To avoid some trouble, Ye Wen didn't fly directly back to China in his private jet. Instead, he chose to land in South Korea, slipped away from the airport discreetly, and then, under the cover of night, shot off toward China in a blaze of sword light.

He dared to do this because he had a crucial advantage: he had more or less figured out the method for flying on his sword. Now, enveloped in a halo of sword energy that tore through the air, combined with the stealth talisman he had specifically acquired from Zhang Hengguang, he was sure ordinary people wouldn't detect his presence, and he could reach Chinese territory in a very short time.

Moreover, to speed his journey, Ye Wen didn't even have the inclination to eat—though, frankly, neither South Korea nor North Korea offered cuisine he felt inclined to seek out. He rushed onward without rest, the sheer, unrestrained thrill of soaring across the skies on his sword finally giving him the bearing of a true Sword Immortal.

"This hardly dishonors the title of Sword Immortal I earned!"

He had acquired the title of Sword Immortal not long before he shattered the void and departed, never truly savoring the feeling of success. That had always been a source of regret.

But now, having finally grasped the rudiments of sword flight (even if he was propelling sword qi), and experiencing what a real Sword Immortal felt like, he finally felt less disappointed.

Due to the effect of the stealth talisman, no one could see the streak of purple light racing across the sky above them, faster and faster. By the end, it occasionally veered left and right, even executing a full barrel roll—it was practically performing a Viper maneuver.

Ye Wen was using the flight to constantly test and refine his sword-riding technique, hoping to master the skill as quickly as possible.

"I should seize this chance to practice diligently, lest I appear clumsy when encountering actual cultivators later, making a fool of myself!"

He had intended to have Ning Ruxue accompany him in the air, but although Ning Ruxue had glimpsed the potential of sword flight, she couldn't yet maintain the speed of traversing a thousand li on a beam of light like he could. Thus, he had left her behind in Liverpool and returned alone.

Besides, the fewer people who knew about this current affair, the better. Although Ning Ruxue was his closest companion, some matters were simply better left unsaid to her.

His primary reason for coming here was merely to set his own mind at ease. Whether this world was truly the one he once lived in, knowing the truth would only take away one comforting illusion.

As for the idea of helping his alternate self? Ye Wen hadn't considered it. If another version of himself truly existed, he’d have to worry about that other self failing to report to that world on time. Therefore, the only viable option was to stand quietly by and do nothing, waiting until he confirmed this Ye Wen had made his report; only then could he act as he pleased.

Lost in thought, he flew for an unmeasured time. Ye Wen felt his internal zhenqi circulating constantly. With the rotation of the Innate Violet Qi, the zhenqi consumed by flight was more than halfway replenished. Thus, even though sword flight consumed immense power, for him, possessing the Innate Violet Qi, it was hardly anything significant.

Ye Wen's current mastery of sword flight could only be described as having just glimpsed the entrance; there were still many shortcomings. Putting aside everything else, the sheer consumption of zhenqi proved that his method of flying certainly had flaws. The drain was too great; if the disciples of his sect were to fly using this method in the future, few would likely be able to sustain it.

Yet, the cultivators and immortals Ye Wen remembered from his past life were always soaring high and low, flitting about everywhere. If this problem couldn't be solved, the Shu Mountain Sect would suffer a great loss in the future.

"I'll just have to ponder it slowly!"

He dispersed the sword light, halting his forward momentum. Ye Wen’s body gradually descended. Currently, he could only dissipate the sword light mid-air and use qinggong to float to the ground. This was a far cry from his desired 'stopping instantly by commanding the light,' but at least he could fly—a considerable advancement nonetheless.

Standing atop a skyscraper, Ye Wen surveyed the city, which was both familiar and strange.

Familiar, because he had lived here for over twenty years; strange, because he hadn't returned for at least a decade, and the city looked significantly different from when he left.

In his memory, at this time, he should have been in high school, still messing around, charging through the streets, starting fights, thinking he was a big shot, and believing his life would continue just like that. But an event that occurred later changed the course of his entire life.

"I recall it should be around this time; I just can't recall the exact date!"

Ye Wen found an empty alley and leaped down, then tucked away the stealth talisman. Standing at the mouth of the alley, he stared at the increasingly busy main road, frowning in thought.

He stood there for an entire day, from morning until nightfall. The section of the road gradually grew more bustling. The row of small eateries, rather quiet during the day, now set up tables and chairs right outside their doors. The aroma of roasting meat could be smelled from quite a distance.

Ye Wen hadn't eaten for days while rushing his journey. Although going without food had no immediate effect on him now, the desire for good food lingered. Smelling that long-lost aroma, his appetite was whetted. He swallowed, walked out of the alley, and found a small table at one of the shops, sitting down.

He ordered some skewers and cold dishes, washing them down with draft beer. As Ye Wen slowly savored these familiar tastes, he recalled that the incident which almost altered the trajectory of his later life happened just as dusk began to settle, right in this vicinity where he was sitting.

