Chapter 85: The Two of Them

What did Yang Fan have for Bai Su? Was it still the hatred from the very beginning, or had it changed over time? Yang Fan could never forget how Bai Su had looked when she broke up with him. She had walked by, hand in hand with Qi Hai, both of them radiating happiness, while Qi Hai regarded him with an air of arrogant superiority. No matter how Yang Fan tried to plead or beg, Bai Su remained unmoved, as if he were nothing more than a clown performing for their amusement.

And then there was Wu Yinmei, and Wu Huiqi—people who had always looked down on him, never giving him a chance. Whenever something went wrong, they were the first to accuse him, to frame him. Bai Su herself, at that time, had berated him without listening to reason, simply demanding that he apologize, as if that alone would solve everything.

So perhaps… Yang Fan touched his chest, feeling the ache that had never quite left. In a quiet voice, he said, “There’s no chance anymore.”

After those words, he ignored Li Qiang’s puzzled expression and walked straight into the eighth carriage. The scene inside was much the same, but to his surprise, he spotted two women who, according to the Spirit of the Ladies’ Painting, were of goddess-level potential. The spirit was practically shouting in his ear, urging him to take them in.

“Those two?” Yang Fan eyed the women skeptically. They looked like ordinary middle-aged women—plain, unremarkable, even a bit short and stocky. Why would the Ladies’ Painting choose them? Goddess-level? It seemed almost laughable.

Li Qiang, observing the same two women, wondered if Yang Fan was planning to give them to his subordinates and keep the real beauties for himself. But he quickly dismissed the thought. He knew Yang Fan wasn’t the kind of person to hoard all the benefits for himself—hadn’t he handed over those valuable blood serums to his men without hesitation?

Yet, Yang Fan’s choice of two ordinary women left Li Qiang utterly baffled.

Yang Fan, however, noticed something unusual. The moment he finished speaking, the expressions of the two women shifted ever so slightly. They lowered their heads, and though their faces were hidden, there was a fleeting look of panic and fear when they glanced at him—a reaction that was anything but ordinary.

“There’s more to this than meets the eye,” Yang Fan thought. Without further ado, he selected the two women and turned to Li Qiang, who was still lost in conjecture. “I need two women to help with chores,” he said. “They look honest, like aunties—perfect for the job.”

Upon hearing Yang Fan’s explanation, Li Qiang was instantly reassured. All his earlier suspicions evaporated. He waved his hand, sending his men to speak with the two women.

Meanwhile, Yang Fan continued his selection. With the ordinary attendants and the goddess-level candidates all chosen, there was little left to worry about, though he did select two more women of attendant-level potential, specifically to serve him.

With the selection complete, Li Qiang turned to Yang Fan. “You’ve chosen your people. Rest today. Tomorrow, I’ll bring over some of the corpses of the berserk demon rats from our stores.”

“Alright!” Yang Fan wasn’t in a hurry about the serums, nor was Li Qiang, who seemed more interested in stabilizing his men’s morale than rushing the process. Yang Fan agreed without hesitation.

Li Qiang had matters to attend to elsewhere, so he left. With the crowd now settled, Yang Fan took out a large piece of tender meat, instantly causing a stir. The two women he’d chosen, along with the so-called “aunties,” followed behind him, their mouths watering, eyes fixed greedily on the meat.

“Take this and make soup for them,” Yang Fan instructed a soldier, then left with the four women. Along the way, he gathered the rest—six ordinary attendants, three goddess-level candidates, and a little boy.

The sleeper cabin was too small for all ten of them, so Yang Fan had the ordinary attendants wait outside. First, he called in the two women who looked like aunties. Xiao You was asleep in the upper bunk, and Yang Fan sat where the boy was lying, checking his condition before turning to the two women.

They looked timid, heads bowed, the very image of country women. But their clothes told a different story—modern, even if a little cheap. Country women didn’t dress like this.

Yang Fan’s keen eye for detail had not failed him. From their speech, expressions, attire, and demeanor, he could tell they were not who they pretended to be. Fixing his gaze on them, he said, “You don’t have to keep up the act. I won’t harm you. Instead, I have a proposal.”

His voice was calm, direct. In the past, he might have used intimidation or force to subdue them. Not this time. If they refused, he wouldn’t compel them, but nor would they gain anything from him.

“An act? I don’t know how to act,” the woman on the left stammered, clearly unnerved.

The woman on the right kept her head even lower and said nothing.

“Very well,” Yang Fan replied. “If you insist on pretending, there’s nothing more I can do. If you think that’s your best chance at survival, you can go back to the refugee area and wait for others to bully you. And when hunger sets in, perhaps the thugs will decide to eat you first.”

He wasn’t threatening them—just stating the truth.

The two women fell silent. Their silence was an admission, and Yang Fan felt a surge of satisfaction.

“What do you want?” the woman on the right finally asked, her demeanor shifting from feigned stupidity to sharp intelligence.

“I don’t want much. I can give you power, but my condition is simple: obey me. In everything else, you’ll have your freedom. You’ll be my subordinates, but you can choose who you like, do what you want, as long as it doesn’t violate basic principles. I want to build a team of my own.”

He was frank with them, knowing these women were no fools. Lying would only backfire.

“Is that all?” the woman on the left asked, crossing her legs as her bearing transformed—no longer meek, but commanding.

“That’s all,” Yang Fan replied with a smile. He hadn’t expected these two to be so interesting.