The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

The carriage jolted along, causing the mahogany coffin inside to shake slightly.

Inside the coffin, Chen Dong was utterly still, no different from a dead man. Yet, within his sea of consciousness, a golden lotus atop a Floating Mountain still pulsed with a faint, flickering light.

Having survived a First-Grade Pill Tribulation, Chen Dong had already manifested his Divine Sense, which had taken the form of this very golden lotus.

The once-picturesque Floating Mountain had been left barren and desolate after being drained by the sacrificial array. Even the once-brilliant golden lotus had grown exceedingly faint.

A sudden lurch sent Chen Dong's head knocking against the coffin wall.

Because of this jolt, the Floating Mountain in his sea of consciousness connected with another, unfamiliar Floating Mountain that he had never sensed before.

Though this new Floating Mountain was small, it provided Chen Dong's Divine Sense with crucial nourishment at this perilous moment. The two mountains fused into one. As new memories flooded his mind, the golden lotus in his sea of consciousness finally stabilized.

With that, a faint breath of life returned to Chen Dong, and his consciousness cleared.

'So much pain.' Chen Dong felt as if his entire body was being torn apart. He had no control over his limbs, unable to even open his eyes. Despite the searing pain, he could not make a single sound.

He could hear. He could perceive with his Divine Sense. But he couldn't control his body. His Divine Sense was pitifully weak, only able to scan a one-meter radius around him. He could tell he was in some kind of moving vehicle—one that lurched and swayed so violently it seemed to defy logic.

After a journey of over two hours, Wang Yang and his party entered Drunken Immortal City, returning to a massive estate in the southern district.

Above the imposing gate hung a plaque of golden-thread nanmu wood, on which were inscribed the two bold words: "Prince's Mansion."

As soon as they entered the main gate, they encountered a squad of guards. The guards all smiled and greeted Wang Yang, "Brother Yang, how did the trip go?"

Wang Yang was a Cultivator who could sense qi. Though he was in his early thirties with no hope of reaching the Qi Cultivation stage, he was still considered one of the best among the guards.

At this moment, Wang Yang couldn't be sure if the Master would be pleased with the corpse. If he wasn't, punishment would be inevitable.

So, he frowned and shook his head. "I'll go report to the Master first. If I get a reward, drinks are on me. If I get punished, drinks are on you!"

The guards chuckled. "Deal, deal! You'd better hurry, Brother Yang!"

Wang Yang entered the main hall to find a large, portly man in his fifties. The man had a round, beardless face and was dressed in rich brocade robes, his brow furrowed as he listened to Miss Wan'Er's report.

A crowd of servants receiving their orders had delayed him.

Wan'Er seemed to have already recounted the events. Clutching his belly, the portly Master Wang said to Wang Yang, "Have the man you picked up brought in. I want to see him."

Wang Yang acknowledged the order and immediately went to arrange it.

Soon, Chen Dong was carried in on a stretcher. They had left the coffin behind; after all, the Wang Family was planning a wedding to ward off misfortune. Miss Wang was not yet dead, and bringing a coffin into the house would be terribly inauspicious.

Master Wang looked closer, his brow furrowed. "Isn't this one still breathing?"

As a Cultivator himself, he could tell with a single glance that Chen Dong still had a trace of life.

Wang Yang was stunned. "Master, when we found him on the road, he truly wasn't breathing!"

Master Wang's face lit up with delight. "That's not important! Alive is even better, since Xian'Er hasn't drawn her last breath yet! I like the look of this man. He's handsome... I suppose he's barely worthy of my Xian'Er. Get people to prepare for the wedding immediately! Take him down and get him dressed up!"

Though Chen Dong couldn't move, he could hear everything. Confusion flooded his mind. 'Who is Xian'Er? What wedding?' Then it all came back to him: he had nearly been drained to death by the sacrificial array, then sucked into some kind of passage. This was no longer his world. If he had to guess, this was likely the Floating Shadow Realm.

He longed to see what this strange new world looked like, but he couldn't open his eyes.

All he could feel was a group of people lifting him again, changing his clothes, and carrying him into a room that reeked of medicine.

Before long, he heard that Master walk in. The man seemed to sit on the edge of a bed. "Xian'Er, my dear," he said, his voice gentle. "Don't be afraid! Father has found you a husband. Look, they've brought him in for you. He's right there on the floor beside you. You two will be wed today. With a joyous event to grace our home, your illness is sure to fade away!"

But no sound answered him.

Another person entered, calling from the outer room, "Master, everything is ready. The wedding can be held at any time. Should we wait a day to notify the guests?"

The Master roared, "Wait for what? Can Xian'Er afford to wait?! Just notify the clan. The wedding will be held at once!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Master had barely taken a step out of the room when a handmaid shrieked in terror, "Master! No! This is terrible! The Young Miss has stopped breathing!"

Chen Dong heard a burst of chaotic noise, then the sounds of people breaking into loud sobs.

"Young Miss...!"

"Xian'Er!"

The Master's voice was choked with grief. "My Xian'Er, why couldn't you wait just a little longer? I'd already found you a husband!"

Someone asked tentatively, "Master... what about the wedding? Should we still proceed?"

The Master's voice turned venomous. "Proceed? Of course we'll proceed! Hold a spirit wedding for my daughter!"

Chen Dong could feel several pairs of eyes fixing on him.

The Master's voice was utterly ruthless. "Kill this man. Have him accompany my daughter. It's only a true spirit wedding when both the bride and groom are dead!"