```
After hanging up the call, Shang Han slid his phone into his pocket.
Then, his entire being transformed into a streak of light and shot up into the sky.
...
In a certain patch of the sky over Yangming City, Shang Han floated with a worried look on his face, his gaze fixed on an elder in white robes about three meters in front of him.
The elder's hair was white and his beard long, draping to the upper half of his chest. His somewhat withered hands habitually stroked his beard, his face wearing a hint of a smile that made him seem very amiable.
"I hear you're planning to marry Hui Qing off to Young Master Ah Ran?" the white-haired elder asked.
"I have no choice. If Ah Ran marries Bai Qi, he might actually die. And since Qing'er can no longer practice cultivation, she should find an ordinary boy to spend the rest of her life with. The timing for the two of them just so happens to be opportune, so naturally, I have to bring them together," Shang Han said.
"Your move isn't necessarily wrong. From your personal perspective, it indeed seems like a perfect solution. As soon as they get married, the engagement with Princess Bai Xi will naturally be broken, and the right-wing faction of the Fang Family will no longer want to kill Young Master Ah Ran. Moreover, it will ensure Hui Qing marries someone reliable. However...
without the alliance through marriage between Young Master Ah Ran and Princess Bai Xi, the left-wing faction's position will become very awkward, and Uncle might even be forced to step down because of this," the white-haired elder said.
Shang Han lit a cigarette and said, "Even if I die, I won't let Brother Zheng be forced to step down by those right-wingers, nor will I allow Ah Ran and Qing'er to be separated."
"Without Young Master Ah Ran taking the risk, Uncle's position will be untenable, and betting your life on it won't change the outcome," the elder retorted.
"I don't believe that," Shang Han said, frowning with a tone of determination.
The white-haired man observed his demeanor, the smile on his lips growing richer. "You truly treat Young Master Ah Ran like your own son, even more concerned than Uncle, his real father."
"Brother Zheng's affection for Ah Ran is no less than mine. It's just that, because of the position he holds, he has no choice but to act this way," Shang Han responded.
"Alright, I won't comment on the decisions you've made. I can only try my best to share some of Uncle's burdens and do what little I can," said the elder.
Taking a deep drag from his cigarette, Shang Han spoke in a low voice, "The right-wing faction of the Fang Family has been increasingly audacious lately. I must return to the warzone tomorrow, so Ah Ran's safety will have to depend on you."
"Don't worry, in fact, I too believe Young Master Ah Ran is better off living as an ordinary person than anything else, but the current situation is quite bleak. All I can do is my utmost to protect the young master," the elder sighed and shook his head.
"Let's agree on that, then."
Having said that, Shang Han transformed into a streak of light once more, vanishing into the distant horizon.
The white-haired elder stood high in the sky, gazing at the brightly lit city far away, a helpless smile on his face as he shook his head bitterly, "Poor thing, he's still just a child..."
------
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The next day, Fang Ren again teased Mu Huanqing for a long time before finally letting her go.
Afterward.
Fang Ren once again used his consciousness to probe into Mu Huanqing's body and discovered that since last night, all the broken meridians within her had shown some signs of recovery.
"Sister Hui Qing, do you feel any other changes in your body now?" he asked.
"I just feel very comfortable, and the injuries inside my body don't hurt as much as before," Mu Huanqing told him truthfully.
Hearing her say this, Fang Ren couldn't help but feel both joy and concern. Joyous that her internal injuries were healing nicely and that if this continued, all the pain in her body would disappear, but Fang Ren worried... if all her meridians recovered, would she have to leave this place and return to where she belonged?
"Sister Hui Qing, may I ask you a question?" Fang Ren asked, a slight smile on his face as he looked at her.
Mu Huanqing gently pinched his waist, speaking softly, "You're definitely going to harass me again..."
"I won't, I'm serious," Fang Ren assured her.
"Okay then, but you have to answer my question first," Mu Huanqing said.
"Go ahead."
Mu Huanqing looked at him, her cheeks slightly flushed with a somewhat angry expression, "Did you... did you give me some kind of indecent drug?"
"Huh?"
Fang Ren was taken aback by the sudden question, his mind unable to brake in response, no matter how fast it whirled.
Mu Huanqing, seeing his reaction and blushing, said with furrowed brows, "Otherwise... how could I have possibly behaved that way last night..."
Only then did Fang Ren understand what she meant. Mu Huanqing had been too proactive last night; if Fang Ren hadn't already known the reason, he might also have suspected she was drugged.
The frenzy of last night, he thought, not knowing how many positions had been unlocked, and the key was that she was the one taking the initiative most of the time...
"That's probably because we both took that Energizing Elixir," Fang Ren made an excuse.
