Inside the Second Secret Realm, within Tantai Wanrong’s dwelling, Qin Mengyao and Yang Xiaoting came over as guests, once again inquiring about Ye Fan.

"Auntie, do you know why Brother Fan hasn’t been here these days? I’m really worried, afraid that something might have happened to him. Auntie, is there any way to contact Brother Fan and ask him what’s going on?" Qin Mengyao was very concerned about Ye Fan, having not seen him for more than ten days, she felt as if she had been abandoned, and came to Tantai Wanrong to inquire about Ye Fan.

Tantai Wanrong’s complexion wasn’t very good either; she shook her head and said, "I haven’t been in contact with Ye Fan, nor can I reach him. Yaoyao, you better not ask about him anymore. I’m not very clear on Ye Fan’s matters either!"

"But Auntie, I really miss Brother Fan. Even when he had things to do before, he would find a way to come and see us. Although he would leave in a hurry, we were always in touch. But this time, I feel like something has happened to Brother Fan. After helping Xiaoxiao and me achieve such high spiritual cultivation, he just left. I don’t even know what he’s doing now!" Qin Mengyao said, lowering her head, looking very disappointed.

Tantai Wanrong said, "Ye Fan has his own matters to attend to, things he does now are different from before. He’s doing things for the country and for the people; many times he can’t act on a whim. Yaoyao, you should understand Brother Fan’s difficulties as well. Many things are best looked past. You’re not a child anymore; how can you keep using childish tactics to cling to Ye Fan, making him feel some resistance towards you?"

"Oh!" Qin Mengyao pouted, lowering her head, clearly still somewhat unconvinced.

Yang Xiaoting also tugged at Qin Mengyao’s sleeve, seemingly reminding her not to ask Tantai Wanrong further and that it might be better to go back and wait for Ye Fan’s return.

Tantai Wanrong appeared somewhat weary and said, "Yaoyao, Xiaoxiao, I feel a bit tired today, possibly due to incorrect cultivation methods. You guys should go back and play for now. If there’s anything, I’ll let you know to come over again... if not, take care of yourselves and rest well. Having energy when Ye Fan arrives would be the best!"

"Got it, Auntie, we’ll leave now!" Qin Mengyao said as she left Tantai Wanrong’s dwelling with Yang Xiaoting.

After they left, Zhao Tianya finally emerged from the room, her expression wasn’t very pleasant either.

Tantai Wanrong said, "Tianya, you heard it too, Yaoyao is also concerned about what’s going on with Ye Fan; he hasn’t come back at all. If you want to find out Ye Fan’s situation from these two girls, it seems unlikely!"

"Big sister is right, that heartless Ye Fan must’ve just sent us into this godforsaken Second Secret Realm and left us to fend for ourselves! Truly a heartless man!" Zhao Tianya cursed angrily.

Tantai Wanrong looked elsewhere and said, "Tianya, I think your recent mindset isn’t good. You’re here swearing at Ye Fan on one hand, yet wanting to see him on the other. What good does seeing him do? Only for you to chase him away with curses again? Besides tormenting yourself and Ye Fan, you don’t seem to do anything else. I’m really tired; you can leave as well, I want to rest more by myself!"

"Big sister, it seems you’re not resting, but planning on cultivating. You were a strong-willed woman when you were a government official; now that you’ve returned to the posture of a normal person, you should learn to enjoy life as a woman, how can you still show such aggressive tendencies?" Zhao Tianya said.

Seeing that Tantai Wanrong didn’t even bother to acknowledge her, Zhao Tianya left helplessly.

...

...

Qin Mengyao and Yang Xiaoting returned to their dwelling.

The two girls usually loved playing, but at this moment, they were listless. Qin Mengyao said, "Xiaoxiao, what do you think Brother Fan is doing now? Has he found a new woman? Someone younger, prettier, even more obedient and charming than us, someone who knows how to soothe Brother Fan and doesn’t upset him?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Yaoyao, what are you thinking? Why do you care if Brother Fan has women around him? It’s like your aunt said, Brother Fan is not the same as before. Is it so strange for him to have a few women around? You yourself even mentioned hoping to introduce your aunt to Ye Fan, wishing your aunt could lead a happier and more joyful life!"

Qin Mengyao said, "I don’t know what I’m thinking either. Sometimes when I think about Brother Fan, I feel a bit of disappointment. Perhaps in my heart, I miss Brother Fan and wish for him to walk further with me. Xiaoxiao, before when we bathed in the pool behind, Brother Fan came; do you think if we go this time, Brother Fan might come again?"

"I don’t know!" Yang Xiaoting shook her head and said.

"Haha, Xiaoxiao, we should be more cheerful. Just because Brother Fan is here doesn’t mean we shouldn’t draw his attention. Previously, I felt Brother Fan seemed to watch us all the time. Once we caught his attention, he would come over and even shower us with affection. Xiaoxiao, let’s go swimming together!" Qin Mengyao said with a smile.

"Hmm!"

Yang Xiaoting accompanied Qin Mengyao to the poolside; although Qin Mengyao was smiling, it was evident that there was a trace of disappointment in her heart.

"Yaoyao, what are you waiting for? Let’s get in the water!" Yang Xiaoting said.

"Hmph, how can we swim without taking off our clothes? Too bad we didn’t bring bathing suits when we came, but it’s fine, we’ll skip it. Xiaoxiao, I’ll help you unrobe!" Saying this, Qin Mengyao began to undress Yang Xiaoting, making her extremely embarrassed. She wanted to dodge but was restrained by Qin Mengyao’s spiritual energy, allowing Qin Mengyao to start undressing her.

"Yaoyao, what are you doing? Why do I always feel like a little bandit when I’m with you?" Yang Xiaoting complained.

"Hmph, you’re the one who said it, right? We’re swimming together. I wanted to see if you’ve grown recently, haha. Brother Fan likes you the most, don’t you agree?" Qin Mengyao compared Yang Xiaoting’s clothes after undoing them and felt a bit of disappointment, realizing she didn’t seem to match Yang Xiaoting in some ways.

"You naughty girl, let go of me and don’t make me uncomfortable... boo hoo, Brother Fan, this naughty girl is bullying me again!" Yang Xiaoting suddenly exclaimed.

Qin Mengyao turned her head and asked, "Is Brother Fan here?"

After realizing that Ye Fan hadn’t come, she let go of Yang Xiaoting and released the restrictions on her, looking rather dejected and said, "I don’t think Brother Fan will come anytime soon; he may have already forgotten us. Just hoping that someday he will remember us and know we are still here waiting for him!"