Leaving the city of Cangyi

Arriving at the city gates, Fan Qiuming gazed at the city before him and shook his head. With resolute determination, he turned and left. Along the way, he released Yun Ling from the storage ring.

"Eh? Master, have you finished your business?" Yun Ling asked curiously, following behind Fan Qiuming as she realized they had already left the city.

"Yes, it’s all done. Now we need to find a way back. We can’t afford to waste any more time here." As he spoke, Fan Qiuming pulled out a map from his ring and handed it to Yun Ling. "Here, take a look and memorize it."

"No problem, Master. Leave it to me!" Yun Ling widened her eyes, staring intently at the map, committing every detail to memory.

When they reached a fork in the road, Fan Qiuming stopped. Yun Ling, absorbed in the map, didn’t notice and bumped into his back.

"Ouch…" Yun Ling rubbed her head and looked up at him. "Sorry, Master, I wasn’t paying attention!"

"It’s alright. Now, which way do we go?" he asked.

Yun Ling pondered for a moment, then pointed to the left. "This way leads to a larger city called Luzhou. There’s a teleportation array in the city, which can take us elsewhere."

"And the right? What’s over there?" Fan Qiuming asked curiously.

"To the right… the map shows an abandoned mine, deserted long ago."

"A mine? Never mind, let’s head to Luzhou. How far is it?" He had considered checking the mine for resources, but learning it was abandoned, he lost interest.

"We’re about three hundred li from Luzhou now."

"Three hundred…" The number made Fan Qiuming feel powerless. He widened his eyes and snatched the map, confirming that Luzhou was indeed the closest city to Cangye City. The mine, however, was less than ten li away.

"Let’s try our luck at the mine. Maybe someone’s there and we could catch a ride," he sighed. In the past, he could have covered three hundred li on his sword in less than half an hour. Now, walking was his only option.

The journey went smoothly, with no encounters with beasts. By dusk, they reached the mine. Night had nearly fallen, and the mine was shrouded in darkness. Though there were traces of human activity, everything was covered with cobwebs, confirming it had long been deserted. The hope of catching a ride was dashed.

Meanwhile, back in the Zhao residence of Cangye City, Zhao Xinying had locked herself in her room and refused to answer anyone who knocked.

Master Zhao paced anxiously in the living room. During this time, people from the Wang family came to demand her return, but he told them Zhao Xinying had been taken away by Fan Qiuming. In truth, the Wang family had been deceived—and now, they would have to give up.

Inside her room, Zhao Xinying sat on her bed, clutching the covers and biting down on them in frustration.

"Bastard, bastard, bastard!" she cursed three times to vent her anger. "He forced a marriage, but didn’t even take me away. How am I supposed to face people now?"

Just then, a servant knocked on her door again. "Miss, it’s already dark. Please eat something! If you fall ill from hunger, how can we answer to the master?"

Receiving no response, the servant left the food at the door and retreated. "Miss, I’ll leave the meal here. If you’re hungry, call for me any time."

Zhao Xinying’s mind drifted back to the day she’d found Fan Qiuming on the mountain. He had been caught by his collar on a tree branch, his body covered in wounds and a large pool of blood beneath him.

"Achoo…" At the mine, Fan Qiuming sneezed, feeling as though someone was talking about him behind his back.

He looked at the massive pit before him and shook his head. The resources in this mining area had clearly been exhausted. But in the next instant, Yun Ling tugged at his sleeve, hiding behind him.

"Master, over there… I sense many heat signatures—and a powerful energy."

Following Yun Ling’s gaze, Fan Qiuming saw a faint glow at the bottom of the pit. He extended his spiritual sense, but was surprised to find he couldn’t probe it. His current spiritual sense should have covered a thousand meters, yet he sensed nothing.

Fan Qiuming immediately realized this place was unusual, and his interest was piqued. "There might be someone down there," he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

But Yun Ling clung to him, trembling. "No, Master, I’m scared… What if it’s dangerous?"

"You’re right," he conceded, standing at the edge of the pit while Yun Ling shivered behind him.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind them and, seizing the moment, shoved them both into the pit.

"Ah… Master!"

"Damn it, you sneaky beast!"

As he was sent flying, Fan Qiuming looked back to see a Blackfang Demon Wolf, its eyes glowing with an eerie violet light.

The situation was dire—the two plummeted rapidly near the pit’s edge. Fan Qiuming reacted swiftly, holding Yun Ling close with one arm while drawing a sword from his storage ring with the other, thrusting it into the side of the pit to slow their fall.

Their descent slowed, but the years of weathering had left the pit’s edge very brittle, and they continued to drop. Suddenly, the sword struck a hard rock and snapped. With the last resistance gone, they fell even faster.

Yun Ling quickly transformed back into a cellphone, and Fan Qiuming hastily stored her in his ring. "When I get out of here, I’ll skin that damned wolf alive," he snarled, teeth clenched, staring into the seemingly bottomless pit.

With a thunderous crash, Fan Qiuming slammed into the pit’s floor, sending up a cloud of dust and leaving a human-shaped imprint in the stone. He lost consciousness.

It was unknown how much time had passed before Fan Qiuming awoke from his stupor. Fortunately, his body had been tempered, making it resilient. Had it been an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, he would have been crushed to pieces. Still, Fan Qiuming was in dire straits—every bone in his body shattered, rendering him immobile. If a beast appeared now, he’d be finished. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he summoned Yun Ling from the ring.

Upon emerging and returning to human form, Yun Ling was heartbroken at the sight of him, tears brimming in her eyes. "Master, nearly all your bones are broken—what should I do?"

She didn’t dare touch him, afraid of causing further harm.

Fan Qiuming managed to move his finger, causing a bottle of pills to fall from the ring. With all his strength, he pointed to it.

"Master wants you to take this?" Yun Ling asked.

He shut his eyes and nodded with all his might.

Not daring to delay, Yun Ling took the bottle, poured out a pill, and gently pried open his mouth to feed it to him. The pill dissolved quickly, and within moments, Fan Qiuming’s injuries began to heal at an astonishing rate. Soon, he was able to sit up.

Yun Ling carefully helped him to the edge to sit, while Fan Qiuming swiftly regulated his inner energy, which was currently in chaos. He could not risk using his spiritual power recklessly, or he might be left with internal injuries—a crippling setback for his cultivation.

Now at the bottom of the pit, Yun Ling felt a chill down her spine, her body trembling uncontrollably. Not far away, a hidden passage exuded a sinister violet glow. Within the passage, countless violet eyes stared at the two of them. Yun Ling noticed and tugged at Fan Qiuming’s sleeve.