The wedding was just around the corner.

When Fan Qiuming opened his eyes again, his aura had stabilized at the seventh level of Qi Refinement.

“A small breakthrough…” he murmured.

He stood up, noticing that the wounds on his body had already healed and scabbed over, thanks to the Spring of Life. Gazing at his tattered, bloodstained clothes, Fan Qiuming couldn’t help but shake his head.

“There goes another set of clothes…”

He fetched a new set of sword robes from his storage ring and changed into them. While doing so, he caught sight of the outfit he had intended to give Fan Qiulin, and a heaviness weighed on his heart.

“I’ve been here almost a whole day now. I wonder how Qiulin is doing?”

He took out his phone, only to find there was no signal—he wouldn’t be able to send any messages.

At that moment, Yunling appeared in the middle of the phone’s screen.

“Master! Did you miss Yunling? Hee hee!”

“Oh? Master, where are you now?”

Though she hadn’t taken human form, she could still see the environment around her. Yunling’s playful voice brought Fan Qiuming a touch of comfort—at least he wasn’t entirely alone in this world.

“Yunling, you can take human form here,” Fan Qiuming said, tossing the phone into the air. Before it landed, Yunling had already transformed into her human shape, landing gracefully on the ground in her usual attire.

“Hmm… Yunling, you might look a bit out of place here dressed like that. Maybe change into something else!”

He looked her up and down; truly, modern clothes did stand out oddly in this world.

“All right!” Yunling agreed. Her clothes shimmered with golden light, and in the next moment, she wore sword robes identical to Fan Qiuming’s.

“Tada! Master, how do I look?”

“Not bad…” Fan Qiuming replied, giving her attire an approving glance.

When he entered the God Ruins, it had been dark. Now, sunlight was slowly emerging in the distance—the sky was about to brighten. Not intending to linger, Fan Qiuming left the God Ruins once his wounds had healed, reclaimed the core, and placed it back into his storage ring.

He set off up the mountain, Yunling following at his heels.

“Master, if you want to return to Cangye City, you’re heading the wrong way. It’s that direction,” Yunling said, pointing east and sounding a bit perplexed.

“Huh? Oh! Is that so?” Fan Qiuming paused, a little embarrassed.

“How do you know that?”

“Even without internet, Yunling can scan the terrain you’ve traveled before and still navigate! Don’t forget, Yunling was originally a smartphone,” she said, hands on her hips, a smug smile on her lips.

“That’s right! How could I forget?” Fan Qiuming finally realized.

He decided to return to Cangye City first, to acquire a map of this world, and then search elsewhere for a way back.

With Yunling’s guidance, Fan Qiuming quickly returned to Cangye City. He looked up at the city gates with a sigh.

“In the end, I’ve come back here again…”

He entered the city, but today, something about the atmosphere was off. Especially at the Zhao residence—the decorations were festive, yet there was none of the expected joy. People walked with heads bowed, as if something ill had happened.

Fan Qiuming’s curiosity was piqued. What was going on?

He grabbed a passerby and asked, “Hey, brother, what’s up with the Zhao residence today? Shouldn’t a wedding be a joyous occasion?”

The man shook his head, sighing deeply. “Ah, don’t mention it. It was supposed to be a happy day. Everyone thought the Zhao family’s eldest daughter was marrying the Wang family’s eldest son, but who would have guessed the groom would turn out to be the second son instead?”

A look of pity crossed the man’s face. “What a shame for the Zhao family’s young lady.”

“Is there really such a difference between the two brothers?” Fan Qiuming asked, puzzled.

“You must be from out of town! The two Wang brothers couldn’t be more different. Everyone in Cangye City knows,” the man replied. “The elder son is handsome and has remarkable talent in cultivation. He’s the dream man for countless young ladies here. Marrying him would be a stroke of great fortune!”

“But the second son… tsk, tsk.” The man shook his head in disgust. “He’s the opposite—plain ugly, and, rumor has it, a halfwit. He spends his days at home, needing servants for everything, even the most basic needs. People avoid him as much as they can. But now, the Zhao family’s young lady has to marry him. It’s heartbreaking to even think about it.”

“The eldest Miss Zhao is always kind to common folk like us, and now she’s forced to marry such a person. Heaven must be blind!” The man shook his head again and walked off.

Observing the disappointment on the faces around him, Fan Qiuming wondered if he should intervene—after all, she had once saved him.

But his purpose here was to find a map. At that moment, he was torn in indecision.

“Master Fan…”

A voice from inside the house interrupted his thoughts.

Master Zhao rushed out from the Zhao residence and fell to his knees before Fan Qiuming with a thud.

Fan Qiuming was stunned, unable to make sense of the situation.

“Master Zhao, what are you doing? Get up and talk,” he urged, hurrying forward to help him stand. But Master Zhao clung to the ground like a pile of mud, impossible to lift.

“Master Fan, I spoke too harshly before. Please forgive me and save my daughter! For the sake of Xinying as well.”

Fan Qiuming finally understood—Master Zhao wanted him to stop Zhao Xinying from marrying the Wang family’s second son.

“Please, get up. I really can’t handle this sort of thing,” he said awkwardly.

He was growing weary of how often people here wanted to kneel before others or force others to their knees. He wasn’t one to lord over others—and he disliked being treated this way.

“Master Fan, it’s all my fault. Please, save my daughter!” Master Zhao pleaded. “The Wang family are scoundrels. Not only are they seizing my family’s business, but now they want to take my daughter too. The marriage contract is already signed. I truly didn’t know Xinying was to wed that fool. You’re the only one I can trust now. I’m willing to pay any price. Xinying is my only child. Marrying her to the Wang family was an act of desperation—for the sake of all the Zhao family’s members.”

He’d thought marrying Zhao Xinying to the Wang family’s eldest son would be the perfect solution. Who would have guessed the Wangs would pull such a trick? The marriage contract hadn’t specified which son, and they’d taken advantage of that loophole. Now, Master Zhao was beside himself with regret.

“All right, all right. I’ll go have a look and help if I can,” Fan Qiuming relented, unable to withstand the man’s persistent pleas.

“Yunling, let’s go see what’s happening.”

Yunling followed quietly at his heels, her presence barely noticeable.

“Xinying’s already been taken away. Master Fan, please hurry!” Master Zhao called after them, his heart filled with anguish. All he could do was hope Fan Qiuming could bring her back.

At the Wang residence, the atmosphere was the opposite—everyone was in high spirits.

“Master, the Wang family is truly despicable. Even Yunling wants to teach them a lesson,” Yunling muttered angrily, her cheeks puffed out like an indignant child.

“There’s nothing you can do about people’s desires. On the surface, the Wang family seems to be helping, but who’s to say they weren’t orchestrating the Zhao family’s troubles from the start?”

“You mean the Wang family purposely sabotaged Zhao’s business, then used that as an excuse to swallow them up?” Yunling asked.

Fan Qiuming nodded silently, not denying it.

The two of them slipped into the Wang residence unnoticed. Fan Qiuming released his spiritual sense, swiftly locating Zhao Xinying’s room. He knocked out the guards at the door and quietly stepped inside.

Zhao Xinying sat at her dressing table. She didn’t turn at the sound of the door opening.

“Don’t come any closer. I will not marry that fool. If you insist on forcing me…” She picked up the hairpin from the table, aiming it at her throat.

“My lady Zhao, are you in such a hurry to die? Seems you don’t need my help at all!” Fan Qiuming said with a teasing smile as he watched her actions.

Startled by the familiar voice, Zhao Xinying whipped around to look at him. “Master Fan? Is it really you?”