Glancing at the watch on his wrist and striving to recall every detail, Ye Wen’s eyes lit up when he saw a group of young men, perhaps fewer than twenty, laughing and chatting as they settled at a few nearby tables.

"Heh, heaven truly favors me!"

The appearance of these individuals reminded him that the event was indeed scheduled for this very night, and soon another version of himself would appear—if one truly existed.

Ye Wen didn't have to wait long. Soon, he saw that familiar yet unfamiliar figure, chatting and laughing with a few acquaintances as they approached the barbecue stand. Then, just as he remembered, a confrontation erupted without warning!

What followed was simple: a brawl. The two groups of young men, blinded by adrenaline, shed blood. The incident escalated, the police were called in, and Ye Wen bore almost no responsibility. It wasn't that he hadn't struck hard; it was because his best friend took the entire blame.

Watching uniformed officers push one teenager after another into the cars, Ye Wen could still recall the words his brother had said to him: "You are different from me; you have much more potential! Go back and study hard. Honestly, you don't belong hanging around with people like us..."

He couldn't remember many of the words, only the earnest expression on his friend's face when he said them, and later... the brilliant smile on that memorial portrait.

He had seen what he needed to see; he had confirmed what he needed to confirm. Ye Wen knew this was the world he had lived in. The only surprise was that the world he inhabited for twenty years, he had never truly understood. He thought this world was brutal enough, but now he realized reality was far more vicious than he imagined.

As the commotion subsided, Ye Wen stood up, tossing the bamboo skewer from the last piece of meat he ate onto the table. He called the owner over to settle the bill. Only then did everyone notice that amidst such chaos, this gentleman had remained utterly calm, watching the spectacle while drinking and eating skewers.

From then on, the legend of the 'Calm Bro' began circulating in the vicinity of this street, and 'ordering a draft beer and watching the show while eating skewers' became a popular catchphrase for a time.

These were mere footnotes. Ye Wen's current consideration was: now that he possessed strength, should he intervene to prevent things that displeased him from happening?

Since he could roughly confirm certain things, Ye Wen could be certain that in his previous memories, no tycoon named Ye Wen had ever acquired Liverpool. This meant that altering things slightly, as long as it didn't affect him directly, should have no repercussions.

In his past-life memories, his friend suffered a misfortune in the days that followed. Although he successfully got out of that situation, before he could even celebrate, he was cornered by people hired by those other young men, and the rest needed no elaboration.

Now that he had power, should he save his old buddy?

"Damn it, if he hadn't advised me back then and taken the rap for me, how would I be here now? A man can't be heartless!" Having made up his mind, Ye Wen decided to protect this friend. However, to avoid affecting the current version of himself during this period, he decided to send his friend elsewhere immediately after saving him.

"My brother is quite capable in a fight, and he's sturdy. Why not whisk him away to school to become a student?"

If this could result in him learning some special skill, it would be a repayment for the wake-up call his friend gave him today. He acted as soon as he decided. These tasks were not overly difficult for Ye Wen. A few days later, having confirmed that the Ye Wen of this world was diligently studying as he remembered, he began executing his plan to essentially "kidnap" his past-life brother.

Looking at the somewhat constrained Zhang Cheng, Ye Wen found the situation endlessly amusing.

In his previous life, he had been slightly younger than Zhang Cheng. They met while drifting around the streets, and after both lost their parents and bonded over similar foul tastes, they became inseparable confidants. But now, Ye Wen was incomparably older than this brother, and the gap in status and standing was as vast as heaven and earth.

Zhang Cheng kept fidgeting with his backside. The luxurious seats of the extended Rolls-Royce felt like a tiger bench, making him unable to sit still. Although he knew he had nothing worth being swindled out of, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but think along those lines.

'Why look for me? Is he going to knock me out and harvest my organs?'

'Or maybe, seeing my tall, imposing physique, he wants to capture me to be a male escort?'

'Perhaps the best case is selling me off to some place in the mountains to be an adopted son?' Zhang Cheng pondered, finding that scenario a bit far-fetched: 'Why kidnap someone my age? If you're going to deceive someone, you'd target someone younger!'

Ye Wen watched, then took out two cans of soda from the car's refrigerator. He remembered Zhang Cheng preferred Sprite and always told Ye Wen, who liked Coke, "Men should drink less Coke, that stuff isn't good for you!"

Of course, Ye Wen later learned that was just a rumor. If anything was bad, carbonated drinks in general weren't healthy. Zhang Cheng drinking Sprite was no different from Ye Wen drinking Coke.

As for the car—it was merely rented by Ye Wen. When putting on a show, one had to make the spectacle bigger to intimidate. He had timed it precisely, intercepting Zhang Cheng just as he left the barbecue joint, then calling the car over. If he could just stall him and get him onto a flight bound for Sichuan, those hoodlums planning to cause trouble for him would lose their chance.

