Chapter 330: Chapter 330

Ding Fan locked himself in his room and managed to refine some Medicine Pills.

Now as Ding Fan's cultivation had risen, he had become more and more adept at controlling True Qi. The Medicine Pills refined from the Two-Cauldron Furnace yielded more than a dozen Grade Two Pills, with not fewer than twenty First Grade Pills. Moreover, what was even rarer was that Ding Fan had refined a Third Grade Pill.

With these Medicine Pills, Ding Fan could now exchange for some cultivation resources at the Longxi Auction.

Besides refining these Medicine Pills, Ding Fan had also re-refined his storage ring. After all, with the Mie Tian Stone available, it would be a waste not to enhance the storage ring's Attributes.

Zizi had been accompanying Ding Fan during his Artifact Refining process these past few days, growing rapidly. Now, Ding Fan almost didn't need to attend to the Nine Luminaries Fire anymore, as Zizi could completely manage the flames during Ding Fan's Refinement process.

Indeed, Zizi was a heavenly spiritual beast, intuitively knowing when to use fierce flames and when to use a gentle fire, its control was almost impeccable.

With Zizi's assistance, Ding Fan's speed of Artifact Refining had surged dramatically. A storage ring that would normally take several days to refine was completed in just one night's time by Ding Fan.

The space inside the re-refined storage ring was much larger than before, now comparable to a small house of around sixty square meters.

Ding Fan was very satisfied with this re-refining. A storage ring is an extremely important Magic Artifact for a cultivator. It not only stores items but also, as the ring is upgraded and combined with other ores for Refinement, can form a miniature world, meaning at its highest level, the storage ring can become a portable world.

This time at the Longxi Auction House, Ding Fan was prepared to try his luck and see if he could obtain some treasures to further upgrade his storage ring.

Ding Fan stepped out of his room, and it was already the second morning.

Xian Shui was, as always, taking care of her companions on this floor. She was not only beautiful and virtuous but also embodied the excellent traditional virtues of Huaxia women.

Xian Shui was currently helping Ye Ningbing with something, so she only gave Ding Fan a quick greeting before hurriedly walking away.

The little fairy Mu Zi wasn't seen early this morning either. Ding Fan didn't know what she had been busy with these past couple of days, perhaps she had many matters to deal with in Teams Three, Five, Six, Seven.

Ding Fan used his Divine Sense to check on Ye Ningbing's condition nearby. Since his treatment, her illness had stabilized and she was now in the process of recovering.

As the sunshine was just right, Ding Fan then walked out of the guest house.

"Brother Fan…" Just as Ding Fan stepped out of the guest house, he was greeted by Ye Ningqing, whom he hadn't seen these past few days.

Ye Ningqing had been on missions recently, so Ding Fan hadn't seen her for a while.

Today, Ye Ningqing wasn't in her military uniform but wore a floral dress that highlighted her shapely and fair legs spectacularly.

Already a striking beauty, Ye Ningqing was even more so today with simple makeup on, though it masked some of her graceful delicacy, it brought out more of a woman's elegant charm. Her shoulder-length hair framed her face, giving Ye Ningqing an otherworldly allure.

"You're back? Was the mission successful?"

Ding Fan had always had a good impression of Ye Ningqing. Last time when the ancestor of the Ye Family, Ye Qingyun, wanted to execute him, Ye Ningqing faced the threat of being expelled from the Ye Family rather than betray Ding Fan. For this reason, Ding Fan felt not just admiration but also gratitude towards her.

Ye Ningqing smiled at Ding Fan, a pleasant look on her face.

Ye Ningqing had never been stingy with her smiles for Ding Fan. Even though in Teams Three, Five, Six, Seven, Ye Ningbing was known as the 'Ice Beauty' rarely seen smiling, in front of Ding Fan, Ye Ningqing was as gentle as jade, her face brimming with spring warmth.

"Brother Fan, do you know what day it is today?" Ye Ningqing asked gently with a breath as soft as orchids.

Ding Fan pondered for a moment. "It should be Christmas today… Although it's not a holiday in Huaxia Country, I still wish you a happy holiday."

Ye Ningqing saw that Ding Fan was sincere, but a hint of sadness flickered almost imperceptibly in her eyes. "Thank you…"

"I'm going out for a walk; do you need me for something else?" Ding Fan asked.

Ye Ningqing shook her head slightly. "No, I've made plans with Mu Zi to go out soon… By the way, Brother Fan, I'm having a small gathering with friends tonight. I was wondering if you're… if you have time to come?"

Ding Fan considered for a moment. "Sure, I'll come."

"It's at the Little Fish Village restaurant…"

Ding Fan nodded. "Okay!"

After briefly chatting, Ding Fan turned and left, while Ye Ningqing watched his retreating figure, her expression unexpectedly turning a shade of forlorn.

