Xuan Yuan   arrived with Huang Rong, gliding gracefully through the air.

As soon as they landed, Huang Rong flipped her wrist, curved her fingers into a sword seal, and gently beckoned. Instantly, the flying sword that had just been aimed at the Quanzhen Seven Immortals responded like an obedient pet, swiftly circling back to her side and spinning around her in elegant arcs.

This mysterious and awe-inspiring display left everyone speechless. Even Huang Yaoshi was momentarily dumbfounded.

Only after a long pause did he finally confirm that the girl in front of him was indeed his daughter, and he asked:

“Rong’er… where did you learn this sword-flying technique?”

“Of course Brother Xing taught it to me!”

Huang Rong replied with a smile, then turned and exchanged a fond, affectionate glance with Xuan Yuan   before running over to her father.

“Father, Brother Xing told Rong’er you were here, so he brought me to see you!”

Xuan Yuan  : “…”

So now she was putting all the credit on him? Clearly, it was she who discovered her father’s whereabouts and brought him here, but the moment they met, this clever girl flipped the story on its head.

“So it was you,” said Sun Bu’er, recognizing Xuan Yuan  . Her eyes still carried a trace of amazement from their first meeting. Realizing the situation, she cupped her fists and said,
“Esteemed one, we bear a grudge against this dema—cough, against this Huang Yaoshi. He killed our elder—”

The other six Quanzhen members, upon seeing Xuan Yuan  , recalled what Sun Bu’er had previously said about handing the baby girl over to a young couple. When they later learned that one of them was the daughter of the East Heretic, they had sighed: though Huang Yaoshi’s ways were unorthodox, he was still one of the Five Greats. Letting the child go with him was considered a kind of fortune.

They hadn’t expected that the next time they met, it would be in such hostile circumstances.

“Killed Zhou Botong? Who told you that?” Xuan Yuan  ’s gaze swept over the seven.
“You heard that from Qiu Qianzhang?”

“Qiu Qianzhang?” Ma Yu’s expression shifted.
“Wasn’t it Iron Palm Qiu Qianren who said Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng killed our elder?”

It was understandable they’d believe such a thing so easily. After all, Huang Yaoshi had imprisoned Zhou Botong on Peach Blossom Island for over a decade. The Quanzhen Seven had tried to rescue him but failed to break through the island’s formations. After several attempts, they had no choice but to retreat.

So when they heard that Zhou Botong had died by Huang Yaoshi’s hand, their instinct was to believe it.

Xuan Yuan   shook his head.

“That was Qiu Qianren’s brother, Qiu Qianzhang, a fraud who’s been impersonating his brother for years. As for Zhou Botong—he’s alive and well.”

«……»
The seven looked at each other in shock, unsure how to respond, even more shaken that Xuan Yuan   somehow knew they’d met Qiu Qianzhang.

Huang Yaoshi snorted coldly. After meeting them in Baoying, they’d immediately cried out for vengeance. He’d disdained explaining himself and simply agreed to settle it outside the city.

Now that Xuan Yuan   had cleared up the misunderstanding and they were standing awkwardly with nowhere to channel their aggression, Huang Yaoshi also lost the urge to fight.

Eventually, the Quanzhen Seven retreated in embarrassed silence.

Once the outsiders had departed, Huang Yaoshi turned to his daughter, a complex look in his eyes.

Though it had only been a short while since they’d last met, his memory of his daughter was becoming harder to reconcile with the young woman before him. The sword-flying technique alone was beyond anything he understood.

He turned his gaze to Xuan Yuan  , this time with an evaluative glint.

Xuan Yuan   calmly returned his look and greeted with a nod,

“Island Master Huang.”

No matter the angle—appearance, bearing, or aura—this young man passed every standard. And considering his daughter claimed he had taught her that flying sword technique, there was clearly something profoundly mysterious about him.

Huang Yaoshi had always been eccentric and hard to please. Yet now, seeing Xuan Yuan  ’s composed demeanor—free of the usual fear or reverence others showed him—he actually felt more respect. The scrutiny in his gaze softened slightly, showing hints of approval.

Still, he needed to test this young man further.

