"We’ll talk about it when the time comes, I don’t have anything urgent anyway." Li Miaoyin said softly.

"About Yishan..."

After all, Li Miaoyin was Li Yishan’s blind date, and Zhang Fan had privately owed her a favor, so he still felt it necessary to let his good brother know.

"Don’t worry, this is our little secret, he won’t find out." Li Miaoyin whispered.

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Zhang Fan was stunned for a moment, his expression suddenly turning weird.

"Why does that sound so wrong to me?"

As he said this, Zhang Fan glanced over, and saw Li Miaoyin with her eyes half-closed, looking as if she’d fallen asleep. Her long eyelashes fluttered lightly.

...

Two hours later, the plane landed at Jingjiang City International Airport.

Jingjiang City is the capital of Guixi Province. It’s not as developed as Yujing City, but it has its own unique local flavor.

"Come with me."

After getting off the plane, Li Miaoyin led Zhang Fan straight out of the airport, where a private car was already waiting for them.

"You got all this arranged?"

"If I don’t look after you, you’ll run off and tell your gang of sleazy friends some nonsense about me again." Li Miaoyin clearly hadn’t forgotten about Zhang Fan’s slip of the tongue on the plane.

"What do you mean ’again’?" Zhang Fan curled his lip.

He realized that in front of this woman, his verbal combat skills dropped straight down to zero.

Half an hour later, the two of them arrived at the Mountain and Water Resort Hotel.

"Let’s sit here and wait for a bit. Once they finish cleaning the room, we can go up."

Li Miaoyin had already booked the room, but since it was still early, the available rooms hadn’t been tidied up yet.

Zhang Fan hauled his suitcase and sat down in the hotel lobby.

"Pretty big hotel, but not many people here."

Zhang Fan glanced at the sparsely populated reception and commented offhand.

"It’s the off-season for tourism, once..."

Li Miaoyin hadn’t finished speaking when she noticed Zhang Fan looking off, eyes flickering, his body even leaning back to hide behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"Ran into someone I know." Zhang Fan murmured.

At this, Li Miaoyin followed his gaze to the front desk, where a woman was checking in. Her long hair fell to her waist, her face neither plain nor stunning, but her figure was absolutely killer.

"Someone you know? Not just anyone, huh? Ex-girlfriend?" Li Miaoyin’s eyes narrowed slightly, her voice cool.

"Aren’t you smart." Zhang Fan replied in a low voice.

He never imagined he’d run into Xu Zhixia here—his college ex.

Actually, back when he was in Yujing, they’d bumped into each other once, because of some Zhang Family’s old mansion issues, when Zhang Fan found out that Xu Zhixia was from the Shangjing Xu Family. And that’s a true Pure Yang family—the Xu Family’s ancestor is none other than the legendary Celestial Master Xu Xun, founder of the Jingming Sect in the Daoist tradition.

After that encounter, they went their separate ways. Zhang Fan figured he’d probably never see her again in this lifetime.

"Ex-girlfriend is just ex-girlfriend, what are you panicking about?" Li Miaoyin said blandly.

"Isn’t it awkward to see her?" Zhang Fan rolled his eyes.

"Awkward?"

Li Miaoyin paused for a beat, then suddenly raised her hand and shouted loudly, "Zhang Fan, I’m over here!"

"What the hell are you doing?"

Li Miaoyin’s voice echoed through the lobby. Just then, Xu Zhixia, who was checking in, turned around and instantly spotted Zhang Fan.

"Holy sh—..."

Li Miaoyin’s move really caught him off guard. Before Zhang Fan could react, Xu Zhixia had already walked over.

"Zhang Fan, what a coincidence, we meet again."

"Haha, yeah, it’s kind of a coincidence..." Zhang Fan laughed awkwardly.

Xu Zhixia looked at Zhang Fan, a smile of reunion on her face, but her eyes kept drifting over to Li Miaoyin.

Maybe that’s just a woman’s instinct.

"And this is...?"

"I’m his girlfriend." Li Miaoyin hooked her arm around Zhang Fan naturally.

"Girlfriend?" Xu Zhixia paused, her expression cooling a bit as she turned to Zhang Fan, as if to confirm.

