Beneath the moonlight.

In the small courtyard halfway up Wan Jun Peak, Bai Yuan was sitting cross-legged in the center of the yard, his eyes closed in concentration.

The Tiger-Crane Form within his body circulated wildly, completely absorbing the essence of the monster flesh and merging it into his blood.

He had already broken through to the Strong Viscera stage, and the next step was Blood Refining.

The difficulty of the Blood Refining Pass was beyond question.

Not a single person in all of Qinghe County had reached Blood Refining, which went to show just how hard it was.

To break through to Blood Refining, one needed aptitude, comprehension, and resources—not one could be lacking. If a person could become a Blood Refining Martial Master before the age of forty, they were guaranteed to become a True Disciple.

Once a person broke through to Blood Refining, the turbulent Qi and Blood they radiated would be enough to injure ordinary people who got too close. It was an extremely domineering power.

Currently, Bai Yuan’s Tiger-Crane Form and Blood Tiger Saber techniques were both at the Master level. As long as he nourished his Qi and Blood sufficiently, breaking through the Blood Refining Pass would be a natural progression.

If he had the help of treasured herbs, this process could be much faster.

The potent restorative soup he brewed served exactly this purpose.

By the time the sky had brightened, Bai Yuan had finally absorbed all the essence from the Tier Six Monster Flesh. His Qi and Blood seethed within him, and his strength surged dramatically.

As the saying goes, one can never have too many skills.

If he had hired a Pill Master to concoct a medicine with the monster flesh to achieve the same effect as his restorative soup, it would have cost at least a thousand taels of silver.

The cooking skill truly was a divine-tier ability for development.

Although he hadn’t slept all night, after drinking the potent soup, Bai Yuan felt refreshed and full of energy. He immediately decided to go to the Merit Hall to accept a mission and vent his strength on a few demons.

He had just reached the foot of the mountain when he saw Fang Ya walking toward him.

"Senior Sister Fang."

Bai Yuan waved in greeting.

Fang Ya looked unwell. She forced a smile. "Junior Brother Bai."

Bai Yuan noticed something was off with her but didn’t feel it was his place to ask. After all, every Martial Artist had their own secrets, and being nosy was not a good habit.

Fang Ya bit her lower lip. "Junior Brother Bai, we should see less of each other from now on... I’m getting married."

Bai Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then gave a slight smile. "Congratulations, Senior Sister."

Although Huanglong Prefecture was much more open-minded than Qinghe, a soon-to-be-married woman being too close to another man would still attract gossip. Even a Female Martial Artist couldn’t escape such conventions.

"My father wants me to marry into the Wang Family of East Gate Lane."

Even though Bai Yuan hadn’t asked, Fang Ya volunteered the information.

’East Gate Lane... the Wang Family.’

Bai Yuan recalled that this was the family of the very Elder Wang who oversaw Wooden Man Alley. They held considerable power in Huanglong Prefecture. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

In fact, most of the powerful factions in Huanglong Prefecture had intricate, tangled ties with the Divine Mansion Sect.

He had heard from Fang Ya that she came from a minor family in Huanglong Prefecture, one that naturally couldn’t compare to the Wang Family.

From Fang Ya’s attitude, it wasn’t hard to see that her family was trying to climb the social ladder through this marriage.

Such things were all too common between families.

A single marriage alliance could allow a clan to take a step forward. It was an incredibly profitable transaction.

As for the man and woman’s feelings?

They were completely unimportant. No one cared.

Bai Yuan didn’t say much more. He and Fang Ya were ultimately just acquaintances, and this was her family’s affair. It wasn’t his place to comment.

Fang Ya let out a soft sigh.

Bai Yuan’s figure had already receded into the distance.

...

「Huanglong Prefecture, Sanming Street.」

"Sister Ya, the Wang Family is a first-class family in East Gate Lane. Marrying into it will surely bring you wealth and honor. You might even be able to break through to the Strong Viscera stage. What’s there to be unhappy about?"

A sweet-looking, round-faced girl said softly, sticking close to Fang Ya’s side.

