Chapter 30: 阿猫阿狗

Chapter 30: Cats and Dogs

Li Changqing took a few steps forward, a playful smile on his face. He said, "This is a matter between Liu Yiyi and Wang Yan. If they're willing to trade, they'll trade. Ye Fan, aren't you meddling too much?"

"Smack!"

Ye Fan said nothing. He simply swung his right hand with force, slapping Li Changqing across the face. The sound stunned everyone. Li Changqing flew backward, sprawling like a scarecrow for over two meters, indicating the immense power of that slap.

He fell to the ground, half of his face immediately swelling, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His head felt dazed, and it was a moment before he furiously cried out, "You..."

But Ye Fan didn't even glance at him. His genuine contempt was pure disregard, treating him as if he were thin air, as if he didn't exist.

"Give it here!" Ye Fan spoke only these two words, his gaze calmly fixed on Liu Yunzhi and Wang Yan.

Li Changqing struggled to his feet, enraged. He quickly lunged forward, intending to grab Ye Fan's collar. Unfortunately for him, before he could even touch the edge of Ye Fan's clothes, Ye Fan backhanded him across his other cheek. Ye Fan still completely ignored him, not even looking, swatting him away like a fly.

It was another solid slap, incredibly powerful. Li Changqing flew backward, landing against a large tree, completely stunned.

"Give it here!" Ye Fan still uttered only these two words, calmly looking at Wang Yan and Liu Yunzhi.

This time, Wang Yan was completely intimidated. Her eyes darted around, afraid to meet Ye Fan's gaze. She looked aside, trying to change the subject, saying, "I didn't say I wouldn't give it to her. I've been discussing it with her..."

However, her conviction was clearly lacking. Her voice trailed off, and she quickly changed her tone, "Since Yiyi changed her mind, isn't it fine if I just give it back to her?"

As she spoke, she removed the string of shimmering prayer beads from her wrist, about to hand them to Ye Fan. But then Liu Yunzhi, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Ye Fan, aren't you being too overbearing? What do you take Li Changqing for?"

Only then did Li Changqing finally recover his wits. He immediately began yelling loudly, about to charge forward again. Pang Bo, standing nearby, sneered, "He's just inviting humiliation. Don't believe it? Try charging forward again."

Hearing these words, Li Changqing instantly cowered. He continued to shout from a short distance but dared not take another step.

"Why are you treating Li Changqing like this?" Liu Yunzhi questioned Ye Fan.

"Why did you hit me?" Li Changqing angrily demanded.

"Do I need to explain or reason with a fly? Just swat it away." Ye Fan directed these words at Liu Yunzhi, still not sparing Li Changqing a glance.

"You... what are you saying?" At this moment, Li Changqing's swollen face turned pale, then blue, and he nearly vomited blood from anger. He realized that Ye Fan disdained even Liu Yunzhi, and as for himself, Ye Fan utterly disregarded him, not bothering to argue or speak with him. It was a severe blow to his self-esteem.

Ye Fan extended his right hand. Wang Yan quickly placed the prayer beads in his palm, not daring to meet his gaze, and took a few steps back.

"We all know that Yiyi has had a difficult life these past few years. She's suffered a severe blow, and her personality and mindset have changed; she's become very weak and insecure. Such psychological trauma requires a long time to heal. I hope you'll restrain yourself, be mindful of your words and actions, and don't bully her in this state. Don't be so shameless!" Ye Fan warned Wang Yan in a very low voice.

Hearing such harsh words, Wang Yan's face immediately paled. She felt shame and anger, but mostly fear, and retreated a few steps, not daring to say anything more.

"Ye Fan, you've gone too far!" Liu Yunzhi's face darkened.

The others watched all this, saying little. Just as everyone thought Ye Fan was about to turn and leave, they saw him suddenly swing his fist and smash it heavily into Liu Yunzhi's face.

In an instant, blood gushed from Liu Yunzhi's nose and mouth, his face a bloody mess, and he toppled backward onto the ground.