Afterward, he needed Zhang Cheng to write a letter to the present Ye Wen. The content would essentially be that he needed to consider his future life, couldn't keep drifting around aimlessly, and therefore needed to go elsewhere to make his way. Even if it didn't carry the same shock as the death of his friend, it should at least provide the current Ye Wen with some motivation to strive.

Actually, Ye Wen didn't care too much about those things. What concerned him was if the present Ye Wen didn't get into that specific university as remembered, he wouldn't attend the reunion years later, and whether he would inexplicably end up in that other world would become unpredictable. Thus, keeping everything as close to the original path as possible was best.

"You... why do you want me to do this?"

Hearing Ye Wen's request, Zhang Cheng found it strange. According to what this man said, it should be a good thing for his brother. But if this was his brother's relative, why take such a circuitous route? Judging by his demeanor, he seemed wealthy; wouldn't it be better to simply step forward and offer help?

However, Ye Wen dismissed Zhang Cheng with a single sentence: "A person must rely on themselves. I hope he can stand up on his own, not be supported by others!"

Although he had lived on the streets, he was still young and full of passionate spirit. Such words appealed directly to young men like him, so Zhang Cheng believed him almost without hesitation. Out of consideration for his friend, he nodded and agreed to Ye Wen's demand to go to Sichuan—Ye Wen didn't tell him the exact purpose, only that someone would meet him there.

Zhang Cheng's reasoning was simple: he had nothing anyway. Staying in this city meant his old fair-weather friends would still hound him. Going elsewhere was an alternative. He would be delighted if he were actually offered a job (?), but even if not, it didn't matter. So, he readily wrote the letter in the car and dropped it into the nearest mailbox, then, under Ye Wen's watchful gaze, packed briefly and boarded the flight to Sichuan.

"Everything is settled! I just wonder if there will be any repercussions!"

He returned the extended Rolls-Royce and began walking aimlessly through the streets. As he walked, he ended up in the remote suburban outskirts. With the night deepening, the pedestrians on the road gradually thinned. This seemed like a more suitable time for some spine-chilling and terrifying figures to appear, rather than a stunningly seductive woman dressed in a tight, ultra-short miniskirt that barely covered her hips, leaving her fair skin exposed above.

"Handsome! Interested in doing something fun with little sister?"

Ye Wen’s lips suddenly curved upwards, revealing a strange smile. He had developed an interest in this woman who was impossibly beautiful and whose curves were absolutely captivating.

It wasn't that he was suddenly lustful; rather, it was the woman’s identity that piqued his curiosity!

He stroked his chin, examining her up and down. His gaze made the woman feel as if she were utterly seen through. Her expression shifted slightly, but she quickly reverted to her original charming demeanor, flashing Ye Wen another seductive look: "The place I'm renting is just nearby. Why don't we go to my place?"

"Agreed!"

Ye Wen accepted with a smile. He noticed the woman looked extremely pleased the moment he agreed. She then turned, swaying her hips with every step in her slender high heels, and walked ahead: "Time is short now; we need to hurry!"

The two walked single file for about five minutes. The woman led him through turns and twists until, in an area that still seemed somewhat desolate, a very new residential building suddenly appeared—just like recently completed new construction, unremarkable, yet standing there it looked somewhat out of place.

The woman glanced back and smiled: "This is a newly developed plot. The land rights for a few remaining properties nearby haven't been settled yet, so the entire complex hasn't been finished. It'll be ready in a couple of years!"

"Oh?"

Ye Wen looked around interestedly for a while but didn't move forward. Seeing Ye Wen suddenly stop, the woman assumed he thought the area was too remote and feared being tricked. She urged him sweetly, "Hurry up, or it'll be too late!"

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of... the dawn?"

This question made the woman's coquettish laughter abruptly stop, and her expression became slightly odd: "What... do you mean? Little sister doesn't quite understand..."

Ye Wen pulled out a talisman from his robes (actually reaching into his clothes and summoning it from his spatial ring). The mere glimpse of the yellow paper caused the woman’s face to change dramatically.

"Are you a Daoist?" The woman remained still, yet unnervingly glided backward over three meters, creating distance between herself and Ye Wen before staring at him with full alertness.

But she noticed Ye Wen's expression was very peculiar; it was nothing like the look of hatred Daoists displayed when confronting ghosts—instead, he was observing her with endless interest, finally remarking, "This is the first time I've seen a ghost. I didn't expect my first encounter to be with a female ghost!"

The female ghost breathed a sigh of relief internally, thinking: He's a novice. Looks like this trip will just be a scare.

Unfortunately, before the female ghost could try to frighten Ye Wen, she heard him say: "Stop hiding and hoarding. Call out your neighbors from this broken graveyard. Otherwise, dealing with one after another will truly be troublesome!" He then waved toward the distance: "And you over there watching the fun, come out too!"