The girl’s name was Fang Rou. She was Fang Ya’s cousin and also her closest friend.

Fang Ya’s brow furrowed slightly. Leaning against the bed frame, she just couldn’t bring herself to feel happy.

In ten days, it would be her wedding day with the Young Master Wang.

She had heard that besides being somewhat frivolous, this Young Master Wang didn’t have any major faults.

Through the arrangements of his ancestor, Elder Wang of the Wang Family, he had also been accepted into the Divine Mansion Sect as an Outer Disciple. However, he wasn’t on Wan Jun Peak, so Fang Ya had never met him.

The Wang Family was a major clan, and the man was an Outer Disciple just like her. No matter how she looked at it, the Fang Family was marrying up. She really couldn’t find a reason for her disappointment.

’Fang Ya, just accept your fate.’

In this era, there was almost no room to defy the orders of one’s parents.

In Huanglong Prefecture City, couples from the major clans almost never knew each other before their wedding. Those who were genuinely happy about it were the exception.

Fang Ya forced a smile. "Rou, I want to go out for a walk to clear my head."

"Okay, I’ll go with you."

Fang Rou nodded.

Her cousin had always been proud, and she was the only member of the Fang Family to have entered the Divine Mansion Sect.

If not for this, the Wang Family would never have taken an interest in a woman from a minor clan.

The major clans had long since discovered a pattern: if both parents were Martial Artists, their offspring would generally have better aptitude and comprehension, leading to greater achievements.

If people in this world didn’t also know about the dangers of inbreeding, who knows how chaotic things would have become.

For this very reason, Female Martial Artists were a hot commodity among the great families.

Fang Ya and Fang Rou left the Fang Mansion and wandered aimlessly through the city streets.

Before they knew it, the two women found themselves in East Gate Lane.

Huanglong Prefecture only had one East Gate Lane—the Wang Family’s East Gate Lane.

Fang Ya bit her lip. "Rou, I want to go... and see."

She had been obsessed with martial arts since she was a child and had never been to East Gate Lane. But today, she wasn’t thinking of strolling through the lane for fun; she wanted to catch a glimpse of her future husband from afar.

Fang Rou naturally saw through her cousin’s thoughts and giggled, covering her mouth.

"Sister Ya, are you that eager to meet your future husband?"

Fang Ya glared at Fang Rou in annoyance. "You little brat, how dare you tease me."

But after Fang Rou’s teasing, her mood did improve quite a bit.

Just as the two were bantering—

The sound of horse hooves echoed down the wide street of East Gate Lane. A handsome young man in fine silks rode a tall, magnificent steed, leading a few attendants and drawing the gazes of many onlookers.

Fang Rou whispered into Fang Ya’s ear, "That’s the third young master of the Wang Family, Wang Ding."

Fang Ya couldn’t help but stop and take a second look.

Because the man she was about to marry was precisely that third young master of the Wang Family.

Wang Ding looked normal enough, though perhaps the excessive number of accessories he wore gave him a slightly effeminate air.

Many lovestruck young women on the street couldn’t help but turn their heads for another look.

Based on looks alone, Wang Ding could be considered top-tier.

"Sister Ya, this third young master of the Wang Family isn’t bad-looking at all."

Fang Rou commented on Wang Ding’s appearance with a mature expression.

Wang Ding had already ridden far away, heading in the direction of the Divine Mansion Sect.

Having seen Wang Ding, Fang Ya lost the heart to continue wandering. "I’m going back to the sect."

Fang Rou nodded.

Her cousin rarely returned to the Fang Family, spending most of her time living at the Divine Mansion Sect.

The Fang Family had no objections to this. For a minor clan to produce an Outer Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect was a matter of immense pride. It was perfectly fine for her to live at the sect.

With the Wang Family’s group, which had already ridden some distance away.

A man who looked like a family servant approached Wang Ding.

"Young Master, that was the woman from before."

Wang Ding nodded, his expression not changing much.

Fang Ya had been observing him, but wasn’t he doing the exact same thing?