Chapter 5: Divorce

"Lu Tianhao, what are you doing here?" Yang Fan asked, fixing his gaze on Lu Tianhao.

"None of your damn business," Lu Tianhao replied dismissively, not bothering to engage with Yang Fan as he walked past him.

Watching Lu Tianhao’s hurried departure, Yang Fan felt a bit puzzled. He couldn’t understand why this guy had come here—Lu Tianhao was Lu Yuxi’s younger brother, and he rarely visited, mostly because he disliked Yang Fan. It was a surprise to run into him at home.

Pushing the thought aside, Yang Fan entered Lu Yuxi’s room and turned on the computer to purchase medicinal herbs online. Once he had gathered all the necessary ingredients, he contacted the sellers, made the payment, and left Lu Yuxi’s room.

That evening, when Lu Yuxi returned and saw Yang Fan at home, she didn’t say much. Their relationship had always been like this—very few words passed between them whenever they met.

Two days later, the herbs Yang Fan ordered arrived, and he began to refine pills. Since there was no alchemy furnace at home, he went out and bought a pot to serve as a makeshift one. The herbs he bought were enough for two batches, costing him nearly all his money, leaving just over fifty thousand yuan. He felt no regret; as long as he succeeded in refining the Vital Source Pill, he could sell it for a high price. A single Vital Source Pill was worth far more than three million.

His cultivation was still insufficient; he couldn’t yet use the True Flame of Three Essences to refine pills, so he had to make do with the Qi Furnace’s fire. He infused his spiritual energy into the flames, carefully controlling the temperature as he worked. Only at the early stage of Qi Refining, his spiritual power was limited, making the task rather strenuous. He dared not allow himself the slightest distraction, meticulously guiding the flames.

When his energy was finally depleted, the pills were finished. Opening the pot, he saw two pills—the Vital Source Pills.

"Lower grade," Yang Fan muttered in mild dissatisfaction. Given his insufficient spiritual power, producing even lower-grade pills was already quite commendable. If it had been someone else in his place, they might not have succeeded at all.

Returning to his room, Yang Fan swallowed one of the pills and began to absorb its spiritual energy. As the medicine took effect, it began to reshape his meridians, continuously generating spiritual power that filled his body. Once the pill’s power was fully absorbed, Yang Fan’s spiritual strength had increased substantially, putting him on the verge of breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Had this been a superior-grade pill, he would surely have reached that level.

"It’s about time to leave this place," Yang Fan decided after finishing his cultivation. He would depart from Jiangcheng; he wanted nothing more to do with the people here. His sole focus now was to advance his cultivation so that he could return to the Divine Realm and exact his revenge.

"Junior sister, your death will not be in vain. I will make them pay with their lives," he vowed, his fists clenching and his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

Back then, Yang Fan had been besieged by the twelve Sovereign Emperors of the Divine Realm. His junior sister had perished saving his life.

Emerging from his room, he caught the scent of food. Lu Yuxi had already prepared dinner and was eating.

They had a tacit understanding: the two never dined together. Seeing Yang Fan come down, Lu Yuxi was a little surprised but said nothing. Yang Fan served himself a bowl of rice and sat down at the table. They ate in silence, neither looking at the other.

Yang Fan finally looked up at Lu Yuxi and spoke, "Let’s get a divorce."

"Divorce?" Lu Yuxi was stunned by the word. She looked up at Yang Fan, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief, as if she had heard something unimaginable.

"What did you say?" she asked numbly.

"I said, let’s get a divorce," Yang Fan replied calmly. "I know you were forced to marry me. After we divorce, you can find someone you truly like, and I won’t hold you back any longer."

He had made up his mind. Once divorced from Lu Yuxi, he would have no more attachments and could devote himself to cultivation. As for the Yang family, they meant nothing to him now.

Did he really say divorce? Did I hear it right?

Once she was sure, Lu Yuxi was dumbfounded. Ever since marrying Yang Fan, she had constantly wished for divorce, but he had always refused. To hear him say it now was a complete surprise.