Glancing at his daughter, Huang Yaoshi suddenly, without a word, struck out at Xuan Yuan   with a palm.

“Father!” Huang Rong cried out in alarm—only to see her flying sword abruptly fly toward Huang Yaoshi, now under Xuan Yuan  ’s control.

The blade’s hilt struck Huang Yaoshi’s wrist before his palm could land.

Startled, he began to shift his stance—but then saw a blur. The flying sword’s hilt was already at his throat.

Had this been a real fight, it would not have been the hilt, but the edge of the blade.

He had thought it was his daughter controlling the sword. But now, realizing it was Xuan Yuan  , he withdrew and sighed deeply:

“What a sword-flying technique… what a celestial man indeed.”

“An old beggar told me not long ago that he met a celestial with his own eyes. Today, I think I have too.”

“Young man… could you be connected with the Celestial Taiyi?”

After all, he had roamed the martial world for years and had never heard of anyone capable of such legendary techniques. And given this all took place just outside Baoying, it was natural for him to associate Xuan Yuan   with the Celestial Emperor Taiyi.

Huang Rong rolled her eyes and cut in quickly:

“Father! This is Brother Xing—his name is Xuan Yuan  ! He’s the one who’s been taking care of Rong’er this whole time!”

Xuan Yuan   thought of how ever since they met, Huang Rong had arranged his food, clothing, shelter, and even made sure he was well-fed every day. She was the one taking care of him, not the other way around.

He was starting to feel like he’d been pampered into uselessness…

Huang Yaoshi saw how protective his daughter was of this young man, and couldn’t help but feel a bit sour.

After raising her for over a decade, she ran off once and her heart—and even her whole self—ended up with someone else.

No, it wasn’t just her heart. Even now, she had practically glued herself to Xuan Yuan  ’s side after only a few words.

Xuan Yuan   and Huang Rong exchanged glances. Xuan Yuan   then stepped forward and cupped his fists:

“Island Master Huang, I’ve come with your daughter today because I care for her deeply and wish to marry her. I respectfully ask for your blessing.”

He had barely finished speaking when Huang Rong jumped in:

“Father, Father! Rong’er will marry no one but Brother Xing in this life!”

Huang Yaoshi: “…”

His teeth hurt.

He used to be proud that Huang Rong had inherited his exact personality. Now he was starting to think maybe that wasn’t such a great thing.

Xuan Yuan   added:

“I know Island Master Huang carries burdens in his heart. I have a method that can regrow lost limbs—and I believe it will ease your worries.”

At those words, Huang Yaoshi’s expression shifted.

He regretted his past actions—crippling his own disciples in a fit of rage. Now, hearing that Xuan Yuan   could restore broken legs, he was both astonished and overjoyed.

“Truly!?”

“Absolutely,” Xuan Yuan   nodded.

After all, it was just a matter of throwing someone in a med-pod. Knock them out, soak them, regenerate the legs, toss them back. Since it didn’t require full gene editing, just bone regrowth, it would take less than half a day.

“Excellent!”
Huang Yaoshi agreed immediately.

“If you really do this, I’ll grant this marriage. But you must swear—you can never betray Rong’er. Even if I can’t defeat your celestial techniques, I won’t let you off easily if you hurt her.”

Xuan Yuan   and Huang Rong exchanged smiles and said in unison:

“Of course!”

Huang Yaoshi had six disciples: Chen Xuanfeng was dead, Mei Chaofeng had vanished, Qu Lingfeng had also died. Lu Chengfeng was currently in Guiyun Manor in Baoying City. Wu Mianfeng had disappeared too, but left behind medical skills and a successor, the now-famous Hu Qingniu from Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. The last, Feng Mofeng, was now a blacksmith in a northern town.

As he pondered this, Huang Yaoshi added:

“I have a disciple, Lu Chengfeng, currently at Guiyun Villa here in Baoying. If you can heal his legs, the marriage will be settled. As for the others—I’ll find them and deliver them to you personally for treatment!”

Huang Rong was overjoyed. She leapt into Xuan Yuan  ’s arms in front of her father:

“Brother Xing! Rong’er can finally marry you!”

Huang Yaoshi: “…”