"You..." He had never imagined Ye Fan would strike him too.

"I don't bother with you, yet you constantly provoke me. Do you really think I have a good temper?" Ye Fan gave him a dismissive glance, his eyes full of contempt, and then turned to leave.

"Ye Fan!" Liu Yunzhi gritted his teeth, lying on the ground, wiping the blood from his nose and mouth. He yelled, "Just you wait!"

Pang Bo heard this and immediately rushed over, raising his foot to kick. "Who are you telling to wait? What do you want? Tell me!"

"Thump, thump, thump..."

He kicked Liu Yunzhi more than ten times in a row, sending him sprawling a great distance, until he finally passed out.

The others witnessed all this and no one intervened or tried to stop it. Many of them also disliked Liu Yunzhi; while they might have tolerated him in their previous lives, there was no need to care about his so-called status in this new world.

Even the two or three people who might have wanted to speak up for Liu Yunzhi chose to remain silent, knowing that once Ye Fan showed his sharp edge, it was best not to provoke him.

"Everyone saw that, right...?" Li Changqing, still not comprehending the situation, continued to shout and look at the people around him.

No one paid him any mind except Pang Bo. After kicking Liu Yunzhi, Pang Bo strode over and replied, "Yes, we all saw it. Every bit of it."

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Pang Bo's large foot kicked Li Changqing like a sandbag, sending him rolling away like a dead pig, screaming in agony.

The group did not delay because of this and continued on their journey. Wang Yan helped Liu Yunzhi and Li Changqing to their feet, and the three of them trailed at the end of the line.

At that moment, Liu Yunzhi and Li Changqing gnashed their teeth. They had utterly lost face; it was incredibly humiliating. They also felt a genuine urge to vomit blood. It now seemed clear that Ye Fan had never taken their past actions seriously, or even given them a second thought, appearing entirely dismissive of their conduct.

This casual disdain severely wounded their pride. They felt like mere clowns, ignored until Ye Fan grew tired, then swatted away like flies. He hadn't considered them worthy of equal conversation at all.

The greatest blow was being treated like mere cats and dogs, not even regarded as opponents.

An hour later, the group crossed another small hill. They could now clearly see a cluster of buildings on a distant, taller mountain. At this moment, the roars of beasts in the surrounding mountains grew louder, indicating they were about to exit this ancient forbidden land.

"Let's go a bit further, then stop and rest for a while." Having trekked through the mountains for most of the day, everyone was indeed feeling very tired.

After crossing another peak, the group finally saw birds appearing around them. Soon, they entered a vibrant world filled with birdsong and beast roars, lush vegetation, and abundant life—no longer the desolate, lifeless landscape they had endured.

"There's a rabbit!""And a badger!"

Upon seeing wild animals, many people's mouths began to water. Eating only wild fruits had left them craving something substantial.

"Hey, there are words on that rock wall!" Just then, someone noticed a rock wall ahead with several large, ancient characters carved into it.

Everyone had already seen the first three ancient characters, which read "Desolate Ancient Forbidden." The fourth character was now confirmed to be "Land."

"Why are we seeing these four characters again? Does this mean we haven't left the forbidden land?""No, on the contrary, it proves we've exited. This must be the edge of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land. We're finally safe.""Let's rest here. I believe we'll see signs of human habitation soon."

Among the group, two or three people gathered together, forming small clusters. They all sat down, beginning to discuss what they would do after leaving, as it was clear they were destined to part ways.

"I'm going to see what Liu Yunzhi and those two are up to. They seem shifty," Pang Bo said, standing up and heading into the nearby woods.

A short while later, Pang Bo returned and whispered a few words to Ye Fan.

"We're about to leave these mountains, and everyone will undoubtedly go their separate ways. This mysterious world most likely truly has gods and immortal beings. If those three ever gain power, they will sooner or later become a menace, and then the trouble will be immense. It's better to prevent such a thing from happening entirely." Ye Fan stood up, speaking these words with a light, indifferent tone, yet he had just sealed the fate of the three individuals.