Wu Huang left his small cabin and began to slowly climb the mountain. The landscape, which at first seemed uninhabited and without signs of recent life, suddenly changed to reveal a beautiful and majestic palace.
Wu Huang, who was not impressed by the protective illusion, entered the compound and walked toward the interior of the palace until he reached a small and serene garden. In the center of it, surrounded by a lake of crystal-clear water, stood an elegant pavilion.
"Master, were you looking for me?" Wu Huang asked while making a respectful bow.
"Yes. You may come closer," a melodious voice replied from inside the pavilion.
Wu Huang walked with extreme care not to step on any of the valuable spiritual herbs in the garden until he reached the pavilion. There stood a woman of supernatural beauty, with a face worthy of a fairy, wearing a simple white robe adorned with a subtle pink pattern.
"Your mother has sent you a message," she said calmly while handing him a piece of paper.
Wu Huang, visibly surprised, took it and began to read it. Suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Break my engagement? Since when am I engaged?" Wu Huang asked, completely bewildered.
As it was the first time he had heard anything about an arranged marriage, his reaction of total confusion was more than natural.
"You may not remember it, as it was a long time ago, but both of you met several times when you were children," his Master explained. "You were supposed to get married once both of you reached the Golden Core realm, but she suffered a tragic accident. Her face was disfigured, her Divine Sea was damaged, and her cultivation was completely destroyed."
Upon hearing those words, Wu Huang's face turned pale. He knew this plot better than anyone; it was the classic beginning where a "Son of Heaven" swears vengeance after the humiliation of seeing their engagement broken.
'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! Do not look down on youth just for being poor!' Wu Huang thought in horror, remembering the famous line that sealed the fate of countless villains in the novels he used to read.
Fortunately, for this type of situation, there were many methods to handle things peacefully, without having to trample on the other person's pride.
Forcing himself to regain his composure and stabilizing his expression, Wu Huang asked, "Isn't breaking the engagement so suddenly a bit inappropriate, Master?"
His Master nodded slightly. "Although it is, you must also think about your long-term cultivation. Maintaining a relationship with someone who is now practically a mortal is not good for your Daoist Heart; after all, the lifespan of both of you will be too different," she continued in a serene tone. "Your mother has already sent more than enough resources to give her proper compensation, so do not worry and end this matter immediately," she concluded, waving her hand for him to withdraw.
Without saying a single word more, Wu Huang made a respectful bow and withdrew from the pavilion.
"Take your junior brothers and sisters with you to explore the outside world," his Master ordered before Wu Huang was completely gone.
"I hear Master's orders," he replied, making one last slight bow before definitely leaving the peak's summit.
Wu Huang sighed deeply as he returned to his residence; he did not expect to run into the threads of another "Son of Heaven" plot so soon.
'It seems that, after all, avoiding the fate of a villain is easier said than done,' he thought to himself.
His junior brother was a Son of Heaven whom he, as the arrogant senior brother, should have oppressed. Had he followed the original script, Wu Huang would have slowly lost the trust of both his Master and his junior sisters.
His fiancée was another Child of Destiny whom he was supposed to humiliate by breaking the engagement. By doing so, she would inevitably rise from the ashes and seek vengeance for such a humiliation.
"They are quite common plots and easy to handle if you know what you are doing. The real problem is if one of those completely irrational protagonists appears..."
If the Sons of Heaven of this world were similar to those in the stories of his previous life, it was only a matter of time before someone with an unbearable character appeared. From psychopaths who would want to snatch his women away, to monsters who, over a minor offense, would seek to massacre his entire clan no matter what.
With that type of protagonist, it was impossible to talk or reason; the only thing that could be done was to defend oneself and eliminate them before they managed to develop.
Of course... saying it was always much easier than doing it.
"For now, let's focus on the immediate problem, and then we will worry about those things," he murmured to himself as he arrived at his residence.
His junior brothers, who were still chatting animatedly inside, noticed his arrival immediately.
"Brother Wu, did you finish with your business?" they asked.
Wu Huang nodded. "In a few days we will go out to have an experience in the outside world. Notify the rest of the sisters," he explained as he entered the room completely.
Both, with their eyes shining with excitement, nodded in unison. "We hear Senior Brother's orders!"
"You may withdraw, I need to rest," Wu Huang said. Both immediately made a bow and withdrew from the cabin.
With a simple wave of his hand, all the mess in the room arranged itself and the place became spotless.
'In case something happens, I have to prepare some means to save my life,' he thought.
He already possessed various treasures of heaven and earth to save his life in case of an emergency, but no one knew what crazy things could happen when being near a Son of Heaven. So, the more trump cards he had up his sleeve, the better.
The days passed quickly between preparations and precautions. Before they knew it, the day of departure arrived, and the group finally left the limits of the sect, ready to venture into the outside world.