If not for the fact that he had some experience in internal cultivation, Xuan Yuan almost revealed his shock on the spot upon hearing that name.

A girl named Huang Rong, dressed like a little beggar, appearing near Zhangjiakou…

Xuan Yuan slapped his forehead.

The name »Zhangjiakou» might seem ordinary at first glance, but when connected to «Huang Rong», it was anything but—this was the exact place where Huang Rong first appeared in The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

If this Huang Rong was really the one he suspected, then didn’t that mean this wasn’t a historical Southern Song Dynasty at all, but a Wuxia version of the Southern Song?

In fact, after crossing over, Xuan Yuan had once asked Nüwa about her original world, and her answer had been blunt and unequivocal—
There were no martial arts manuals, no internal energy techniques, no cultivators flying through the skies. Just a plain, ordinary world where a previous civilization had perished and a new one was rising.

If you want to get stronger, just put yourself in a vat!
Flesh is weak. Mechanical ascension is the future!

At first, Xuan Yuan had been disappointed by that.
But now, things had taken a dramatic turn—he might have ended up in a Wuxia world after all.

As he pondered, his stomach let out a loud growl.

Huang Rong rolled her eyes playfully and giggled, saying:

«Big brother’s hungry? I’ve still got half a bun left, wanna eat it?»

As she spoke, she pulled out a… dark, grimy-looking bun, flashing a set of dazzling white teeth at Xuan Yuan  .

Xuan Yuan didn’t mind in the slightest. He accepted the bun, carefully tore off a piece, then handed the rest back to her while eating and saying:

«Wouldn’t feel right to eat your whole bun, little brother. Let’s share it.»

Huang Rong took the bun back from him, and seeing how Xuan Yuan was eating the half—blackened and dirty as it was—without any sign of disgust, she suddenly fell silent, staring blankly for a moment.

«Big brother… you’re not disgusted?»

«Disgusted by what?» Xuan Yuan smiled warmly.
«Little brother, you saved my life. That’s a favor. If I turned my nose up at you, wouldn’t lightning strike me down?»

Huang Rong sniffled, her nose tingling with an unexpected soreness.

After fighting with her father Huang Yaoshi over Old Imp Zhou Botong, she’d left home in anger, disguising herself as a beggar and wandering north on her own. Along the way, everyone looked down on her.

She’d endured countless cold stares for so long, and yet now, this beautiful young man before her—he looked like he was glowing, practically divine, clearly from a noble background—showed no hint of disdain, even ate the half-bun she had touched.

After half a bun, Xuan Yuan  ’s stomach growled again.

Having been through a full-body enhancement and genetic repair by Nüwa after waking up, his DNA had been cleansed of all the accumulated bugs from tens of thousands of years of evolution, leaving his body vastly superior to an average human.

But that also came with a massive appetite.

This tiny bit of bun was nowhere near enough.

Huang Rong grinned mischievously. Instead of handing over her own bun, she said:

«Big brother, wait here a bit. I’ll go find something for you to eat!»

With that, she dashed into the woods, disappearing in a flash.

Left alone again, Xuan Yuan did a full check over his body, finally letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that nothing was missing.

He still had food in his storage ring, but he didn’t take any out. Instead, he tried again to call Nüwa.

On his belt, he had more than just the Xuangguang Pendant. There was also a smaller, square-patterned jade token—this was the personal terminal Nüwa had made for him. It was through this jade terminal that she could project her image and communicate with him.

After several tries, Xuan Yuan finally heard the faint sound of static, followed by Nüwa’s voice:

«Master… zzz… Master, where are you… zzz…»
«The signal interference is too strong… zzz… I can’t locate your signal source…»

«Nüwa, calm down. I think I’ve landed in another world.»

While Huang Rong was still away, Xuan Yuan quickly explained his current situation.

Then he added:

«I’ll try to find a way back as soon as I can…»

Nüwa still seemed to want to say something, but after another burst of static, her voice completely disappeared.

Xuan Yuan exhaled slowly.
As long as they could still make contact—even barely—there was still hope.

But to still receive a signal across worlds? Was the jade terminal really that powerful?

He didn’t buy it.

His gaze fell on the Xuangguang Pendant.

If there was anything unusual, it must be this thing.

«What exactly… are you?»

«Big brother, I’m back!»

A bright voice called from behind. Xuan Yuan quickly snapped back to attention and turned.

Huang Rong was bounding back, a wild rabbit wriggling in her grasp. She shook it proudly at him.

«Big brother! Watch my cooking skills!»

Before he could say anything, Huang Rong dragged him to a riverside. From who-knows-where, she pulled out a small dagger, and quickly skinned and cleaned the rabbit.

She lit a fire with a fire starter, made do without cookware using what nature provided, and gathered wild herbs in place of spices.

Before long, a delicious aroma was wafting through the air.

«Little brother’s got some serious cooking skills.»

«Of course I do!»

Pleased with the compliment, Huang Rong’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

Xuan Yuan sat across from her, eyes fixed on the sizzling rabbit dripping with oil over the fire.

To cook so well with such primitive conditions… What could she do with a real kitchen and proper ingredients?

No wonder even North Beggar Hong Qigong got won over and taught Guo Jing martial arts.

«Big brother, here!»

Once the rabbit was cooked, Huang Rong tore off the fattest leg and handed it to him.

Xuan Yuan took a bite and nodded repeatedly.

«Impressive. With skills like yours, why would you be living on the street? You could walk into any restaurant and live a worry-free life.»

At first, Huang Rong was eating happily. But at those words, her eyes suddenly went red.

«I… I didn’t want this either. But my father doesn’t want me anymore…»

Even though he knew the story, Xuan Yuan asked anyway:

«Why?»

«Father locked someone up. I felt sorry for him, so I gave him some food. Father scolded me. I got angry and ran off. I came all the way up north from Jiangnan… and then I met you.»

Completely aligned with the original storyline—no doubt about it now.
She was indeed the Huang Rong he knew.

«Why wouldn’t your father want you? You ran away. He must be worried sick.»

«Yeah, right.» Huang Rong pouted.
«If he really cared, why hasn’t he come looking for me?»

«Maybe he just hasn’t found you yet?»

Those words made her smile through her tears. She wiped her eyes—smearing the soot on her cheeks—and a patch of smooth, fair skin was revealed underneath.