Today was Christmas, but it was also Ye Ningqing's birthday.

Back in Changling, Ye Ningqing had taken the initiative to invite Ding Fan, insisting he must come to Yanjing for her birthday.

Today was her birthday, and Ding Fan was in Yanjing, yet he hadn't shown any awareness of her birthday.

What was Ding Fan to her, after all? And why would he feel obliged to remember her birthday?

Ye Ningqing sighed softly, then without looking back, she headed straight back to the guest house...

Ding Fan stepped out of the military compound and immediately hailed a taxi.

How could Ding Fan not know that today was Ye Ningqing's birthday? He was a man of his word. Since he had promised Ye Ningqing, he was bound to keep his promise. One of his main purposes for coming to Yanjing this time was to celebrate Ye Ningqing's birthday.

Moreover, Ye Ningqing had broken with the Ye Family for his sake. A woman of such loyalty and righteousness indeed deserved a well-celebrated birthday by Ding Fan.

After calling for the taxi, Ding Fan got in right away. With some time to spare, he could use it to make good preparations.

Four o'clock in the afternoon, Little Fishing Village.

The Little Fishing Village was a restaurant of modest scale, one that probably wouldn't catch the eye of Yanjing's wealthy young elites.

Yet, Ye Ningqing had chosen this place for her birthday banquet.

Ye Ningqing was not a person who sought fame and fortune. The guests she invited to her birthday were all close friends.

Gathering in the name of a birthday, it was really about spending time with good company.

Ye Ningqing had booked the entire Little Fishing Village for the occasion. As Ye Ningqing's good friend, Mu Zi had spent the entire afternoon helping her out.

Just after four, some of Ye Ningqing's good friends arrived, but given her typically reserved nature, she didn't have many. By the time the banquet was about to begin, the spacious Little Fishing Village was occupied by no more than a dozen people.

However, Ye Ningqing didn't care about the number of attendees. There was only one person she cared about. As long as that person showed up, Ye Ningqing would be happy and joyous...

Mu Zi was great at creating an atmosphere; once the music started, she led everyone in eating, drinking, and having fun... With Mu Zi there, despite there being fewer people, the birthday party didn't feel dull.

"Ye Ningqing... we're old friends after all, so how could you not tell me about something as significant as your birthday? If I didn't have my ways of finding out, I would have missed it..."

Just then, a young man in a shiny Armani suit entered.

When Ye Ningqing saw this man, her brows furrowed tightly.

The man who had just arrived was none other than Zhao Liren, the son of the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Huaxia Country!

Zhao Liren had pestered Ye Ningqing several times before, even going so far as to prepare a grand proposal ceremony.

However, Ye Ningqing had publicly rejected him, which had left Zhao Liren bearing a grudge ever since.

But at the time, Ye Ningqing was a member of the Ye Family. Given the Ye Family's status back then, Zhao Liren, despite his resentment, didn't dare to do anything to her.

Ye Ningqing's brows were slightly furrowed, as she wondered why Zhao Liren would appear here at such a time.

"Ning Qing, coming from such a prestigious family, how can you celebrate your birthday in such a shabby way!" Zhao Liren said, looking around the Little Fishing Village with obvious disdain.

"Ning Qing, I've already booked the International Hotel. Why don't you and your sisters and friends go there? I'll make sure you have a proper birthday celebration," Zhao Liren said.

"No need, I'm fine here," Ye Ningqing replied indifferently.

Ye Ningqing's chilly demeanor did not deter Zhao Liren. Read full story at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩

"If that's the case, then I'll just celebrate your birthday here," Zhao Liren said, snapping his fingers towards someone behind him.

Following his cue, someone pushed in a three-tiered cake from outside, and atop that cake sparkled a goose-egg-sized diamond.

"Wow... that diamond is huge."

"You don't need to see who Zhao Liren's dad is to know that. His father's the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank—with plenty of money," someone remarked.

"If someone would give me such a large diamond, I'd marry him right now..." another chimed in.

The crowd was abuzz upon seeing the diamond, although they had seen diamonds before. They had never seen one so large or of such fine quality.

"Ningbing... Happy Birthday!" Zhao Liren slowly approached Ye Ningbing. "This is my gift to you."

The diamond was purchased by Zhao Liren at a high price from Myanmar, named the "Century Star," and it was famously known internationally.

Zhao Liren did not intend to give the diamond to Ye Ningqing for no reason; he had an ulterior motive.

Women love diamonds, and such a large one would surely dazzle Ye Ningqing. Now that the Ye Family had fallen, Zhao Liren believed that Ye Ningqing would agree to any of his demands, even to become his girlfriend.

Waiting for Ye Ningqing to fall in love with the diamond, Zhao Liren would then pull a complete reversal. He would reclaim the diamond and take his revenge for the humiliation he had suffered from her in the past!