Volume 1, Chapter 3: My Girlfriend Is Getting Married Tomorrow

The words, dripping with hatred, reached his ears. Qi Wuxie’s expression shifted drastically, his heart filled with disbelief. Shen Xuan’er was the orphaned daughter of his father’s sworn brother! They had been betrothed since childhood and had grown up as childhood sweethearts, sharing a deep bond. Five years ago, they had even become engaged.

Yet now, his sister was telling him that Shen Xuan’er had not only betrayed them but had assisted the Zhou family in seizing his father’s company, assaulted his mother, and disfigured his sister. To make matters worse, tomorrow was the day of her grand wedding!

A surging, monstrous hatred instantly filled Qi Wuxie’s heart.

"Those two treacherous wretches! I will tear them limb from limb!"

As the murderous declaration left his lips, Tang Qingyi’s face clouded with worry. She grabbed his arm and pleaded, "Brother, don’t do anything reckless. The Zhou family is at the height of its power now; we... we are no match for them!"

The Zhou family had become a top-tier family in Cloud City. The Hongtian Group controlled seventy percent of the city’s pharmaceutical industry, effectively holding the lifeblood of the entire sector. In Cloud City, they were virtually omnipotent. No matter how skilled his brother was in a fight, he could not possibly stand against such a behemoth.

Qi Wuxie stroked the young girl’s hair and said gently, "Don’t worry, I won’t do anything foolish."

"You just need to watch. It won’t be long before I make the Zhou family and Shen Xuan’er pay the price."

Tang Qingyi nodded slightly. Having not seen him for five years, she felt as though her brother had become a completely different person. "Brother... where have you been these past five years?" she asked, voicing the question that weighed most heavily on her heart.

Qi Wuxie offered a bitter smile. "I’ll tell you later. By the way, you said Mom is ill. Take me home, quickly!"

Shortly after, Tang Qingyi closed the herbal medicine shop and led Qi Wuxie to a dilapidated, dark, and moldy basement in the old district. Trash was strewn along the sides, emitting a foul stench, and cockroaches, flies, and rats were visible everywhere. Following behind his sister, Qi Wuxie felt his heart ache even more at the sight of this filthy, ruined dwelling.

*Creak.*

The worn wooden door opened, revealing a room of less than ten square meters. Inside the cramped space stood a single bed, upon which a gray-haired, middle-aged woman lay, her face deathly pale. She was Qi Wuxie’s mother, Tang Mowan.

"Xiaoyi, you’re back," Tang Mowan whispered weakly upon hearing the door.

"Mom!!!"

Seeing the woman on the bed, Qi Wuxie felt as if his heart were being pierced by a blade. Tears welled up and spilled instantly. He stepped forward and dropped to his knees beside the bed with a thud.

Tang Mowan was startled by the sudden, impassioned cry of "Mom." But when she looked at the face of the person kneeling before her, her expression froze.

"Mom, it’s me, Wuxie! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry—I’m late coming home, Mom!" Qi Wuxie sobbed uncontrollably.

For five years, he had been cultivating in the Kunlun Mountains, enduring countless hardships, never shedding a single tear. But now, seeing his mother withered by depression and aged by over twenty years because of him, the pain in his heart was a thousand times more intense than the agony of his training.

Tang Mowan stared at him, dazed. That face she had longed for day and night was, at this moment, incredibly real.

"Wu... Wuxie."

Her voice trembled, her eyes turning bloodshot. She reached out with aged hands to touch his face, as if unable to believe that the person before her was real.

"It’s me... it’s me, Mom! I’m back, I’m so sorry!" Qi Wuxie gripped her hand, pressing it against his cheek, weeping bitterly.

"Wuxie, you... you’ve finally come home!"

In that moment, Tang Mowan finally confirmed that the person before her was indeed Qi Wuxie, the son she had missed every waking moment. Finding strength from somewhere unknown, she pulled him into a tight embrace and began to sob. No one knew the depths of despair and collapse a once-ambitious businesswoman had faced after losing her husband and son in succession. Over the last five years, had it not been for Tang Qingyi staying by her side, she likely would have long since passed into the afterlife.

Seeing her mother and brother embracing and sobbing, Tang Qingyi lost her composure as well. The three of them wept together.

Long after, Tang Mowan’s eyes were red and swollen, and she gripped Qi Wuxie’s hand tightly, refusing to let go for fear that this might be a dream.

"Mom, I’m back. From now on, no one will ever be able to bully you again," Qi Wuxie said, his eyes still bloodshot.

Tang Mowan watched her son, unwilling to look away for even a second. "Coming back is enough... it’s enough."

Qi Wuxie felt another wave of sorrow. "Mom, lie down for a moment. I need to treat your illness."

"Treat my illness?" Tang Mowan and Tang Qingyi were both taken aback. Although the Qi family was a traditional Chinese medicine lineage, Qi Wuxie had never shown any interest in the practice.

