The Lantern Festival had just passed, and the lively festive atmosphere in the city had not yet faded.
Early in the morning, the Zhang Family residence was decorated with red lanterns and colorful streamers, and an endless stream of well-wishers came to offer their congratulations. Among them were naturally some members of the Zhang Family who had previously been at odds with Wang Tiezhu.
Wang Tiezhu was an honest man, and the most glorious moments of his life had only begun after his son joined an immortal sect. Now that his nephew was getting married, those in Sihaicheng who wanted to curry favor with his family naturally arrived early to offer their congratulations. Some of the more perceptive ones even came ahead of time to help out, making the bustling scene almost surpass that of the Lantern Festival itself.
In this world, secular dynasties were subordinate to immortal-cultivating families. Even figures as noble as imperial relatives had to bow and scrape to those in power. Sometimes, if a prince or princess accidentally offended an immortal and was forcefully taken as a servant or maid, the royal ancestors would consider it a stroke of immense good fortune. More often than not, offenders were executed on the spot, and in some cases, even the entire imperial lineage was implicated as immortals easily toppled rulers from their thrones.
Of course, the Wang Family of today was still far from reaching that level, but within Sihaicheng, they had quietly completed a leap in social standing. Fortunately, Wang Tiezhu remained a grounded man; apart from Wang Ran, he only had a six-year-old daughter at home. Therefore, he did not have to worry about the typical aristocratic headache of unruly juniors ruining the family's reputation. On the contrary, because his family was easy to get along with, they enjoyed an exceptional reputation throughout Sihaicheng.
Wang Hao had set out with the bridal procession an hour earlier to welcome the bride from the Zhang Family. Wang Tianhai was smooth in his dealings and quite chivalrous by nature, so the task of greeting guests and handling social reciprocities naturally fell to him. Wang Tiezhu and his wife, Lady Li, were waiting happily at the entrance, while their daughter, Wáng Xīn, dressed in a pretty gown, looked up at the sky with eager anticipation.
"Mother, why hasn't big brother returned yet? At this rate, we're going to miss the banquet." The little girl complained slightly, prompting Lady Li to rub her head.
"You little rascal, all you can think about is eating at the banquet. You've gotten chubby lately, so you'd better watch out, or you won't be able to find a husband when you grow up."
"Mother, don't mess up my buns."
"Look, an immortal is flying over! That's the young master of the Wang Family, how handsome."
In the crowd, someone was the first to spot Wang Ran approaching on a flying sword. He stepped on an aquamarine flying sword, dressed in a well-fitted brocade robe, with a tall and upright posture—truly the picture of a rare and handsome young gentleman.
"Older brother! Older brother!" The little girl called out happily, and Wang Ran, who had spotted his parents and the others long ago, felt a surge of joy in his heart.
"Father, Mother, your son has returned."
He stopped right in front of the elderly couple, the excitement in his eyes spilling over. The bustling scene slowly gathered around him, involuntarily reminding him of the scene from a year ago.
"Our family's fortune today is entirely thanks to Master. In the future, I must serve by Master's side and prove to be a qualified senior disciple."
"Haha, my nephew, you've finally returned!"
Wang Tianhai strode through the crowd and patted Wang Ran's shoulder with a look of gratification. "Not bad, you've grown taller, much sturdier, and fairer too. From now on, I certainly can't call you 'Iron Egg' anymore."
Seeing this, Wang Ran quickly bowed respectfully to his fourth uncle. "Everything is thanks to Fourth Uncle; without Fourth Uncle, I wouldn't have today."
Wang Tianhai waved his hand with a grand gesture. "Nonsense, a man knows his own son best. You can let my Hao swing a spear or wield a club, but he's hardly cut out for cultivating immortality. Even if he went, it would just be an empty joy. It's you, you rascal, who brought honor to the family. Now you can ride a flying sword—you're truly an immortal now. Looking at Wang Zhuo from the main branch, he's nothing special after all. Those clansmen who looked down on your family back then were simply blind."
As soon as he said this, the previously lively atmosphere became slightly awkward. After all, quite a few of the guests present were Zhang Family members who had kicked them when they were down.
Wang Ran was no longer a child. Under the tireless guidance and teachings of his master, Lu Ming, over the past year, he had long since stopped taking such matters to heart.
