Top-tier Unruly Master

Ding Fan, puzzled, looked at Wang Zhong; wasn't he really sure why Wang Zhong had shot Qu Lianbo—wasn't Wang Zhong with Qu Lianbo?

"Please spare my life, Senior."

At this moment, Wang Zhong kneeled down directly, his expression respectful.

"Senior, the Zhou Ruoran you are looking for is indeed not here. Although Qu Lianbo did send people to capture Zhou Ruoran before, she was later rescued by a middle-aged woman wearing a Taoist robe. Senior, the two people who went to capture Zhou Ruoran today are now resting in the basement; I'll take you there."

Glancing at Wang Zhong, Ding Fan found him to be a person who knew how to assess the situation. His words were likely truthful. However, to clarify Zhou Ruoran's whereabouts, Ding Fan wouldn't overlook any detail.

Indeed, Ding Fan's thoughts weren't wrong—Wang Zhong was a cunning individual. How could he dare to provoke someone with a movement technique defying the heavens and capable of shooting iron nails to kill several professional assassins with his bare hands? So, he quickly figured out what he should do.

Wang Zhong had shot Qu Lianbo to win Ding Fan's favor, hoping to trade it for his petty life, nothing more.

Wang Zhong led the way, with Ding Fan following behind him.

The entrance to the villa's basement was behind the fireplace, where there was a secret mechanism; it seemed Qu Lianbo had ulterior motives when designing the villa.

Wang Zhong led the way to the basement, having triggered the secret entrance mechanism, and without any hesitation, Ding Fan followed suit.

Turning through the secret passage brought them to the interior of the basement.

Unlike the typical basement Ding Fan had envisaged, this place was neither damp nor gloomy. On the contrary, it was surprisingly bright and well-furnished, with a sofa, television, refrigerator—nearly all the common household appliances one could need.

"Brother Zhong, why did you come down here?"

When Wang Zhong came to the basement, the two men, one wearing a duckbill cap and the other sunglasses, were lying on the sofa watching TV. The man with the duckbill cap was the first to greet Ding Fan.

The soundproofing here was excellent, so they were unaware of what had just happened outside.

However, after the man with the duckbill cap greeted Wang Zhong, his expression immediately froze upon seeing Ding Fan behind Wang Zhong.

The two men's main task was to oversee Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran; hence, they were familiar with Ding Fan's appearance. The man with the duckbill cap couldn't understand why Wang Zhong would bring Ding Fan here.

"You two, tell the Senior what happened this afternoon," Wang Zhong ordered them.

Wang Zhong was a favorite of Qu Lianbo's, so the men with the duckbill cap and sunglasses didn't dare to offend him. Though they didn't understand Wang Zhong's intentions, they recounted the details of their attempt to capture Zhou Ruoran earlier in the day.

After hearing what the two men said, Ding Fan was certain that Ruoran was not here. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "What did the middle-aged female Taoist who rescued Ruoran look like?"

"I didn't see clearly, but I remember that one of the female Taoist's hands had six fingers," said the man with the duckbill cap after careful thought.

"Six fingers?" Ding Fan's brow slightly furrowed.

"Yes, I saw that clearly. I'm certain that one of the female Taoist's hands had six fingers," stated the man with the duckbill cap with certainty.

Ding Fan realized that asking further would be futile; these men wouldn't have any more valuable information to share.

Without wasting words with the man with the duckbill cap and the sunglasses, Ding Fan sent a Wind Blade slicing their way.

The sharp sound of it cutting through the air caused one's hairs to stand on end. However, following that piercing sound, Wang Zhong, struck by the scene before him, stood with his mouth agape in shock.

The men with the duckbill cap and the sunglasses were both cut clean in half at their waists, their innards and blood spilling across the floor. The mere sight was enough to make Wang Zhong retch.

Ruoran was Ding Fan's Achilles' heel. Even though Zhou Ruoran wasn't here, these men had, after all, laid hands on her; that alone was reason enough for Ding Fan to slay them.

"Senior, please spare my life!" Wang Zhong, his legs going soft, knelt to the ground.

Ding Fan didn't even glance at Wang Zhong. "Clean up here; I don't want to leave any loose ends..."

Having spoken, Ding Fan turned and left the villa.

Wang Zhong, too, was a schemer, and Ding Fan trusted that he would know how to handle the situation perfectly. As for whether Ding Fan worried about Wang Zhong going to the police,

that was not a concern for Ding Fan. The last Wind Blade had been for Wang Zhong's benefit. After witnessing such formidable skills, he certainly wouldn't dare to call the police.

Leaving the Western Suburb Villa, Ding Fan felt an emptiness in his heart.

Ruoran had been taken by someone else; her current safety was unknown, and what annoyed Ding Fan the most was that he had not a single clue at his disposal.

Having returned home,

he switched on the villa's lights. Usually, when he got home, Ruoran would either be busy in the kitchen or tending to the pot of Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass.

Ding Fan walked up to the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass. By now, one of the plant's flowers had bloomed. It wouldn't take long before the remaining two flowers would bloom as well.