"What’s wrong?" Yang Fan called out when he saw her dazed.

"Oh, yes, a divorce—wonderful. Thank you, Yang Fan," Lu Yuxi said gratefully. She was genuinely happy. She didn’t know why Yang Fan had suddenly agreed, but as long as she could get divorced, that was enough.

"Prepare the divorce agreement tomorrow," Yang Fan said, getting up from the table and returning to his room.

Watching Yang Fan leave, Lu Yuxi’s expression grew complicated. She still worried about him. Since their marriage, she had supported the family, as Yang Fan had little ability to stand on his own. What would become of him after the divorce?

"After the divorce, I won’t keep the house. I’ll give him some compensation," she resolved after a moment’s thought. Clearing the dishes, she went to her room to rest.

The next day, Lu Yuxi went early to the Civil Affairs Bureau to obtain a divorce agreement. She brought it home for Yang Fan to sign. He barely glanced at it before signing his name.

"Yuxi, today’s your birthday, isn’t it?" Yang Fan said with a smile.

Lu Yuxi was caught off guard, surprised he had remembered her birthday. Since their marriage, this was the first time Yang Fan had called her by her given name. The familiarity in his tone touched her, and she felt an urge to cry, though she held back.

"Yes, I didn’t expect you to remember," she said with a gentle smile.

"We’ve been married so long, but I’ve never given you anything. This pendant is my birthday gift to you," Yang Fan said, handing her a pendant.

The pendant was carved from a piece of white jade. It looked ordinary, but it emanated a faint spiritual aura.

Yang Fan had inscribed runes into the jade and infused it with spiritual energy, giving it a calming effect.

"Thank you," Lu Yuxi said, accepting the pendant.

"Well, I’ll be going now. Take care," Yang Fan said, preparing to leave.

"Where are you going, Yang Fan?" Lu Yuxi asked quickly, seeing him with a backpack.

"Now that we’re divorced, of course I’m leaving," he replied.

"You can keep the house. I don’t want it," Lu Yuxi offered.

"You should keep the house. I’m leaving Jiangcheng and won’t be coming back," Yang Fan shook his head.

Hearing that Yang Fan planned to leave Jiangcheng for good, Lu Yuxi was taken aback.

"Wait a moment," she said, hurrying to her room. She opened a drawer, searching for something.

"Where did the fifty thousand yuan I left here go?" she wondered. She distinctly remembered placing the money in the drawer and had never touched it since.

As if realizing something, she went out to Yang Fan.

"Did you go into my room?" she asked.

Yang Fan nodded. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Lu Yuxi shook her head.

"Anything else?" Yang Fan asked.

She shook her head again.

Without another word, Yang Fan turned and left.

Watching his departing figure, Lu Yuxi shook her head. "You still can’t break the habit of taking money," she murmured.

She believed Yang Fan had taken the fifty thousand yuan from her drawer. But since they were divorced now, she didn’t pursue it; she had intended the money for him anyway.

Pulling out her phone, Lu Yuxi dialed her cousin Zhang Meng.

"Hello, cousin, what is it?" Zhang Meng’s voice came through the phone.

"Xiaomeng, I’m divorcing Yang Fan," Lu Yuxi said, her voice bright with happiness.

"Really? That’s great! You can finally leave that scumbag. Come over to my place, cousin, I’ll celebrate your birthday with you," Zhang Meng replied excitedly. "I’m out right now, I’ll pick up a few things and head home. Talk soon!"

"Okay, take care," Lu Yuxi said. She hung up and left home for Zhang Meng’s apartment.

After leaving, Yang Fan made his way toward the train station, preparing to depart Jiangcheng. As he walked down a busy street, a car passed by. With his keen eyesight, he saw a familiar face inside—Zhang Meng, Lu Yuxi’s cousin.

Inside the car, Zhang Meng’s face was flushed, her body twisting restlessly, her eyes glazed over.

"She’s been drugged," Yang Fan immediately surmised.