In his master's words: "No matter how the world changes, it can never alter the inherent self-serving nature of the human heart. Some people aren't necessarily bad; they simply can't stand it when someone they used to look down upon suddenly rises above them. You must understand that this is especially true among relatives and clansmen. They resent your poverty, yet fear your wealth. They hate to see their brothers suffer, yet dread seeing their brothers succeed."
"Master, what is a success?"
"Oh, a kind of flying spiritual artifact—doesn't do much, just expensive. Don't interrupt. What Master wants to tell you is that a family is bound to have such people, but these are just trivial matters. When you eventually become the patriarch of the Wang Family, you must establish strict family rules. Family members must watch out for and help one another; aside from forbidding wrongdoings, they must strictly prohibit infighting. Only then, perhaps after two or three generations of accumulation, can the family truly undergo a transformation."
His master's teachings still lingered in his ears. Wang Ran shook his head at his fourth uncle.
"We are all members of the Wang Family, and what happened before is in the past. Naturally, I won't hold it against them, and Fourth Uncle needn't take it to heart either. Today is my cousin's joyous wedding day, and the clansmen who came to celebrate must be offering their sincere blessings. Fourth Uncle, please don't let this dampen everyone's spirits."
"Haha, good lad, you've really matured a lot. You must drink a few good cups with Fourth Uncle today! You've been gone for a whole year, and it worried your elders to death. For now, go keep Third Brother company and catch up at home. Once Hao returns, you'll need to step up to toast the guests and help him hold his liquor."
Wang Tianhai patted Wang Ran's shoulder once more and turned to leave, but unexpectedly, a sudden commotion broke out amidst the lively gathering.
A young man from the wedding welcoming party stumbled back into view, blood still stained the corner of his mouth, and a clear palm print was visible on his face.
"Fourth Master, it's bad! Big Brother Hao was beaten at the Zhang Family. Someone—someone is snatching the bride at the Zhang Family!"
"What? How audacious! Who dares to cause trouble in territory governed by the Sihaicheng?"
In the crowd, a middle-aged martial artist wearing long cyan robes stood up, glaring angrily at the young man.
Even Wang Ran wore a look of utter astonishment as they watched the young man gasp for breath and stammer out his report.
"It's... it's also an immortal cultivator. Word is he took a fancy to Miss Zhang's aptitude and wants to forcefully keep her as a maid. Big Brother Hao mentioned your identity as a disciple of an immortal sect, but not only did the other party refuse to back down, he even detained Big Brother Hao. He only let me return to pass a message—he said, he said that once you return, you can go look for him. He's waiting at the Zhang Family."
"This?"
The crowd looked at each other in dismay, while Wang Ran alone furrowed his brow.
Fourth Uncle Wang Tianhai wore a furious expression, but because the matter involved the realm of immortals—and the other party's attitude was clearly provocative—he felt utterly aggrieved.
"Fourth Uncle, uncles, brothers, the situation has changed today. I must ask you all to return for now. Once I have dealt with this matter, I will surely bring my cousin over to offer a personal apology. Thank you all for supporting the Wang Family."
Time was pressing, and Wang Ran knew that the wedding could likely no longer proceed. Even if he successfully resolved the issue today, such an incident meant holding a wedding celebration was out of the question. It would be better to disperse the guests first, get to the bottom of the matter, and then decide on a course of action.
Seeing this, the crowd's urge to watch the spectacle was thoroughly extinguished. Offering polite remarks, they knew better than to overstay their welcome.
Soon, only members of the immediate family remained in the main hall.
In the room, Wang Tiezhu wanted to speak but hesitated, while Wang Tianhai lowered his head in deep thought.
Wang Ran sighed. "Father, are you worried that I provoked enemies in the immortal sect, and now they've tracked me down?"
Wang Tiezhu nodded, only to see Wang Ran shake his head.
"In the sect, your son keeps a low profile and exercises restraint. I get along harmoniously with all my fellow apprentices and have made no enemies."
With that, he looked at his fourth uncle. "Fourth Uncle, you needn't worry. I must go to the Zhang Family myself to handle this. No matter what, I will bring my cousin back safely. As for everything else, we can discuss it once my cousin returns."