"Girlfriend?" Zhang Fan echoed, dumbfounded.

"Baby is for private, but in public you gotta be more formal." Li Miaoyin leaned into him and lowered her voice, saying just loud enough for Xu Zhixia to hear.

"Zhang Fan, you actually have a girlfriend now? I really thought you’d stay single forever." Xu Zhixia squeezed out a smile.

"Huh? Did I say that?" Zhang Fan blinked.

You know, when someone’s heartbroken, they say and do all sorts of things—they’re not really themselves, it’s all their consciousness and emotions messing with them.

"You don’t remember what you said?" Li Miaoyin smiled at Zhang Fan, giving his waist a sharp pinch.

"Shit..." Zhang Fan winced with pain.

Seeing the two of them banter, Xu Zhixia couldn’t help saying, "We’ll catch up later then, I’ve got something I need to do."

With that, and before Zhang Fan could respond, Xu Zhixia turned and left.

Zhang Fan watched her walk away, suddenly pulling away from Li Miaoyin.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you! The best way to save face in front of your ex is to have a girlfriend better than her." Li Miaoyin said completely naturally.

"You think I’m not as good as her?"

"..."

"You’re really something." Zhang Fan gave her a look, unconsciously glancing back at Xu Zhixia.

"Honestly, she’s always treated me pretty well. The only issue was her family—way too complicated. That’s why we broke up back then."

The Xu Family is a Pure Yang Family. Casual dating is one thing, but Xu Zhixia’s family would never let her marry a regular guy. Back then, Zhang Fan was as ordinary as it gets.

"So now you could go find her and relive your college romance."

"I’m good where I am. Why go back?" Zhang Fan said mildly.

"The Xu Family has strict rules." Li Miaoyin said offhand.

"Oh? You know her background?"

"The Xu Family is Pure Yang lineage. I actually saw your ex once at a party in Shangjing." Li Miaoyin said, her tone thoughtful and quiet.

"Their ancestors produced Pure Yang experts. They’re very influential in the Daoist world."

Pure Yang Families, even if they don’t occupy famous mountains or caves, still have prestige and power no less than the Ten Great Taoist Sects. Not only do they have masters of Pure Yang level and powerful heritage, but almost every Pure Yang Family has a magical treasure handed down—their greatest weapon left for future generations.

That’s the real deal.

"The Xu Family’s Pure Yang Treasure is the Dragon-Slaying Sword left by Ancestor Xu!" Li Miaoyin said gravely.

Ancestor Xu became famous for killing flood dragons and controlling floods. His merits have made him revered for centuries.

That Dragon-Slaying Sword has absorbed who knows how many dragon’s blood over the years; after countless rituals by the Profound Sect, it finally became a true Pure Yang Treasure.

"I’ve heard that sword looks like nothing more than a rusty piece of iron. No one in the Xu Family has managed to use it all these years."

"How could it just be a piece of junk iron?" Zhang Fan wondered aloud.

"True treasures hide their brilliance." Li Miaoyin said, voice soft.

"The more precious something is, the more ordinary it seems. The path is meant to be simple, a return to the true. Even regular people know that, let alone when it’s a Pure Yang Treasure." Li Miaoyin said calmly.

"Besides, if no one destined can wield it, the treasure won’t reveal its wonders—it would rather stay hidden in dust than be misused."

At this, Li Miaoyin looked at Zhang Fan.

"I heard from Li Yishan, you became a Daoist at Zhenwu Mountain?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Ever seen Zhenwu Mountain’s Pure Yang Treasure?" Li Miaoyin asked.

"How could I have seen it?" Zhang Fan shook his head.

He said he was a Zhenwu Mountain disciple, but he was really little more than an honorary member. Seeing that treasure? He’d never even heard of it.

"Guess I shouldn’t have asked." Li Miaoyin laughed lightly.

"Wait, what is Zhenwu Mountain’s Pure Yang Treasure? You ever heard about it?"

"Of course. Famous across the land..." Li Miaoyin parted her rosy lips and uttered four words.

"Zhenwu Jade Scroll!"