"Luo Xiu, on your trip down the mountain, take this marriage contract and your half of the Jade Pendant to the Lin Family in Sea City and cancel the engagement. Since you don't have much time left, don't hold the young woman back."
"After you cancel it, remember to get the other half of the Jade Pendant back."
"Oh, and watch out for your three senior sisters. It's best they don't know you've left the mountain..."
"They've been lusting after you for years, and now they're all successful and powerful. I can't control them anymore."
"Remember, to enter the mortal realm is to be entangled in its affairs. You must adhere to the sect's rules. Unless you find someone worth protecting for the rest of your life, you must not draw that sword."
...
「Dawn.」
In a hotel bathroom, Luo Xiu leaned on the sink, staring at his disheveled reflection. His master's warnings echoed in his mind, and his thoughts began to drift.
In the mirror, his shoulders were covered with fresh red scratches and bite marks. A hickey bloomed on his neck, and the corner of his mouth was smeared with lipstick...
He vaguely remembered being dead drunk at a bar last night before some strange woman brought him to a hotel. The woman must have been wealthy; she drove what looked like a Ferrari 812.
A night of indulgence... looking back now, it all feels like a dream.
To think I'd be picked up by a rich woman while I was blackout drunk!
Whatever. It was a first for both of us, so no one really lost out.
As he murmured to himself, his body suddenly convulsed. He clapped a hand over his mouth, coughing violently. After the coughing fit, his face was pale, and a pool of black blood stained his palm...
Ever since he was a child, he knew he wouldn't live past thirty.
He had spent twenty-six years on the mountain, learning martial arts and Medical Techniques from his master, day after day, year after year. Even with his peerless Medical Techniques, he couldn't cure his own illness. Perhaps this was the sorrow of being a healer.
An illness that cannot be cured is no longer an illness. It is fate.
This was his fate.
After coming down the mountain into the city, he hadn't gone straight to the Lin Family to cancel the engagement. Instead, he had spent three straight days at a bar, trying to vent the years of pent-up bitterness. On the mountain, his master was always watching, so he could never truly let loose.
"Sigh... I suppose it's time to go to the Lin Family and cancel the engagement."
After washing up, he walked out of the bathroom to find that the woman was already awake. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, one elegant leg raised as she pulled on a silk stocking.
Luo Xiu froze when he saw her.
The woman wasn't old, maybe twenty-four or twenty-five. Her figure and looks were both absolutely top-tier, easily on par with his three gorgeous senior sisters.
She glanced back at him, a flicker of faint disgust in her cold, proud eyes.
Luo Xiu gave an awkward smile. "Morning. You're awake?"
The woman ignored him. She picked up a purple lace bra from the side and put it on, then grabbed her bag from the nightstand. She pulled out a thick stack of crisp bills and tossed them onto the bed.
Seeing this, Luo Xiu's expression became incredibly complicated. "What's the meaning of this?"
In response, the woman took out another stack of cash and threw it on the bed. "Is that enough?" she asked coolly.
Luo Xiu felt insulted. "I'm not a gigolo," he said sullenly. "Take your money back."
The woman's face was impassive. "I was the one who approached you last night."
With that, she turned and walked away, her Crystal High Heels clicking on the floor as she left without a backward glance.
After leaving the hotel, the woman got into a Ferrari 812. Sitting alone in the car, she recalled the madness of the previous night and suddenly covered her face, her head bowed as she began to sob...
「Meanwhile.」
Back in the hotel room, Luo Xiu stared at the striking crimson stain on the pristine white sheets, then at the thick stacks of cash. He let out a long sigh.
I really don't get these rich city women. How can they be so forward?
Whatever. It's not like I'll ever see her again.
I've wasted enough time. I should get down to business.
...
...
「The next morning.」
「Lin Family Villa.」
In the living room.
"Dad, are you joking? How could a country bumpkin like him be engaged to Xi Yue?!"
Family Head Lin Youpeng was livid. He glared at the elderly Lin Daqi, who was holding the marriage contract, and questioned him furiously.
The Lin Family was, at the very least, a second-tier noble family in Sea City. They were on the verge of allying with the Cao Family through marriage, which would elevate them to a first-tier family. And now, some dirt-caked hick from the mountains had shown up at their door with a marriage contract!
Lin Youpeng's wife, Zhang Cui, pointed at Luo Xiu and screeched, "You filthy beggar! Stop trying to scam us for a free meal and get out! Do you have any idea what the Lin Family is? A clodhopper like you thinks he can have a goddess? Dream on!"
"Look at your clothes! They're so shabby, the whole outfit probably isn't worth a hundred yuan, is it?"
"Do you even know who my daughter is? She's the number one beauty in Sea City, talented in countless ways! At just twenty-four, she's already running a company by herself! The number of suitors she has from prestigious families is endless! Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Let me tell you, my daughter is about to get engaged to Young Master Cao!"
"A pathetic loser like you isn't even worthy of carrying Young Master Cao's shoes!"
Just then, the click-clack of high heels echoed from the doorway.
"Grandpa, Mom, Dad, what are you all shouting about?"
Zhang Cui glanced at the enchanting figure at the entrance, her arms crossed. "Xi Yue, you're just in time. Take a look at this mutt... This is the fiancé your grandfather arranged for you!"
Lin Xiyue looked over, but when her eyes fell on Luo Xiu, she suddenly froze.
Luo Xiu stared back, equally stunned and in utter disbelief.
This stunning beauty in black stockings, high heels, and a professional suit... was the rich woman from the hotel.