At this moment, Ding Fan remembered teasing Ruoran earlier that day after he returned from the pharmaceutical factory.

Back then, Ruoran had stood next to the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass, asking him why he had come back so early. Ding Fan still remembered the words he had said at the time.

I missed you... so I wanted to come back earlier to see you...

As Ding Fan thought of this, he furrowed his brows slightly and looked through the window at the night outside, wondering where Ruoran could be now. The world is so vast, Ruoran, where are you? And where should I search for you?

...

At that moment, within a remote forest.

Next to a huge rock, a middle-aged Taoist nun was sitting cross-legged, meditating with her eyes closed, while Zhou Ruoran quietly tended to a campfire nearby.

It was unclear how much time had passed by the time the Taoist nun slowly opened her eyes. After concluding her practice, she looked towards Zhou Ruoran.

"Your head has taken a heavy blow... Can you remember your name and where your home is now?" The middle-aged Taoist nun's tone was very gentle, giving off a very approachable aura.

Ruoran nodded slightly. "Master Jing Yi, I only remember my name. My name is Zhou Ruoran. My parents disappeared when I was very young, and I was adopted by Uncle Ding from the Ding Family. But I can't remember anything from the past year at all..."

The middle-aged Taoist nun nodded, then after musing for a while, she spoke slowly. "Your head suffered a heavy blow, which is likely why you have amnesia. However, your amnesia is peculiar, forgetting only a specific period; you remember everything else."

After hearing the middle-aged Taoist nun's words, Ruoran nodded slightly.

"Have you ever practiced cultivation?" The middle-aged Taoist nun suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Cultivation?

Zhou Ruoran was momentarily startled. "What is that?"

Seeing the blank expression on Zhou Ruoran's face, the middle-aged Taoist nun knew she was indeed clueless. However, while treating Zhou Ruoran's injuries just now, she could clearly feel that Ruoran's meridians were tougher and more expansive than those of an ordinary person.

If she hadn't been cultivated before, then Ruoran, just based on her current condition, would be an absolute natural-born talent for cultivation.

A hint of regret passed over the middle-aged Taoist nun at that moment.

To think that Zhou Ruoran possessed such extraordinary aptitude, a rarity not seen in the Ancient Martial World for hundreds of years. If someone like her could be taken into a Sect, then the Sect would surely reach great heights along with Zhou Ruoran...

"I think you are highly gifted, and I would like to take you as my disciple. What do you think?" The middle-aged Taoist nun looked kindly at Zhou Ruoran.

There was a particularly calm presence about the middle-aged Taoist nun, a presence that gave Ruoran a sense of deep tranquility. This feeling was so comforting to Ruoran.

What Zhou Ruoran found extremely odd was that the presence felt incredibly familiar. Yet, she couldn't remember at all where she might have encountered such a feeling before.

"Master Jing Yi, what is cultivation?" Ruoran did not directly respond to the offer, but instead asked a question.

Master Jing Yi smiled faintly and said, "To cultivate the mind and refine the body, to follow the natural order is 'xing,' to follow 'xing' is 'dao,' and to practice 'dao' is 'jiao.' 'Dao' is something from which one cannot stray even for an instant; if one can stray from it, then it isn't the 'dao'."

Although Zhou Ruoran didn't completely understand what Master Jing Yi said, she still sensed a righteous and refreshing aura about her that put people at ease.

Having faced squabbles throughout her life and having lived under the Ding Family's roof, this sense of kindness suddenly made her feel as if she had found where she belonged.

"I am willing..." Zhou Ruoran pondered for a moment and then nodded her head.

A delighted expression appeared on the middle-aged Taoist nun's face. "Very good, very good, very good. I am Master Jing Yi, an elder of the Peach Blossom Female Sect. From today onwards, you are my closed-door disciple."

Zhou Ruoran was quite sensible and started to kowtow to Master Jing Yi at once.

The middle-aged Taoist nun was very pleased and gently raised her hand, lifting the kneeling Zhou Ruoran off the ground with an invisible force.

"Our Peach Blossom Female Sect is a Hidden Sect. Joining our Sect means you'll leave the Mortal World behind. Is there anything still troubling you in the Mortal World? I can help you settle any concerns to prevent future regrets," she offered.

Zhou Ruoran thought hard, then shook her head slightly. "My parents disappeared when I was very young, and after so many years, it's probably difficult to meet them again. Although Uncle Ding from the Ding Family took me as a child bride and married me to his son Ding Fan when I was young, Ding Fan has always been a playboy, abusing and scolding me.

I've never accepted this marriage in my heart, so, Master, I have no attachments left in this Mortal World."

After listening to Ruoran's words, the middle-aged Taoist nun nodded. "Since you have no attachments, let's go then."

After saying that, the middle-aged Taoist nun stood up and Zhou Ruoran stood up as well.

From the mountaintop where Zhou Ruoran was standing, she could see the brightly lit city below. She took a deep breath.

"With no attachments..."