Qi Yunxiao · Xin Ruoyin

"What? Han Li wasn't reborn? He became Gu Huojin directly?"

The system had just told Lu Shang this. He had meant to ask why he hadn't seen Han Li at the Yan Clan Fortress, but he hadn't expected such an answer.

"That's right! He was supposed to reincarnate and cultivate again, but something unexpected happened, so he didn't. And now he's still a mighty figure in the Immortal Realm."

That was a lot to take in. Lu Shang needed a moment.

"That's how things stand, so go wild!"

"You should've said so earlier! Doesn't that mean..." Lu Shang couldn't finish the sentence.

"You never asked! Besides, this system only discovered it after upgrading, all right?"

"Stop, stop, stop! Let me come to terms with this setup first."

An hour later, Lu Shang finally recovered.

"Ah!"

Under the circumstances, Lu Shang could only take things slowly. He had crossed over into someone else's play, only to find its leading man nowhere in sight.

"Since he isn't here, doesn't that leave Fellow Daoists Qi and Xin, that pair of Dao Companions, in a miserable position? Even if they exhaust every ounce of their strength, they probably won't be able to get revenge!"

Han Li's disappearance made Lu Shang think of Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruoyin, who had been persecuted by the Fu family.

Those two had given Han Li plenty of help in the human realm. Although they couldn't even break through to Core Formation themselves, they had still provided considerable assistance.

"Since Fellow Daoist Han isn't here, I'll go take a look myself. If they really can help me, there's no harm in wiping out the Fu family for him, even if dealing with them now would be a little troublesome."

After a while, Lu Shang spoke again.

"Even if it's troublesome now, once I break through to Nascent Soul in a hundred years, I'll have to take a page from the true demonic cultivators' book."

Lu Shang silently settled on that decision.

And so, without having done anything to offend Lu Shang, the Fu family hundreds of miles away had already been sentenced to a game of clan-wide elimination.

Perhaps the Fu family's patriarch had already felt a chill reaching back from the future.

"Why do I keep feeling a chill down my back?" The Fu family's patriarch shuddered.

"What's wrong, Patriarch?" a core member of the Fu family asked.

"Nothing. I just shivered for no reason. By the way, have we offended any other Core Formation Cultivators recently, or anyone of a higher cultivation level?" the patriarch asked.

"How could we? Didn't our Fu family achieve everything we have by acting cautiously and cultivating friendships with the higher-ups of the sects? We do everything we can to befriend even those who have only just reached the Core Formation Stage."

Only after hearing this senior clan elder's words did the Fu family's patriarch relax.

They couldn't be blamed for that. However cautiously they acted, they could never have accounted for a transmigrating brat like Lu Shang.

That was how the cultivation world worked: trouble always found a way to leave you reeking, seemingly out of nowhere.

Four years later...

Lu Shang walked along a street in the Yue Kingdom, carefully examining everything around him.

He wanted to find Qi Yunxiao as quickly as possible, because he had only recently remembered the problem with Qi Yunxiao's Dao Companion's constitution.

The Dragon-Yin Body.

Lu Shang had asked about it. Even someone at the Core Formation Stage could do little about the Dragon-Yin Body. As he was now, he could only help her suppress it temporarily, but he couldn't possibly remain in one place for long.

Over those four years, Lu Shang had completed quite a few more missions and acquired some thousand-year-old spirit herbs. They would let him trade for what he wanted while also lending Qi Yunxiao a hand.

Lu Shang searched the city for a long time, but still couldn't find anyone who might be Qi Yunxiao, or his shop.

"Where on earth is he?"

As he walked, Lu Shang spotted a shop.

A young, haggard man was tidying up, seemingly preparing to close the shop.

Lu Shang couldn't be sure whether he was Qi Yunxiao, so he decided to ask him outright.

Lu Shang walked up behind the man.

He gently patted one of his shoulders.

"Are you Qi Yunxiao?"

The man spun around and roared, "What more does your Fu family want from me! I..."

Lu Shang sealed his mouth with spiritual power.

From his words, Lu Shang could tell that Qi Yunxiao was already mentally worn down.

"I'm not from the Fu family. It looks like you're not doing too well, Fellow Daoist Qi!"

"You're not from the Fu family? Then what do you want with me?" Qi Yunxiao asked.

Qi Yunxiao had never seen Lu Shang before. Why would he believe him?

"Don't worry. I'm here to help you!"

Then Lu Shang casually made up a lie.