Qi Wuxie smiled. "Mom, trust me, I can heal you. And I can make the scars on my sister’s face disappear as well."

With that, he asked Tang Mowan to lie down. He placed his palm over her lower abdomen, and a gentle wave of energy surged from his hand, entering her body through her *dantian*.

Instantly, Tang Mowan felt a jolt. A warm, gentle heat flowed through her body. The chronic illnesses she had accumulated over five years dissipated rapidly. The color returned to her face before their very eyes; her graying hair turned black again, and her aged, wrinkled skin regained its luster and firmness, appearing no different from a woman in her twenties.

Watching this miraculous transformation, Tang Qingyi covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. "This... how is this possible?"

Tang Mowan was equally stunned. She could clearly feel her body’s transformation; her vitality had been fully restored.

Five or six minutes later, Qi Wuxie lifted his hand and smiled. "Mom, how do you feel?"

Tang Mowan looked at him in disbelief. "Son, what... what is this?" He had simply placed his hand on her abdomen, a surge of heat entered her, and her illness was gone? It was nothing short of a divine miracle!

"It’s a long story, Mom. I’ll explain it to you later," Qi Wuxie said. "Xiaoyi, come here. I’ll treat the burns on your face, too."

Tang Qingyi nodded blankly, allowing her brother’s hand to touch her face. Tang Mowan watched from the side, clearly seeing the burn scars on her daughter’s face begin to vanish rapidly. Within moments, the scars were gone, replaced by soft, delicate skin.

"All done," Qi Wuxie said with a smile. To him, his mother’s chronic illness and his sister’s burns were effortless tasks. This was the power of the *Evil King’s Six Desires Heart Sutra*—it could heal the living and decide the fate of the dead.

"My... my face." Tang Qingyi touched her cheeks in excitement. Her face had truly been restored! And the skin was even smoother and more delicate than before. "Brother, how... how did you do this?"

Qi Wuxie smiled without explaining. "Right, Mom, Xiaoyi, stay here for a little while. I need to go out, but I’ll be back soon."

Tang Mowan’s expression changed, and she grabbed his hand. "Wuxie, don’t do anything reckless!"

Qi Wuxie patted her hand. "Don’t worry, Mom, I won’t be impulsive. I’m just going to let the Zhou family have a taste of hell. I’m heading out to handle some other business; you can rest easy."

Though Tang Mowan still looked worried, the firm look in Qi Wuxie’s eyes caused her to slowly release his hand.

Leaving the house, Qi Wuxie headed straight for the Shen residence with a dark expression. Half an hour later, he arrived in front of a quiet villa.

"Shen Xuan’er, get out here!" Qi Wuxie shouted, his voice echoing into the villa.

"Who’s making such a racket out there!" A middle-aged woman opened the door, cursing. But the moment she saw Qi Wuxie, her face turned deathly pale as if she had seen a ghost. "Qi... Qi Wuxie? How is it you? You’re not dead!"

The woman was Yu Ping, Shen Xuan’er’s mother.

"Where is Shen Xuan’er? I want to see her!" Qi Wuxie said coldly.

Yu Ping stared at him in shock, unable to process the situation. Five years ago, Zhou Tianhao had personally handled the task of disposing of this little bastard. How could he still be alive?

She quickly regained her composure, a sneer forming on her lips. "Qi Wuxie, what are you here for? Don’t tell me you came to marry my daughter! I suggest you give up on that idea. Look at what your family has become—you aren’t fit for my daughter. Tomorrow, she becomes the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family. Don’t you dare dream of catching a swan, you toad!"

"Besides, you should know that if the Zhou family finds out you’re alive, they won’t let you off. Get out of my sight right now and promise never to appear again, and I might just not tell them you’re still alive," Yu Ping said, looking down at him with an air of superiority.

Qi Wuxie narrowed his eyes. Shen Xuan’er was becoming the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law tomorrow? It seemed she truly had betrayed him.

With a cold gaze, he pushed past her into the villa.

"Hey! Hey! You little animal, what do you think you’re doing? Get out, or I’m calling the police!" Yu Ping shrieked, her expression twisting in rage.

"Then call them. I’m not leaving until I see Shen Xuan’er! Call her out right now, or she’ll never see you again!"

The icy tone in his voice made Yu Ping shudder. She felt a genuine murderous intent in his eyes. But a moment later, fury surged within her. "You little bastard, how dare you threaten me! I won’t let you see Xuan’er today, let’s see what you can do to me!"

She glared at him. Ever since Shen Xuan’er had joined up with Zhou Tianhao, she had never suffered such disrespect. She didn’t believe that a "little animal" who had nearly been killed by the Zhou family five years ago would actually dare to lay a hand on her.

Qi Wuxie stood cold and indifferent as footsteps sounded from the floor above.

"Mom, who are you arguing with? It’s the middle of the day, and you’ve woken me up."