wasn’t there a saying, "only in a place of death can one be reborn"?

He had made up his mind: if the negotiations went badly tonight, he would lead his people into that other world. Since he had a way out, why should he kneel before the Herr Family?

As for whether he could leave Daozhen Villa alive, he wasn’t worried. Or rather, it was still that same reasoning—if the Herr Family were that petty, they would never have become the Overlord of Tianmu Sea.

In the chariot, he had already thought everything through; his mind was exceptionally clear now. Fixing his gaze on Madam Yan’s beautiful face, his eyes burned even hotter.

Madam Yan fell silent for a while, gazing at the distant mountain range, then said leisurely, "Ding Fan, do you know why I invited you tonight?"

Once it came to business, Ding Fan put away his frivolous attitude. He thought for a moment and said, "Yeah. You want me to compromise, and you want to cooperate with me. Cooperation doesn’t matter, compromise is what really matters, right, Madam Yan?"

The smile at the corner of Madam Yan’s lips suddenly grew a shade heavier. She turned her head and looked straight at Ding Fan. "Can you compromise?"

"With Herr Rufeng, no way!"

Ding Fan shook his head, then leaned back toward Madam Yan’s side. "As for you, Madam, I can think about it."

To Ding Fan, Madam Yan had always been quite interesting.

The first time they met, she had tried to probe Ding Fan’s Soul, but found no clues at all. At that time she knew that either Ding Fan’s Soul was different, or he had some Treasure on him that prevented her from probing.

Afterward, she had Steward He investigate Ding Fan’s identity, and ended up discovering a huge secret. Back then she strongly suspected that Ding Fan was the Legacy Warrior of the old Sirius, but unfortunately, Ding Fan never displayed any Sirius inheritance, which left her unsure.

After that, she set up a game, having Crimson Flame go to the rescue and put on a grand kneeling-and-recognizing-master performance. She only wanted to prove that Ding Fan was the Heir of the old Sirius as well as of the Sirius Clan.

However!

Because of this, she was extremely disappointed that Ding Fan was not a Sirius Warrior. Crimson Flame had a talisman of the Sirius Clan in his hand, and it hadn’t lit up. She had used her Divine Sense to probe that talisman at the time; it was indeed a talisman of a great clan.

The old Sirius had come to the Tianmu Sea once. Although she had never met the old Sirius, Crimson Flame had truly received the old man’s favor. So if Crimson Flame said that Ding Fan was not the Heir of the old Sirius, then it had to be true.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Madam Yan returned in a foul mood. When Steward He asked how to deal with Ding Fan, she vented her anger, so when Wu Qingxia came to sell the Crimson Flame Bodhi, the price ended up being lowered, and Steward He’s attitude before and after that changed drastically.

From that day on, Madam Yan didn’t pay much attention to Ding Fan’s affairs, until tonight when Ding Fan came to Daozhen City.

Ding Fan had stormed into the auction hall, which piqued Madam Yan’s curiosity. After she learned what had happened, she was even more shocked.

A mysterious Ghost Mask, a Spatial Ring, a Treasure that could be pawned for twenty million Black Obsidian, and that crazy bidding!

All of it made Ding Fan more mysterious, making Madam Yan once again curious about and interested in this young man.

That was why this night of Ding Fan coming to Daozhen Villa happened.

Twenty million Black Obsidian wasn’t that incredible in itself, but Ding Fan had appeared in the tiny Skeleton Sect in Great Python Mountain. At the start no one thought much of him; even after he became Sect Master, not many accepted him.

When the Skeleton Sect came to the Tianmu Sea, they were dirt poor. Now Skull Island had only just taken over that little island that used to belong to the Tie Family. With what did Ding Fan buy a Space Ring, and with what did he buy the Ghost Mask? Why had Mu Gaosou suddenly advanced? And with what did Ding Fan pawn something for twenty million Black Obsidian?

Could he really be the Heir of the Sirius Clan?

Madam Yan very much wanted to know. She wanted to establish some kind of relationship with this mysterious youth, to help him resolve the grudge between him and Herr Rufeng, so she asked Ding Fan to compromise with her!

But she hadn’t expected to receive such an answer!

Madam Yan was momentarily at a loss for words. This kid was really bold—how dare he flirt with her again and again? Honestly, was her "iron lady" nickname not scary enough?

The smile faded from her face. She said solemnly, "Ding Fan, three conditions. If you can agree to them, all past grudges are wiped clean, and you’ll become a friend of the Herr Family."

Ding Fan swirled the cup in his hand and said calmly, "I’m listening."

Madam Yan said, "First, you sell the Red Cistanche and Blood Thorn Sprout exclusively to us. As for the price, twenty‑five thousand per stalk."

Ding Fan did a quick calculation in his head. That price was neither low nor high. For example, if he’d brought fifty stalks, that was one million two hundred and fifty thousand Black Obsidian. If they could cooperate long‑term, this price was actually quite good.

Ding Fan didn’t respond to that, and instead asked, "Second?"

"Tell me what the collateral was for the twenty million Black Obsidian you pawned, and where you got it from."

Madam Yan glanced at the ring in Ding Fan’s hand, smiling faintly as she said, "Don’t worry, I’m just curious. I won’t set my sights on your Treasure."

Ding Fan was silent for a moment, then said bluntly, "I got it by chance. That opportunity is inconvenient to disclose. What I can tell you is that the collateral was Limitless Fruit."

"An opportunity?"

Madam Yan kept her eyes on Ding Fan’s, confirming that he wasn’t lying, and nodded lightly. It seemed these Treasures really had been obtained in some recent adventure of Ding Fan’s—in other words, they weren’t left to him by the old Sirius.

Madam Yan felt a bit disappointed. She thought for a moment, then said to Ding Fan, "Ding Fan, I’ve already investigated your background. I found that you might have a great deal to do with the old Sirius. Do you want me to help you look into it?"

When Madam Yan spoke she always watched Ding Fan’s eyes and face. Ding Fan’s eyes lit up, and he said earnestly, "Thank you, Madam. Last time, Lord Chi Yan even said I was his little master. I feel like my identity isn’t ordinary either. Whether I’ve really received the old Sirius’s inheritance, I’m not sure myself. Or... Madam, please send people to the Central Plains to look for the Sirius Clan. If I really gain their recognition, I’ll thank you again."