Although Lu Shang's lie wasn't remotely convincing, he said he could alleviate Xin Ruoyin's condition, and Qi Yunxiao couldn't afford to worry about much else.

The fact that Qi Yunxiao agreed so readily showed that Xin Ruoyin was already gravely ill.

With Qi Yunxiao leading the way, they reached his residence in less than an hour.

Lu Shang also took out a thousand-year-old spirit herb and held it in his hand.

Once they reached Xin Ruoyin's bedroom, there was no time to concern himself with anything else.

Qi Yunxiao's cultivation was far too low, and the situation was so urgent that Lu Shang could only hurry ahead of him.

By now, Qi Yunxiao had also realized that Lu Shang was no ordinary man.

"Senior, please save my Dao Companion!" With tears streaming down his face and choking his voice, Qi Yunxiao begged Lu Shang to save Xin Ruoyin, his Dao Companion.

"I can't save her right now. I can only extend her lifespan a little."

There was nothing Lu Shang could do about that. At present, he truly couldn't save her.

"Even if you can only wake Ruoyin up, that's enough!"

Tears streamed down Qi Yunxiao's face.

"Sit down to the side for now. You're not in very good shape yourself."

With that, Lu Shang crushed the thousand-year-old spirit herb into a lump and pushed it into Xin Ruoyin's mouth.

As Xin Ruoyin began to hold it in her mouth, Lu Shang immediately used a spell to send it into her stomach, then cast another to help her absorb its medicinal power.

Half an hour later, Lu Shang finally finished.

Seeing Lu Shang rise, Qi Yunxiao immediately approached, intending to ask about her.

"She's much better now, but she'll still need two or three days to wake up." Of course, Lu Shang knew what Qi Yunxiao was thinking. It was easy to guess.

"Thank you, Senior!" Lu Shang cupped his hands and bowed in thanks.

"It's a small matter. Once she wakes up, I'll help suppress her condition again. I'll leave for now and return in two or three days."

With that, Lu Shang vanished before Qi Yunxiao could even turn around.

"The Core Formation Stage! That senior really is at the Core Formation Stage!" Even if Qi Yunxiao spent all three days pondering it, he would never remember when he had formed a bond of goodwill with this Core Formation cultivator.

Three days later, Lu Shang arrived at Qi Yunxiao's residence as promised.

Before he had even landed, Qi Yunxiao was already waiting respectfully outside the house for his arrival.

Although Qi Yunxiao still looked pale and haggard, his complexion was considerably better than it had been three days earlier.

"Senior!"

"There's no need for that, Fellow Daoist Qi. I felt like an old friend of yours from our very first meeting. Calling each other senior and junior would only put distance between us."

Lu Shang had never treated anyone as his junior. Unless he could genuinely see an enormous age gap at a glance, he wouldn't regard others that way.

Still, Lu Shang had a taste for it too. When facing an enemy, he would run his mouth when the occasion called for it.

"How is Fellow Daoist Xin?" Lu Shang had come to suppress Xin Ruoyin's condition.

"She's much better. She woke up yesterday, but she still can't stand." Qi Yunxiao described Xin Ruoyin's condition.

"She's improved that much already? Good. Take me to her."

With that, Qi Yunxiao led Lu Shang into Xin Ruoyin's bedroom again.

This time, Lu Shang had come prepared. He had already refined the spirit herb into a pill.

After she took it, Lu Shang saw that she was a little drowsy, so he only cast a brief spell.

A moment later, Lu Shang stood and handed Qi Yunxiao, who was beside him, a note.

"Give this to Xin Ruoyin when she wakes up. My current cultivation isn't enough to cure her completely. At most, I can keep her alive for a while longer. I'll also give you two talismans. You can use them when her condition flares up to ease the pain it causes."

With that, Lu Shang took out two more talismans and handed them to Qi Yunxiao.

Lu Shang had obtained those two talismans from System Sis on credit. Truth be told, parting with them hurt a little.

"Thank you." Qi Yunxiao bent forward and cupped his hands in thanks to Lu Shang.

When he raised his head again, he discovered that Lu Shang was already gone.

"Senior, I still don't know your name!" Qi Yunxiao called out.

"Lu Shang!"

"Senior Lu..."

Qi Yunxiao tightly clutched the three sheets in his hand-the talismans and the letter, all looking like ordinary paper.

Once outside, Lu Shang didn't hurry away. Instead, he cast a few spells before leaving.