He certainly couldn't just reveal that there was something similar to a Spiritual Root inside his body. Mu Huanqing had been wanting to live as a normal human being, and if he became part of the Cultivation System, it would surely make her feel uneasy.
"Really..."
Mu Huanqing, on recalling last night's events, couldn't help but blush again; what had happened far exceeded the usual level of shame. She had almost completely satisfied him with her demands...
```
"There's another issue." Mu Huanqing immediately ended the previous embarrassing topic and asked, "Why did Ah Ran call me Qing'er last night, but now he is calling me 'sister' again?"
"Do you care about it?" Fang Ren asked, rubbing her head.
"Mhm." Mu Huanqing nodded.
"Which name do you prefer?"
"The one from last night..."
"Then I'll call you Qing'er from now on."
"Mhm." Mu Huanqing gently kissed him on the forehead, a smile appearing on her face.
"Okay, now it's my turn to ask a question." Fang Ren said, "If, I mean if, one day Qing'er has the chance to regain her cultivation ability, would you leave me?"
"I..."
Mu Huanqing paused for a moment, her brows knitting together once again. She had answered a similar question before, but although similar, the implications were very different.
Last time, Fang Ren had asked if she would still want to marry him if she regained her cultivation ability. She had responded that there were no ifs, and even if there were, she would still be the person who wanted to marry him.
This time, he asked if she would leave him if she regained her cultivation ability. This question was somewhat difficult for her to answer.
"Would you leave?"
Seeing that Mu Huanqing remained silent, the smile on Fang Ren's face gradually became somewhat helpless.
"If I had the ability to protect our kind, I would certainly return to the battlefield..." Mu Huanqing said, her gaze dropping.
If her strength were to recover, she could spare many warriors in Zone One from dying. She had no reason not to go back; if she didn't, every time she saw news of fallen warriors, her heart would feel intense condemnation.
Long ago, the duty to save the living had deeply rooted itself in her mind. Often, she felt that her whole purpose in life was to defend humanity...
"..."
After hearing what she said, Fang Ren felt a sudden sense of loss inside. He still didn't fully understand her past, and she was reluctant to talk about it.
"Ah Ran, did I... say something wrong?" Mu Huanqing looked at him. Even though his face still held a trace of a smile, she could clearly sense the feeling of loss emanating from him.
Mu Huanqing suddenly felt a bit panicked inside, moving closer to him and saying, "I didn't mean that you're not important to me, I just meant that there are some things..."
"What are you thinking about?" Fang Ren suddenly said with a smile, interrupting her and rubbing her silver hair, "I said it was only if, and besides, the elixir that can restore cultivation ability still has a long way to go before it's a reality. How could it be that simple?"
Mu Huanqing felt his hand and nodded firmly, "Mhm."
In that moment, she suddenly feared being able to regain her cultivation ability because in her current state, she could be with the man who was about to become her husband without any guilt. If her cultivation ability was restored, her identity would certainly not allow her to indulge in so much romantic affection, leading to more soldiers dying.
"I don't want there to be such an elixir in the world, but I also wish there were..." Mu Huanqing said.
"Why?"
"I don't want to leave Ah Ran."
"..."
Her words dispelled all the loss in Fang Ren's heart, and warmth began to rise. He didn't press her for more, aware that she didn't want to talk about the past.
...
During breakfast, Uncle Han still looked as gloomy as he had the previous night, so Fang Ren finally couldn't help but ask.
"Uncle Han, what's really bothering you?"
Shang Han smiled, glanced at him and Mu Huanqing, and said, "Actually, I was planning to talk about it after breakfast."
"It's the same if you say it now." Mu Huanqing spoke up.
Having spent the last couple of days together, Mu Huanqing had become more familiar with this once-stranger of a father and wasn't as distant as she had been before.
"Actually... it's just that I have to travel afar for some urgent business, and it might take quite a long time. I might not even be able to attend your wedding," said Shang Han.
"How long, approximately?" Fang Ren asked.
"A year, maybe two, it could even be longer," Shang Han frowned slightly but still smiled, "But it's okay, this gives you and your wife plenty of time to be intimate, doesn't it? Take a honeymoon or something, and it makes it more convenient to do those shy things at home, right?"
"You old rascal, stop talking nonsense," Fang Ren said, looking utterly speechless.
"Anyway, the thing is urgent, and I can't attend the wedding. But you two must still have the wedding, whether I'm there or not, it must be done before May 20th," Shang Han said.
In the following time, Shang Han kept instructing Fang Ren to learn how to cook, to cherish his bride properly, and not to associate with other girls and the like. He also said a few words to Mu Huanqing, telling her to enjoy the happy moments of the present and not to overthink other matters.